Chapter 8

            That night, I walked up from the sleeping quarters to find Jim and my dad talking. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but it seemed like my dad was trying to cheer him up. I sat on the stairs and stared up at the sky, waiting for the conversation to be done. About five minutes later, I saw Jim come to the top of the stairs.

 

“Hey, Jim,” I greeted. “Care to take a walk with me?”

 

He gave a small nod and I stood up, walking up the stairs. We waked in silence for a while as I stared up at the stars. Jim walked with his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor. His feet were shuffling a little as we walked. I stopped when we were near the bowsprit and leaned on the edge of the boat; Jim stood next to me.

 

“Silver already gave me his pep-talk, if that’s what you’re after,” he mumbled.

 

“I know, but I don’t care. If my dad already talked to you, great, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to as well.”

I turned so that I could look out at the sky and Jim leaned with is back against the edge of the ship.

 

“You know, my dad used to tell me all kinds of stories when I was a kid. I believe every one of them, from the famous tale of Captain Flint to how the stars are made,” I said.

 

“A lot of dust and pressure,” Jim answered.

 

“Sure, that’s the mechanics of it, but do you know why a new star is formed?”

 

“You got me. What’s the story?”

 

“Every star is made by the heavens for a great sailor, usually captain or first mate, but sometimes for other crew members. Only the greatest get a star, though. If you know a sailor’s story, you can usually tell which star is theirs. You see that bright one over there,” I asked, pointing out.

 

Jim turned to the same position I was in and looked.

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

“That’s the star for Odysseus. That tiny red one over there is Flint’s star. It’s hard to see from here because we’re so far away, but I hear it’s massive, bigger than most. When I was a little girl, I wanted to have the largest star, showing that I was the best sailor in the universe. I still work towards that dream, but I think I may have to settle for second place.”

 

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

 

“Because I believe you’ll have the biggest, brightest star in all the galaxies,” I answered, turning to look at him.

 

Jim had a surprised look on his face.

 

“Why do you think that?”

 

“I know you’ll be a great captain one day, the greatest. I just have this gut feeling. One day, people will be able to look up at the sky and point out Captain Hawkins’ star. I just hope I’m right there with you on your journey,” I answered quietly, standing up straight.

Jim did so as well, looking down into my eyes; he was only slightly taller than me.

 

“I think I could live with that,” he whispered.

 

I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to his, resting my hands on his chest. I felt his arms snake around my waist as the kissed deepened and he pulled me closer. When we finally pulled apart, I smiled up at him. For the first time, I felt at though someone other than my father truly loved me for who I was.