Was I dead, no, I couldn't be. I still heard the fighting. That and Kai by my side, crying, trying to wake me up. Oh how I wanted to tell them I was okay. They didn't deserve this heartbreak. The only problem is I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't...think. I also didn't know if I was okay.
I felt a warm kiss on my forehead and assumed it was Kai. I felt horrible. I just wanted to wake up from the horrible nightmare. I heard Horace tell Kai that we won. Then he saw me. I felt him pick me up and carry me to his hammock. He gave Kai something to give me, "She will wake up soon, I promise," I heard him say. Kai put something around my neck, I assumed it was a necklace. Then, I felt warm again, warmth and pain. Slowly I gained control again, I gasped for air forcing my eyes open. I looked at Kai, they were crying. I started crying with them.
"You're okay, you're okay, it's all okay," they were telling me. I looked down at the necklace, it was beautiful, it wasn't the one my uncle had given me, it was different. It had a charm that was a bird cage with a small opal bird inside of it. Horace came back in and said I could not take it off for 2 months, or I'd die again. He also subtly mentioned that I could keep it.
Before he had the chance to walk out of the door I called him, "Horace!" I waited for a response he just paused and glanced at me, "thank you," I said. He walked out again, I noticed tears on his face as he was leaving. While Kai was busy doing something, I tried to stand, I fell. Kai heard me and ran over to me.
"No, you're too weak right now Crys," he told me. I wanted to help. I knew there was something I could help with. Maybe they were right, maybe I did need rest. They laid me back down in the hammock and as I was drifting off I heard Kai say, "l'amour est gratuit." This brought a sense of safety over me. I drifted farther off until I found myself deep in a dream. I was living life as a 17 year old should, no worries, no huge directions, not always being in danger of dying. I was with Kai, we were in the great mountains of Vinchester, watching the sunset. They fell asleep on my lap and I was at peace for the first time in the past month. I wished I could stay there forever but then I felt my body being flung out of the hammock into a wall.
A storm. I slowly got up and used the rest of my strength to go find Kai, "Captain, I'm glad to see you standing, your partner just got thrown over, we need your commands on what to do," Horace spoke to me so calmly it felt surreal.
"WELL GET THEM OF COURSE!" I yelled, I was not going to lose Kai. They were all I had left. We all pulled Kai back on board. They didn't have any visible injuries, and they got up and walked towards me like nothing happened.
"Crys, you aren't supposed to be up," they said.
"Well if I wasn't you'd be dead, and I'm fine thank you," I ended that conversation really quick. My only goal at the moment was to get out of the storm, so that's what I told them to do. Somewhere along the line of us getting out Horace must've fallen over, I couldn't find him anywhere, neither could the crew. "We will mourn him tonight," I said with a lump in my throat.
That night Kai said a prayer for Horace, that's when I noticed Olive. I got up to go see her, then I noticed another familiar face, and then another. Olive was with my uncle and Horace. I ran to Horace crying, "Oh, I'm so sorry Horace, I- I didn't know you fell over and- I wanted to save you but it was too late."
He turned to me, "Oh, Rys, it isn't your fault, There was nothing you could've done. The storm got me before the ocean did, I was already dead on the boat, it was my body that fell over not me. Thanks for the prayers though, and we are all here to help you proceed with this mission."
"Well except me, there was a reason I left," I heard my uncle say, then he vanished. The fucking bastard. He left me to do his job. Alone. That surprisingly was the least of my worries though. Kai was top priority. They slowly seemed as though they were sinking into a deep pit of depression, I knew how they felt. I was just hoping it wouldn't get worse. I couldn't lose Kai.
We finally reached Alura, having to make 2 detours and dealing with the death of a crew member. Alura was the home of many pirate crews, and no one could get in without a pirate ally. Clearly we were good to enter, being a very well known crew of pirates. That's where I met Horace's wife. I turned to Horace who was crying, he told me to tell her what happened but I just couldn't. "I don't know a Horace, I'm sorry ma'am," that was all I could say without breaking down. Horace looked at me with both disappointment and understanding. He said nothing about it.
Kai on the other hand, had a lot to say about it, "you should've told her Crystal. She deserved to know. I know it's hard, but think about how much harder you just made it."
"I know, I know Kai. I just couldn't do it. It is my fault he's gone anyway. I was the one not watching over my crew. Too busy worried about one little thing." I felt my voice shaking and a lump growing in my throat. "Please don't cry, not now," I thought. "I'm sorry Kai, I just I need to go help the rest of the crew." That was a lie, I ran to my room and collapsed to the floor. I stayed there, crying, for two hours until Kai finally noticed something was off.
"Crys, I'm sorry, are you in there? Please open the door. Please. You're all I have. I need you." I couldn't let them in though, I couldn't let them see me like this, "I'm sorry for hurting you Crys, please let me in. Please Crys. I miss you. I love you, so much. Let me in." Their voice was shaking more than mine was, they banged on the door to find it locked. "Crys please, please I love you."
"K, please leave me alone, I'm sorry, I love you too, I just- need to be alone right now," that was also a lie, I needed a hug most but couldn't bring myself to say that. I was the Captain, I was supposed to be strong. I heard them leave. That hurt me more than anything, I don't know why, I was the one who told them to leave. But I knew I just broke Kai more. I think that was what hurt me most.
Today was the day I decided I would confront Horace's wife about the truth. If I could find her.
It took me over an hour to find where she was. She had been in a nearby bar worrying about Horace. Horace came with me for support. I confronted her, "Excuse me, Miss Alder. I need to tell you something about your husband, Horace."
"Oh, dear, yes. Did you find him."
"Ma'am, I'm sorry. I lied, because I just couldn't tell you the truth. But now I will because you, out of all people deserve to know what happened. On our way to Alura, we were hit with a huge storm, Horace was hit with a wave, he was already weak so there wasn't much we could've done to help him. His body fell over from the strength of the wave, I didn't know he was gone until I saw his ghost. I'm so sorry." She stared at me blankly for a few minutes. After what seemed like an eternity, she started crying and fell into my arms. I hushed her, "It's all right, it will be alright. I'm sorry I couldn't save him. He really loved you. I found this in his room on the ship, I thought I'd give it to you." I handed her a letter addressed to "My beautiful wife" . I hadn't opened it because I knew it wasn't for me, and I was always raised on how to be respectful.
She opened it and read it through her tears. She looked at me for a moment before saying, "Crystal, i- is that y- you?"
~I had never met this woman in my life~
"Yes..."
"Oh, my sweet girl. My, my lovely baby girl. Crystal, named after your-"
"Mother?"
"Yes, named after... me. I'm your mother Crystal, Horace was your father. We left you in foster care, a very idiotic system now let me say, because being a pirate was too dangerous for a small girl like you."
"Mom? Wait, no- no. My mom died, in a- a fire. Yes, a fire. After leaving me on the doorstep of Megahn Lord because sh- she didn't want me."
"Oh, no, no, no dear, no. I wanted you, I did. Horace did too. We just couldn't risk your life. So we told your foster mother to tell you we died in a fire."
"Ok, maybe it's a coincidence I mean we have different last names."
"Yes, dear, another part of my plan."
"But, it can't be. I- he- it can't. N- no, no it can't."
"Dear I know it's hard. Haven't you seen the resemblance between you and Horace. Or even you and I?" I stared at her, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be. I already faced the heartbreak of losing, or so I thought, my parents. I couldn't do it again with Horace, er- Father. I ran. I ran to the ship. Locked myself in my room. I may have slammed the door too hard because soon after I heard Kai, I let them in. I told them everything that happened, and everything I knew now.
"Oh, Love." They pulled me into a hug. I cried softly, I didn't know what to do anymore. At least with Kai I felt safe.