Subjects

23- Raisin To The Occasion

In comparison to the small ship where the five were all cramped up inside for the past week or so, the storeroom seems more or less like a suite. There are actual beds instead of chairs which is already a huge upgrade. True, these are three bunk beds that in some mystical way all fit inside the small space that's left after the walls were lined with shelves packed with all sorts of military equipment.

If Ben were here right now, he'd flip over all the old cameras and binoculars. But since Ben still hasn't returned from his trip to their ship, and Roger is too tired to want to look at cameras (unlike Ben, he does need to sleep from time to time), there is no one to get excited over those things and the four of them just lay down on the beds and appreciate the fact that they have mattresses. I mean, how great is that? No more aching backs in the morning, no more freezing because they have no...

"Blankets!" Eva jumps up from her bed when Ben walks into the room followed by Jeff who holds a large pile of things that a month ago Eva won't even touch with a stick.

"Good to see you too," Ben sits on one of the beds next to Roger. Maybe it's the trauma that he has but it takes him longer than usual to spot the equipment they'll be sharing their room with, but he gets it eventually, "whoa!" Ben exclaims. "This is so cool," he walks straight towards a fifteen year old video camera.

Eva, who was just preparing to try and break the world record for longest nap ever, covers her head with a blanket that had seen too many winters and tries to go to sleep. But it seems fate has a different idea in mind for her.

"Eva, I'm going to go look for the showers, do you want to come with?" Emily asks.

And since she is now too upset at fate to go back to sleep she says, "sure."

They grab two of the towels that Patch left for them and the pair of uniforms in the smallest size they can find.

The crew's accommodations is not the easiest place to navigate. The girls found their way to the lounge, kitchen, even the gym, but the showers are nowhere to be found. And you'd think that people need to shower after going to the gym. Eva starts to consider the option the people just jump for a quick swim in the ocean whenever they feel stinky.

There is not a single soul in the accommodations at this time of the day, so they also have nobody to ask.

"I really hope you remember how to get back because I have no clue where we are," Emily says.

"Our room is number 240B, right? So it has to be near the lounge, I saw a room there numbered 238B."

"I don't know, I was sure that our room was all the way on the other side."

"Wait! Maybe it's over there," Eva states walking toward what seems to be a way out of the maze they've been walking inside for the past fifteen minutes.

"Hey there! Are you lost?" the girls hear someone calling from behind them. She seems to be younger than Patch and Jeff, and she's also the first woman they see on this ship so far. "I don't think I've seen you before," she says.

"We're not from... Umm..." Eva tries to remember what Ben told the Chief. "Our boat drifted into the sea and your ship found us."

"Oh, so it's true," the woman says. "I thought it was just a story that Patch made up to mess with me."

"I don't blame you, I'd never believe it either," and you don't know the half of it, is what Emily wanted to say.

"Can you help us find the showers?" Eva sounds so desperate that she might actually try the idea of showering in the ocean, who needs rubber ducks when you have life size whales?

"Of course, they're right around the corner," she says, wasn't so hard to find it now was it, Eva? "So you need some soap or anything?"

"Yes!" Eva exclaims. "You have soap?"

Yes, most people do tend to use soap when they shower. Wait till you hear about shampoo, that's a real mind blower.

The showers on cargo ships usually aren't exactly top of the line and yet this is by far Emily's best shower ever. Eva's too, she'll just never admit it. All of the dirt and sweat from the last couple of weeks is finally washed off, and after washing their hair at least three times, they finally feel somewhat normal again. Even putting on the clean blue uniform makes them feel a little better.

"The food isn't exactly gourmet, but it's alright," says the woman who helped them.

"We'll take it," Emily smiles. This evening just gets better and better.

When Eva and Emily get to the dining hall, they meet Roger and Ben who seem cleaner too, they are a little hard to spot now that they are wearing the same cloths as everybody else around here but they manage.

"Where's Angie?" Emily seems to be ready to beat whoever it is that is responsible for losing the girl.

"Don't worry, Em," Ben pats her on the back, "she was just so exhausted that we felt bad dragging her here with us."

"And we'll bring her some food do she can eat when she wakes up," Roger adds.

Now that this whole thing is settled, they are heading to grab whatever it is that's being served and as much of it as they can get.

"Porridge," Eva frowns at the sticky paste. She didn't know what to expect, but she was hoping for some solid food after days of living on protein paste.

"But you can add raisins!" Ben actually puts so much raisins that it looks more like raisins with porridge rather than porridge with raisins.

"Of course you like raisins, you probably like walnuts too, right?" Eva takes a bit of porridge but she really isn't planning on finishing it.

"What's wrong with walnuts?" indeed, walnuts would be a great addition.

"What's good about them?" Eva pours herself some water and the four go to find themselves a nice quiet table. "They're tasteless, and there are always pieces of the shell that get stuck inside so you never know if you're eating the shell or it's just a hard walnut."

"That never happens."

"Aren't you a lucky one," Eva stuffs herself with a spoon of porridge so she doesn't have to keep talking about walnuts and their evil properties. "Wow," she takes another spoon, "this is actually good." She swallows, "really good."

"I know, right?" Emily agrees.

"It's because they put loads of sugar in it," Ben, as always, has to ruin the fun.

"I don't care, as long as it doesn't taste like sad nothingness, I want more!" Eva sprints back to get more porridge.

"So I see you found your way," Jeff appears behind Roger.

"Hi, Jeff!" Ben waves his spoon at the solider, "we had no problem, you gave us good instructions."

"Glad I could help," Jeff leans on the backrest of Eva's empty chair. "Let me know if you need anything, yeah?"

"Of course," Ben picks up a raisin with the tip of his spoon and then drops it back into the bowl. "By the way, do you think there's a problem if we take some food for the gi- Ahm... My sister?"

"No problem at all, just return the dishes later," Jeff turns around and is about to walk away before he remembers something. "I can get you some snacks too."

"Did you say snacks?" Eva walks to the table with every bit of porridge she managed to put in one single bowl. "Snacks, as in, real food?"

"As real as it gets," Jeff says. He then leans in and whispers, "but you can't tell anyone about this, yeah? It's my secret stash."