Zenobia's Tale [Undergoing rewrite]

Part 13

As the day progressed Zenobia had fallen asleep curled up next to the stores left in the ship for the trip. Others boarded with their families and muttered in hushed tones. Chatting loudly, or looking terrified.

"Momma? Why are we leaving?" One boy asked and the mother simply hushed him. Others talked about freedom while others feared for criminals joining those on the ship. The ship itself was not built for a mass of passengers, it was a cargo ship meant to carry goods, The space they were given to sleep was a rather large and empty area with no beds to sleep on, nor seat to perch on. if one wished to sit they sat on the floor. Zenobia never heard the chatter as the ship set off for the new world, She simply remained asleep in her hiding place unseen by any who were not looking for a child nestled in with sacks of food.

Once the sun went down Zenobia chose to explore. Doing so only when most everyone else was asleep in the ships cargo hold. She slipped from the lower levels and made her way on deck. Looking around at the stars she couldn't help but smile. Freedom from the city was nice. It wouldn't take long however for Zenobia to learn she had traded one prison for another. She craved the freedoms of the wild, of the trees and the beasts. Missed not having to worry about humans and their annoying need to be rid of those who did not fit in their perfect idea of a world. She so badly wanted to just jump from the ship and get away. Zenobia could not swim however and did not wish to learn if she would drown or not. Moving around the deck she was nearly alone. It was a calm night on the waters and Zenobia had no problems moving around as the boat sailed.

She stopped at the railings and looked over the edge at the black water. In the moonlight, the water seemed to act almost as a mirror. This was not really much help when it came to watching her back for the simple reason that she could smell most everyone on the ship. Few washed and after a few days the small became horrid to her nose. Trying not to breath was not much was an issue during daylight hours, it was in the dark when they slept that the stench became nearly unbearable. They all seemed to pile below deck at once and Zenobia could almost imagine a green cloud of stench seeping through the floorboards and up into the air.

Other times she could imagine the ship surrounded in a bubble of green moving through the ocean leaving a slimy trail behind them. Rarely did she imagine everyone clean those days were when the small nearly disappeared, then the wind would die down, or shift and she would smell them all once more.

Manipulating the sailors minds to think she was below deck with the others Zenobia had roamed freely, escaping the nagging feeling in her mind to feed. The rats had done what they could to sustain her, but the others commented on the lack of rats too much for her taste. She had picked off a sickly male a few nights ago and they had tossed his lifeless bloodless body overboard. No one noticed the bite mark at his arm, they all had assumed illness had gotten the best of him. Though Zenobia's body was immune to illness, his blood had made her feel ill herself causing her to remain below deck with the others. Their stench keeping her from her away from her murderous thoughts. She was nearly starving, and while the others ate their rations she had eaten none. Her substance would not come from bread and water as the others did. One mother, however, had noticed the child was not eating and took it upon herself to take little Zenobia in under her wing.

"You really must eat dear. You must be hungry." She would say every night, and every night Zenobia would play the innocent child card and shake her head crying. The more the woman tried to get her to eat the better Zenobia could play sick. The more food was forced in front of her she truly felt like she may be sick.

"I-I ate a little this morning...Please...No" She would whine. Every night the woman would slump her shoulders and pat her head before moving off to help the other children and families near her. Zenobia would soon find her way up to the deck near the main mast or the railing depending on the waters. She was never caught by the crewmen or anyone else for that matter. The first night on the ship the captain had nearly found her out and in her panic she learned she could manipulate the crews mind and cause them to forget she was ever on the upper decks after hours. She also learned she could do the same to her victim's when she needed to feed. She would block out their memories of her, of course, most of the time she would drain them and would not need to make herself disappear from memory just from sight for a while. Once the bodies were found they were often determined dead from illness and thrown overboard. 

Days later they had found land, the sailors had shouted and whooped in excitement unaware that the child remained clung to a large mast pole. The hunger was beating at her and she tried to be a good girl and not hurt them, not this close to land. It was, however, dark and the captain refused to unload in the dark having been unable to canvass the changes to the land. They would have to wait until morning. This terrified Zenobia, how was she going to get off the ship if the sunlight hurt her? She would have to find a way off the ship in the cover of dark, but how? As her mind raced others from below decks ran up to see the land as they laid anchor. She inched closer and closer to the edge of the ship to look over the railing, drawing the attention of a crew member who stepped up next to her.

"Careful there child. Would not want you to fall overboard do we?" He asked lightly truly sounding as if he cared about her. His concern only gave her the idea she needed. She could 'fall' overboard and swim to land. Nodding to the male with a small smile was the only response he got from her. once she was positive no one was watching minutes later she climbed up further to the edge of the rail, a feat for one of her size. Once she sat on the rail she glanced around and let her body fall into the icy waters screaming as she did so. The realization that she knew not how to swim hitting her only when it was too late.

A splash sounded not long after she broke the surface of the water and sank. The current was pulling her away from land rather than towards it. She broke the surface of the water and gasped for air only to be drug under once more, her small body getting flipped around and beaten under the harsh current. She had slammed into rocks and the ship itself multiple times. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm yanking her to one side, they broke the surface once again both bodies gasping for air. Zenobia shivering and sobbing, the crewmen that had spoken to her right before she jumped held her against him as he swam towards shore slowly inching his way keeping her head as well as his above water. 

Once they reached shore she curled into a ball and sobbed while he coughed and gasped for air. After a moment or two Zenobia stood up and looked at the male only for the realization to hit her. He saw her on deck every night while the others obeyed and moved about like she didn't exist. This one seemed immune to her mind tricks, every night he watched her while doing his chores, that was until he went down to bed. She opened her mouth to speak only to catch the scent of his blood on the air. Her gums ached as well as her stomach, she was half starved from the voyage.

"I-I'm hungry..it hurts." She whispered loud enough for the male to hear her. He nodded and opened his arms to her.

"Come child...I will give you what you need." He spoke lightly watching her. The look on his face made her wonder if he knew what she was. He seemed so calm when others panicked and ran from her. He was not afraid of her, or maybe it was death he embraced. She moved to him so fast the impact of her small frame against his large one knocked him over. She sank her fangs into his neck enjoying the rush of the hot crimson liquid rushing from his vein. He did not fight her, she wouldn't lie she enjoyed the fight the adrenaline infused blood was like a drug to her, but she was starved and he came to her willingly. She drained him as swiftly as she could when she was sated she sat up and looked around. There were a few drops of blood on her clothes that were not hers, but as she had been handled so roughly in the water she doubted anyone would question the blood. She looked down at the dead body and nearly sobbed. What am I going to do with him? As she thought she crouched near him and smiled.

"I thank you." She whispered and moved towards the trees that surrounded them. A large boulder rested above a small ditch. As she stared at the boulder an idea hatched in her mind and in moments she was back at the body grabbing onto his arms she dragged the full grown crewmen easily towards the ditch leaving him positioned under where she hoped the boulder would land if it had been pushed free from the earth grip. She moved behind the boulder in a matter of seconds pushing the large tan boulder as hard as she could. She had to cover up the man's death, make it look as if it was an accident. As she pushed putting her back against the rough rugged rock she could feel the earth give way under the massive weight and within seconds she flung herself forward away from the now falling boulder. Once the dust settled she made her way towards the ditch and looked around. His lower half protruded out from the rocks his innards showing slightly. The upper half was pinned between the ground and the tan boulder with nothing to incriminate herself. After all who would suspect a child of pushing the boulder over.