The next morning, Alex woke up early. She was up before Jet and Spike, which was plenty said. Jet was usually up between 5 and 6. She didn't know when that jerk Spike woke, so it was probably safe to assume he was still asleep too. When she looked at the clock beside her bed, it read 5:03, but she was wide awake. Quietly, she rolled out of bed and went to her door. She opened it up and walked out into the living area. It was dark and silent except for the lights near the bottom to help see where you were going. She went to the cabinet and got a mug and filled it with water. Then she poured in some hot chocolate mix and stuck it in the microwave. She let it warm up and then took it out before it could beep so she wouldn't wake Jet. When she took it out, she stirred it a little and then took a sip. It wasn't scalding hot, or too cold, it was perfect. She took her cup with her and went to go outside. Before she stepped out the door, she grabbed a collapsible lawn chair with her so she could sit out and watch the sun rise if it hadn't risen already. She stepped out on a cool and clear morning, during the twilight before dawn. The sun hadn't risen above the horizon yet, but it looked as if it was about to. She stood looking over the ocean to the horizon that seemed so far away. The clouds were puffy and highlighted and seemed to float off like cotton candy. Alex stood there in all of nature's beauty just watching as a small group of seabirds flew overhead.
"Kinda makes you relax, huh?" asked a voice from behind her. She almost spilled her hot chocolate when she jumped in surprise. To her surprise, and dismay, Spike was outside with her.
"God damn it, DON'T DO THAT!" She scolded. He only smiled.
"Hey, you were relaxed and moved by the sight, right? Well there you…OWWW!!!" He exclaimed as Alex swiftly kicked him in the shins with a tremendous amount of force.
"You ruined a perfectly good morning, you pig." She said as she stomped back aboard the ship and shut the door behind her. "What a jerk, I don't understand how someone can be so stupid!" She said as she walked back into the living area of the ship and tossed the collapsible chair into a corner. She took her hot chocolate with her into her room and shut the door behind her as she heard the ship's main door open and footsteps echo in the hall. After a few sips of her hot chocolate, she pulled out her guitar and started to strum the strings.
Spike had come inside and had sat down at the kitchen table to examine his shin where Alex had kicked him. It was painful and swelling a little, so he retrieved an ice bag from the freezer and sat with it on the bruising area.
"Jet must've had his hands full with this one. Damn she's a feisty one." He said as he rubbed the place where her foot met his shin. "Ah well, I suppose I should be nice and apologize to her for last night and this morning." He said as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a roll of tape. He wrapped the frozen bag to his leg and stood up. "Good enough." He commented as he started walking towards Alex's room when he heard the sound of the guitar. He reached the door and knocked.
"Get lost Spike." Alex said from inside.
"Sorry, can't do that. I know my way around this area too well." He said.
"You aren't funny, what do you want?" she asked.
"Let me in, I want to call a truce." The guitar stopped and the door clicked open a crack. The guitar started again as Spike pushed the door open and stepped inside. He looked to see Alex sitting on her bed strumming the strings gently and producing a warm and friendly tone.
"What do you want?" she asked as he pulled the door shut behind him.
"I wanted to say I was sorry. What I did last night and this morning was rude and uncalled for." He said attempting to use big words to make himself sound smart.
"Uh huh, and how am I supposed to believe you? Most men are all the same, blunt pigs who don't care, what makes you any different?" she asked as she played faster.
"Well, I guess it'll just take some time before you believe me. We're going to be on this ship for god only knows how long and we might as well be civil. Hell, maybe even friends but that depends on how much you trust me I guess. After all, I was only fooling around last night and I sneak up on everyone like I did to you this morning."
"How the hell was I supposed to know you were right behind me? I thought I was the only one out there and I felt safe. You were the one sneaking around and scaring me." she said as she stopped her playing abruptly and looked at him angrily.
"Actually, I was outside exercising when you came out with your chair and cup of hot chocolate. If anyone should be surprised, it should be me." He said matter-of-factly. Alex went back to playing, realizing he had a point.
"Whatever. Is that all you wanted?" she asked as she struck a melodious chord. He smiled and took a seat in the armchair at the foot of her bed.
"Well, I wanted to find out more about you. I suppose it would be nice if I knew more about some girl named Alex that my partner picked up one night and just decided to bring her onboard with him." He said with grin. She looked up at him, her hair hanging in her face.
"What do you want to know?"
"Just start talking. If I have any questions, I'll ask." He said leaning on his hand. He had propped his elbow on the chair and his somewhat thin forearm extended vertically with his chin cradled by his palm.
"Well, I lived on earth until my parents were murdered and went to an orphanage when I was 8. I left at 16 and lived on the streets until about a month or so ago." She said just framing everything.
"Why were your parents killed?" he asked.
"I don't know. One morning there were a bunch of policemen and an ambulance outside my house and someone was telling me my parents had been killed. The only reason I could think of that anyone would kill them is my dad's hobby." She said.
"What did your dad do?" he questioned. Alex felt like she was being interrogated.
"He was a top-fuel racer. He had the fastest craft around; no one could beat him. He won a lot of money and prizes. Always doing promotions and whatnot."
"Was he famous?"
"He holds the record for fastest time at the Equatorial Circuit on Mars. No one has beat him for all the years he's been gone."
"Who was he?"
"Jim Bondora."
"You're his daughter?!" Alex nodded. Spike was dumbfounded.
"Yea, I'm the daughter of the famous Jim Bondora. Ain't I lucky?" she asked still playing her guitar as if nothing was said.
"Damn, I thought you were killed too?" spike said.
"No, they only said that to protect me. They figured that if they said I was still alive, I might be kidnapped or something. I didn't get any money but once I decide to settle down, I can get access to the money and use it." she said.
"Wow. So what else, what was this about last night with Diboa?" he asked. Alex stopped playing, her hand frozen in a position as if ready to strum the strings. She didn't lift her head, she didn't move, she hardly even breathed. She sat silent for a little while.
"It's something that's tough for me to talk about. I didn't even tell Jet until last night when I was really troubled by it. maybe some day in the future when I trust you more."
"What, was last night really that bad?" he asked. She looked at him. She thought he was asking about before.
"Oh, last night? Well, last night was pretty bad. It was just horrible for me." she said as she began playing, but very slowly.
"If you don't mind me asking, what did he do?" he asked as he shifted around in his seat. Alex swallowed hard, nervous about telling him.
"Well, he picked me up in the bar after Jet and I faked a breakup and said I could spend the night with him so that I wouldn't have to go home to him. We went out the back where Jet and I planned to take him out, but he wasn't there so Diboa had me pinned to the wall, tied me up, and started to try and rape me, almost making me his 21st victim. But Jet showed up just in time to save me from that." Spike could pick up that she wasn't telling him everything, but he could tell it was hard for her to talk about.
"Kinda makes you relax, huh?" asked a voice from behind her. She almost spilled her hot chocolate when she jumped in surprise. To her surprise, and dismay, Spike was outside with her.
"God damn it, DON'T DO THAT!" She scolded. He only smiled.
"Hey, you were relaxed and moved by the sight, right? Well there you…OWWW!!!" He exclaimed as Alex swiftly kicked him in the shins with a tremendous amount of force.
"You ruined a perfectly good morning, you pig." She said as she stomped back aboard the ship and shut the door behind her. "What a jerk, I don't understand how someone can be so stupid!" She said as she walked back into the living area of the ship and tossed the collapsible chair into a corner. She took her hot chocolate with her into her room and shut the door behind her as she heard the ship's main door open and footsteps echo in the hall. After a few sips of her hot chocolate, she pulled out her guitar and started to strum the strings.
Spike had come inside and had sat down at the kitchen table to examine his shin where Alex had kicked him. It was painful and swelling a little, so he retrieved an ice bag from the freezer and sat with it on the bruising area.
"Jet must've had his hands full with this one. Damn she's a feisty one." He said as he rubbed the place where her foot met his shin. "Ah well, I suppose I should be nice and apologize to her for last night and this morning." He said as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a roll of tape. He wrapped the frozen bag to his leg and stood up. "Good enough." He commented as he started walking towards Alex's room when he heard the sound of the guitar. He reached the door and knocked.
"Get lost Spike." Alex said from inside.
"Sorry, can't do that. I know my way around this area too well." He said.
"You aren't funny, what do you want?" she asked.
"Let me in, I want to call a truce." The guitar stopped and the door clicked open a crack. The guitar started again as Spike pushed the door open and stepped inside. He looked to see Alex sitting on her bed strumming the strings gently and producing a warm and friendly tone.
"What do you want?" she asked as he pulled the door shut behind him.
"I wanted to say I was sorry. What I did last night and this morning was rude and uncalled for." He said attempting to use big words to make himself sound smart.
"Uh huh, and how am I supposed to believe you? Most men are all the same, blunt pigs who don't care, what makes you any different?" she asked as she played faster.
"Well, I guess it'll just take some time before you believe me. We're going to be on this ship for god only knows how long and we might as well be civil. Hell, maybe even friends but that depends on how much you trust me I guess. After all, I was only fooling around last night and I sneak up on everyone like I did to you this morning."
"How the hell was I supposed to know you were right behind me? I thought I was the only one out there and I felt safe. You were the one sneaking around and scaring me." she said as she stopped her playing abruptly and looked at him angrily.
"Actually, I was outside exercising when you came out with your chair and cup of hot chocolate. If anyone should be surprised, it should be me." He said matter-of-factly. Alex went back to playing, realizing he had a point.
"Whatever. Is that all you wanted?" she asked as she struck a melodious chord. He smiled and took a seat in the armchair at the foot of her bed.
"Well, I wanted to find out more about you. I suppose it would be nice if I knew more about some girl named Alex that my partner picked up one night and just decided to bring her onboard with him." He said with grin. She looked up at him, her hair hanging in her face.
"What do you want to know?"
"Just start talking. If I have any questions, I'll ask." He said leaning on his hand. He had propped his elbow on the chair and his somewhat thin forearm extended vertically with his chin cradled by his palm.
"Well, I lived on earth until my parents were murdered and went to an orphanage when I was 8. I left at 16 and lived on the streets until about a month or so ago." She said just framing everything.
"Why were your parents killed?" he asked.
"I don't know. One morning there were a bunch of policemen and an ambulance outside my house and someone was telling me my parents had been killed. The only reason I could think of that anyone would kill them is my dad's hobby." She said.
"What did your dad do?" he questioned. Alex felt like she was being interrogated.
"He was a top-fuel racer. He had the fastest craft around; no one could beat him. He won a lot of money and prizes. Always doing promotions and whatnot."
"Was he famous?"
"He holds the record for fastest time at the Equatorial Circuit on Mars. No one has beat him for all the years he's been gone."
"Who was he?"
"Jim Bondora."
"You're his daughter?!" Alex nodded. Spike was dumbfounded.
"Yea, I'm the daughter of the famous Jim Bondora. Ain't I lucky?" she asked still playing her guitar as if nothing was said.
"Damn, I thought you were killed too?" spike said.
"No, they only said that to protect me. They figured that if they said I was still alive, I might be kidnapped or something. I didn't get any money but once I decide to settle down, I can get access to the money and use it." she said.
"Wow. So what else, what was this about last night with Diboa?" he asked. Alex stopped playing, her hand frozen in a position as if ready to strum the strings. She didn't lift her head, she didn't move, she hardly even breathed. She sat silent for a little while.
"It's something that's tough for me to talk about. I didn't even tell Jet until last night when I was really troubled by it. maybe some day in the future when I trust you more."
"What, was last night really that bad?" he asked. She looked at him. She thought he was asking about before.
"Oh, last night? Well, last night was pretty bad. It was just horrible for me." she said as she began playing, but very slowly.
"If you don't mind me asking, what did he do?" he asked as he shifted around in his seat. Alex swallowed hard, nervous about telling him.
"Well, he picked me up in the bar after Jet and I faked a breakup and said I could spend the night with him so that I wouldn't have to go home to him. We went out the back where Jet and I planned to take him out, but he wasn't there so Diboa had me pinned to the wall, tied me up, and started to try and rape me, almost making me his 21st victim. But Jet showed up just in time to save me from that." Spike could pick up that she wasn't telling him everything, but he could tell it was hard for her to talk about.