Treasure Planet: The Real Treasure

Chapter 6

I was on the bed, sprawled out on my stomach, in the room Mrs. Hawkins had given me, staring at the pictures in my locket.

He's nothing like I thought he would be. I remember him as being caring and kind and brave. Now, he seems so...rugged and rebellious, but not in a good way. It doesn't help that I can't remember ANYTHING from the movie!

"This is so frustrating!" I growled to myself.

Then I heard the faint sound of something bouncing off the roof. I listened, and heard it again. I opened the window and saw small rocks falling to the ground. I figured Jim must be on the roof. I climbed out the window and up onto the steeply inclined rooftop. Jim was sitting against a window overlooking the restaurant. He was bouncing pebbles off the metal shingles. He looked up as I carefully made my way across to sit next to him, then resumed angrily staring out at nothing.

"I'm sorry you got into trouble," I said. Thunder rolled overhead.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, his voiced filled with malice. He looked in the opposite direction, so I couldn't see his face.

"You got into trouble for taking me on a ride. If I hadn't wanted to go, this wouldn't have happened," I replied.

He didn't say anything, but he did turn his head back towards me, only he was looking down through the window we were leaning against. At first I thought he might be thinking I was right and possibly blaming me in his mind. Though I had kind of blamed myself, I didn't expect him to actually blame me. Then I heard voices and turned to look through the window as well.

I saw Delbert and Mrs. Hawkins talking.

"I really don't know how you manage it, Sarah. Trying to run a business while raising a felon like- felon... fellow... fellow like Jim," Delbert stumbled over his words.

"Manage it? I'm at the end of my rope! Ever since his father left, well, he's just never recovered. And you know how smart he is! He built his first solar surfer when he was eight! And yet, he's failing at school, constantly in trouble, and when I talk to him, he's like a complete stranger to me! I don't know, Delbert. I've tried everything," Mrs. Hawkins vented.

I took this all in, and one thing stuck in my mind. His father? What happened to his father? I thought.

Before I could ask about it, there was the sound of an engine sputtering and Jim and I turned to see a ship crash at the end of the pier. He immediately slid down the roof and began running towards the ship. I followed after him, though it took me a little longer since I didn't want to jump off the roof and hurt myself. By the time I got down to the end of the pier, Jim was already helping an old turtle-like alien towards the Inn.

"Is he all right?" I asked, since he didn't look so good.

"He's hurt, we gotta get him inside. Help carry that big chest he's holding," Jim ordered me as he helped support the man.

I took the chest from him and carried it towards the door. Half way up the pier, it started raining.

"Mom's gonna love this," Jim groaned.

Just as we arrived at the door, Delbert opened it, and there was a crash of thunder and lightning flashed. To Mrs. Hawkins, the scene before her must have looked horrifying, because she gasped and shouted, "James Pleiades Hawkins!"

"Mom, he's hurt bad," Jim explained.

Delbert shut the door as we lay the old turtle on the floor.

"Me chest, lass," the man mumbled, reaching for the object.

I pushed it towards him and he pressed some buttons on the front.

"He'll be comin' soon," he said. The chest opened. "Can't let them find this."

"Who's coming?" Jim asked. The old man grabbed Jim by the shirt, pulling him down, while I jumped back in surprise.

"The cyborg," he whispered. "Beware the cyborg."

He took his last breath and fell back to the floor, entrusting a cloth-wrapped sphere he'd pulled out of the chest to Jim.

"Ohh," Mrs. Hawkins whispered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

I took a step towards Jim, the realization of what just happened sinking in. I tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.

Then, we saw a bright light coming from outside.