Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

number one

chapter nine; number one

FRANK KEPT secretly glanced at Jinx. Jason put him on guard duty, he felt proud that Jason could trust him with the ship's safety. It made him smile.

That was the bright side of it. The downside was Jinx. The rest of the crew elected her to help out since she was a powerhouse.

That made him uneasy.

Jinx always looked like she was plotting to stab them in the back. He'd even voiced his concerns to Hazel, but she shut him down quickly.

Frank peeked at her once more. She was in deep thought.

He wouldn't feel safe if it were just her guarding. Jinx was lost in her mind and whatever she was thinking of seemed to capture her attention more than the scene in front of them, which wasn't much.

Frank sighed. He thought they had gotten to the next level of friendship, but it was still awkward with just the two of them.

"Jinx..."

Her eyes snapped back to focus, "what."

She seemed annoyed. Frank kept his eyes forward, If Leo and Hazel can be friends with her, so can I.

"Nothing."

Frank was going to slap himself. If Jinx didn't do it, he would. How was he so bad at simple conversations? He knew he wasn't Mr. Popular at camp, but he did have Hazel and that was enough.

"Okay...?"

Jinx shivered.

"Cold?"

She shook her head, but he noticed goosebumps on her arms and wondered if handing her his jacket would be weird. Although he initially thought she was cold, he could see her becoming alert. Maybe trouble was coming.

"What's wrong?" He mentally congratulated himself for saying more than one word.

Jinx stared at the spot Jason and Nico had been minutes ago.

"The dead."

Frank tried to not freak out. He tried to maintain his composure, but she was being too mysterious.

How can she sense the dead?

"The dead?" He squeaked. "What do you mean by that."

Jinx stood up and dusted herself off, "they're disturbances to the balance of time. Most don't have anywhere to go, so they stay in familiar places. Wandering around and being a total pain in the ass for me."

"So, you can sense them because of your dad?"

She shrugged. "They creep me out."

Frank found that funny since she was related to Nico. Nico who preferred the dead over the living. Then again, Jinx liked neither. He liked to think she was warming up to them, at least the others.

Silence fell again and this time Frank didn't feel uncomfortable.

Jinx, on the other hand, was running a hand through her hair every ten seconds.

"You look constipated."

A funny group of words, but Frank noticed Jinx's demeanor brighten up. It was the exact opposite from before.

"Leo," Jinx smiled. "I thought you were doing repairs?"

Leo rummaged through his belt, absentmindedly making some machinery. "I decided to take a break. I wanted to check up on you guys."

Frank smiled too, he thought that was the nicest thing he's ever said in front of him.

"Y'know, just in case you guys needed me to save you." He grinned.