Water Heart | P.Sh

| 34 |

I sat quietly on the wooden floor of my poorly made cell, playing with the hems of the blanket while I impatiently waited. Had I thought the food on the Bloody Jack was bad, it surely was terrible on this ship.

"Lunch is here," a voice called out and I watched as Emiko wandered down the stairs towards me, a dark shadow following her.

I quickly got up from the floor and rushed over to the small metal bars that made it quite difficult for me to get out. 

"Stay at a distance," Niki called out as he became clearer in the dull light under the deck.

I merely sneered at him as Emiko walked closer and extended the bowl with my lunch towards me. I looked down at it before scrunching up my nose in disgust. The water looked like orange being just on the verge o f being thrown up by the color blue. Not to mention the suspicious lumps that floated and swam around in the bowl.

"Who the hell cooks for you?" I questioned in disbelief as I grabbed the bowl and looked down at it in disgust.

"Doesn't concern you," Riki continued and I glanced at him in annoyance.

"Why did he have to follow along today?" I sighed and looked at Emiko.

"The crew takes turns cooking the meals. I don't know who made it today," Emiko calmly replied, "Xia is going down here later with your dinner, to inspect you. In case you bear any weapons."

"Where's your captain?" I questioned and she arched a brow at me, "if I'm gonna sit and rot in this cell I might as well know who I have to curse in my mind the day I dry out and die like a date."

"Riki go get Youngho," Emiko shortly spoke as I continued to poke around in my food, watching her closely, "you're new on the Bloody Jack, aren't you?" she questioned and crossed her arms as Riki rushed up on deck once again.

"Why does that concern you?" I questioned her calmly and she snorted.

"Sunghoon hates everyone, even most of his crew," she pointed out, "it would be impossible for anyone on that ship to make him go protective of them. I saw how he tried to shield you back on the ship."

"Alright tell me, what the hell does she want?" a loud voice sighed as heavy footsteps rushed down under the deck and I snapped my head over to an older man.

He must've been somewhere in his mid-twenties, unlike what Jay was. His dark hair was completely soaked as he brushed it out of his face and he unbottoned his coat and threw it to Riki before rushing over and kneeling down outside my cell.

"What is it little girl?" he questioned and cocked his head to the side, looking at me with utmost disinterest.

"For a starter, don't call me that again," I shook my head and slipped my hand into my blanket behind me as I stood up and he did the same.

I calmly walked over to the bars and stood face to face with him, despite the fact that he was slightly taller than me.

"You don't get to dictate me on my own ship," he shook his head in amusement.

In a quick motion I had reached out through the bars and wrapped my hand around the back of his head, banging his head softly against the bars as I pointed my knife straight at his abdomen. He didn't react or say anything. He didn't even sound surprised by my action.

"Alright, listen here. You've to let me out of this cell and walk freely on the deck. Otherwise I will not let you leave this spot with all your organs," I sternly reminded and he only snorted and sneered at me.

"Alright," he hummed calmly before I felt a tight grip on my hand, which was holding the knife, "here's what's actually going to happen," he announced and pressed my hand tightly enough together for the knife to somehow easily wiggle out of my hand once he pulled it out and away from me, extending it towards Emiko behind him as he kept a tight grip on my hand, "In a moment Emiko is gonna get you out of your cell and actually take you to the deck, sounds nice, huh? I think you would like to see the weather, it's very nice and clean right now."

Abruptly he pushed me backwards, making me stumble over my feet, falling down onto my butt as Youngho turned around with my knife in hand, shoving it into his belt. Almost with a snap of a finger Emiko had gotten the message of going over and unlocking my cell.

She was surprisingly strong. She didn't even pull me up to my feet, she just began dragging me along until I managed to run up on my feet to follow after her up on the deck.

Just like I had done to Jake I was dragged over to the mast and cuffed with both of my hands to the mast. Suddenly I realized what Youngho had meant with the weather being clean. All around me was rain oozing down in thick stripes that painted the sky in a blurry veil. 

My head bowed down almost immediately to avoid the hard hitting rain on my face. Meanwhile a swabbie stumbled over my feet before shoving their bucket against my back before wandering off. As if I had decided to just sit in his way on purpose.

And that was how I was going to continue sitting. On my knees, on the deck, in the pouring rain, getting hit with buckets and broomsticks whenever the crew saw it suitable. If they didn't happen to carry a broom or bucket with them, I would merely just get a kick to wherever was most convenient and easy for them to reach according to where they stood or walked from to get around me.