[OLD] Cursed

Chapter 8

     One more second on the raft and Thomas was going to drown himself. It was so frustrating, being near the land but not able to touch it. He glared daggers at the sand, making sure it repented for what it was doing to him. The sand didn't do anything, as if were mocking him. He placed a single finger on the ground and a spark of pain greeted him. He pulled his finger back and turned his back on the land, staring at the sea.

     The waves lapped against the shore, and somewhere in the air, a seagull laughed at him tauntingly. The ocean rippled every time his raft moved and pools of light cut through the water like arrows. Curious fish huddled underneath and around the raft like a cloud of colors, and the water was so clear he could see straight to the bottom.

     The sand churned as the currents brushed the bottom and the kelp swayed together in the underwater forest. A sea urchin dozed on a rock, coral surrounding it like a barrier given to it by the reef.

     Thomas looked up, scanning the horizon. No sign of the ship... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He couldn't go back. He didn't know where the ship was. He had steered his raft without even knowing where he was going, and even if he could go back... Thomas shuddered at the thought of what Captain would do. He didn't even want to imagine the horrors of the consequence that would be given.

     But at the same time, he didn't want to go back. 'See you again when Silver Sun is full.' Caroline had said. He knew barely anything about her, except the fact that she was probably crazy and believed that she was a dragon. But she had lived on the land her whole life. He felt as if it were his job to tell her about the seas, and hers to show him what life was like on land.

     She probably had an easy life. Access to the top of the world. Being able to see the horizon and the stars every day and every night. Being raised as a dragon, being able to read. Something he couldn't even imagine himself doing.

     There was footsteps behind him, the sound of boots thumping against the ground. He stood up and slowly turned around, then everything inside turned to pure ice. His brain went blank as he realized who it was. Captain.

     Captain glowered at him, the look of his face hard and cold. Thomas had seen that face many times before, but never had it been directed at him. "I told you to stay away from the land." His voice was hard too, as if the sound waves were made of iron and steel. "I know." He replied, not able to think of anything else.

     "And what did you find?" Captain growled. "That you can't even touch it. The land is dangerous. I told you. You can only trust the sea." Thomas didn't reply. He couldn't. The words had stuck on his tongue, refusing to let go. "You are going to go back on the ship, and you are going to stay below deck." The look in Captain's eyes told him not to argue, but the words suddenly decided to spill out on their own. "No."

     Captain's expression became from cold to intimidating, his eyes flaming with fury. "What?" "No." Thomas repeated, forcing himself to meet Captain's eyes. "I'm not going back." Instead of meeting his gaze, Captain's eyes looked straight past him, boring into the wall. "You met someone, didn't you?" "Her name is Caroline." He said, deciding not to mention that she lived with dragons and thought that she was one too.

     "Caroline." Captain repeated, as if the name was acid on his tongue. "What did she tell you?" The look in his eyes was pure menace, as if Thomas was about to set a pod of killer whales on his ship. "She... just asked a lot of questions." "Questions." Captain repeated. His expression was completely blank, which in Thomas's opinion was more scarier than when he was mad. "I should have known."

     Captain turned around, his boots crunching in the sand as he walked away. "Captain wait!" "I hope you're happy with your decision." Captain spat without turning around. "Stay here on the land. But you can never come back to the seas." "Captain!" He shouted, frustrated. Captain turned around, and Thomas couldn't help but flinch by the look of pure fury in his face. "Stay. You're not a true sailor. You never were, and you never will be."

     The words hit him hard like a huge wave, nearly crushing him from the impact. All he could do was stare after where Captain had left. Is this a dream? Did Captain really just ban me from the seas? The idea was so horrifying, so unbelievable, that Thomas was really hoping that it was a dream. Please be a dream... please be a dream...

     But everything around him seemed to real to be a dream. Why did I say no? The answer came right back to him like a boomerang. Because I wanted to see Caroline so she could tell me about the land. A twisted feeling began to form inside of him. If I had never met her, I wouldn't have said no to Captain, and I would have been back on the ship. He knew that the thought was unfair. He knew, yet, he couldn't help his anger that was bubbling inside of him like an underwater volcano.

     Thomas gradually realized what the feeling was. Hate. It made him surprised. He had never felt that way before, not for all of the times that Captain lectured him, not for all of the times he wasn't allowed to go on the land, not for all of the times when the killer whales insisted on attacking his ship. None of those times. But Captain, his father figure, banning him from the seas was just tipping over a bucket of water.

     He glared at the wall, unable to take out his anger on anyone. I will see Caroline when Moon is full again. And I'll tell her exactly how I feel.