North Star

Chapter Eight: Selene

Ten things I have learnt in the last week:

1. Always bring lots of book to read or other little things to do when you're stuck somewhere for two months with the same people because it gets repetitive and boring.

2. Ultimate Fishing isn't as 'Ultimate' as it sounds.

3. Sea sickness runs in the family.

4. Nicknames are highly underappreciated.

5. I could have a career in Ultimate Fishing if I wanted.

6. I love the ocean.

7. I suck at poker or anyother form of gambling involving cards.

8. Never take soap for granted.

9. Apparently I have a natural talent for fish.

10. Home sickness is no joke.

I felt very lucky that there was someone in my life that made saying goodbye very hard. I also felt very sad because I never wanted to say goodbye to my μητέρα. She cried. Which made me cry. And as our boat pulled away from the dock she didn't stop waving until I could no longer see her. Which only made me cry harder. The boat I was on was called "Ultimate June." Which didn't make very much sense to me but I didn't really want to question it because I read somewhere that it was bad luck or something.

There were seven men on the ship and three women, including me, and the camera crew. Ten souls in total going to spend the next two months of our lives together. The boat was nicely sized I supposed, large enough to hold the ten of us with only a little squishing.

It was motor powered, huge copper colored rudder blades cutting through the water, moving us to where the reports said where the most fish would be. The hull of the ship was also copper colored, in my head I pictured that the ship was once painted red, though it had long since faded and rusted a little. There was a hatch on the main hull that led down to the sleeping quarters and where the food storage was kept. We hadn't caught any fish yet so for the first few days we ate the supply of beef and chicken until it went bad. The sleeping quarters weren't much to talk about, just a few bunk beds all in a row, the men and women didn't have separate areas or anything. Another thing not worth mentioning was the bathroom, it didn't even have a shower. All the fresh water was reserved for drinking. We'd just have to make do with washing in the ocean on good days and hanging our 'clean' clothes over the handrails by the Bridge.

Back above deck on the main deck, there was a row of fishing rods attached to the outer walls of the boat and nets, and bucks, and whatever else you'd probably find on a boat. Honestly it just looked like a bunch of junk to me. There were two ladders up to the bridge, which was sat upon a cabin that held all the technical equipment and all the cameras in waterproof cases when we weren't filming. I hadn't been in the Bridge yet but I guessed that was where the steering wheel and other shit like that was.

Of course there was also life buoys and stuff but I doubted we'd need those. During this time of year there weren't any major storms or high swells that would put or lives in potential danger. It was probably going to be a very long, very hot, very smelly, un-ultimate two months.

"Hey, you want a cigarette?"

I looked up from my book. Standing in front of my bunk was one of the other two girls aboard this ship, in her hand she held two cigarettes and a light. Her name was Laura (though everyone calls her Cig), and she'd been the first one to introduce herself officially when I stepped aboard.