A Temptress of Distraction

He sat forward, his curiosity besting his conquered joints. It grew closer and he began to wonder how alone he really was. He found himself begging for more, wanting to draw nearer to the siren song that corrupted him. He tried to shake his foggy vision off as he wiped the hot mist from his eyes. He thought the room had grown extremely humid, but the reality of it's conditions had not changed. His breath was heavy, quick, and uneven. Then a face appeared and it stopped all together. An enchantress in the wake of his hysteria entered the reality he'd created. A vision of Charlotte wandered about his view, taking a casual turn about the room.

He leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut as he rubbed them roughly. He knew this wasn't real but a part of him just didn't want to question anything about it. He ditched the analysis and decided to let the mirage carry out. She continued to hum a tune that made him weak. It was flawless, every note made him feel just fine about going down with the ship, if that's where his fate would lead him. His trembles we're dangerously intense until now. He was still plagued by uncomfortable shakes, but this trance was quite the distraction. She haunted him as his eyes we're anchored to her image. An uproar of emotions flooded him, waves hitting every wall of the inside of his chest forcing out any remaining breath.

She smiled at Henry every once and a while, but she mostly sat on the desk, her eyes focused on the book in her angelic hands. She baited him with her sight and song and he was in no way averse to her lure. He felt the urge to sob as he watched her, hoping that she might be real. His assumptions of her death, capture, harm of any kind felt all too realistic in his deluded mind. He decided to let go of of any misgivings that put such a pressure on him. The reproduction of her memory brought these urges to the surface as tears drenched his cheek bones. He had a illusory realization fueled by paranoia, that he had nothing left to lose. He sat up and moved to one knee. With a quick breath for strength, he mustered enough to crawl as he reached towards her. She turned to him with all the truest of loves in her eyes.

He dared to touch her but fearfully began at the hem of her dress that fluttered over the desk. The fabric was like a warm fog that weaved around his hand, comforting his every fiber. He instantly fell to pieces at her feet.

"Please.." he cried for her touch. He brought his hand to her face that caused her immediate disappearence, just as he'd predicted. As she faded to nothingness his vision did the same and he could no longer hold himself up. He spiraled into unconsciousness before his head met the floor.

Perception of time was nought. Many times he'd wake up for a moment and try to move the hair out of his face or press his searing cheek against the freezing wood, but all he did was stare at the ceiling with unrest in his tremors that broke through the paralysis. Minutes later he heard a faint scream of terror, but could not seem to force his eyes open. More hallucinations he assumed. Then he felt hands under his arms and he was placed back in the rocking chair. He did not feel the needle that was pumping him with life. The voices around his head grew louder as his head began to clear of the fog and his eyelids no longer clung to eachother. He took in a broken breath that was so horribly desperate, as if they'd pulled him from the water.

All four of them stood in front of him, but he focused on her. She was crying into her palms, her long nails brushing the tendrils that swam along her hairline. He reached to her face with whispered words to soothe her.

"Please don't cry Charlotte." It was a rough sound, but his skin was so smooth against hers. This time he could feel her and he prayed a thousand prayers of thanks for this. Any instincts he'd ignored before were now at the very front of his mind and pounding in his heart. Ray watched relieved, with stress and exhaustion in the wrinkles of his face. Jasper followed Schwoz's orders to dispose of any remnants of the gas and encasing. The man walked in at that moment with a tired look of submission.

"I have to say I don't want to do this anymore." he said with all eyes on him.

"You've been unhelpful and I am going to find someone else to solve my problem."

Rays short temper took control of his mouth.

"Wow, I'm so glad you kidnapped us, exhausted us, and nearly killed two of us then!"

"I made no attempt on the boy, he's just too curious for his own good." to which they all turned to Henry.

"It's true." Henry said with a careless shrug.

"You didn't give us much to work off anyways, I didn't know what needed fixing. Do you even have a transporter?" added Schwoz. The man looked at the innocent people he'd traumatized and embarrassed himself in front of. They were asking questions to things he already knew he hadn't handled well and the anger was raging within him worse than before.

"See for yourself!" he said chucking the device to Rays chest. Schwoz took it to examine while the man stormed out in a suspicious rush.

They gathered to examine the quizzical thing when they were suddenly hurled to the other side of the room. Before they could conceive what had happened, they were sent back to the other side. The ship continued to rock them back and forth and eventually subsided. The waters were so still before which made this drastic change much more frightening. They all got back up, Henry hugging his ribs with one hand while the other pulled himself up. Without a word, they jotted up the stairs to the main deck. They shriveled as they ran into and under a heavier rain than they thought possible. The wheel lost control at the helm as the ship was left vulnerable to collosal waves. The night sky was a much deeper black with billions of more stars. The air tasted different, everything felt different, and the man was nowhere in sight. No explanation was needed for they knew what had happened and they would grieve later.

Now Ray would take hold of the steering in an attempt to tame the ancient craft. The rest felt the urge to tie things down or do something useful, but this was too unfamiliar. They held on tightly to the side of the ship. After making little difference, Ray looked to them and decided to give up. He slid with the blow of the next wave and tumbled into the ships sturdy wall, but was still able to find a grip. They were soaked to the very bone as water climbed the sides of the ship and crashed on top of them below the rain pummeled them ruthlessly. Sails wavered in the storm stricken by bloodlust. Lanterns held on by a thread, shone a dandelion light through the blue-green swells. The slippery oak below had them grasping it till their fingers were raw. The day made to remind them of their mortality had proven it's deciding fate. Henry looked down and then up to Charlotte who's eyes were already on him.

"Quote Charlotte?"

Shocked by his calm words, they turned to Henry with reciprocated relaxation for the conditions they accepted and appreciation for his obvious diversion in what they believed their final moments. Their attention simultaneously changed to her as they awaited words that would die with them. The sound of tempestuous chaos melted and the virtuous womans ethereal voice stood out among it as music to their ears.

"Who establishes the mountains by his strength, Who is encircled with might; Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the people. They who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs."

Droplets sped down her hair to her face and closed eyes while the wind roared throughout the falling sea walls. They rested on the text she quoted, hoping her prayer was heard as the only still things on the ocean surface. Without a response that would do her spoken word justice, they braced themselves in the midst of the tumultuous current of night. Each lantern began to succumb one by one to the determined storm, the last one breaking from it's weak restraints to desert them to the pitch of after hours. Charlotte and Henry blindly felt each others presence as they shared the slightly thankful thought that they wouldn't have to watch each other die. Any grip they had left was proved worse than useless as they were struck by a wave too great for the once powerful ship. Without an ounce of resistance left, it's deck now faced the ocean floor and each one of them were exposed to her dangers.

Their perishable bodies were no match for the unbroken surface of water that collapsed them senseless. They stayed unaware of the waters true depth and that they were quickly being washed ashore land they would not know of until awakening.