Hell over high water

Cain blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I think I'll do that. Thanks, Pem! You know, sometimes you don't seem like a priest...in a good way, I mean."

 

Pem looked past Cain to make sure the spirit was indeed gone. "I never did fit the mold."

 

Cain looked over at Clare, and saw she was talking with the other woman and her daughter. So, he turned back to Pem.

"So, what made you want to become a priest, anyway?" asked Cain. He was getting slighty dizzy, but that was probably just from the ship.

 

Pem noticed no one else was listening. Still he lowered his voice. "DO you believe in the devil?"

 

"Huh? Oh, the devil, right. Yeah, fallen angel, ultimate evil? I think so." Cain took another sip, feeling the liquid burn down through his throat, and trying not to glance at the devil on his shoulder.

 

Pem continued, "I was an altar boy, when quite by accident, I witnessed my first exorcism. There was a priest and a deacon trying to free the soul of an old man. The deacon ran screaming and the priest called me over. I did what I was told. Three weeks later, I began training for the priesthood. I have ... a rare calling."

 

"That's...that's really strange. So, you believe demons can like...possess people? I always figured they didn't do that anymore..."

 

Pem nodded. "As Shakespeare said, There are more things in Heaven and Earth that exist in your philosophy."

 

"Oh, I never thought of it that way. I'm not trying to change the subject, but did you happen to hear some children in the hallway upstairs? I would have swore I heard them, but the custodian said there weren't any." Cain's vision began to blur. He wiped his glasses on his shirt.

 

The Reverend shook his head. "No. No I didn't but that doesn't mean they aren't here. SHips are big places and there are so many places to hide."

 

Dana glanced at the menu. He was hungry, but didn't want to get sick again. Maybe he should just order some bread or something...

He turned to Roger, just as the smaller boy was stuffing something into his pocket.

"What's that?" he asked without thinking.

Roger flinched. He hesitated, then propped his elbows up on the table and stroked the scab on his chin. He looked innocently at Dana.

"Hmm?"

Dana flinched. He wasn't used to strangers looking at him dead-on. For whatever reason, he figured it'd be best to change the subject.

"Erm, have you looked at the menu yet?" Dana asked. "They're serving some pretty exotic stuff here. Do you know what you're ordering?"

Roger blushed slightly, forcing out a little cough. He could do a lot of things, but reading wasn't one of them. Course, he wasn't just gonna blurt that out. Sure, no one else at their table was paying any attention to them, but still.

"Yeah," Roger lied. He flipped opened his menu and pointed to something at random. "That."

Dana glanced down at his menu and giggled. He giggled, for god's sake. And there was that weird feeling again. Roger felt the urge to punch him, but restrained himself. This guy would probably cry if he got hit, and that would be even weirder.

Roger turned away from him, letting his eyes wander the room. Dana looked at the people sitting at their table. Now that he thought about it, Roger had just kinda sat down, and he'd just sat down beside him - neither had asked permission to sit with these strangers.

He turned to the older woman sitting on the other side of the small girl.

"Um, I'm sorry," he squeaked, "Is, um, is it alright for us to sit here?"

 

She watched the conversation between the young man Cain and Reverend. She bit her tongue, not wanting to comment. It was rude to break in the middle of a conversation.

"Um, I'm sorry," one of the young men squeaked, "Is, um, is it alright for us to sit here?" She laughed, and gave them a friendly smile.

"Of course, the more the merrier." she said, taking the end of his hand and gently shaking it, "Misses Jean Bequem, and what about you two, you must have names." she said with a wink.

 

Clare immediately ordered a glass of wine for herself and a refill for everyone else, she was feeling in a slight party mood.

She looked at the young girl next to the lady and smiled slightly at her. Then she looked at the other two that had joined in, one looked girlish, with hair that could be the envy for high-class girls, and the other...he didn't look as good as his partner.

She took another drink of her glass. "So, Misses Bequem. That name sounds familiar."

 

She smiled, and took a sip of her drink.

"I'm sure it is." she said, "I'm in a lot of school books. Science books." She motioned for the waiter to come over, with the salad in his hands.

"I'd like one of those, and whatever fish dish you might have." she said. The waiter nodded and walked off.

 

"And if you have any stake, please bring it over for me," Clare ordered at the same waiter.

"Are you really Misses Bequem? I read her last book on bees and it was really interesting, but hear she was really eccentric ." And maybe she was, after all, she had saved that stowaway girl and dressed her.

 

Dana offered the small girl beside him a friendly smile and asked her her name.

"I'm Mouse," she said.

Mouse. That was interesting. Dana wonderd how she'd come by the name, but didn't ask.

"I'm Dana," he said, taking her hand in his. It was small and fragile like the rest of her.

"Nice to meet you," She said. "Where are you from?"

 

Mouse tugged at Ms. Bequem's dress.

"Yes, dear?"

"May I have a hamburger?"

"Of course! I'll order it when the waiter gets back with the salad."

 

She took a sip of her wine, and she barely managed to keep it in her mouth after the comment. She let it down her throat and she looked at the woman, just a bit angrily.

"If you call 'eccentric', devoted to her work to better mankind." she snapped, "But then, I'm not sure I'd expect rude young ladies to understand that."

She put her hand to her mouth and blushed mightily. She looked at the young lady, who hadn't said anything back yet. Jean quickly grabbed her gloves, and got up.

Elizabeth tugged on her dress.

"Yes, dear?" she asked, just a bit flustered.

"May I have a hamburger?"

"Of course! I'll order it when the waiter gets back with the salad." she then quickly added, "Will you ask him to deliver my food to my room. I've made a pompous fool of myself." She gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the forehead, and shook everyone's hand, stopping at the young lady. She decided she wasn't going to like her.

"Reverend, thank you for the talk." She nodded to them and walked back to her room in a hurry.

 

Reverend Pem rose. "Oh Ms. Bequem, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. Please don't go." But it was too late. As he sat back down in his chair, the Reverend looked at the rest of the table. "WOuld anyone care for more wine?"

 

"I'd like some, Pem," Cain said, now his face red and his speech slurred.

 

Mouse felt awkward without Ms. Bequem sitting beside her. She looked at the reverend, smiling weakly, then looked back at Dana, trying to read his expression.

 

Refined American Gentleman--Leon Jonas

Leon strolled into the dining room in some shiny new clothes. More items that Mister Brown had not doubt had placed in his room on special request. The man seemed to have quite a few things in there that might be of use someday.

The clothes seemed a little large, but Leon's height made up for most of the slack. He actually looked like a refined American gentleman. He thought briefly of what his pop would say if he saw him now. Probably still wouldn't be good enough for that old bastard.

Even though it fit well enough, the black tuxedo was quite out of place on a man like Leon. His jaw was still covered in unshaven stubble, his long hair rested about his shoulders, and he still walked with that odd lope so characteristic of one who had spent much of his life on the back of a horse.

In the dining room, waiters were rushing around serving people and taking orders. People sure seemed to do a gratuitous amount of rushing around on this boat.

Leon straightened his tux out and grabbed a tall wine glass off the tray of an unwary waiter as he rushed by. Looking about the room, he recognized the pious man and the people he had been talking to in the lobby earlier. Seeing no other alternative place to sit, he grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up to the table.

"Howdy y'all,"greeted Leon with that characteristic southern twang.

 

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to insult you!" Clare apologized to Misses Bequem. Looking briefly at Cain, she took his wine glass away. "I think you've had enough of that mister, how 'bout a glass of water?"

Seeing the American man come at their table, she smiled and nodded at him briefly.

 

Mouse giggled at the American man's appearance. His long hair and unshaven face, juxtaposed with his his fine tuxedo made for a comical sight indeed.

Hearing her laugh, he looked over, eyed her for a moment, then smiled and gave her a wink.

 

She looked back, as she heard the young lady apologize. She continued forward, turning int o her room, and aiming directly for the bathroom. Her face was red. Not from anger, but from embarrassment. She had overreacted, but she was tired of what they said. Yes, everyone called her eccentric, and whether any of them cared that it hurt. She was always neck-deep in her work, and with that came a lacking social life. She wasn't use to dealing with people, but she still knew the rumors. She sighed.

She wondered if she would be different... if he hadn't died so young and left her heart-broken. She wondered if she would have been a different person. Maybe she wouldn't have snapped at the young lady. She was sure now that she hadn't meant anything by it. She quickly threw some water from the basin over her face, wiping it off with the towel.

She went to the bed, rummaging through her things to find the photo. She gently placed it next to the bed. Her finger glided over his face, and then to her younger face. She had once been beautiful, whether she lost it because she lost him, or maybe it was just her age. She figured it was both.

She got up and straightened out her dress. She knew she had to go back and apologize to the young lady. She just hoped her dignity wouldn't get in her way.

She briskly walked back to the dining room, and saw there was a newcomer. He was a bit odd, and seemed out of place. He seemed all right nonetheless. She quickly took her seat again and looked at them all with an awkward smile.