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Deryn ran down the crowded hall, stumbling over passersby and beasties, not bothering to apologize. Her mind was too scattered for that. Bovril hung on to her neck for dear life until Deryn finally came to the door, Alek's door. She turned the knob and let herself in and to her dismay, the room was empty. Alek's things were gone, and more importantly, he was gone. That ninny of a prince. Deryn didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. "He left us, Beastie." Deryn said softly. She wondered where they were by now. Perhaps it wasn't too late to slip a word to the captain. Deryn shook her head in disbelief as she forced back the tears threatening

"I'm really sorry," Alek apologized for the hundredth time. The morning was well on its way, but Alek had no idea what time it was. Count Volger was hidden behind his desk and a newspaper. "I heard women like flowers," he said. "You should get her flowers." "Alek," Volger put down his newspaper indignantly. "Dr. Barlow and I have decided that a relationship would be inconvenient at this time." "Oh," Alek frowned. "Is it because of us?" Volger shook his head, "Not this time. We sort of knew it would end this way." "I'm sorry." "I know you are." "So…wait, does this mean you are never going to see her again?" Volger didn't respond, "That

The middy's mess hall was living up to its name. It was a bloody wreck Deryn thought as she moved through the dining hall. Bovril was half asleep on her shoulder. The beastie had run off during the ruckus and got caught up in the midst of this madness. Deryn had recently found it in a cupboard, hiding. It seemed okay despite the rough night. And now she was in a hopeless search for the lady boffin who seemed to have disappeared. Alek hadn't seen her, Newkirk hadn't seen her, she literally vanished. She heard a commotion in the hall and halted. "Eww," she heard Alek's voice in the hallway. Deryn peaked around the double doors that separated th

Volger awoke to an agonizing pain in his side. His eyes opened slowly, and his view was filled with that of an extravagant, and oddly familiar, room. With some effort, he sat up on what turned out to be a couch and saw the source of his discomfort. The previous night's events rushed back to his head. His shirt was caked in blood, disheveled, and ripped open, revealing a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his torso. What had happened was as clear as day now: Dr. Barlow, the gunshots, the pain, the blood, blacking out. But the horrifying part was what he had said to the lady boffin just before he went unconscious. He'd have to take it back of

Nora scribbled down a slew of notes before turning back to her loris for further observation. She enjoyed her research, and there were times such as now where her work offered a welcomed diversion. It was better than having to deal with her turbulent love life. Sodding counts! Of all the outcomes that could have resulted from their secret romance this was the last one she would have expected. And regardless of which way she analyzed the situation, it was difficult to pinpoint what had gone wrong. Everything fell apart so suddenly. Perhaps she had been taken advantage of. It was hard to accept that option; and yet, that seemed like the only lo

Doing the right thing was supposed to make you feel good, and yet Alek felt the complete opposite. He took his conflicted feelings back to his room, and collapsed on his bed soon after entering the warzone that now occupied his stateroom. "What happened to your room?" Deryn asked from behind him as she surveyed their wild surroundings. The fabricated wooden door shut with a loud and resolute click, and Alek sat bolt upright. He didn't even see Deryn come in which was strange because lately he had been noticing even the tiniest things she did. "Nothing," Alek said, he was too consumed with his thoughts to care about the mess at the moment. Ale

Alek was sick. He was sure of it. What else would explain his fixation on Deryn? No matter what he did to try to control it, his every moment was now consumed with thoughts of her. And when he wasn't busy thinking about her, he wanted to be with Deryn. When he went to sleep, he dreamed about her, only to wake up wanting to dream some more. The slightest reference to her would fill his heart with happiness. God's wounds, even her quirks filled him with happiness! The way she drinks like a sailor and swears like a whore. Things that he would normally find so vulgar were quite charming coming from Deryn. Alek was pretty sure that was weird; it w