Cyrus

When we got back to the ship Angelica and I went straight to work talking to my main crew about what had happened. They had a hard time believing we saw a dead girl come back to life but they knew better than to question it in front of Angelica. As I said before, she's hot tempered. My main crew consisted of eight people, including Angelica and I. The other six were hand picked by me. Each had been something before joining my crew, such as Michael, who had worked as a mercenary before I hired him. Or Trevor who had worked as a shoe maker, and drug dealer on the side. I had worked hard to gain their trust, unlike a lot of the hired crew on my ship. They weren’t on the ship all the time, most of them came and went periodically. Vincent was in the group but he always talked to his sister before anyone else.

“So what now, cap?” Michael asked. “Should we investigate more into the disappearances?”

I nodded, “Yes, I won't give this up until we figure out what happened to the missing people. So, Michael, Trevor and Nathan, you two are to try investigating that scientist we saw today. Vincent, Angelica and I will continue on the missing persons case. And you two,” I pointed at the last two men without a job. “Will keep your ears open for anything unusual, and watch after the ship.” They nodded and we split up, each going to our respected places.

“What have you guys been talking about?” Victoria asked, falling in step behind me.

“The events of today.” I replied.

“Did they comment on your skirt?” She questioned dryly.

“Yes, in fac’ they did! They though’ i’ was very nice.” I crossed my arms and swung my hips, letting air flow up my legs.I quite liked the feel of a skirt. She rolled her eyes and groaned.

“You’re too gay for me to deal with.” She says, rubbing her temple with her thumb and forefinger. I just keep shaking my hips to see the skirt go ‘woosh!’. Victoria is disappointed in me. I can see it in her dead eyes. I wonder if I scare my crew mates sometimes.

“So are we going out again tomorrow to look for more clues?” Vic asked, clasping her hands together behind her back. I scowl.

“If ya mus’ come, yes. We are.” She seems delighted that I didn’t out right say she can’t go. I’m well aware now she’d go anyways, lest I lock her up. In which case she’d probably still manage to find a way out. At least this way, I can keep an eye on her.

“Soooo…” She begins, rubbing her hands against her back pockets. “Where are we going?” She asked. I smirked.

“Why, to the library! Thrilling stuff, really.” I say sweetly. She gapes up at me.

“What the bloody hell are we going to do at the library!” She demanded. I smiled.

“Investigatin’ of course! Lookin’ fer the logo.” I reply.

“Shouldn’t we be out and about for that? Going through the industrial district or something?” She asked. I tsked at her.

“Tut tut tut, tha’s far too much energy wasted on somethin’ we could look much more thoroughly for in the books!” I say. I pat her on the head. “If we don’t find it then, we can go through the industrial district.” She throws my hand down.

“Argh! You’re insufferable!” She groans, stalking off to her quarters.

“I love ya too!” I shout after her, and she shoots me a not so hand gesture. “Tha’s no’ sumthin’ a proper lady shoul’ do!” I smile, turning around to get back to work.

The next morning I wandered down to the kitchen where Em was working hard at making breakfast for the crew. I could smell the cinnamon smell of oatmeal from the stairwell. There were already a few people eating out of wooden and metal bowls. Em walked up and handed me a bowl of oatmeal. I said my thanks to her and started chewing on the warm food. It seemed to melt in my mouth, I wiggled in delight and finished the rest greedily.

“You're gonna get fat.” Vic tutted walking up from behind me. I jumped and glared at her snicker.

“Your one to talk. I think ya got a case of beer gu’!” I sneered. Her eyes flashed but Em interrupted before she could say anything else. She pressed a bowl into Vic’s hands and walked back into the kitchen.

“Does she speak English?” Victoria asked, watching her walk away.

“Yes, I’ve ‘eard ‘er speak i’ fluen’ly before. She jus’ doesn' like socializin’.” I shrugged and it seemed to placate Vic’s curiosity.

Angelica was the next to appear downstairs. She had a case of bed head that was nearly worse than mine, and her eyelids were halfway between squinting and being shut completely.

“Who’s that beast” Vic asks. Angelica shoots her a glare.

“Oh, can it ‘Vuvu’.” She snaps, wondering over to the back kitchen where Em was.Angelica came back out carrying a cup of steaming hot tea. She took a sip and let out a sigh. She immediately stood up straighter, and her eyes widened slightly more. I’m not exactly sure the effects are supposed to be that immediate, but the last time I questioned her and her tea intake I got a face full of it.

Finally, the last member of our group arrived. Vincent yawned and flopped onto a crate. He blinked up at us all, looking unhappy to be woken up this early. “The library doesn’t close until ten at night, and yet we are going at six am?” He said grouchily.

I cleared my throat, the look of death in his eyes terrified even me. I did what any sensible person would do, and blamed someone else. “Well, Vic wan’ed to ge’ a look aroun’ the industrial distric’, haha…” I said nervously, looking out the corner of my eye, away from Vic’s fiery glare.

“I see.” I heard Vincent grumble, and I grabbed a bowl of oatmeal from one of the crew mates and shoved it into his hands.

“‘Ere. Food. Ea’.” I said, immediately hiding behind Vic. She says she wants to deal with danger, fine. She can. Vic smacks me upside the head, and steps away. I suppose I deserved that.

“Bloody ho.” I heard her mutter under her breath. Vincent begins to eat the oatmeal right out of the bowl with no spoon at hand, and the crew mate it had belonged to it looked at it longingly, and I can almost see a single tear well up in his eye. Sorry mate, ‘tis for the best.

Once Angelica and Vincent had finished eating and everyone finished getting ready we headed onto the port. The smell of fish, sea water, and the much worse smelling fishermen filled the air, and managed to be both disgusting and rancid. I loved my ship and the sea but by god the ports were horrid!

And there was no eye candy for miles!

We walked down the bird crap ridden docks, and I held my breath whenever we walked near a fisherman. They weren’t all bad people, but they had all forgotten the existence of soap it seems. I find it slightly sad that they could learn a thing or two about hygeine from bloody pirates.

“Ya wan’ sum!” Mr.Barnaby shouted (he was hard of hearing), shoving a dead fish in my face. I gulped and looked away, my eye twitching.

“No. No thank you.” I said, gently pushing the thing away. I gave him a coin in hopes it would keep him from continuing to try and sell me the thing. We continued on our walk while Victoria decided to jostle me about the damn fish.

We finally managed to leave the dock, and the smell of sea transferred to the smell of steam. A welcome change, in all honesty. People walked down the streets in hurried steps, and a baby’s whines could be heard from here. We walked down the cobblestone walkway, and turned into the giant library.

“What are uncultured swines like you doing here?” The librarian sneered down her long nose at us.

“Looking at books.” Vincent replied plainly, walking past her.

She stared at the spot where he had stood for a second then turned, her face red. “Hey! You cant-you cant just walk past me! Knowing your sort you will go stealing my precious book!”

“Now, now, Madam Trussen, this is a public library. Open to all. Or am I mistaken?” A collected voice cut in from behind.

“Sir Hawthorne!” She exclaimed. “Well, I mean- yes. This is a public library but-”

I turned around to see who she was talking about, and my eyes widened in shock. He “You!” I shouted, pointing a bronze finger at him. It was the witness guy from Cardigan Hall! The cute one!

He had dark blue hair, that somewhat covered his left eye, and a beauty mark under his right one. His eyes were a dark shade of violet, and he was half a head taller than me. I gaped up at him. The only difference between this man, and the one from yesterday was the drastic change in wardrobe.

He looked taken back. “Do I know you?” He asked. His voice caused a shiver to run down my spine. Damn homo-sexual tendencies! I’m trying to look intimidating!

“You were tha’ wi’ness from Cardigan Hall yesterday!” I yelled. Vincent was ignoring us and had started reading a book while Vic and Angelica were scrutinizing the man in front of us. How is Sir Poor, well- This guy!

“I’m afraid you are mistaken good sir. I was at my manor all of yesterday.” He said, delivering his lines perfectly. I crinkled my nose slightly.

“I damn well saw ya yesterday!”

“He does look a lot like that guy doesn't he?” Victoria commented. Angelica nodded in agreement. The man was looking more flustered by the minute.

“How dare you scoundrels talk to the famous Sir Hawthorne in such a manner! Do you know who that is?” The evil witch of a librarian screeched.

I blinked at her, my face blank. “No.” I answered honestly. She looked to be on the brink of fainting.

“Oh dear! Heathens! Street rats! Uncultured swines!” She cried, clutching her heart with one hand, and feel her forehead with the other. She’s a bit over dramatic, ain’t she?

“Excuse me. I must be getting to work.” Hawthorne nudged past us and hurried toward the shelves of books, the place Vincent had long beaten us too.

I scowled at the man's back and we walked over to Vincent, ignoring the seizure like screeching coming from the librarian. Vincent had a stack of books in his arms, he set them down on one of the long dark wood tables.

“These are the records of the last two years of missing persons, these are the latest missing persons reports, and those are the different military and industrial factories built in the last five years.” Vincent said, dividing his stack into three different piles.

“Good job Vincen’!” I complimented, patting his head like a dog. He raised an eyebrow and scooted away. Vic snickered.

We each chose a stack to get started on while Vincent went to search for anymore valuable information.After a half hour of reading Angelica looked up suddenly.

“What if we’re looking for the wrong sort of thing?” She asked. Vic looked at her quizzical.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“What if we should be looking for a family crest, not a logo?” She said, gesturing for me to hand her the piece of cloth we had aquired.

I handed it to her and we all crowded around as she examined it. She pointed at the enscription: Mortuis autem quo- and then it cut off. “What do you think?” She asked us.

“I think you might be onto something.” I smiled. “Vincent look for any books on family crests.”

He nodded and hurried back into the labyrinth of books. A few minutes later he came back with a new stack of books in his arms. He dropped them onto the table with a bang and we all glared at him.

“I don't see anyone volunteering to help be carry these heavy stacks of books so deal with it.” He muttered.

We each flipped open a hefty book of family crests and started searching for what we hoped might be the answer to our inquiries. We sat there for hours, flipping through page after page of crests. Then out of the blue I saw it, the crest! That was it! I grabbed the cloth out of my pocket and held it up for comparison. That was it! It had to be!

“I found it!” I yelled, they celebrated and crowded over my shoulder as we read the information on the family.

Family name: Welmington

Description: This mighty household has been around from the earliest kings and queens of Britain. It was said that the original Wellington was the alchemist for the king. Sadly, the intelligent noble family disappeared after their slow decline in offspring.

Crest Motto: Mortuis autem quod resurgant

Address: Firlington, Kings road, 57

We finished reading the description and looked up at each other. “Are you serious?” Vic said. “We’ve been looking through these damn books for the past two hours, to find a family that doesn’t exist?”

“They do exist! They just, aren’t around anymore…” Angelica said.

“We should find out where they use to live before they disappeared.” Vincent offered.

“What good does that do?” Vic asked.

“If we find where they use to live and talk to the new residents they will probably have information on the ‘dead’ family.” Vincent replied, keeping his head cool. They all looked to me and I shrugged.

“We go’ nuthin better to do.” I say. `

A nervous shiver ran up my spine, out of the corner of my eye I spied the man from before, watching us from behind a bookcase, his interest seemed slightly peaked. He turned and walked away when I looked at him.

Don’t think I forgot about you, you handsome devil. I thought furiously at him. He, for some odd reason, did not hear my fierce thinking at him. I contemplated demanding an explanation from him. I let out a huff of air, deciding that for once, my work was more important than a hot face.

“Well? Wha’ are we still doin’ ‘ere?! Go on! Go, go!” I said standing up, and shooing them along with my hands.