Chapter 2 Aurelia McIntosh/ The Legends Are True



'Doc, let it go will ya?' Jim ordered Delbert on the way back from Stella Nova.

He had noticed the shaggy bearded man in amongst the people in the cargo unit, and began getting very frustrated when he continued to stare at him.

'How rude! People shouldn't stare like that!' He snapped, and Jim slapped his forehead.

'How do you know he's even staring?' Jim asked, and Delbert went silent.

They looked over to the man, who reached out of his beard, facing opposite to them, in order to hold onto the bar on the side of the wall. Dr. Doppler sighed.

'Well, he did look quite menacing'

When they reached the port back home, Jim bounced out and ran down the dock. Dr. Doppler had trouble following him, considering it was pitch black outside and he had left him about two minutes ago. Delbert shifted his backpack onto his shoulder, and headed in the bearing of his home, which he assumed Jim was heading for. When he did finally reach the Inn, Jim was already inside explaining to his mother everything that happened. Dr. Doppler of course got a big lecture on why Jimmy shouldn't be running around outside in the middle of the night, and questioned why he left him to get here by himself. Delbert tried to explain, but because Jimmy was being a little over talkative, he continued to be told by his mother that she hoped that he looked after his own children better. Jim only did this for fun. The one thing that Sarah didn't want to know more about though was the odd sphere that Jim won at the sideshow alley.

'It is rather odd isn't it, Sarah?' Delbert started, picking up the paper on the table and getting comfortable, 'Can't get it working though'

'He got frustrated with it' Jim replied, and Delbert frowned.

'Not frustrated, just a little....annoyed'

'It's scary if you ask me'

'Scary ain't the word for it' Jim insisted, beginning to walk upstairs. He once more pocketed the ball trudged up and into his room.

He threw his bag onto his bed and carefully placed the sphere on his bedside table. He pulled all of his belongings out of his bag and put them all back where they were before he left. Finally throwing his backpack into the cupboard, he changed into his pyjamas and took off down stairs again. He found his mother talking to a girl at one of the tables. She was at least Jim's age, quite short red hair, bright green eyes. She stood up and took her empty plate with her, as his mother insisted that she take it instead. He never noticed her there before he headed upstairs. Jim came down and sat down at his table, his head in his hands, watching Dr. Doppler read the paper quietly. When the girl came past, she stopped.

'Hello!' She said, waving slightly to him.

Jim looked up groggily.

'Hi'

She smiled and sat at the table with him.

'I remember you' She began, 'You were right behind me, in line for the Venom Rail today' Jim gawked at her, trying to remember.

'All I remember is hearing giggling'

'That was me' She smiled.

'Did you like it?' He asked.

'LOOOOOOVED IT! I love that adrenalin rush!'

He sat up properly, wondering why he now found her fascinating.

'My name's Aurelia McIntosh. What's yours?' She asked politely.

'Jim.Hawkins' He replied, and Aurelia got back up, pushing in her chair.

'Nice to meet you' She replied.

Jim's mother came over and put a plate of food in front of him. She turned back to Aurelia and smiled.

'I hope you'll enjoy staying here, dear'

Jim looked up quickly.

'What!?'

'Jim, I'm sorry but, Aurelia here is paying us to stay here for a few weeks. She'll be staying in your room'

'WHAT!?'

Aurelia said nothing but smiled at Jim, as he smiled back, not knowing what to think.



Later that night, Jim tossed and turned trying to sleep. How could he, with a girl sleeping in his room. He'd never had any friends before, besides Delbert, but he soon realised that he had his own life.

He finally closed his eyes around midnight, before he heard something or someone hissing. He got up and turned on his beside lamp, and looked around. At the end of the room, on the spare bed, Aurelia was up, trying to get Jim's attention. He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. He trudged over to her bed and sat down.

'What?' He asked almost falling asleep again.

'You say that a lot don't you?'

Jim waved his hand. Aurelia leant over and reached down beside her bed and pulled up a giant object, which was hard to see in the dim light. From what Jim could see, it was a large board or something like it covered in a sheet. She put her finger over her mouth, signalling for him to keep quiet. She placed the object onto the bed and got up to pull the sheet off. It was a Solar Surfer. Jim gasped.

'A Solar Surfer!!' He said, and Aurelia covered his mouth quickly.

'I've already been caught with it twice. I don't plan it again, so be QUIET' She ordered.

Jim got up and inspected it, now feeling awake.

'Did you build this?'

Aurelia smiled and nodded.

'Of course. Don't you know how?'

Jim's eyes widened.

'Of course! I've got one of my own. Though I've been caught over ten times'

'Oooooh, painful' Aurelia replied, and Jim nodded.

He began to inspect it, even though trying to see it in the dull light made it more difficult. It was the size of a normal Solar Surfer, on the top of it there was a painted picture of a dragon, and at the base was the booster engine. Jim continued to marvel over her handiwork.

'But, you're a girl?.'

Aurelia frowned and took the board from him.

'Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean we can't have fun! Geez, who do you think you are?'

'No, no,' Jim continued, correcting himself, 'I meant that in a good way'

Aurelia gawked at him for a while and smiled.

'Thanks'

Jim smiled back and clicked his fingers. He quickly got up and raced to his bedside table. He grabbed the weird sphere and turned around, still looking at it.

'I've got something to show you too. It's this creepy booby prize that I won at the park'

He walked over slowly and handed Aurelia the ball. She eyed it for a bit, until she turned to Jim.

'What is it supposed to be??'

'You tell me' He said cautiously.

Aurelia once again started examining the ball, similar to the way that Dr. Doppler was the first time. She tried to twist it and tap it on her palm, but she wasn't successful in making it do something. She put it onto the bed as the both of them stared at it.

'Strange. Doesn't seem to do anything'

'Dr. Doppler thinks it has to be able to do something' Jim explained, and began shuffling the ball between his hands.

They both sat and thought for a while, before Aurelia snatched the ball from him, as he threw it up into the air in order to catch it again. She began pushing the blunt spikes and rolling it around on her hand. Fortunately, she didn't get as frustrated with it as Delbert did, but she still insisted that she find out what it did by morning. Jim mentioned to her that it was already morning, technically and she just ignored him.

By six in the morning, both Jim and Aurelia had fallen asleep trying to figure the ball out. Jim awoke with a jolt and looked around at the room. He could see everything clearly now, and the fact that he had fallen asleep against the wall on Aurelia's bed and not his own. He nursed his head where he was resting against the wall and shook Aurelia awake. She reluctantly woke up, knocking the sphere onto the floor.

'What is it?' She asked him, quickly, as if she was already awake.

Jim shook his head, and got up to retrieve the ball.

'It's nothing so far'

Jim held the ball tightly as if being angry with it. Suddenly, the three blunt spikes that Jim's fingers were on, were sucked into the ball. Jim looked at it. Aurelia didn't notice this, as he proceeded to push in the rest of the spikes in sets of threes. When all of the spikes where pushed in, the ball began to gleam. Aurelia finally caught on to what was happening and leapt up from her bed. The entire room fell dark, and was filled with millions of holographic stars and planets. Jim suddenly understood what it reminded him of.

'A MAP!'

'How?'

Jim lay the ball on the floor, and walked around the yellow stars and planets began filling the room. He looked around for well-known planets, and noted one that wasn't there before. He walked up to it as the entire map zoomed up on it. The planet was quite large, and was surrounded by a thin atmosphere of asteroids, like an asteroid belt, and it was spinning. There were many large mountains on it, which Jim recognised as the blunt spikes on the ball.

'It's a map to this planet' He explained, touching the holographic planet.

The hologram flickered, millions and millions of words suddenly appeared around them. The planet was in the centre of the room as the words hovered around them, encircling them entirely. Jim searched the words, for a beginning. He began reading what he though was the start of the verse.

'Blah, blah, blah, blah..' He started, not bothering to read the boring parts out loud, '.The critical map to the lost legend planet of...'

Aurelia poked the holographic planet the same way that Jim did and it flickered once more.

'The lost planet of.?'

Aurelia looked over to Jim who had turned around and was staring into the planet, the yellow light glowing on his face. He looked very pale, and very nervous.

'Can't be true' He began.

'What can't?'

Jim poked the planet, it flickered once more and the words disappeared. He sat on the floor, and stared up at it.

'This planet. It's not real I swear'

'Jim, what's going on? What is it?'

She knelt down next to him and he glanced at her, before returning to the planet.

'It's..it's..Mirazam. The Ninety-Sixth Dimension Planet'

Aurelia gasped.

'Nuh, uh' She continued, her face also going pale, 'That's just a legend'

Jim picked up the ball, and the planet colour turned red.

'But there is it. The lost star'

They fell silent, still gawking, mouths open at the hologram. There was a knock on the door behind them, and Jim shook the ball. It flickered for the last time and the planet disappeared. He threw the ball over onto his bed quickly, and sat up as his mother came into the room.

'Oh, you're up already? Good, I'll fix you two some breakfast'

Jim smiled and heaved himself off the floor.

'That's good mum, and as a matter of fact, we'll come with you'

He turned to Aurelia, who's face was still white with fright. Jim seized Aurelia's arm and dragged her with him. Sarah noticed her and stopped Jim in his tracks.

'Aurelia, are you ok? You look sick'

'I'm fine. Just thought I saw a ghost'

Sarah sighed and continued down stairs. Jim and Aurelia followed her, whispering as they went.

'Is it real?'

'It's right there in my room, isn't it?'

'Not the map, the planet' Aurelia snapped.

Jim grinned a mischievous grin and stopped her.

'There's only one way to find out'

Down the stairs, sitting where he normally would be was Delbert. He was reading the paper as normal and he put the paper down to look over at him.

'Jimmy boy! How are your legs? Not falling off yet?'

'Dr. Doppler, could you explain to me something?'

'Hmm, what's that?' He asked, pulling down his glasses to look at Aurelia, 'I can't inform you on anything to do with women and sexual intercourse. That sort of stuff should come from your mother' Delbert pointed to Sarah, Jim and Aurelia blushed deeply.

'No, no,' He said, quickly as he took a breath to cool down, 'I want you to tell me all you know about Mirazam'

Delbert winced when Jim brought up the planet, and Sarah dropped a cup, it shattered all over the floor. Aurelia, still blushing from what Delbert said, rushed over to help her clean it up.

'Why.why.why do you want to know about ..M..m.Mirazam?' Delbert trembled.

'Just tell me. All I know is the legend'

Delbert took a deep breath and sighed. 'The legend is the only part of the planet that exists, dear boy. No-one has found that planet ever since it disappeared out of sight'

Sarah rushed over to the table after cleaning up her mess and grabbed Jim by the arm.

'You shouldn't even be mentioning that hideous fable!' She ordered.

Jim pulled himself from her grip and smiled at her.

'It's alright mom, as you said it's only a fable'

Aurelia, now behind him, coughed slightly and the words "Yeah right" could be heard.

Dr. Doppler stared at them both and leant over.

'What are you trying to say, Jim? Are you writing a story?'

'Not on that I hope' Sarah barked, turning back to her work.

'Even better.' Jim grinned, glancing to Aurelia, who was shaking her head at him.

Jim nodded and sat down at the table.

'Let's go looking for it'

Everyone in the room gasped, especially his mother and Delbert.

'ARE YOU INSANE?? THAT PLANET IS DEADLY! NO ONE THAT HAS EVER GONE ON A SEARCH FOR THAT PLANET HAS RETURNED!' Delbert bellowed, and Jim's hopes were crushed.

'But WE will' He explained, and Delbert shook his head, 'Come on Doc!! I'll be fun!'

'If you call being decapitated and stripped of your vital organs fun, then I'm sure that you'd be a coroner's dream!'

Jim got up and leant over Delbert.

'How do you know that'll happen if you never go and see?' He said, reassuringly.

Delbert fell silent.

'No one will ever get me onto a ship to that planet. They'd have to give proof that this planet actually exists and nothing in any history books has ever mentioned it otherwise' He said through clenched teeth as if getting mad.

Jim looked to Aurelia and she left the room. Delbert waited as Jim stared at him, with a look on his face as if he finally knew more than him for once. Entering the room again, she was carrying the sphere. She dropped it onto the table and Delbert snuffed a laugh.

'That thing? It's just a booby prize. Does nothing'

Jim picked it up and pushed three of the spikes in at once, as the ball sucked them in. He looked up at the shocked expression on Dr. Doppler's face.

'Just because you're a scientist doesn't mean you know how everything works'

He finished pushing all of the spikes in and the room fell dark again. Everyone was watching as the holographic stars and planets came out of the sphere. They floated around them, as Delbert got up out of his seat. Jim smiled and poked the largest planet on the map, as it zoomed in on it. Delbert almost toppled over from the shock of what he saw. He held onto the chair, shaking with fright.

'That.that's Mirazam!'

Everyone in the room screamed. Jim and Aurelia stood next to the planet and stared at Delbert. He was very reluctant to join them, but he forced himself to walk towards it. He poked the planet once more and the words flickered up, as Delbert flinched. He walked over and read a few words before,

'THE NINTEY SIXTH DIMENSION!!'

Everyone in the room screamed again and scrambled to the door to leave. Sarah came out from the kitchen and dropped another cup when she saw the map. Delbert stared over at the two kids, the glow from the planet lighting them up.

'So? Can we go?' Jim asked, smiling and glancing at Aurelia. Delbert looked as if he was going to be sick.