10. Unfortunate
As she walked away I stayed on the deck, my eyebrows lowered down in a frustrated expression. I bit my lip as a human would, leaned into the edge of the ship and looked into the water. That's when I saw a school of fish in the water. That's when I realized I was going to have to drink fish blood. Uh oh. I hadn't brought clothes. And getting fish was going to have to involve going in the water. I was going to be wet. And people were going to notice. We couldn't be far from land. I could swim, get some clothes, and swim back by daytime easily. Without thinking twice I jumped in the water and swam East.
I reached land within ten minutes. I quickly hopped on the dock and ran in town slowly. It was late and I was praying a store would be open. That's when I saw a woman closing up a clothing store. I ran towards the woman.
"Sir, the shop is-" Her voice broke as she turned to look at me, and examine me.
"Ma'am I need some clothes. Anything. I'll pay double the price." I said, my hair dripping.
"Your all wet!" She said with a giggle, opening the shop doors.
"Yes, well I slipped and fell in the ocean," I replied with a smile, walking into the shop. There was business clothes here. Ties and berets and suitcases. I quickly grabbed anything that matched and would fit me, grabbed a large suit case and a new hat. It was at least fifteen sets of clothes. A lot. I threw it on the counter. The ladies eyes widened. She ran through the clothes, doing math on her lips.
"56," she said, looking worried.
I threw 102 on the table.
"Sir-"
"I said I would pay double," I said with a smile.
"Yes but-"
"Ma'am it's fine!" I assured her.
She nodded.
"Do you have a changing room?" I asked her, tugging on my soaked clothes. She pointed to a door in the back of the room. I nodded in thanks. I changed quickly and disposed of my wet clothed in the garbage. I walked out the changing room.
"That looks fabulous sir!" She said, with a stiff smile. I nodded in a thank you and left the store.
I ran with vampire speed back to the water. I swan in my new clothes with one arm, keeping the suitcase above my head to keep it from getting wet. I new my clothes would dry by morning with lots of running.
I reached the ship and climbed on board easily. Everything on me was soaked. I put the suitcase on the ground and began running quickly back and fourth on the ship, not making a sound. Within minutes my clothes were dry. That's when I remembered that Jackson noticed I hadn't had clothes. I had to make something up. Maybe that the captain found a random suitcase on board and no one claimed it so he gave it to me? Peter seemed nice enough. I would go with that story.
I would have nothing to do until morning. I heard walking on the deck.
I smelt the blood and heard the heartbeat. Human. The person- a man came up next to me and looked out into the water too. I looked at the corner of my eye an saw it was Peter.
"Up late Carlisle?" Asked Peter. His big brown eyes were staring at me and his short brown hair was flowing in the wind.
"Can't sleep," I said. It sounded human enough. It's just that the words were too true.
"Neither can I," replied Peter, calming down my nerves.
"You make a handy deck man," Peter said with a smile.
I smiled back.
"Shame you became a doctor. Your strong." Commented Peter.
"Captain Peter, saving peoples lives is my calling and I can't imagine myself doing different," I replied seriously, looking into his eyes.
"I understand," said Peter.
Peter looked around nineteen. He was taller than I by a couple inches an he had built biceps. His hair was short compare to others; only to the top of his neck. His eyes were bright and willing to learn. Much like me when I was his age. I couldn't help but wondering what a great vampire he would make. I noticed a wedding ring.
"You're married Peter?" I asked, examining his face.
"Was," he said in a gloomy voice. I wasn't going to ask anymore but he continued.
"Wife died of some mysterious disease a doctor miss-diagnosed. Maybe that's why I don't like doctors. Well except you. You seem ok." He said, looking down.
I didn't feel like anything needed to be said so I stayed quiet.
"How about you? You married?" He asked looking at me as though the answer was obvious.
"No," I responded, chuckling.
"No?" He laughed loudly, banging his hand on the ship.
"Well Carlisle, you are an interesting man." He broke out laughing again.
"Yes well," I answered, giving my own laugh.
"Although you're a doctor, I think we could be friends," he said slightly more serious, but still grinning. Peter yawned.
"I'm beat. I think I'll try to sleep," Peter said reaching his hand out. I nodded and shook his hand quickly, making sure my grip wasn't too tight. He shuddered at my coldness. With that Peter walked across deck and into the captains quarters.
I was alone again on deck. It was a quiet night and you could only hear the crashing of the waves against the ship. It was going to be months on the ship. I knew one way or another I was going to make it to America, but some of these people were going to die. I inhaled a lot of unnecessary air and let it back out. I walked across the dock grabbed the suit case and walked down the stairs without making a sound. I went back to the cabin and laid back on the bed.
"Where've you been Carlisle?" Jackson asked in a quiet voice from the other bed.
"Talking to Captain Peter," I said honestly. Jackson sighed.
"How long you reckon we'll be on this ship?" Jackson asked.
"A few months," I replied in a whisper.
"People are going to die," Jackson said sadly.
"That's why they have doctors on the ship!" I said in a tone that was meant to sound up beat.
"But we can't stop them from dying Carlisle. It's not in our power." That stung bad. I could do something to stop them from dying. And I wasn't going to do it.
"We'll do the best of our ability," and I winced as the words came out of my mouth, knowing it was a promise I could not keep.
I saw Jackson nod.
I lay there till morning.
Outside it was cloudless and I stayed under deck saying I wasn't feeling too good. Jackson kept his distance saying our conversation had jinxed me. I told him that I was fine, actually, and that I just didn't want to confront Elise. He didn't ask anything else.
The next day it was cloudy, allowing me to go outside. The first person waiting for me was Elise.
"Oh Carlisle! I was so worried!" Elise said, giving me a hug. I was slightly uncomfortable. I knew I couldn't give her a relationship. I squirmed away inconspicuously.
"I'm still feeling a bit sick," I lied, immediately feeling bad about it.
"Well Doc, what is it?" Asked Elise.
"I think I'm just sea sick," I replied, holding my stomach.
"Oh, well I hope you feel better!" Elise exclaimed, walking away.
We'd been on the ship for a week and a half. Just to make sure I could maintain my control around so many people, I decided to hunt.
It was nearly midnight and everyone was below the deck. There was a current below the water and I knew there were lots of fish. I tools off my beret, coat and shoes, then jumped into the water. I smelt the air above the water. I smelt something bigger then a fish. Shark. I licked my lips. I dove beneath the surface and looked around. It would have been way to dark for a human to see but I saw perfectly.
Sure enough, several hundred feet down was a hammerhead shark. I dove down and swam after it. I couldn't use my sense of smell. The shark was fast, and although I was good at swimming, I wasn't experienced, and the shark got away. I punched the water in slight frustration. I looked around and a three-foot fish was swimming above my head. I grabbed it without difficulty and swam to the surface.
The fish smelt... Fishy. It's blood was cold instead of warm and I could smell salt. I wasn't thirsty enough for the fish to burn my throat, but I still bit into the fish. I drank the cool blood. It tasted pretty bad but it was blood, so I drank it all up. I threw the dry fish back in the water and went to search for another.
I dove deep in the water until I sensed warm blood. It was a dolphin. Warm mammal blood. I looked for the dolphin and found it. It was a small, baby, dolphin. I couldn't bring myself to kill it. It was beautiful. I could hear it's high pitched screeching. That's when about thirty dolphins emerged and swam past me. It was a family. I thought about the family, and then how lonely I was and I frowned. I wasn't thirsty at all anymore.
I swam back to the ship and listened to see if anyone was on deck. No one was so I climbed up the side of the ship. I removed my clothes and put on the dry set I left on deck for when I returned. I lay my wet clothes out on a barrel where they could dry. I slipped on my shoes and ran back and forth across the deck several times at vampire speed so my hair would dry. Then I put my beret on.
I silently walked down stairs and to my cabin. Jackson was snoring loudly and I couldn't help chuckling. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, although I knew sleep was impossible.
When I "woke up" today I felt humidity. When I went on the deck the sky was filled with clouds and I could hear thunder in the distance. Peter said we'd be hitting rough weather and we had to be prepared for the worse.
When Peter was done talking Elise approached me.
"You look like your feeling better," Elise said, with a bright smile.
"Oh, yes, how'd you know?" I said stupidly.
"Well-" Elise blushed, "Your eyes are light again, those bags under your eyes aren't so dark, and you got some color in your face." she stroked my face as she finished, she shuddered, and I winced uncomfortably and took a step back. She didn't notice.
"I've been meaning to ask you, Carlisle, what do you seek in America?"
"Well, a job as a doctor somewhere, a home, and a family," I replied. Her face lit up and the word family. I shouldn't have said anything. She nodded and didn't say anything else. I walked over to where I'd left my clothes on the barrel the night before and they were gone.
It was about 1:30 AM the same night and the storm was pretty bad. There was pounding rain and dangerously close lightning.
I was getting out of the bed when a deafening sound echoed around me followed by screaming. I ran out the cabin and onto the deck. Lightning had hit the ship and there was a huge gash in the wood. Water was poring into the bottom of the ship. I knew the ship was going to sink. I ran back down to my cabin and told Jackson of the situation. Both of us then ran back on deck to go find Peter. Peter was yelling at some me. When the men walked away Peter was cursing and holding his hands above hid head.
"Peter we have to do something!" I told him calmly.
"Carlisle, what the hell can we do? The ship is going to sink unless you can stop it!" Peter yelled, and I smelt major whiskey on his breath. I looked at the gaping hole and the water rushing in. There was nothing I could do. Families were rushing on deck. There was still lightning and rain every where, and it was not safe to be on deck. But then again, it wasn't safe to be any where on the ship. Jackson looked at me worriedly. I mouthed him, "It's OK." But that wasn't true. It was only true for me. I felt someone holding on to me, and I recognized the scent as Elise. I would have squirmed away again but these were the last moments of her life.
I looked at Jackson and then Elise. No. I wouldn't let them die.
As the ship sank I yelled to Jackson, "Hold on to me!" Jackson grabbed me awkwardly and I felt Elise hold on tighter.
I jumped in the water with both clinging on to me.