OK, Sam, from the beginning, as I started writing this it stroke me that Yelena and Stella look a bit alike (both dark curly hair, both actresses of Greek descendant, really nice looking), so no we are not GOING TO see Yelena, we already did! I had to make ‘Yelena’ a bit Greek though, some times those who are named Eleni (Helene) are being called Elena (Just add the Y)
Hey, did I even claim I’m sticking to reality?
;D
Warning: I’m abysmally bad at fight scenes, so I didn’t write it, but I’d love to see these two in action!
Here we go!
Chapter 4
Next time Stella saw Horatio wasn’t the best circumstance, neither for her nor him. She was caught up in between a men’s battle as some of the new crew didn’t take all the rumours about their Captain seriously; one way or another they drunk a little more than plenty and decided they could resolve all their differences on board. That was a mistake; big mistake.
Stella was doing her evening stroke around the deck with some other girls she had met on the ship. Helene had stayed in the cabin to practice her English. Stella was amazed to see she was actually trying, that was a new one for the older one; it was usually Stella’s job to push and pull and make her angry before deciding to actually read. Something had changed though and Stella didn’t really want to dwell on it. Things were messed up as they were without her worrying for anything else.
Suddenly, she and a couple of other young women were approached by five men, who in all their inebriated glory and she noticed they weren’t travelers, they were part of the ship’s crew. Before things had a chance to get ugly, she saw Mr Caine coming near them.
‘Gentlemen, I think the best course of action at the moment is to leave the deck and return to your work…, if you can do anything right now.’ He looked mildly disinterested, but Stella could see the differences really clearly between the man in front of her and the one she had met a couple of days ago.
The men did the only thing they shouldn’t, considering they were working at the ship; two of them attacked him trying to re establish their power. Horatio realized they were more drunken than he originally thought. He could defend himself from the two but he saw the others coming closer to him as well. The tallest of the four was snarling as he was moving towards Horatio when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around he saw his Captain and didn’t have the chance to see anything else. Horatio and Jethro had everything under control in about 10 minutes. Some of the ships officers took the offenders with them as the two men asked the women what had happened.
Stella explained that nothing had happened and was thanking Horatio when Helene came running and hugged her sister. Someone had told her what had happened. Horatio looked at Jethro who raised his eyebrow.
‘News travel fast, especially on board. Now, Ladies if you’ll excuse me I have some business to handle. See you later, H.’
Helene’s eyes grew bigger hearing the Captain calling Horatio ‘H’.
‘Ladies, are you alright?’ Stella was the only one speaking good English so she assured him that they were all good thanks to him at the Captain.
‘He left before thanking him, so, please, Mr Caine, when you see him thank him from our behalf.’ She said and reached her hand to him that he took it happily.
‘I’m sure he already knows how you feel,’ and looking the anxiousness in her eyes, he continued. ‘But I will, don’t worry, Miss Ypsilanti.’
‘Stella’, she said. The other women all left soon after that leaving Horatio alone with the sisters.
‘Stella! I think it’s time to return to your cabin at have some rest.’ He helped them reach their cabin having a light conversation with the two girls, well mostly with Stella, but Helene had started taking a little when she could comprehend what the others said.
Horatio left them at their cabin and went in search of Jethro to see what he had done with the men he had caught. Knowing his friend well, he didn’t want to be in their place at the moment. But then again, whatever he had in store for them would be a good thing. If nothing else that would stop them from even threatening any women after that. He smiled slyly and walked faster because he didn’t want to miss the show. Now that he knew the girls were safe he had nothing to worry about.
Stella was still upset, though as she shut down and draped a blanket around her to keep cold away. Helen wanted to know what had happened and she couldn’t explain it, because everything went so fast she didn’t have the time to understand what was going on. One moment she was talking, the next she was dragged by someone; the only things that she remembered well were their sickened smell and Horatio’s look while he was talking to them. She didn’t even hear what her sister murmur…
‘What? Sorry, I didn’t listen! My mind was somewhere else…’
‘Mr Caine is Raymond Caine’s brother.’ Helene replied stronger this time.
‘How do you know?’
‘Remember when I told you about Tim calling him something strange?’ Seeing her sister’s nod she kept going. ‘The Captain called him the same today.’
Stella didn’t remember anything of what was said, so she could only accept her sister’s words.
‘H, now I know, they called him H.’
‘Oh, the initial.’ Stella was worried to see sadness returning at her sister’s eyes, but she was physically and emotionally drained to ask and learn the truth. She didn’t even know if she wanted to learn what was in her sister’s mind. She just lay down and held the blanket tighter around her.
tbc
Anastasia