Chapter 2

New Acquaintances

Jim stood on the metal berth on the crowded man-made spaceport Crescentia. The sky was as clear as ever, Montressor's sun lighting up the moon's atmosphere. There was never a time where Jim wasn't happy to stand on the bustling docks, watching vendors, spacers, and the grand other assortment of people scurry about, all of them moving places unknown. Ships and ferries everywhere were blasting off into space or returning from weary voyages. Cargo was being lifted on or off of the vessels via enormous cranes. Solar sails flapped in the breeze as mantabirds floated aloft, circling stacks of barrels containing galactic fish or generally being a pest to launching juggernauts.

Jim smiled as he took in a deep breath and waited against some faded crates beside Alice, his mother, and Morph.

"And you have everything?" his mother asked again, dusting off Jim's shoulders and adjusting his Academy jacket – a pearl white uniform with a gold trim and similar pants tucked into polished black boots. Jim let out a breathy chuckle.

"Yeah, Mom, I have everything," he told her, adjusting the bags on his shoulders.

"And you, Alice?" she inquired, turning to Alice who also smiled.

"All ready, Mrs. Hawkins," she assured the mother. Sarah Hawkins tried to stop her tears as she pulled them both into a tight hug. Jim and Alice hugged her back, Jim squeezing her tighter, pressing his face into her shoulder. When they all finally pulled back Mrs. Hawkins wiped her eyes.

"You two must be careful this year. And Jim, make sure you write. Oh, and don't forget keep up on your classes. And –"

"Mom," Jim laughed. "Don't worry. Alice and I won't be gallivanting off after any pirates this year," he assured her. Sarah Hawkins shook her head as she tried to suppress her emotion.

"I know," she sighed.

"Besides, the ferry doesn't leave for another fifteen minutes. We still have to wait for Doug and Ray to get here. You're going to love them, Mom. They're really great," Jim said. Alice nodded as Morph squeaked and rested on her shoulder. The girl patted his head affectionately as they talked about another great year as they awaited the arrival of their friends. Because Terebellum was a bit too far for Ray and Doug to travel to via ferry from their home planets and towns, each of them decided to take a ferry to Crescentia, meet up with Jim and Alice and hitch a ride on the Terebellum Express back to the Academy. It was a wearying trip, but Jim and Alice were both glad to catch up with their friends they hadn't seen in months and introduce them to Mrs. Hawkins who had heard many a crazy tale about them.

As they waited Alice thought about the Benbow and how she wouldn't see it for another whole year. She missed the homey atmosphere already. B.E.N had had to stay back to take care of the inn while Mrs. Hawkins saw Jim and Alice off at the spaceport. Saying goodbye to the robot hadn't been easy. B.E.N never liked saying goodbye to the first friends he had had in a century. It had been very tearful and rather obnoxious. The poor robot had stained Alice's jacket with the water that leaked from his circular pixelated eyeglasses. How the robot could cry real tears, Alice hadn't quite figured out yet. Eventually B.E.N had released the two cadets after a suffocating 'group hug'. The couple wasn't too worried. From Mrs. Hawkins' letters last year B.E.N liked working around the inn. The customers enjoyed his energetic personality and many of the townsfolk were warming up to him. Jim had also used B.E.N as an excuse to prove Treasure Planet was real, though some civilians still believed B.E.N was lying.

Alice was jarred from her thoughts when she heard someone shout out their names and moments later felt an arm wrap around her neck.

"Jim! Alice!" Ray cried, laughing as he pulled his two best friends close.

"Raymond," Alice grinned as Jim too embraced his roommate.

"Ray, it's good to see you," he said as they all pulled away. Ray adjusted his grip on his bags.

"Good to see you too, mate. And of course I'm always delighted to be graced by Princess Alice's presence," he teased, bowing low.

"Oh, stop it," Alice giggled.

"Boy, do I have a lot to tell you guys. You won't believe what I did this summer," he began when Morph interrupted him by licking the boy's face. Ray crinkled his nose. "What's up, Morph?"

Morph cooed as he returned to Jim's shoulder, panting happily.

"Well, before we talk about our vacations, I'd like you to meet someone," Jim began, turning to his mother who gave Ray a courteous smile and stepped forward.

"Hello there," Ray waved.

"Ray, this is my mom. Mom, meet Raymond," Jim introduced.

"I've heard many tales about you, Raymond," Mrs. Hawkins smiled as Ray held out his hand and they shook.

"All of them good I suspect, and you can just call me Ray, Mrs. H," he assured her. Jim looked at Alice with raised eyebrows. When in the presence of adults, Raymond switched from his usual mischievous countenance to one all manners. "So where's Doug? The ferry leaves in ten minutes, if he's not here," the short, dark-skinned boy trailed off as all of them craned their necks to see if they could spot the bird-like boy amongst the multitudes. At last a flicker of white caught Alice's attention.

"There!" she grinned, pointing to the white and blue feathered teenager making his way through the crowd wearing a bigger smile than anyone else around him.

"Doug!" Ray cried, waving his hands so the boy could see them better. As Doug drew closer, Jim realized that something wasn't quite the same. Someone else was heading their way, and judging by Doug's body language he knew said person quite well. Ray's enthusiastic arm waves stiffened when he too noticed the second individual.

"Who is that?" he demanded in a way that suggested he didn't want Jim or Alice to answer. Truth be told the girl was very pretty. She was the same species as Doug, but instead of white and blue feathers, she had violet downs. Her curved beak-like mouth was a similar shade. She had long lashes and wore an embarrassed smile as the two Aviates approached.

"Jim, Ray, Alice!" Doug greeted as he stopped in front of them. "It's so great to see you all!"

"It's great to see you too, Doug," Jim grinned and shook the boy's hand as Alice stepped forward and gave him a hug with Morph squeaking out a greeting of his own. Ray was the last to step forward, his gaze sliding to the lady beside Doug.

"Ray, I missed you," Doug smiled and pulled his shorter friend into a tight embrace. Ray laughed and hugged him back.

"Getting all emotional on me, Doug?"

"Ah, you know that's not true," Doug chuckled. Ray then cleared his throat and nodded to the girl beside Doug.

"I was not informed that we had an – ah – extra passenger," he said, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Doug, why don't you introduce us?" Alice suggested.

"Okay, guys this is Anne Marie. She's attending the Interstellar this year. She lives in my town and our families arranged for us to travel together. I tried to send all of you a letter, but it was such short notice I didn't think it would reach you in time," he explained.

"Hello," Anne Marie greeted, her purple beak turning a shade of pink.

"It's nice to meet you, Anne Marie," Alice took the initiative. "I'm Alice."

"Hi, Alice," Anne Marie smiled as the two girls shook hands in greeting. "Doug told me about you."

"He…did?" Alice blinked. Anne Marie let out a charming laugh.

"Yeah, he said you were dating Jim Hawkins which must be –"

"Me," Jim scratched the back of his neck with an awkward smile as he too stepped forward.

"Oh, you two are just too cute!" Jim and Alice shared an amused look as Anne Marie hurried on. "Forgive me, I love romantic stories. The way you two fell in love on your voyage to Treasure Planet, ah, that must have been so adorable," she clasped her feathered wings together and fluttered her eyes. The couple turned scarlet at their relationship being described so publically.

"Yeah, I suppose it was," Jim coughed before he realized his mother was still left out of the loop, not sure how to make her presence known. Happy for a subject change, Jim turned to her. "Uh, Doug, this is my mom. She came to see me and Alice off today and I thought she could meet you and Ray since she never has."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. H," Doug beamed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Doug," Sarah chuckled as she also nodded to Anne Marie. "I think, though, your ferry is about to depart. You five better board."

"Whoa, train's leaving the station," Alice said as if to add emphasis to this fact. Jim gave her a curious look at her expression. What was a train? Jim assumed it was some quirky line she had picked up in a book somewhere and decided not to bother inquiring.

"I guess this is it, Mom," Jim sighed turning to face Mrs. Hawkins who was brushing tears from her eyes.

"I suppose it is. Jim, Alice, have a wonderful year and don't forget to write," she instructed. Jim pulled her into a tight hug before stepping back as Alice also hugged the older woman.

"Thank you, Mrs. H, I'll look after Jim!" she assured her as Jim arched an eyebrow at the girls' shared laughter.

"Morph, you've got to stay behind," Jim turned to Morph as his friends walked on ahead. Morph's lower lip wobbled and he looked as if he was about to burst into tears. "Hey, Morph, you know the Interstellar's rule on pets. I don't want them to take you away and Alice and I can't get in trouble. We'll be back soon, I promise," Jim smiled, petting the little shape shifter who cooed.

"Promise?" he trilled, repeating Jim's words.

"Promise," Jim assured him with a smile as Alice and Jim cuddled the shape shifter one more time before waving to Mrs. Hawkins and hurrying after the ferry that looked ready to take off. They handed the conductor their papers and walked down the aisle until they located their friends.

"Here, I'll take your bags," Jim told Alice as he stuffed them into a rack above their seats.

"Oh, thanks," Alice smiled as she got rid of the tedious load and slid into a seat across from Ray, Doug, and Anne Marie. Jim slid into the seat beside her as the ferry doors closed and their vessel began to rise. Their journey to Terebellum had begun.

"So, I haven't seen you guys all summer. Anything new?" Doug began. Jim and Alice shared a look.

"Unless you count the press printing lies about our last voyage, then no," Jim answered.

"Yeah that was –"

"I heard about that," Anne Marie cut in, stopping Ray from finishing his sentence. The dark skinned boy scowled as Anne Marie continued, oblivious to what she had just done. "Doug explained what happened. I can't believe the Galactic Press would do such a thing!"

"I can't believe Bancroft T. Thatcher got his hands on that information," Alice replied. "I don't understand how he could have known what happened."

"It really wasn't that much of a secret, Alice," Jim pointed out.

"But to describe even the most minute details," Alice shrugged, looking uncomfortable as she sat back. Jim wrapped his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning back to the others.

"I have more bad news," he spoke up. "Robert is joining the Interstellar this year."

"That guy who beat you up in high school?" Doug asked when Ray burst out laughing.

"Jim got beat up in high school?" he snickered. Jim gave him a sour look silencing him at once. "I mean, I'm sorry, Jim. I'm not laughing at your pain. I just can't see you as getting taken advantage of."

"Am I that intimidating?" Jim teased.

"For sure," Alice answered with a giggle.

"Well, whatever's up with Robert, I think we can take him," Doug smiled. "Besides, I don't want to think about bad things right now. Let me tell you how I met Anne Marie…"

Alice couldn't stop her smile as she watched Doug and Anne Marie blush or chuckle every time the other jumped in to fill in details. Apparently Doug had met Anne Marie on the outskirts of the port he lived in on his home planet Ossaeta. She had been lost since she had taken a wrong turn and Doug had had to help her find her way back. They spent a majority of the summer hanging out together, and although Doug emphasized that they were only friends it was quite apparent to Alice that they were more comfortable with physical contact than normal friends were.

Raymond seemed to notice their affection as well for he harrumphed several times throughout the story and had resorted to staring out the porthole with a scowl on his face. The cadets talked for a majority of the trip, sharing tales of their summer adventures. Alice's eyes felt heavy as she listened to Jim explain some crisis he had had with his solar surfer. Her head drooped and rested on Jim's shoulder as she curled into his side and closed her eyes just listening to the vibrations from his voice.

She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep until she was consumed by her dreams, tumbling in and out of consciousness.

"Hello, Alice."

Falling.

A single gunshot.

Then there was the black hole. Sucking, pulling, yanking her in, her body beginning to stretch as Alice opened her mouth in a silent scream and jerked awake, bumping Jim so he was nudged forward.

"Alice, wha –?" he gasped when he noticed that Alice was shaking. She had covered her face when she had jolted awake.

"Alice, what is it?" Doug asked as he, Ray, Anne Marie, and Jim gave her a worried look. Alice realized that she must have fallen asleep and had another nightmare so she tried to stop her shaking hands as she pulled a smile.

"Oh, it was just a dream. Nothing important. Sorry if I freaked everyone out," she let out a false laugh. The others seemed to accept this as they returned to talking, but Jim's blue eyes scrutinized Alice making her look down.

"It was another nightmare, wasn't it?" he whispered in her ear. Alice gave a very indiscriminant nod. Over the course of their previous year at the Academy Alice had continued to have nightmares every now and then about what had happened to Dancer and her parents on their previous adventure to the Eternity Star. Even as they returned to the Benbow for summer vacation her nightmares had stalked her. She had been getting better. She didn't wake up screaming in the middle of the night, but she would still jolt awake occasionally in a cold sweat.

Jim squeezed her shoulder.

"It'll get better, Alice," he assured her. "It will." Alice wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, that's what you told me all summer, I haven't been able to stop them, yet, Jim, what makes you think they'll stop now?" Jim's brow creased.

"I don't know," he sighed at last. "Maybe all we have to do is plant some happy memories. That way when you go to sleep you'll have good dreams," he shrugged. Alice let out a snort of laughter.

"I hope you're right," she whispered, touching his hand resting on her shoulder and lacing her fingers with his. "I really hope you're right."

The remainder of the voyage was uneventful as the ferry soared through the starry sky. The five teenagers dozed off here and there amidst their conversations, determined to rest up before the chaos of their first day back. When Planet Terebellum finally came into view Alice felt more than relieved. Her green eyes glittered as she stared at the approaching planet. The conductor of the ferry announced their destination as the ferry docked on one of the metal piers and the doors slid back.

"Woo, another year of Academy training," Ray got to his feet and stretched. Doug helped Anne Marie to her feet as Jim began pulling their bags out of the shelves above their heads. He handed everyone their things as they disembarked and stepped out into the late afternoon light. The Interstellar Academy could be found just beyond the bustling town of Jacksonport. Because the town spread out across a hilly landscape, the docks were all located near the bottom and thus the lesser port had been named Lower Jacksonport Landing.

"So, where were we supposed to meet Dalia and Josephine again?" Alice asked, turning to her friends. Dalia had written them all letters explaining that they'd more than likely be arriving beforehand and that their group should meet up in a café in town before heading up to the building for the evening banquet.

"I think she mentioned the Star Bistro," Doug replied, fishing the letter out of his pocket.

"Oh, I know where that is," Ray commented. "I found it my first week of school when I went exploring, follow me."

All of them followed Raymond through the winding streets and bustling civilians toward a sagging corner café with the crooked wooden shutters pulled back to let sunlight into the room. The place, as worrying as the structure was, appeared quite cozy and when the five of them entered they were greeted by a roaring fireplace and several quiet tables where a few customers milled about enjoying their drinks and snacks.

"Hey, you guys, over here!" Jim and the others all looked up to see Dalia waving them over. Alice noticed a grumpy looking alien giving them all a sour look at disrupting the silence as they hurried over to Dalia and Josephine's corner table.

"Hey, guys, it's great to see you," Dalia smiled, punching Ray and Jim's shoulders. "Jeez, Jim, what happened to your eye?" Jim subconsciously brought his fingers up to his still bruised left eye before he shrugged.

"Long story." Dalia gave him a curious look before pulling Alice into a hug. "Well, if it isn't Alice. It seems like forever since I was able to talk to you!"

"It's great to see you too, Dalia," Alice laughed. She then turned to look down at Josephine who was holding a very delicate cup of tea with her legs crossed and her black hair as curly as ever. She had on a neutral expression as she surveyed Alice.

"Hello, Alice," she greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"I'm glad to see you're in good health as well, Josephine," Alice nodded in response. Jim stuck his hands in his pockets as he cleared his throat. As much as Josephine and Alice had settled their dispute over him throughout the last year, it was easy to see that there were a few loose wires still sparking between them.

"You two haven't met Anne Marie yet, have you?" Jim said, changing the subject.

"No, we haven't," Dalia shook her head as she ran her green pawed hand through her bright orange hair. Anne Marie's beak colored as Doug once again presented her to the two girls who shook her hand. Once all of their formalities were set aside, they rested their bags on the floor around the table as they each ordered a bit of food from the money their parents or guardians had sent with them for the trip.

Ray stuffed another cookie in his mouth.

"Man, I'm really missing Academy meals," he commented through a mouthful of oatmeal raisin. Dalia rolled her eyes. Jim had to smirk into his own cup of freshly squeezed purp juice. Just as he was bringing the cup to his lips once more the bell above the café door tinkled as someone entered the shop. Jim turned and glanced over his shoulder before he did a double take.

It was Robert, he was carrying his own bags which meant he had probably just departed from his own ferry. The boy noticed Jim and gave him a malicious grin, starting toward him. Jim tensed, prepared to get to his feet and knock Rob's teeth out when he noticed the boy stop as if thinking better of it. Shaking his head he slid into a seat close by and flagged down the waitress.

"We should probably head up to the Academy. It's getting late and we need to unpack," Jim turned around and said. Thankfully the others agreed, not seeming to notice the present danger or the tension. As they left the café, heading up to the Academy, Alice nudged Jim's shoulder.

"That was Robert in there, wasn't it?" she whispered. Jim gave a slight nod. "Don't worry, Jim, he didn't try to push you around again. He's a coward and won't come after you if you're with us."

"What if I'm not with you?" Jim muttered, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Just because he got into the Academy doesn't mean his friends have. He has no cronies here, no one to back him up," Alice assured him. Jim tilted his head to the evening sun sinking in the sky.

"At least, not yet," he whispered.

A/N: Well would you look at that? Doug has a little lady friend! It's about time that bird got a girlfriend! Pshhh, I'm just kidding. She's not his girlfriend, just a new acquaintance, but you're going to get to see how she soon plays into the story. And it appears Raymond already doesn't like her. Can any of you guys guess why? So this was mostly just a little filler chapter to introduce Anne Marie and show that Robert is stalking Jim, YIKES!

Yeah, once again, this chapter probably wasn't as exciting, but the upcoming chapters will be! Oh they most certainly will be *insert evil laughter here*. No, but seriously guys I've got soooo many BIG ideas for this story and I really hope I'm going to catch a lot of you by surprise and make you go, "What?! No way!"

At least, that's what I hope. It's going to be a reeeeaaaallly long story too, because there's no way I can trim it down without taking away from the added affect and the plotline.

Also, Alice is still having nightmares, eh? Well, yeah, that's not a huge part to the plot, I just added it in to show that she's still struggling with what happened to her parents and to Dancer.

I think that about sums it up, I finally got off of writer's block, but now I have no time! RAWR!

Special thanks goes to: lazyX1000, PartofYourWorld-ArielMermaid, JessyHeick, Death101-Fox, DragonEmerald98, Chersti, Ryadai, and kittyallstars!

You guys are seriously amazing! Sorry for the long wait on this :D