Jim's Folly

*laughs hysterically and adds in a pirate's accent* Angel, you tickle me spirits. ;)

Readers: I just got the Treasure Planet soundtrack. What does that mean for Jim's Folly? It means: the author has new inspiration! Expect more chapters to come! Many, many more!

Chapter 13

The morning was a bright one when Raven entered her office. She noticed her answering machine notifying her of a message, so she pressed play as she hung up her jacket and prepared for classes that day.

"Hello, Captain…Instructor Calls, it's…Sarah Hawkins, Jim's mother. I…I don't know if you remember me, but…I'm hoping you do. Jim hasn't called in months and I'm wondering if you know where he is…because I'm worried, Captain. His…inability to stay in contact has me upset and I don't dare come out there and leave the Inn…and…well, you have my number…please, Captain, give me a call if you know anything-"

Raven hit the stop button, her heart aching. Jim didn't call his mother? What was that all about?

She didn't hesitate and picked up the phone.

It didn't ring more than once before she heard a female voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sarah?" Raven asked. "It's Raven Calls. I'm calling about your message."

----

Jim was in the shack, preparing to leave and head for the Academy. He knew he had some things still there. He packed up the few things he owned that were now in the shack and looked around once more.

"Well, I'd say it's been fun…" he whispered. As he turned to go, Rowan jumped up from his chair, crying out in disgust. He knew Jim was leaving, but his reaction was quite delayed. Drug highs did that to him. Great. More trouble to deal with.

"Rowan, I'm not staying," he said before Rowan could even open his mouth.

Rowan mulled over his comment for a moment before pulling out a small gun.

"Well, what if I don't wantcha to go?" he mumbled. Jim swallowed hard before backing up slowly.

"Where did you get that?" Jim's sobriety was to his advantage.

"I found it. It looked like fun so I took it."

"It's a gun, Rowan. Why do you need one?" Jim bit his lip. This could be dangerous. He scanned his surroundings, deciding it was much too risky to try and run for the door. He had no idea if the gun was loaded. Rowan was much too much of a kidder. Just like Silver.

Jim frowned. What would Silver do in this situation? Pull out his leg-cannon and blast the guy? Jim chuckled inside; he didn't have a leg-cannon to blast with.

Rowan stood, stumbling slightly. Jim frowned some more. He felt pity for this man. He knew it was not a good idea to leave him like this, but…for the sake of his own safety…

Jim opened his mouth to speak, but Rowan silenced him. "No, Jimmy. Let me talk…" He staggered towards him. "I knew you hated me, Jimmy. You only had to tell me, y'know."

"Rowan, that's not it," Jim protested. Rowan held up a hand.

"No, Jimmy. I know you. You say I don't but I do. I know you better than you know yourself."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You think you know me, but you don't…" Rowan stuttered. Jim looked at Rowan oddly. He wasn't making any sense. This was dangerous.

"Jim, you…can't go. I can't…live without you!" Rowan whined. Tears sparkled in his yellow eyes. He fell to his knees before Jim, hugging him around the waist, gun still in hand.

"Jim, you can't leave me!"

"Not like this, Rowan," Jim whispered to himself. "Not like this…"

Rowan looked up at Jim, his pupils dilated, the yellow of his eyes piercing into Jim's soul. The tears were gone and all Jim saw was hatred. "No, Jimmy," he said, rising to his feet, breathing heavily. "Not like this…"

Rowan pulled the gun up to him and pulled the trigger.

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*ring ring*

Raven was in the midst of her choir class when she got the call. Her pager read "Emergency: Jim Hawkins."

Not bothering to ask questions, she quickly assigned a teaching assistant to take over and headed to the Admiral's office.

"What's going on, Admiral? You said it was an emergency?"

Admiral LeighArc turned to her, frowning. "Raven, you may want to sit down."

She sat.

"You're being sent to Montressor to collect Sarah Hawkins-"
"Why?" Raven interrupted. Admiral LeighArc held up a hand. "Let me finish." He sat across from her, his hands together in a triangle as he looked over them at her.

"Jim has been shot. We need his mother at the hospital immediately."

----

The boat ride from Montressor was extremely solemn. The two women said little to each other and Sarah cried quietly beside Raven.

"He'll be okay," Raven assured herself, as well as Sarah. He had to be okay. There was no way he wasn't going to be not-okay.

He'd pull through. Raven knew it. She'd called Andrew and told him the news and he'd sighed heavily.

"I'll sleep in your bed again tonight," was his reply. No child-wisdom on Jim's situation. Raven was near the end of the hope she had such faith in.

Sarah looked at pictures of Jim in her locket. Raven chuckled. Jim had been a cute kid.

Now what was to become of him?

----

Admiral LeighArc notified Raven through her cell phone that Rowan had killed himself. When they'd found Jim, they'd forgotten to add that another boy with blue skin had shot himself after shooting Jim.

Raven shook her head sadly. "There was hope for him, too…" She remembered Rowan's foul kisses and shuddered. "Little, but still…"

Sarah cried some more as she looked at her pictures. "My Jim…" she whispered to herself. "He'll be okay, won't he, Instructor?"

Raven took Sarah's hand. "Sarah, my name is Raven, and yes…there is hope." She smiled at Sarah, hiding the terror in her heart. "There is always hope."

----

Rowan was buried on a Sunday afternoon. As his casket was lowered into the ground, several people wept for him and his loss. All around the city, it rained.

As Raven watched the casket lower into the ground, raindrops fell off her eyelashes. No tears fell from her eyes; she felt no remorse. All around, various students were crying. Raven glanced up and noticed Beth crying into her fist, tears falling from her saddened eyes. Amy stood next to her, her arm around Beth's shoulders. Raven nodded to herself. Amy was a good girl. Beth would be okay.

Raven looked around as the pastor read a few words from the Bible. There were various teenagers obviously from the slums, some from the Academy, and a few aliens, none of which were Rowan's race.

Raven said nothing as the rain poured down onto that day, wetting her soul, dampening her spirits.

There was little hope left.

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