The middle-aged, wrinkly sailor gruffly says, “Maddie—Madeline. I’ve been stationed here to… well, I’m supposed to watch you.”
I raise an eyebrow in response.
His eyelids squeeze shut as he recites his orders. “Watch Madeline. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere she’s not supposed to, especially if there are visitors. If I do not, I lose my balls.” He makes a choking sound, and his eyes fly open. “I—er—mean, milady,” he bows just a little, “I will lose the ability to perform in a… hobby I very much enjoy doing.”
I throw my head back and laugh. The silence of the act has stopped feeling strange to me.
The man has turned positively crimson. I can't tell if it's his embarrassment that a woman laughed at him or that he was crude in front of “a lady.” His misstep makes me feel so much more at ease. All the anxiety melts away and slides back into the shadowy corners of my room.
Putting pencil to paper, I write him a fast note.
Noted.
Your balls are of the utmost importance to me.
What’s your name?
The crimson becomes purple as his eyes flick back and forth across the words. The sight is hilarious.
“My name?” he stumbles on his words. The man looks like he might faint. “I’m Fr-fr-freddy.”
I loop my hand with his arm and appreciate the clean scent that wafts towards me. The men’s cleanliness makes this trip a whole hell of a lot more pleasant. I shudder to think about what the crew might smell like on a ship that didn’t have working showers. Clearly, there is another bathroom for the crew. Thank all the gods for small mercies.
I gesture to the stairs, and Freddy escorts me to Jean Luc for something to eat.
Walking into the mess hall, I’m focused on one thing: food. The mess hall smells so good that I don’t see anyone in front of me until my face collides directly with something warm and utterly unmoving. I stumble back in surprise as a shooting pain erupts in my nose. The impact causes a shock to pass through my teeth. Glancing up as I hiss, I see Erik’s dark eyes staring back at me. The captain’s face fills with panic, and Freddy gasps loudly at my side.
My hand flies to my face, grabbing my now-throbbing nose. I am too busy pinching the bridge of my nose to listen to what commands the captain barks at Freddy. The pain in my nose is now accompanied by a copious flow of blood. My head snaps back as I try to staunch the flow when a damp dish rag is thrust in my face by Erik.
I can feel the weight of everyone in the mess hall watching me. I grab the dish rag and descend a few steps to escape their obnoxious stares. The cool rag feels good against my nose, and I lean against the wall. My eyes burn holes in Erik’s face, which is now twisted with worry and regret.
I am cursing viciously in my mind when he dismisses Freddy and comes down to stand in front of me. I don’t take my eyes off him for one second, though the rag is now beginning to soak through with blood.
He opens his mouth and then closes it. And then opens itagain. I roll my eyes just as he says, “I’m so sorry.”
Erik reaches out, and I swat his hand away. I glare at him silently.Really?
Nodding, he reaches into his pocket. “Really.”
I turn to leave when he holds something out for me.
He says, “No, wait, take this.”
I stare at the FaePhone he has placed in my hand. It’s the same one I watched him using earlier. Finally, I look back at him. I make it clear with my glare that I don’t want his pity gift.
“It’s easier for you to write with.”
Swiping up to unlock it, I notice the lack of a password. And background. And apps. It’s basically a shell of a phone. Suddenly, all the anger melts away when I open his messages. There is one chat available.
With Anders…
Interesting. The captain’s room is richly decorated, which shows his depth of personality—as much as I hate to admit it. But his phone? Where I can see how he interacts with others?
He is bland as sand.
I close out the messages and open the notes, hyper-aware of how Erik watches my every move. He still uses the stock background image, for the gods’ sake.
My finger pads clumsily across the letters on the phone as I type: