"Oy, Raya, where's Silver gone?" Braeden said, coming up the steps from the
galley to find Raya mopping the deck.
"If he's not in there, then he's either in the loo or torturing Mr. Cabin Boy." Raya said. Mister Boy meowed from his perch on a crate. "Not you, I said CABIN Boy."
"I'm hungry." Braeden whined.
"That's nothing new. You're always hungry." Braeden walked up and snatched the mop from her. "Ah, good idea! You can mop to keep yourself from thinking of food!" He smirked and she laughed and sat next to her cat on the crate. He went to sit on the crate, too, but she stopped him.
"If you sit down, then this crate'll cave in on all of us."
"Oh, so you're saying?" Braeden said, hands on hips. Raya smirked.
"I'm saying that you're getting fatter than a—"
BOOM!
The whole ship shuddered. Everyone scattered on board to see what was happening. The etherium had turned from daytime blue to dark.
"What the devil?" Silver said, coming up from the stairway that went down to the longboats.
"The star! It exploded" Dr. Doppler yelled above all the commotion.
"Over there." Braeden pointed to a star which indeed exploded.
"ALRIGHT, MEN! FASTEN ALL LIFELINES!" Mr. Arrow commanded. Everyone crowded around the mainmast to fasten ropes around their waists. Raya even tied a lifeline on Mister Boy and ordered him to stay put.
"FASTEN ALL SAILS!"
Raya and Braeden climbed up the shrouds and onto the mast. They both grabbed onto a rope and began their work. Raya looked up for a fraction of a second and saw that a very large meteor was hurtling towards the ship. The crew gave a collective gasp and clung to the masts. All of a sudden, it rolled away and was sucked into a—
"BLACKHOLE!" Dr. Doppler yelled in horror. The crew scrambled down the shrouds, only to be met by Mr. Arrow.
"LOOSEN ALL SAILS!" He ordered. The crew grumbled and climbed back up except for Jim, who went to secure the lifelines. Raya pulled on a rope and loosened the sail. She went to loosen another one, when she saw it. Mr. Arrow was pulling on his lifeline in order to climb back aboard, but she looked and saw Scroop behind a sail, holding his claw over the rope. She heard a faint snap as he cut it. Raya froze to the spot, staring in horror at Scroop. But all of a sudden, Braeden was pulling on her arm.
"Come on, Raya!" He hissed, pulling her along with him.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!" The Captain yelled. Raya scooped up Mister Boy.
"Raya, come on!" Braeden yelled, and he pushed her against the mast, holding an arm against it to protect her. All went quiet, and then there was a loud blast as the ship was pushed from the black hole by the magiller. When all was calm again, the crew came out of their hiding places and began cheering for the Captain's brilliant maneuvering.
"Well done, crew, very well done. Mr. Silver, I say your cabin boy did a fine job with those lifelines." Captain Amelia said. She looked around. "Has anyone seen Mr. Arrow?"
"I'm afraid," A voice said "that Mr. Arrow has been lost. His life line was not secured." Raya jumped and turned around to see Scroop coming through the crowd holding Mr. Arrow's hat. She saw Silver give a look of surprise and then shine a light of yellow from his eye at Scroop, who smirked.
"Are you okay?" Braeden whispered to her.
"I'm fine." Raya said meekly.
"No you're not. You're shaking." Raya didn't say anything to that. She had barely heard the Captain saying her last words about Mr. Arrow, and had dismissed the crew by the time Raya had recovered enough to listen. Braeden seemed to sense that she was feeling down, because he took her aside and sat her beside him on a crate.
"You know...going on an expedition like this...there's always going to be losses." Braeden said, and Raya bit her lip. "But, you've got to get on with it, move on. Ya know?" She bit her lip harder at the remembrance of Scroop cutting Mr. Arrow's lifeline. She knew that he was treacherous from the beginning. The foul, ugly—
"Raya?" She looked at Braeden. "I bet this'll make you feel better. Look at this." He took something out of his pocket and showed it to her. It was a silver chain and on it hung a sapphire blue shell that was about the size of a small conch shell. It looked polished and new.
"Wow." Raya breathed.
"I know. I got it from Glanz. Everything on that planet looks polished and clean. I almost went out of my mind there, cuz you know how I am about cleaning." Braeden said. He watched Raya examine the shell in admiration. "You can have it if you want it."
"What?" Raya said, looking up at him in astonishment. "This looks too expensive...I couldn't—"
"You could. This is a free gift that they give all visitors. It's a tradition for them. I haven't any use for it, though." He pushed the shell into her palm. "Have it."
"...Thank you." Braeden grinned at Raya's shock.
~*~
It was a Saturday, which meant that Thuraya had second watch, although she didn't feel like getting in an hour of rest before. She sat in the topmost loft that she could balance on, just thinking. From time to time she took a long glance at Jim, who was down below sitting in the shrouds, looking downcast. Silver had come along not too long after and she had heard every word she said.
"I screwed up!" "I thought I could do something right for once in my life!" "...I wish I'm there, catching some of the light coming off o' ya that day..." And then Jim Hawkins cried. For the first time in her life, Thuraya Zaynah Mullins had witnessed a boy cry. She felt anger towards Scroop for taking the praise away from Jim by making it look that Jim hadn't made any effort at all into those lifelines. She stared down at Jim, tears running down his face as he leaned his forehead against Silver for comfort. She felt her own tears threatening to fall as she watched them.
"You should learn to mind your own business." A rough voice hissed behind her. She turned and saw Scroop sitting on the loft a few feet away.
"Look who's talking." Raya shot back. His eyes narrowed.
"You best be watching who you're messing with, Earth scum." Scroop said venomously. Raya glared at him and then climbed down the shrouds when she was sure Silver and Jim had gone.
~*~
Raya sat at her place by the bowsprit as usual, although she was aware of the glare of yellow eyes and the dark figure scuttling above her in the lofts. If he tried to attack her, she would jump and ring the bell. She yawned and regretted not getting more sleep...
~*~
Light shone on Raya's face and she yawned widely, before opening her eyes and realizing that she had fallen asleep outside. She scrambled up and was about to go into the galley, but stopped when she heard voices. It was mostly Scroop talking about someone having a soft spot for Jim, and then she heard Silver's voice. She quietly went to where the skylights into the galley were and peered in through a square.
"He means nothing to me." Raya's eyes widened. If Jim heard this...that would only add to his worries!
"And you, Bryant. You make me sick. You and Mullins. That's even worse!" Scroop spat. She saw a familiar shoulder shrug.
"She's only a wallflower. Something to keep me occupied." Braeden said, not sounding a tad bit guilty.
"That's not what you were thinkin' during the blackhole!"
"Well, of course I had to save her then! I wouldn't have anything to do!" Some of the crew laughed. Raya's face turned stark red. What the funny was going on here?
"The mutiny will start soon."
Mutiny. Raya had read "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle," twenty times through. She knew perfectly what that meant.
"If he's not in there, then he's either in the loo or torturing Mr. Cabin Boy." Raya said. Mister Boy meowed from his perch on a crate. "Not you, I said CABIN Boy."
"I'm hungry." Braeden whined.
"That's nothing new. You're always hungry." Braeden walked up and snatched the mop from her. "Ah, good idea! You can mop to keep yourself from thinking of food!" He smirked and she laughed and sat next to her cat on the crate. He went to sit on the crate, too, but she stopped him.
"If you sit down, then this crate'll cave in on all of us."
"Oh, so you're saying?" Braeden said, hands on hips. Raya smirked.
"I'm saying that you're getting fatter than a—"
BOOM!
The whole ship shuddered. Everyone scattered on board to see what was happening. The etherium had turned from daytime blue to dark.
"What the devil?" Silver said, coming up from the stairway that went down to the longboats.
"The star! It exploded" Dr. Doppler yelled above all the commotion.
"Over there." Braeden pointed to a star which indeed exploded.
"ALRIGHT, MEN! FASTEN ALL LIFELINES!" Mr. Arrow commanded. Everyone crowded around the mainmast to fasten ropes around their waists. Raya even tied a lifeline on Mister Boy and ordered him to stay put.
"FASTEN ALL SAILS!"
Raya and Braeden climbed up the shrouds and onto the mast. They both grabbed onto a rope and began their work. Raya looked up for a fraction of a second and saw that a very large meteor was hurtling towards the ship. The crew gave a collective gasp and clung to the masts. All of a sudden, it rolled away and was sucked into a—
"BLACKHOLE!" Dr. Doppler yelled in horror. The crew scrambled down the shrouds, only to be met by Mr. Arrow.
"LOOSEN ALL SAILS!" He ordered. The crew grumbled and climbed back up except for Jim, who went to secure the lifelines. Raya pulled on a rope and loosened the sail. She went to loosen another one, when she saw it. Mr. Arrow was pulling on his lifeline in order to climb back aboard, but she looked and saw Scroop behind a sail, holding his claw over the rope. She heard a faint snap as he cut it. Raya froze to the spot, staring in horror at Scroop. But all of a sudden, Braeden was pulling on her arm.
"Come on, Raya!" He hissed, pulling her along with him.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!" The Captain yelled. Raya scooped up Mister Boy.
"Raya, come on!" Braeden yelled, and he pushed her against the mast, holding an arm against it to protect her. All went quiet, and then there was a loud blast as the ship was pushed from the black hole by the magiller. When all was calm again, the crew came out of their hiding places and began cheering for the Captain's brilliant maneuvering.
"Well done, crew, very well done. Mr. Silver, I say your cabin boy did a fine job with those lifelines." Captain Amelia said. She looked around. "Has anyone seen Mr. Arrow?"
"I'm afraid," A voice said "that Mr. Arrow has been lost. His life line was not secured." Raya jumped and turned around to see Scroop coming through the crowd holding Mr. Arrow's hat. She saw Silver give a look of surprise and then shine a light of yellow from his eye at Scroop, who smirked.
"Are you okay?" Braeden whispered to her.
"I'm fine." Raya said meekly.
"No you're not. You're shaking." Raya didn't say anything to that. She had barely heard the Captain saying her last words about Mr. Arrow, and had dismissed the crew by the time Raya had recovered enough to listen. Braeden seemed to sense that she was feeling down, because he took her aside and sat her beside him on a crate.
"You know...going on an expedition like this...there's always going to be losses." Braeden said, and Raya bit her lip. "But, you've got to get on with it, move on. Ya know?" She bit her lip harder at the remembrance of Scroop cutting Mr. Arrow's lifeline. She knew that he was treacherous from the beginning. The foul, ugly—
"Raya?" She looked at Braeden. "I bet this'll make you feel better. Look at this." He took something out of his pocket and showed it to her. It was a silver chain and on it hung a sapphire blue shell that was about the size of a small conch shell. It looked polished and new.
"Wow." Raya breathed.
"I know. I got it from Glanz. Everything on that planet looks polished and clean. I almost went out of my mind there, cuz you know how I am about cleaning." Braeden said. He watched Raya examine the shell in admiration. "You can have it if you want it."
"What?" Raya said, looking up at him in astonishment. "This looks too expensive...I couldn't—"
"You could. This is a free gift that they give all visitors. It's a tradition for them. I haven't any use for it, though." He pushed the shell into her palm. "Have it."
"...Thank you." Braeden grinned at Raya's shock.
~*~
It was a Saturday, which meant that Thuraya had second watch, although she didn't feel like getting in an hour of rest before. She sat in the topmost loft that she could balance on, just thinking. From time to time she took a long glance at Jim, who was down below sitting in the shrouds, looking downcast. Silver had come along not too long after and she had heard every word she said.
"I screwed up!" "I thought I could do something right for once in my life!" "...I wish I'm there, catching some of the light coming off o' ya that day..." And then Jim Hawkins cried. For the first time in her life, Thuraya Zaynah Mullins had witnessed a boy cry. She felt anger towards Scroop for taking the praise away from Jim by making it look that Jim hadn't made any effort at all into those lifelines. She stared down at Jim, tears running down his face as he leaned his forehead against Silver for comfort. She felt her own tears threatening to fall as she watched them.
"You should learn to mind your own business." A rough voice hissed behind her. She turned and saw Scroop sitting on the loft a few feet away.
"Look who's talking." Raya shot back. His eyes narrowed.
"You best be watching who you're messing with, Earth scum." Scroop said venomously. Raya glared at him and then climbed down the shrouds when she was sure Silver and Jim had gone.
~*~
Raya sat at her place by the bowsprit as usual, although she was aware of the glare of yellow eyes and the dark figure scuttling above her in the lofts. If he tried to attack her, she would jump and ring the bell. She yawned and regretted not getting more sleep...
~*~
Light shone on Raya's face and she yawned widely, before opening her eyes and realizing that she had fallen asleep outside. She scrambled up and was about to go into the galley, but stopped when she heard voices. It was mostly Scroop talking about someone having a soft spot for Jim, and then she heard Silver's voice. She quietly went to where the skylights into the galley were and peered in through a square.
"He means nothing to me." Raya's eyes widened. If Jim heard this...that would only add to his worries!
"And you, Bryant. You make me sick. You and Mullins. That's even worse!" Scroop spat. She saw a familiar shoulder shrug.
"She's only a wallflower. Something to keep me occupied." Braeden said, not sounding a tad bit guilty.
"That's not what you were thinkin' during the blackhole!"
"Well, of course I had to save her then! I wouldn't have anything to do!" Some of the crew laughed. Raya's face turned stark red. What the funny was going on here?
"The mutiny will start soon."
Mutiny. Raya had read "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle," twenty times through. She knew perfectly what that meant.