OGENUS EARTH 🌎 🌊 {Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure}

Paint it Black

Olivia found herself regretting the decision to try and shower and now she was trapped, naked and shivering, in a glorified broom closet.

It had seemed simple enough, there were two nozzles, one for hot water and one for cold, but there wasn't any way to combine the two. She'd spent the last seven minutes trying to avoid spurts of scalding liquid or a deluge of icicle water while balancing over the filthy toilet.

Once she'd resigned herself to a cold rinse and squeezed as much soap out of her hair as she could, Olivia realized that she'd forgotten a towel. Her clothes were hanging on the door, and completely soaked through, so that wasn't an option.

Heat pricked under Olivia's skin; she wasn't used to slumming around in old ships and deeply resented her decisions at this moment.

"Did you fall in?" Midge's voice hooted from the other side.

"Can someone hand me a towel?" She sighed through the door.

"Oh sure!" Midge replied. Olivia could hear shuffling as she moved around. "Hold on, everything got jostled in that last chase, Harrison!"

"No!" Olivia cried through the door, smacking it with her hand. "Don't call him!"

"Why?" Midge asked loudly. "He's the only one who might know where we can dig up a towel."

"Yes, but-" Olivia was cut off.

"Yeah?" Harrison's voice rang out, sending a shudder of humiliation through Olivia.

"Seems Olivia doesn't have a towel." Midge tried to explain.

"Ho! Ho-o!" Harrison laughed from the other side. "Did little miss smarty pants forget to bring a towel for her precious shower?"

"No!" Olivia shouted back, the fire licking at the nape of her neck. "I remembered after I got out of the shower."

"Well, a lot of good that did you." Harrison laughed back. "Towels are in my quarters, and the rule is, you have to get your own."

"That's ridiculous!" Olivia shouted back. Harrison could just picture her incredible figure trembling with rage, and it excited him. "That wasn't one of the rules you listed when we stepped on board."

Her argument was weak, and she knew it.

"My ship, my rules." Harrison shrugged. "And I'm not the one freezing her tits off."

"Oh, you two!" Midge giggled to herself. "I'll get you a towel Olivia, hold on."

"Bless you." Olivia murmured, hugging the door as if it were Midge.

"Nope!" Harrison called out. "What's rule number two on this ship, Midge?"

Midge stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Never go into your quarters without knocking?"

"That's right," Harrison answered.

From where she stood, plastered to the door, Olivia could hear the faint sounds of Midge's futile attempt to knock.

"May I go in?" Midge's timid voice followed.

"Nope!" Olivia could practically hear Harrison's cocky smile as he refused Midge entry.

"Oh, come on!" Olivia fumed. "You're just being difficult!"

"Correction," Harrison said, taking a seat on the bunk next to Meg, "you're being a pain in the ass. I'm merely holding you responsible for your mistakes."

Olivia could barely keep her composure, there were few people she could really tolerate and this bottom-dweller was going to make her grovel for a stupid towel? The only way to stop this idiot from torturing her further would be to beat him at his own game.

She opened the door with a zestful fling, only to blanch at the sight of her rapt audience. She'd meant to moon Harrison with the titillating proportions of her pert butt, not give everyone a full frontal view.

Meg's mouth dropped open as she got an eyeful of Olivia's creamy skin stretched taught across the curves of her body.

Arturo reached a hand up to cover most of his face. His wide grin, however, could not be concealed.

Midge burst into a flourish of nervous giggles and flew to grab up a blanket.

Olivia accepted Midge's aid and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders to shroud herself from her actual butt, becoming the joke in this situation. Harrison's eyes never twitched, and never left the splendor of Olivia's naked flesh.

"Why did it get so quiet?" Big Joe boomed from the front, where he was manning the controls.

"The bitchy one just flashed us!" Harrison laughed back.

A tumbling commotion followed, like claps of thunder bounding in their direction. Big Joe was moving at an unnatural speed and had to use the wall to stop his momentum from causing an unholy collision.

"Where?!" He bellowed, looking frantically for the prize.

"I've covered myself, thank you very much," Olivia shouted back from under a lump of fabric.

"Wow, that's the fastest I've ever seen you hustle." Harrison chuckled as Big Joe threw his weight around to sulk on his way to the front of the ship.

Olivia secretly cringed at the realization that this awful tin can didn't have a blower for her hair. It had been so long since she'd let her hair dry naturally that she dreaded the results.

She glanced over at Meg, making sure to casually keep her eyes roaming so as not to appear to be staring. Olivia longed to have the same sort of stick straight curtains that shone brilliantly in any sort of overhead lighting; her hair didn't even look dirty!

It was silly to be jealous of a Tinker, and she had to shake off the thought to set her mind straight. Olivia huddled under her blankets, waiting for her clothes to dry enough to wear again.

Harrison was enjoying this little break he'd been taking in the back of his ship. He had to (begrudgingly) admit, that these people were starting to grow on him. Even Olivia's stuck-up attitude had a certain charm.

He was still chuckling to himself when Arturo fixed his steady eyes on Harrison.

"When do you think we will reach Arc City Two?" Arturo asked straitening up his spine.

"Tomorrow," Harrison replied evenly. "Barring any more run-ins with pirates or seafarers that Arc City One might send."

Arturo nodded solemnly and shared a weighted look with Midge. Meg watched the conversation flash between them, her own belly twisting at the resignation in Arturo's face.

He didn't know what they'd find or who would find them first, but whatever the case, Arturo was preparing for the worst.     

Dear Intrepid Investigators Invested in this Tale,

THANK YOU so much for reading! I'm editing as I got, but just know that I don't catch every mistake ;P Those of you who have been able to overlook and follow along for this journey, I really appreciate your gracious acceptance of my editorial shortcomings. 

P.S. THIS SONG. I've linked an early recording because it still baffles me that Mick Jagger has had the same dance moves since the beginning of his career. 

Who do you think this song is about? Who's red door should be painted BLACK? ;P