Heavenly Seas Chapter Three

The last thing on Elodie’s mind was heading to the gym. The doctors suggested it, but she always shrugged it off. She couldn’t imagine anything worse, though she was there with dumbells in her hand.

Werewolves at the gym. Where? Elodie wondered what Sook-Jo meant when she said that. Gong-Gi painted such a vivid picture of the woman, Elodie felt like she had known her for years. She had forgotten the fact that they had never met. The gym looked similar to the one in her local village surrounded with treadmills and weight machines that Elodie had forgotten the names of.

The mirrors tormented Elodie with her curves on full display. She knew she wasn’t the young and slim person she was in her twenties, but she didn’t want constant reminders.

Why did Calvin make her go to the gym? It will be good for your waistline, he said. Honestly, Elodie found him worse than the doctors with his pestering. Being fat-shamed by her own son tortured her self-confidence. In order to cope with the sweating and pain, she imagined the dumbbells were bottles of wine.

With alcohol, she got her confidence. When she was wreckless, she felt something that she struggled to feel: beautiful. People failed to see that her broken self-esteem was beyond the fancy pictures and glitz and glamour.

“I honestly don’t understand why I’m so fat!” Elodie puffed with strained biceps and grinding teeth. Besides her, Calvin and Theo made lifting weights look easy.

“I wonder why?” Calvin threw his weights on the ground. “It’s because you eat so many cakes. How many did you have last night?”

Elodie sulked. Did Calvin forget who was the parent and figure of authority? “Five!”

Calvin huffed. “More like twelve.”

“They were tiny,” Elodie shrieked.

“It doesn’t matter; it’s all sugar.”

“Does anyone else think it’s gotten chilly in here?” Theo asked, shaking his shoulders. “Someone should put the heating on in here.”

“Chilly?” Calvin asked, rubbing his palm against Theo’s forehead. “You’re boiling. I can see the sweat steaming from you.”

“But I just feel so cold.”

“It’s 26 degrees outside. How can you feel cold?” Calvin asked. Are you unwell?”

Theo smiled. “No, I’m fine!”

“I think you need to stay away from Rose, seriously.” Calvin looked over to his mother. “I think we need to have another steward for our cabin. Theo’s not been right since he’s fallen head over heels for her.”

“As much as I’d like to,” Elodie said, discarding her weights, and opting to laying on the yoga mat. “There’s not much I can do. You’re all too old to be disciplined that way.”

“I just don’t trust Rose,” Calvin admitted.

“Oh, why not?” Theo asked. “She’s lovely. She’s the best member of staff on this ship.”

Calvin crossed his arms. “You’re only saying that because she sucked you off.”

“WHAT!” Elodie shrieked, mirroring Calvin’s movements. “And I can’t even get to first base with the captain.”

Calvin stamped his foot. “You’re not supposed to encourage him.”

“Well Theo, I don’t know what to say,” Elodie admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess it’s got nothing to do with me. I wish you well with Rose.”

Theo grinned and engulfed Elodie in a hug. “Thank you, Mummy dearest.”

Elodie could almost hear the anger steam within Calvin. “Oh God, we’re not in primary school anymore. Stop calling her mummy. Mum would suffice.”

Elodie huffed. “Well, at least I got one son who loves me.”

“Telling the truth, acting tough and being firm is love,” Calvin reminded Elodie. Her late husband used to say the same thing.

“I don’t know why you must be so envious of Theo,” Elodie snapped. She couldn’t stand the bickering sometimes. Her Theo wasn’t harming anyone with this silly little affair of his. As far as she was concerned, Calvin should just drop it and leave Theo alone.

“I have no reason to be jealous,” Calvin said. “I’m the eldest of the family, it’s my duty to protect you all.”

“You’re just like your dad,” Elodie muttered with a sigh. She didn’t know what was harder: the squats or the conversation. “Always trying to restrict our fun whilst being alone feeling sorry for yourself.”

Calvin pulled a face. “Excuse me?”

“You’re bitter because your wife left you for that fancy fella in Dubai and you’re taking it out on us.”

Calvin pumped his fists like he was ready to enter a boxing ring. “If you were kinder towards her, perhaps she would have stayed.”

“She was only after your dick and our money.”

Calvin shook her head whilst Theo watched the argument with pleasure. “Just because we’ve separated doesn’t mean I wish her pain.”

“And the little brat probably isn’t even yours.”

“Doesn't matter!” Calvin roared. “I RAISED her. The last name on her birth certificate is Figgs. She is MY daughter.”

“Get out of la la land!” Elodie yelled. “The only reason you try to control us is because you can't control your own life.”

“I’m not listening to this, I'm going to find Heath! And I'm leaving this ship if it's the last thing I do!”

“Now come on!” Elodie threw the equipment on the floor and grabbed Calvin on the shoulders. “Where are you gonna go? We’re on a sea day.”

“We will both get off at the next port!”

“Good luck trying to convince him. Anyway, I thought you hated vegans.”

“I’m the only one in this family that does any bloody work!” Calvin stomped his feet. “I’m the one that makes sure everyone gets paid properly. I’m the one that’s fighting to keep OUR FARM! The farm that’s been in our family for centuries alive. I’m the one that feeds our village. And I’m fed up! Fed up with how underappreciated I am. Well, thank you. It’s nice to know that I’m not wanted.”

Calvin shook his head and stormed off, leaving Theo and Elodie alone. Elodie shrugged her shoulders and burst into laughter. “Blimey, which one of you peed in his coffee this morning?”

Theo smirked. “I don’t even think he drinks coffee.”

“Whatever, it’s cabin fever. It’s driving us all mad.”

Elodie and Theo jumped at the sound of a shrieking woman outside the gym. As if things couldn’t get any worse, blood poured into the gym.

“WHEN I SAID CUT HIM OFF, I DIDN’T MEAN CHOP HIM UP!”

Theo grinned. “That’s Rose’s lovely voice!”

“How can you be smiling?” Elodie whispered, seeking refuge behind the treadmill. “A man’s just been killed!” Who had just been chopped up? What if Calvin was the killer? What’s going on? Why was Theo marching towards the door? Elodie climbed onto the treadmill. “Theo! What are you doing? There’s just been a murder.”

“Everything all right?” Theo asked, opening the door.

Elodie rushed towards the door to hold Theo back, only to be drawn back. She observed the corridors and carpet: all clean.

“Yes,” Rose said. “Everything is fine. I just saw Calvin storm off somewhere.”

“Has there been a murder?” Elodie asked.

“Not yet,” said Rose. “I mean of course not. Everything is fine.”

“I swear I just heard you say…”

Theo cuddled Elodie. “I think it’s your imagination, Mummy Dearest. Why don’t we all go to our room so you can tell us a lovely bedtime story.”

“Theo…” Elodie gasped. “I’m too old and too sober for this. This is no time for bedtime stories.”

Rose smiled, concealing her teeth. “Theo, your mother doesn’t seem to be herself? Should I call the doctor?”

Theo shrugged it off. “She’ll be fine. Once she’s had some booze and chocolate in her, she will be right as rain.”

Heath found an old lady alone in the library. He was surprised that no staff was around. Who could stop her? The woman wasn’t disrupting anyone. She appeared to be in her element with bits of wool trapped in her lilac perm and mountains of knitted creations on the table.

An old lady with bits of wool trapped in her hair had flooded the library table with knitted creations.

“Interesting stuff you’ve got going on here,” Heath said. “Is it for anything in particular?”

“Not really,” the woman croaked. “I’m just knitting a new foot for the captain.”

“A new foot?” Heath stared at the woman and squinted at what was in her hand. The crocheted foot even included the details of what Heath assumed to be muscle and bone.

“Yes. A werewolf bit it off.” The lady lifted her head up, then pushed up her glasses. “The name is Josephine Woolworth. What’s yours?”

“Heath Figgs.”

Josephine nodded. “Oh you’re one of Elodie’s boys?”

“I’m the youngest.”

“I see. With all these werewolves about, you need protection. I tell you what, I shall knit you jumper.”

“How is a jumper going to save me from werewolves?” Heath asked in disbelief.

“Oh you always need a jumper. If your mother had a jumper she wouldn’t have that toe in her drink.”

“Wait, how did you know the toe?”

“It’s got nothing to do with me!” Josephine bellowed. “I’m just a simple spinster who loves knitting.”

“Really?” Heath asked. Alarmed by Josephine’s sudden speed. It only made him suspect her more. “You've spent thousands to be on a ship just to knit with wool worth pennies?”

“That’s right.”

“Have you not got any excursions planned?” Heath asked. He was happy to pay for her. It would more likely be on his mother’s credit card but she wouldn’t notice.

“Nope.”

“So what brings you here?”

“Well, there's nothing to do in my village,” Josephine said. “All my friends are dead.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.”

“It’s all right.”

“So what’s your next project?”

“I’ll start working on your jumper. Have you got a favourite colour?”

“Green.”

Josephine placed her small handbag on the table. Out came a never-ending thread of bright green wool. “Once I’ve finished this foot, I will start your jumper. Your jumper should be ready in three hours.”

Heath gasped. “That’s quick.”

Josephine grinned. Even her teeth looked crocheted. “I am an expert in knitting. “And I work fast.”

“HEATH!”

He turned around at the sound of his name. “Calvin?”

Calvin marched towards Heath and grabbed his T-Shirt. “As soon as this ship reaches Hawaii tomorrow, we are getting off. We need to pack, tonight.”

“Pack?” Heath said. “What for?”

“We can’t stay here anymore. It’s not safe.”

“Wait, I thought you were loving it?” Heath said, recalling Calvin calling the trip a delightful free holiday. How the tables had turned. As strange as some of the events were, Heath was starting to enjoy mingling with different people and enjoying the excursions. “Has something happened?”

Calvin released Heath’s shirt. “Mother and Theo have gone barking mad. We need to get off this boat as soon as possible. Then we are getting a taxi to the airport and heading straight to the UK.”

“Would your brother like a jumper as well?” Josephine asked.

Calvin glanced towards Josephine. “No thanks. I’ve got plenty of jumpers. Some of them I haven’t even worn yet.

“Oh I see,” Josephine said, tossing the foot she made onto the table. “Well that’s the Captin’s foot done. I will get started on Heath’s jumper.”

“Who’s that weird lady?” Calvin hissed.

“It’s Josephine,” Heath said. “I’ve only just met her. She’s by herself.”

“We should go back to the cabin,” Calvin demanded. “We need to pack right now so we have a smoother journey.”

Heath lowered his head. “If you insist…” Although Josephine grinned with her creations, Heath felt a wave of emptiness within him. He felt his chest ache at the thought of leaving her by herself again. “I’ll be back to pick up my jumper soon. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my dear.”

As Heath followed Calvin back to their cabin, he observed the way cabin crew members ran like they were in the middle of a marathon. There must have been another incident. Heath had never known a ship to have so many murders. “I believe that I’ve solved the mystery,” Heath said to his eldest brother.

“What’s that?”

“It was the captain’s toe that was in mother’s drink.”

Calvin squinted at him. “What makes you think that?”

“Have you noticed that Captain Mortville has been limping?”

“He’s an old man.”

“Not all old men limp. He looked like he was in pain. And Josephine said he was knitting the captain a new foot. Maybe he lost it during a fight with a werewolf or something like that.”

“That’s why we have to get out ASAP!” Calvin roared. “The madness has taken Mother and Theo. I won’t let it take you as well.”

Whilst other passengers strutted the poolside in their swimsuits and bikinis, Theo had his scarf and coat on. Why did Calvin have to be so mean? His words chilled him more than the wind. The arguments worsened day by day. Rose was the only one that seemed to understand him. She was different to the other girls he had been with.

“How are you feeling?” Rose asked, stroking his cheek. “You’ve been through so much…especially with all these changes.”

Theo shook his head as his shoulders quivered. “I don’t know.”

“It’s quite a big shock,” Rose explained as she held Theo in her arms. Pressing his head against her shoulder, she swayed it side to side as she gazed at the bite marks she caused. “After all, you’re not fully there yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your entire biology is changing,” Rose whispered in his ear. “It will take time, but once you embrace it, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

“Is this what I have to do?” Theo asked, contemplating losing his humanity. He’d do a lot for a woman he liked, and he had done things that could have landed him in jail. If his mother knew the stuff he did, would she disown her? He lost track of the women he slept with, but none compared to Rose.

Rose shook her head. “You don’t have to, but if you stay stuck in one place, you will stagnate.” She lifted Theo’s head towards him and pecked his cheek. “Do you want to be stuck in the middle of your family bickering? Do you want to spend the rest of your life scrounging off your family and jumping from woman to woman?”

Theo’s eyes widened and turned gold. He leapt back, then took two steps forward. “How did you know?”

“I’ve been around a long time, being immortal means I have time to learn things.”

“Have you been stalking my family too?” Theo asked, straightening his coat collar.

Rose pulled him towards her. “I did go to the same school as your parents.”

Theo rubbed his head. The pulsing sensation throttled him as vertigo took over his body. One spontaneous twirl and he collided with the floor. “Ever since the night at the gallery, I’ve been feeling…so cold. Nothing feels right anymore.”

Rose assisted him back on his feet. For a lady of small stature, she held strength. Her words and soothing accent nursed him. “I can fix it for you.”

“You can? How?”

“Will you let me do it again?”

“Again? But won’t I freeze?”

“You’ll still feel the cold,” Rose replied. “But you will be able to tolerate it. You can embrace it.”

“What do I have to do?” Theo asked. “I’ll do anything you ask me to.”

Rays of red glistened in Rose’s eyes. “Give me your blood - all of it this time.”

Theo questioned his sanity and took a moment to mourn for his humanity. At least, the little he had left. “There’s no going back from this, is there?”

“No. You’ve got me for eternity now. No refunds, I’m afraid.”

Theo removed his coat so Rose could access his neck better. “Here…” Theo stroked his own neck. “Take it.”

“It will be my pleasure.”