Chapter 3

Jack was confused. He was in what appeared to be a classroom. He was sitting in a small desk with his legs crammed awkwardly under a tiny flat wooden desktop. It was attached to the chair by two aluminum tubes that were bolted to the side of the small chair. He hastily glanced around at the pastel green walls. Along the top, just below the ceiling, the letters of the alphabet ran around the entire room in large colorful letters. He saw a poster that read 'The mind is a terrible thing to waste.'

"Now remember class, you can divide by any number except zero," Mrs. Harmon, his 5th grade teacher said as she turned from the chalkboard.

'I'm dreaming, ' Jack thought. He looked around and saw his ten-year-old self sitting in the desk next to him. He watched as his younger self turned toward the class room door when Mrs. Donaldson, the assistant principal, stuck her head in and asked Mrs. Harmon to step out into the hallway.

After a moment, Mrs. Harmon came back in but left the door open. "Class, we have a new student," she said as a young girl with blond pigtails stepped into the room clutching her book bag in front of her nervously. "Everyone, say hello to Barbara Edwards."

Every young boy has a moment where he sees a beautiful girl and the realization hits him that girls have some fundamental power and attraction that he never knew existed until that moment. Older Jack could clearly see that spark of understanding written all over his younger self's face.

"Hi," the girl said to young Jack as she moved past him to sit in an empty desk a few rows behind.

He was so awestruck when she spoke that it took him by surprise. By the time he finally got his mouth open to say hello, she had already passed him.

The classroom faded and Jack blinked. He was sitting on a bench in the school quad. The quad was an open grassy area between the Math and English buildings where students congregated at lunch and between classes to socialize. Trees spotted the quad sporadically so that students could lounge in their shade. It must have been lunchtime because there were students all over, gathered in the mysterious groups that young people divide themselves by.

Jack glanced around and saw seventeen-year-old Barbara huddled in a group with some other girls. They were all wearing their cheerleader uniforms, and were in the middle of an animated discussion. Barbara had pulled her hair into a topknot allowing her blond tresses to cascade down around her head past her shoulders. The sun light shone through her golden hair as if Apollo himself was acknowledging her beauty.

A little distance away, Jack saw his teenage self eyeing the girls with a terrified expression. He was wearing his football jersey over a white tee shirt. Older Jack realized that it must be game day. The team always wore their jerseys to school on the day of a game.

Teenage Jack started toward the pack of females and then seemed to lose his courage. He started to walk away then stopped and shook his head as though irritated with himself. He turned, gathered his courage, and approached Barbara.

"Excuse me, Barbara?" he interrupted. His voice almost cracked with nervousness.

"Yes?" she said as she turned to him, a mildly surprised look on her face.

"Could I talk to you for a second?" teenage Jack asked and promptly looked at his shoes.

"Sure," Barbara said and walked a few feet away from her friends.

Teenage Jack followed her but glanced back at Barbara's friends when he heard them laughing. They were watching him and when he looked at them, they put their heads together before breaking into a fresh wave of giggles. He turned back to Barbara who waited with a questioning look on her pretty face.

Suddenly Jack was no longer watching from the bench but was inside his teenage self. He could feel his heart thumping like it was desperately trying to escape the confines of his chest. He could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead and on his palms as he clenched his fists nervously.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tomorrow night?" he asked, the words spilling out of him in a rush as though he were afraid that if he didn't ask quickly he would lose his nerve.

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry, I can't."

Jack's hopes crashed. "Oh, okay," he said. "That's cool." He turned away from her to go hide in the darkest place he could find.

"Wait," Barbara said, and he froze in mid turn. "I have to do this thing with my parents tomorrow night, but I would love to hang out with you tonight, after the game. If you want to, that is."

Joy exploded inside Jack's heart and it pounded even harder than before. The quad faded. Jack was staring down at Barbara. She gazed up at him with a slightly fearful expression. It was a year later and they were in Jack's room on his bed. They were both naked, and Jack was between her legs, his hard cock hovering rigidly near her pussy, straining against the condom that encased it.

"Are you sure, baby?" he asked. "It's okay if you want to wait."

"No, I'm ready," she said. "Just go slow, okay?" Her pretty face wore an expression of determination tinged with trepidation.

"Okay," he said, and moving his hips, searched for her entrance. He was a little embarrassed when after a few clumsy pokes she had to reach down and guide him to the right spot.

Once she had him positioned at the opening of her pussy she withdrew her hand and nodded for him to go ahead. He pushed forward and she sucked in a breath as he sought to enter her. He felt resistance and pushed a little harder. The pressure built for a second and then Barbara cried out as he breached her hymen and the head of his cock slipped inside her pussy.

"Oh, stop! Stop!" she cried, and Jack froze only just inside her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Give me a second," she said, as she fought against the pain of his intrusion. Her breathing slowly returned to normal. Jack's arms began to tire from holding himself above her as he waited for permission to continue. "Okay, go ahead, but go slow," she said when she was ready.

He pushed forward and slowly slid all the way into her. Her eyes locked with his and widened as he seated his cock fully inside her moist depths. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled down the side of her face.

Barbara's face faded and Jack found himself sitting in the front pew of a church. It had a large domed ceiling that had panes of stained glass depicting various biblical figures embedded in its octagonal shape. Light streamed through the glass, casting a myriad of colors throughout the church that somehow combined to light the interior without any one-color dominating.

His mother and father were seated beside him. His father had an arm around his mother's shoulders as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. He glanced behind him and saw the rest of his family and friends seated in the pews behind. He looked across the aisle and saw Barbara's loved ones filling the pews on the other side of the church.

He turned his gaze to the altar where his nineteen-year-old self and Barbara stood with a priest between them. Younger Jack wore a black tuxedo and looked as happy as a man could. Barbara was stunning in her wedding dress. The dress was off the shoulder and fit her figure beautifully before spreading out around her in folds of brilliant white. The subtle beadwork on the bodice accented the beauty of the woman and the dress. She gazed at young Jack with adoration plain for all to see written on her face.

"If any here see reason that these two should not be joined speak now or forever hold your peace," The priest said to the room at large, then gave the guests a perfunctory glance.

Jack didn't know why, but he felt compelled to speak out against the union. He opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated. There was a reason he shouldn't get married, but the reason hovered elusively on the edge of his mind. Then he remembered. The image of Barbara fucking Roger Chapman crashed into him.

"Wait! Stop!" Jack screamed, but the church was fading away and no one seemed to hear him.

Pleasure coursed through Jack's body. His eyes snapped open. He was lying on his bed with Barbara straddling him. Her long hair was mussed and sweat had darkened her blonde locks to a light brown. His cock was buried deep in her sweet pussy and he moaned as she raised and lowered her hips in a steady rhythm.

Jack gazed at the face of the woman he loved. He took in every detail. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and she was crinkling her nose in that adorable way she always did when they were making love. There were tiny beads of sweat dotting the skin above her full lips.

Her hands were resting on his chest, supporting her weight as she rode him. Her breasts hung seductively and swayed with her motions. Jack loved the way her small pink nipples stood out in contrast to her pale skin. He raised his hands and cupped them, halting their swaying motion. They felt heavy and wonderful in his hands and Barbara moaned as he caressed her taut nipples with his thumbs.

Her breathing quickened and her eyes snapped open. She locked gazes with Jack and began slamming her hips down onto Jack's cock as fast as she could. Her motions became erratic and her pussy clenched his shaft with her silken walls.

"Oh baby," she cried. "Yes! Yes! Oh god. Oh god! Jack, I'm gonna come baby."

She cried out and threw her head back as her orgasm crashed through her. Jack could only watch her, mesmerized by the sensual beauty of her climax. She froze at the height of her pleasure and then collapsed onto his chest. Jack wrapped her in his arms as she lay on him, gasping for breath.

"Damn that was good," she panted. "I love you Jack."

"I love you too, honey," he breathed into her hair.

"In fact, I love you so much that I have a special surprise for you," she said seductively, and pushed his hands above his head. Her breasts hung just above his face and he couldn't resist the desire to suck one of her pink nipples into his mouth. He rolled his tongue over the taut bud as she leaned over him stretching his hands farther up the bed.

He felt her fumbling with something above him and then he heard a metallic click. She had secured his wrists with a pair of handcuffs that weaved through the brass bars of their headboard. He felt a rush of alarm, but quickly relaxed; Barbara would never hurt him.

"You're gonna love this, baby," she said and slowly lifted up off him. His hard cock gradually appeared and hit his stomach with a slap when it slipped from the heat of her wet pussy. She smiled at him seductively as she slid back down his body until her face hovered above his shaft. She never broke eye contact with him as she lowered her head and ran her tongue from the base of his cock to the head where it lay on his belly. His cock gave an involuntary twitch when her tongue caressed the underside of the engorged head

"Does that feel good?" she asked.

"Oh Barbara, that feels amazing," he gasped.

Her only response was to begin flicking her tongue rapidly up and down his shaft. Jack moaned in pleasure. It felt so good he could barely think. He jerked in surprise when he heard their master bathroom door open and a naked man walked out. Barbara didn't seem to notice and just kept licking his cock.

It was Roger Chapman. He stood there watching with his cock jutting before him like an angry sword. Jack was confused to the point where he couldn't speak. He finally found his voice when Roger started walking toward Barbara.

"What the fuck is going on?" he yelled, but neither Barbara nor Roger answered him. Barbara just kept licking his cock. Roger leered at Barbara's upturned ass then gave Jack a wink as he moved up behind her. Jack yanked on his handcuffs and pain shot through his wrists where the cold steel dug in. He gave up trying to free his hands and tried to kick his legs but no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn't move. He screamed in frustration.

"Don't," Jack pleaded, knowing what Roger was about to do. When Roger ignored him and grasped Barbara by the hips Jack turned his attention to his wife. "Barbara, tell him to stop, please," he begged.

Barbara smiled. "Don't worry Jack," she said. "He doesn't mean anything to me. I only love you." She lifted Jack's cock off his stomach and slid her mouth halfway down his length. She sucked hard and then released his cock from her mouth with a plop. She looked over her shoulder and nodded at Roger before turning her gaze back to Jack. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes were half-lidded as Roger slid his cock deep into her pussy from behind. "Fuck, that's good," she moaned.

Jack tried to scream his anguish but his voice, like his legs, would no longer work. He tried to buck his hips to escape Barbara but she just grasped his cock with her hands and guided it back into her mouth. She moaned around Jack's engorged cock with each of Roger's hard thrusts.

'Stop! Please, stop!' Jack screamed in his mind, but his body betrayed him. His cock stayed hard despite his revulsion as Barbara slid her lips up and down his shaft. Tears leaked out of the corner of Jack's eyes as he turned his head to the wall, away from the sight of Roger drilling his wife from behind.

"You're really going to love this next part, baby" Barbara said after releasing his dick from her mouth. He glanced at her and she was holding a large kitchen knife in her hand. The blade gleamed as the light reflected off the surface of the mirrored steel.

'Yes, kill me, ' Jack pleaded in his head, still unable to speak.

"Here it comes," Roger yelled and then thrust madly into Barbara. He froze and his face turned red, the veins of his neck bulging, as his pulsating member erupted deep inside her.

As Roger filled her pussy with cum Barbara raised the knife high and plunged it into Jack's chest. Searing pain coursed through him. Barbara turned the knife and cut downward. His breastbone parted like butter as she sliced him open.

Suddenly Jack's voice began to work again and he let out a howl of agony. The pain was so intense that he could form no coherent words. He screamed until his voice was a rasping whisper and his throat was bloody and raw. Barbara dug her hand into his gaping chest cavity and pulled his still beating heart out of his chest. His eyes bulged as he saw his heart being held by her claw-like fingers.

"Damn, Jack! You're a lucky man," Roger said with a jealous grin. "Can't you see how much she loves you?"

Jack woke from the nightmare with a start. His heart hammered in his chest and his eyes darted around wildly. He didn't know where he was. The one thing he did know was that he was going to be sick. He rolled off the bed, looked desperately for somewhere to throw up, and saw an old wooden bucket sitting on the floor next to the bed.

He quickly dropped to the floor and held his head over the bucket. It smelled of stale urine. His stomach heaved and emptied its contents. The tangy aroma of vomit overcame the acrid stench of urine. He continued to heave long after there was nothing left for his stomach to disgorge. Finally, his gut settled and Jack rolled onto his back on the hard wooden floor.

The horror of the dream slowly faded and a feeling of calm washed over him. None of it was real. He almost laughed in relief. Barbara would laugh when he told her. Then he remembered the truth and had to scramble for the bucket as the anguish returned full force and turned his ailing stomach with a new wave of nausea.

Finally spent, he collapsed onto his side. He gasped for breath and tried to make sense of his surroundings. He was in a small room lit only by a dim light filtering in through a round hole a foot in diameter and situated about head height in the wall. The opening had a hinged door on it made of wood banded with strips of metal. The hinges squeaked as a gentle breeze moved it back and forth, and Jack could smell the salty tang of the sea in the air.

The walls, floors, and ceiling were fashioned from wooden planks turned grey with age. The room was sparsely furnished with a table, a chair, a chest, and the bed on which he'd slept. A knotted rope hung from the ceiling and Jack absently wondered what its purpose was.

He climbed off the floor and felt his stomach rumble in protest. He felt queasy and thought his equilibrium must be off because it felt as if the room was subtly moving. He dismissed the moving sensation as an after effect of the previous night's drinking. 'Where the hell am I?' he wondered.

Suddenly his balance left him as the room swayed. He staggered into the table and would have fallen if the table had not been bolted to the floor. He grabbed a hold of the knotted rope and used it to regain his balance. Now he knew that what he was feeling wasn't a result of last night's drunkenness. He was on a boat! He blinked as the memory of last night's events crashed into him.

He remembered meeting some people in a strange bar and agreeing to join the crew of their boat. He struggled to remember their leader's name for a moment before recalling calling the man introducing himself as Garek. He also remembered the man's friend telling him, rather rudely, to call Garek Captain Liaman instead.

"Oh God," he said aloud. "What have I got myself into?"

Jack started for the door. He needed to find Captain Liaman and get out of this mess before they got too far from shore. He closed the door behind him and found himself in a short hallway. There were a few doors on either side of the passageway but he figured they led to rooms much like the one he just left. There was a short stairway at the end of the hall with a door at the top. He figured that door was probably his best bet to find his way topside.

Jack was stunned when he stepped onto the deck of the Arabella. He walked into a storm of activity. Sailors ran about the deck urgently performing various tasks. Some climbed in the rope riggings that stretched from the ships railing skyward to the tops of the masts. He had known he was on a boat but didn't expect a vessel that looked as if it had sailed right out of a pirate movie!

Ithos strode by shouting orders. Jack recognized him from the night before and hurried up to him. "Excuse me," Jack said as he fell in beside the first mate.

"What?" Ithos barked at Jack. "Secure the yards, damn it!" he roared to a nearby sailor before turning his attention back to Jack. "Outlander, what can I do for you? But be quick, I'm a little busy."

"Where can I find the Captain?" Jack asked.

"At the helm, on the poop deck," Ithos said and started to turn back to his duties.

"I don't know what that is." Jack said quickly, before Ithos could move away.

Ithos glared at him out of his one eye and then pointed to the raised deck at the back of the ship.

"Thank you," Jack said, but Ithos had already stomped off shouting commands at the scurrying sailors.

Jack made his way to the rear of the ship and mounted the stairs that led up onto the raised deck. His knees protested as he made the climb and he had to grab the railing to help himself up. He topped the stairs and gasped at the view before him. The captain stood there next to a sailor who was manning the wheel, but what stunned Jack was the view behind the ship.

He could see an island in the distance and it clearly was not Boston. There were no tall buildings of glass and steel, no harbor full of giant modern shipping vessels. Instead, he saw dozens of ships with wooden masts sticking up toward the sky. It was small in the distance but as far as he could see the town beyond the harbor mostly consisted of one or two storey wooden buildings. Around the island, the unbroken sea stretched as far as the eye could see.

The disappearance of the eastern seaboard of the United States would normally be shock enough, but Jack's eyes were locked on the twin moons that were still visible in the morning light. They were dim as they set beyond the village, and were half again as large as the single moon of Jack's world. "Mother of God," Jack said in wonder. "Where am I?"

Mohanjo watched the Arabella through his telescoping sight glass. The ship had come about and was moving away to the east. "They're not turning north," he said.

"What?" Captain Drebin said snatching the looking glass away from Mohanjo's eye. He didn't see the look of loathing that his first officer gave him as he hastily peered at the escaping ship.

Drebin had feared this might be Garek's plan when he didn't try to slip the Arabella past them and northward during the night. He had sent three men on a small sloop out into the upper harbor with orders to uncover their lantern if Garek's ship tried to escape that way.

"They are going to sail through the Maelstroms," Mohanjo said calmly.

"I can see that, you idiot," Drebin snapped. "After them, quickly."

"We'll never catch them before they reach -"

"Damn it, I said after them! Sails and oars," Drebin shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. "Load the forward and side ballistae with grappling spears. Move, damn you!"

Mohanjo shrugged but hastily strode off shouting orders to the crew. Drebin watched as his well-trained men brought the resting Kraken to life. He knew that Liaman would have to save the strength of his oarsmen to escape the Maelstroms and that just made it possible to catch the smaller ship before it made its escape.