"So you do recognize me." Father Time said before his lips closed once again around his drinking straw.
"What are you doing here and why do you look like that?" Chelsea nearly screamed. She was so not used to people changing their appearances.
He took his precious time surveying the area. "Its definitely not for this." He said the mechanisms in his eyes moving faster.
Chelsea noticed that everything began to slow. The atmosphere became thicker and sounds sank into low drawls. "What's going on?"
He let go of his cup which began to fall ever so slowly you'd think it would take a millennia to reach the ground. "Time...is...stopping. or rather it has stopped."
"Please don't use time puns. I've never liked time travel movies."
"Very funny." He strode forward. "Walk with me." Once they were a good distance from the bar, he began to talk in a sort of mystic drawl. "I am an immortal being Chelsea, I can look however I want to." He looked down at her and continued. "As the master of time I can do many things."
"You know the future-"
"Point of correction. I predict the future." He chuckled. "I don't know everything but I can guess that by the way you're going, things are going to get bad and complicated."
She sneered. "Have you been watching me?"
They were heading below deck now. She wanted to open the door for him but like some ghost, he literally just walked through. She stared. He poked his head out, "Don't you just wish you could stop things to the point that even the laws are at your command?"
"As cool as that sounds, I don't see much use for it." She said truthfully, stepping through the door with him.
"No ability is wasted." He led her down the wide corridor. He pulled something out of his pockets. A small ball, pale ash in colour with tiny black streaks forming ancient patterns. "A smoke screen."
He pushed it into her hands. "Once you smash it on the floor I get an alert that tells me to stop time. For only a few seconds." He tapped his watch. "It'll all snap back to the universal time right after."
"Why are you giving me this?"
"I predict that you might need it on this adventure." He looked her straight in the face. "Anyone who has trouble coming to terms with the past or present, will surely have problems with the future."
She stiffened now. "If this is about-"
He shushed her. "No need to tell me." He pointed to the door they had just stopped at. 23A. She turned back to ask how he had known that but he was gone.
The door opened behind her.
"Hope you had fun with your friend?" Justin asked flatly. Hardly like him. She guessed he was upset he wasn't first to find Nate.
"Oh shut up." She pushed past him into the spacey room with two beds on opposite side of a window which had an amazing view of the ocean out line. She sat on a bed. "I didn't tell him if that's what you meant to ask."
"Why didn't you?"
She turned to him sharply. "You just don't go around dropping bombshells like hey, the fate of the world is in your hands, don't screw it." She kept her firey gaze steady. "We've got time." The smoke screen seemed to throb in her hand
He merely shrugged, he'd never admit she was the boss. "Do whatever you like." He advanced towards the door. She didn't understand why she so mad at his nonchalance. She watched him. "Oh and check under the bed, you got company." He plugged in his earphones and walked out. She wondered what he was always doing on his phone.
Mystery for another day. She checked under the bed as he had instructed and smiled. "Snowflake,"
Later that night, Chelsea felt restless. Even the gentle rocking of the ship did little to calm her. She stared out the window briefly, then back at Justin just a few feet away. Snowflake was sleeping on his bed even though she knew he'd scold her in the morning.
She put on her glasses and went over to retrieve her cat when something else caught her attention. His phone was just on his bedside, not hidden like it usually was. She looked as his pale, sleeping face in the moonlight, he almost looked gentle. She knew better of it but curiosity got the best of her. She picked the phone up and crossed back to her bed.
She had seen him draw his screen lock pattern millions of times. She just never thought she'd actually be using it. She traced the inverted question mark. The screen came to life. Video games, system apps and all. What really got her first were the games; they weren't the type she should be caught dead with. R rated.
The next thing was his wallpaper. He and a woman with deep black hair, taking a selfie on a yacht. She smiled the justin in the picture was so small and cute. The darkness had obviously not got to him by then. She then went through his contacts, from there to his browser, after that YouTube before remembering her mission.
She heard him murmur something softly from across the room. She didn't pay attention and hurriedly went to the gallery to check his videos. What she saw made her draw a deep breath which she nearly choked on. She knew Justin was some kind of bad boy but she really had been expecting what she had seen.
He watches... she trailed off. Feeling a giggle coming, it wasn't that bad, like, he was a teen right? He slipped the phone back where she found it and as carrying Snowflake to her own bed when she heard,
"Chelsea," Justin called in a slurred voice. She stiffened, hoping he'll at least give her a running start. "Shove off you brat."
She sighed. He had started sleep talking lately, she didn't know why and didn't care. She ran back to her bed, enough exploring for one night, she told herself. She lay in bed and willed for sleep to come. It did eventually but not so peacefully.
The next morning, after they had both gotten dressed they walked up to the deck as Justin spoke about the second gate.
"Its the Storm gate. The gate of the ocean, once it opens who knows what evils will rise from the sea."
She kept her face as straight as she could. She some what wanted to wear the I know your secret smile like the mona lisa. But when she remembered how she had learnt it, she felt dirty. No matter how sick Justin was, he'd always respect her privacy and was as true to her as her sword.
Once they got to the dock, they split up in search of Nate. As fate would have it, she found him first but said nothing about Keepers. And so it was for the next three days.
On the forth day, Justin was lecturing her by the snack bar.
"You keep finding him but you won't say anything."
"Come on it just needs time, and ... I don't know how to tell him."
"Well I do." He began to march towards the place where a bunch of teens were playing limbo. Nate among them.
Chelsea stopped him, breathed a sigh and said. "Damn it you win."
She left. He watched her as she stomped towards Nate. After what seemed like a long exchange of words the two left. He shook his head and made his way to a beach chair by the pool. He took off his shirt and let the sun warm him.
A few minutes later a soft voice called him back to the world.
"Hello handsome."
His eyes snapped opened and registered the form of a girl about his age. Blonde hair, sea blue eyes and pink lips. He felt he was dreaming, his dream girl just appeared out of nowhere. He grinned. "You don't look too bad yourself."
She giggled. "I'm Bailey."
"Justin." He said feeling strange. He looked her over. She was wearing a sea green bikini and lots of silver bracelets. This was becoming too much like his dream but he tried to shrug it off as a coincidence.
"Mmh, Justin. Can you sing?"
"No but I'm good with a guitar." He stood up and she took his hand.
"That's impressive." She said a coy look in her eyes. Her voice was strangely melodious. He hadn't realized he was following her towards the railings. "You're so cute, so strong." She said. Her back now against the rails. She pulled him closer to her, looking straight into his eyes now. "But I can break those defences."
He felt her nails dig into his wrists as she turned him to the rail and tried to throw him overboard. He still continued to fight her mind control as he struggled to get away from her hold.
"Come on Justin, just one quick swim." She said her words like honey.
Damn it. "I'm not a big fan of water." He finally managed to shove her off. She clawed at him but he dodged to the side. He looked around. This part of the deck was deserted. He could finally fight for real.
"Bring it on Bailey. Or should I say Siren?"
She laughed. "You really are the smart one, son of Chaos." She lunged at him again. This time he stood firm and gave her a kick on the knee. This was no ordinary lady so the gloves come off. "Its not nice to hit a girl." She growled.
"I'm really not the gentleman type. Try the Captain." Justin suggested remembering what Chelsea had told him about the man. For some reason that seemed to tick the siren off. Her nails grew to the size of talons. Justin pulled out a dagger from who knows where and tackled her head on.
They exchanged blows and scratches for a while before Justin had had more than enough. He pinned her hands behind her back with one hand. He could feel the talons digging into his skin but that was a small price to pay. He plunged his dagger into her heart, blocking out the choked breaths he pushed her over board.
He leaned on a nearby wall to catch his breath. He knew she wouldn't be down for long, water helps her kind. He thought of Chelsea. There were two other sirens and if one had made its way to the ship, that meant two things- he knew where the S.S. Clara was going and this was no normal cruise.
Oh crap.
He raced back to where he had been before, picked up his shirt and ran off to find Chelsea. As he did, he promised himself he'll never be this concerned for her ever again.
Chelsea laughed at one of Nate's jokes as they leisurely strolled out the food court.
"You're so nice...you remind me of one of my friends." She said remembering Tony. "You two would instantly bond.
"Hope he's nothing like your boyfriend becau-" he froze when saw the glare that followed her gaze. "Justin isn't your boyfriend? "
"Of course not." She nearly dropped her cheese roll which she had gotten from the court.
"You're two teens travelling alone without grownups. Excuse me for thinking you're a couple."
"I'm your age." She punched him lightly. The thoughts of Justin brought back the instructions of what she was meant to do. She looked at Nate as they leaned over the stern. He looked so free, so normal, she wasn't sure if she missed it tha much. She ad o do this. Before she could get another word out, Justin ran in.
"Justin." She nearly screamed. He looked like a hot mess. "What happened?"
Her questions were answered with pants followed by a quick. "Come with me."
He grabbed her and and began pulling her up a flight of stairs. She didn't even get time to make a short excuse to Nate. "Where are we going?"
He looked er dead the eyes. "Captain's quarters."
She gave him the pity look. He's finally lost it.
Before they reached the top of the stairs. They head voices approaching it. The stopped and listened hoping that the voice owners would pass the other way. Chelsea recognized one voice as that of capt. Scott. The other was of a female, soft, soothing, musical.
"Who's the girl?" She whispered half to herself.
"A siren, you know, beautiful voices, death of sailors?" Justin answered then signalled to her to keep quiet.
"You revealed yourself to the boy without killing him? You fool." Scott scolded Bailey.
"If I had my sisters-"
"Your sisters are still chained down there until the gate is fully open." He Captain sounded pretty aggressive now. "The brothers warned me."
"I know you're worried because of Justin. "
"I'm worried about all three of them. We have to stop them before the third one is informed."
"I'll make sure of that. I just need another form to catch the attention of the second Keeper, then I'll kill him before he knows what's happening."
Chelsea felt her hands around Majesty long after she had pulled it out of her pocket. Justin shook his head and indicated that they leave. They snuck back downstairs, rushing to their room.
"We're heading for the Bermuda." Justin informed noting the tinted skies. The summer skies were graying.
"You mean like, the Bermuda Triangle?" Chelsea asked. "This day just keeps getting better." Full sarcasm in her tone. First sirens, now the Bermuda, pretty soon they'd be heading to Olympus.
"If my guesses are correct, Capt. Scott isn't who he says he is. He's the brother of Rouge, tyrant of the Dark seas."
The ship rocked violently against large, heavy waves that were growing taller by the minute.
"Can I ask a question?"
"What?" Justin snapped.
"What are we going to do?" She asked as they entered the room.
"Get supplies. I'll get our Keeper and meet you on the deck."
"Room 34C. Nate's."
"You know his room?" He was momentarily shocked she could have gone to tell him anytime but no, they had time. He was pissed but he'd scold her later. When she didn't say anything he picked a back pack and ran out leaving Chelsea to get her own things. Thankful for her spare Trans key, she handed it to Snowflake.
"Come on girl, you gotta go." The cat meowed as its head was scratched. The tail curled around the key and Snowflake skipped out of the room.
The last thing Chelsea picked was the smoke screen. After she ran up to the main deck. There she saw Nate, his face ashen and nearly pale. She guessed Justin had just told him and her guess was right.
"Are you ready?"
He gave a small smile. "I just got told the fate of the world is in my hands. I think I can manage."
Just then Justin approached. He looked over the rails. The sea below was terribly dark. Almost the same shade as the skies. People on deck were freaking out big time.
"I have good news and bad news. Good news, we're not far from the gate. Bad news, it's right beneath us."
"So were swimming." Nate said with a half confident grin.
Chelsea's hands were gripping the cold metal. The ship was rocking dangerously. Her knuckles whitened as it dawned that they're only way might be the suggested route. "We can't seriously swim down there."
Just as she said that the ship toppled roughly to the side. Sending her flying over the rails. For a split second she felt like she was back in the chaos dimension. Falling. This time she knew gravity wasn't coming to her aid. She screamed.
"Chelsea!" Nate and Justin yelled. They saw her land with a huge splash into the freezing waters below. Justin was the first to dive in after her.
Chelsea tried to swim to the surface but the waves kept pushing her back down. Some in the distance she heard thunder rumble such that it seemed to shake the whole ocean itself. She flapped around aimlessly. Feeling like she should throw the backpack away but something stopped her. An arm curled round her waist pulling her against a body. From there she was taken to the surface.
She gasped as the cold breeze hit her face. She was half conscious but she could tell one thing, two actually. Justin was holding her and there was a crazy storm. She coughed as the waves kept struggling to keep them down.
Nate soon came over. "Are you okay?"
She groaned in response.
"She's okay." Justin said looking into the depths of the murky water. "We've got to go."
"What about her? She's-"
"She'll be okay. Just keep swimming downwards."
As if on cue to Justin's sentence, a huge wave swept over them. Chelsea fought for control against the currents but they were too strong. Her eyesight strained against the darkness of the sea until she actually saw something. The last thing before she blacked out.
Light.