Well, writer's block had struck again, but luckily I was able to get a new chapter up and going! Kudos to Kristen for inspiring an idea for me :)
Disclaimer: You know how it goes... sigh.
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Jonesy and Tesoro lied flat on their backs on the back of the space whale as it 'swam' through the starry, open space of the galaxy. Tyson stayed right behind them, in case the large creature acted up. The sky was getting darker, and to their disappointment, Tyson called to them that they had to get back, tossing them a rope and helping them climb back into the lifeboat.
The space whale let out a moan, and Jonesy moaned back. Tesoro looked at him, curiously. "Just saying 'thank you'." he said, shrugging. Tyson smiled and rolled his eyes while Tesoro giggled. "What, you guys don't speak whale?"
They got back to the ship and headed for the galley. "Jonesy, you're on 'mop duty'." Tyson told him, tossing a mop into his hands.
"Aw, c'mon, Ty! It's dark out!"
"Unless we're pulled in-tah a black hole, it's still light enough tah get some work done. Now, get to it, or ya'll be workin' 'til dawn."
Jonesy gave him a mock salute. "Aye, Captain." Then he walked back up the stairs.
"What nightly job do you have for me?" Tesoro asked, teasingly.
"There's some dishes dat need washin'. Get those outta deh way, t'en you can get tah work." Tyson laughed.
Tesoro rolled her eyes and walked over to the sink, where a stack of dishes, pots, pans, and mugs awaited her. "If I was going to be doing dishes, I should have stayed at grandma's." She grabbed a sponge and began washing.
A couple minutes went by in silence, with only the sound of Tesoro's scrubbing and Tyson's chopping of vegetables. She found it would be a good opportunity to bring up the possibility of Jonesy being Tyson's brother, but she kept it to herself. Jonesy can talk to him about it himself. It's not my business to intrude on such matters. she thought.
"Jonesy's a pretty fun guy," she said, breaking the silence at last.
"Tell me about it," Tyson said, chuckling. "Ya know, deh two of ya have a lot in common. Ya both like space whales, ya both come in handy when it comes tah working- sometimes- and ya both can hold ya hot sauce pretty well."
"Hey, the two of you have a lot in common, too,"
"Is dat so?"
"Of course. You both joke around about the same people, you both are excellent cooks, and both of you have..." she stopped herself, catching herself before bringing up the whole 'brother' talk.
"We both have...?"
"...big hearts." It was lame, and she felt herself blushing, but it was the best she could come up with, and it was also the truth. "You both have been really nice to me."
Tyson chuckled. "I t'ink Jonesy's deh nicest outta deh both of us." he looked around, making sure the area was clear. "In fact, methinks he likes ya."
Tesoro laughed. "I figured that out a while back."
"And...?"
"And... what?"
"Do ya like him back?" Tyson nudged her playfully, winking.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Tesoro pushed him away. "Don't get me wrong, he's really nice, but..."
"But what?" Tyson was serious now. "He's a great cook, he's deh nicest guy ya could ever meet, he's got a great sense of humor-"
"There's just someone else." It came out quickly, and Tesoro turned away, resuming scrubbing dishes.
"Ah... A boy back home, I take it?" Though, deep down, he knew that wasn't it.
Tesoro shrugged, but stayed silent. Tyson nodded and went back to cooking dinner. She looked over at him, then sighed. I wish I could tell him without sounding like an idiot. she thought.
Another boy... Could it be me? Tyson asked himself. Nah, it couldn't be... Then again, that one night... And Morph did say... Blast it, why do I care about such a thing?
Because you care about her. Another thought came to his mind, and he sighed, bitterly.
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Jonesy was standing in the middle of the stairs, on his way to ask Tyson for soap, when he heard the conversation he and Tesoro had...
"I t'ink Jonesy's deh nicest outta deh both of us." Tyson had said, and he looked around, making Jonesy lean against the wall out of his sight. "In fact, methinks he likes ya."
He heard Tesoro laugh- he loved hearing her laugh- but it sounded more of a mock this time. "Oh, don't be ridiculous!" he heard her say. "Don't get me wrong, he's really nice, but..."
"But what? He's a great cook, he's deh nicest guy ya could ever meet, he's got a great sense of humor-"
"There's just someone else."
Do you ever want to be someone else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
'Someone else'? Jonesy thought, jaw dropping with shock. His mind was full of confusion. But... she never said she had a boyfriend... she couldn't, otherwise, she would've said something that night... when I kissed her...
He had missed the rest of the conversation, lost in his thoughts, so he peeked around the corner. He noticed how Tesoro had looked over at Tyson, how her eyes shimmered, how her expression read longing, how...
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over?
...How obvious it was that she liked Tyson! It was obvious, he knew, ever since he overheard them that one night, how Morph had mentioned that Tyson liked Tesoro... Man, how could I have been so stupid?
He shot a glare at Tyson, a glare wild with dark, 'colorful' emotions, then walked back onto the main deck, forgetting about his job. He climbed up the shrouds, sat on a high mast, overlooking the stars, his heart raging with a feeling of jealousy and hurt.
Are you stuck in a world you hate?
Are you sick of everyone around?
Morph had spotted him and chattered questionably, turning into a question mark. "None of your business!" Jonesy snapped at him.
With the big fake smiles and stupid lies
While deep inside you're bleeding
Morph, hurt, whimpered and floated away, leaving the boy alone. He shivered, noticing a familiar anger in his eyes, an anger he had seen once before, which still scared him to this day...
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It had been weeks since Natalie had gathered her crew and found a ship and set off Southwest with Amelia and Delbert, but worry overcame her when they found no trace of the DESTINY.
"What if they took the wrong route?" Natalie asked, full of anxiety. "What if they'd gotten lost? What if someone hi-jacked their boat? What if they're on Xenta now, stuck? ...What if they're dead? Or worse? What if-"
"Natalie, get a hold of yourself!" Amelia snapped, smacking Natalie in the face. "I apologize, but you're beginning to overreact... and annoy me!"
"How can you be so calm? All of your kids are on that boat, heading toward a deadly planet, and you're just standing around as if everything was fine!"
Amelia grabbed Natalie's shoulders, glowering. "Listen to me, Ms. Hawkins, I am worried sick right now on what could be happening to my darlings right now, but in order for us to find them, I must keep myself together, and I expect you to do the same- for Jim's sake, especially."
Natalie sighed, looking over the edge of the ship. "I-I'm sorry... I'm not as strong as I used to be..."
Delbert lied a hand on her shoulder. "No... you're stronger. You've decided to join us on this risk-taking search, after all. Just because you're overly concerned doesn't mean you're weak. Just look at me, I'm about ready to purge with anxiety, but I'm still traversing on this voyage, even though I might... not survive... the hostilities of... Xenta..." he began to pale.
"Thank you, dear, I think you've made your point," Amelia said, pushing her husband into his quarters. "Why don't you lie down for a bit?"
Natalie looked up at the stars, sighing. "Oh, Jim... If only you were still here... then we wouldn't be in this mess!" she said.
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Meanwhile...
Everything was silent on the ominous, jungle planet. A pair of robotic eyes peeked over the side of a large, dead tree, then shrank back down. "Coast is clear, Captain Jimmy, Sir." BEN whispered.
No you don't know what it's like
"Good," Jim whispered. He looked back over at his other two companions, cringing at the sight of them: Two of Gene's arms were in bandages from being singed by laser blasts, and Louigi's legs were both twisted at odd angles, obviously broken.
When nothing feels alright
Gene was trying to straighten his friend's legs out. "Ooh! Ow! Augh!" Louigi cried, though he was biting on a piece of tree bark to muffle his screams, so it came out as, "Hoo! Haw! Hah!"
"It's okay, buddy," Gene coaxed him in a soothing voice. "Just a few more inches..."
"HAAUGH!"
"There. ...Now, time for the next leg."
You don't know what it's like
To be like me
"BEN, you stay here with Gene and Louigi," Jim whispered. "I'm going out..."
"You can't!" BEN gasped, louder than he planned to. "You might get... well, killed, of course, looking on the downside of it..."
To be hurt, to feel lost
To be left out in the dark
"Shh! I'm just going to rush back to the ship and search for supplies." Jim hissed, covering BEN's mouth.
"But, Jimmy, it's clear over there!" BEN pointed to their dismantled ship, which was 200 feet away from them. "What if someone-"
"I'll be back." Jim looked over the tree trunk, then climbed over it, silently running over to the ship. Almost there... he told himself as he got closer, urging his legs to move faster.
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
"Yah!" A man with a thick, gray beard and thin but well-built body leaped out from a tree and tackled Jim, just before he reached the boat. He pinned him to the ground, holding a knife to his throat. "You thought you outsmarted me, but you didn't, you-" he paused, studying Jim more closely. He got up from him and rubbed his eyes, then looked again. "I don't believe it... James?"
To be on the edge of breaking down with no one there to save you
Jim tackled the old man back, pinning him this time. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" he demanded.
No you don't know what it's like...
"I'm... Anthony Hawkins." The old man replied, his eyes glimmering. "Your father."
Welcome to my life
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A/N: Hark, do I hear jaws dropping? Bet you weren't expecting that, were you? ...Uh, were you?
Kristen: Once again, thank you for the idea! It's added to the intensity of the story, please let me know if you have any more! (Plus, could you give me the link to your story?)
OMGitsEMILY and Anon: I dare say, things are starting to get edgy, aren't they? ;)
Keep the reviews coming, guys! ...But, I'm begging you, no flames!