The jail cell was dark.
That was about all Cristiana could tell. For some reason her eyes couldn't seem to adjust.
Somewhere, maybe in the next room, there was music playing.
"Poison! Poison…for your body! Seeping into your bones. Deep into your soul. Just one more drink! Poison! Poison…for your brain! Seeping into your mind. Deep into your thoughts. Just one more drink! One more drink!"
Cristiana groaned. The song had been playing on repeat now for what seemed like an hour.
She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her family again, to tell them she was sorry for everything she'd done. But it was too late now. Maybe one day they would visit her, though she would be nothing more than a number to those around her.
30 years….
That was how long she would be in a cell.
Cristiana placed a hand on her face. How old was she now? Twenty?
No, that was too young. Maybe thirty-five?
Her head throbbed. Everything in her brain felt slow and mixed up.
How many days did she have left on the ship? She assumed it had only been days since departure…but it seemed much longer. Would the authorities be coming for her soon?
The music cut off.
The room became silent.
The door flew open.
Cristiana scrambled backward as footsteps entered the room. This was it.
The lights flicked on, nearly blinding her. The thumping of her heart had increased rapidly, and she felt like it would give out at any moment.
Then everything was quiet.
She opened her eyes and looked around, taking in her new home for the first time.
It was much smaller than she had expected. In the back corner was a chair and table, as well as a stack of magazines.
How would I be able to read them? She thought frustratedly.
There was also a plate sitting near the door that held a piece of meat, bread, and a banana. Next to it was a full glass of water. She was really thirsty, Cristiana realized.
A figure stepped in front of her, and she gasped. Cristiana had completely forgotten that someone had entered the room. She looked up at the man, who had remained completely silent. He wore a mostly white suit and a weird-looking hat, and his beard was perfectly trimmed. The man's eyes were a deep green, and they stared down at her with interest.
"He's…he's beautiful," Cristiana said. She placed a hand over her mouth. "That was only supposed to be a thought."
"I am your ship's Captain, Ms. Bertelli," said the man, turning away from her. He moved to the corner, grabbing the chair with one hand. Spinning it around, he took a seat. "I'm here to ask you a few questions."
"I killed him, alright? Now please leave."
The Captain chuckled. "I know you killed him. I'm sure you had your reasons too. Maybe the court will see it as self-defense. I hear you also killed a…a baby?"
"Not on purpose. At least…I couldn't help myself. A few drinks here and there. The next thing I knew, the baby was dead. A miscarriage. I thought this cruise would help me forget about it all," Cristiana said.
"How long ago was this?"
She thought for a moment. She still didn't know her own age. How long ago had it actually been?
The Captain continued staring at her while she thought.
Just make up a number, she told herself. "I think…I think it was about four years ago. Much before I met Liam. Why are you asking?"
He shook his head. "Just curious. How were you feeling before this incident with Mr. Adkins?"
"Incident? He abused me. And I wasn't feeling great. We'd been fighting ever since we got on the ship," she said. The words just seemed to be spilling out of her mouth. She wasn't afraid of the truth.
The Captain thought for a minute. "So why did it get so out of control? How did he provoke you to this act of aggression? And do you maybe think there was another factor?"
"What other factor?" She asked.
He shrugged. "Alcohol, for one. It's known to increase aggression in even the nicest of people. Corrupting their pure souls from within."
"That's ridiculous. And can you stop using that word? Aggression? It was self-defense!" Cristiana screamed, feeling hurt, misunderstood, and helpless.
The Captain raised his hands in apology. "Woah woah. Sorry, I didn't mean to provoke your aggression."
She glared at him. "Get out. I'm done talking. I'll tell the rest to the Court."
"Okay. Well…thanks for talking to me. I hope you have a wonderful time down here for your next week of cruising. And for your cooperation, I'll even leave the lights on. Sleep well." With that, the Captain left the room, the lock clicking once he closed the door.
And then Cristiana was alone. Just as she had wanted.
She needed to organize her thoughts. She still felt like she was in a dream. That she just needed to wake up and get back to her real, much better life.
Her eyes moved to the plate on the ground. And the glass of water. She was both hungry and thirsty.
She chugged down half the glass and then began to dig into her food. Both the meat and bread had gone cold, but they were good, nevertheless.
There was a bed, a twin, pushed up in the back corner. Finished with the food, Cristiana went over to the bed. She was tired. It was late, maybe even early if the sun had risen.
She had been relieved by the light after being trapped in the dark for hours. But now, when she wanted to sleep, the lights were more of a nuisance.
Hoping she could ignore it, Cristiana curled up in the bed, closing her eyes tight.
Thankfully, sleep came quickly. And for the first time in almost a full day, Cristiana's muscles relaxed, and her mind went blank.