Chapter 4

                I felt Jim watching me as I slept... It was all nice and peaceful, altough my sleep was to deep and to comfortable to escape from. Jim... Jim? Is that you? No, that's not Jim. He's not that tall. Then who is that person? Wake up, Sasha. Open your eyes....  I willed myself awake groggilly.

"Glad to see you're awake." said a gruff voice I thought I'd never hear again. I must be dreaming... Yes, that was it... "....What is it, cat got your tongue?"

                I caught the pun once I realized my dewrag was gone and my cat ears were protruding. I groaned, sore and stiff, and rolled over.  I noticed I was wearing an over-sized shirt that went past my knees as a nightshirt. Where was I?

"Sasha... you need to wake up. You've been asleep ever since I found you, which was about three hours ago. Sash, seriously."

I knew, when he called me Sash, that it was him. I bolted out of bed and sprinted over to him, throwing my arms around him and burrying my face in his shoulder.

"Daddy." I whispered, emotions conflicting.

                I was happy.... to happy for words to have my father back. I had missed him so much. I was confused. How did I get here? I was angry. Why hadn't he returned to mother and I? Why had he put us through so much pain? I didn't know what to feel. Daddy pulled me onto his lap, just like when I was a crying little girl, and stroked my hair. I cried for a while, and he simply sat there comforting me.

"Why? Why didn't you come back?" I asked, wavering.

"I couldn't, Sash." a pained look crossed his face.

"Why not?"

"I couldn't return, not once I'd seen it here.... Do you know where we're at?"

"...No."

"We're in a place what the few who have found this place 'Starfall Cross'. Look outside, Sash."

                I got up, my bare feet making a soft noise against the worn wooden floor of Daddy's ship. I looked out the the window and gasped in awe. Stars were falling.... everywhere. Little trails of light, shimmering and multicolored, followed after them.

"Oh...." I whispered.

"Isn't it wonderful? I've always planned.... on going to get you and your mother.... but I never got around to it...." he sighed. I spun around, my face hot with sudden rage.

"Speaking of my mother," I said through clenched teeth, "Ya know what losin' you DID to her?!"

"Sash--"

"No! No excuses! She went -mad- from missing you! It's your fault this family fell apart! You left, mother went crazy, and I was left with nothing! Nothing but a broken past!" I yelled, no, screamed, tears streaming down my face. I wiped the dampness with the sleeve of the nightshirt, even thought the sleeve was about four inches to long.

"Sash.... I..."

"Just forget it... Forget it!"

                I grabbed my clothes, all neatly folded, and stomped up the stairs. I couldn't handle this emotional storm. Settling on the rigging, I closed my eyes. To much to take... this was to much to take... I heard a strange sound but didn't really care. I stepped off with one foot. Was this my only escape? I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath... and was about to step off with the other foot when a hand grabbed mine. I openned my eyes abruptly and found myself staring into the green eyes (a/n: so sue me if that's not the right color.... grumbles) of Jim Hawkins.

"Jim." I said simply.

                He pulled me into the small longboat with him. I nervously yanked at the long nightshirt, which suddenly felt very short.  His green eyes locked on to my blue ones and it seemed that no words were needed to say the unspoken between us. Which was good, because I was speachless. I reached out and touched his hand.

".........Thankyou, Jim."
"What were you doing back there? Are you nuts, stepping off the rigging?"

"I... guess I was..." I said softly.

"Who's boat was that? If someone hurt you--"

"......Not now, Jim. Please not now."

He saw the tears stinging my eyes and didn't continue but gave my hand a squeeze.

"...So why did you fall of the Legacy?"

"Scroop. That nasty, dirty little mutineer did something to me and the next thing I knew I was falling."

"....I'll report him to Amelia." He looked suddenly upset.
I touched his arm. "....Jim?"

"Look, don't you get it?! I screwed up! I mean, for two seconds, I thought that maybe I could do something right! But--..." he trailed off, turning away from me and running a hand through his hair.

"Jim...." I whispered, touching his shoulder. He yanked away.

 "UGH! I just..." he sighed, " Just forget it."

                I bit my lip. I couldn't help but feel hurt. I was only trying to help. We pulled into the docking station and he jumped out and walked away, hands in his pockets and head lowered before I could say anything. I ducked into a spare room and changed out of that blasted nightshirt -- I wanted nothing to do with my father -- and trudged up to the deck. As soon as I did, Amelia rushed towards me. She kept trying to talk to me, but I stopped her.

"...It was Scroop's fault. Can I go to bed now? I.... need some sleep." I muttered.

"....Sasha...."

"Please?"

"Okay. Just... we need to talk later."

"yes ma'am."

"....That's Amelia when there aren't any crew members around." she tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"...Yes, Amelia." I smiled faintly and walked off, feeling drained and empty.

                I was in  the galley in the morning, looking at a roughly sketched version of Jim's map, when i heard it... the crew coming down into the galley. I dove into a barrel with some fruit in it, pearing out of a tiny hole, petrified but curious.

"We're sick of all this waiting!" Birdbrain Mary whined.

Hands muttered his agreements.

"Ve are vanting to move!" Meltdown griped.

"We don't move 'til we got th' treasure in hand!" I heard Silver say, and then it all clicked into place. A muntiny. SILVER WAS THE LEADER OF THE MUTINY!

"I say we kill 'em all now. . ." Damn that Scroop...

" I say what's this I say! Disobey my orders again like that stunt yeh pulled with Sasha and so help me, yeh'll be JOININ' 'ER!" Silver yelled.

"Strong talk. . . but I know otherwise. . ."

"You got somethin' t' say, Scroop?"

My eyes watered as I saw that horrible, familliar red claw felt around for a fruit. I carefully put one in Scroop's claw so he would stop fishing around.

"It's that boy. . . Methinks. . . yeh have a soft spot fer him.

" Now mark me. . ." Silver sounded angry, "The lot of yeh! I care about one t'ing and one t'ing only! Flint's trove! Yeh think I'd risk it all for the sake of some nose-wipin' little whelp?! Shut yer yap, yeh bug-brained twit! I cozied up t' that kid t' keep 'im off our scent! But I ain't gone soft!"

"PLANET HOOO!!!" Onus bellowed from above.

I climbed out of the barrel after the crew had left, feeling terrified and numb. I had to find Jim... Jim... Jim... I raced over to him and dragged him by the shirtsleeve down to the galley. I locked the door behind us. He looked confused and more than a little angry.

"What do you want?"

"It's about Silver," I whispered in a hushed voice. "He.... he...." I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Spit it out." Jim muttered.

"He-planned-a-mutiny-and-he-says-that-he-was-just-using-you!" I said all at once.

"...You liar. I should have known you were." he tweaked my ear disgustedly, and I realized my dewrag was off. "You didn't even tell me who you were.... You're Flint's great grand-daughter. You just..." He crushed one of the fruits under his boot, "... kept playing my emotions. You stole my heart and what did you do with it?" he ground the fruit into a pulp further. "....You shattered it. I can trust Silver more than I could ever wish to trust you." he looked disgusted and stalked off.

I fell to my knees. He was so bitter... So angry... he hated me. Jim Hawkins hated me.... DANGIT! DANGIT! I pounded my fist into the floor and started to sob. Dangit, boys could just rip your heart out.... I leaned against the wall, curling up and letting the warm tears flow against my face. I felt something cold and metallic to my throat.

"It seems.... yeh heard to much." Scroop's cold voice said cruelly in my ear. I shuddered with fear.

"Just kill me now." I whispered, bracing myself.

"Why would I want t'do that? Yer.... far to useful. A... how do I say... bargaining chip.... for the map. Yer the only one left on this ship.... other than the crew. That bloody Cap'n is gone, her little doggie friend, and even yer Jim... they all left you. Now c'mon, yeh worthless peice of dirt."

Scroop dragged me to my feet, forcing me to stumble into a hidden passage, where he tied me up and threw me to the floor. "Enjoy yer time here... It might last a while." He slammed the door shut, leaving me to the insanity od solitude.