Chapter 37: Shelter

Bayou

“I think we lost them,” Crystal gaped out, bending down, holding her knees taking in precious air. I looked around our surroundings, and nodded in agreement, breathing hard.

“We need to find a shelter, is getting dark, see,” I pointed up, to see the sun already going down. Crystal nodded, and looked around. We walked even further down, about five minutes more. Finally, we regained our breaths. Then something shiny caught my eye. Stopping in my tracks, I moved rapidly, and pushed some overgrown leaves out of my way.

“What is it?” she asked, as she took off my jacket, and wrapped it around her arm. I squinted, my eyes narrowing to see an old ship, an old decaying ship, slanted to the side. It looked like it had been in the war. There was no front, and a torn back.

“Aha, we found our home for tonight,” I clapped, smiling, but Crystal frowned, looking up at me.

“You’re not questioning how a ship ended up in the middle of the forest?”

“Ne love, hell the whole beach disappeared on us. So don’t question the logic of the world. Never did, nor do I care, while it helps us survive, I just thank God, plus you have powers, and a shadow attacked you, do you really want to questioned it?”

With that, I headed for the decaying ship. Crystal shook her head and followed me in.

“Point taken,” I heard her say, with a shake of her head.

Crystal

“This place is falling apart, and it has lots of old cargo,” I pointed out, looking at the huge hole in doing so, a large red snake sneaking around a large old decaying pole, causing me to jump back.

“Well, we have dinner tonight,” Bayou stabbed it with the sword, causing the snake to jerk up.

“Is it poisonous?” I asked him.

“Ne, they are harmless, taste like chicken though,” He moved back inside.

“I hope so, looks like you have eaten from it.” I murmured, watching him look around.

“Aye, I have with Max once, when we became stranded in an island for a week. ” He explains.

“Oh,” I said, while looking at the decaying things, but one brown box, in particular, caught my attention. I moved and dusted it off. A symbol stood out on top.

“Bayou, this has the king’s symbol, look,” I pointed out. The symbol was a simple red, green and black, zigzag, with the king’s seal of a crown in the middle.

“Looks like it. Oh well, is our shelter now,” he shrugged, looking around some more, moving old bags, and empty bottles around.

“Again, you don’t question it?”

“I don’t question things, I just wait,” he replied to me. I sighed.

“Why do I even bother,” I shook my head, following along.

I winced again when I moved my arm.

“When did I hit my elbow?” I asked, looking down, to see it black and blue. Bayou stopped his movement and turned to face me.

“You mentioned it earlier, let me see,” he said.

I looked down at my shirt, to make sure was no longer transparent. It wasn’t but my shirt clinched into my skin, showing off my chest. My hair was damp and plastered down, and my skin was still damp as well.

It’s too hot, to be wearing his jacket, I thought,

Bayou moved up to me, and took a hold of my arm, glancing at my elbow. He moved his hand gingerly touching it, causing pain to shoot up my arm.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurts, don’t touch it, please,” I begged him, he stopped, looking straight at me.

“Doesn’t look broken, how did you hurt it?”

“Don’t remember, how did we even get here? The last thing I remember is walking up at the strange statue, that’s all I remember.”

“Me too, I can’t remember passing that, is hazy,” I nodded agreeing with him

“Let’s make a small fire and eat the snake for dinner, I’ll see if there’s anything to drink.”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“I know love, I was aiming for me,” he turns and looked around at the cargo, I sat down and examined my bruise.

“What happen? Why were we covered with blood?” I ran my fingers through my damp hair, moving it to the side, then I heard Bayou cheer.

“There you are, little devil, hmm, 1862, good year, fifteen years ago,” Bayou used his teeth to bite down on the top and spat it out. He then gulped the rum down. Wiping his mouth with his arm.

Looks like the first time we met, I took notice how his shirt clenched onto his skin, giving me a view of his firm muscles, his broad back. I licked my lips and lower my head.

Oh God, what’s wrong with me? I shook my head.

After a while, he made a small fire, and peeled the snake apart. I kept staring at the snake, as my stomach growled, night time had already beseeched over us.

“You should have a drink, is not that bad,” he offered, placing the snake on top of the fire, using some sticks to hold it in place. I shook my head.

“No; one thing I always hated is the taste of alcohol, can’t stand it,” I told him. Bayou lifted his legs up, and placed his arms on his knees, staring at the fire, as he watched the snake cook.

“Suit yourself,” he told me, taking another gulp out of his rum.

“I wonder why we’re here?” I wrapped my good arm around my legs. Bayou shrugged.

“Don’t know, but this place has a weird aura,” I turned to stare at him. He stared at the fire. I kept staring at his face, watching the soft fire reflect his silver eyes. They make them looked mystical, his expression is simple and soft.

“Strange we can’t remember anything.”

“I know, I feel like we are forgetting something big,” I told him.

“I feel it as well, but I hope the others are okay,” he said, his eyes seemed far away.

He really cares about the others.

That thought brought a small smile to my lips.

“Me too,” I agreed. He turned to stare at me, and something strange flashed in his eyes, then he cleared his throat.

My cheeks flared up, at his sudden stare, then he returned back to watch the snake cook. Nothing came out of our lips for a minute. I lifted my gaze, and my eyes landed on his wound.

I forgot about it.

“C.... Can I look in your wound, please, I’m worried” Bayou lazily looked up at me and arched a brow up.

“You worry that much?”

“Yes, you’re my friend. Plus, I don’t want to drag a dead body half the way to wherever we have to go,” I told him.

“All right then, just be gentle love,” he lowered his legs and undid his buttons. I felt my cheeks flare up, and I moved to sit in front of him. I lifted my gaze, once again, I got to see his toned naked chest, and firm stomach.

“Like what you see?” He teased, I lower my head covering my face with my hair.

“Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not, is alright, I’m your husband, I don’t mind,”

“But I do mind, plus you have seen my err, breasts, and it’s embarrassing,” I told him. He went quiet, then he sighed.

“I didn’t mean to see it, it just happened, plus it wasn’t like I didn’t like it,” He murmured the last part, running his hand over his mouth, so I didn’t hear the last part. His cheeks turned red matching my own.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing love, talking nonsense,” he waved his hand in front of me. I shook my head, and glanced at the bandage, that was covered with blood.

“Still, Mama told me, only my husband can see it, and,”

“I’m your husband,” he added matter of factly. I covered my face with my hands.

“You’re mean, I haven’t even kissed anyone, and you have already seen me half naked, my virtue is ruined,” Bayou sighed, looking up at the roof.

“Technically, you weren’t naked, and forget it, is not like I will see you naked again in the future. So rest assured, and you won’t see me naked, so your virtue is not ruined, and whomever it is that you kiss, won’t know,” he assured me, but Bayou fisted his hands, at his words and his eyes hardened.

I sighed and shook my head, lifting my gaze to his wound.

“Let’s stop talking about it, and take that out,” I pointed out at the dirty bandages. Bayou nodded and did it. When he placed the dirty bandages away, I glanced at his wound. It looked like it was getting an angry red. Luckily the wound wasn’t open, for it to bleed out.

“Give me the rum.”

“Why?”

“Don’t argue.”

“Better not waste it,” He murmured, and handed it over.

“This is going to sting.”

Before he could ask what I meant, I poured the rum into his wound, causing him to jump up in pain, his chest heaved hard.

“Oi woman, are you trying to kill me?”

“No, save you, I think it was starting to get infected, the alcohol will help kill whatever infection that has entered it.”

I stood up and looked around to find something to re-wrap his wound. Then I looked down at Bayou’s shirt.

“This has to do,” I grasped the bottom of my shirt and started to rip it around.

“What are you doing?” He took a hold of my hand. I looked down at him.

“Ripping it, the other bandage is too dirty. We can use my shirt. We can boil some water and wash it, and tie it around you,” Bayou moved and grasped my waist, without thinking, he placed his forehead on my stomach. My heart thumped hard, as my eyes widened.

“It’s nice, I forgot how it feels to have a woman to worry about me,” he murmured.

I looked down.

“Bayou, can I ask you some things?” he nodded, pressing his cheek to my stomach, wrapping his arm around me. I felt my cheeks boiling.

“Have you ever, um, had a fiancé? Or a lady friend?” The thought of that bothered me.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering, I haven’t seen you with anyone so far, not even with Belle.”

“No, I have always been alone, remember love, I needed a witch, and I’m cursed, so courting was out of the question,” I actually breathed out in relief.

“Have you?” he asked.

“I told you before.”

“No, I mean have you even had a courting before?” His question caught me off guard. I shook my head.

“No, no one in my village would look at me, I’ve always been called the fat little pig, so I have lost hope that anyone will ever love me,” I told him finally,

“Since most girls in my village are beautiful, and slender.”

He glanced at me, his eyes hardened.

“Fat little pig? You may be chubby, but you have the curves in the right places, you are just normal for your age. Not every woman has to have the perfect figure, trust me love, any man can fall in love with you, and whoever he is, he’s a lucky bastard. Not all men like skinny woman, ” He whispered, my heart stared to race.

“Thank you.” I lowered my head. His words somehow meant so much to me.

“Just stating the truth,” he placed his cheek on my stomach.

“When was your first kiss? If you don’t mind me asking.” I asked him.

Bayou went still.

“Do you want to know?” He asked. I shrugged.

“Just asking, you don’t have to tell me,” I told him. He went quiet for a minute. Then he sighed.

“Alright, I’ll tell you next time,” he buried his face in my stomach, and held me tightly, breathing in. I frowned at him.

Maybe he’s afraid that I would offend? I don’t want to know then.

The thought of him kissing another woman bothered me as well. I fisted my hand.

“Oh, okay, then what age did you started your pirating?”

“Seventeen, when my curse was activated,” I blinked, confused by his words looking down.

Wait, didn’t he said something like that to the shadow king?

“Activated?” I questioned, making him nod.

“Aye, it’s a long story, one day I’ll tell you about it,” He whispered, I could hear a longing a sorrowfulness in his voice. I cleared my throat.

“Wow, ten years, that’s a long time.”

“What is your favorite childhood memory?” he asked.

I looked up at the ceiling and a sudden smile passed my lips.

“When I turned fifteen, Papa brought me dandelions, and filled the back yard with them. After that day, I attended to them each day, until they withered away by autumn.” The thought of my father brought me sadness, remembering the look he gave me, before I was dragged away.

Do you really miss me, papa?

“Your birthday is in the summertime?”

“Yes, yours?”

“Late spring,”

“Oh, okay, then happy belated birthday,” I told him. He looked up and chuckled at me.

“You sure are a weird person. So random at times,” he murmured, his silver eyes softening. I shook my head.

“It’s weird, I never talk to anyone this long. Anyone who is not my family. I never had friends, so this is new for me,”

“Me too,” he told me. He wrapped his arms around me, knotting his fingers together.

“Don’t you have Max, or Belle?” I asked him.

“Max is my father, he knows me pretty well, but not enough, and Belle, I only speak about her, I don’t like speaking about myself,” he admitted.

“Oh,” I whispered, then I frowned.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m hurt give me a minute,” I sighed, but my cheeks wouldn’t stop warming up. Then came the real question.

“I don’t want to sound mean, but do you enjoy killing or do you have a conscious?”

His whole body went rigid, and he looked up at me, his silver eyes were cold for some reason.

“If I tell you, will you believe me?”

“Yes,” I told him.

“Can I tell you some other day?” his face dropped, breathing coming hard. I shivered when his hot breath brushed against the bare skin of my now exposed midriff.

“You’re hurting, aren’t you?” I lowered my hand, to sort his head.

This is what friends do, right?

“You don’t know anything, but yet somehow you understand me more than anyone in this world, even more than Max, is like you’ve known me for years, instead of weeks,” he murmured, I lowered myself to looked into his silver eyes.

“I don’t know anything and I don’t know how to comfort people, I just listen to them.” I told him simply. Bayou moved his hand and cupped my cheek, his thumb brushed against my lips, causing me to shiver delightfully, against my better judgment.

“All I can say for now, is that my heart feels empty,” he murmured, his silver eyes turned red and watery. I moved and pressed his big calloused hand against my cheek.

“I couldn’t even start comprehending it,” I said. He kept staring at me.

“No you wouldn’t. We should eat and go to sleep, we have a long way tomorrow,” I nodded, not daring to move, I didn’t want to move, I wanted to keep feeling his hand on my cheek.

“Bayou, I feel weird,” I told him, my breathing heightened. I felt something strange moving in my stomach, fluttering around as he moved closer.

“Tell me about it,” He whispered, his lips close to mine.

Please! Somewhere in me screamed, aching to feel his lips on mine. Our breaths intertwined, he closed his eyes.

What’s happening to me? I wanted to learn more about him, I wanted to console him, he looked so lonely.

“It smells,” he suddenly said in a deep voice, causing me to blink rapidly.

“Huh? What smells?”

“The snake, is burning,” he stood up, and walked around me, causing me to breath out, pressing my hand to my chest, trying to calm my heart that was pounding like crazy.

“Ha, ha, ha, the snake, right,” I nervously laughed, burying my face in my hands.

Oh God, what’s happening to me?