Before my eyes even opened I could hear the crew bustling about on the main deck, but what made me snap my eyes open was the soft sound of someone snoring. Right next to my ear..
I try turning my head, but it would not turn thanks to the weight of someone else head resting on mine holding it in place. My eyes dart back and forth before they land on the hand that lay across my stomach. Wooyoung's hand.
Last night we had sat there staring at the stars for what felt like hours. After noting but the calming sound of the small waves lapping against the side of the ship, the gentle sway of the crows nest, my head had found it's way to Wooyoung's shoulder. I had sat back up, only for my eyes to drift shut from exhaustion and my head to once again lull to the side before staying on his shoulder. His body heat did me no good in trying to stay awake either. It was all to much for my tired mind to fight off. So in the end the bliss of sleep had pulled me under.
"Wooyoung!" Someone hollered from the main deck. "Wooyoung get your ass up before I come up there and drag you by your ear!!"
Shit! That voice sounded like the blonde headed captain. I was still not ready to face him, still far to embarrassed on how I ran out of his room like a coward.
"Wooyoung!" I whisper yell at the man. Shaking his arm in hopes to wake him. All he does in response is snore louder.
"I'm coming up!"
"Shit! Wooyoung get up now!" I throw his hand from my stomach maybe a little to hard, seeing as it made contact with the side of the crows nest with a 'thud'. The poor man opens his eyes looking around in a half asleep daze.
"What's going on?" He rubs his eyes tiredly. If it wasn't for the fact that a certain blonde haired captain was making his way up here, and would probably assume the worst. I would sit there and admire how cute the young man looked when he first wakes up, but again the captain was about to peek over the rim of the crows nest only to be met with both of our bed heads and wrinkled clothes, And any person in would think something had happened.
"Captain is climbing up here to get you. I don't want him to see me here and get the wrong idea." I whisper as my eyes dart from his half lidded green ones to the where the ladder connected to the crows nest.
His mouth forms a 'o' shape before he jumps up. "Good morning captain." His voice was filled with laughter as he all but lend over me, resting his elbows on the rim of the lookout station.
"Why did you take so long to answer me?" Hongjoongs voice was way to close to the top of the ladder for comfort. A few more seconds and he would have reached the top.
"I was asleep." He replies nonchalantly.
"Well get your ass down. We are about to have a meeting, and I need you to go wake Katerina."
"Aye sir." I hear the captain huff in annoyance before he starts to mumble. I was unable to make out his words as he descended back down the rope ladder.
"Quickly Wooyoung!" Hongjoong calls one last time from the main deck before making his way back to the quarter room.
I let my body slump to the floor, letting a breathe I didn't know I was holding out. Wooyoung steps back before falling down in a laughing mess. I glare at him as he holds his stomach laughing as if he had just seen the funniest thing ever.
"You were so scared!" He pants out, unable to stop his laughing fit, until I hit his leg. He sits up wiping tears of joy from his eyes. "I just saved you from having to explain to the captain as to why you were here, and that's how you repay me?"
He was right. "Sorry...."
"Don't worry about it. It was worth it." He stands up, his smile as bright as ever. "Come on before someone else starts looking for you." I grab his extended hand allowing him to pull me to my feet.
"Thank you."
--
"We will be arriving at the crossing line to the dimension of Pactolus, in four days. We have no idea of what we will face in this place, so everyone needs to be prepared."
The 8 members of the main crew on the Illusion and I were all gathered in the quarter room to discuss what we maybe facing in the dimension that we will be reaching in a few days.
Now would be a good time to pop back in for a visit Jonah... Nothing. Why would I expect anything less.
"I'll be researching as much as I can in my books, but so far I haven't found anything.." Yeosang informs his captain. The blonde nods his head lost in thought.
"How is your training coming along Katerina?" I don't notice Hongjoong talking to me at first, to lost in thought. "Katerina?"
"Kat." I jump when I feel someone tap my arm. I turn my head to the pink haired surgeon. "Captain asked you a question.."
I snap my head to the front of the table, eyes wide when I finally take notice of everyone looking at me.
"Sorry, what was it sir?" Que half the table bursting out into fits of laughter and the other half sighing in disappointment, or frustration- which one I have no clue.
"How is your training coming along." He locks his eyes with mine to make sure I heard every word, not wanting to have to repeat himself again.
"Oh... It's coming along fine I guess...." I shrug before turning my gaze over to Yunho, seeing as he was in charge of over seeing my training.
"Yunho, what do you think? Is she improving?" The master swordsman rubs his thump over his chin in thought.
"She is improving on her sword handling, but she still has a long way to go." He turns to me with an apologetic smile. I just smile and nod back in understanding- trust me I know I suck. "But, with that being said... She is very talented with a bow and throwing knives."
"Really now?" Hongjoong takes a side glance at me before focusing back on the taller dark haired man. "So do you think she could hold her own in a fight?" The captain needed to know if the girl was going to be able to take care of herself or if she needed someone to watch her back.
"She is fine as long as it's a distance fight, but if it's to close combat she may need help..."
"Okay, so if it comes down to it one of us will step in if it's a close combat fight." Everyone nods their head understanding that they needed to make sure that the girl stayed alive or else they would not be able to lift their curse.
Katerina did not know yet of the curse, she figured they just wanted to make sure she was able to get them from one dimension to another so they could get whatever treasure they sought- which was kinda of the truth, just not the whole story.
"Alright, everyone dismissed for now. Seonghwa, could you inform the rest of the crew of the unknown risk we may face?"
"Of course captain." The silver haired quartermaster stands bidding his captain a goodbye before heading out the door.
"Yeosang, if you find anything at all in your books let me know right away please." The navigator nods to his captain. "Yunho, make sure to focus on Katerina hand to hand."
"Aye sir."
"I'll be heading to do some research of my own." The small blonde captain nods his head to his crew before heading out the door, his mind more tired then his body.
"Would anyone like to help me look through some books?" Yeosang turns to the rest of the men in the room, all of whom avoided making eye contact with the poor navigator.
"I can help." I offer, seeing as the other people in the room were acting as if the man didn't ask them.
"Thank you, Miss Katerina. At least someone around here has manners." Yeosang cuts his eyes across his sheepish crew mates. "Come with me, all of the books are in the navigation room."
"Yunho, I'll see you after breakfast on the poop deck?" The puppy man nodded in agreement.
--
"Now I see why you asked for help..." I look over the stack of books that could possible hold information on the dimensions we will be crossing over into.
"Yes, we have no idea where to start so I pulled any book that may relate to our issue.." The poor navigator let's out a wary sigh.
"It's okay, we got this." I send him a reassuring smile. After that we emerse ourselves in the world of literature for the next few hours.
--
"So we found a few things that mention the realm we're headed to so far."
Yeosong explains what we found to his captain, who had came to the navigation room after a few hours of not finding anything himself.
"The dimension we're heading to is referred to a few times as the dimension of 'misery'. Supposedly when a human enters the realm of Pactolus, they are filled with so much misery that they end up taking their lives before they can even reach the island inside the dimension." Yeosang reads off from one of the books that may open on the navigation table.
As they talk about what we found, I put the books that had no leads back on the shelf. I had one left but it was meant to go on the very top shelf. The one my short ass could not reach.
I stand on my tippy toes trying to do a little hop to hopefully get the book in its place.
"Here." I freeze as a hand reaches over my head, taking the book from my grasp. The person behind me leans forward a little bit pressing into my back. My body goes rigid at the unexpected contact.
"Thank you." I turn to the dark haired navigator, with a shy smile.
"Thank you too, for helping me. It would have taken me all day to go through these books alone."
"No need to thank me." We take a seat back down at the table, the blonde haired captain had a sour look on his face.
"Did you find anything on how to prevent the unbearable misery from taking over?" Hongjoong reads over the same book that Yeosang had just read from.
"Not yet. We still have a few more books to look through." I nod looking at the now small stack of books that rested on a small table in the corner of the room.
"Okay, I'll report what we know to the rest of the crew. You two need to go eat. And Katerina needs to get some training in. We only have a few days before we reach the crossing line." We both nod ours heads.
--
"You can do better then that! Don't be scared to hurt me. Though you probably can't." Yunho all but mocks my weak hits.
I step back taking a deep breathe before darting towards the tall man. I duck under his oncoming arm, and then hit his gut with my small fist. A small 'oof' leaves his mouth when I make contact.
"Sorry!" I jump back feeling bad that I actually made contact.
"No, no. That was a good hit. Let's keep it up."
The hot afternoon air was filled with a slight breeze that bounced off the ocean, giving a little break from the heat when it would dance across the boat before continuing on it's path across the vast sea.
Even though the breeze was crisp it did nothing to help cool my hot skin. My body temperature high because of all the extra work my muscles were having to do, dodging blows, and then delivering some of my own- most that did not make contact.
"I'm done!" I hollar as I throw my arms up, laying down on the deck.
Yunho let's out a breathy laugh as he lays on the deck next to me.
"You did great though." I turn to see Yunho looking at me already with a bright smile.
"Thank you!' I smile from ear to ear. My chest growing with a feeling I haven't felt since the day my grandparents passed....
Hom-
No!
I can't think like that. I've only been with these people for not even a week.
I blame it on being stuck on that island for a year. My mind was craving human interaction. And now that I have it, my mind was clinging to as much as it could, causing my feelings to go all hay wire.
Yunho's pauses for a moment just to admire the spark in the girls blue eyes, it was like being under water and watching the sun's beams dance on top of the surface above. Her lips that looked as soft as a cheery blossom petals, were stretched in a breathe taking smile.
And Yunho couldn't help but think, he has only known this girl for a short time but he noticed the longer she stayed, the brighter that spark in her eyes got, and how her smile seems to get bigger as well. He hoped that they could keep helping the girl come out of her shell, where she has been forced to hide her true self away.....
Like she was doing for them all...
This one girl has brought out emotions that they haven't felt since they were still young children, still innocent. But the world had torn their innocence away from them. Just like it has almost done to this poor girl.
Yunho could still see innonce in her eyes. Those moments where he sees the pure innonce in her eyes was like looking at a child that has never faced a sad day. But that child was hid behind years of hurt most of the time.