Hey guys! It's a short one today, sorry! I have 18 credit hours this semester, so it's really hart to balance writing and getting all my work done while still going to classes. Enough excuses, though! Hopefully this can keep everyone happy for a few days until I get the next one out!

Time passed slowly. Lola was exhausted from fighting against Tate, but she was not going to allow herself to fall asleep. She decided to investigate the room further- mostly scanning the lines of leather-bound books with yellow pages. There were boating books. Some of the guides displayed vintage photos of liners and mechanics of ships. There were a few novels; classics like Moby Dick. A large chunk of shelves were dedicated to an extensive encyclopedia. Lola grabbed one at random. Flipping through, she realized how dated the information was- maybe fifty years or so.

As hard as she struggled to stay away, her body was shutting down. She caved. She stepped out of her heavy clothes and climbed into the unnaturally comfortable bed. The blankets wrapped around her and sang her to sleep. She told herself she'd need the rest.

Lola was afraid when she woke. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She sat up, letting out a barely audible gasp. It all came rushing back. To make matters worse, Tate was sitting on the floor with his back to her. He was focused on book.

Lola moved slowly, trying not to make a sound as she climbed out of the bed. Her efforts were thwarted by a squeak from the bed.

"Good afternoon, beautiful. Sleep well?" Tate said over his shoulder, not bothering to move from his spot on the ground.

Lola was at a loss for words. She wanted to attack him in a spiteful range. But he looked so… normal…

"Where am I?" She finally managed to squeak.

Tate turned, spinning around. His messy hair fell into his eyes- eyes that were looking at Lola's half naked body. She was suddenly aware of how she looked and covered her chest with the blanket.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to be more beautiful, but that was before I saw you like this."

Against her will, Lola blushed. She looked away, hoping to hide the color.

"Where am I?" She repeated.

"We," Tate emphasized. "Are in my abode. Or as I like to think of it, our love nest."

"We left the boat?" Lola panicked.

""No. Used to be the Captain's quarters."

Lola's eyes darted around the room. If it had been the captain's area, there had to be a door leading to the rest of the boat.

"The bed is comfortable, right?" Tate asked, changing the subject.

Lola fought with her words. There was no way badgering him was going to get her released. She was going to have to play into his sick little game.

"I didn't know ghosts slept," She said.

Tate explained, "I don't sleep. Well, it's complicated. I call it drifting. It's like dreaming, only it is way more intense. It's hard to explain, actually. I don't get tired or anything, but my body craves the drift after a while."

"Are there other ghosts on the ship?"

"You're awfully curious," He observed, then answered. "There were. All of them- that I had killed were here. For a while, at least. They started to ascend after a while. Now all that's left is me."

"You're stuck here as a punishment."

"That's one theory. I like to think I'm too sexy for whatever comes next."

Lola let out a genuine laugh, tilting her head to the side. The blanket slipped from her grasp. She quickly sobered up and adjusted it to cover herself.

"You are so beautiful, you know that, right?" Tate said softly.

An awkward silence fell upon them. Lola wasn't sure what to say or do. She was in the process of internally bashing herself for starting to let Tate grow on her. Being charismatic had to be a prerequisite for being a psychopathic serial killer. She was in the middle of reminding herself that he had JUST killed Josh when her stomach growled.

"So, are you going to let me slowly starve to death?" She asked, breaking the silence.

Tate hopped to his feet. He adjusted his suspenders as he walked across the room. Lola watched his body move under the fabric of his shirt. The ripple of his muscles was evident.

"I could take it off, you know," Tate chuckled, snapping her to attention. He was staring at her with a cocky grin. "My clothes only stay off for a while, though. Then they zap back to my body. It's a little weird."

"Food," Lola stammered.

He opened up the wardrobe to reveal a closet full of clothes and a stockpile of food and drinks. Lola was in awe. None of it looked like it was 50 years old. Not caring that she was in her bra and underwear, she hopped out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe. Yep. All of the clothing was brand new and modern- still displaying a price tag. The food's expiration dates were all well off.

Tate held up a revealing piece of lingerie and suggested, "Feel free to wear this constantly."

She scolded him with her eyes, but said, "Where did you get all of this stuff? I thought you couldn't leave the boat."

"Oh, I can leave the boat," Tate clarified. "But only for a little bit of time. Then I zap back… like my clothes. I'm bound to the boat, but I can leave."

"So you left earlier to steal all of this."

"Yeah."

"I'm not-"

"You're hungry, Lola," Tate sighed. He held up an apple.

She snatched the piece of fruit from his hands and took a big bite. It crunched in her mouth. Tate pulled out a steaming steak. She wasn't sure where he got it from, but she was glad it was there. Even though her mouth was full, she spoke,

"When I get done eating, I'm going to go back to being mad at you."

"So you aren't mad at me right now?" He said coyly.

"You're a psychopathic murder who is keeping me captive. I hate you. But all I've had to eat in days is canned green beans and granola bars."

So much for trying to play into his game.

Tate was obviously hurt by her words. He turned away, but still said softly,

"Everyone makes mistakes, Lola. You just have to look past the bad to see the good."