Luci on the Sea; No Diamonds
Lucinda Backen knew one thing was certain in the world: Nothing was worse than being late.
As she sat in the middle of her room, listening to Penny giggle with some other chick as they had their date in the living room, she was packing. Or, rather, repacking. Nothing was more satisfying than going through her checklist and knowing that she had everything she planned to pack and nothing more. Phone, sunscreen, clothes, the equipment needed for her job, and her more private items. Though she was certain where she'd be working would provide certain necessary items one could never be too sure.
Luci was never one to be unprepared for the day ahead of her. Or, in this case, possible next few months ahead of her. She was warned the job might take a long time. With that knowledge, she packed as light as possible without making herself go crazy thinking about what all would happen. Trying to find Atlantis--it seemed impossible, yet all the same something in her was excited in ways she'd never been before. Not once in her life had she held a sense of adventure--not until then, that is.
Getting to study the plant and marine life of everything in Atlantis, getting to discover things never before seen and go further than those before her...it was more exciting than anything. Yet, all the same, all Luci wanted to do was stay in her room and pack and repack. Going out, driving there, and meeting with everyone seemed scarier than any horror she could imagine. Having to deal with so many people on a daily basis would wear her out faster than anything else.
"If only everything in life were as simple as biology," she whispered, sighing as her hand refolded another perfectly fine shirt. It was placed in her suitcase and she closed it, zipping it up fast enough to hear the zag sound it always made. The simple red and black design was easy but almost daring with the dark shades, which she hoped would make her appear more professional.
Her laptop remained outside of the suitcase, closer to her backpack, which too was packed with her things. That, however, was only for her job-related items. The laptop was to go in last, being one of the first things she might need. Though her field wasn't chemical oceanography, biological came close and she would definitely be needed her computer, along with her underwater camera, which she picked up new earlier that morning. As she ran her fingers along the edge of the laptop, Luci felt the soft metal and the warmth it had after any amount of use, no matter how small. Now if only my bed was always this warm. It wasn't the most high-tech one out there, but it did the job without fault and only lagged occasionally.
"I'm going to actually be doing something meaningful," she told herself. Something amazing. Discovering the true lost city! Thinking of all the possibilities excited her. The job she held was important, mostly because of her extended knowledge of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. While she majored in biology, her professor had made certain she was well versed in all the associated majors. Before, Luci hadn't quite enjoyed the lessons and thought it was just useless trivia. Something that she knew, but didn't need. But now, as she sat in her room, everything made sense. It was like a snake had bit her and suddenly the knowledge was infused into her bloodstream--corroding her soul and overtaking her mind.
Excitement, for the first time in years, ran through Luci. All her life she'd felt more like a mental leper than anything, never truly having a real excitement for things. She'd never felt a driving passion, not since the day she realized that she'd never have a normal life. I'll be doing something...fun. At the age of ten, she had been introduced to the side of her mother few people knew. The side that attacked walls and didn't take her medicine because "they said if I did it would hurt me" and "I'm too scared to, you take them instead". The side that hid around and cried in corners because someone shouted. Her father at work, Luci was the only one home to comfort her mother. She took charge. She lost opinions and thoughts in order to give them to her mother.
But, for once, Luci was actually going to do something. No one would be making her rethink her decision or forcing her to come home from work early to take care of a woman who should've just done what she was told to do and take her medicine. For three years, the eldest Backen had been in an institution. She was taken care of. Luci wasn't playing mother anymore. Not since the judge accepted the insanity plea and sent her mother away to be treated.
Three years, yet still Luci felt no desire. No longing. There was only that emptiness that told her she would neer be good enough on her own. That she shouldn't even try because sooner or later she would have to go home. Death had given her life and she hated every second of it. Death had set her free and she didn't want that freedom.
Not until Atlantis.
I'm terrified. It wasn't something she wanted to think about. What if I don't do well? Luci didn't want to consider it, yet still she did. The thoughts consumed her, the negative and the positive joining together to create something that she didn't understand enough on her own. Penny would understand it, but Penny was busy. I'll be fine. But what if I'm not? What if they hate me? What if I make a fool of myself? No, no, I won't. I'll be good. I'll talk to them, I'll do my job, and nothing will be scary. An adventure. I'm going on an adventure!
"Oh, Genevieve!"
A moan broke her from her thoughts. It was low, sexy, and definitely belonging to Penny. A repetitive squeaking began, as though the two were rocking back and forth on top of the old couch. Another moan came, this one lower and held out longer. It came from Genevieve, Penny's date.
Oh, my god. Are they--
She didn't dare open her door to see if her thoughts were correct. Another moan and she knew for certain what was happening.
Her roommate was having sex and Luci was stuck in her room while it happened, not even twenty feet away from the two. A thin wall was the only thing separating the three girls from seeing one another as it happened. Her brown eyes widened and her hand flew up to her pink lips, trying not to laugh out of shock. It was exhilarating and terrifying, almost worse than the thought of her job. They're having sex out there. Oh...oh shit, is it really six thirty already? Her eyes widened as she caught sight of her phone, which was buzzing loudly. A reminder she'd set not to be late. Fuck! I can't just walk out there.
Groaning, she lay her head in her hands and muttered, "What do I do?"
"Oh, Penny! Oh, Penny, no! Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Genevieve! Oh, yes, yes! Shh," Penny moaned, giggling half-way through her words, "don't be too loud! My roommate is sleeping, remember?"
"She can't hear us," Genevieve said playfully. "Mm, yeah, do that again baby." Another moan was heard, and then a near silence that made Luci's ears flush a bright red as the only thing she heard was the barest sound of skin touching skin hard and rough.
Oh, please, no. Just...just hurry it up! I need to get going soon. Cannot they save their nightly love for the, well, night? If only her roommate held more things as holy, but Luci knew that being drunk had something to do with her friends random escapade of sex. She'd recently gotten out of a very serious relationship and the past four days had been nothing but 'dates' and 'fresh starts'. Penny had never been one just to do it before, or never while Luci was home, but she'd be on edge lately.
"Great," Luci said aloud, careful not to raise her voice. Talking to herself was one that, but talking while her roommate had sex? It just wasn't right. It had been hard enough earlier for her to say hello to the guest before Luci had run to her room under the guise of packing her already full suitcase. "Hopefully, it won't last too long." Studies do say women last longer than men, but let's hope the ten-minute rule applies here.
A minute passed in what could have been silence if it weren't for the other room, a fact that was becoming increasingly grating to the well-dressed woman sitting on her bedroom floor. She smoothed out her white blouse as she waited and pulled the black pencil skirt down, trying her hardest to be patient. It was a virtue, or, at least, that's what her father had always told her. People needed to be patient and accept things as they happened. "If they can't do that," he'd tell her, "then no one would ever hire them."
Father wasn't there, though.
Father wasn't late to a meeting.
No, it was Luci who was late and it was Luci who was beginning to wonder if there was an escape. Five minutes had passed in an eternity of seconds that only drew longer and longer the more she sat in there, red faced and eager to leave, and as her phone buzzed once more, telling her that she was more than late, Luci knew there was only one thing she could do.
With ten minutes to spare she jumped up, threw on her ballet slippers, slipped the laptop into the backpack, threw the backpack over her shoulder, grabbed her suitcase, and threw open her door. Rushed, hurried, she covered her face with one hand and mumbled a half-felt apology to Penny before opening the door. As it slammed behind her she called out "Bye!" as though there was really a bye to be happening there.
Needless to say, she did not stay to see if Penny responded.
The stairs had often been something Luci adored, loving how the old brown railing had a smooth finish and how every third and a half step gave the slightest sigh as her feet went up or down it. That day, however, she paid it no mind as her feet rapidly ran down them. The gray slippers were dusty by the time she'd reached the lobby but Luci didn't care--they were worn for professionalism and comfort but that day they were worn for running out of the lobby and out to her old car. It was a Ford Pinto she'd gotten from her father, old and definitely in its dying days but it got her to where she needed to be. The steely blue shade had many a scrape and the rims had flaws, but she sighed in happiness when her keys clicked and the vehicle beeped. That only worked half the time, but for once she was spared fifteen minutes of trying to manually open it.
Tossing the bags in the back of the Pinto, Luci jumped into the front seat and waited for the car to start up. Usually, it took one or two tries but after the fourth it still hadn't roared to life, which meant one of two things: She could pray and wait for a miracle to happen, or she could hail a cab. Lightly dusted with yellow eyeshadow eyes closed tight against the lids and Luci whispered a short prayer before turning the key one more time.
"Fifth's the charm," she whispered as it finally started up. Turning it into gear, she quickly pulled out of the parking lot and got up to the speed limit on her way out of town. The docks weren't too far away from home, thankfully, but it was five till seven and she didn't have time for the twenty-minute drive down there. "Oh, come on, come on! Dammit, Luci, why couldn't you have just left earlier? You shouldn't have waited. If I wasn't so damn eager to stay the hell away from everyone maybe I wouldn't be about to lose my greatest chance. Come on, come on!"
The tears rolled down her cheeks and she hastily wiped them away--it wasn't like she could drive while crying. Stop it, she told herself forcibly, don't you start crying. You're better than this. I'll get there on time and if I don't...if I don't...it'll just be like every other day in my life. A sigh escaped her lips, brushing through the car and out the window with sudden gusto. She sank back into the seat as the realization hit her that she was wrong for ever having wanted to do something fun. I knew this would happen. I knew it would, so why did I try and tell myself that I could do this? It always happens.
I'll never be able to live a fun or even a normal life. Fingers tightened on the steering wheel as she pulled out into the freeway. I'm boring. I'm not allowed to feel because if I feel it must be hurting someone else. There were enough cars pooling out that she wondered if her time was wrong and instead of six fifty-seven it was five-thirty. A little blue bug pulled out in front of her and she had to hit the breaks to keep from hitting it. I wanted to leave and I didn't so this is all my fault. Goddamn it, I'm so stupid. Discovering Atlantis? Too good to be true. I bet they've already left. That sigh morphed into a choked back sob and she bit her lip hard to keep the burning tears from leaking out. Her bright red lipstick she'd put on earlier to make her seem confident had worn off and she wondered if she'd worn off along with it. Everything had messed up and there was nothing that could make it better.
Luci was a failure.
"Why am I even trying?" she asked the radio, which didn't respond. Normally she'd have it on NPR but she didn't have the strength to attempt turning it on and dealing with it. "They've already left. They wouldn't stay behind for one person, let alone me."
Despite her words she turned into the right lane and entered the docks. As she stopped her car in a designated parking lot and got out the clock hit exactly seven thirty and her normally plump lips were pulled into a sharp line of disagreement. There were enough people on the docks to make her stomach turn and as she tightened her grip on her bags Luci walked over to them with her shoulders held as high as she could manage them. The wind blew her hair and it ran out of place and in that second she gave up all hopes of anything. With the wind went her soul.
"Ms. Backen?" Ms. Lenore asked, her bright pink lips pulled down into a sharp frown. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she tapped her expensive heels against the wood of the docks, her arms crossed and the fingers there twitching as well. "You're over half an hour late. Everyone was made late because you of, you realize this, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Luci held her tongue as Ms. Lenore sighed deeply and ran a hand through her blonde hair. Behind her, the sunset had reached its peak and faded out against the lapping of the sea. Salt was carried on the wind and with it came the next words the leader of the group spoke. "Explain yourself." The others seemed to almost lean forward at the words, yet they all seemed to pretend as though they paid no attention to Luci's lateness at all.
"I was held up in my apartment," Luci said, careful of what she told them, "by my roommate. She was, um, having some problems with a date of hers that they were...working through. Before I was able to get out it was almost seven and traffic further delayed me from there. It was entirely my fault and I accept full responsibility of being late, ma'am."
There was a pause and then there was not. Behind Ms. Lenore was a man who looked much like an older version of her, presumably Walter Lenore. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded to him. She snapped her fingers and barked, "You will not do that again. If we're any more late that it is all your fault, you understand? Now, it's time to get going. Everyone get on board and you'll receive further instruction from there."
Air slipped from Luci's lungs fast as she coughed slightly, eyes wide open in surprise. She's letting me go still? I get to go! Quickly, she got a better grip on her bags and got in line behind everyone else. Just in front of her was an elderly-looking lady who wore a simple skirt and shirt that paired well with one another. "Hello there," the lady told Luci.
"Hello."
"My name is Margaret Kedzierski, and what is yours?" Margaret asked. Luci took in the woman's appearance, with her unruly brown hair and her large-rimmed glasses. She doesn't seem bad. "Hello? Miss?"
Blinking, Luci chuckled. "Sorry, my name is Lucinda. I'm an oceanographer, and you?" she asked, keeping her voice fair and polite. Luci didn't like talking to many people but she knew that the best way to ease it was to start with a single person and work her way up from there.
"I'm a linguist. Oh, looks like I need to get hurrying!" At that, the lady scurried away. Or, scurried as fast as a lady of her age could.
Luci chuckled fondly and continued up the ramp--that is until she bumped into a handsome man with a gaunt face and slight scruff that complemented his jawline. There were traces of grease under his fingernails, which were clipped but uneven. His entire body seemed jumpy and he instantly turned to apologize, "I-I'm sorry!"
"Oh no, that was my fault," she said. A smile crossed Luci's face and she patted his shoulder with her free hand. "My name is Lucinda, and yours?"
"James Ruisi," he said, extending out his hand. She shook it quickly before letting go and wiping her hand on her skirt. Oh good heavens. He's so...god, his voice. Luci's body seemed to enjoy meeting him more than she did and she fought to say something more but couldn't. "I, um, it's nice to meet you," he said.
"Yes, right. It's lovely to meet you as well. I'm going to be the oceanographer, I believe. I--what's your job?"
"I'm a technician."
Good heavens. Luci felt as though the day had just done a one-eighty on her. The bad had become the good. As she took the final step onto the boat, Luci looked back at the dock and her Pinto and sighed. For once, things were looking up. She'd gotten the job. She was late but still allowed to go. She overcame herself and talked to not just one person but two--and an incredibly good looking man at that. It's time to set sail, she thought. It's time to be set free.
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