Half and Half

Chapter Thirty Nine

Harry pouted slightly as he walked through the portal with Mal, Hadie, Harriet, CJ, and Lady Persephone. Not that he'd ever admit he was pouting, pirates never pouted after all.

But did they have to take him away from the Isle? Away from the Captain? Away from Uma and Jay?

He bit back a sigh as he remembered the conversation that had led to all of this mess.

"Thank you," Sarah Hawkins said as Persephone opened the door once again.

"My apologies," Lady Persephone told her.

Sarah shook her head. "I've had much worse reactions back when I ran The Benbow, my Lady. You work in customer service, outbursts hardly phase you."

"Why would you want to be with Isle kids then?" Jay spoke up. "If you had a good job already?"

Ben perked up. "Do you mind if I say, Mrs. Hawkins?"

"Of course not Prince Ben," Sarah nodded.

"Mom asked for volunteers to help the kids of the Isle," Ben said. "Specifically volunteers with experience with troubled kids or with social services. Mom thought it would be easier for the VKs if there was someone who could actually sympathize with the VKs in a way without making it seem like pity. Nani Pelekai is another part time volunteer along with her boyfriend David, but she only does it when school's out since her sister goes to school with Chip."

CJ tilted her head before pointing to Sarah. "But...she seems so happy. What troubled teen did she ever deal with?"

Jay looked over at her and bent down slightly so that he was at her level, as Harriet had still refused to leave her brother's bedside. Not that Jay blamed her for that in the slightest.

"What story do you know the name 'Hawkins' from?" Jay whispered to CJ.

"Treasure Planet," CJ said instantly. "I have the book at home! It has a few pages missing but Harri reads it to me every night!"

Sarah chuckled slightly, drawing the attention of the VKs back to her. "Jim will be happy to know his book is popular even on the Isle," she said. "Sales from that got him through the Naval Academy."

"Didn't he get a full scholarship?" Hades asked.

"Tuition only," Sarah told him, not even questioning how the God knew that. "And even after the restoration of The Benbow, Jim didn't want to make me worry about helping him with rent so he decided to write about his adventures. Gave me a few heart attacks reading about them, that's for sure."

Uma shook her head. "You didn't answer Jay's question," she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh...I guess you're right, I didn't," Sarah said with a sheepish smile at the realization that she'd gotten off topic. "Well, after Jim had his daughter Jamie, I thought it might be nice to have a career that would allow me more time to spend with Jim and my granddaughter, and allow Jim the chance to have help should he need it as a single father. I still own The Benbow, I just don't run it."

"Who does?" Mal asked. "It's not that weird robot is it?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, no, B.E.N. runs the food to people but the general manager is Sunny Doppler, Captain Amelia and Doctor Delbert Doppler's son."

"I think, as interesting as this all has been, we've gotten off topic," Hades said.

"Right, right," Sarah nodded. "I'm sure you know the reason why I'm here."