The Poison Rose

Dose

 “So,” I took a chunk of cucumber we found into my mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

 Kain and I were chilling on the beach with everyone else. The island was clear, so he let everyone take a break.

We were the only ones awake though.

Rosaline hadn’t come to check up on us yet. But, Maria did.

She wanted to get off the ship, so she stretched her legs and went for a walk.

“How do you take baths?” I looked at him questioned, “I have been in these same clothes for a while, and I’m starting to feel sticky and stinky.” I held my shirt out to him with two fingers for better reference.

“We don’t.” He took a giant bite out of my cucumber and began chewing like a camel.

“That’s gross.” I flicked the cucumber into the ocean and laid down on my stomach, laying my head on my arms.

“How do you get clean then?”

“We jump into water ever once in a while.”

He propped himself up on his elbows and tilted his head back in sleepiness, yawning and looked back at me and tilted the corner of his mouth up.

“Can’t the questions wait until tomorrow?”

His hat slid in front of his face and he jerked his head back to put it back into place.

“No. I want a bath.”

I threw my face into the white sand and growled, “And some answers.”

“OK, Nyn. What kind of answers?” He asked slyly.

I sat up quickly and popped him on the forehead.

“Ny-Ra! Got it? Nyyy-Raaa!”

He stuck his tongue out and wiggled it like a worm.

“You’re so dumb.”

He laughed, “Why did you throw the cucumber? I want more. Go get me some, Nyn.” He puffed and I was offended.

“Who do you think you are?” I crossed my arms in defiance and humphed.

He brushed me off and fell into the sand, sighing, “What kind of questions?”

“Special ones…” I mumbled and played with a seashell.

“Like…?” He pushed impatiently.

“Ones that I want you to answer, but you probably won’t.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mmhhmm…”

“Have a go.” He took my seashell and looked at it in the sun.

It glimmered like a million diamonds.

“Where are you from?”

“See, that wasn’t hard!” He patted me on the head, “Colombia.”

“Figures.”

“What?” He looked up confused.

“Nothing. Next question,” I removed his hand from my head, “Are you a good trading pirate? Or a Real life stealing, killing, drunk pirate like in the storybooks?”

“My family’s trade is clothing, which is why I have a ton in the under deck. But, I decided that it was boring and wanted to be like the pirates in my storybooks, like you said. I became like black beard and all of the other chicos.”

I nodded my head in agreement.

He was peaceful now.

“Last one.”

He looked up at me expectantly.

“Who is Rosaline to you? And why is she on the ship?”

He very visibly stiffened.

I thought he was going to blow it off like normal, but he blew up.

“What is it to you?” He hissed, getting up and stomping away.

“Hey, I just asked an innocent question.” I jumped up quickly and followed him.

“If you really must know so badly,” He turned and glared at me, his hands in fists and his jaw clenched.

“She’s my fiancé and we’re in an arranged marriage. Happy now?”

I gasped and bit my knuckle.

He turned from me and cupped his hands around his lips, “Up you lazy cows! Let’s go!”

Maria threw a ladder over the side of the ship and then looked at me mystified.

I shook my head in an don’t worry about it motion.

He walked to the rope ladder and began shakily climbing.

I didn’t know what had got him so worked up about the question, only maybe the arranged marriage part.

Maybe I should just keep out of his business.

Yeah.

I’ll only speak to him if he speaks to me first.

There, settled.

We’ll both be happy this way…

pirates pirate ship ocean