Okay, here are the review replies. It seems that a lot of you are confused about the story in general. This is good! We're getting places!

To Clez: My Jekyll plushie has this very confused look on his face. He hasn't the slightest idea what's going on, and it's starting to make him extremely upset. So for his sake, and yours, I will continue with the story.

To Starlight16 (for chapter eight): Yes, all hatred melts away once we see poor dead Mina in her coffin. The poor thing!

To Starlight16 (for chapter nine): Don't worry, everything will be explained. By the end of the story, you'll understand what's going on. And don't worry, I will never fail to update the soonest that I possibly can.

To Mina: I'm glad you're grateful, because I'm not. I wanted to keep her dead : ( (just kidding.) But anyway, I'm glad you're curious. I feel like I've done my job.

To Lucien: You have some very good theories, but unfortunately, none of them are right : ) For the real explanation, keep on reading the story!

To Graymoon74: I'm glad you're thinking too hard! Thinking is good for the mind. By the way, thanks for proving a point. I guess I can be good on my own (though, your ideas are quite fun, too!)

To Panzergal: Are you kidding? No matter how much I want to, I would never kill Jekyll. At least not in this story, anyway, because this story's for you. And you just showed me how upset you would be if I actually did. I'm glad you like it!!

Now, on with the story!

*

Jekyll hurried down the corridor. He was looking for somebody, anybody. Anybody who had been there when Mina was laid into her coffin.

Jekyll ran past his own room and came to Batsie Linoge's. Batsie had definitely seen Mina in her coffin. Jekyll approached, took a deep breath, and gently opened the door. However, after a quick look around the room, Batsie was nowhere to be found.

Cursing under his breath, Jekyll came to the next room, Andre McCane's.

"McCane," gasped Jekyll, practically falling through the door into McCane's room. "You saw Mina dead in her coffin, right?"

McCane looked up from something he was studying at his desk and stared at Jekyll, puzzled. "Mina? Dead in a coffin?" he asked, confused. "Doctor Jekyll, it's true that SOME vampires sleep in coffins, but Mina is not one of those. She sleeps in a bed, like most other people," he explained patiently.

"I KNOW that, but you have to remember this afternoon, when the crewmen finished Mina's coffin. You saw Nemo and Sawyer lift her dead body into it, right?"

McCane was still very confused. "Henry, what in the world are you talking about? Mina isn't dead, is she? Last time I peeked into her room, she was still asleep from your sleeping potion."

Jekyll gaped at him. Now it was his turn to be patient. "McCane, two days ago, Mina died of influenza. Nemo's crewmen built her a coffin, and now she is lying dead in it. Or, she was, before she started walking around in the kitchen."

McCane got up and walked over to Jekyll. "Henry," he said, "Mina HAS influenza, but she did not die from it, nor WILL she die from it. You said so yourself. Mina's been asleep for the past two days. I know that, because I've been checking on her periodically."

Jekyll grabbed his head in rage. "NO, you don't UNDERSTAND! Mina's DEAD!"

McCane just shook his head. Pretty soon, Nemo was at McCane's door.

"What's going on in here?" he snapped. "It's eleven at night. I have crewmen who are trying to sleep, not to mention Mina!" Then he saw whom he was talking to. "Oh, are you two fighting about something related to medicine? If it's about the skin, save your breath, Jekyll. McCane's probably right." Andre McCane had done extensive research concerning skin diseases and treatments, and was considered one of the best authorities on skin disease in Europe. And he wasn't even a doctor.

"No, we're not arguing about medicine," McCane explained patiently. "Henry here seems to think that Mina died two days ago and was buried in a coffin."

Nemo's eyes practically popped out of his head. "That's impossible!" he raged. "I saw her in the hallway not more than ten minutes ago!" He went over to Jekyll and felt his forehead. "Jekyll, your temperature seems fine, but I think you're coming down with something."

"No, Captain, what YOU'RE saying in impossible," Jekyll cried. "This afternoon, we all witnessed you and Sawyer place Mina in a coffin made out of white chrome. See, I even have the pulled muscle I got from trying to lift the coffin to prove it!" Jekyll held out his arm.

But his arm didn't hurt anymore. It was impossible that such a big muscle would heal so quickly, but Jekyll's arm felt fine. Jekyll swayed his arm around in its socket. It didn't make any sense!!! Just this afternoon, his arm was aching in excruciating pain!!

"Your arm seems fine to me, Jekyll," remarked Nemo. "I, personally, believe that you might be catching Mina's illness. McCane?"

McCane turned to Jekyll, than back to Nemo. "I agree, Captain. That's delirious raving if I've ever heard it," he said sadly.

"Come, Jekyll," said Nemo softly. "Here, let me help you get into bed."

Jekyll refused to comply with Nemo. He knew he wasn't crazy. Fortunately for Jekyll, Skinner had heard all the bickering and had entered the room to see what was going on.

At first, all three men looked at him. Skinner was invisible, of course, but he was wearing a very visible pastel pink gown with fine crystal beading and numerous petticoats. And he was acting as if this was perfectly normal.

Jekyll and Nemo gaped at him, at a loss for words. McCane, however, was staring at Skinner in horror.

"Batsie's wedding dress?" he gasped. "First of all, Skinner, WHY are you wearing that? Second of all, do you KNOW that Batsie's wedding dress? Do you know what she'll do to you if she finds you in it?"

"I'm just curious, McCane, but for which wedding?" said Nemo, turning from Skinner to McCane. "Yours, or Mr. Linoge's?"

But before McCane could answer, Skinner chimed in. "The kind Mrs. Linoge found out that I'm the same size as a friend of hers who is getting married in a few months, and she asked me to model this. It's a COPY of her wedding dress. Now, normally, I wouldn't model a ladies' gown if I was given a trillion pounds. But, because Mrs. Linoge is such a kind and gorgeous woman--"

"Molly," McCane muttered bitterly, interrupting Skinner's explanation. "Molly Hatcher."

"Molly Hatcher. Yes, that's what she said the bride's name was," Skinner recalled. Then he came to his senses and remember why he was in McCane's room in the first place. "But why were you all shouting? It rocks the whole ship. She almost pricked my behind with one of her sewing pins."

McCane explained for the second time. "Henry seems to think that Mina is dead."

"No, that's not right," Skinner said, shaking his head even though none of them could see it. "I just saw Mina a few moments ago. She was on her way to the kitchen to get some orange juice. Jekyll, quit playing those kinds of jokes. They aren't very funny."

"It's not a joke!" Jekyll huffed. "Can't any of you remember? It was a just a few hours ago! We laid Mina in her coffin. Sawyer burst into tears and ran out of room."

Nemo looked confused. "Jekyll, Sawyer's been up on deck all afternoon, practicing his shooting accuracy."

"Where is he now?" asked Jekyll.

"In bed! It's eleven at night!" Nemo snapped back at him. "Speaking of bed, I suggest you go too, Jekyll. Maybe you'll wake up tomorrow morning and realize the absurdity of your statements."

Jekyll just shrugged helplessly. Obviously, none of them had any memories of a dead Mina being buried in a white chrome coffin, even though it had only taken place that afternoon. "Maybe it WAS all some odd daydream," he thought aloud. "Maybe I'm just going crazy!"

The three men all nodded. Captain Nemo stepped forward and took Jekyll by the arm. "Come, Henry. You show no symptoms of physical sickness, but I believe you should be put to bed."

Jekyll wedged himself free of Nemo's grip, left the room without saying goodnight to any of them, and stalked down the hall to his room.

Jekyll slammed the door and stumbled on over to his bed, his sight blinded by his own tears. He fell facedown upon his bed and screamed into his pillow. "But I'm not crazy!" he yelled bitterly to the wall of his stateroom. "I'm NOT CRAZY, YOU HEAR ME?!?!?!?"

*

There is just so much suspense is here that I can hardly stand it! Even I sit on end as I await the next chapter of this story. But I already know what happens.

As you all have probably noticed, I respond to all reviews now, so if you would like a response to a review, just drop me one. The response will be posted at the beginning of the next chapter.

~ Alisonia