The Sound of a Siren's Call

53.) Sailboat Spree

Ryan always smelled good. I loved the way she smelled. I sat up. Luna had prepared me my own bed, my own washbasin. The sun was struggling to break free from the horizon. The glow cast a light on the room. It was like a shadow of home. I felt the pang again. I stood up, splashed water on my face, and pulled on some clothes Luna had left for me. My hair tied firmly out of my face, I sat back down. I lay back on the bed. I'd just barely closed my eyes when I felt a whiff of wind brush my cheek. I opened my eyes. I wasn't alone.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet looking for something hard. But no. Even though the house was basically a giant tree, everything had been made as soft as possible. The intruder turned around.

I caught a glimpse of his silvery skin. Cal.

His lips were moving a mile a minute. I almost made out sorry, but he kept putting his hand over his mouth. Embarrassment is almost always annoying, but on him, it was infuriating.

I stared at him. He stopped eventually. His already whitish skin was even whiter.

"You're the Deaf girl, aren't you?" He signed, obviously mortified.

I nodded.

"My sign is rusty." He stated the obvious, rubbing his fist over his chest. "Sorry... I... uh... I came here for Ryan."

I nodded. "Well, she's here."

"Was I... I..." He paused for a long time; his eyebrows furrowed together. "Was I interrupting something?"

"No, why would you be?"

"You two are... dating, right?"

"Yeah."

"You know me and Ryan dated, right?"

I nodded. That was why they'd been so close. I twiddled my thumbs. What did he want?

"This is bothering you, isn't it? I shouldn't have—"

"It's not bothering me. I'm going to be leaving anyway."

"Okay." His fingers flicked quickly.

"What did you even want here anyway?"

"Ryan had actually asked me to arrange some boats for her and I wanted to show them to her."

I glanced over at Ryan. She was still asleep.

"I grew up on the waters. Maybe I could look at the boats with you."

"I mean... Ryan's the one that is going to pay for it."

I looked at my hands. Of course, that was the case. I kept forgetting that I didn't have any money. I should've thought about that before running away from home.

"That makes sense. You are still in my room at dawn though, which doesn't make as much sense."

"I knocked before I came in." He defended. It seemed like he was getting more used to sign. Probably just out of practice.

"Of course, you did."

He smiled. It was a cute smile if you're into that sort of thing. (That sort of thing being boys in general.)

"I guess there's no harm in a short boat ride."

I smiled in return. Ryan still seemed to be sound asleep.

"Let's go." I looked at him. I did want to get to the bottom of what exactly he and Ryan had done or would do.

He smiled, his hand resting behind his neck.

Ψψψ

I missed the way the sea smelled. How I lived without it, I don't know.

Cal looked terrified anytime I took the rudder of his tiny boat. He was a capable sailor. He knew what ropes to pull and when. He knew where his weight was the most useful. He was light and quick on his feet. He reminded me of me. I guess Ryan had a type.

The boat pitched again. Cal's hair was drenched. In all probability, it had probably just dried. My shirt was just about soaked through. The water was cold, much colder than it had been for me and Ryan's excursion. From the looks of things, a storm was approaching. It had been for quite some time, but it had seemed much farther away a few minutes prior.

I looked over at Cal. He was looking at the storm too.

He didn't make any move to address me, he just started guiding the boat back to the dock we'd casted off from.

"Wait," I signed.

He looked at me.

"The storm—"

"I can take it."

He shook his head.

The sun was a bit higher in the sky. The east was sunny, as though there was nothing to be scared of in the West.

"We have time."

"You're just like Ryan. We're turning around."

"Just like Ryan?"

"Impulsive. About to get me killed." His hands flopped with a sort of amused distaste.

"Has Ryan almost gotten you killed before?"

He grabbed the tiller. I caught on, keeping my eyes on him as I kept the mainsail steady.

"Too much for now. Tell you when we dock." He immediately gripped the Tiller again. We were fighting the current.

I don't know whether it was his nervous fidgets, complete disregard for personal space, intense knowledge of watercraft that made me feel a bit insecure, or his surprising style of frank honestly, I liked him. I don't know when I decided this. It might have been before we landed. Might have been just after. It might have been when he had the audacity to banter with me in my own room or when he took out a boat with barely any hesitation. I liked Cal. I liked him almost enough that I didn't feel a jealous pang when Ryan hugged him first when we landed.

She hugged me and kissed me a few seconds later, but it was what I needed.

Hindsight is an odd thing. Maybe I was looking for a reason to leave. Maybe I wasn't ready for a relationship. Maybe it was never meant to be. But whatever it was, it felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders. I was ready to go home.

I stared out at the oncoming storm. Ryan ad wrapped a blanket around me, and I hugged it closer. It wasn't until Ryan tapped my shoulder that I realized Castor was standing at the end of the peer.

"What's wrong?"

He just shook his head. I moved toward him.

"Castor?"

Ryan and Cal were both talking. He was talking too.

"Castor?"

He looked me in the eye for the first time.

"We need to leave. Now. I'll explain later."

I turned to Ryan. Her eyes were furrowed.

"Regno put up papers for your return. More money than most of us could ever imagine."

She hugged me. "I'm sorry."

I nodded. "I need to go get my things."

And on that, we left.