The Grims

Chapter 17- Your Seadog

Cima Grim walked home from another long day of school. Her headphones were in as she twirled to the music. She had gotten four hours of sleep, which was an improvement. She also got to do some last-minute homework.

As a song started, a bigger hand grabbed her wrist. She held her arm up defensively as she snatched her arm away. She scowled at her classmate.

"What do you want, Aaron?" she snarled.

"I want to take you out on a date," Aaron explained as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"News flash, no thank you," Cima groaned.

"Come on, treasure. It's not like that pirate poet we learned about in class actually wrote about you. He's dead, anyway. You can't be in love with a dead-"

Cima cut him off by punching him across the cheek, hard. She huffed, calming herself and fixing her lace-up cold shoulder top.

"I can love whoever I want, and it's none of your business if I like someone," Cima snapped.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Aaron said, directly behind her as she walked.

She caught the hand that was about to go on her shoulder. "Next time, I won't be so kind."

"What're you talking about? You're Cima Grim, you can barely hurt a fly-"

Cima pulled out the pocket knife attached to the key chain. She held it up, waving it in front of him. He backed away scaredly as she smirked.

"Told you," she said, laughing as she walked away.

"Sis?"

Cima noticed her sister in front of her as she walked, her eyes wide with disbelief. Cima huffed in shame, disappointed in herself that her sister had to see that.

"Sorry, sis, Aaron's been dogging me since I woke up, and frankly, I was sick and tired of it," Cima sighed.

"That was hot." Gonner winked from the bushes, Isis next to him.

Cima groaned. "And you saw that, too. Another thing you will never let me forget."

"No! Me actually very proud of you for sticking up for ye'self," Gonner assured her.

"Thanks, love." Cima smiled.

"Anyway, what are you two doing here?" Dixie asked.

"We were tired of waitin' for ye in the cemetery, so we decided to go out and find ye," Gonner explained.

"Did anyone see you?" Dixie asked worriedly.

"'Twas a close one. I had to tie this lunatic's bandages to a tree so she wouldn't go after a group of mortals." Gonner smiled.

"Isis! You can't go around biting people! Imagine the mess!" Dixie scolded.

"Who said anything about biting? Those people were talking about some Halloween party you two are throwing," Isis reasoned.

"Great. Just what I needed," Dixie slumped.

"Can I go? Can I go? Can I go?" Isis asked excitedly.

"You definitely have a loose bandage. It's a party for mortals," Dixie pointed at herself.

"But people dress up for Halloween! Nobody would even know we're zombies. Maybe I can even win a prize," Isis said, laughing.

Before Dixie could argue, Cima put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" Cima promised.

"But-"

"No buts. We're on both sides of the world. We were part of the zombie world before, you know. We need to treat them the same way we would treat our friends," Cima reasoned.

Dixie groaned. "Fine, later."

We started walking into the forest as Isis read from the book.

"Vitriol was right! This book has volumes of useful information," Isis said.

"Come on, Cima. What'd be going on with us?" Gonner asked quietly.

"What?" Cima asked, confused.

"Us, remember? Am I not your seadog anymore?" Gonner explained.

Cima's eyes softened. She loved that boy for almost two years during her supposed death. Now she was alive, but her feelings were alive as well. She fell in love all over again when she saw the boy with the eyepatch. "Do ye still love me?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Gonner, I-"

"Dixie, Cima, hand me the Azoth!" Isis said excitedly.

"Chill out, Isis, you're going to break it," Dixie sighed as the sisters connected the Azoth and Cima held it in her hand.

"Vitriol said that the path lies within the heart-" Isis cut herself off when she tripped over a tree branch, causing Cima to stumble.

Gonner caught her from behind, supporting her under her arms as the Azoth hit the moonlight. A circle formed on the ground, creating a compass-like map.

"Avast ye! The Azoth be a map," Gonner said, pointing at the heart. "See? Those be the hands of a compass. It's like Vitriol said. The first element was found in the north."

"So then the element of air would be to the east," Isis said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What are we waiting for?" Dixie smiled, glancing at her sister.

"Virgo... Hydra... Cancer... Corvus..." Cima muttered.

"What are you doing?" Isis asked.

"Finding constellations. I do it to clear my mind," Cima explained.

"Come on. We got this," Dixie assured her.

"I know we do. This is all a lot to process, that's all," Cima explained, laying her head on Gonner's shoulder when he stood next to her. "Anyway, the east is that way."

"You've learned too much from him." Isis rolled his eyes.

"Of course. He's the one who taught me how to live." Cima smiled, kissing the boy on the cheek with a smile.