Chapter 7

Solar Competition

Jim was in a sticky situation, which should have come as no surprise to him. There were few times in his life when he wasn't in sticky situations. However, this situation was more unpleasant than any pirate raid he'd had to deal with in the past.

"So, tell me again why you two aren't talking," he cleared his throat sitting on his bed and watching Ray flipping furiously through a mechanics book. The dark skinned boy slammed the object onto his desk before whirling on Jim.

"Because he's being a prat!"

"In what way?" Jim challenged.

"Don't take his side!"

"I'm not taking anyone's side," Jim held up his hands. "I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"Well, actually, it does because we all share a dorm and if the two of you ask me to communicate one more thing between you because you're both too proud to talk it out then I'll be requesting some new roommates," Jim grumbled, reaching for his boots.

Ray was about to respond when Doug entered the room, greeting Jim and completely ignoring Raymond on his way to his desk. Jim and Ray both watched as the bird-like boy dumped his books on the surface and sat down to study.

"Jim, could you tell Ray that his presence is distracting me?" Doug asked politely, turning to Jim.

"Jim, could you tell Doug that he's being a -?"

"No!" Jim snapped, getting to his feet. "I don't know what's going on with both of you because you won't tell me, but I'm not going to stand in the middle of it. I'm going to lunch, and you two can stay here and argue for all I care," he grumbled, slipping on his boots and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. Jim frowned as he adjusted his uniform on the way to the cafeteria. He wasn't really that hungry, but lunch sounded a lot better than his tension-filled dorm room. Once he had retrieved his meal, he looked around at all of the tables, suddenly noticing Alice sitting by herself, her nose stuck in another book. Jim smiled as he slid into the seat beside her.

"Hey," she greeted, setting down her book and swallowing her bite of food. "I thought you were in your room studying."

"Yeah, well…" Jim trailed off, snorting air out of the corner of his mouth.

"Are they still railing on each other?" she asked.

"It's gotten to the point where they won't even speak. They're trying to use me as a courier," Jim muttered, picking at his food.

"It's Doug and Ray. They're like brothers and brothers fight, they'll get over it soon," Alice assured him. Jim wasn't so sure, he'd never seen the two of them this angry before, and they still wouldn't tell him what had happened. As if to emphasize his and Alice's conversation, Doug entered the cafeteria with Anne Marie beside him, Ray following a good distance away. Alice and Jim watched as they went to retrieve their food, but when Ray noticed Doug approaching the soup bar, he veered in a different direction grabbing a plate of Zirellian casserole.

"He doesn't even like Zirellian casserole," Jim commented.

"This is bad," Alice agreed as Doug and Anne Marie approached their table.

"Jim, Alice, would you like to sit with Anne Marie and I?" Doug inquired.

"Sure, Doug," Alice replied as the two sat down. Doug was just about to take a sip of his soup when Ray also approached the table. Doug noticed and slapped his wing down over one of the few remaining seats.

"Friends only," he growled. Jim and Alice shared a worried look as Ray sneered.

"You're really going to pull that immature move?" he grumbled. Doug pretended not to hear him. "Jim? Alice?" Jim and Alice looked at the boy curiously. "Aren't you going to do something?"

"If the two of you want him to sit with you, that's fine, Anne Marie and I will move," Doug glared at them.

"Doug, it's only Raymond," Alice tried to reason.

"I can see that you care a lot more for a loser, Alice. It doesn't surprise me seeing as you grew up like one."

"Doug," Anne Marie gasped. Jim wrapped his arm protectively around Alice's shoulder.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," he spat. Alice touched his hand to comfort him.

"It's okay, Jim. Yes, Doug, I did grow up in a boarding school and no I didn't have many friends. I will not apologize for trying to be kind to others," she concluded and stood up. "Jim, would you like to join me at a separate table?"

"Until these two figure it out, I'd be glad to," Jim answered, giving Doug a warning look as they walked away. Once they were seated at another table, Jim broke the silence. "He had no right to talk about you like that."

"Of course he didn't, but he did," Alice sighed. "Just forget it, Jim. They're being idiots." Jim shook his head as he took a bite of his food.

"So, where's Dalia and Josephine?" he asked.

"Right here, guys!" Dalia whooped, jumping into the seat next to Jim. "Aw, you missed me, didn't you, Jimbo?" Jim shot her a look, arching an eyebrow. Dalia laughed. "Just teasing. What's up with Doug and Ray?"

"Nobody knows, and they won't stop arguing," Alice explained.

"You live with them, Jim. Don't you know what's going on?" the green skinned girl inquired around a mouthful of food.

"Neither of them will tell me, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Anne Marie," Jim said when Josephine joined their table, plopping her tray down across from the other three.

"Can somebody please tell me why Ray almost bit my head off?" she scowled, taking a delicate bite of her salad.

"You too, huh?" Dalia asked. "Okay, here's what you've got to do, Jim. You've got to figure out what's going on and put a stop to it."

"Why me?" Jim demanded.

"Because you're their roommate and because that solar surfing race is tomorrow. If Ray isn't running at full capacity, you're going to have some serious trouble," Dalia announced.

"She's right, Jim. You need to get to the bottom of this," Alice approved. Jim let out an irritated breath.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this because we have to beat Rob tomorrow," he relented.

"How about you do it because you're a friend," Alice suggested, tapping his arm. Jim sighed, he wasn't a mediator, but she was right. The only problem was getting Ray to talk.

"Why not?" Jim exploded as he stood in their dorm room later that day. The young cadet had all but tossed friendliness out the window when Raymond continued to be impossible about the situation.

"Jim, it has nothing to do with you if that's why you're freaking out," Ray retorted, fiddling with some gears on his bed.

"It's not me I'm worried about, and I'm not the one freaking out. Why are the rest of us forced to take sides?" he demanded. Ray snorted.

"Yeah thanks for sticking up for me…"

"Why would I stick up for you if I don't understand what's going on? Ray, you can talk to me," Jim tried again as he fell back on his own bed and stared at his roommate. Raymond looked down and was silent for a long time. Just when Jim was going to give up all hope of ever solving the problem at hand, he spoke.

"It's Anne Marie, alright? And yes, I am aware that she's a wonderful person and blah blah blah. If you take Doug's side on this, then who am I to stop you?" he snapped, throwing down his tools and rolling onto his side so his back was facing Jim.

"What about Anne Marie?" Jim pressed, happy he had gotten a response even if it was a poor one.

"Doug and Anne Marie had a date the same night you and Alice had one. I just wanted to make sure that they weren't jumping into anything when Doug caught me spying on them. I was angry and upset. Doug and I have been best friends since we first met on our fathers' merchant vessel. We've done everything together, but ever since Doug met Anne Marie it's like we haven't had any time to just sit down and talk. All the time we used to spend hanging out is now spent alone, or in his case, with his new girlfriend," Ray finished in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You're jealous?" Jim rubbed his chin.

"I just don't want to lose my best friend, and I can't hang out with you either, Jim, you've got Alice."

"Just because I've got a girlfriend doesn't mean I don't have time for other things," Jim told him. "I need some guy time once and a while too."

"Doug doesn't seem to get that."

"Look, I'm not good at these pep talks, but Doug still likes hanging out with you. There just has to be a balance. It's been a while since he's liked any girls that have returned the attention. Give him some time with Anne Marie, and sooner or later he'll come back around," Jim replied, also rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Jim hardly had time to catch a breath before Ray sat bolt upright in bed shooting Jim a devious look.

"Jim, that's it!"

"What's it?"

"I'll leave Doug alone. Yeah, I won't even talk to him. I'll go out of my way to ignore him, and then, when he realizes how much he misses our friendship he'll dump Anne Marie for sure!"

"Ray, that's not what I meant –" Jim started, also sitting up.

"He'll get sick of her eventually. It's just a phase," Ray laughed as he stood up and headed for the door. "Just a phase," he repeated as if trying to reassure himself before he pulled open the door.

"Ray, I didn't mean it –" Ray left, the door shutting behind him. "– that way," Jim finished before groaning and slapping his face. That was the last time he'd ever give a pep talk. Jim was already dreading the coming day.

As the dawn lighting rose over the horizon, the town of Jacksonport was busy preparing for the race. Flags were being strung up, the finish line constructed, and robot constables were keeping tourists out of the way of the track which weaved around buildings, circling in and out of alleyways and through large main roads.

Jim stared at the piece of paper Alice was holding up. She had marked the course with a red marker and was now tracing it out with her finger.

"This is the finish line, but remember, if you go off course at all your position in the race will be terminated," she told him.

"Okay," Jim nodded. "Landmarks may help me remember better than street names."

"Well, the first turn is by the coffee shop we visited our first day back," Alice began, pointing out different locations. She then removed the map from Jim's sight and quizzed him until she was convinced he knew exactly where he was going. "Good. You're going to do great, Jim, I just know it," she smiled as they stood in Professor Harckham's room amongst other students who were preparing to head out with their contraptions. Some of the longboats were being disassembled only to be reassembled outside. Jim was thankful Rob and Brian weren't among the students left in the room. It gave him time to think and to prepare without the added pressure.

"Thanks, and you'll be in the crowd?" Jim asked, searching her eyes.

"I wouldn't miss it," Alice assured him, brushing his bangs out of his face. Jim caught her hand as he leaned in to find her lips. Alice threw her arms around his neck as her foot popped up behind her and they shared a rather intense kiss.

"Yuck, enough making out," Ray spat coming up behind them. Jim groaned against Alice's lips, mad that they were being interrupted.

"Go away, Ray," he complained, hugging Alice closer.

"Jim, this is no time to be kissing your girlfriend, we have to have our game faces on," Ray grumbled, hooking his thumbs around his tool belt on his waist. Jim reluctantly pulled out of the kiss and turned to glare at his roommate.

"She's only wishing me good luck," he rolled his eyes before turning back to Alice with a mischievous smile. He was about to lean in again when Alice stopped him with a hand to his mouth. Before Jim could speak she looked over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm distracting him, Ray, I'll go find the others and head down to the course," she apologized, pulling out of Jim's grasp.

"Oh come on," Jim complained as Alice laughed and waved.

"Hey, you'll do great. Remember that," she called as she left Jim standing in the room grinning like a fool. A sharp jab to his side snapped him back to the present.

"Ow, what was that for?" he frowned, nursing his ribs – which were still a bit sore from the time Rob had beat him up on Montressor.

"Jim, you have to wake up. In a half an hour the race is starting and you're the one that's going to be flying this thing," Ray spat.

"Calm down, Ray, I know what I'm doing. I've flown a solar surfer before."

"In a race?" Ray demanded. Jim hesitated.

"Only one," he admitted in embarrassment. The truth was Benbow, Montressor wasn't exactly a very populated town. The few families that did live there did not waste their time teaching their children dangerous aeronautical sports. Jim, had probably had a hand in that. He couldn't even count how many times the constables had busted him on his flying machine, or the numerous days he'd walked into the Benbow during the dinner hour rush with a bruise or laceration dripping blood across the floor. No, parents did not want their kids growing up like that 'Juvenile Delinquent Jim Hawkins'.

"Exactly. You have to be prepared for anything, and whatever you do, don't let Rob near your board. I've got a really bad feeling in my stomach," Ray muttered as he and Jim both lifted the surfer and began the walk down to the course. It was the perfect day for a race. The sun was shining, and fluffy white clouds dotted the rich morning sky. Jim's heart was thrumming in his ears, whether from the adrenaline rush or the weight of the coming race he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had to remain calm and in control if he was to succeed.

It got harder to navigate as they approached the starting line. Academy students and townsfolk were everywhere in their everyday clothing (since it was the weekend). Cheering had erupted as soon as the first contraption lined up at the starting line. Jim saw that some fifth year boys had painted their faces green and were waving a banner that read: Katso the Fatso. It was clear that they shared no interest in the race, but prided themselves on mocking younger students participating. Jim had to snicker when three Academy professors marched over and tore down the banner, forcing the boys, still laughing, back up to the Academy. Jim didn't doubt the trouble they were in.

As he and Ray set the board down, letting it hover on the antigravity cloud, Ray made some final adjustments, checking to see if everything was in working condition. Jim squinted at the crowd, keeping his hands in his pockets when he heard his name called out amidst the noise.

"Jim! Over here!" Jim looked up to see Alice waving frantically with Dalia, Josephine, Doug, and Anne Marie at her side. Jim waved back, giving them all a teasing salute. He saw Alice laugh and blow a kiss in return. As Jim turned back to face Raymond a cold chill swept up his spine. No words had to be spoken for Jim to know who was behind him.

"Good luck, Hawkins." Jim whirled around as Ray leapt to his feet. Both of them stood between Rob and the solar surfer protectively lest Rob try to pull anything. "You better watch your back up there."

"You're the one that looks scared, Rob," Jim shot him a wicked grin. The young cadet wouldn't be intimidated so easily. This was Jim's sport; it was finally time to show everyone what he was made of.

"Don't act so cocky, Slim Jim, your days of glory are finally about to end." With that said, Rob turned and strutted over to his own longboat.

"Ignore him, breathe, Jim, you can handle this race. Just remember not to let him get too close, and –" Ray stopped and Jim was surprised as the dark skinned boy put his hands on Jim's shoulders. "Good luck."

Jim smiled and punched Ray's shoulder as he climbed on the board, extracting the solar sail so that his engines would begin to power up. Professor Harckham was the one that announced the race was about to begin. He walked out onto the middle of the street and told them to start their machines. Jim adjusted his stance so that he maintained perfect balance as Harckham restated the rules, though the young cadet doubted anyone was listening.

"…Last but not least, this is to be a clean race, Ladies and Gentlemen! The first person to pass the finish line will receive…" Harckham trailed off and stepped aside as a few other students who had volunteered in the setup to bring forth a gold trophy with a pair of wings held above the cup and a wrench and screwdriver crisscrossed in front. "The golden trophy of Aeronautical and Mechanical Academic Achievement!" their Professor concluded. Jim had to admit it was a handsome trophy. He immediately imagined what it would be like to bring it home and show it off. He had never won anything remotely interesting before. It was his day to prove that he could.

With Harckham finishing his words he raised his hands, prepared to give the signal. The crowd almost seemed to hold its breath and for a few seconds all Jim could hear was his steady breathing. Harckham lowered his hands and they were off! Jim sped through the course just as Alice had taught him. A few poor saps had already been stranded at the starting lines, their contraptions refusing to start. Jim had little time to think about them, though, as he took the first curve with ease, bypassing a fellow classmate that swore at him. Jim laughed and shook his head.

"Woo!" he cried, the wind raking through his brown hair, grappling at his clothes and filling him up so that Jim was sure he'd cease to exist. It was a high he would never be able to come down from, his board was the fastest of the fast, just as he and Ray had designed it. It was, of course, rather rotten for the other contestants that had a solar surfing junky as a competitor. Jim cleaved around corners, lowering his sail in tight spaces and gripping the edges with his fingers when balancing or maneuvering around obstacles. He was aerodynamic and perfectly agile. Nobody could touch him. Nobody could catch him.

He was entering back onto the main road when something rocked his board precariously. Jim lost some of his balance as he dipped, only to see a dangerous looking longboat passing over his head. Twisting back up he was neck and neck with the longboat's driver and the spell that had enchanted Jim moments before vanished when he saw who it was.

Robert.

The boy sneered at Jim. It seemed that Jim's solar surfer wasn't the only solar machine that had managed to pass the other racers – although they weren't far behind.

"Whatever you do, don't let Rob near your board."

Jim gritted his teeth, remembering Ray's words. He pushed his board to go faster as he tried to widen the gap between their two contraptions, but Rob immediately turned so his longboat bumped against Jim's surfer nearly throwing the boy off course. The crowd was going wild beneath them, and Jim had just enough time to grab the sail and turn the board into the next narrow side street before he was terminated from the race for not following the path.

"Give up, Hawkins, while you still can!" Rob taunted. They were level with each other, both straining to get ahead. Jim's board rattled against the brick wall on his left side. The alleyway they had entered was drastically smaller than that of the open main road, and Rob's longboat had the advantage of size. Robert, himself, seemed to realize this, for he continued to try and bully Jim into the wall. Jim's board couldn't handle the pressure, so, to combat this problem Jim flew above Rob's skiff.

The young cadet was so worried about trying to pull ahead (now that the problem of Rob trying to break his board had ceased) that Jim didn't notice Rob removing the pair of scissors from his pocket. With one hand the boy steered the longboat while he began to carefully get to his feet, reaching for the underside of Jim's machine, just above the thrusters burning hot with solar flame.

With an easy snip Robert had cut the cord that allowed the solar energy to drain into Jim's engines. The effects were immediate. The board dipped, angling downward as Jim began to lose elevation.

"No!" Jim cried as Rob moved his longboat out from beneath Jim's board.

"Have a nice trip down, Hawkins!" Rob let out a mocking laugh. Jim clenched his teeth as at the last minute his hands shot out and grabbed onto the edge of Robert's boat. The solar surfer was attached to Jim's feet with a strap, but Jim hadn't had time to push the sail down. It scraped against the wall, buckling under the pressure before it finally snapped off all together. For a moment Jim panicked as he tried to get a grip and keep himself from falling. Rob didn't help.

The boy scowled at Jim, forcing his longboat against another building's wall so Jim's back bumped against the surface and he nearly lost his grip.

"What are you doing?" Jim yelled over the roar of the wind. He and Rob had been rivals for as long as Jim could remember, but the cadet couldn't believe Robert was ready to murder him. If Jim fell from their height at that speed he'd break something for sure.

"Get off my ride, Hawkins!" Robert shouted back. It was then that Jim remembered the built in battery source Raymond had installed for just this occasion. All of Jim's power came from the solar sail, so Ray had decided to store extra firepower in an auxiliary battery lest Jim lose his sail. "I said get off!" Rob bellowed as he forced the longboat toward the wall with more force this time. At the last minute Jim released the longboat so as not to get crushed and just before he hit the ground he bent his knees, his hand finding the emergency button on the edge of the board to kick start the thrusters once more and draw power from the backup source.

Jim made a mental note to congratulate Raymond later. The button worked. Heat exploded from Jim's thrusters once more, shooting him forward so he pulled ahead of Rob and once again up to his level.

"What?" Rob screamed as Jim shot him a smirk.

"Better watch who you cheat against next time, Slob!" Jim hollered as he took the next sharp turn, falling back onto the main road so the crowd was there again to witness his success. Although the auxiliary battery was designed as a backup power source, it could only supply Jim for a limited amount of time before his board would, once again fail. This was why Jim was happy to see the finish line, and no matter what Rob did, Jim made sure to keep his board in front of the boy's skiff so he wouldn't be able to pull ahead again or damage his board in front of so many witnesses.

"Come on," Jim hissed under his breath as he began to lose altitude, his source draining fast. He was so close. The finish line was so close. "Please." The noises of the crowd once again became muted as Jim's heartbeat pounded in his ears. At the last minute Jim closed his eyes, fearing impact.

The impact came sooner than he expected as his board crashed into the ground, jarring him and rattling his bones. Jim was thrown forward as his foot slid out of the strap and his board went flying while he rolled over and over across the cobblestoned street, finally coming to a rest on his stomach, his body aching all over. For a while he was content to lay there in the middle of the street, unable to process anything around him.

"Hawkins! Hawkins, talk to me!"

Jim moaned and blinked open bleary eyes as he was rolled onto his back and a face swam into view.

"Professor?" he croaked out.

"Yes, are you alright?"

"Who won?"

"Are you alright?" the professor asked again, giving Jim a stern expression. Jim nodded as his professor helped him sit up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a few bumps and bruises. Who wo-ah!" Jim hissed, grabbing his ankle when he tried to stand up. Harckham rolled up Jim's pant leg to examine the wound. His ankle was swelling to an abnormal size already.

"Can you move your leg?" Harckham asked.

"Yes, but it's painful," Jim said.

"Then it's not broken. Just sprained. Mr. Hawkins, I must say that I am severely impressed with your piloting skills and Mr. Peters' mechanical abilities," Harckham praised. Jim gave Harckham a blank look when he realized he had crashed just beyond the finish line. The crowd was cheering as other longboats and solar surfers finished the race, powering down at last.

"Sir, wha –"

"Jim, you won!"

Jim blinked as Harckham helped him to his feet, letting Jim lean on him as the crowd shouted his name, cheering and applauding at the race that had been accomplished. Jim didn't know what to do. He had never had so many people cheering for him before and for a moment he was in a state of shock. That state of shock was broken moments later, however, when Raymond ran up, nearly pushing Jim back to the ground.

"Jim! You did it man! You did it! Stars yeah, you won man! We won!" he yelled, wrapping Jim's arm around his shoulder so he could support Jim's weight.

"We did it," Jim laughed as Harckham addressed the crowd, calling out Jim and Ray's names as he approached them and awarded them the Aeronautical and Mechanical Academic Achievement. Jim and Ray both gripped a handle of the cup and raised it above their heads laughing as the townsfolk went wild, but amongst the crowd Jim could see them standing out more than any others. His friends.

They were probably the most excited out of the entire populace, which made Jim laugh harder than he had in a long time. He had beat Robert, he and Ray had accomplished their goal. They had won. The two were enveloped in hugs moments later by all of their friends. Dalia swung a punch at Ray's shoulder that had so much momentum it nearly knocked both Jim and Ray to the ground.

"Will you cut that out?" Ray snapped, rubbing his arm.

"A victory punch, yeah!" Dalia cheered as Alice hugged Jim, sending him staggering.

"I knew you could do it, I just knew it," she praised, stepping back to jump up and down. Josephine spoke in a very dignified tone of how Jim had quite the crash landing and Jim had to chuckle as he showed off his sprained ankle. When it came time for Doug and Anne Marie, however, things became uncomfortable. The couple congratulated Jim on his excellent aptitude for flying, but when they turned to Raymond both boys were silent. Deciding to ease the tension, Jim told Ray about how all of his mechanical tricks worked and Rob didn't stand a chance. It seemed to break the ice for a moment later Ray was back to his normal self, boasting about how he designed the board and how he was an excellent mechanical craftsman.

The day couldn't have progressed any better if Jim had asked for it to. Harckham helped Jim back up to the Academy for medical attention in the hospital wing (where later that night he would receive many gifts of cake and cookies from his friends for dinner). Even so, something still unsettled the boy. As he was turning to brace the long climb up the main road of Jacksonport to the Interstellar, something caught Jim's eye. It was Robert. The boy did not look happy. In fact the expression he shot Jim was more than unhappy, it was murderous.

Jim chose to ignore it at the time. It was a day to revel in his victory.

Little did he know, but it would be a long time before he had another such triumph.

A/N: Well, guys, I guess I wasn't actually planning on having this up so soon. The past two weeks have been spent working on my fantasy novel when I have time in between my killer teachers. I've just been having a terrible week – a terrible month really. So I wasn't really going to work on this story for a while.

But as it was, my younger brother requested I finish this for him so he could find out what happened next. I read my stories to him, so I started writing this chapter at 8:30 tonight and didn't finish until 10:40, then I spent a lot of time just doing a victory dance and even more time editing it. Alas, by the time I was done, my brother was already fast asleep. Oh well, at least I have it written now for all of you to enjoy :) *checks clock* Holy crap! It's 11:45?! What's wrong with me?

Annnnyyywayyy, so Ray and Doug aren't talking, Jim's terrible at pep talks, and they survived the race! But what's on the horizon, my friends? Danger is lurking around every corner, and unfortunately for our heroes their lives are about to take a turn. Whether for the worse or for the best is up to how you perceive the upcoming adventure. But please, keep your seatbelts on at all times during the ride, thank you.

Um, also, I will be going on a road trip tomorrow to visit a college, so this is probably being uploaded at a good time, please enjoy, and please excuse my sorry excuse for action. I know I sort of built it up and made it seem like this chapter was going to be really epic, so I'm sorry if it didn't live up to those standards.

Song I listened to for this chapter was: On The 54 by The Dandelions

Special thanks goes to: PartofYourWorld-ArielMermaid, JessyHeick, lazyX1000, antaurilover685, and Lele011! I greatly appreciate the support!