Chapter 1

 

Eunjin wakes up quickly as the water splashes all over her face. She gasps and stares at the pirate's furious face. The pirate scoffs and he throws the bucket onto the floor harshly.

 

"Better get to work, peasant." The pirate says and walks away. His crew looks at her and smirks, "Guess you don't need any shower ey?"

 

Eunjin sighs and gets up from her bed. The captain is no joke; he is cold, mean and he can be aggressive when he needs to. Everything about him and his crews are hideous.

 

This isn't the funny captain hook that has a hook as a hand in peter pan stories. This is the modern era. There are guns, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns everywhere.

 

Avant-Garde: Innovative, modern, advance and revolutionary. It is the name of the ship that Eunjin and the others are imprisoned in. The captain is Kim Hyunjoong. He kidnapped all adolescents and teenagers that live in the village near the sea. They're brought into Avant-Garde and then sailed.

 

Eunjin puts on her apron and walks towards the stove limply. She greets the other people who were abducted by the pirates. “Good morning.”  "Good morning too, Eunjin."

 

Eunjin heats the frying pan and cooks an egg once it's heated. "Why are we even here?" Her friend, Yoona asks.

 

Eunjin answers without looking at her, "We're obviously kidnapped. They probably need us to work for them... Or sell us."

 

Yuna sighs, "Do you think... They killed our family?" Eunjin shrugs, "I have no idea."

 

"They're not moving the ship. The ship is not sailing, why's that? Don't you think it's weird?" Yoona asks. "It is."

 

Yoona scoffs, "I don't understand... If they need some workers to work for any departments in this ship, why isn't it sailing? Isn't ships are supposed to sail every time? Leeteuk said that there’s no island around us."

 

"I definitely have no idea, Yoona. Maybe they’re waiting for the transit time." Eunjin sighs.

 

"Where's the food?!"

 

The sound of some voices talking harshly is echoing outside the kitchen. Yoona scoffs, "On the way! Eunjin, please get the eggs ready. I'll prepare the trays."

 

Eunjin nods, slowly flipping the egg on the frying pan. "I've never thought that pirates still exist in these modern days." Yoona says while slicing the chicken on a tray.

 

"Anyone with a boat or a ship can be one." Eunjin puts the egg on a plate, passing it to Yoona.

 

"Don't forget the weapons; a complete package to be a pirate." Yoona says.

 

"Where's the bloody food?!"

 

Yoona scoffs, "Coming right away!" She puts the trays on the belt and activates the switch. The belt then moves slowly to the canteen where the pirates took each tray for themselves quickly.

 

A crew suddenly barges in the kitchen, making everyone flinch.

 

"The captain wants a chicken chop with black pepper sauce. Put some mushrooms on top of the chicken and don't you dare put any sauce in the coleslaw."

Yoona shakes her head, "We ran out of chicken. We only have fishes and other seafood."

 

The crew rolls his eyes, "Well . I'll be right back."

 

Yoona and Eunjin stare each other and sigh. "Hopefully the captain doesn’t make us find chickens in the middle of the sea." Yoona says.

 

Eunjin shrugs, "We never know."

 

 

 

"Who made the fish and chip for the captain just now?"

 

Yoona and Eunjin stare each other before Yoona raises her hand slowly, "I did."

 

"The captain wants to see you."

 

Eunjin bits her lower lip, "May we know why?" The crew just stares at her coldly; making her heart beats fast, "Never mind."

 

The crew grips his hand onto Yoona's arm, slightly dragging her with him. Eunjin stares at her as she's taken away to the captain's office.

 

"The fish and chip was delicious." The captain says and Yoona looks down, "Thank you, sir."

 

The captain wipes his hands to a towel when he gets out of the bathroom. Hyunjoong then stares at her, "One of the reasons I made you as a chef on this ship is because... You were a chef in your old village right?"

 

Yoona nods, "Yes sir."

 

"I love your cooking." Hyunjoong sits on his chair opposite Yoona. He then continues, "However I don't appreciate the way you used food to kill me."

 

Yoona's eyes widened, "Sir... Wh-"

 

"Hush. Speak when I told you to. Maybe you're just playing a little prank on me by making me have diarrhea. Charcoal medicine won't kill me, Yoona. Neither could it kill a new born baby."

 

Yoona looks down.

 

"Tell me, Yoona. Where did you get the charcoal medicine?" Hyunjoong asks. Yoona sighs, "From Zhang Yixing. I told him that my friend needed the medicine."

 

"Oh, the doctor. Now, now... Why did you put that medicine in my food?" He asks and Yoona tears up, "I... It... I was only... It was a sick joke, I'm sorry..."

 

Hyunjoong nods slowly, “Alright. You may leave.”

 

Yoona frowns. That’s it? Won’t he be killing me now? She bows a little before turning around and walks out of the door quickly, “Thank you sir.”

 

Hyunjoong stares at his paper works, “Bring Doctor Zhang Yixing to me.” The crew nods, “Right away, Captain.” 

 

 

Eunjin rubs Yoona’s back as she keeps on vomiting. Yoona presses her stomach when she feels the pain. Eunjin steps out of the toilet and Yoona quickly shuts the door. She groans and cries from the toilet as she is having diarrhea too. Eunjin shouts, “I’ll be right back Yoona!”

 

She runs out of her dorm, straight to Yixing’s room. “Yixing! Yixing! Are you there?”

 

Yixing opens the door, “Eunjin? What is it?” Eunjin pants heavily, “Yoona has a diarrhea… Do you have any medicine for that?” Yixing nods slowly, “I have but…”

 

“But…?” Eunjin asks. Yixing sighs, “I’m not allowed to give her the medicine. They’re taken by the captain. This evening, the captain was the one who ordered his man to put charcoal medicine into her drink. It was his payback for what Yoona had done.”

 

“What had Yoona done?” Eunjin gasps. Yixing looks at her, “She puts the charcoal medicine into the captain’s meal this evening, making him sick.” Eunjin scoffs, “Stupid Yoona. What was she thinking? I’ll have to ask for the medicine from the captain himself. Thanks doctor!”

 

Yixing shouts as she runs, “I’m still a trainee!”

 

Eunjin swallows hard when the crews are staring at her while guarding the captain’s room. “What do you want?” One of the crews asks. Eunjin breathes in, “I want to see the captain.”

 

The crews stare each other.

 

“Go on.” The crew knocks the door and opens it for Eunjin. She steps in the room nervously. Hyunjoong is typing something on his laptop and he stops for a second, “What do you need?” The crew steps back, “This girl wants to see you.” Hyunjoong looks up, “Anything?”

 

As the crew walks out of the room, Eunjin starts talking, “I… am Yoona’s friend.”

 

Hyunjoong nods, “I see. Medicine? Here it is.” He throws the medicine on his table and Eunjin quickly takes it. Hyunjoong continues to type on his laptop, “Tell her next time… she better knows better.”

 

“Thank you, sir.” Eunjin turns around but then stops. She turns to face the captain again. Nervously, she asks, “Why do you stop in Atlantic?”

Hyunjoong stops typing again and slowly looks up to her, “We are… resting.”

 

Eunjin turns around again to leave but then she froze.

 

Hyunjoong asks, “How do you know we’re in Atlantic?” Eunjin turns to face him again, “I don’t know…”

 

And that is when a loud bang was heard from outside the room. The sound of guns shooting are heard everywhere, making Eunjin pale.

 

“We’re the air force and the marine! Put down your gun and no one shall be harmed!”

 

Hyunjoong gets up from his seat. His face is tensed and he stares at Eunjin, “Get out of my room.”

 

Eunjin hesitates. There is literally a chaos outside where people are shooting each other and he wants her to walk out into the danger. However, she follows it anyway. She runs outside and looks at three helicopters and seven marine boats are surrounding the ship.

 

Air. She can feel the air. All of these times, she was kept underneath. But today, she’s here. She’s breathing the real fresh air since the Captain’s room is at the top; not like the canteen, prisons, and the dorms.

 

Eunjin sprints to the ladder, sliding down to save herself from the chaos. She runs to her dorm and bangs on the toilet door once she got there. “Yoona! I got the medicine! Open the door.”

 

She takes two pills and a glass of plain water. She shoves them to Yoona once she opened the door. Yoona takes the pills, swallowing them together with the plain water. She falls to the floor, crying her heart out. “It’s alright… Everything’s going to be alright. Be strong, Yoona. The marines and the air force are here!”

 

Yoona stares at her wide-eyed.

Eunjin smiles to her, “We’re going to get out of this Atlantic Ocean.”

 

Yoona frowns slightly, “How do you know we’re in Atlantic?” Eunjin’s smile turns to a frown too when her friend asks that. Eunjin feels weird. She is confident enough to say that they’re on the Atlantic.

 

“I don’t know…”