Seeing is Believing

Chapter 3

When being locked in an unfamiliar room, the natural reaction should be fear. I know this. I wasn't afraid though. I think I was over it at this point. Whatever happens happens, right?

I looked around to see a richly furnished room. I'm not sure what I expected from the room but this wasn't it. There was a four posted bed with a powder blue bead spread and the chair at the vanity was upholstered in the same color. It was a soothing color. This cabin seemed like it was actually made for human habitation, unlike the box we had been in before.

There seemed to be everything I would need to get ready on the vanity, and a washbasin and cloth on the nightstand. I walked over to the mirror and examined myself. I looked a little different. A little skinnier, a little tanner. My hair had grown. A lot. As in ten inches since I had last looked in a mirror. I even tugged on it to check if I was real. It was up Keira Knightley style from Pirates of the Caribbean. At least in the beginning where it's all up and nice and ladylike, with the one curl trailing down onto her neck. My neck now, I guess.

There was a wardrobe to my right, on the same wall as the door, so I went over to investigate its contents. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I saw more of what I was already wearing it didn't surprise me. I think I was just hoping there would be something to betray this as a giant prank. So much for wishful thinking.

Still, I had a wardrobe full of fabulous eighteenth century gowns that seemed to be intended for me. I began to examine them one at a time and lay them out on the bed. The gold one, the blue one, the red one... All of them made from quality fabrics and beautifully detailed. I was excited and hoped I got to wear some of them. There were even some, ehem, *interesting* bonnets that I tried on one at a time, making faces in the mirror and examining each one.

It looked like it was getting a little dark outside the porthole and I could just see the sun sinking under the horizon, way off to the left. The orange disc was stretching and flattening fell from view casting crimson and orange ripples to form across the navy-gray surface of the ocean. I should have been able to tell which way we were headed from the west setting sun, but I didn't know whether we were on the port or starboard side, and I couldn't tell which way was forward.

I turned back from the window and nearly tripped on my skirt again.

"This is going to take some practice. Fun," I mumbled to myself. Don't get me wrong, the gown was gorgeous and I had always wanted to try on some historical clothing, but the dress I had on was not exactly a pair of sweatpants and a tultex t-shirt.

I looked around the cabin, which was more spacious than you might think. Like I said, it was pretty fancy, so I guessed it was probably one of the big rooms for the rich passengers. Is the big cabin like flying first class maybe? Lots of leg room? Is that the eternal symbol of wealth? I guess some things never do change...

It was pretty large, a bit bigger than my bedroom at home, and about four times the size of my minuscule dorm...That I shared with another girl. The one thing I don't like about school...

Though there was plenty of space there wasn't much to do. No bookcase, no books. No TV or computer, obviously--if you thought there might be, you need to stop reading now because I don't talk to idiots. The only thing was some stationeryand an ink pen ink well. I had learned how to use pen and ink in my one required art class in high school. That went pretty pathetically; all my paintings looked like they were done by a fourth grader. I was glad I had learned it now, so that I could occupy myself with doodles.

Whenever I try to doodle I never know what to draw. I always end up making the same swirly pattern on the edge of my paper and maybe a badly drawn bird in the corner. I did do that for a while, but eventually found that there was a time machine on my paper. I didn't remember deciding to put it there but just sort of drew it. It looked pretty good actually, and it wasn't your average circular, portal time machine, nor was it a TARDIS. There was nothing about it that particularly screamed time machine. It was definitely a time machine though.