The Song of the Sea

6. A Deep Clean

"I hate to break it to you," Jacob said, "but you're hardly more intimidating as your true self than you were before."

Raephier wasn't sure if the Captain was being cruel, but the moment he saw the slight twitch of Jacob's mouth and the glint in his eyes, he bit back a smile. Raephier had always been slight in build, and even with his instant growth spurt, he was still around 4 inches shorter than the Captain

"I'm stronger than I look," Raephier said, firmly holding the Captain's gaze.

This time Jacob looked away first, trying to hold back a smile, and Raephier couldn't help but grin at his victory.

"So can you shapeshift into anything?" Jacob asked.

Raephier tipped his head slightly in thought.

"Yes, I probably could, but it takes a lot of energy to shapeshift, so the more I change my original form, the less time I can hold that shape. If you asked me to be a 15 foot ogre or a tiny mouse, I could only hold that shape for a few seconds. I think if I practised I would be able to hold it for longer, but I don't really like doing it."

Jacob hummed in thought then started to get his clothes out of the wardrobe to get dressed for the day.

Raephier thought that the conversation was over, but once Jacob was dressed he turned to face Raephier again.

"So does the shapeshifting have anything to do with how you kill people?"

Raephier's stomach felt like someone had plopped a lead weight into it.

He had no idea what expression was on his face, but Jacob was quick to say more before Raephier had a chance to reply.

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean.... I guess I don't know.....I just thought....."

Jacob sighed, clearly frustrated with trying to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

"I'm sorry Raephier, I honestly don't know much about Sirens. You're going to have to teach me. Do you think you can do that?"

Raephier tried to answer but his voice cracked that much he ended up coughing to clear his throat first.

"Y-yes, I can do that."

"Good. Thank you." Jacob said, before putting on his coat. "I'll be back with breakfast shortly."

And then he walked out.

Raephier was left, once again, feeling like an emotional wreck. Why was this so hard?

Raephier had hated the curse and his newfound 'powers' the moment he'd discovered them. But the way that Jacob had so casually asked him about killing people made him feel sick inside. Is that really all Jacob viewed him as? Something to kill his enemies with?

Or course, logically that made perfect sense. Raephier knew he'd been sold as a weapon and Jacob had already explained that he bought him so that he could assist in getting them home.

Raephier was still turning these thoughts over in his mind when Jacob reappeared with a plate and a bucket.

"Here," Jacob said, handing the plate over.

Raephier smiled at the sight of scrambled eggs and bread.

"You like eggs?" Jacob said, clearly noticing Raephier's smile.

"Yes, thank you," he said.

"Oh, and I've brought you this," Jacob said, holding out a small bar of something white towards Raephier.

"What is it?" he asked, taking hold of it tentatively.

Raephier brought it to his nose and gave it a sniff, which made the Captain chuckle quietly.

"Do I eat it?" Raephier asked. It had a nice smell to it, but he wasn't sure it smelt like food.

"No, no!" Jacob said laughing. "You wash with it."

Raphier just stared at Jacob in confusion.

"It's called soap. Here, let me show you," Jacob said, holding out his hand for the white bar.

Raephier gave it back to him and then Jacob put his hands in the bucket of water, then lifted them out and rubbed the soap between them. Raephier watched in fascination when the soap left a white layer of bubbles on his hands. He then put down the soap and plunged his hands into the bucket again.

"See," Jacob said showing Raephier his clean hands. He passed the bar of soap back to Raephier who immediately dropped it into the bucket.

Reaphier panicked, and immediately plunged his hand in to try to retrieve it. Only every time he tried to grab hold of it, it seemed to slip through his grasp.

"Is it some kind of fish?" he asked, feeling sure that it was actually alive and moving.

Jacob chuckled, then plunged his hand into the bucket. He grabbed hold of it with relative ease, making Raephier blush slightly. Although, the slight pinking of his cheeks could also be attributed to the fact that Jacob's hand had brushed his as he drew it out.

"I don't think you'll need anymore of this now," Jacob said, pointing at the bucket. The water which was crystal clear, was now slightly foggy.

Jacob went to the drawers next to his bed and pulled out a cloth and put it next to the bucket.

"Eat your breakfast," Jacob ordered, "and then afterwards I want you to wash yourself with the cloth using that water."

Raephier nodded, then carried his plate of eggs back to his blanket to eat them. He was so engrossed in his plate of food, that he didn't notice what the Captain was doing until he spoke again.

"I've put some clean clothes on the bed for you to wear when you've had a wash. They belong to me, but I'm afraid they're a bit worn and aged, which is why they've been sitting at the back of my closet."

"N-No, that's fine. Thank you," Raephier said, hardly able to believe that he was being given some of the Captain's clothes. Even if they were old and worn.

"Ok then, I'll see you later," Jacob said, striding over to the door. He opened it, then turned back to Raephier. "And remember what I said about food. If anyone leaves food in here, it's for you and I expect it to be eaten by the time I return."

"Yes Master," Raephier said instinctively.

He noted the slight flinch in Jacob's posture, and berated himself for using the term when he knew it made him uncomfortable. Before he could offer an apology, Jacob was gone and Raephier heard the turning of the key in the lock.

Reaphier began to think that disappointing the Captain was something that he would always do. But despite that thought rattling around in his mind all day, he did his absolute best to do everything that Jacob had told him to. He meticulously washed his body, making sure to get the dirt out of even the most hard to reach places. He only wished he had the courage to ask the man who brought him some food, for another bucket of water, as even half way through his wash the water was embarrassingly murky.

Lunch was unidentifiable mush, but surprisingly tasty. Even if it wasn't Raephier would have made sure to scrape his plate clean. He was determined not to have a repeat of yesterday.

The clothes Jacob had left him consisted of a long-sleeved baggy white(ish) shirt, some undergarments and a pair of worn trousers, which had a hole in one knee. All were slightly too big, but not to the point of looking ridiculous.

By the time the sun was setting, Raephier was almost excited for Jacob to come back. He hoped that this time, he would be pleased with him.

total word count 12,477