🪐Lucy's POV🪐

Jim and I sat side by side on the edge of the ship, hanging off of swings. Jim was struggling to scrape off a barnacle, while I do it effortlessly.

Mr. Silver watches from above, his hands resting on the railing. "Put some elbow in it!" He yells, pointing at the ship. "The lassie is out doin' you Jimbo!" Silver mocks with a bellowing laugh.

Jim managed to scrape the barnacle off, and glared at the cyborg. Both of us look at the side of the ship, and sigh in defeat upon seeing the many more rows of barnacles.

I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment that's held in your arms

The first thing Silver tried to teach us was how to make a good, sturdy knot. Jim figured it out before Silver even finished showing us how. I wasn't so lucky. As Silver would repeatedly show me how to tie the knot, my focus would switch to my brother, who was wandering aimlessly around the deck of the ship.

Eventually, Silver just told me to go and that we would try again another day. I climbed down to the deck and walked next to Jim to see if he would notice me. He didn't acknowledge my presence, so I contented to walking beside him in silence.

And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway
You don't know me
And I'll never be what you want me to be

Jim and I had to scrub the deck a lot. It was tiresome work. My hands and knees would be raw after spending so much time on the hard wooden deck. I didn't mind. I would make loops out of the soapy water.

Silver would stand watching over us. Whenever Jim confronted him, Silver would just give him a bucket of soapy water and point to where he had missed a spot. I just sighed and continued my work, trying to get it done as fast as possible so I could lie down and give my aching body a rest.

And what do you think you'd understand?
I'm a boy- No, I'm a man
You can't take me and throw me away

Jim would often stare at nothing while we worked. It would make me feel forgotten. But he would always do something to make it up to me and show me that he did care. [Awww, thank you, Jim.]

Like one night, when we were peeling potatoes, I lost focus gazing at Jim, who was again staring at nothing. I accidently sliced my thumb with the knife. When I gasped and the knife clattered to the floor, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, coming over to check on me. "I'm fine. The knife just slipped," I said through clenched teeth. The cut really stung, but I was trying not to show it.

Jim could see right through my little white lie. "Let me see it," he demanded in a soft voice. I had been hiding the cut behind my other hand. I shook my head.

"Really, I'm fine," I urged. I really didn't want him to think of me as a weak little girl who needed to be taken care of and coddled. [Don't. Give. Me. That. Look.] But when he saw a large drop of blood sliding down my wrist, he gently grabbed my hand and started to examine my sliced thumb.

"Jim, really, I'm fi-" "Shh," he shushed me. I shut my mouth and stared along with him at my thumb that now had a little red trail slowly traveling down my hand and past my wrist.

He gently squeezed my thumb, causing me to gasp and involuntarily jerk it away from the pain. His hold was steadfast, however. "Looks like you got yourself pretty deep there," Jim stated. He pulled the edge of his shirt out of his pants and used it to wipe the blood off of my thumb and hand.

"Your shirt," I protested. "It'll wash out," he dismissed my concerns. After wiping my thumb clean, he pulled a bandage out of his pant pocket and applied it to my thumb, covering up the cut completely. "There you go, all better," he smiled.

I appraised the bandage and returned his smile. "Thank you." "Don't mention it," he shrugged. I expected him to go right back to sitting across the room from me, as he had been before. But instead, he sat behind me so he could show me how to use the knife so I wouldn't cut myself again.

His arms encircled mine, guiding my hands on where to hold the potato and how to move the knife in a way that used a minimal amount of effort on my part. He wrapped his hand around mine and moved it for me over the peel.

"There, you got it!" he exclaimed, smiling down at me.

And how can you learn what's never shown
Yeah, you stand here on your own
They don't know me
Cause I'm not here

Some nights were really fun. Silver would tell amazing stories in the galley, using his mechanical arm to depict monsters and treacherous situations. Jim and I would sit nearby on the stairs while everyone else gathered around Silver. Though we weren't with the rest of the crew, we still listened intently to his stories.

I found them extremely interesting, and couldn't wait to hear what new things Silver would have for us each night. Jim acted like he didn't care, but every once in a while, I would see him look up curiously and smile as we watched Silver animate his incredible tales.

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on
And feel I belong

Other nights were not as good. One night, Jim and I had to clean all the dirty dishes. We had just finished our last plates. But then Silver walked in and dropped a whole boatload of filthy ones in front of us.

I stared at the pile with my mouth hanging open. Jim had the same look on his face. But he closed his mouth, glared at Silver, and started furiously scrubbing a dirty pot. I began to do the same. Hours later, we had finished our last plates, but were too exhausted to move anymore.

So we ended up falling asleep on the floor. Jim had his arm around a pot and his head was resting in the crook of his arm. I was lying on the floor, my head resting on his lap. Silver walked in and saw we had fallen asleep. At first, he was going to wake us up and scold us.

But upon seeing the clean and stacked dishes, he smiled and walked over to us. He placed his jacket around Jim's shoulders, then left the room. Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Jim woke up and saw Silver's mechanical leg disappear up the stairs.

Then he looked down at my sleeping form on his lap. He smiled and gently placed his free hand on my shoulder, as if to reassure me he was there. Though I was barely conscious, I could feel him and knew I was safe beside him. I unconsciously nuzzled his lap with my cheek before falling back into a deep and restful sleep.

And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the the same
They don't know me
Cause I'm not here

🪐🪐🪐

My eyes fluttered open, and I noticed that I wasn't in my hammock. I realized I wasn't in the sleeping quarters either. What am I sleeping on? I thought.

What felt like a hand was gently petting my head. I turned my head to the side so that I was looking up and saw Jim gazing down at me. [Jim, I am not a dog.*] "Morning, sis," he said softly.

I smiled back. "We fell asleep after working last night," I stated. "Yeah," he confirmed. "How long have you been awake?" I asked. "Not long, maybe 10 minutes. I didn't want to wake you though," he replied.

"Thanks, that was sweet," I said, before giggling. We heard footsteps and saw Silver come down the stairs. "Mornin' kiddos! Did yeh sleep well?" he asked. "Yeah. We did," Jim said, smiling at him.

"Why don't yeh two go get changed.
Today we ain't gonna work, but I got somet'ing I wanna show yeh," Silver said, giving us a smile. Jim stood up first, then offered his hand to help me.

I took it and he swiftly pulled me to my feet. We both went to the crew's quarters to change.

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted, I could be
Now you know me, and I'm not afraid

Silver took us to where the longboats and skiffs were kept; the launch bay.
After helping him release one, he gave us a salute and started to fly away. I looked over at Jim and saw his face fall. I took his hand and squeezed it. [What is it with my OCs and hand squeezes? Lucy: Can we have the mic back? Yeah, yeah, here.]

Silver came back and motioned for us to jump in the boat. Jim's smile returned and we both jumped in. Silver started to explain to Jim how the controls worked, but he was a fast learner, and already had knowledge on how to operate flying vehicles.

And I want to tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man?
They can't break me and throw me away

He grabbed the controls and the boat shot off. It was just like when I had ridden his solar surfer. Only this time, I wasn't screaming like a five year old. [Really?] Silver, on the other hand, was holding onto his hat and the side of the boat, clearly taken by surprise, and possibly slightly fearful of being thrown off.

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on
And feel I belong

Jim steered us into the tail of a comet. I laughed. This is so amazing! I thought. He started pulling a bunch of crazy stunts and spins. I held on to the boat, but squealed with joy.

And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stayed the same.
They can't see me
But I'm still here

When we came out of the tail of the comet, I was covered in silvery-blue sparkles. I turned to look at Jim and Silver, and saw they were too. I started laughing; they looked so funny.

They can't tell me who to be
Cause I'm not what they see
Yeah, the world is still sleeping while I keep on dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe

They looked at themselves to see what was so funny, and started laughing as well. They immediately began brushing off all of the dust. I decided to keep it on.

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on
And feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now
Cause I'm still here

Maybe I can scrape it off later and put it in a jar, I thought.
Rummaging through the emergency supplies in the bottom of the boat, I found a small, clear bottle and decided to put some in right then and there.

I'm the one

I scraped it off of my pants and boots into the bottle and almost filled it up. I put the cork back in the top of the bottle and stashed it in my pocket for time being. I would put it with the rest of my stuff under my hammock later.

I'm still here!!!!!!!

phoebe has something to say!

i love this song