Selene sat staring at her cell phone. The sleek phone showed no sign of contact for the last three days. She debated why she even needed the thing when no one ever bothered to call or text her. Looking up from the contraption, she surveyed the bedroom of her small apartment.
The walls in the room were bare of decorations, such as posters or pictures, like the rest of the rooms. The queen sized bed had rumpled sheets and a dark green comforter thrown on top. There were no knick knacks on the dresser. Her space was empty of any sign that a person lived in the place beyond the occasional dirty dish and messy bed.
The only things in the apartment that showed any of Selene's personality were the bookshelves in the living room. They were a rich brown wood that was free of dust and dirt. The shelves are crammed full of books in all shapes and sizes. The books were all worn and seemed to be well used. The authors were such writers as Poe, Shakespeare, Whitman, and Hemingway. There was the occasional Koontz or Hopkins but most of the books were from a different century.
Sliding the phone back in her pocket, Selene grabbed her bag and coat, and left the barren apartment. Pulling on a green and black knit hat, she descended the stairs rapidly. Opening the lobby door, the December wind caught her long chocolate-brown hair, blowing it in her face. Temporarily blinded, Selene shoved it out of her green eyes as she headed to the book store.
Quickly making her way down the crowded sidewalk, Selene jumped as her phone suddenly went off, blaring a loud rock song. Checking the caller I.D., she answered. "Hey Jamie, where you been? I haven't heard from you in days."
"Sorry, I found a new boy toy to distract me for a few days." There was a light laugh on the other end of the line. "I barely got out of bed."
Selene chuckled. "You would think by now you could find something better than a distraction."
"What can I say? None of them can hold my attention." Selene could practically hear her shrug. "Anyways Selene, did you want to come over and celebrate me being single again?"
"I'm headed to the bookstore and was going to swing by Mina's place."
"Then bring her with!" Jamie stated happily. "She's a riot when she drinks." Laughing she declared, "I won't have any excuses. I expect both of you to be here to party." With that, she ended the call.
"Great." Selene muttered as she headed in the store. The store was a small brick structure on the corner lot. Opening the door, the bell chimed. The large glass window that made up the front of the store had the name Brandie's Books in gold calligraphy over a hand painted image of a red-bound book. The other three walls had floor to ceiling bookshelves crammed with books of all shapes and sizes. Some were old others new. Most shelves were several books deep to accommodate the vast amount of literature.
The floor space also had several bookshelves spaced evenly in the space. Several of the bookshelves on the floor had books stacked on top since there was no room on any shelves. In front of the glass sat the main counter where Brandie browsed through some new books. Waving, Selene walked by and browsed the shelves. Seeing several new books, but none in her price range, she walks deeper into the store.
Suddenly a flash of bright color caught Selene's eye. Among the browns, blues, and greens of the usual books sat a baby pink paperback. Curious Selene picked it up. The cover boasted bubblegum pink flowers surrounding a group of pirates. There was no title or publishing information on the title. The book was so out-of-place that Selene had to wonder if it was ordered by accident.
The men on the cover looked to be in their twenties. They were arranged so that they were all in a different pose but facing the same way. A few sat on a barrel, some crouched and some stood. Behind them was a version of the Jolly Rodger she had not seen before. There was a star-shaped eye patch on the flag.
Feeling oddly compelled, Selene snatched up the book and carried it to the front counter. "Hey Brandie, how much is this pirate book?" Selene asked feeling embarrassed to be caught with the frilly book.
"Hm. I've never seen this book before." Brandie looked it over. "I haven't seen anyone bring it in either. Why don't you just take it? You're my best customer, consider a Christmas present from the store." Brandie pushed the book back to Selene.
"Thanks Brandie. See you next week." Selene grabbed the mysterious book and headed down the street to Mina's apartment. Turning the corner after several blocks a squat brick building came into view. Ivy clung to several sections of the three-story building. Balconies were allotted to the second and third floor while the first floor had bay windows.
Nearing the building, Selene calls Mina. As soon as she heard the connection take, Selene spoke, "Hey, I'm here. Buzz me in." The door buzzed as the she hung up the phone. Taking the stairs to the third floor, Selene's mind drifted to the book she just got. She just couldn't wrap her mind around why she bought something so out of character for what she normally read.
Knocking on Mina's door, Selene mentally shook herself out of her thoughts. Opening the door, a woman about Selene's height opened the door. Her long black hair was up in a clip to keep its weight off her neck. She wore a simple white shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Her grey eyes sparkled when she saw her friend in the door.
Mina smiled. "Hey girl. Glad to see you." She stepped aside to let Selene in. "What did you want to do today?"
"Well Jamie insists we go over to her place to celebrate her being single again."
"How long did this one last?"
"She said a few days, so longer than most." They burst out laughing at that. "Honestly none of the guys we find around here are worth the time we give them." Selene sighed, shaking her head.
"True, how hard is it to find a decent guy?" Mina stood for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. Shaking her head, Mina said, "We better head over to Jamie's place before she gets restless and finds another distraction." Laughing, they headed out the apartment.
A short time later they arrived at Jamie's house. Before either woman could knock, the door swung open, revealing a woman the same height as Mina. Her curly auburn hair was up in a messy bun. Her clear blue eyes shone with mischief as she grinned.
"Great you're both here. Let's celebrate!" Jamie proclaimed, sweeping the two stunned women through the door. They walked down the hall of the posh home. They took a seat on the brown suede couch as Jamie went into the modern kitchen to grab a bottle of white wine and three glasses.
After pouring them each a glass, Jamie raised her glass in the air. "A toast to the three most gorgeous single women in the city." She stated dramatically.
"Cheers!" they called in union draining their glasses. Jamie poured them all a refill.
"So Selene, did you find anything interesting at the book store?" Jamie asked reclining further on the couch.
"Kind of." Selene took a sip from her glass.
"What's it called?" Mina asked brightly.
"I'm not sure."
"Did you suddenly forget how to read?" Jamie teased.
Miffed, Selene replied angrily "No. the cover is blank."
"Calm down, I was just messing with you." Jamie waved a hand in the air as if she could wipe away her comment.
"Well, why don't we take a look at it? I'm sure there is something on it."
"Alright." Selene set her glass down and opened her pack. Placing the book on the table by the wine bottle, the women looked it over. "See the cover is blank." Selene stated.
"There has to be something. They usually want you to know what they are selling and who made it." Mina said. "They don't make books without titles to sell." They continued to check the front and back cover, finding nothing. They sat back, sipping their wine.
"Hmm." Jamie contemplated the book. "So we know there's no title on the cover." She set down her wine glass and picked up the book. "The title must be inside." Jamie opened the cover and suddenly everything went black.
Selene felt like she was flying in the dream. The wind was whipping her hair behind her like a cape. Going this fast, she felt like laughing. Enjoying the feeling, she was soon claimed by the darkness again.
Russell sat in the crow's nest of the ship, lazily polishing his swords. The breeze ruffled his hair when he stood up suddenly. Something sparkled in the distance, catching his eye.
"What the?" Russell looked and saw three figures falling head first towards the water. Sounding the alarm, Russell rapidly descended the mast and met the rest of the crew on deck. The six Sirius crew members stood for a moment looking at each other.
"What's going on Russell?" Thomas, the youngest crewman asked.
"There are three people falling off the starboard bow and they seem to be unconscious." Russell panted, attempting to catch his breath after his mad dash down the mast.
"How far?" Eduardo the navigator asked, mentally plotting a course.
"Not far. They'll probably hit a hundred meters from us." He shrugged. "Give or take."
"If the impact doesn't wake them they'll drown." Christopher, the ship's doctor, stated. "Captain we have to help them."
The captain stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. His brow furrowed as he thought. Suddenly he laughed. "Of course we will. So long as they follow the rules and mind their manners." At that, the crew took off to start preparing for the rescue.
"When they hit the water, Thomas, Russell, and I will get them. Doc, prep the infirmary for them. Nathan, they'll probably need something to eat when they come to. Keep it light. I don't feel like having to clean up a mess."
The captain shouted orders as the crew dispersed. Pulling out his spyglass, Morgan contemplated where the trio would land precisely. "Adjust our course three degrees starboard, Eduardo. We don't want them landing on the deck." He stated.
"Aye, Captain." Eduardo adjusted the heading as directed.
"Drop anchor here." Morgan declared. "They should land a couple of meters from the ship and we can snag them. Thomas, Russell. Are you ready?"
"Aye!" They cried right as the three falling bodies hit the water. They dived into the ocean. Soon they surfaced, each supporting an unconscious woman. Morgan looked at the woman in his arms. She was slim, with brown hair plastered to her. Looking at Thomas, he saw the lad supporting a woman with black hair. Russell had a redhead in his arms.
Morgan laughed. "My prayers have been answered! It's raining beautiful women." Still laughing, he followed the others to the ship.
Selene slowly drifted awake. She felt like a child being rocked to sleep by her father. She suddenly sat up realizing her bed was actually rocking. Looking around, Selene began to panic. The unfamiliar room was made of polished wood. The walls boasted shelves containing jars and bottles with questionable substances. In the middle of the room on an island, there was a chemistry set that looked like something out of Frankenstein's laboratory. The thought was not comforting.
Selene saw Jamie and Mina asleep on two of the beds in the room. Gingerly, she stood and promptly fell back on the bed. Making a second attempt to stand, she felt a draft. Looking down, she realized she was she was wearing a large shirt that she had never seen before. She'd been stripped!
Wobbling she walked over to where her friends slept. "Girls, wake up! I think we've been kidnapped." Selene whispered frantically. Jamie and Mina sat up and looked around groggily. Suddenly their eyes widened.
"Where are we?" Mina whispered, looking at Selene.
"No idea. I just woke up a minute ago."
"What happened to our clothes?" Jamie demanded. Before Selene could answer someone else answered the question.
"We had to remove them so they could dry. I'm sorry for that, but we couldn't have you ladies getting sick so soon after coming on board." A deep male voice said behind them.
Turning, the three women looked at the speaker standing in the doorway. He was tall, mid to late twenties and gorgeous. The white shirt he wore was a big contrast with his dark chocolate skin. His brown eyes were warm and caring as he looked over the women. A friendly smile curved his full lips in an enticing way.
The women could only stare as he continued. "Your clothes should be dry shortly. Are you ladies hungry? Our chef has prepared a nice soup to help warm you ladies up." They could only nod in reply. "Then as soon as your clothes are dry someone will take you to the dining hall." Bestowing them with one more smile, he exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Oh. My. Goodness!" Jamie's sudden comment made Mina and Selene jump. "Did you see him?"
"Yes we saw him. Down girl." Selene replied.
"I am not a dog!" Jamie exclaimed.
"Then stop drooling after him like he's a hunk of meat."
"I was not drooling." Jamie grumbled with a pout.
"At least he was nice." Mina said with a blush. "And he did say that we would get our clothes back soon."
"True. We should still be careful until we know where we are and how we got here." Selene said. They nodded in agreement. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"May I come in?" Someone called timidly.
"Who are you?" Jamie demanded. "You don't sound like the guy who just left."
"You mean Doc? He asked me to bring your clothes since they're dry. I'm Thomas." He answered matter-of-factly.
"I would like to change into something less revealing." Mina muttered under her breath.
"Fine. Come in." Jamie sighed.
"I need a break." Selene sat down as the door opened. A young man about their age walked in with a stack of clothing.
A man around their age walked in with a stack of clothes and shoes. His copper hair caught the light from the lantern, turning the locks into fire. His eyes were downcast as if focusing on his footing. Placing the pile on the island, he turned to leave.
"Oh." He stopped in his tracks and looked at them, blushing. "When you ladies finished getting dressed, I'll be outside to escort you to the dining hall." Thomas dropped his eyes, blushing more deeply as he left the room.
"We might as well get dressed." Selene headed to the pile of clothes. "What the?"
"What's wrong, Selene?" Jamie and Mina walked over to the clothes to see what was wrong. Looking at the clothes, Jamie could see where Selene's confusion came from. The clothes in front of them were not the jeans and T-shirts they had been wearing. There were three pairs of knee high doe skin boots in a natural tan color. They were soft and supple, suggesting a close, comfortable fit.
Several pairs of pants in the same material were next in the pile. White flowing shirts, all the same size, were under the pants. They were thin and billowy suggesting they were undershirts of some kind. At the bottom of the pile were three corsets. They were the only items not uniform in color. There was a corset in each of their favorite colors. A green one for Selene, blue for Mina, and purple for Jamie.
"This is a joke right?" Selene stated, holding up a corset.
"I don't think so, they're in our size." Mina said holding up a pair of pants to her hips. "It can't hurt to try them on." She shrugged. Realizing they didn't want to greet anyone else in nothing but a shirt, Selene and Jamie followed Mina's example.
Mina started winding her hair into a bun while Selene combed her fingers through her hair. "Are we ready?" Selene asked while running her hands through one more time.
"As we'll ever be." Jamie said, tying off the braid she was working on and throwing it over her shoulder. "Thomas was it?" She called out.
"Yes ma'am. Are you ready to go? The crew is waiting." He replied through the door. In answer they stepped out into the hall. Blushing again, Thomas led them down a wood paneled hallway with several doors.
"Is it just me or does he seem embarrassed whenever he looks at us?" Selene whispered to Jamie.
"Well," Jamie replied "Our clothes didn't remove themselves. He may have helped change us into those shirts."
"I wonder who all helped then." Selene murmured with a frown. Jamie just shrugged as Thomas stopped in front of a wooden door so they could catch up.
Opening the door, Thomas stepped aside to allow them to see into the room. The room reminded Selene of an old fashioned pub. The space consisted mainly of a bar, which took up about three quarters of the room. There were ten padded, backless stools with red cushions bolted to the floor around the bar. The wall behind the bar had cabinets built into it. Shelves reached from the cabinets to almost the roof above it. There were bottles of all shapes, sizes, and colorings stacked on the shelves. None of the labels were anything recognizable, although it was safe to guess it was all booze.
Currently occupying three of the stools were men Selene didn't recognize. The man they met earlier, Thomas called him Doc, was in the fourth. They headed to the far side of the bar and sat down.
Thomas went and sat down next to the one farthest from the women. Jamie noticed that all five men were sizing them up, and most likely not for a dress. The one next to Thomas openly stared at them. His dark blond hair mused in a "don't-own-a-hairbrush" way. His green eyes seemed to look right through them, and based on the scowl he had, he didn't like what he saw.
Next to Blondie had to be the captain, if you went by the over the top outfit. His gold trimmed, crimson jacket looked like something Hollywood would dream up for a movie. The hat was even feathered for goodness sakes! He had several gold chains with precious gems set in them glinting from his neck. His gray eyes twinkled with amusement. Although what was so amusing, Jamie couldn't fathom. His brown hair was about chin length, giving his features a lean, almost gaunt look.
Beside Mr. Feather Hat was a man who exuded an aura of "don't-mess-with-me-if-you-want-to-live." He wore an eye patch on his right eye and his visible one burned with anger, making the hazel vibrant. His right hand alternated from fiddling with the pistol inside his brown overcoat and running through his dark brown hair.
Suddenly, Selene stood. "What the hell are you staring at?" She shouted. "Where are we and what do you want from us?" She seemed livid, but considering the circumstances it was understandable.
A door behind the bar opened at that moment. Another man walked into the room carrying a tray with three steaming bowls. He was taller than Thomas, but not quite Doc's height. A simple black bandana covered most of his light brown hair. When he looked up it was obvious that his eyes were the same shade of brown as his hair.
Setting down the tray, he looked at Selene who was still standing. "Sit and eat." Selene stared him down.
"Not until we get some answers." They glared at each other. Crossing his arms over his white shirt , Bandana man continued to glare.
A bark of laughter startled the three women. Selene abandoned her stare off to look at Mr. Feather Hat. "I like the spunk you ladies have. I've decided you can join the crew of the Sirius pirates." A few grumbling complaints followed that happy announcement.
"That doesn't answer any of my questions." Selene said flatly, refusing to be distracted. She was never one to be dissuaded once she put her mind to it.
"Before I answer your questions, how about some introductions since we have three new crew members." Mr. Feather Hat said. "I'm Morgan, Captain of the Sirius crew. You've already met Thomas and Christopher." He nodded towards Thomas and the man called "Doc." Both men politely inclined their heads. "This is Russell," he gestured towards Blondie, who wore a scowl, "Eduardo," Eye Patch stroked the handle of his pistol, "and Nathan." He waved towards Bandana Man last.
"Nice to meet you all." Selene said coldly, "Now how did we get here?"
"You fell into the water. We don't know where you fell from of how you got into the middle of the ocean. We haven't seen any other ships, so if that's how you got here you're stuck with us at least to we make port." Selene slowly sank back in her stool. "If you don't want to join the crew, we should make port in a few weeks." Morgan said with an air of finality.
"A few weeks?" Jamie gasped, "Why so long?"
"We just left port an few days ago and won't need to resupply until then."
"Can't you just turn around and drop us off at the port you just left?" Selene demanded.
"Ha Ha Ha!" Morgan boomed. "That puts us behind schedule. Besides, we left that port with a bang." He suddenly grew serious. "Look, if you intend to leave, fine, but we won't change our course for you. Until then you will act as crew members and assist on the ship to earn your keep." With that he slapped his hand on the table. "Now what are your names?" He eyed the three women.
"I'm Selene," She stood Brown hair swinging. "This is Jamie," She gestured to the right. "And this is Mina." She gestured left. Leaning her hands on the table, Selene looked at Morgan. "What exactly do you expect us to do around here?"
"Well that depends." A mischievous gleam shone in the captain's eyes.
"On what?" Jamie asked.
"On your roommate." Morgan stated, rubbing his chin. They could almost see the gears in his head turning.
"Wha. . . Roommate?!" Selene sputtered.
"See, we don't have enough space for you ladies to have your own room, so you'll have to share with us."
"Can't one of you share and we take the room?" Selene asked.
"That wouldn't be fair to those who have earned their room to have to share. Plus, it's hard enough to keep things calm with us sharing the ship for long periods as it is with us having strong opinions and such. So no, I won't make two of the men share." Morgan said with a commanding tone.
"Let me get this straight," Jamie took a deep breath. "You want the three of us to live with three of you for a few weeks?" She seemed to be having trouble staying calm.
"Room and responsibilities." The captain clarified. "If we could we would allow you your privacy we would, but we can't."
"Do we have a choice?" Selene sighed in defeat.
"In having a roommate? No." Morgan stated. "But, I will allow you ladies to pick who you will share a room with." The rest of the crew stiffened at that. Seems they don't like the idea of a roommate either.
"Well," Selene sighed. "Since our jobs depend on what our roommate does, it might help if we knew what everyone did on the ship."
"Alright." Morgan smiled. "Eduardo is the navigator, Nathan is our chef, Christopher is the ship's doctor, Russell is our lookout and Thomas is our apprentice. They do most of the cleaning."
"I'm a trained nurse and know most remedies to illnesses." Mina said softly, keeping her eyes down.
"Then you can room with Christopher. Congratulations, Doc." Morgan grinned at him.
"The lady never said she wants to be my roommate, Captain." Christopher muttered into his glass.
"If you don't mind, I'll be your roommate." Mina glanced at Christopher before ducking her head again, blushing furiously.
"I'm a gourmet chef when it suits me." Selene glanced at Nathan. "Looks like you're stuck with me as a roomie." He scowled at her.
"I make star charts and maps for naval navigators. Working with Eduardo would be ideal." Jamie eyed Eduardo as he fiddled with his gun.
"Then it's settled. Gentlemen, please escort the ladies to your rooms." Captain beamed before leaving with Thomas and Russell.