Treasure Planet: The Real Treasure

Chapter 3

When I stepped out of the shower, I put on the dress that Mrs. Hawkins had left out for me. It was simple; a light blue and white dress similar to the one she had been wearing, but with no apron. It was loose-fitting on me, since I was a bit smaller and shorter than her, but not so big that I wouldn't be able to function in it.

After brushing my long, strawberry blonde hair out, I decided to look around. I had always wondered what the BenBow Inn would look like. Most of the guest rooms were locked, but I figured they were similar to the one I had been in. So I decided to head downstairs to where I assumed was the restaurant part of the Inn.

It was early in the morning, so the breakfast rush was just starting. Mrs. Hawkins seemed to have her hands full, so I decided to head into the kitchen and see if I could help. I saw a pile of dirty dishes and started to clean them. About 15 minutes later, I had finished washing the pile and they were drying. Mrs. Hawkins walked in and was surprised to see me.

"Raphaelle, what are you doing in here?" she asked curiously.

"I thought I would help you, so I washed the dishes," I said, gesturing to the now clean stack.

"That was very thoughtful of you," she said, smiling at me affectionately.

Just then, we heard footsteps coming down the back staircase.

"That'll be Jim. Why don't I introduce you two?" she said enthusiastically.

Time seemed to slow down to an almost standstill in my mind.

Jim Hawkins! I am about to meet THE Jim Hawkins! What do I say? What if I do something stupid? What if he doesn't like me? All these thoughts and more rushed through my head as I anticipated meeting my crush.

The door to the kitchen swung open and there he was.

He wore dark olive-green pants which stopped just before reaching his black boots. A black shirt was covered by a large dark brown, almost black, jacket. His dark chestnut hair was shaved from the ear down, with a braided rat tail at the bottom of his neck, and his bangs hung down, obscuring his face a bit. There was a gold hoop piercing on one of his ears, completing the rebellious look. But what really captivated me were his eyes. They were a stunning blue, which would normally appear exotic on someone with his hair color, but looked completely natural on him. They were so much more amazing than I had ever dreamed.

And then those beautiful blue eyes turned to look at me. Some emotion flashed through his eyes, though I couldn't identify it before it disappeared.

"Jim, this is Raphaelle. Raphaelle, this is my son, Jim," Mrs. Hawkins said, formally introducing us.

"Hey," he said, shifting his position to lean against the wall.

"Hi," I said, barely above a whisper, lifting my hand up in a wave-like gesture.

"Jim, why don't you show Raphaelle around? I'm sure she would love to see the town," Mrs. Hawkins suggested.

"Sure, I guess," he said, seeming disinterested. My heart dropped in my chest.

"Are you sure? I could stay and help you out, if you want?" I offered, seeing that he clearly didn't want to have to hang out with me.

"No, go have some fun. Jim, show her something you think she might like," Mrs. Hawkins said, pretending like she didn't know how Jim felt about this.

"Sure, follow me," he said; and with that, he left the kitchen.

I followed him, unsure of how this was going to go. He walked over to a shed outside of the Inn, not looking back to see if I was following. Only when I walked inside the shed did he turn around. There was an awkward silence, as neither one of us knew what to say.