The Child That Never Was (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Twelve

“Well, everyone, as you know, I am your fearless captain, and I’ve never seen a storm quite like this one.  I mean, would you take a look at it, and how treacherous it looks out there?  Why, I certainly wouldn’t advise being out on a ship during this storm!  However, since we are already here, not knowing that such a storm was to encounter us on our voyage, there is nothing we can do but prepare for the worse!” Kairi smiled down to everyone.

“Do you mean death?” one man called out.

Kairi let out a girlish laugh of a 21st century teenager, not some “fearless captain”, as she says.  “No, not death.  We will not encounter death, unless you take it among yourselves, the actions that will lead to your death!  Remember, one foot out of line is one foot off the deck.  No more, no less.”  The crewmen looked around at each other out of fear. 

“She’s bluffing!” said a man.  I looked over and noticed that he was the one I had spoken with earlier. 

Kairi found interest in this answer as her face illuminated with humor, and a smirk of dismay crossed her face.  “Bluffing, am I?”  She laughed.  “Do you really believe that I out of anyone would be bluffing?”  She snorted and waved her hand down onto the deck.  “Well, why don’t you ask Bethany and Kaylie just how much I bluff?”

I felt my face redden, uncertain of what that meant.  Was that her just admitting to us that she was indeed the mysterious voice that has been taunting us?  Or has she been working some different angle that I’m not yet aware of?  Bethany rushed over to my side, her face stained with tears, but I couldn’t tell if they were from our fight or from what Kairi had just said.  In all fairness, I felt like crying alongside her.  She wrapped her arms around me and apologized, even though I didn’t want an apology out of her.  If anything, I should be the one apologizing to her for thinking that she was mental enough to torment both herself and me, but I did not tell her this.

“What does she mean?” the men looked at us, wondering whether to fear us or her.

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Bethany who looked far more timid than I even felt.  I would be the one doing all of the talking.  I sighed and looked back up at Kairi, trying to study her expression.  Her smirk looked as though she were punishing me, challenging me, seeking revenge, and out of pure amusement.  I bit down my tongue so happy that I amused her through my time of desperate anguish.  It was then that I got the gut feeling that Kairi was definitely someone who I couldn’t trust.  I grabbed Bethany close to me, needing some sort of feeling of friendship to hold onto.  Something that wasn’t about to just slip away, as our lives might.

“Tell them.”  She ordered looking down at us with an eyebrow raised.

I looked around at all the men, all who looked so terrified of what might happen to them.  “Look, nothing really happened that would be considered bluffing, if you know what I mean.  She hasn’t ever really bluffed before.  I mean, she’s definitely stayed true to her word at all times, even at the times where you wished that she would just slip up for once, but she doesn’t.  No, she never really does.  She even went as far as to burn Bethany and me on a stake, claiming that we were witches.  She hadn’t bluffed a single second during that ludicrous scene. 

Bethany gave me a scared look, fearing what would happen if we didn’t tell them.  Neither of us really wanted to find out, either, so I stepped forward, not ready to talk about what was happening, but I knew that I had to.  Fear consumed me, my hands began shaking, but I drew in a deep breath.  “No, she hasn’t bluffed yet.  Trust me, we know that she stays true to her word.  Even a bit too true, at times,” I said quickly, wanting it to be over.  What if that was the wrong thing to say, or she was just challenging me to speak when she wanted me to be silent?

The crowd let out a frightened laughter.  “What does that mean?”

“It means that if you ask any more questions, you’ll be pushed off the boat,” Kairi shot down at them with a meaningful glare.  Note to self: never cross paths with her.  If avoidable.

Bethany looked at me and whispered, “What does she want from us?”  I only shrugged in response, not having the slightest clue what the connection was.  The clues just don’t lay out, and make no sense whatsoever.  Was it possible that she just liked finding random people and torturing them?  Or did she really have an incentive for torturing Bethany and I?

“Alright, now, clean the deck,” Kairi ordered, walking back into her cabin.  Everyone about us let out a resilient cheer, trying to make it sound as though they believed her, but by the looks on their faces, I could tell that they were questioning her.  And who wouldn’t?  She was beautiful, enticing, and smart, making her super conceptive.

The men grabbed their equipment and handed Bethany and I mops.  “Tell us later.”

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Author's Note

Hey, how are you all?  I've been sick, but I've been relaxing on my break. (:  I hope that everyone enjoyed/are enjoying their holidays!

Lol, so funny.... I printed out this novel in like "book format" and it printed just so wrong....  Thanks a lot, printer.  You had one job, okay.  One job.

That's all I have left to say.

One job.

- Ali