Storm

Chapter 9

            “So you really used to be in the circus?” Her gray eyes were wide with excitement as she stared at Rat, who grinned foolishly at her. He said he was nineteen--though she wasn’t sure what that meant--and he was funny. She liked him.

            “Yeah, I was--”

            “So you know what a circus is, but not what money is? Where did you say you’re from again?” Storm looked up to see a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either. Storm thought that if she had to paint him, it would be his eyes that made the difference. His face was young, but his eyes were old.

            She frowned at him, because she remembered seeing him hauling crates onto the boat while she was talking to Kinu about money. But she didn’t know his name. “Who are you?”

            “I asked you a question first--”

            “Oh, don’t mind him.” Kinu suddenly appeared on deck, and she blinked at him from her perch on the ship’s rail. Rat waved from his position next to her, leaning against the edge.

            “This old fellow is Ryuu, and he’s just overly suspicious.” Kinu grinned at Ryuu, who scowled back. Storm studied him for a minute, then smiled.

            “I know what a circus is because Noriko told me. But no one told me about money until Rat did. I don’t know much about the world, that’s why I’m coming with you guys.”

            She smiled brightly at him, and Ryuu narrowed his eyes at her, then shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

            Storm’s smile faded as he walked away, and she stared at his back. Something was off about him. No, she decided. Not off, just… hidden. He was hiding something.

            Wan had always told her it was rude to pry into people’s lives, that humans didn’t like that sort of thing.

            But Ryuu with his old eyes and his young face with its tired lines intrigued her. She vowed to figure out his secrets.

            Beside her, Kinu and Rat were staring at her with their eyebrows raised. “That’s a scary face.”

            She glanced at Rat, frowning. “Huh?”

            Kinu grinned. “You looked like you were trying to see into Ryuu’s soul. I should warn you it won’t work--I’ve tried. That man is closed up tighter than a tiger-clam.”

            Storm grinned back at him, crossing her arms. Doing so nearly made her fall off the edge of the boat, but she didn’t seem to notice.

            “I love challenges!” She proclaimed, and then proceeded to rock backwards, falling off the boat despite Rat’s and Kinu’s rush to grab her.

            Luckily they were on the side of the boat that wasn’t roped to the dock, and Storm only hit water. Rat and Kinu stared down into the depths, waiting for her to pop back up.

            But the seconds ticked by… and Storm didn’t come back up.