Okay, guys. . . . PLOT DEVELOPMENT!! YAH!!! (I am so professional about this whole thing.)
*****
Jim walked down the hall, hands stuffed in his pockets, whistling to himself. His fist was
clenched around a pass to go discuss his grades with the counselor. Jim was being commended
for outstanding grades with an award, and couldn't help but whistle loudly as he walked back to
class. He got deeper into the song and closed his eyes and rocked his head back and forth. If he
had known it felt this good to do well in school, he would have started a long time ago.
As he made his way along, he suddenly collided with someone. His eyes shot open and he
quickly apologized as he felt his face turning red. "Sorry! Sorry! I swear, it was an-" he stared at
the woman standing before him, arms crossed behind her back and chin tilted ever-so-slightly
upward. "-accident," finished Jim. He plastered a nervous, fake grin on his face. "C-captain, er,
Mrs. Dop- um, Mrs. . . Ma'am!" he exclaimed lamely. He had bumped into Amelia.
"Afternoon, Mister Hawkins!" said Amelia, an evident smirk on her face. "Keeping. . .
busy, are we?"
Jim looked down at the pass in his hand. "Oh, yeah, I'm working hard. . . keeping out of,
uh, trouble, y'know. . ."
"Is that so?" asked Amelia quietly. "I trust you received the little gift the doctor brought
you?" Jim tried to read her features. Had she seen him that day on Main Street? It was impossible
to tell. Jim swallowed nervously.
"Ye-yes, Ma'am! It was very. . . very nice of him to bring me. . . uh. . ." Jim blinked at
her. "What?"
Amelia squinted at him, trying to hide her smile, though it was obviously still there.
"Well, Mister Hawkins. . . I was merely curious because I've heard that quite a few hooligans
have been making their way around on solar surfers, lately. One of them even had the gall to
(would you believe it, Mister Hawkins?) solar surf right! Down! Main Street!" She accentuated
her speech with little plucks of her right hand. Jim took a step backward.
"You, uh, you don't say?" asked Jim. "Heh, well, I sure wouldn't. . . I wouldn't. . . no
way I would, um," he finished. He thought to himself, **Yeah, she's really gonna believe you
now, buddy.**
"Hmm. 'S'at so?" asked Amelia, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I thought you
might, ah, be interested in *this*." She whipped out a copy of the local paper, the Etherial
Dispatch. "Right, ahem, right there, Mister Hawkins," she coughed a bit, gesturing at the front
page. Jim scanned it, looking for some photo that showed him clearly. He saw none; there wasn't
even a small note about it. Jim looked at the date and read that it was today's paper.
"Uh. . . Ma'am? Ame- ma'am?" asked Jim. Amelia looked at him, not saying a word. Jim
continued, "It's. . . today's paper. They probably won't have anything on me- er, on the person,
anymore." Amelia looked hard at Jim.
"My mistake," she said, without blinking. "Well, Mister Hawkins, I must get back to the
inn." She turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Jim stopped her. She paused in her stride. "Don't you want your paper back?"
Jim held up the paper questioningly, and shrugged.
Amelia blinked at the paper and at Jim. "No, I think you should. . . look it over. A-
*hem*lookatthesecondpage," she coughed pointed. Jim stared at her, head tilted to one side,
showing his confusion. She smiled then. "Well! Must be off! Until the next time, Mister
Hawkins. Keep up the good work!" And with that, Jim knew that she wouldn't stop even if he
asked her to again. He looked down at the paper in his hands.
As Jim walked back to class, he opened up the paper and started flipping through it. He
then remembered Amelia mentioning the second page. He went back to it, and looked at the titles
of the articles, muttering them to himself as he went along. "Scientist jailed for illegal genetic
experiments. . . Solar sail technological advances. . ." His eyes drifted to the bottom, seeing
nothing of real interest on the top. "Infamous pirate jailed. Huh." Jim scanned the article.
'. . . Police had caught up with the pirate approximately fifty etherial miles from the Cygnus
Cross. . .' '. . . was found carrying his possessions in a battered longboat. . . believed to have
come from a solar galleon. . .' '. . .was heard to say, "We've been looking for Silver ever since an
inquiry was put in-"' Jim stopped instantly, and gasped in shock. He read the article faster than
he thought he'd ever read anything before. When he finished, he looked up, completely at a loss
for words.
"They caught him," he said quietly to the empty hall. "They caught Silver."
*****
WOOAHH CLIFF-HANGER!!! And it's short, I know. But now you know that Silver will show
up. Did you catch the 'Lilo & Stitch' reference? *wink*
*****
Jim walked down the hall, hands stuffed in his pockets, whistling to himself. His fist was
clenched around a pass to go discuss his grades with the counselor. Jim was being commended
for outstanding grades with an award, and couldn't help but whistle loudly as he walked back to
class. He got deeper into the song and closed his eyes and rocked his head back and forth. If he
had known it felt this good to do well in school, he would have started a long time ago.
As he made his way along, he suddenly collided with someone. His eyes shot open and he
quickly apologized as he felt his face turning red. "Sorry! Sorry! I swear, it was an-" he stared at
the woman standing before him, arms crossed behind her back and chin tilted ever-so-slightly
upward. "-accident," finished Jim. He plastered a nervous, fake grin on his face. "C-captain, er,
Mrs. Dop- um, Mrs. . . Ma'am!" he exclaimed lamely. He had bumped into Amelia.
"Afternoon, Mister Hawkins!" said Amelia, an evident smirk on her face. "Keeping. . .
busy, are we?"
Jim looked down at the pass in his hand. "Oh, yeah, I'm working hard. . . keeping out of,
uh, trouble, y'know. . ."
"Is that so?" asked Amelia quietly. "I trust you received the little gift the doctor brought
you?" Jim tried to read her features. Had she seen him that day on Main Street? It was impossible
to tell. Jim swallowed nervously.
"Ye-yes, Ma'am! It was very. . . very nice of him to bring me. . . uh. . ." Jim blinked at
her. "What?"
Amelia squinted at him, trying to hide her smile, though it was obviously still there.
"Well, Mister Hawkins. . . I was merely curious because I've heard that quite a few hooligans
have been making their way around on solar surfers, lately. One of them even had the gall to
(would you believe it, Mister Hawkins?) solar surf right! Down! Main Street!" She accentuated
her speech with little plucks of her right hand. Jim took a step backward.
"You, uh, you don't say?" asked Jim. "Heh, well, I sure wouldn't. . . I wouldn't. . . no
way I would, um," he finished. He thought to himself, **Yeah, she's really gonna believe you
now, buddy.**
"Hmm. 'S'at so?" asked Amelia, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I thought you
might, ah, be interested in *this*." She whipped out a copy of the local paper, the Etherial
Dispatch. "Right, ahem, right there, Mister Hawkins," she coughed a bit, gesturing at the front
page. Jim scanned it, looking for some photo that showed him clearly. He saw none; there wasn't
even a small note about it. Jim looked at the date and read that it was today's paper.
"Uh. . . Ma'am? Ame- ma'am?" asked Jim. Amelia looked at him, not saying a word. Jim
continued, "It's. . . today's paper. They probably won't have anything on me- er, on the person,
anymore." Amelia looked hard at Jim.
"My mistake," she said, without blinking. "Well, Mister Hawkins, I must get back to the
inn." She turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Jim stopped her. She paused in her stride. "Don't you want your paper back?"
Jim held up the paper questioningly, and shrugged.
Amelia blinked at the paper and at Jim. "No, I think you should. . . look it over. A-
*hem*lookatthesecondpage," she coughed pointed. Jim stared at her, head tilted to one side,
showing his confusion. She smiled then. "Well! Must be off! Until the next time, Mister
Hawkins. Keep up the good work!" And with that, Jim knew that she wouldn't stop even if he
asked her to again. He looked down at the paper in his hands.
As Jim walked back to class, he opened up the paper and started flipping through it. He
then remembered Amelia mentioning the second page. He went back to it, and looked at the titles
of the articles, muttering them to himself as he went along. "Scientist jailed for illegal genetic
experiments. . . Solar sail technological advances. . ." His eyes drifted to the bottom, seeing
nothing of real interest on the top. "Infamous pirate jailed. Huh." Jim scanned the article.
'. . . Police had caught up with the pirate approximately fifty etherial miles from the Cygnus
Cross. . .' '. . . was found carrying his possessions in a battered longboat. . . believed to have
come from a solar galleon. . .' '. . .was heard to say, "We've been looking for Silver ever since an
inquiry was put in-"' Jim stopped instantly, and gasped in shock. He read the article faster than
he thought he'd ever read anything before. When he finished, he looked up, completely at a loss
for words.
"They caught him," he said quietly to the empty hall. "They caught Silver."
*****
WOOAHH CLIFF-HANGER!!! And it's short, I know. But now you know that Silver will show
up. Did you catch the 'Lilo & Stitch' reference? *wink*