The smell of salt and dead fish wafts over the decks of the harbours of Vermillion Bay. A boy with shaggy licorice black hair, hot chocolate eyes with an epicanthic fold, and caramel coloured skin playfully leaped over barrells of sea creatures with his little sister.
"Hey Kai! Wait up!" She calls for her brother running a few feet ahead of her.
"Nope, you gotta keep up Sidy!" Kai calls back.
"Why are we running anyway?"
"Because the ships are leaving soon." Kai says, "we have to see Mom and Da off." Their parents were leaving to go on one of their longest adventures ever to import rare purple crabs.
"I can't wait to eat the crabs I hear they taste like unicorn ears dipped in salty butter."
"No they taste like candied hippogriff tails."
"Unicorn ears!"
"Hippogriff tails!"
"Unicor..."
"Kids." Kai and Sidy had become too busy arguing about the taste of purple crabs they hadn't noticed they had arrived at the harbour, "Your mother and I told you to stay at home with Auntie Ellie." Their father had told them to stay home but Kai and Sidy really wanted to say goodbye again.
"I'm sorry Da but we really wanted to see you off." Kai apologized.
"It's ok but you're only 8 and your sister 6 and we don't want you to get hurt." he said ruffling Kai's hair. Kai's father's family moved to America from South Korea on a large steamship when he was barely two years old and he had had a passion for sailing ever since. "Your mother's already aboard. I love you and can't wait to bring you those crabs."
"We love you too Da, goodbye, see you again." Their father boarded the ship and the kids waved as it left the dock. They ran through the crowded streets past large duplexes and the occasional truck parked on the side of the road.
Auntie Ellie was the best aunt ever, according to Kai and Sidy. She reads them bedtime stories and lets them stay up late if they eat all their vegetables during dinner. But tonight there was too much cabbage to eat and they couldn't do it so at eight pm they were sent straight to bed. Despite the house being large and Kai and Sidy being able to have separate bedrooms they insisted on sleeping in the same room.
"Goodnight Kai." Ellie shit the light off, "Goodnight Sidy."
"Goodnight Auntie." They said in unison. Then they drifted off to sleep happily
YOU ARE READING
Fragile Skins
FantasyKai lives in a regular port town in the south of California. But after his father meets an unfortunate end and he meets a mysterious boy named Sachiel his life flips upside down. The boys embark on an epic quest to uncover a government conspiracy.
