Jim's Folly

All right, it's time to get to it. After a Jim-break (vacation…it's summer and writers need breaks, too…), I'm ready to continue. I know how my story will end…I now have to figure out how to put it all together. Thank you all for your support. Abby, my dear, we're supposed to like Jim. It's his rebel nature that makes him attractive. *wink* Is Rowan hot, too? *laughs*

*chuckles* I'm reading over chapter three now and I can tell you, girls…I'm hating Rowan more and more as I write about him.

Chapter Three

"Having fun in Detention Hall, Mr. Hawkins?" asked an amused Captain Calls.

Jim frowned. "It's Rowan, I hope, who's having fun," he muttered.

"Happy birthday, Jim." Raven sat in the desk next to his, smiling faintly. Jim frowned, turning to her. "Yippee, I'm sixteen."

She sighed. "Jim, you don't have to be such a sourpuss."
"Why not? I'm in Detention Hall on my birthday. I have every reason to be a sourpuss."

"Rowan's not coming out of Private Detention for two more weeks, you know," Raven informed him. Jim raised an eyebrow. "Good. He lied, he should get a lot of time."
"Lied?" Raven asked.

Jim nodded. "He told me the ISA was okay with students surfing off campus."
"Jim, next time, remember not to trust him, then. I should have told you before…I'll take it as my responsibility that this has happened. Jim, he's from Ydredin, right?"

Jim nodded, intrigued.

She continued. "Ydredin is a dangerous planet. Many of the people who flee from there are troublemakers. He's also a pickpocket, if you haven't noticed."

Jim frowned. "What?"

Raven pulled a small watch from her pocket. "This is yours, right?"

Jim took the watch and stared at it in amazement. "My watch…" He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "He took it?"

"I don't know when, but yes, he did."

"Woah…" Jim replied, looking at the watch for a moment more before returning it to the pocket of his uniform.

"Jim, I'm not supposed to be here…the students aren't supposed to be visited by their instructors until Detention Hall is over, but I begged. You're out this afternoon, so I'd like to see you in my office, okay? We have some more talking to do."

Jim nodded. "Okay," he replied.

He rose when she did, saluting as she left.

-------

Rowan smirked at the captain. "What's your problem, Cap? Got a soft spot for the boy? A really soft spot?"

Captain Raven stood firmly, unwavering as she met the yellow eyes of the Ydredinian creature. "Rowan, I understand you have some problems with getting along with other people your age. You must remember this is a school, not a bar. There will be no brawling, no drinking and certainly, no breaking of the rules. When you're in my class, I expect the same manner of respect from you that I give to you. Is that clear? You're telling my student that it's okay to break the rules. He already has enough on his record, as do you. Neither of you boys need more."
Rowan grinned, baring his teeth. "Teacher, you're so protective of him, it's disgusting. One might think you're being paid to watch over the kid. I mean, he's close enough in age to ya…do you like him, too?" After spouting out a few more insults and obscene phrases, Raven bit her lip and slammed her hand on the desk at which Rowan sat.

"That's enough!" she commanded. "Rowan, you're not to speak of anyone that way, do you hear me?!"

Rowan grinned. "Hit you in a sensitive spot, Captain?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "You're close to suspension, Cadet. You'd better watch your tongue."

He stuck it out, grinning. His tongue was blue like his skin and long like a snake's. Rowan muttered another rude and vulgar comment to her, and Raven turned on her heels and left the room. He smirked, laughing as she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"What a woman. She's totally on that kid's side." Rowan smiled, setting his face on his desk. His heart hurt. He wanted a captain on his side, too. How come Hawkins got favor wherever he went? It wasn't fair. All throughout Rowan's life he'd been rejected. An outcast. A troublemaker. Feeding on the disgust and hatred of others, he'd allowed it to mold him into what he was today. A thief. A rule-breaker. A risk-taker.

Glancing around the room, Rowan felt like a caged animal. A freak, like he was, in this school. Of course, not all of the students were human, but many were. No one else was from Ydredin. Rowan felt a strong sense of loneliness as he looked around. The room was small and dark; with one window in the top corner, Rowan felt like he was in a jail cell or a institution. The walls weren't padded, which was a good sign. He'd been put into Private Detention, which was harder and stricter than Detention Hall. Detention Hall was a large room with many desks and had other students in it with you at the same time. Rowan knew this because he'd spent many a time in that room.

This room, however, he hadn't been in many times. Each time, it was the same. Small. Congested. Lonely.

Rowan sighed. It would be a long time before he got out. Maybe he could convince someone to bring him a book or something.

Maybe, he thought with a grin, that Hawkins kid would come to see him. Then he could really have some fun. He enjoyed teasing people, and with his knowledge of how the captain reacted at the mention of his name, he could entertain this for a long time.

---

Amy, the blonde girl from dance class, greeted Jim in the hallway happily.

"Hi, Jim! I'm glad you're coming to class today. I don't like dancing with that other guy…I don't even know his name!"

Jim smiled, blushing slightly. Amy had always been nice to him.

"Thanks, Amy. Yeah, I'll be there. Hard to believe someone noticed I was gone," he stated. Amy grinned, holding her books closer to her chest. "I noticed, Jim. Lots of the girls did."

Raising an eyebrow, Jim smirked. "Oh, really?"

Amy nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah…a few of my girl friends have a bit of a crush on you. I don't know if you know that or…whatever. Anyway, they're all jealous of me because I get to dance with you, you know?"

"Well, that makes sense," Jim replied. The two classmates were standing in the corridor that led to Amy's History class.

Sighing heavily, Amy ran the toe of her shoe along the ground in front of her.

"So…" Jim muttered. Amy licked her lips and started a new topic.

"So how was Detention Hall?"

Jim blinked several times before responding. "How did you know?"

"…Captain Calls told us you weren't going to be coming back for a few days because you'd gotten into a bit of trouble. A lot of the guys laughed and made some mean comments, but I had faith in you, Jim. I know you weren't in too much trouble."

Jim smiled. This girl amused him. She didn't like him too, did she?
"I got caught solar surfing in a restricted area. Again."

"Again?" Amy asked, her blue eyes widening. Jim nodded.

"No big deal. The other guy's in Private Detention, so I got off lucky."
"What did he do?"

"Ran from the cops," Jim said.

Amy nodded. "Well, that makes a lot of sense," she replied. Mulling things over to herself, Amy stood in silence for a few moments. A couple of girls walked past the two and turned to each other, giggling quietly. Jim sighed and rolled his eyes, annoyed. Women.

"So, Amy…when does class start?"

Amy checked her watch. "A few minutes…I'd better get going. Thanks for talking with me, Jim! I'll see you at class!"

Jim nodded. "Sure," he replied, waving to her slightly before heading back down the hallway toward his dorm.

Amy was a sweet girl. He liked her, but not in a way that would surely earn him some teasing, as well as losing Amy some friends.

She'd noticed his absence. So, people cared. The captain seemed to care, too.

His thoughts crossing over the captain, he was reminded he was to see her, so he turned around and headed towards the Professors' Hall.

--