Bloodlines

Chapter 16

Flashback

10 years ago...

Young Liza stood at the railing of a large ship and stared out towards the ocean. Her blue eyes rivaled the clear water and the blue sky eyed her behind puffs of smoke. The sound of the salt water hitting the ship calmed the storm inside her and she enjoyed the feeling of freedom.

"H-Hey, did you hear that the Captain recruited a weird one? They said that she was a dangerous assassin that killed by orders of her client!" One of the men whispered hard enough for Liza to hear their conversation.

"W-What?! Isn't she dangerous then? What if she kills us?!" One of the other men whispered back with panic written all over his face. They whispered to each other and Liza kept herself occupied in her thoughts.

"Hey, what are you guys babbling about?" A spiky brown haired male with dark brown eyes asked as he interrupted the men's conversation and they yelped in surprise. "You better not gossip about our new comrade," he warned.

"C-Captain, are you sure about this? You know she's an assassin, right? Wouldn't it be dangerous if she joins us?" One of the men asked once again and the others nodded. They all felt the same about the female.

"Agh! Enough with all the questions! You're making my head ache!" He moaned and ruffled his own hair. "Listen, she's part of us now. Either you accept it or leave this crew if you're not satisfied." His men's eyes widened and they watched as he walked towards Liza.

"Yo, Liza! Do you see anything interesting? You've been standing there ever since you came on this ship. Aren't you getting bored?" The Captain asked as he went to stand beside her and watched her stoic face.

"No, nothing. I'm not bored either. I like the view. It has a calming effect," Liza replied in short and definite sentences. She didn't even glance back at the male but he was indifferent towards her impassive behavior.

"Yeah, it calms you down until a storm brews. Then this entire ship's crew goes crazy to get us out of the storm in one piece," he said with a wide grin and laughed as he thought about it. Liza turned to look at him and her brows furrowed.

"Hendrickson, why did you really bring me on this ship? It's clear that your comrades don't approve of my presence. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want a monster near me either. Why would you want someone like me on your ship?" Liza asked.

"Why? I told you, didn't I? I want you to use your talents rather than to throw them away by killing for money. I need someone with your skills on my ship. Besides, don't think you're the only monster on this ship," Hendrickson said and gave her a dark look.

"The Captain's right. If you look closely, you'll see that you entered the monster's den, Blue," someone spoke up behind Liza. She glanced behind her, her hand immediately on her dagger and her brows furrowed. She didn't even sense him come in behind her.

"Hey, Dart! Don't go scaring her like that! She can kill you, you know? Geez, then I need to get a new first mate," Hendrickson grumbled the last part. Liza let her hand drop slightly from her dagger and Dart huffed.

"This little Blue? Kill me? Then you must be strong if that crazy bastard says that," Dart said and Hendrickson growled angrily at him. "I'm Dart, Captain's first mate. Nice to meet you, Dangerous Blue."

"It's Liza."

"Sure, Blue. Whatever you say," Dart said and Liza's brow twitched in agitation. However, she pushed away the anger and returned to her view of the ocean. She honestly didn't want to waste the energy to get angry over a mere nickname.

"Oi, it looks like a storm is coming in. Everyone, be sure to stay near your stations and be ready for any climate change!" Another voice called from behind Liza and she glanced back towards a bald male.