The Golden Chalice

✰✦✰ Chapter Twenty-Five ✰✦✰

✰✦✰ Chapter Twenty-Five ✰✦✰
" You Gotta Kiss The Girl! "

SINCE WE HAD returned to the ship with the earrings, we'd all discussed possibilities of what they could actually be. Of what it meant and how it could help us continue. But we came up blank. With nothing. We were clueless to be honest, and it wasn't a very fulfilling feeling. In fact, it sort of made me want to rip my own hair out, not knowing what a pair of stupid earrings meant and why we had them.

The question of whether or not they were even the item that we'd been supposed to look for kept me up nearly all night. I tossed and turned and dozed a little here and there but never fully fell asleep. It bothered me too much. I mean, they had been earrings belonging to Lyasa who had the connection with Eche. But we just didn't know exactly what it was.

I tried to shove the whole thing from my mind. I really didn't need to think of it, I just wanted to sleep. So when I finally did, I dreamt of the earrings. I couldn't escape them and I was now even closer to ripping my hair out. They had to mean something—we just didn't know exactly what it was yet.

After a disturbing nightmare about a pair of earrings, I awoke and noticed that I'd managed to sleep a full hour. Longer than I'd expected but still not enough. Exhaustion was gripping every bone, heaving my eyelids and I couldn't fall asleep for a long amount of time, I hated it.

I turned again and saw that Darius wasn't in bed anymore. He wasn't in the bathroom either since the door was wide open and darkness engulfed the room. We'd gotten rather used to sleeping next to each other and he didn't complain to me about my sleeping habits and I didn't about his. It didn't mean that we didn't piss each other off every once in a while but we had to come to terms with each other's flaws at some points, especially times like these when we had to sleep beside each other.

Shaking my head to shake off the thoughts of pretty much everything, I pulled the duvet from my body and got to my feet. My hair had already been plaited and a few loose strands hung out now, but I didn't mind. I grabbed my bikini and quickly changed into it, worried that Darius might suddenly return from wherever he'd disappeared to.

If I couldn't sleep, I'd make myself tired by swimming around in the Blue Sea, despite my relentless fears about the Sea Serpents. At least them killing me would result in peace and quiet from those damned bloody earrings.

Once I'd changed and brushed my teeth (I hated the grossness I felt every morning before cleaning them) I made my way outside. The moon shone so bright that it practically lit up the whole ship, a white sort of glow illuminating everything, a silhouette swaying back and forth on every wall and every floorboard. Even the waves that were gently crashing against the ship, so softly I was positive no Sea Serpent could reside under them.

I pulled off the oversized shirt I'd put on to keep me warm and covered until I reached the water, and jumped into it. The cool water hugged me and I smiled under it. Swimming—especially at night—made me forget I even had issues, and that was the best part of it. It seemed I could organise my thoughts perfectly well under the calm presence of water. And I had a lot of them at the moment. Rising from underwater to the surface, I took a breath and let the night breeze caress me.

I turned and in that moment almost screamed when I saw his face. Darius was right in front of me and quickly lifted his hand to cover my mouth.

My eyes were wide with terror and I peeled his hand off my lips. "What's wrong with you?" I hissed.

"Nothing," he retorted, equally as sharp. "You're the one who wanted to let the whole world know you were out here."

"First of all," I said, "we're in the middle of nowhere. And secondly, can you really blame me? You've kidnapped me before, I'm not exactly trusting of everything and everyone right away."