Prologue
Prologue
"Camellia!"
I turned around at the mention of my name. "Yes?"
"You better be ready in five minutes. These men want to see a woman, and you are the only one I got!" My boss patted my shoulder.
"I need to change. I'll be ready very soon." I disappeared into the dressing room.
This was my life. During the day, I worked as a waitress in a bar, being neglected by greedy customers. At night, I was the singer, who looked and felt more cheap than a blank novel. My family had undergone a serious money trouble when I was younger. They couldn't afford to keep me anymore. I was left on the door step of a tiny cabin. The man that lived there...well he was poor, too. But he kept me anyway. My early childhood was much like Cinderella's life with her step sisters and step mother. I would always clean and take care of his every needs. If I didn't do anything right, he would slap me. I hated living with that monster. One night, I chose to ran away from home. I was 15. I ran so fast. I was always afraid of him finding me. I came across a dock. It was still dark outside, but I could still see the beauty in front of me, the never ending ocean. I've never actually seen one so close before. I adored it so much. That was the first time I fell in love.
I eventually grew hungry the next morning. I had nothing but the dress I was wearing and my shoes. I walked inside a large, wooden place, seeking a job. I saw no women, just men. They all smirked at me. One even touched my long, brown hair. As I was about to turn and leave, an older man about in his late thirties approached me.
"Can I help you ma'm?"
"I would like a job. I have no money." I said softly.
He looked me up and down. "I have the perfect spot for you."
...
And that's how I ended up like this. I grew up thinking I was weak and useless. I never had a family to take care of me. I was always shy. Though through all of this, I still managed to be kind to everyone. I was now 17, with even longer hair (to my waist), and a better ability to attract the men that came in every day.
I changed into a red corset to make my green eyes pop, and a black mini skirt. I didn't wear any shoes. My boss said it's always best to show more skin to attract costumers. He supplied me with clothes like this for when I perform. When I worked as a waitress, I wore a short, brown dress with a white apron. I used to keep my hair up then, but the men always took it down.
"Ready?" My boss peeked his head in.
I nodded, ready for another sleazy performance.
I walked to the side door, which led to the small stage. I could hear cheering from the men out there. As my boss introduced me, I walked out, moving my hips a little. I was taught to do that, too. The men cheered louder, and some threw splashes of beer at me. I tried my best to keep a smile on my face. My boss was now at the piano, and started hitting the keys. The melody was slow, which most of the songs were.
I waved at the men and then swayed my hips. My performance was always sleazy. I hated it. But if it gave me money, then it was worth it. Some men even throw coins at me. My boss calls them tips. The men whistled and laughed; their normal drunken ways. As I was about to finish the song, one man came close to the stage and pulled my leg. I fell and scratched my knee on the wood. The man just laughed and slapped my leg. I sighed and stood up, wincing at the pain in my knee. I decided I was done for the day and left to the dressing room.
My boss ran inside. "That was amazing! Especially that fall. All the guys loved the view you gave them." He quickly slapped my butt.
I sighed again. "I think I've had enough for today."
"Well they certainly enjoyed it. Go ahead and turn in for the night. You earned it." He smiled and walked back to the bar.
I decided I needed fresh and non-alcoholic air. I went outside and walked to my favorite spot, the dock. I sat down and let my feet drop into the salty water. The sea waves relaxed me all the time.
I flinched when someone grabbed my hair, making me stand up. He pulled me to his chest, back first, and put a knife to my cheek.
"I wasn't done with you, sweetie." The man who tripped me.
"Please, just let me go." I whispered.
He laughed. "Why would I let go of something so precious?" He dragged me to a dark area in between two buildings.
I tried to keep calm. This rarely happened. Except, the other guy didn't threaten me with a knife to my cheek.
"Be a good girl and don't scream." He smirked and started kissing my neck. He then started biting me. I gasped and tried pushing him away. He pushed me up against the wall. "You do as I say." He cut my arm with the knife.
I yelped and felt tears drip down my face. He slapped me with a strong force.
"Don't make me tell you again, sweetie."
"Leave me alone, please!" I gasped out.
He jerked me to the hard ground. I felt sharp pain all over me. He was beating me with his fists. I screamed for someone to help me. The pain got worse and worse.
"Hey!"
I didn't look up, I couldn't.
"Can't you see I'm busy." My kidnapper said.
Then I heard a sharp sound. I didn't know what it was, but it sounded like a weapon. I also heard a chain, too. I then heard grunting and more of the chain. It sounded like a fight. Then, it all fell silent. I had my head on the cold ground, my hair blocking most of my face. My hair was then removed from my face. I flinched. His hand froze. The person in front of me wasn't the man who tried to kill me. He scooped me up into his arms. I didn't know what he was doing. He didn't seem harmful. He actually just saved my life. I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. I was sore and the cut on my arm stung. I could hear the waves again. It wasn't long until I blacked out.
...
I opened my eyes and looked around. I wasn't at the bar. It took a moment until the events of the night before flashed into my mind. I looked at my arm, which now had a bandage on it. There was a wet cloth on my forehead. I took it off and set it down on a small table next to me. I was laying on a small bed. The room was slightly swaying. I didn't feel like I was on the ground anymore. There was a tiny round window to my left. I stood up, feeling a bit weak, and headed towards it. I stood on my bare toes and looked out. I gasped. All I could see was ocean.
The door opened. "Miss?"
I jumped and turned around. A dark skinned man wearing a white long sleeved shirt approached me. I suddenly got scared again.
"You shouldn't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
"Are you the man who saved me?" I asked in a quiet voice.
"Oh, no I wasn't. That was Nathan."
"Nathan?"
He grabbed the cloth and motioned for me to sit on the bed. I did as he asked, shyly, and he dabbed my face gently. "He's the chef on the ship."
"Why am I on a ship? Are we not in Winchester anymore?"
"I'm afraid not. I insisted on letting you go back but the captain ordered that you stay."
"W-what?" I was getting nervous and scared.
"Just relax. They're all on the deck. Would you like to go meet them?"
All? I nodded slowly. Better to get this over with. He took my hand and led me out several steps until I saw sunlight. I froze once I saw all the men standing before me. One had light brown hair that covered his ears and a blue vest over his shirt. The one standing next to him had an eye patch, and a stern expression. There was a younger looking one with light red hair. There was one that looked a lot older and dressed the most differently. He must be the captain. The last had a bandanna over his head, and he was looking at me in a weird way. He eyed the bandage on my arm. I looked at them all shyly.
The dark skinned man moved me forward to meet them. He stopped me in front of the younger man. "This is Thomas. He's almost as new as you are to the ship."
Thomas patted my shoulder. "It's nice to meet you."
I smiled at him.
"And this is Russell."
The long, brown haired one eyed me. I tried to avoid his stare.
"And um...this is Eduardo." The one with the eye patch.
He glared at me as well. Something told me they didn't like me.
"Oh, and this is our captain, Morgan."
He put his arm around me. "Why hello there young lady."
I tensed up a bit. "Hi..."
He laughed and took his arm off me. "Shy one..."
We came across the last one. "And this is-"
"Nathan." The one with the bandanna.
"You're the one who saved me..." I smiled a little.
He simply nodded.
"Thank you. I really appreciated that."
After a small moment of silence, the dark skinned one spoke. "Oh, and I'm Christopher."
"Oh," I smiled. "Are you the doctor?"
He nodded. "I patched you up."
"Well, thank you."
"So, you know all of our names. What is yours?" The captain asked.
"Camellia." I always got a little shy when saying my name. It was so unique. I had no idea what the meaning behind it was.
"Camellia? What kind of name is that?" Russell said.
I became embarrassed and blushed a little. "I don't know..." I whispered.
"Russell, don't give her a hard time. She's been through a lot." Chris patted my shoulder.
He crossed his arms and scoffed.
I looked down at myself, remembering that I was wearing revealing clothing. I became very aware of my surroundings.
"Well I think she should stay with me. She'd be better off with an older man anyway." Morgan put his arm around my waist. I got scared and lightly pushed him off.
"Why do I need to stay with anyone?" I asked in a quiet tone.
"Well you cant sleep out here on the deck." Thomas pointed out.
"Why would I-"
"We don't have a spare room for you. You will have to share with one of us." Christopher said in a little embarrassed tone.
"You should stay with me. I can make you feel pretty comfortable." The captain winked at me.
"Let her chose, Captain." said Christopher.
I looked at everyone. Russell and Eduardo glared at me, Thomas gave me a friendly smile, Christopher stood at my side, giving me no pressure but I could tell he felt a little embarrassed about this. The captain winked again. I then looked over at Nathan. He just stared at me. I looked into those brown eyes and felt warm all of a sudden. I then spoke without thinking.
"Nathan..."
The captain pouted. "Damn..."
Nate seemed a little shocked but then shrugged it off.
"Alright," Morgan sighed, "show her your room, Nathan."
He started walking in front of me and I followed. I had a feeling I wasn't going to see Winchester for a long time.
