Saudade (Published under Indie Pop)

Chapter 18: Midnight Dream

Chapter 18: Midnight Dream

I received cold shoulders and glares from the pirates after the Obsidian left the cargo ship. They had stolen boxes of stuff from it that added to the weight of Obsidian and made our pace a little bit slower. They had gotten enough that would suffice for few months. But why would they have the need to kill those people? They were already defeated – they were helpless and they had given up. It was hard for me to see them as a threat.

But then, they were pirates – kings of the sea. When I was young, I was often told of stories about sea monsters – that it would eat all the people aboard a sailing ship and would leave it empty to be sunken to the deep. It added to the magic I believed I was living in. I was too fascinated with adventures and enchanting stories that I had forgotten evil villains also exist and that monsters would be monsters. And now, the bedtime stories felt so real and dangerous.

"Bloodlust," said Erasmus.

He said I had denied them of satisfying their bloodlust. They had already stolen a lot. I couldn't believe that it wasn't still enough.

"But they would get over it soon. Those glares will just remain glares. As long as you're under the Skull's protection, you'll never get hurt," he added.

I smiled faintly at him. I wanted to tell him that there are pains that even the Skull's protection couldn't shield me from. But I couldn't tell him that because the pain was too deep that opening it would be like curving a knife in my chest.

"The pirate world is too cruel, isn't it?" I answered instead. We were sitting in my room, eating lunch together because I suddenly felt unwelcome again in the dining area.

"I was born in the forsaken land and grew up in the sea. Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish what's cruel to what's not."

Somehow, I felt sad for him. The pirate world took out a big part of his innocence and I was horrified to imagine that he would be just like those pirates when he grew older. I couldn't help but reach out to him and pat his head. His hair was dry because of the sun but his smile was as bright as the sunny day.

"I hope you won't change. I like you this way."

He suddenly scooted a few inches away from me and freed his head from my hand. I saw him blushed and turned away. I let out a suppressed smile and said, "You're not used to being touched by a girl, are you? Don't worry too much about me. I'll always be your older sister."

He looked at me and smiled back, "I'll always stay on your side."

And that's how we finished our meal: exchanging kind smiles with each other. And that way, he made me feel better. When he left the room, I was once again visited by the memories of the events during the morning. The Skull's cold eyes were flashing in my mind reminding me that I haven't seen him ever since he left me on the cargo ship. There was a part of me that silently wished that he made such decision because of me. But there was also this one that doubted my worth to him. I had to remember that he was the Skull – he could be Threy for me but he was still the Skull.