I stood quietly, staring into the deep blue water, my mind drifting back to more unpleasant memories. His rough hands, the bite of his whip. The scars that now marred my once smooth skin. My cries of protest seemed to only fuel his dark laughter.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A woman's voice pulled my mind back from the dark swirling water, and the memories it held.

"W-what?" I turned taking a step back from the railing.

"The ocean. It is beautiful, is it not?" The women repeated. "Are you enjoying your trip so far?"

I eyed her skeptically, sizing her up. Was she one of the first-class women sent to get intel about "the girl traveling without a proper escort"? No doubt to take back and share the gossip with all the other nosy bored women upon this ship.

She laughed then. I hadn't accidentally spoken that aloud, had I?

"I'm Lila. I do believe you and I are neighbors here," she leaned closer to me, glancing around with a mischievous look in her golden eyes, "and we are the only two women who dare to travel without a companion of some kind." She straightened her stance, brushing a dark curl away from her face. One that had loosened in the salty breeze.

I smiled at the woman, turning back towards the water, "I'm Nova. I didn't think I would meet any other women my age who would be traveling alone."

"Oh, I'm not a conventional woman," Lila replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Yes, well that makes two of us," I told her.

We both stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Lila began to speak to me again.

"So, Nova, what are your plans for dinner?" Lila smoothed out the front of her green satin round-length skirt, causing the pretty fabric to flutter out at the bottom.

When I didn't reply she continued speaking, a wry smile playing on her rose-colored lips.

"You'll come to dinner with me tonight," she told me, surprising me further by looping her arm through mine and leading me back down the length of the deck of the ship. "I know you haven't had the pleasure of dining with the other passengers yet. But we will have fun, I promise. It's not as bad as you have imagined."

She continued talking as we walked, eventually leading us back to my cabin's door. "Now," Lila said, "let's go see what dresses you have with you that you can wear for tonight."

I don't know what it was. Perhaps the easy and open way she spoke of things. I took an instant liking to the woman. We spent the afternoon having lunch and going through the assortment of dresses that I had in my belongings. It was nice having a friend. One that didn't give me odd looks and whispers about me once my back was turned.

After what seemed like hours and almost my entire dress collection, Lila hopped up, waving her arm around the room, gesturing towards the pile of discarded dresses.

"These are all beautiful, but I have something that would be just perfect for you for tonight." She grabbed my hand pulling me into the hallway, making me laugh.

Was this what it was like? Having a friend? I shook my head. No use in overthinking it.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked, stopping at the small bar in her sitting room.

"Yes, please." I sat on the couch, studying the woman as she poured the amber liquid into two crystal tumblers.

"Here. You sip on that. I'll go grab the dress."

Lila disappeared into the adjoining room as I tasted the fiery liquid. It was strange being treated like an adult. Don't get me wrong, I was by no means a child. Far from it. But back at home, everyone treated me differently. We had parties and gatherings while I was loving with Della and her husband, but I had never really been included and was usually sent to my room right after finishing dinner. No one questioned it. Della always told the guests I wasn't feeling well. Her way of getting me away from them without being looked at unfavorably by anyone.

"Here it is," Lila said reappearing in the sitting room holding the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen.

"I couldn't possibly wear that!" I stood up moving towards her, my hand gently grazing the dark silky fabric.

"You most certainly can and will." Lila grabbed my hand, pulling me into her bedroom. "Now, let's try this on you and start getting ready."

I took the dress from her, gazing at the soft dark green fabric. This was more than just a day dress and more beautiful than any evening gown I had ever seen.

Lila and I walked into the glowing dining room. Music filled the air and the laughter from the other passengers sounded throughout the room. I glanced at Lila, who looked regal in her cerulean blue evening gown. The partially sequined v neck, a line tulle gown fit her perfectly. Her dark hair tumbled softly down her back in waves. The only jewelry that adorned her was a delicate silver cuff wrapped gently around her arm. It was stunning to see.

This would be my first dinner party on my own, and I had to admit, I was nervous. I knew I shouldn't be. None of these people knew who I was. They didn't know why I was on this ship, and I wasn't about to be the one to tell them. I was determined to at least try and have a good time tonight.

"You look beautiful," Lila said, "Come on, our table is this way."

Under the soft glow of the lights, the silk and satin glimmered. Its full skirts swished as I followed her through the crowd. The dark dress had a sweetheart neckline and pleats to shape the bodice at my bust. The deep back of the dress extended almost to my waist, from it a cerise-satin handkerchief-shaped panel flowed from the back past the hem of the skirt to create a flare. I had never felt more elegant, or womanly. Della would abhor this dress.

I twirled as we walked, causing Lila to laugh, her voice floating like bells through the packed dining room.

As we made our way through the crowd, I noticed a group of women, whispering to one another as we passed. They saw me looking at them and turned abruptly from us, their noses in the air. One of the women shot me a nasty look before she turned.

Ahhh, yes. There it was. The Della Decroix's of the ship. Nasty, stuck-up bitches.

Everyone had on their best tonight. The men were in black and white, all oddly looking like one another, but the women were a collection from the rainbow and every color in between. It was beautiful; despite some of their attitudes.

I refused to fall victim to another Della. That was behind me.

"Here we are," Lila said motioning to a table that was still empty.

Empty and close to the full bar.

It was perfect.

We took our seats and Lila motioned for one of the attendants to bring us drinks. I watched curiously as she seemed to convey, with only a slight of her hand, what we both would be having. I would have to remember to ask her about that little trick.

"So, is this your first dinner party, alone?" She asked.

I took a sip of the amber liquid, letting it run down my throat and coat my stomach, washing away some of my anxiety with it. I nodded, taking a deeper mouthful of the liquor, before answering her question. "Back at home we had parties but I never..." I trailed off not knowing how to explain it politely.

"I know what you mean." Lila leaned towards me, her dress sparkling in the candlelight, "So are you going to Silver Falls to visit, or are you going to live?"

I cocked an eyebrow at the way she said live. Like she knew I hadn't done much living up until now. "To live," I told her simply, "there's nothing for me to go back to there."

She just nodded, looking around the dining room at the other passengers, with interest.

The evening passed like any other dinner party I had been to. Polite conversation, whispers from some of the women, but the company of Lila made it tolerable. She didn't seem to care what they thought, and we drank and laughed and ate fantastic food. Our table filled up quickly after we sat down, and Lila made all of the introductions. I couldn't remember half of these people's names; I don't know how Lila did it. For me, it was becoming a blur.

I began to get that strange feeling. The one that came during the dreams, during one of my 'episodes'. I felt eyes on me. The voices of my dinner companions started to fade in and out. Their laughter becomes distorted. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get to the deck. I needed the fresh air to help clear my head. I knew that it wouldn't help. I just didn't want to be in a crowd, surrounded by all of these people, whenever this thing, whatever it was, happened.

I pushed back from the table, causing Lila to look at me curiously. The men started to rise with my movement; I put my hand out and shook my head. Hoping that she, at least, would understand I just needed to be alone.

I rushed from the table, not waiting to excuse myself. I knew that it was impolite, and they would all start talking about my abrupt departure. I didn't care though. I needed to get away from the crowd.

As soon as I hit the cool night air, silence enveloped me. Deathly quiet for a moment, like being in a void, but then I heard the whisper, and I swear I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Soon my child," he whispered.

It felt as if all of the air were sucked from my lungs. It was a man's voice. I looked around, frantically, searching for anyone who could be near. Anyone could have been speaking to me, but I knew that I was alone.

He touched me again, and this time.... this time it was different. It was like his arms were encircling me protectively. I leaned into it, closing my eyes. My breathing calmed and everything felt...right.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

Then everything went black.