Chapter 8 :

 

„Awww,c`mon,you really want 20 Etherial Dollars for that ring?“ complained Dolphy as she was bargaining at one of the stalls.

„19,and that`s my last offer.“ said the seller,an old ape-like alien,with a stern voice.

„14.“

„18.“

„15.“

„16.“

„Okay,deal!“ grinned Dolphy.

God,how she loved bargaining!Just as she wanted to give him the money she was stopped by a pink thing which irritated her by flying hectically around her.

„Morph!?What are you doing here?“ she asked confused.

The little shapeshifter was so upset,he couldn`t transform into anything to explain Dolphy what had happened.Instead he just kept making shrieking sounds and tucked on her hair in order to make her follow him.

„Hey,what the heck do you wanna tell me!?And where`s-„

At this moment she saw Carren and his two companions walking by.She immediately hid behind a big alien who was standing near her and waited till the enemy had disappeared.

„Since when are these guys interested in markets?“ thought Dolphy dumbfounded when she suddenly had a bad suspicion of what was going on.

„Morph,show me where Jim is!“ she yelled and followed the small blob who dashed off like a flash towards the street he had just come from.

„Could you please wait for me!?“ she yelled after him.

`Man,I didn`t know that he could be this fast!`

Suddenly she saw Morph flying into a side alley.

„What-„ she gasped when she saw Jim leaning against the wall,blood from a scratch on his forehead running along his temple.

„Jim!What have those blasted jerks done with you!?“ she asked,a combination of rage and concern in her voice and knelt down to her friend.

„We just had a...nice meeting.“ he tried to smile but had to wince in pain as he tried to stand up.

Dolphy quickly took a handkerchief out of her backpack and carefully removed the blood from his face.

„Ouch!“

„Sorry!“

As she had finished she thought for a moment and then looked back at Jim.

„You wait here,I`ll get help.“

Just as she wanted to stand up she felt a hand holding on to her own.

„No.“

„But,Jim-„

„The ferry will leave in some minutes,we have to get there in time or it`ll leave without-„

„Forget that damn ferry!You need a doctor!“

„It`s nothing serious,just a few bruises.I`ve never felt better in my life.“

He stood up and had almost fallen back on the ground again if he hadn`t leaned against the wall.

„Uhm,okay,maybe there were times I felt better.“

„Geez,and I thought I was the one of us with the stubborn attitude.“ sighed Dolphy and put one of Jim`s arms around her shoulders.

„Can you walk?“

„Sure,no-ouch!-problem.“     

 

While they returned to the space ferry none of them spoke a word,not even Morph.As they had arrived at the landing station the little shapeshifter quickly flew into Dolphy`s backpack to hide himself.The girl looked at the big tower clock.

„Exactly 3 pm.Hey,we`re good,aren`t we?“ she grinned as she helped Jim entering the ferry.The pilot just shot them an annoyed glare as if to say ´Great,now that you`ve finally decided to join us,could we finally launch?` The fact that one of his passengers was hurt didn`t seem to interest him much,just like the other students who were loudly talking to each other.The two teenagers sat down on the last empty seats.Dolphy watched Jim with concern as he weakly leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.He seemed to be in a much worse condition than he wanted to admit.Suddenly she could hear a familiar laughter so she turned back and saw Carren and his friends sitting some rows away from her and Jim.Carren looked at her cooly,an arrogant and triumphing grin on his face.A huge rage rose in her,she had loved to jump at him and beat and strangle the living daylights out of him but she knew that she wouldn`t stand a chance against him,especially not when he had his two friends as strenghtening.All she could do at this moment was shooting him a dark and menacing glare.If looks could really kill,he would have been in hell in a second!Carren however didn`t seem to be very impressed by her threatening look.He whispered something to Lenaro and what followed were peals of laughter.Dolphy dug her fingers deep into the bottom of her seat.God,if she had a weapon right now...

The ride back to the Academy seemed to last forever.Jim had dozed off short after they had left Crescentia and was wincing in pain every now and then.When they had finally arrived Dolphy waited until the other students had gotten off in order to prevent Jim and her from being pushed around.She wondered why they were so eager to get out of the space ferry and did her best to ignore Carren who gave her an amused look as he went by.

´Bloody jerk.` she thought.

When the ferry was empty Dolphy shook Jim gently by the shoulders to wake him up.

„Jim?“

„Hey,you!“ came a loud voice from the front of the ship.It was the pilot who looked as annoyed as always and pointed at them and then at the exit.

„Get out!I mean,if it isn`t too much to be asked for.“ he added in a sarcastic tone.

„Yes,alright.“ Dolphy said through gritted teeth.

„Jim?Jim,wake up.“

„Hurry up!“

„We`ll be gone in a second.“

„The second is over!“

„Beat it!!!

„What!?“ came the shocked reply from the pilot and Jim,who was finally awake,at the same time.

„Not you.“ whispered Dolphy into Jim`s ear.

„Oh.“ meant Jim,not really realizing what all that was about.

Dolphy stood up and reached for his arm.

„Here,lemme help you.“

„Thanx.“ he said but suddenly a short cry of pain escaped his throat and he slightly collapsed against Dolphy.

„Jim!Are you alright!?“

„Yes...yes.Everything okay.“ he tried to smile but failed miserably.

„Hold on.Our room isn`t so far away.“

She supported him on their way out of the ferry and shot the pilot one last sinister glare.

„Thanx for your help!“ she yelled sarcastically.

 

Back in their room :

 

„We`ve done it.“ Dolphy sighed as Jim collapsed in his bed.

„Yeah,that wasn`t so hard.“ he smiled,still gasping because of the effort.

„Oh,really,and...what are you doing there?“

She looked at Jim who had sat up and tried to reach his feet with his hands.

„What does it look like?I`m trying to take off my shoes!“

„Jim,you`re hurt!Lie back,I`ll do that for you.“

„Dolph,I`m not a baby,I can do that myself!“

He continued but winced as the pain in his chest and stomach became more intensive.

„You men with your damn pride!“ she yelled and pushed him gently but firmly back on the mattress and took off his boots.

„Well,was it such a big disaster?“  asked Dolphy expectantly.

Jim rolled his eyes.

„No.“

„Shall I get the doctor now?“

„No!!!“

„Why not!?“

„I don`t like doctors,especially not that Academy-doctor-guy.“

„And what am I supposed to do!?Act like a surgeon and pretend that I know what I`m doing!?“ she asked ironically and all she got as an answer was a weak smile on Jim`s face.

Dolphy threw her hands in the air and sighed.

„Alright,I`m gonna help...uhm,I`m gonna try to help ya but I can`t promise anything,okay?“

„Okay.“

„Okay...“ `Damn,why haven`t I paid more attention during the first-aid-lesson?` she thought to herself.

„Uhm,well,uh...first,take off your shirt.“

„What!?Why?“ asked Jim dumbfounded and a little alarmed.

„You`re not gonna make this easy for me,do you?If you want me to help you I need to see what your injuries do look like.“

„Oh,sure...“

Jim hesitantly pulled off his shirt and then lay back flat on the bed and closed his eyes.

Dolphy was taken aback as she saw the bruises on his chest and stomach in every possible colour,from black and blue to yellow and red.

„So,what does it look like?“he asked.

„Uh,colourful.“

He opened his eyes and immediately closed them again after he`d seen himself.

„Geez.Great.“

„But I don`t think that`s the main source of the pain.“ Dolphy thought for a moment. „Try to sit up.“

Jim did as he was told but suddenly flinched and pressed his hand on his right side.Dolphy carefully removed his hand from there and inspected this part of his body.

„Does that hurt?“

„Ouch!!!Yes,it DOES!“

„I guess you`ve got some broken or cracked ribs.“

„Damn,I knew that.“

Dolphy shot him a questioning look.

„I had a solar surfing accident when I was a kid,so...“

„Really dangerous hobby you have,huh?“ smiled Dolphy.

„You have no idea.“ he grinned back.

„And what did the doc do when you were injured?“

„Uhm,he...he bandaged my chest and after some weeks everything was alright again.“

„I still think it would be better to get a doctor but if you insist that a person without any medical knowledge treats you,then fine!“ she sighed and made her way to the bathroom.

„Jim,where-„

„In the little white closet.“

„Got it!“

Dolphy came back and sat next to him on the bed with the bandages in her hands.

„That could hurt,so clench your teeth.“

She started wrapping the bandage around Jim`s upper part of the body and could feel how he trembled as he tried to suppress the pain.

„I`m almost done,hold on.“

„It hurts.“ he gasped through gritted teeth.

„I have to wrap you tightly or your ribs won`t heal in time.“

When she had finished Dolphy put her arms around Jim and tied up the ends of the bandage.

„Okay,done.“ she said proudly but suddenly she realized how close she and Jim were.

The girl backed away from him and stood up,her cheeks shining in a bright red.

`Hell,I`m so weird!` she thought. `I`ve kissed the guy and now I`m transforming into a tomato only because I`ve touched his bare chest!?`

She glanced back at Jim only to see him blushed as well.

`We teenagers are odd.` she smiled to herself.

That`s when both of them heard strange noises coming from Dolphy`s backpack which was lying on the floor and all of a sudden beginning to move!They shot each other a confused look but then realized what was going on.

„Morph!“ they said in unison and Dolphy took it from the ground and opened it.

The little shapeshifter flew quickly out of there,with its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth,and took some deep breaths.

„Fresh air is good,huh?“ smiled Dolphy.

„Fresh air!Fresh air!“ repeated the pink blob.

As he saw Jim he made a loud shrieking noise and hurried to him where he licked his face and rubbed his body against his cheek.

„I hope you haven`t worried too much about me.“ said Jim while stroking him with his finger.

„Worried!Worried!Worried!“

„He really likes you.“ meant Dolphy as she watched the two. „Where did you find him anyway?“

„A friend gave him to me...a very good friend.“ answered Jim slowly.

Dolphy raised an eyebrow and thought `Why would somebody give away such a cute little thing?` and as if he could read her thoughts Jim added :

„He loved Morph as much as I do,maybe even more,so it was a really great present.Still don`t know why he did it...I wouldn`t have given a pet like Morph away.“

Jim stopped stroking the little shapeshifter and lay back on his pillow where he silently stared against the ceiling.Dolphy realized that something was going on with him.

„Jim?“ she asked worried and sat at the edge of his bed. „What`s wrong?“

„Nothing.“ he answered sadly and tried to force a smile. „It`s just that I really miss this person...He was like the father I never had.“

„You have no father?Oh,I`m sorry,I didn`t know that.“

Dolphy thought for a moment about whether to ask or not but eventually her curiousness won.

„Wanna tell me about him?“

Jim turned his head to face her and looked her deep in the eyes.

„You`re really interested in my past?“

„Yes.I`m a damn curious person,you know that.“ she smiled

The young man smiled back and began to tell her about his father leaving him and his mother,his problems with the police,how he got the treasure map,his voyage to Treasure Planet and how he became friends with John Silver.By the time he had finished it was already dark outside.

„So,that`s my story.“

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room and Jim nervously asked Dolphy :

„Everything all right with you?“

„Wow.“ was all she could say at first. „I`d never expected that you had such an exciting life!“

„Uhm,heh,yeah,well...“

„And you really found Treasure Planet!?Oh,man,that`s so cool!I wish I was there!“ she exclaimed. „And this Silver sounds pretty nice,too.Well,except of that betrayal-part.I`m sure you`ll see him again one day...but then you have to introduce him to me,promised?I wanna get to know that man,uh,cyborg.“

Jim grinned in her direction,feeling a strange pride inside of himself.

„You`re really something special.“ she added.

„No,just the things that have occured to me are special,not me.“

„Don`t you dare it to contradict me.“ meant Dolphy jokingly but then went serious again.

„You are something special,Jim.“ she said and gently stroke his cheek with her hand.

Jim smiled brightly but suddenly a loud sound escaped his stomach and he instantly blushed a deep red again while Dolphy started to laugh amused.

„I guess you`re hungry,huh?“

That`s when her stomach made a similar sound.

„Uhm,yeah,no wonder,we haven`t eaten for,“ she looked at the clock on the wall ,“almost seven hours!Geez,we should be dead by now!“

„Dead by now! Dead by now!“ chirped Morph and flew happily around the teenagers` heads.

„Morph,you`ve got a weird sense of humor.“ meant Dolphy and stood up.

„Where are you going?“ asked Jim.

„To the cafeteria,getting something to eat for us.“

„No!“

Dolphy shot him a questioning look.

„What`s the matter?“

„What if you meet Carren???Or-or his mates or-or him AND his mates or-„

„Jim!Calm down!The cafeteria is crowded with people at this time of day,so he won`t have the opportunity to kill me...Too many witnesses.“ she said cooly.

„But-„

„No ´but´.What do you want to eat?“

„Nothing.I`m not hungry anymore.“

„Okay,a tasty sandwich for you!“ grinned Dolphy before she loudly shut the door behind her.

Morph,who had noticed the concerned look on Jim`s face,flew to him and chirped questioningly.Jim didn`t answer,he just kept staring at the ceiling.Should he tell Dolphy about what Carren had said to him?That they shouldn`t be friends anymore?No.She would instantly move back to her former roommate-jerks if she found out that he was threatened by Carren because of that.He didn`t want to lose her.All he could do at the moment was hoping that Carren would get fed up with giving him a hard time sooner or later...

It didn`t last very long until Dolphy came back into the room,with the sandwich for Jim in the one and her own sandwich in the other hand.She opened the door clumsily with her elbow and took another bite of her evening meal ´cause food didn`t have many survival chances in her presence.

„Hhm,yummy,that tastes so good!“ she said with a full mouth but then decided it would be better to swallow it. „Jim,ya have to-„

She moved closer towards Jim`s bed and saw that he was already fast asleep with Morph lying on his chest,sleeping,too.Dolphy smiled to herself and sat on one of the chairs at the small table in front of the window,putting the sandwiches in front of her.Out of pure boredom she began a conversation with them.

„Well,seems that I am forced to eat you two alone.“ she said with faked seriousness. „There`s no other possibility,if I don`t eat you you`ll go off and I can`t take the responsibility therefore.“ She sighed heavily. „Any last wishes?“

„Last wishes!Last wishes!“

Dolphy nearly got a heart-attack and fell off the chair with a loud thud.She rubbed her back and stared angrily at the pink blob which was floating in front of her and grinning sheepishly.

„Morph!Don`t you ever do that again!“ she yelled at him but instantly put her hand on her mouth and stood up to see if she had woken up Jim.To her surprise he was still sleeping peacefully.

„Man,he`s a very sound sleeper,isn`t he?By the way,why are you awake,Morphy?“

She turned back to the table and saw the little shapeshifter gazing at the sandwiches while licking its lips.

„Okay,I admit that was a rather dumb question.“

„Dumb question!Dumb question!“

„Pssshhhh!We don`t wanna risk waking up Jim,do we?“

Morph shook his head `no` and flew to Dolphy`s ear whispering „Pssshhhhh.“

„Yeah,right.Pssshhhhh.“

„Pssshhhhh.“

Dolphy had to grin.There she was,sitting at a table and making strange sounds together with a pink blob of protoplasm.

She left the sandwich that was originally meant for Jim to Morph and finished eating her own while absent-mindly staring alternating out of the window and at Jim.When she had swallowed the last bite the teenage girl stood up,took her sketchbook and some drawing utensils out of the shelf and went back to where she was sitting before.Dolphy leaned against the backrest and shortly looked at Morph who was chewing on the last bits of his meal.Then  she began to scribble various stuff on one of the sheets : a lion-cub,a mean wolf and a friendly-looking dolphin.

Morph seemed to enjoy watching her draw for he flew to and fro,sat on her shoulder and chirped excitedly before hovering over her head again.

„D`you like it?“

„Like it!Like it!“

Dolphy smiled widely.Usually she couldn`t stand being observed while she was drawing but maybe that was just because some people loved making stupid comments about her pictures.

After a while Morph got tired and decided to cuddle himself between the pillows on the third bed before he fell asleep.

„So small but he needs his own bed.“ grinned Dolphy to herself as she gave him a sideways glance.

Now she had finished her second page which showed a very pissed off grey lioness that was attacking an arrogant looking lion.Above she had written with a red pen : "Die,Carren!“

„I wish I was a lioness,then I could really tear him to pieces.“ she thought to herself.

It was late but she didn`t feel like going to bed.She pondered over what she could draw next but couldn`t think of something.That`s when her gaze fell on Jim and she started drawing him almost automatically.The proportions were no problem but when she came to his face she couldn`t help but blushed as she drew.

„Geez,I really ought to do something against that blushing-thing.“ she tought.

As she was done she held the sketchbook with stretched out arms directly in front of her and looked at it.

„Well,he looks cuter in real life.“

She was very critical of herself and her drawing skills but hey,doesn`t a real being always look better than a picture?When she couldn`t suppress her yawns any longer and noticed that the clock showed 11.47 pm Dolphy decided it was time to get some sleep.After putting her drawing stuff back into the shelf she changed into her pyjamas,a black shirt and black shorts, switched on the small lamp next to her bed and switched off the light which had brightened the room.Then she went to the window which she opened to take a short breath of fresh air and watched the black midnight sky for some moments until it became a little too cold for her and she shut the window again.As she wanted to go to her bed she suddenly stopped and looked at Jim`s sleeping form and as if there was a magnet pulling her closer and closer she sat on the side of his bed,her gaze not fading away from him.He looked so innocent,so peacefully,his chest slowly moving up and down as he took small breaths of air.She let her fingers glide carefully through his bangs and gently stroke his cheeks when Jim suddenly moved slightly and cuddled his face against her hand. She blushed again,of course,but didn`t pull her hand back.Instead she kept staring at his relaxed and handsome face.She sat there for some minutes as if she was in a trance.When she realized that she couldn`t stay like this all night without getting a serious backache she cautiously removed her hand from Jim`s cheek and leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

„Good night,Jim.“ she whispered softly as she went to her bed and switched off the light.

„Good night,Dolphy.“ said a voice almost inaudible.

 

To be continued...