Nothing to Say

Open the Door

"I hate you," Lexi whispers as she glares at the ground. Ray grins at her as Kaira rolls her eyes, shoving her shoulder into his back. The only reason it hasn't blown into a full-on fist fight it because their hands are tied.

And their legs, and arms, and stomachs for that matter.

Lexi, fourteen star-ages old, has had the unfortunate of following the pair of thieves onto a ship--for the past five years. She's built a strong relationship with Kaira, who defends her from the insults Ray throws at her, and a grudge against Ray, who'd pushed her into the water when they'd been discovered as thieves when the three were nine star-ages old.

"Gee, thanks," Ray shoots back. "At least I'm not the one who almost fell off and cost us our food."

"And I'm not the one who screamed, 'Leave her and let's go!'" Lexi grumbles. They're stuck in the cabin of the ship with a burnt-out lantern. It's dark, but she can tell he's still smiling.

"Guys, stop," Kaira says, pushing back and making the other two almost topple over in the chairs they've been tied to. "Jeesh, is there something wrong with you? We're stuck and you're just blaming each other for weird things."

"He said it first!" Lexi bristles, leaning sideways harshly to almost tip him over.

"Shut up," Ray replies in an almost-growl. "If we're getting out of here, we're going now." A glowing spark ascends from the pouch on his belt and, turning into a sprite, proceeds to cut a hole in the roof of the cabin. The wood disappears the moment the tree sprite touches it, and Ray starts moving his chair, waiting for the sprite to cut him free before loosening the ropes and climbing up. "Come on," he says before hoisting himself up and standing, holding out a hand for the now-free-of-rope girls.

"What--" a burst of wind has Ray holding onto Kaira for dear life, Lexi holding them down as she calls down the sprite to cut another hole. She pulls Kaira, who in turn pulls down Ray, then jumps down, stumbling a bit. Ray, steadying himself, reaches out for her as his gaze flicks up to the hole in the ceiling. "Wind reinforcements," he says before muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

"Okay," Kaira finally speaks, raking a hand through her hair. "Are we going or what?" Ray nods, tying the rope that had once held them captive to his wrist; yet another bracelet he's acquired on their thieving adventures.

They end up flying through the sky screaming while sprites swirl around them. Lexi grabs tightly onto Ray first, then Kaira before closing her eyes and feeling the wind rush through her veins. They come to a stop together, hovering through the air, and Lexi sighs in relief before letting them drop again.

When they land, Ray stands stock-still, his gaze stony as he stares at the landscape before them. "Guys," he grits his teeth, "Come on. This isn't a good place." Kaira pulls him back before he can walk away.

"Ray, it looks like a pretty friendly neighborhood." She smiles reassuringly at him, and Lexi glares at the houses and farmland, watching closely for the danger Ray's pointed out quite obviously.

"Kaira--" she starts, but her friend's already dragged her to the front door of a random house and knocked. Ray shoots a glare at her before quickly looking away. The door opens, and it's a friendly, motherly-looking woman somewhere around forty star-ages. She stares at Ray for a moment, "Raymond? Is that you?" He doesn't look up. "Kaira, can we go now?" His voice is angry, wrecked, and it's the first time Lexi realizes how shattered he is. She rests a hand on his arm before telling the woman, "No, it isn't. I'm sorry, we were just looking for a place to stay."

The woman looks disappointed for a moment, but lets them in with a cheerful smile that, Lexi notes, is too cheerful to be real. Kaira glances at Ray worriedly, but walks in quietly. She thanks the woman, who tells them to call her Elizabeth, and they lay in the beds given to them with a restless energy bouncing throughout. Lexi stares at the pictures on the wall; millions of them with a boy too similar to Ray to not be him.