Dark Creature

The Dark

A few hours after Maura helped Tovë, Eyk Larsen, the ship's captain, turns the boat around to find the Prometheus. He received a stress call from the off-course vessel.

While it was late at night and the coast seemed clear, I snuck out of the cabin and crept towards the ship's upper deck. I didn't know why my sister wanted me to come up here. Luckily, I know how to pick locks; this skill will help me open the metal gate.

I work as stealthily as possible to avoid detection. I'm lucky to avoid tripping over my skirt and can make it to the top of the stairs to pick the lock open.

Taking one of the pins from my hair, I begin to work.

I take slow deep breaths to prevent my hands from shaking. "Almost there," I mutter. After an eternity, I finally get the metal door gate.
My footsteps sound a thousand times louder in the quiet of the night. All I hear is the wind and the waves of the ocean.
It was a beautiful night, and I was lucky enough to be on the ship to find a safer life. The moon illuminated the waves, and the night sky reminded me of a landscape painting that the world's best artist would create.

"Okay, Lizzie. I'm here. What do you want to show me?" I murmured. I scan my surroundings to ensure no one is watching me, at least, who I know will be watching me.
I wait for my sister's ghost to appear.
"I don't remember seeing you up here." A man's sultry voice interjects out of nowhere.
Crap, I'm screwed.
"Um... what are you talking about?" I turn to look at the man. He's tall, extremely handsome, blue-eyed, and well-dressed. His ebony hair is also slicked back elegantly. I find myself getting tongue-tied. Then I remembered I got caught.
"I-I can explain, sir. I was-"
"Don't worry, bonita. I won't tell anyone." he smiles alluringly.
"Thank you," I reply ineptly with a sigh. All I feel at that moment is the breeze through my hair and my fast-beating heart.
"I find it brave that you stowed away," he adds. How did he know that? I spent all my time in the lower deck.

The man gazes at me with a smirk. I notice he has a Spanish accent. I smile back because I recognize the words.
"What's your name?" I inquire politely. "Angel, I'm from Madrid. What's your name?" he replies. "Florence Acker, I'm from London," I answer. "The rough side," I add with a shrug. I don't know why I tell him that. I have never been this flustered when talking to someone before. I want to keep talking to him, and I need to stop being so shy. He chuckles, and he's still smiling. I get more inept and chuckle as well. Socializing wasn't my forte. I spent too much time on my own.
"What's Madrid like?" I ask Angel. I want to get to know him better.
We walk to the front of the ship to watch the stars. "It's beautiful. Madrid is known for art, architecture, parks, and anything else you may think of," he shrugged.
Was he getting shy?
"That sounds wonderful," I compliment. "What is London like?" he asks curiously. I shrug, "It's beautiful as well. I have always loved London in the springtime. The winters are bleak, but it's almost like life is beginning again when the weather changes and new plants grow." I look at Angel to see how he reacts to my comment. "I like the way you see the world."
"You're sweet," I sigh, "But there was a time when the world wasn't so bright." I think of my sister's death and the hell my parents put me through.
The awkward silence that followed was painful. "Sorry, dunno where that came from." "No need to apologize, I understand," Angel said kindly.
Before I can say anything else, Lizzie stares coldly at us. The apparition is right in front of us. I jump, startled, tripping over my skirts, and I'm about to fall. Luckily Angel is there to catch me. His strong embrace prevents me from falling. "Are you alright?" he seems genuinely concerned for my well-being. I nod, "Yes, I'm fine. No harm, no foul." I attempt to hide the fact I'm shaking like a leaf. "You look like you have seen a ghost," Angel observes. "You're right about that," I reply. "What?" he looks at me with an expression I cannot place. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I want to help you, Florence," Angel replies. He seems genuine. I have always been good at reading people and have never been wrong.

I sigh, "Okay, I'll tell you." I hesitantly told him everything I had been dealing with up until the voyage, including the apparition of my sister. "She has been haunting me ever since her death. I'm not the one who killed her." I tell Angel. The weight on my shoulders lifted off me after I told him about my ordeal.

-Florence Acker