TEST DRIVE MEME #10

[sailmods]

a. that's where we both belong

[you wake up.

it doesn't matter where you were before. going to bed? dying? opening the door to face a great evil? same result. you wake up in a soft bed with starched sheets in a cool, darkened room, sunlight peeking out from behind thick curtains. maybe you're alone; maybe you aren't. maybe you immediately notice the folded paper on the bedside table near your head. if you don't, you better fix that real quick: you won't be able to even open the door before you read it.

the note itself is written in a neat hand on white card stock; there is a stylized logo of a ship with the words SERENA ETERNA printed underneath. the note reads as follows:

Dear Passenger(s),

As your cruise director, it is my great honor to welcome you aboard the Serena Eterna, your destination for fun and adventure! We know you could have chosen any cruise line for your vacation, and we're very grateful you chose ours! On behalf of the Captain, I would like to assure each and every passenger that will we do whatever it takes to fulfill all your needs and desires during your journey with us.

At your earliest possible convenience, please attend the mandatory lifeboat drill by the end of the day. I'm sure everyone is very eager to get started on all the fun and sun, but safety always comes first! You can find your life jacket in your cabin's closet; carry it to your assigned muster station on deck one, where I will take you through the drill. If you can't find me in the crowd, just look for the gal with the winning smile!

See You Real Soon!

Sincerely,
Gal Friday

you walk to deck one. you have no other choice: every time you try to step in a direction some unseen being considers "not towards deck one," you find your legs no longer move, staying stock still, frozen. whether compelled quickly by curiosity, or delayed by pure stubbornness, the result is the same, and you are left milling around with other similarly curious or stubborn people.

you see someone in uniform near the front of the crowd. she seems to be a gal, but is missing the winning smile, along with most of her other features. she seems to see you, though, rushing to your side and placing a lei around your neck with great formality. a voice, cheery but artificial, sees to come from nowhere and everywhere.]

Welcome aboard! I'm so happy you could join us!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the drill is completed, you are seemingly free to go. or, well, your legs work, now. and maybe that's as good as it's gonna get.]

b. and there's plenty of that down by the sea

[it’s strange to think about, isn’t it? how all those new passengers, the ones grumbling or shouting their way through the forced muster drill, have absolutely no idea what happened just last month. no idea about the labyrinth. no concept of why anyone around them would be a bit more hesitant around shadows.

they’ll learn.

sometimes a shadow is darker than it’s supposed to be. very rarely does anything come of that; just a vague sense that someone is watching you, and little more. sometimes, though, the shadows move. sometimes they grab at your ankles as you walk. sometimes they give you a shove as you go down the stairs. sometimes they pull your hair, or pinch your arm.

sometimes you feel something sharp cut into your lower leg.

that’s not a shadow, though. that’s a fiddler crab. you see the crab, sometimes. the cut isn’t from its claws, which don’t look very intimating; it’s not a very large crab. the cut is from the large kitchen knife crudely taped onto its back. it’s probably fine. it's not chasing you. there isn't evil in its heart. probably.]

c. think I'll go back to the Keys

[one day, in the atrium, two pedestals suddenly appear. on each is a large button: one green, and one blue. pressing the blue button gives you a little treat, popping out of thin air next to you. pressing the green button sends a small electric shock through your body. weird, but, hey, pretty avoidable, right?

except, it seems to be spreading. to every other button on board.

in the elevator. on the soda machine. the arcade. your phone. the bell on Friday’s desk.]

Comments

A

[aurthor]

"As a noun? No." Verb? All the time. At least he has the sense not to say that aloud. Arthur closes his sapphire eyes behind the glasses in thought. "Have you? It's supposed to be a holiday sort of thing, I take it?" Is he being kidnapped on holiday from his holiday? But where is Saint-Germaine or Leonardo then?

[flashedglass]

At least this person looks normal.

"I haven't. Been on my own for awhile and well, I'm a college student and therefore always broke."

Clarissa glances at the one called Friday again. The lack of a face causes her to cringe.

"Usually they are a type of vacation. I'm not convinced this one is."

[aurthor]

Looks can be deceiving!

Arthur's face is pure amusement, however. "What decade is that rule of thumb? In my time usually only the affluent can afford university whatsoever. What college are you attending?"

Glancing over at the faceless Friday, he keeps grinning all the same, "Now now, I have to wonder what strange affliction caused that. She bears well under the strain, doesn't she? Such a cheerful bird! We can at least pretend to her attentive chicks, especially if this isn't much holiday."

[flashedglass]

Clarissa frowns. "Columbia. I'm there on scholarship"

The strange person seems oddly cheerful for such a circumstance. Though, this place might not be a bad place to be. Cruises always looked like fun and she's been fairly carefree aside from the whole what happens after 21.

"I'm hoping it will be more holiday than not."

[aurthor]

"Brilliant! In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen." Columbia's motto: In thy light, we shall see the light. "Are you studying business then?" His reasoning is twofold, those who are always broke know the depths of its affliction better than those who never were, and why to fear it the most and willingly do what it takes to avoid succumbing, even if it means working so much harder than everyone else. Afgluwnt might go to study the arts, but a perpetually broke ambitious hungry type studied finance, and good on them for it. Secondly, Columbia in the Big Apple: the financial sector of the world, is well known for its business school above else. Cliches are only a cliche for a reason, and if she has full scholarship, she almost certainly has that potential to spread their reputation, as universities always scout. Thirdly, and privately, maybe it's wishful thinking. Theodorus is Arthur's best friend and a business genius. He doesn't miss him yet, but there's a reason Theo is his best friend, they get along so well! And cutthroat business leaders are the opposite of naive, always a relief in a potentially dangerous situation, however much he might be trying to lighten her mood and convince her to embrace the sunshine and motif.

"Always good to take breaks, pretty bird. Spread your wings and horizons. I'm Arthur, by the way," he offers her a handshake, shifting the life vest to do so. "Usually my holidays are more city affairs. It might be fun to try something new." It belies the anxiety threatening to bubble. Where are they? How did they get here? Where are his friends, his patron, Paris, his dog, the rest? Opposite Sherlock Holmes: Arthur will go out of his way to act hopeful to try to bring out smiles.

[flashedglass]

She watches him, confusion and a tiny amount of horror spreading across her face as she realizes he knows the school, and not just the school, but...other things too. And she can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he analyzes everything she said.

"Umm. I haven't declared a major yet. It was early entry, I don't have to declare until later." Not the most useful dodge. Technically for a scholarship you have to have an intent and essays.

"Nice to meet you, Arthur." He's a huge weirdo, but she can still be nice, "I'm Clarissa."

[aurthor]

He is definitely a bit of a weirdo, but a sweet one.

"Gorgeous name. Columbia must be kinder than Stonyhurst and Austria." His smile reflexively dips before he realizes he's getting dark suckered into remembering how much he hated those colleges and he smiles gently. "Good." His eyes close, sealing away the past as best he can. "I hated those days." A carefree shrug. "Just enjoy yourself and whatever seems the most interesting, I recommend pursuing that."