The Shadress (MCD X READER)

A Child..?

"You can't say much different about me?" I sounded so shocked, even though I tried not to.

"Well, I mean, yeah... You hid so much from us in the beginning. You still continue to hide things, even if you do have good reasons, what's stopping you from hiding something about yourself 'just because you can'?"

I paused before answering. "Everything I hide is for very important reasons. Most of what I hide is because I need to in order to let Irene properly remember everything." I pushed the hostility in my tone away to the best of my abilities. But in my focus to keep from sounding hostile, I forgot something I see as equally important. "Err... Aphmau, not Irene." I rubbed my left hand on the back of my neck and faced away from Laurence.

"Y/N..." He whispered. "You didn't do anything wrong by calling her Irene."

"I know that... It just... It just feels wrong. That over there," I motioned to Aphmau standing next to Garroth at the wheel. "that isn't Irene anymore. That is Aphmau. Irene is gone."

"I wouldn't necessarily say she's gone..."

Time Skip (Narrator's POV)

Y/N sat on the top-most deck, looking out at the sea as it reflected the setting sun. This was the 6th nightfall that had befallen the group after they left from Pheonix Drop, including the ones on the island from before. The ship always seemed to be bustling since they invited Travis with; not a dull moment or a quiet place. Y/N was lucky to find a place with peace and quiet: just her and her thoughts. Well... and her baby.

"You seem deep in thought," Katelyn said as she sat beside the E/C-eyed woman. "What's on your mind?"

Y/N turned to face her, thoughts brushed away. "Shouldn't you be resting down below? Ya know... since you get seasick..."

"Well, I mean I should..." Katelyn smiled softly, looking a little pale. "But Travis is down below pestering Lucinda. And I would be a fool if I did not come up here for peace and quiet."

"A fool would be an understatement when speaking of Travis."

"Oh?" The bluenette raised an eyebrow.

The H/C-haired woman faced the ocean again. "He can be on the noisier side and definitely doesn't know boundaries. But I think part of the problem is who he is and how he was treated on that island. He was kept away from the others, shunned because they didn't believe or trust him. So I think he has a hard time interacting with other humans sometimes."

Katelyn nodded in understanding. She got the same impression from Y/N sometimes. Y/N, being so different and shut off, seemed to still be trying to get a grip on the customs of others. "I've been meaning to ask you..."

Here we go... Y/N thought. She got a sense of deja vu from this whole situation.

"Why are covering your face with shadows still?" Katelyn asked, purely out of curiosity.

Oh... That's easy to answer. "Well, it was to protect me from the imps on the island. They have never known my face and therefore cannot impersonate it. But now it's because I don't want Travis to know. There isn't enough trust between us yet."

Katelyn nodded, unaware she was doing so. She was suddenly feeling quite unwell and she got up and rushed to the other side of the boat. Y/N waved Katelyn off as she reluctantly returned to the lower cabins on the boat, hoping to rest.

Time Skip (Back to Your POV)

It was quite a surprise to everyone on board, except for me, when we reached a mountainous island. "Is this the island you were talking about?" Aphmau stepped up next to me.