Hello! Welcome to moody Mondays, although I hope you're not moody. And if you are I hope this cheers you up! I don't have much else to say other than I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

The morning after our celebration of passing our finals, Maria and I were finishing up our breakfast, which we ordered for room service. We stuffed our bellies with eggs, sausage and toast with jelly. There were more items to choose from—more fancy, but I wanted something that reminded me of home. Maria never objected to it, so I assumed my choice was good.
When we finished we quickly dressed ourselves and hurried to meet up with the boys in the lobby. By our surprise they were there first.
"What a surprise," said Maria. "You two made it here before us."
Lucard crossed his arms and grinned. "While you were making yourself look pretty, which by the way I appreciate, the Captain and I were busy getting here on time."
Maria looked down at her wrist and read an invisible watch. "Hmm," she said. "By the look of my handy-dandy watch here it says we are right on time."
I snorted a laugh.
Jim looked my way. "I trust you slept well?" His gaze switched to Maria for a second. "The both of you."
Maria and I nodded. "Yeah, we slept okay."
"Just okay?" Lucard asked. Maria shot him a look.
I wasn't sure what that look meant, but I did notice the subtle movements. "I don't mean that we slept bad." I looked over to Maria. "I mean, I slept pretty good." I lied. "Did you?"
Maria nodded. "I did."
Jim picked up his bags that were resting by his feet. "We better get going." And like that we followed our Captain.

They trip back to the Academy was a gentle one, although it was rather lonely. Lucard and Maria were business talking with each other privately while Jim was swarmed by others to talk business and eventually disappeared into the estate room. However, this gave me plenty of time to think. I thought back to my life back on earth: growing up, my parents, the way people lived their lives back then. This place still felt so foreign to me. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to this place. But I had friends here; more friends than I ever did back on earth. I was an introvert and I didn't mind. But now, with the way I was living, I was kind of forced to be more extroverted. As long as I had people to count on, Like Maria, Lucard and of course Jim, then I was okay with letting myself be heard.

When we got back to Montressor Lucard and Maria went their separate ways. Jim and I on the other hand went back to the Inn. By this time the Inn the had died down, seeing how breakfast was usually the busiest time of the day. Sarah closed up early to leave the evening open to us and cooked an amazing meal. It was good to see Ben again and having such an energetic robot walking around was enjoyable. He was the same as ever and never failed to crack me up with a joke.
"You were great in the finals." Sarah said as we sat around the table.
My eyes got wide. "What? You were there?"
She nodded. "I was. I'm not surprised you didn't see me though. There were hundreds of people there."
"Eight-hundred-forty-three to be exact." Jim said.
I was flabbergasted. "That many?"
"I'm sorry I didn't come see you after." Said Sarah.
"That's okay," I told her. "We left pretty quickly."
Sarah smiled. "Oh, to the banquet?"
I shook my head. "No, we went to the hot springs in the mountains." I saw the slight change in Jim's face and knew I had said something I shouldn't have.
Sarah raised a brow, although she didn't seem made. "Is that so?" She looked to Jim. "I thought EVERYONE was authorized to attend the banquet?"
Jim nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He had finished his food so there was no point in stuffing his face to avoid the question. "Yeah, those things are so boring." He admitted.
Sarah chuckled. "My Jim. Always a rebel." She shook her head and smiled. She stood up then and gathered our plates seeing as we were all done eating.

I went upstairs with my belongings and set out a fresh pair of undies and my new crew-type-uniform for tomorrow, and got dressed in something more comfortable. It was then that I looked out my window and saw that Sarah had set up new lights in the back garden. It looked so pretty and I was tempted to walk around it. Besides, after eating so much food it was a good idea to walk some of it off.
The lights around the gazebo were mesmerizing and the intricately twists and turns of the paths with flower gardens on both sides made me feel like I was in Wonderland.
"I wondered where you ran off to." I heard a deep voice and when I turned around I saw Jim. "I was hoping to talk one-on-one with you about the voyage."
I stood up a little straighter and rests my hands behind my back. "Go ahead."
Jim cleared his throat before speaking. "Going on a voyage for the next couple of months must sound really exciting to you, huh?" I nodded. "However true that may be it is equally dangerous. All parents and children must sign a waiver, agreeing to the dangers this voyage could very well intend." He paused for a moment. "But seeing as you are an adult and have no one but yourself to sign for, it is completely up to you whether or not you want to go through with this."
"Why wait until now to tell me this?" I asked.
Jim took a breath and let out a small sigh. "In truth: I wasn't sure how you would take it. I was putting it off for as long as I could. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I really want you to have this experience and I don't want fear to stop you. I have the papers inside ready for you to sign if you want to go through with it."
I thought for a moment. "Jim, if I didn't want this I never would have tried so hard to begin with."
"Then your answer is yes?" Jim asked.
I nodded and smiled. "Of course!"

That night I lied awake thinking about the dream I had of Jim the night before. I blushed, touching my lips as I could remember the feel of his mouth on mine. But then I got to wondering more about it and it left me feeling very confused. The dream felt too real. Most of my dreams made me feel like I was out of my body and watching from afar, or like I was invisible while things were happening around me. But in this dream I could feel the floor beneath my feet, the heat from the fire and way Jim touched me. Every nerve in my body was reacting, whereas in my other dreams I was numb. And speaking of dreams feeling awkwardly real, I thought back to the little girl in the pink nightgown. Most of what she said had left me, but the image of her was stuck in my brain; and her voice.
I fell asleep that night without dreaming and woke up refreshed. I wasn't nervous about the voyage(Although I felt like I should have been) and got dressed in my new uniform. It fit snugly around my body and was very stretchy so I was able to move and bend in any direction without feeling uncomfortable. The rims of the collar and sleeves were gold while the main part was a light blue. I wore a white long sleeves shirt underneath the vest that had gold buttons, and my boots stopped right below my knees. They were well padded inside and sturdy on the outside. I was surprised by how light weighted they were by the look of them. And of course I wore my shimmering gold belt. The gold represented Jim and his crew and I was growing very fond of the color.

As I made my way downstairs the lobby was bustling with people. Sarah and Ben were quick to serve everyone and I found a spot to sit down. Without asking Sarah placed a plate of food down in front of me. It was biscuits with sausage gravy and bacon on the side. I was more than happy to scarf it all down. It was then that I noticed Jim had yet to make an appearance.
The look on my face must have been obvious because Sarah said, "If your looking for Jim he went on a few errands. He should be back soon." She then placed a paper and quill down in front me. "By the way this is for you. I had to move it when everyone came piling in."
I looked down and saw that it was waiver. I signed it, a sense of accomplishment washing over me. I had just done something very important and it was slowly sinking in.
As time went on I sat there sipping on my cream tea. Only after the Inn died down and Sarah and Ben were able to take a break did Jim come back. I stood up and handed the waiver to him. "It's all said and done." I told him. "When do we leave?"
Jim rolled up the piece of paper and fit it in to the inside of his captains jacket. "We should leave very soon. Are you packed?" I nodded and pointed at my suitcase waiting by the door. Jim grinned. "I see."
Sarah walked up to her son and wrapped her arms around him. "I will miss you."
"I will miss you, too." Said Jim as a silly grin spread across his face.
Sarah finally let him go. "Don't do anything stupid."
"No promises." Jim laughed.
Sarah raised a brow. "I mean it, Jim." She then looked to me. "Please keep an eye on this idiot."
I tried to hold back a smile but I failed. "Will do." I told her.
"Hey now," protested Jim. "Whose the Captain here?"
Ben suddenly chimed in after cleaning up the area. "I trust those two will do just fine."
Jim looked to him. "Thanks, Ben."

As Jim and I arrived to the spaceport we were met by Lucard and Maria. Soon after Kate and Amelia came by with the students they had picked.
"You're five minutes late." Said Amelia, although I could tell that she was only joking and didn't really mean anything by it.
"I hope you got plenty of sleep," said Kate. "And smooth move on skipping out on the banquet. Not much happened, so you were lucky."
I wasn't the least bit surprised that we were a little late. Thinking back on how many times Jim was late to class it came as no surprise that we arrived after everyone else. However, the way I saw it was: someone always had to show up last whether you were late or on time.
Suddenly, Morph popped out from behind Kate and started flying around Jim. "He missed you." Said Kate.
Jim tickled Morph with his finger. "I'm shocked that he stayed with you for so long. Usually its hard to separate him from me."
Kate smiled. "What can I say? He likes me."
Jim took out a piece of candy from a bag he was holding and tossed it into the air. Morph flew up and easy caught it and cooed as he munched on his treat.

There was no sense in standing around any longer seeing as there was a voyage to get started.
The ship was huge and incredibly beautiful. Some of it was made out of steel while most it was made of dark wood. To get on board we stood on top circular platforms with one handle and floated on up to the ship. The crew there was already working hard on getting things ready and saw familiar faces. Zee and Lug waved to me, welcoming me back on to the ship. I scanned the deck for Mr. Omi but guessed that we was probably below deck getting the kitchen ready. And then, to my utter surprise I saw Delbert.
"Delbert, what are you doing here?" I asked.
He smiled big when he saw me. "Ah, Briar. Why, I'm the doctor on this ship!" He said proudly.
I smiled back as I was very happy to see him. "Good. I'm so glad you'll be with us." I then wondered. "Why are you not with Amelia? Surely that would be more suitable for you?"
"It's fine. I've flown with my wife many times before. Jim was very adamant about me flying with him. He said he wanted more friendly faces aboard the ship. I'm sure he was talking on your behalf." Maria and Lucard then joined the conversation. "Ah!" Delbert opened up a folder that he was holding and took out some papers. "Now that you're all here that reminds me." He handed us each a slip of paper. "This is a map of the ship and the small black line will show you each to your designated rooms."

The three of us were quick to head below deck and find our rooms. I was happy to see that I would have an area to my own. No offense to Maria, but I missed having my own space; a place were I could retreat without worrying what the other person was doing. Only after I was settled in did I hear Jim's voice over an intercom. He was telling everyone to meet with him on deck before setting off. I stopped everything I was doing and hurried on on. Everyone was standing in a circle with Jim in the middle.
When everyone joined Jim started talking. "Most of you know the rules of the ship, but some of you are new to this." He looked at me, Maria and Lucard. "We have three new people aboard this ship; these are the students from the academy and they will be treated the same along with everyone on this ship: with respect." He very clear on the word "respect". He continued on. "Everyone knows that the way to smooth sailing and a safe journey is when everyone can get along and work together. The rules are simple: respect one another, communicate, listen to your Captain and always be alert. If you fail to follow any one of these rules you will suffer the consequences. No matter who you are you will be treated the same as everyone else. When we set sail my word is law. And as long as you are sailing with me you will follow my every order. Is that understood?"
If I wasn't nervous then I was now. I was seeing a different side to Jim as he spoke to use with such authority in his voice. He took his job very seriously. It was very clear now that I was no longer just "Briar". I was a part of the team now, and no matter how special my situation was I was going to be treated like everyone else. That meant if I messed up Jim would have to punish me the he would with any other crew member.
I gulped, feeling very unsure about myself now. But I knew that it was very possible I could make mistakes. As long as I did my best surely nothing terrible would happen.
My thoughts faded as Jim continued. He spoke about the places we would be traveling to and that our main course of action was to deliver goods from one area to the next. These places he spoke of I had never heard about, so I was excited to see more of this world and what it had to offer.

When Jim finished his speech everyone dispersed and got into position. Jim stood at the helm giving out orders and when he looked to us he made sure the three of us were giving him our full attention. "Here is your first order from your Captain: check the pressure points on the ship. When all levels reach a hundred pull the levers in order from left to right. There are three of you so one of you will have to pull down two, although I suspect it wont be too difficult."
Lucard, Maria and myself hurried over to the small devise that sat on a wooden post and watched the numbers go up. The ship was rumbling, getting ready to take off and I could see us slowly floating away from the spaceport.
When the levels reached a hundred Lucard took the first two levers and pushed down; Maria the third and I the forth. We shot up quickly and out into space. I nearly fell over as the force of the ship taking off nearly knocked me off my feet. I forgot how abrupt the force was. However, Lucard and Maria seemed to be fine and steadied themselves without much trouble. I could already tell they were going to be naturals at this.

As everything smooth out and the ship settled it's rumbling, I could only hear a small humming to let me know that the ship was running. We didn't have to worry about floating away because Zee had taken care of that part and Lug and a few others set up the barrier around the ship. Nonetheless I could still feel a small breeze. I would never get used to the idea of there being air in what looked like space, but this was the world I lived in now, and no matter how weird it got I had to learn to go along with it.
I stood next to the edge and peered out over the side. I smiled as I watched peaceful space creatures float by. I was entering a new chapter in my life. Was it going to be dangerous? Safe? I didn't know. But what I did know is that as long as I was with Jim I knew he would never let anything bad happen to his crew...to me. I would have to do my absolute best to prove to him that I could do anything. And maybe...just maybe...I'll be able to get my feelings across.

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