A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. My life is so hectic! Total craziness. Anyways, I noticed I haven't replied to a lot of the reviews so here goes nothing:
Collins: Yes, Mr. Crepsley is gonna be in this fanfic, but I'm sorry to say he won't be making very many appearances. Sorry! Hope you're not disappointed.
Tory Shan/Shadow Goddess Akhet/Where's-the-rum-gone?-2004: All I can say is, thanks for the reviews! And once again, I am so sorry about the huge time gaps between my chapters.
Chapter five: Pushing the limit
We spent much of the day packing and being basically idle. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and me, Twig and Evra were dozing in the shadow of a tall, aged willow tree near-by the docks. Seagulls were calling to eachother lazily while the hot afternoon sun beat down onto the ground with no mercy. Mr. Crepsley had disappeared into his van and soon after Mr. Tall had said he would pack the rest of our bags for us so the three of us decided unanimously that we were going to do nothing the rest of the day.
At first, it was perfect. A day with nothing to do at the Cirque was not heard of, so I relished it. Then it became a little bit boring. Actually, a lot boring. I peered at Twig. She was lying flat on her back, her head resting on one arm while the other was on her abdomen, her long thin fingers tapping rhythmically on her stomach. Her shocking eyes were closed and sticking out of her mouth was a long piece of grass.
I heard Evra sigh quietly, and then shift around and sigh again. "Is anyone else bored?" he asked while stroking his snake's head.
"Mmmmmhmmmhmmm," Twig stretched, and I thought she was falling asleep. Her accusing eyes shot open and bore into mine. 'Oh no,' I thought. 'What'd I do this time?'
"You always watch me," She pointed out, rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. "Are you attracted, lover-boy?"
"Wha- no!" I spluttered in disgust. Never in my long, miserable life would I ever even consider enjoying her presence! "You're a lunatic. You're deranged, insane, maniacal, delirious, mad!" I struggled to bring my point across.
She just tipped her head to side. "Aww, you noticed!" Her tone was mocking me. No, her daunting eyes were mocking me.
I picked up a small rock and flung it at her head. "Shut up," I grumbled.
She bit her tongue cheekily. "Just kiddin' with you, blood-sucker." She hissed, making my blood run cold.
"Are you two at it again?" Evra laughed. "My god, you're like a bad married couple." He added haughtily.
Twig and me simultaneously sprung up. "WHAT!" We both spat at Evra, who wasn't looking so tough anymore.
"Kidding!" He said, bring his hands up to his face to protect himself. "I was kidding!" Twig and I backed down. "What, I can't make a joke?" He pretended to be hurt.
Twig snickered with her mouth closed so it sounded like, 'Hmmhmmhmmhmm,'. It reminded me how a stuck-up girl at my old school had laughed. "You're so funny, Snakey." She rolled over again so that her head was resting on my lap. I shuffled uncomfortably, but I didn't move her head. It made me feel nervous whenever Twig would get so close to Evra or me. She seemed to think it was completely natural to be intimate with everyone.
I remembered one night in particular when Mr. Crepsley had reclined onto a couch and Twig dropped down beside him immediately. At that point, it seemed perfectly innocent… until she curled up into his arm, nuzzling his neck with her head like a cat would do. I swear I heard her start to purr.
I had never seen Mr. Crepsley turn such a deep shade of red before. I noticed that his scarlet suit seemed lighter then his face and I had to leave the room because I couldn't control my laughter! When I mentioned the incident to Twig, she acted shocked that I found her actions indecent and just scoffed at me, dropping the subject completely.
"Hey Twig," Evra said, also turning so that he was on his stomach. "You never did tell us where you'd always go in the mornings."
She had a witty smile on her face and held a finger up to Evra's mouth. "Tsk, tsk young Evra. Have you no manners? Asking such personal questions." She was sarcastic, as usual. Evra rolled his eyes and turned his head.
"So, Darrrrrren," She rolled the R's of my name. "Ever had a girlfriend before? I mean, a real one? Not like that Debbie girl, but one who actually did things for you?" She asked, being very hypocritical since she had just told Evra not to ask personal questions.
Trying not to blush, I managed, "Curiosity killed the cat."
Twig smirked. "Satisfaction brought him back," She lowered her voice so that it was soft and mellow. She rose a hand to my face, touched my temple, then letting her fingertips trail down my cheekbone and along my jaw. I tensed up, my limit being thoroughly pushed.
"It's funny," She said slowly. "How easily I could disconcert you. Why do I make you blush so hard?" She stroked my cheek with one fingertip. It wasn't a rough, scratching motion but rather the kind that a mother would do to soothe her child. My eyelids fluttered and I carefully toke her hand into mine, leading it away from my face.
"Ok, this has gone far enough." I said, still blinking hard. "You have got to stop… touching me!" I tried not to sound upset because somehow I knew it was what she wanted.
"Fine," She shrugged. "But you have to let go of my hand." She smiled at me with her shrewd grin. I just turned my head and thrust her hand out of my grasp.
I awoke the next morning, my nightmares plaguing me more then ever. They had become more vivid, but I could never grasp what had really scared me.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Twig said as she ruffled my hair. "We sail in an hour."
"Where's Evra?" I asked groggily.
"He's been up since 5:30 AM, packing up the last essentials," She paused. "He's quite the asset if you know how to use him." Before I could reply she rushed out. I couldn't help but think how incredibly obscene and dirty that sentence had sounded.
After dressing up in my regular costume, I stepped outside to look for Twig and Evra, as usual. I found them (or rather, collided into them) by Mr. Crepsley's van.
She snorted disapprovingly then said, with that irritating sarcastic voice, "You'll fit right in," Twig looked me up and down. "You ready?"
"For what?" I asked.
"You agreed to accompany me on my… 'quest' to find my people," She said, folding her arms. "So, aaarrreee yyyooouuu rrreeeaaadddyyy?" She talked like I was demented and couldn't understand her.
I shrugged, feeling as if this wasn't a big deal and I would be back at the Cirque soon. "I guess,"
"Good," She nodded. "Follow me, my ever-grateful lackeys." She threw her chin up and gestured with her hand to follow, reminding me of a conceited queen. I looked at Evra and he just mouthed, 'I don't know.'
Twig always said odd things at odd times, and no one could really understand why. I always thought, actually I knew, that Twig was simply out of her mind. Sometimes she'd act like she hated the world and it's inhabitants, and other times she'd be so affectionate that it was unsettling. Of course, everything about her was unsettling.
I didn't know where we were going, but Twig seemed to know. She was now acting much like a slave driver, ordering us around like a bunch of imbeciles who had no minds of their own. While she carried one light bag full of who knows what, the rest of us were dragging four heavy suitcases behind ourselves.
She led us down to the docks. No surprise. It was early in the morning, around 6:30, but it was already full of people. I noticed that I had not seen one fancy yacht or big cruise ship since we had gotten there. I asked about it.
"It is not an ordinary dock, Darren," Mr. Crepsley began to explain while Twig went off to search for someone named Penelope. "It is actually illegal for it to still be running its services, but the authorities have given up trying to stop people from coming here. Think of it as the Black Market of the sea."
I slowly nodded my head. Twig came rushing back to us. "They're here," She panted, obviously out of breath from running. "Come on, hurry."
I hadn't noticed that she had been gone for a good half-hour. The sun was up by two thirds and the docks had become crowded. Once again, the seagulls I had come to know and love came in circled flight about the small gulf.
"Alright," Twig said in a very strict, strong tone while walking swiftly towards a ship. "There are a few things you should know about this trip. One, you are not to disobey anything that Captain Diamond says. You are under his command as of now. Two, remember this quote and hold onto it like your life depends on it: 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.' This means that if you see a red sky at night, the waters will be calm and safe for sailing in the morning. Red sky in the morning, the waters will be rough. If birds are flying high above the sails the weather will be poor. Another little saying that's useful is 'rain before seven, fine before eleven.' It explains itself. This one I'm not very sure of, but if you dream of horses while aboard, it means there is a storm and you must report your dream immediately.
"Third, you will be assigned certain duties, you can be sure of that. If you do not complete these tasks you will be dismissed from the ship. Fourth, no brawls, fights, scraps, battles, scuffles, duels, face-offs, quarrels or aggressive disagreement of any sort. It will not be tolerated. Fifth, you have to earn your meal by working." She began to take long strides up a steep wooden staircase that led up to a tall sailing ship. "Sixth, you are expected to attend early morning self-defense seminars and once a month you must have an arranged duel. This is not like rule four because it is arranged. You may be excused from your duel if you're ill, weak, disabled or bedridden. If you are disabled you will be escorted off the ship to the nearest city, is that clear and do you have any questions?" She melded her last few sentences together.
"Uh, no," I said. It was a bit confusing but I got the gist of it.
Twig sighed, then smiled pleasantly. "Good," She turned around and continued up the staircase. When we reached the top we found ourselves on an old-style vessel, the kind you'd see in movies: Wooden masts, deck etc. It looked like a frigate ship.
A young man dressed in a red pea jacket approached us. He looked like he was in his mid to early twenties. He had a long, fine face and short silvery-white hair, and a smirk just like Twig's.
"My dear, dear Exodus," he walked up behind Twig, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and placing a delicate kiss on her fair cheek. "How have you been my little tart?"
For the first time, I saw discomfort and slight fear in her fierce eyes. When she didn't answer, he walked around in front of her. "My, you've grown. Last I saw you, you were a tiny little piece of skin and bone." He paused. "Then again, maybe you haven't changed."
Mr. Crepsley cleared his throat loudly.
"Would you lay off?" She snarled, then turned to us. "Larten, Evra, Darren, this is Captain Diamond."
My mouth dropped like a dead fly. He didn't look like a pirate at all! He was clean and well dressed for that fact. Plus, he was pretty youthful.
Diamond began to circle us while Twig watched. "So, this is who you bring me, Exodus? Two skinny, weak boys and a man who looks old enough to be my father? Really, you could've done better."
"Shut up!" She snapped. "And my name is Twig."
TBC
R&R!
Frigate ship info Frigates formed the backbone of the early American Navy. These wooden warships sailed quickly across the seas to protect merchant shipping, capture enemy cargo, and fight battles with enemy ships. A typical American frigate was a square-rigged, three-masted ship. Frigates were built with oak, pine, and elm wood. A frigate had many levels, or decks, that were used for different reasons. The open upper deck, called the spar deck, carried short-barreled guns called carronades used at close range. The gun deck, the next one down, was lined wiht heavy guns on each side of the ship. Below that was the berthing deck where the ship's crew slept in hammocks and ate their meals. The orlop was a small storage deck that doubled as the ship's hospital during battle. All supplies were stowed in the hold, the lowest deck on any ship. The oldest American frigate is USS Constitution. -http/www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/ships/ships5.htm
