An enormous headache crashed my head, that was resting against a slightly wet, wooden surface. I tried opening my eyes. Somehow they could not adjust to my surroundings. It was dark but a burst of light came from above, hiding the shadows in an even blacker darkness. The whole room stank. It smelled like rotten fish and seaweed. I tried to get up but with my hands bound together on my my back, it was a lot harder than I thought. Finally when I got myself to sit up, leaning against the wooden wall all sweat and dizzy, I tried opening my eyes again. It was still dark but at least my eyes could handle it now and vaguely the shapes of obstacles in front of me appeared in the void of light. I was in a small square room with on one side only metal bars. A prison. It seemed as if the room was moving, my stomach flipping over and over by the lack of vast ground. My head was still aching and I tried my best to keep everything inside while closing my eyes and focusing on breathing.

« What a coincidence? » a sneering voice bursted through the darkness. « How odd to see you here. » With one eye open I searched the source of the croaky voice. In the corner, on the other side of the bars, the drunken sailor from the port was sitting, clamping an empty bottle between his greasy fingers. « Sometimes you should take my advice, kid. » But then he faced the other side of the corridor and yelled « Sleeping Beauty has awoken! » His screaming made my head almost explode. Immediately I noticed the rushed movements from all around me. Even above and underneath the prison I was put in to. « Where am I? » I asked, my voice still croaky from being incautious. « Not so clever, huh? Enjoy your stay on the Serena, kid. You wanted to be here so badly anyways... » The man said before he left me alone in the dark smelly cell. Apparently the Serena hadn't left after the robbery. I don't know how long I had been there, but when the evening fell someone made his way to my cel. I recognized his almost elegant tred as a Captain. I stretched out, lunging towards the bars. « How could you steal from your friend? » I sneered. The wicked smile he had carried seconds ago vanished and was replaced by a tired lift of one of the corners of his mouth.

« What are you even doing here, boy? » He asked, his voice as husky as when he and Mr. Rovers were remembering the good old times. There was no sign of madness in his pale blue eyes. I tried to speak up but he rose his hand to shut me up. « Listen, you're not honoring your friends family by being prisoned on a ship, miles away from home. Don't even think you made it. The only reason I didn't kill you, is because I can use you. You're young and in good shape. I need someone to take care of my ship. » I glared him down. « Come on, kid. If I wanted to kill I would've done it before you even woke up. I wouldn't even have to do it myself, I'll just throw you over board. » I kept my mouth shut. « You have the choice: or you work on my ship, minding your own business, or you die. » He backed away as if to giving me the room to think. « Fine. » I hissed from underneath my breath.

He came back closer. « Good choice,kid. You're not as stupid as you look like. Now, when I open the lock and untie you, you follow me.Understood. You don't look anyone in the eye. You don't talk to anyone unless they speak to you. You do exactly what I want you to do. Understood? » He opened the door of my cell and freed me. I followed him upstairs, not even trying to escape. He was right, there was no escape from the floating Mystery as we were not even near the civilized world. « This is my treasure, the Serena. » He said and walked into the dimmed sunlight on the deck, his arms spread out. I stepped outside, my eyes adapted to the evening sky. A buzz was spread on the ship. The chaos seemed coordinated. Nobody looked at where they stepped and seemed to be adjusted perfectly to the others. They didn't even look up as I passed by. I followed Dickens and soon went through another door on the other side of the deck. Dickens handed me a bucket and a rag. « Just keep rubbing the deck, make sure the wood doesn't get the chance to rot. Capice? » Without saying a word, I took the bucket and the rag and started heading back before his hand gripped around my upper arm. « No tricks. » His voice sounded raw. I could see the dirt in his beard, his skin rough and tanned from staying in the sun for too long. His eyes were so pale and blue it seemed as if I was looking at the sky after a hurricane. « No, sir. » He grinned. « Captain it is. »

When he left me alone, I commenced doing what I was told sopping the rag into the ice cold water. « No backbone, huh? » a familiar, soft voice spoke behind me. I looked back to see the girl from the party. She was almost a complete other person wearing tight leather trousers tucked in smooth boots that reached the half of her calves. The extremely loose shirt wasn't held together by a corset like the dress would have leaving her thin figure a mystery for those who didn't know her. Her hair was loose and constantly being played with by the wind. I sighed and rolled my eyes. « What's wrong, handsome. I didn't cut out your tongue, now did I? » She sat down cross-legged beside me. I looked up to face her but she wasn't turned in my direction. Instead she looked at the first stars of the night. « Beautiful, isn't it? » She asked me. Amazed by the turn of events I throw down the rag into the bucket. « What are you doing? Knocking me down, stealing from my friends and now pretending it didn't happen and asking me about the bloody stars? Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you, not at all. » I took the rag again and scratched my skin in my attempts to control my anger towards the wet wood. Without even looking at me, Mystery Girl replied « Sad story, handsome. But I want to talk to you. The others have told me everything already and I'm bored. » I wondered how you could be bored on a giant ship like this but I ignored her. With a sigh she got up. « See you soon. Goodnight. » And with that she left me alone on the strange ship.

The next morning, a sudden punch woke me up. I had found a spot behind some crates and a filthy blanket to keep me warm. Mystery Girl hang above me, her dark hair almost touching my face. « Good morning sunshine! » She poked my side. I pulled the thin blanket higher towards my shoulders. It was a question to me, how she found my hidden spot but I continued ignoring her. « Still mad at me? That's a shame, I brought you breakfast. But if you're not interested, the more there's left for me. » She started walking away, her boots sounding hollow on the wooden planks. « Fine. Hand it over. » I said as my stomach was disapproving the silent treatment I gave her as it was craving the food. I pushed the blanket away and looked at the poor breakfast she gave to me. Some bread and butter, that was everything. But after not having eaten the last day, every piece of food was welcome. « I always knew boys were hungry, but this...This is a love of food I have never had the luck to witness. » She taunted. It was the first time I noticed how she had a completely different accent. « Listen, if you're..mm.. only here to mock me, you should..go. » I said my mouth filled with bread. « But that's the only reason why I'm here. » she exclaimed and smiled. « Paulina! » the early morning voice of Dickens yelled above our heads. « Ay! » she yelled back and got up. « Gotta go, see ya. »

Paulina. That morning, was the first mystery I solved from Mystery Girl.