Over the few months that followed Silver has been working Jim till he was ready to collapse and as for me... I've been used to such hard labor since early childhood. The only good thing about it is that I wasn't beaten up anymore so that's a win. One of our first assignments was scrapping barnacles off the ship's hull. I was doing it with ease since I learned to scrape mold from the bathrooms in the orphanage and it was basically the same thing. Jim wasn't putting enough strength into it. "Put som' elbow into it!" Silver said as he finally got a barnacle free. My glasses almost fell off and I had to tie a piece of rope around them so they wouldn't fall into the Etherium and I would remain blind. My gash would reopen once in a while and would bleed through the bandage so blood would drip down my arm. Thankfully, it didn't leave another scar and the holes on my neck healed too leaving no scars.
I would notice the bleeding but didn't even bother to stop it. It was how things were like in my old home and I was still used it. Jim pointed it out and forced me to give him my scalpel so I would take care of the wound. As we worked on this chore a familiar tune would play in my head. I'm Still Here by John Rezenik. I love the song and would often sing it when Little Wonders didn't work to make me feel better, or in the shower, or in general when I was board. It's just a matter of time before the lyrics came.
Some days we would peel potatoes. I always thought they were weird brown fruit when watching the movie and now I knew the truth. I was disappointed to learn they were just potatoes and nothing more. Jim was staring off in space and when the lyrics started and I sang them in my head.
I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment that's held in your arms
I thought I would never remember my life here but I had a flashback of a woman holding me, and it wasn't Mistress. The woman was Mrs. Hawkins. It was a few seconds but it was enough. I was so focused on the flashback I didn't know the knife was too close to my thumb until I felt a pain in it. "OW!" I yelped and dropped the knife. Jim snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me. "Let me see." He demanded.
"No." I said and tried to stop the bleeding. He came over to me and took my thumb into his hand. "You cut yourself?" He asked softly.
"No, it kissed me." I said sarcastically. Jim examined it anyways. "Really, I'm fine." I said. He didn't listen to me and bandaged it up anyways. "I told you it was fine." I said.
"It didn't look fine to fine to me." He said sternly. I sighed and dropped the subject and went back to peeling my potato. He came and sat next to me. "Don't worry. It's not a problem." He said. I frowned and continued working showing him I don't need to be coddled like a baby. Silver left the room and we had a mini sword fight with our knifes and argued about who stole who's potatoes. When Silver came back and heard our argument he laughed told us to get back to work.
The first thing we were taught was how to make a good sturdy knot. Whenever Silver explained it Jim would ignore him and got it figured out quickly. I sang the lyrics I remember in my head since it sparked it up. Every time I get chore related to the song part I would mentally sing it. Why did Disney make it so catchy?!
And what do you think you'd ever say
I won't listen anyway
I wasn't that lucky and had to try again and again. Whenever Silver kindly showed me how to do it my mind would wonder to what my life would've been if I wasn't taken. Would I be even more hurt than my brother when Dad left? Would I have been a little bit rebellious? Would I have races with Jim on my solar surfer if I had one? "It's alright lass," Silver said. "We can try again a'other day." I nodded and put my rope down and walked behind Jim on the deck. I never understood why little siblings try to act like their older one and I finally know. They wanna be like them and I started getting some of those instincts.
You don't know me
And I'll never be what you want me to be
I don't know why Dad left and he doesn't know the truth about me. If he knew that I was there he didn't say anything and, we walked in a silence that could've said a thousand words.
We had to scrubbed the deck a lot more than swabbing it. I thought my hands and knees were raw enough but nope, there's still a bit muscle left in me and it's not gonna give up.
And what do you think you'd understand
I'm a boy no, I'm a man
You can't take me and throw me away
Silver would stand over and watch us work. Jim would get up and protest to the hard labor but, Silver would just give him another bucket full of soapy water and point out a spot we missed. He would motion me to stand up and I would so he could pore the water onto the deck and we got back to work.
And how can you learn what's never
shown
Yeah you stand here on your own
They don't know me
Cause I'm not here
And I want a moment to be real
I had many flashbacks to my orphanage life and I realized why I was forced to do such horrible tasks. She wouldn't want us to discover our pasts. Everyone had something close to them. I had Treasure Planet, a girl had an old bow, a boy had an watch from the 1800's or early 1900's, and so much more. Is the items connected to their past like the movie is to mine?
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong
Some nights Silver will tell stories about in the galaxy and they were amazing! He uses his mechanical hand to animate the monsters and situations he got him self into. We would sit nearby on the stairs while the crew would sit around him. Scroop would glare at me and I would return it. One time I had my notebook with me and while writing a story inspired by Silver's, Jim stole it and it resulted in a chase to get it back. I got it back and never brought it back there again. I listened to them since I find them interesting and Jim acts like he didn't care but I saw him smile and curiously listened to the tales.
One night we had to clean all the dirty dishes. When we had just finished our last plates when Silver came to drop of a boatload of more dirty ones. I stared at the pile wide eyed and jaw dropped. This is more dishes I ever had to clean even back at the orphanage I barely did any duties related to the kitchen after the whip incident. Jim had the same look on his face, glared at Silver, and began scrubbing a pot furiously and I did the same all while mentally singing the lyrics that calmed me down a bit.
And how can the world want me to change
They're the ones that stay the same
They can't see me
But I'm still here
And you see the things they never see
All you wanted I could be
Now you know me and I'm not afraid
Hours later we finished the last dishes but, were to tired to move. I apparently fell asleep right after I finished a plate with a pot as my make shift pillow. The right side of my glasses dug into my face but I was too tired to even care about it. Before I knew it, my clear vision turned blurry and I fell asleep feeling a body next to mine. I woke up again in the middle of the night feeling something covering me from the cold air. I opened my eyes to see the blurred vision of two legs, one metal, going up stairs and falling into a peaceful and restful sleep.
I woke up the next morning to warm metal on my face. My eyes wondered lazily around the room looking at the blurred objects known as tables and barrels. I really woke up and started feeling around for my glasses. I'm pretty sure I looked like Velma when she loses hers. "What are you doing?" I heard Jim ask. I turned to look at me and saw a the fuzzy shape of his body. "I'm looking for my glasses. I can't see anything!" I said waving my hands around the air... and hitting a table with one. He laughed and pulled something from his pocket. I held my hands out and smiled recognizing the shape of them. I slipped them on and the room came into focus. "Did we fall asleep here last night?" I asked.
"Yeah." He said.
"How long were you up?"
"Not long, five minutes maybe, which was long enough to see you running around looking for your glasses."
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked so peaceful than what you normally looked when working and I wanted you to have a few more minutes of peace."
I smiled and shook my head at him. "Dork." I mumbled. "Don't make me steal your notebook with your stories." He said. My face paled and I didn't ask how much and which ones he read. He smirked playfully at my reaction and we heard footsteps coming down. "Morin' kiddos! Did yeh sleep well?" Silver asked.
"We did." We said at the same time. "JINKS! DOUBLE JINKS! TRIPLE JINKS!" We said at each other and Silver laughed. "Why don't yeh two get changed. We ain't working today but, I got something I wanna show yeh." He said smiling at us. We stood up and raced to the sleep quarters shoving each other trying to make the other mess up. I decided to wear one of my black shirts. It was a medium sleeved shirt like Jim's yellow one and I tied my jacket around my waist. I got it back a few days after the first day. It cut is sewn great and the blood got washed off. I secured my necklace around my neck and brushed my hair. After Jim got dressed we followed Silver to see what we're doing today.
And I wanna tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man
They can't break me
As long as I know who I am
The three of us walked down to where the long boats are, the launch bay. Jim and I helped Silver untie one of the long boats. He gave us a salute and flew away. Jim's smile faded and I want to tell him who I am but, I don't think it's a good time to do so. Realization dawn on me as I figured out what he was thinking about. I softly sang the lyrics in a somber voice as he recalled one of the worst days of his life.
"They can't tell me who to be
Cause I'm not what they see
Yeah, the world is still sleeping
While I keep dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers and lies
That I'll never believe"
Just as I finished singing, Silver came back and waved at us to join him. Jim's smile returned and we jumped in and Silver began explaining how to operate it. I was only half listening to the instructions.
And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong
Before Silver and I knew it, Jim quickly took the controls of the boat and shot off into the stars. I let out a yelp of excitement as we are heading towards a comet. It was like riding his solar all over again but, I wasn't scared, Silver on the other hand was holding the side of the boat and his hat surprised and fearing he might get thrown off.
And how can they say I'll never change
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now
Cause I'm still here
He steered us into the comets tail and pulled off a bunch of awesome stunts and spins. I know that the Dauntless would've loved doing this. I threw my arms out and let the star dust cover me up. We came out of the tail and the two began brushing the dust off them while I decided to keep it on. Maybe I can store it in a jar or bottle. I thought to myself. Rummaging through the boats supplies I found a large, clear jar and decided it will do. I scraped it off my shoes and clothes and the jar filled up to the top, I smiled and slid the lid on. I can stash it under my hammock later.
Silver brought us back to the ship. Jim and I stood up and helped him pull the ropes up to secure it and pull it the rest of the way inside. As the launch bay doors close, the two begins tying the ropes to the boat's sides to keep in the air. Jim moved to Silver's side and I followed suit. "Oh, you're having a little trouble there?" We asked jokingly. "Oh getaway from me yeh two." He said pushing us back. We laughed and I began finger brushing the dust from my hair. "Hey Emma, you should keep the dust on you. It suits you." Jim said. "Really?" I said confused looking at the silvery-blue dust on my hand. "Yeah but, if a boy saw you I'm gonna beat him up." He said. I busted out laughing for a second then realized he was serious. "Oh." He nodded and ruffled my hair making some of the dust fly onto the floor. "Hey!" I said throwing some from my hair on his face. He wiped it off and chuckled. "But seriously, I don't want your heart to get broken." He said. I rolled my eyes and dropped the subject.
"Oh Jimbo, if I maneuver a skiff like that if I was yer age, they'd be bowing in teh streets when I walked by today!" Silver exclaimed plopping down into the boat. "Bowing in the streets!" Morph said turning into a mini Silver and plopping down too. I giggled at the blob.
"I don't know," he said. "They weren't exactly singing my praises when I left home." Jim answered sitting down in the boat. I moved to sit next to him and watched as Silver wiped his head with a cloth and sigh leaning downwards with Morph on his arm.
"But I'm gonna change all that." He added. I placed my head on his side and smiled at him. He smiled at me and lightly pushed me off. I stared at him and repeated what I did earlier. The cycle continued until he finally caved in.
"Are yeh now? How so?" Silver asked curiously.
"Uh... I got some plans. Gonna make people see me a little different."
"Ooh, sometimes... plans go astray." Silver warned.
"Not this time." Jim answered confidently, placing his hands behind his head, leaning back smiling, and closing his eyes. Silver shrugged and then pulled his mechanical leg on the bench and tried to tighten a lose bolt. After a few seconds of watching him struggle, Morph turned into a wrench. "Oh, t'ank yeh Morphy." Silver said and quickly fixed the problem. Jim sat up making me do the same thing. I noticed his smile vanished from his face as he gazed at Silver's machinery.
"So, uh, how'd that happen anyway?" Jim asked.
"Yeh give up a few things, chasin' a dream." Silver said solemnly closing his metal hand as he looked at it.
"Was it worth it?" I asked cautiously, my voice barely above a whisper. He smiled before standing up and moving to sit besides my brother and I, he draped his fleshy arm over Jim's shoulder making me sandwiched between the two.
"I'm hoping it is, Em. I most surely am." He answered pulling his hat over his eyes and leaning back to relax. I gazed at the two guys next to me. I had started building a brother-sister bond with Jim and I think he sees me as a little sister. And Silver is like the father I never had and it felt nice to be treated like a daughter. I leaned my head on Silver's arm and close my eyes recalling everything he taught us. My thoughts were interrupted when the ship lurched to the side sending us sprawling to the floor.