North Star

Chapter Ten: Selene

I was use to the sun now. My skin gone past the stages of me forgetting to wear sun screen and the few days following spent in slight agony as my skin peeled and underneath was a chestnut brown, imperious to the burn. My hair bleached too, when the waves would lap up over the rim of the Ultimate June and soak my hair, or when we'd swim when the days were slow. The sun would soak up the moisture from the thick strands clinging to my back, taking more color with it each time. I hadn't looked in a mirror in a month. I imagined it was almost completely washed out now, with healthy roots beginning to grow back.

I loved the calluses on my hands, and the way my muscles would stretch when we were hauling in the big fish. I never knew fish could be so fat. Sometimes, when we were all having dinner together, I'd tell a joke and make everyone laugh, and I can tell you that is no better feeling in the world. And sometimes, when it's late at night and I can't sleep, I get the strongest sense that this is probably my purpose- Obliviously second to finding Caralye, but my purpose nonetheless. My dreams weren't the same as they were either, sure I could fall in R.E.M sleep, but it wasn't the R.E.M sleep Caralye and I shared, I longed for grass and beautiful forests, I longed for a full moon and her beautiful everything. Honestly I was starting to get a little worried. I tried to ask Loot about it once, about the dreams, but she only knew as much as I did.

Being on the ocean also meant that there was no access to the internet. Of course I could live with that, but I wanted to Google it. Maybe read someone's blog about their dream experiences. Since The Captain was a little weird about the whole Soulmate thing as well, there weren't any books in random storage on the Ultimate June on the subject of Soulmates or anything.

Though, I didn't really understand why I was so worried. Soulmates could share their dreams from any location in the world. I guess there was just a little bullet in the back of my mind wondering if I was headed in the wrong direction.

We were in the middle of nowhere by now, a month of boating had us in deep ocean territories where no matter direction you looked, you couldn't see land. We also cut the engines at night and let ourselves drift with the current. That was a little scary at first because there was a big swell that almost pushed us into a strong rift, but The Captain pulled us out. It would make the highlights reel on the Seasonal DVD. Cig reckons that a lot of the things we'd filmed would make the highlights reel, though I wasn't so sure, I tended to pull some pretty unphotogentic faces when I was caught in the moment.

It was first light when Cig shook me awake. I groaned and tried to slap her away but then Sounds' voice floated into my consciousness. He was screeching about something while Camera A? Tried to calm him down. Ugh, I rolled over onto my side so I could face the cold steel of the boats wall and go back to sleep.

"This isn't a drill! Bucket come on we need all hands on deck- Cig! Get Loot- Hey! Camera A put that down we won't need it! Is she up yet?! Bucket!" I groaned again, pulling myself into sitting position. When my eyes cracked open the first thing I noticed that everyone's beds were empty, and there was a red light coming from somewhere.

"Was'goin' on?" I muttered, words mumbled together as I scrubbed at my face. Sounds yelling was annoying.

"Something big hit the ship!" Suddenly I was awake.

Sliding out of bed, my body automatically moved my limbs to pull on my clothes. In less than a minute I was fully dressed. "Something hit the ship?"

"Something BIG hit the ship!" Sound screeched out the word 'big' in emphasis. As if I hadn't got it the first time. I watched in slightly panicked amusement as Camera A slapped a hand over his mouth. In the corner of my eye I could see Camera B sliding back down the ladder carrying his camera, he was slightly wet and smelt strongly of the ocean. Twitch was following him closely, he was also wet, and his shirt was clinging to his chest. "Alright-" He begun, hovering on the rungs of the ladder.