Dea Shattered

⎈Chapter 16: Can't refuse

I had received Nene's text late that night. The text wasn't a question, It was a demand. I found myself packing up my stuff and rushing towards the beach within minutes, Nene and Sab already there and waiting.

Nene had brought three surfboards with her, they varied in color but the paint was chipped and faded. Sab was clutching herself, clearly in discomfort around Nene. While Nene just stood there like a pillar, waiting for me with pursed lips.

"Could you have taken longer?" She drew out with an irritated flick of her hair.

"Yes I could have, and also I don't live on the beach shore like you two. So it's gonna take me longer." I shrugged and went over to look at the surfboards. I was surprised to find that while the paint was wrecked, the surfboard itself was in good shape.

I brushed my hand over it and felt a sharp pain in my chest, it reminded me so much of Grace. I hadn't thought about her or Eliza in a long time, it always brought back too many painful memories. I drew my hand back and motioned towards the ocean.

"Why did you call us here Nene, isn't there some other place better than... this." I bit my lip and looked at the rolling waves as they brushed up onto the shore.

"We all may despise the ocean, but we can't lie when we say that being around it comforts us," Nene says sourly, glaring off at the water.

"I don't... despise it," Sab whispers. I turn and give her a sympathetic look. Even though the ocean caused all the pain she has gone through, she still loved it.

"I think we need to discuss the recent events," Nene says, pinching her limbs.

I nod and grab one of the boards, not hesitating as I started to paddle out into the ocean. Nene and Sab followed after me, and despite myself, I did feel calm in the low waves.

We paused when we were a decent distance from the shore, I sat up on the board letting the breeze ruffle my hair. Nene tapped her long red nails on the board, and that's when I noticed that her hair's end has been dyed a deep red. Sab huddled on her board, rocking back and forth. She was clearly unsteady on a surfboard, grasping the edges.

"No more karaoke bars," I was the first one to break the silence. Nene pinched her lips but gave a quick dip of the chin, while Sab lowered her head and nodded.

"I used to sing," Sab whispered almost inaudibly. "I used to be in a school choir, and I loved it." No one said a word as she continued, Sabs eyes still downcast. "I used to also sing my little sister to sleep when she cried, she was just a small baby. I was the only one who could get her to fall asleep."

"Sab," I whispered and reached over for her hand. She lifted her head, tears streamed slowly down her face.

"I was supposed to get married in two weeks exactly after the ocean turned me," Nene said quietly, stabbing her long nails into the wood.

"At eighteen? When were you born," I ask with a small gasp.

"Don't worry about it," Nene said with a poisonous smile. We had always known she had been the oldest, but she never once specified.

Everyone's eyes turned to me, waiting for my story. I gulped and looked down at the rolling waves before speaking.

"I- I was the youngest in my family. I had a mother, brother, and grandpa. I never knew who my father was," I reached up and startled fiddling with a lock of hair. "I painted, that's what I loved most. It always made me happy. When I was turned I tried to stay with my family, but I noticed something that scared me. I always painted the ocean, nothing else but the ocean, for years. Like I had always in the back of my mind known this would happen, and then I left." I didn't realize I had been crying until a tear hit my finger. I reached up and wiped a hand over my eyes, smearing the tears across my face.

"When do you think we will have to... sing again." Sab spoke quietly, breaking the snuffling and tears.

"Like hell I know, it better not be soon though. We just fed the ocean with enough people." Nene seethed her eyes blazing now, the tears long forgotten.

"What if we refused?" I said biting my lip. Nene whipped her head over to me and the fire went out in her eyes. Now it was replaced with cold fear, I had never seen Nene look like that.

"No, whatever you do. Don't refuse, ever." Her words were rushed and furious. I flinched slightly.

"What happens-." Nene cut me off with a slam of her hand, causing ripples of water to go across the surface of the ocean.

"Forget about it, Dea." She snarled, sending another silence to go over us. "I- I'm sorry, just don't ever refuse the ocean. Promise me." Nene rubbed her face, her eyes still filled with fear.

"I... promise," I said unsurely. Nene nodded her head and let out a sigh. I couldn't help but think about it though, what would happen if we refused. What if we just said no and resisted it, we had never tried. I didn't even know if we could resist the call of the ocean, but my mind whirled with thoughts.

"Do any of you plan on ever getting an actual house? Or do you two plan on living in motels and caves for your whole life?" Nene asked, dropping the topic.

"I actually am moving into a house in two days, Sab is living with me. Sorry, I didn't tell you or extend the offer." I said wincing slightly.

Nene's eyes raised in surprise, "How did you get that type of money? You never stole from... well, you know."

I shivered slightly, Sab and I were never a fan on how Nene got her money. She stole from our victims, often getting onto their ships to take and sell what they had. It was a rotten way to get money, yet that was how Nene lived.

"Small jobs, babysitting, dog walking, etcetera. All that matters is that I finally have enough to live in an actual house." I say with a small smile, I didn't stop the pride that rose in my chest. I had worked long and hard to earn that much money without an actual job, it was hard to get hired when technically you were dead to the rest of the world.

"If you need any help moving in, just text us." Nene said with a smirk, Sab blushed and nodded.

"Especially me," she added in. I nodded my head but resisted telling them that Kodhe already promised to help. They still didn't know that I had been seeing him, or that we were getting pretty serious. I ducked my head to hide my blush and let Sab and Nene talk.

None of us had ever really bothered to form genuine relationships with people, other than each other, due to the fact that we would live far past them. The thought darkened my mood, I didn't know where Kodhe and I stood exactly but I did like him a lot. If we ever did take it further, or if there could be a future for us... I don't think it would work out. I would stay looking 19 while he would age and wrinkle, eventually dying.

I swatted the images from my head and tried to refocus on what Nene and Sab were talking about. These past few weeks they have been getting along better, but there was still an awkward tension.

"It's bad and shouldn't be legal! All it does is cause more problems." Sab waved her hands in the air in frustrated movements.

"First off, a lot of it isn't legal. Second off if you don't like my 'drug problem' then stay the hell out of it." Nene snarled, then without giving Sab time to respond she swam back towards shore leaving us behind.

"She can't just-." I reached over and grabbed Sab's arm, Sab pinched her lips together and started to paddle back to shore.

I sighed and followed after then, rippling the ocean's calm surface.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published: April 27, 2020, 3:30 PM

Words: 1423