Space Pirates 3: Russel's Revenge, Amber Riel [nonfiction book recommendations .txt] 📗

He figured they needed to start planning on the trips they were working on.

          “Well,” Olivia began, “we’re going to Twister because it’s closer to us first.”

          “Oh.”

          Zelda felt fear growing in side at the sound of the name.  She remembered the last time she was there she had seen a nightmare and didn’t want to return.  Twister was the one planet Zelda hated because of the devilish storm she seen the first time she had even been there.  “We’re going to Twister?”

          “Yea,” Olivia answered.

          “Oh.”

          Ben noticed that Zelda was growing queasy and knew something was wrong.  “Zelda, are you okay?”

          “I’m fine,” she lied.

          “Are you sure because you’re shaking?”

          “I’m sure.  I’m just going to go to the room; maybe scream in a pillow.”  She walked away, heading toward the office.

          Ben watched as she left.  “Okay.”

          “Ben, as long as you’ve been a pirate have you guys ever been to Twister?” Olivia asked.  She figured she knew the answer but wanted to make sure she was right.

          “No.”

          Olivia waited a minute before continuing.  “Do you know why?”

          Ben thought about it and he actually didn’t know why.  He knew Zelda more than anyone but had no clue why she never once suggested going to Twister.  “No.”

          Olivia looked down then back to Ben.  She figured Zelda hadn’t told him but couldn’t understand why.  “Ben, she doesn’t like Twister.  She hates going there.  She’s scared of all the twisters and hurricanes and all the other deadly storms…. She’s scared.”

          “Oh.”  Ben felt ashamed because after all those years working with Zelda and even now that they were married he had no clue.  She had never told him.  “I’m going to talk to her.”

          Olivia smiled.  “Good idea.”

          Ben left.

Return to Twister

          Zelda and Max sat on the bed in her office.  Zelda rubbed Max’s soft silky fur as he lied next to her.  “I’m scared, Max,” she admitted.  “I don’t want to go to Twister.  It’s one of the scariest planets.”

          Ben walked into the room and closed the door.  “Hey, honey.”

          Zelda sat up and let Max rest his head on her lap.  “Hey, baby,” she replied with a smile.  She was glad she had Ben.  He was the only one on either crew who could help her stay calm.

          Ben sat on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her letting her know that everything was going to be okay.  “Are you scared?”

          “No.”  Zelda kind of laughed, acting like it wasn’t human to feel fear although she was screaming on the inside.

          Max gave her a look which told her that wasn’t what she told him.

          Ben didn’t need to Max to let him know Zelda was lying though.  “Zelda?”

          Zelda didn’t want to tell her husband but she could hear the tone in his voice which told her he knew the truth.  “Okay.  Yes, I’m afraid.  I don’t like Twister.”  She almost began to burst into tears.

          “I know.”  Ben lifted up her chin so he could look into her beautiful brown eyes.  “Olivia told me.”  He paused for a brief moment.  “Zelda, you don’t always have to act tough.  We’re married now and if you’re scared of something then tell me.  It’s not like we’re little kids and I’m going to call you a chicken if you tell me that you’re afraid of something.  Heck, there’s times when I’m scared,” he admitted, “and I know that there are going to be times in the future when I’m going to be scared.  Remember, if you’re scared of something, I’m here for you to hold and I’ll protect you.  Okay?”

          Zelda wrapped her arms around Ben in a hug.  “Okay.  I love you, Ben.”

          “I love you too, Zelda.”

          There was a long peaceful pause as they sat in silence.

          “Ben, do you think we’re moving too fast?” Zelda asked.

          “No.”  Ben kind of laughed at Zelda’s question.  “We’re married.”

          “Not us,” Zelda replied, breaking out of the hug as she began looking around.  “The ship…. I think it’s moving too fast.”

          “Oh.”  Ben felt kind of embarrassed.  “It is.”

          “Can you go tell whoever’s driving to slow down?”

          “No one’s driving.”

          “What about the Black Velvet?”

          “Nope.”

          “That only means on thing….” Zelda hugged Ben again, wrapping her grip around him even tighter than she had before.  She was too afraid to let go of him.  “We’re on Twister.”

 

          Olivia’s hair flew in the wind as the ships landed on the deadly grey planet.  “Well, we’re on Twister.”

          “Should we go get Zelda and Ben?” John asked.

          Olivia noticed Ben and Zelda heading toward them.  “Well, we could but there wouldn’t be a point.”

          John turned to see Zelda holding onto Ben for dear life.  “Hey, you two…. Are you guys ready to go?”

          “We’re not going.  Peter and Jeremy are going instead,” Ben answered.

          “Why?”

          “Zelda doesn’t want to go and I’m going to stay here and protect her.  We’re going to stay in the wine cellar.”

          “Hey, Zelda…. Remember,” Olivia joked, “you can’t drink any rum now.”

          Zelda smiled.  “I know.”

          “We’re going to hang in the wine cellar…. More safer.”  Ben looked up at the ugly grey sky.  He didn’t like the look of it.  “I think that everyone else should join us, including Max and Donny.  I don’t like the look of the clouds.”  He turned his attention back toward Olivia and John.  “Be careful, you guys.”

          “Don’t worry.  We’ll be fine.”  John didn’t want his brother to worry.  They were pirates and this was an adventure for them.

 

          Olivia, John, Jeremy, and Peter walked around the empty town on Twister.  Some of the houses and stores looked old because of the storms.  The town was deserted.  It had looked like a ghost town.  Olivia spotted a sign on one of the light post.  She walked over to it to read what was written.  The wind had hit her face with sand.  She used her hands to block the sand from smacking her in the face.  She read the sign.  It had mentioned a celebration for the one hundredth twister which was dated for that day.

          “Who would come to this planet in their right mind?” John asked.

          “Us,” Jeremy answered.

          “Well,” Olivia said as she turned to face them, “we don’t have a choice.  Those bounty hunters need to be stopped.”

          They listened as the wind began to pick up again.  Peter turned around to watch as a twister began to form in the distance.

          “All we have to do is get what we need then we leave.”

          “Guys….” Fear began to fill Peter’s body as he watched the twister.  “Um…. Guys.”

          “You guys got it?”

          “Yep,” John answered.

          “Yea,” Jeremy agreed.

          “Got it, Peter?” Olivia asked.

          Peter didn’t respond.

          “Peter?”

          “Look.”  Peter pointed to the funnel shaped cloud which had hit the ground in the distance.

          Olivia looked over at the twister.  “Oh my gosh.”

          “What do we do now?”

          “What do you mean what do we do now?” Olivia asked as she began to freak out.  “We run and take cover now.”

          They ran away from the twister to look for somewhere safe to hang out at.

 

          John found an opening of a basement.  “In here!” he called as he opened the basement door.

          All of them quickly hurried into the basement.  John closed the door behind him and Jeremy had a long big piece of wood to block it.

          John turned to face everyone in the dim lit room.  “Is everyone here?”

          “Yea,” Peter, Jeremy, and Olivia replied.

          Keaton and Romano were also in the basement, hiding.  They walked over to the four pirates.  “We’re here too,” they both replied.

          “Keaton?  Roman?” John asked.

          “Yea,” Keaton answered.

          “That’s us,” Romano agreed.

          “Aren’t you two bounty hunters?”

          “Yea…. And you four are pirates.”

          “Do you guys know what you guys are supposed to do to us?”

          “Yea…. We have to kill you guys.”

          “Then why aren’t you?”

          “There’s no room in here,” Keaton replied.

          “Then let’s go outside.”

          “No way, man,” Keaton answered as he began to freak out thinking about the storm which was brewing outside.  “Did you see that twister out there?  That thing will kill us all.  Right, Romano?”

          “Right,” Romano agreed.

          “Wow…. Two big tough bounty hunters are scared like little children.  Now that’s funny.”  Olivia laughed.

The Dreaded Storm

          Both of the crews were in the wine cellar of the White Rose.  Ben held onto Zelda, keeping her in a hug so she wouldn’t be as afraid.  They sat on a box next to the staircase as they heard a loud and worrisome noise as something hit the ship, shaking it.

          “What was that?” Zelda asked, in panic and fear.

          “Don’t worry,” Ben told her with a soft calm voice.  He knew that if he went into panic mode then Zelda would have lost it.

          “But, Ben…. I’m scared,” she admitted with tears filling her eyes.

          “I got you.  Everything’s going to be okay.  I’ll protect you,” he reminded her.  “I’m not going to let go of you.” He squeezed her even tighter in his grip.

          While Ben was trying to help Zelda to relax, Scott and Paul were having some fun by scaring the crap out of Ryan.

          “Oh man,” Paul told him.  “You think this is scary wait ‘til it picks up the ship.”

          Zelda heard Paul’s words which made the fear inside of her a thousand times worse.

          “What?” Ryan asked about ready to break down into tears with fear.

          “Yea,” Scott agreed.  “And the ship will start spinning out of control.  Then the next thing you know….”

          “Make them stop,” Zelda told Ben as she looked up at him.

          “Okay,” he replied.  “You two need to stop,” he told his two jerky shipmates.

          “But,” Scott began with disappointment, “we’re scaring him.”

          “He’s not the only one you two are scaring.”

          “Oh.  Who’s that?”

          Ben pointed to Zelda then Scott and Paul began to feel horrible.  They hadn’t realized that their captain was afraid.

          “Oh.  Sorry, captain,” Paul told Zelda.

          “Yea,” Scott agreed.  “Sorry we won’t do it again.”

          “It should be clearing up soon.”  Zack had worked his way over to them.

          “Zelda,” Aaron replied, resting on the box across from Zelda and Ben, “there’s nothing to be afraid of.  A twister