|| MY FLOWER ||

CHAPTER III

I shiver a bit as we watch Delbert enter his mansion, everyone with a mournful expression. Delbert took off his now soaking jacket and shoes and replaced them with a fancy red robe and slippers.

"I just spoke with the constabulary," he rubs his face with his hand and sighs. "Those blaggard pirates have fled without a trace."

His clock chimes and I feel a certain anger rising up within me. I felt something drape over my shoulders, and I realized it was a blanket that Jim had draped over me. I let a small smile grase my features and pulled it tighter around me. I watch Delbert walk over to the chair Sarah is sitting on, and I stand behind it next to Jim.

"I'm afraid that the old Benbow Inn... Has burned to the ground."

Sarah sighs and leans her head in her hands. Her expression was pained. I lean my head on Jim's shoulder knowing we both need comfort. It was their house and my second home. Jim opens his mouth to say something, but closes it the second after. He slightly reaches his hand out, but he lets it fall to his side. Delbert and I watch this and he clears his throat, and Jim remains silent. Him unable to comfort his saddened mother and me unable to comfort him.

"Ahem. Well, that was certainly a lot of trouble... over that odd little sphere," Delbert points out, trying to break the awkward tension that settled in the air. Jim walks over to the table where it was placed, me not far behind. I peek over his shoulder to take a good look at it, since I didn't get a clear view of it earlier. I watch as he fiddles with it, probably trying to see if it opens.

"Those markings baffle me," Delbert continues his sentence.

I pay little attention to what he's saying, and instead takes a closer look at the markings. My eyes widen drastically at my newfound realization, "Jim, these markings... aren't they similar to—"

Now it was Jim's turn to widen his eyes at my unfinished sentence. "The ones on that chest Billy Bones had.." he interrupts me to finish. I pout a little bit that he interrupted me, but that was over in a second, when Jim turned his head to the right and looked right at me. It was then I realized how close we really were. I quickly take two steps back and turn the other way, so he can't see my pink cheeks.

"Unlike anything I've ever encountered." Delbert continues, completely oblivious of the interaction of me and Jim.

Jim continues to fiddle with the sphere, but this time he presses in the same places of the pattern Billy had on his chest. I cautiously walk forward just to gasp at the exact time as Jim, when the sphere emits an odd sound.

"Even with my vast experience... And superior intellect..." Delbert continues to ramble on to a visibly tired Sarah.

"Try turning it," I say excitedly. He looks in my direction and grins, biting his lip and turns the half of the sphere, before turning the top of it.

I gasp for the second time, when it whirls and emits a bright green light out of the 'dots'.

"It would take me years to unlock it's— Hey!" Delbert yelps, when he notices that the light coming from the fire has dimmed and a bright green light flooded the room, coming from the sphere Jim was holding. Both Jim and me were standing still, completely starstruck, watching the blue lines cover the room and planets take form and color themselves green.

"Why, it's a map!" Delbert exclaims in shock. "And that's us, planet Montressor," Delbert walks over to the small planet and inspects it.