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Roger steps in and my panic immediately hits the red zone. I step back into Geoffrey who moves in front of me just enough for me to feel a little less open.
Roger sneers at me, his lips twisting with a demented smile. “The new list, Geoffrey. Next month’s order.”
Chatterbox yanks the file from his hand and nods for him to leave. He has a foot of height on Roger but Roger doesn’t seem intimidated in the slightest. Especially when he blows me a kiss before he leaves and I finally release the breath I was holding.
“That man is a special kind of crazy,” Geoffrey murmurs, placing his hand on my back. “You’re safe here with me.”
“Can I always stay with you?” I mumble and his face echoes my sadness.
He doesn’t reply and we don’t talk again until it’s time for me to go. It is Geoffrey himself who escorts me to the captain’s room, leaving me to my own devices as a party seems to rage somewhere below deck. I heard it as we passed the berthing quarters on our way up top. I can still hear the hum of music mingling with the sound of the ship’s mechanics. We’ve been stationary for two days now, letting the tide take us as storm clouds pass overhead. I wonder why we aren’t heading for bluer oceans but I guess we have to stay out of range of sonar, or radar, or whatever else. I know nothing about any of this.
Blowing out a breath I decide to look around for some kind of “ships for dummies” book, should one exist. The more I know about this massive battle boat the better. Maybe I can figure out a way home?
Making this my new mission, with a flicker of determined fire in my heart, I exit the quarters and pray I won’t get stopped on my way to the study hall. I only know of it because I heard two of the younger crew members discussing it while I was mopping around them.
Turns out that even though this might be a place full of criminals, they offer classes to teach members to read, write, do math and other subjects the world didn’t properly teach them once upon a time.
Or at least, that’s what Geoffrey told me. He has a lot of love for this ship and its crew, despite the dealings.
Now I just have to find it, which is terrifying because if I get caught by the wrong person… I dread to think.
I silently slip out the base of the bridge and look around. My guard is sleeping beside the door. I hadn’t realised I had one. I figured I might.
At least he’s passed out, and by the empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, I’d say he’ll be passed out for a while.
I creep around him, taking the first heavy metal door on the left that leads away from the berthing quarters. If there’s a place of study surely it won’t be close to the noise. I have no idea what I’m doing.
I make my way down a long, narrow, metal-smelling hall. It’s absent of life for the most part. I hear voices beyond the doors as people work and then realise how truly stupid this idea was.
This ship is huge and nothing is labelled. There are no maps, or arrows.
I’m not brave enough to continue so I turn back, only finding relief when I return to the deck and move to the side to watch the water below. It sloshes gently against the side and glistens like a billion black diamonds when the moon shines through a crack in the clouds.
Fantasies of a great whale surfacing and carrying me to safety runs through my mind. Offering me a moment of peace, no matter how brief.
I cry again, unable to stop the tears. They spill down my cheeks as I imagine Niall’s gentle caress. He’d move behind me were I to stand like this and wrap his arms under my breasts.
We’d rock together, sway and appreciate the moonlight as one. Whispering about the next day so as to not disturb the silence.
Wiping away my final tears, I lean on the side and bury my face in my hands.
If only somebody would tell me why I’m here so I can at least try to make sense of it. Not that there’s an excuse at all.
The door that leads down to the berthing quarters opens and men spill out, cheering and laughing drunkenly. Music carries with them until the door closes.
I don’t turn, I’m hoping I’ll go unnoticed.
“Well, well, well.” Roger’s voice has me tensing so sharply all of my limbs ache. “Look who’s trying to escape.”
“Roger,” somebody else warns.
I turn to face him, showing him no fear as his buddies shift awkwardly but do nothing to stop his approach.
