ARRELLA'S HOPE Arrella Brecker laid in her captain's quarters on her ship, the salty, cool breeze wafting in through the open window. She got up, padding to the door. She turned the handle and stepped out onto the deck. Arrella went down into the cabins for the crew and saw Rosen pellogen and Shinah Bellesworth playing cribbage at the table. Rosen looked at her, his scarred face smiling. "ey, cap'n!" he said, flashing his false teeth. She nodded and plodded on. Arrella opened another door. Inside was a Young gray cat with a royal blue bandanna tied around her neck. As she walked farther in, the smell of incense hit her nose. she sneezed. "Ugh, Lex, can you keep the incense to a minimum? I told you this stuff clogs my nose!" She groaned. "Sorry, Arrella, but i need it to there to keep my inner zen." Lex whispered. "Oh, good heavens." Arrella picked up the incense and tossed it in the wastebasket. "Hey!" Lex turned around. "That was mine!" "Well now it's not. It's the wastebasket's." She meowed gruffly. "Why'd you come here anyway?" she mumbled. "I've seen a vision, Lex. The same dream over and over again." Arrella hissed. "The one about the hungry, blxxdthirsty monsters that eat you alive?" Lex asked. "yes. I've reason to believe that it is a vision. There's no other way i could keep having the same nightmare day after day." She explained. "The unconcious is a powerful force, Arrella. I'd say you'd be right any day. This could be one of two things. a vision: the dream is telling you something and won't stop until you figure it out, or a warning: It is foretelling an event bound to come." Lex said, a wistful look in her eyes. "So..which one is it?" She pressed. "a warning." Lex said gravely. "Walk carefully now, Arella. You'll never know when this event might come." she signaled Arrella out of her room. She padded up to her room with a heavy heart. Was Lex telling the truth? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sharks! Sharks!!" Arrella was jolted from her sleep by the frantic shrieks of Shinah, the nightgaurd of the ship. She burst out the door and up to the top deck to stand by her side. "Where?!" She asked, her heart racing. "By the bow, ma'am! showed up 'outta nowhere!" she ran back down the steps and ran to the bow of the boat. Below, at least five sharks snapped about in the deep murky waters. She lost her grip on the rail and was sent tumbling down in the deep. She shrieked in terror as the cold ocean ran up to meet her. Her breath flew from her body as she splashed into the water. She gasped for air as she reached the surface. She felt a searing pain in her leg as a shark bit it clean off. She screamed. She saw Rosen, Lex, and the first mate, Onyx Threw a rope down to her and pulled her aboard. "You sure gave up a fright there, miss." Onyx said as she was hauled to Lex's cabin to be healed.
