Our Treasure (Jim Hawkins x Female Reader) [COMPLETED]

Five

And this is what I like to call the "tea" chapter, because there is tea. Anyway, welcome to my attempt at spicing things up, adding a bit of angst and emotion, and raising the stakes.  

The next morning, I'm woken early by John shaking my shoulder and holding out a piece of toast. I push my hair out of my face, sitting up and opening my mouth to ask what's going on.

"Shh!" he holds a finger up to his lips, glancing around. "Come on."

I shuffle over to where my boots are resting neatly by the corner of the bench, pulling them on and taking John's proffered piece of toast. I quickly do a check of the kitchen, then follow the cook up onto the main deck, then below again to the stores.

Some of our crew are already there. I swing up onto one of the rafters, letting my legs dangle over the edge and the crumb from my toast rain down on anyone unfortunate enough to stand beneath me.

"All I'm saying is that we're sick of all this waiting!" Bird Brain Mary's voice cuts harshly through the low murmurs of everyone else, and I frown. She may be the only other female on this ship, but I despise her the most.

"Ve are vanting to move!" Meldown backs her up, his thick accent making the words almost comical.

"We don't move 'til we got the treasure in 'and!" John reprimands. I take another bite of toast, smiling innocently down at Hands, who glowers at the crumbs on his arm. I don't understand why John wanted me here – he could have handled it easily by himself.

"I say we kill 'em all now..." Scroop hisses, scuttling to the front of the crowd.

"I say what we do!" John almost shouts, grabbing Scroop by the neck. "Disobey my orders again like that stunt you pulled with Mr Arrow and my cabin girl, and so help me you'll be joinin' 'im!" He tosses the Mantavor roughly against a barrel in the corner.

"Strong talk," he hisses, getting to his feet. "But I know otherwise."

"You got something you wanna add?" I call from my perch, swinging my legs back and forwards.

"Ah..." he sighs withdrawing a purp from the barrel, "it's that boy. Methinks you have a soft spot for him." He looks between me and John, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "The both of you."

I feel my stomach sink, but try as hard as I can to keep up the appearance of nonchalance. I take another bite of toast, crunching on the crust loudly. The crew are muttering in agreement with Scroop, which isn't good. Could he have seen me and Jim last night?

"Now mark me the lot o' ya!" John growls, "I care about one thing, and one thing only! Flint's trove! Ya think I'd risk it all for the sake o' some nose-wiping little welp?"

"Yeah," I add, "he's nothing to me. Just a way to get that treasure." God, I'm glad Jim's not here right now.

"What was it now?" Scroop says, putting on a fakely sentimental face. He grins, then says in a crude imitation of my voice: "you saved my life, Jim." He turns to John, then continues: "you've got the makins of greatness in ya—"

"Shut your yap!" the cook snap. "I cosied up to that kid to keep 'im off our scent. But I ain't gone soft."

I'm stopped from defending myself by the shout of "land ho!" from the deck above, and the uproar that follows. I jump down from the rafters, rushing with everyone up to see the planet. It's beautiful, just the way I remember it from the book I had as a child. The two criss-crossing rings of luminescent green and greyish rocks stand out against the smokiness of the surrounding space, chucks of black rock floating at random around us.

"Jim!" I shout, running down to where most of the crew sleep in search of him. It's empty but for a few scattered belongings, so I run back up the stairs and onto the deck. He's not there either, so I check the kitchen. Maybe he went to find me.