student. He is smart and quick, with an amazing memory and perseverance. He works hard. And he can read.”
The captain stared at me, his eyebrow arched even higher. My passionate defence of Wyck must’ve amused him, especially since no one was actually attacking Wyck at the moment. I had jumped into a fight that wasn’t there, punching the air instead of an opponent.
“Looks like I got you a good defender,” Vrateus said with a spark of humour in his orange cat-eyes.
“Yes. He is good at defending too,” I said earnestly.
“I was talking to Wyck, this time.” The captain’s firm lips twitched, his severe expression melting into a smile. “You’re his defender. A very passionate one, too.”
“Oh...” I shifted in my seat.
A ramble of laughter suddenly erupted next to me. I spun in my chair to find Wyck laughing heartily. Svetlana’s soft chuckle joined the roaring sound. She leaned over Vrateus’s shoulder, hugging him from behind.
“Come here, my vicious defender.” Wyck dragged me out of my chair and into his lap. “Thank you for standing up for me, sugar.” He said with a warm kiss on my lips.
The merry mood at the table caught on like a wild fire. I let out a burst of happy laughter, too, hugging Wyck’s neck.
“You’re worth fighting for, darling.”
He leaned back, catching my gaze. “I’ve never heard you laugh before. And now I never want to stop hearing the sound of it.”
Chapter 21
APPARENTLY, A HUMAN being could get used to anything, even life on the Dark Anomaly. Or at least, I could. It helped that the four of us had managed to create a pretty decent life for ourselves here.
After a week of living with Wyck, Vrateus, and Svetlana on the ship, we all fell into a routine.
The thick slab of metal that blocked the entrance had been mounted on tracks and fitted with several locks. This way, it made for a sturdy, secure sliding door. Vrateus also made sure to bring on board all tools that could be used to cut through it, making our living here that much safer.
Vrateus, Wyck, and Lesh left the ship right after breakfast. By now, Wyck had become not just the head of the captain’s guard, he was also the only errock guard Vrateus fully trusted. Together, they did what needed to be done to keep the Dark Anomaly running and all of us inside it alive.
Both men were firmly against Svetlana and me going out on our own, even if the two of us were armed and went together. They were convinced that two women would present a doubly attractive target for the crew—too tempting not to attack.
With Wyck and Lesh for escort, Svetlana would leave for the kitchen in the afternoon, to cook enough food for the crew to last for the next twenty-four hours. I stayed behind with not much to do.
I ended up rearranging the remaining cameras in the living area. Then, I set them up to record at certain times of the day. Taking videos of some of our mealtimes or conversations felt like making a family movie. I didn’t do it for sponsors or for anyone else out there. I simply had more happy moments in my life that I wished to keep a record of.
Before their move, Svetlana also used to work in the gardens in the mornings, helping Malahki, the damirian gardener. However, Vrateus had cancelled that task. He said Malahki had informed him that her help was no longer necessary, and I knew the captain was relieved she now spent most of her time securely locked on the ship with me.
I liked having Svetlana to keep me company. I waited with excitement for Wyck and Vrateus to come home in the evening. All four of us often had dinner together.
There was a feeling of normalcy in this routine. Sometimes, I had to remind myself that nothing about this situation was normal. I wasn’t spending my time behind the closed doors because I liked it that way. I kept hiding from what awaited me outside if I stuck my head out.
Every night after dinner, all of us had been working on the escape capsule. We had managed to patch up the door to our satisfaction. However, Svetlana had some upsetting news after reviewing the data of the capsule’s system.
“This one is more sophisticated than the one on my suit was,” she muttered under her breath, scrolling through pages and pages of data on the console inside the capsule. “This system