[b]Cassandra[/b]

Some time had passed since Cassie had first been thrown into the room. She wasn't entirely sure how much but a few hours at least. She was so restless locked in this small space. Her attempts to unlock the door proven to be futile and when she'd try to peer through the keyhole, her view had been obstructed. She wondered if it were because the key remained in the door. Nobody had come to bring her food like the man had said before. She was glad that she did not still eat or she might have grown faint and weak with hunger and thirst... Of course, she was still thirsty. Incredibly so. Often boots passed by the door and she listened to the heartbeats of the men they belonged to, smelled their blood through the wooden walls. She was so desperately thirsty now. As much as the idea of drinking blood had repulsed her in the beginning, she could recall how much better it made her feel. Stronger, more alert with less of a fire in her throat. She craved the feeling of sinking her teeth into flesh and feeling it give beneath them...of the hot, delicious liquid that would pool into her mouth...

Eventually the thirst grew too much for Cassie. The ship around her had grown more quiet and she rose to her feet again, crossing quietly to the door. She listened intently again for the sound of boots or breathing but there was nothing and she bent to her knees. Tearing a strip from the end of her dress, Cassie pushed it underneath the door, directly below where the handle sat. Carefully, she knocked her waist against the door and heard a rattling. Her eyes widened slightly in the dark room. The key was there. She tried again, firmer this time, and heard it fall. Pressing her ear to the floor, Cassie saw that the key had landed half on the fabric she had pushed through and she gently began to pull it towards her, knowing that one wrong movement would knock it onto the floor and out of her reach. Finally, however, and much to her delight, she managed to pull the key through to her side of the door.

Cassandra's chest felt tight with relief and she tried to focus as she stood and slowly unlocked the door. It was old and stiff but finally the lock gave and she was able to open the door. Again, she listened carefully, waiting for the sound that would indicate someone had heard her but nothing came. The only sounds that reached her was the distant beating of hearts and the calls from the men further in the ship. Even the sounds from the deck were very quiet. After pausing for another moment, Cassie took a deep breath and forced herself to exit the room. She took the key with her and slipped it in the other side of the door where it had been before closing it over behind her. 

If she were found out here now, there would be trouble. She was very aware that she might be the only woman aboard the ship and that not all of those that found her would simply return her to her room unharmed. She needed to be incredibly careful. Her attention was on the sounds around her. She listened intently as she passed by closed doors and came to stop outside one of them. There was a crew member inside, she could smell his blood through the wood, but his breathing was slow and even along with his heartbeat. Asleep. She knew it even before the soft snores reached her. This was her only chance to feed and if she was going to survive, she would need to take it.

Opening the door, Cassie quickly scanned the room. It, like the one she was in, was small and bare. Bunks lined the walls and there were a number of chairs and personal belongings scattered about. Only one of the cots was occupied by a man lying on his side with his back to her. She crossed the room to him, her feet making barely a noise on the floor beneath her. Her eyes darkened as she approached and her incisors lengthened and grew sharp. His scent was filling her head, making it difficult to think through the bloodlust. She crouched down next to him and lowered her mouth to his bared throat. He tensed as she bit down and then relaxed as she pulled the first taste of blood into her mouth. He wouldn't wake while she was feeding. Whatever happened once she bit a human caused them to relax and grow lethargic. She was not worried of him attacking her now. She drank deeply from him, the delicious, hot liquid coating her burning throat and easing some of the thirst. It settled her nerves and sharpened her senses and she could feel herself growing more aware of what was happening around her. The taste was incredible and she wondered how she could possibly stop drinking until she heard the beat of his heart grow a little fainter. She lifted her mouth at once and sealed the wounds with her tongue, afraid of killing him though she had vowed to take all of their lives not long ago. 

Even if she could not kill him...she could still take some form of revenge. Dark thoughts clouded Cassie's mind. She thought of her family, the staff in her house. What if they were dead? What if they had been tortured and abused while she'd been taken? She lifted her wrist to her mouth and bit down, wincing as her teeth pierced her own flesh. Blood slowly seeped from the wound as she held it upside down, her lack of a heartbeat making it a little more difficult. She parted the man's lips and waited as some of her own blood dropped into his mouth. Part of her felt incredibly guilty for what she was doing. She had hated what Johnathon had made her, after all, but these men deserved it. Perhaps they would not bring so much grief upon the world if they had their own to deal with. 

Rising to her feet, Cassie sealed her own wounds with her tongue and watched the man for a moment. He still slept soundly and she wondered if what she was trying to attempt would even work. Johnathon had done this to her, but she didn't fully understand how everything worked. Perhaps there was a certain method to it that she didn't know. Either way, she hoped that when the crew learned of what was happening aboard their ship they would make port sooner. Perhaps she could escape then. Perhaps this man would even help her, since she had been the one to sire him.

She had wasted too much time here and Cassie worried that she would be found. She left the room and hurried back along the corridor to her own, closing the door behind her and wishing she didn't have to lock herself away like this when she'd been free. It wouldn't do for them to suspect she had anything to do with the turning of that man. 

[b]Jamie[/b]

The food aboard the Lust Pillager was not always appetizing but Jamie looked forward to this time of day the most. It always felt good to be inside and warm with his new family and not have to run about for once. As long as he had something warm and filling in his belly, he was usually content. Tonight was no different but he had grown tired and his thoughts were still on the lady that the men had brought aboard. He wondered if she had yet been fed but when he tried to ask the cook for seconds for the captive, his words were met with a laugh and a "Fuck off outta tha'." 

So, Jamie sat back down next to some of the younger members of crew and made the most of the warmth from the crowd of men while he could. Some days could be blisteringly hot aboard the ship but the nights always grew cold. Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy and he rose from the bench he was sitting on to head back to his bunk. He would be roused early in the morning, as he was every morning, and he wanted to make the most of his time to rest.

Most of the hallways were quiet as most of the men who weren't still working liked to gather in the Mess for their evenings. He would get some peace and quiet before the rest of them retired for the night. Jamie had just turned the corridor when a flash of cream caught his attention. Sleepily, he lifted his head just in time to see the woman slip back into her room and close the door behind her. Jamie frowned, had they not locked the door once they'd put her inside? Surely they hadn't risked her getting out...but then, where would she go?

He crossed to her door and turned the key, locking it up. After all, he would only get the blame for letting her out if someone realized she'd escaped around the same time he had left the Mess. Especially since he'd been asking about giving her something to eat. He wondered if she had somehow picked the lock but the key had still rested in the door...where had she even been going?

"Whose there?" her voice called through the door and Jamie froze but didn't say anything. He wouldn't risk letting her know who he was in case she tried to use it against him somehow. He always felt badly for the captives but he didn't want to risk his own life for them. Turning away, he hurried back to his own room and climbed into his bunk. At least she hadn't escaped. The Captain would have gone insane.