^“So, how are you settling in?” I ask Livvy as we clean up the dishes in the kitchen after breakfast the next morning. I can’t stop smiling, and I know it’s because of Dante’s sweet kisses. He only smiled at me this morning over breakfast, but everything has been a little mad. There are four new men on the ship, all extremely thin, and they ate a lot at breakfast. They have been offered the same deal as Livvy. I’m starting to realise that the pirates take on homeless and desperate people. They offer them food and safety as they travel around. There is also a family of four: two children and their parents. They are mainly cleaning the ship, and I’ve seen the black-haired children running around the ship.

It’s really rather, sweet. Yes, sweet how they help these people who need it. If only people on Onaya knew what the pirates are really like. I have no doubt that most pirates are not like these, but still, they should be recognised for the good things they do.

It’s not what I expected from pirates, but then again, these pirates are nothing like I would have expected at all.

“Fine, I have my own little room down there, and it has a lock on the door, so no one can get in. Everyone is nice but–” she stops mid-sentence.

“But?” I ask as she hands me a plate to dry with the dishcloth.

“I always expected to die on Sevten, and now, now I have life ahead of me. I have no idea what to do or how to be happy about it,” she says, stopping the washing up and moving away. I put down the plate and lean against the counter.

“My life changed a lot in one day, and I found that it’s best to just take it one day at a time. Life can throw a lot of arrows at you and yes, one may hit you, but most will miss, and you will forget about them. This is just a part of your life, and one arrow won’t stop you,” I tell her, and she smiles at me.

“You’re right,” she says.

“Do you have any hobbies? Anything you really wanted to do if you could,” I ask her.

“I know it’s nothing special but–” she starts, then seems to change her mind.

“Tell me,” I say, bumping her shoulder, and she laughs.

“I just want to find a good man, settle down, and have some children. I want a simple life where I know my family will be safe,” she says.

“That is a special plan, and I want you to have it,” I say.

“And, it’s an unrealistic plan,” she says.

“No, it’s not. I want the same things too, you know. I want a family and a life. I want happiness and a world where I don’t have to hide,” I say.

“I want that for you too, and who knows? Maybe we will have that,” she says. I hope we do, too. We clean all the dishes up, and I walk out of the room to find Chaz leaning against the wall. Chaz’s blond hair looks like he’s run his fingers through it several times, and his jaw is freshly shaven. He looks really good, and I take a step closer to him without thinking about it. These pirates draw me in too much.

“I wanted to talk you, if you have a second?” Chaz asks, and I nod.

“I’m going to go and have a look around,” Livvy says and hugs me before she walks off. I’m not used to her being so friendly, but I guess she has become a friend to me because of what we went through together.

“So, is everything okay?” I ask, and he nods. Chaz holds out a hand, and I slip mine into his as he walks us down the corridor and into his room. The room is lit up from the window and the bright sun shining through it. It’s still a little cold down here, and I shut the door behind us.

“I bought you some new clothes when we were in Sevten,” he says, offering me a big bundle of blue and black clothing.

“You didn’t have to. These must have cost a fortune that I can’t repay you,” I say, holding the soft clothing closer.

“We are pirates, and we have a lot of gold,” he winks, and I laugh. It doesn’t surprise me they have gold as they couldn’t afford the amount of food they have on board otherwise. They also couldn’t afford to help as many people as they do. I wonder where they got it from in the first place. I place the clothes on the bed and have a look through them. There are three blue tops, and black, tight-looking trousers. There are also two blue dresses that look normal to what I used to wear back home. There are also three pairs of thick socks.

“Oh, and these,” he holds up a pair of long boots. They look like they would go up to my knees, and he puts them on his bed. I run my fingers over the thick leather.

“Thank you,” I say and walk over to him. I don’t know what inspires me, but I throw my arms around his neck and hold him close. He doesn’t move for a while, but when I try to move away, his arms go around me, holding me close.

“Every time you’re near me, all I want is to be closer, Cassandra,” Chaz whispers, his mouth near my ear, and I freeze.

“I–” I manage to get out, and he kisses my ear gently, making me freeze again. Chaz feels so warm this close to me, and I have the urge to bury my face into his chest. I know I’m attracted to him, how could I not be, but I kissed Dante last night. I may not have much experience with people or relationships, but I know about jealously. I got jealous every time I saw the love between Everly and her mother, Miss Drone. That kind of jealously is cruel and threatens to take you over.

“You shouldn’t want to be close to me. I mean, I knocked you out with a book,” I say, trying to make the situation funny and stop my heart from pounding.

Chaz gently kisses my ear again and whispers, “Oh, Cassandra, you would have to do far more than hit me on the head with a book to stop me from wanting you.” He chuckles lightly then lets me go, and I step back. I don’t say a word, and neither does he, but his eyes show humour. I turn around and go back towards my clothes on the bed.

“Cassandra, I did get you something else,” he says, and I turn my head to give him a quizzical look. What else could he think of getting me?

“I’ll have to repay you somehow,” I say, and he shakes his head.

“No need,” he says and pulls out a necklace from his pocket. The necklace is a triangle with a bright-green stone in the middle. The shape of the necklace is similar to my mark, but it’s beautiful and made out of gold. I have never been given a gift like this before, and all the jewellery I had was lost to the sea. Even then, it was never given to me. My father just didn’t say anything when I found it and started wearing my mother’s necklace. Mind you, he wouldn’t speak much of her at all to me. I wish I knew more about her sometimes, and now I know it’s too late to find out anything more.

“Can I?” he asks, holding up the necklace, and I nod, speechless.

“Thank you, it is so pretty, and I’ve never been given anything like this before,” I say as I hold my hair up, and he puts the necklace on. Chaz’s fingers skim my neck and send shivers through me before he steps away.

“Beautiful, stunning, and unique. Those are words I would use, but they are also words I would use to describe you,” he says, and I let my hair fall down before I turn to him. I can’t process his sweet words, knowing they are ones I won’t forget.

“Why do you wear this necklace?” I ask him, stepping closer and skimming my fingers around the different shells.

“There is one from every island, all seven. I collected them to remind me of something,”

“Of what?” I ask.

“That all of us are connected, even if the islands aren’t joined together anymore. I believe we can one day have peace, and I will fight my whole life to see that day,” he says.

“There will never be peace as long as the King hunts the changed ones. When he hunts me,” I say, looking down and letting my hand fall.

“The King won’t live forever,” Chaz says, and I watch as he moves to sit in the chair in the room.

“What do you read in here?” I ask him, following him over.

“Mainly books on healing, but this one is on dragons. I was looking for anything useful on your egg,” he says, reminding me of my dragon egg in Dante’s room. I’ll take it with me to whoever’s room I’m staying in tonight.

“Did you find anything?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“No, but there is one more book to read,” he points at the blue book on the table. I pick it up and go to sit on his bed. I miss reading, it’s been too long since I sat down with a new book. I read all the ones in my house, and eventually, I just re-read everything.

“What are you doing?” he asks me as I get comfy and open the first page. I know it’s strange, but I missed this so much.

“Reading, we can look together, and I like to read,” I tell him, and he smiles widely.

“Me too,” he replies and looks down at his book. My eyes trace his large body and his slightly messy hair that looks like he has run his fingers through it one too many times.

Chaz is really handsome, and I force myself to look down at the book.

These pirates are way too distracting.