The WaterWorld Wanderer

Finding A Path in the Dark

     Everyone learned how to swim and sail as soon as they could stand on their two legs. Some kids even learned how to swim before learning how to walk. Learning how to navigate the world by the stars is one of the first things you learn when it comes to sailing.

      Kailani would frequently sing the nursery rhymes her mom and dad would sing with her when she forgot which way was which. The long fishing trips once filled with stories, songs, and laughter had been replaced by the deafening sounds of nothing but the waves of water surrounding the world. She was alone. She didn't like thinking about how lonely she felt. When she did linger on the thought for too long, she ended up sobbing for hours. To avoid such a fate, she filled the quiet with colorful fantasies and wishful thinking.
    
    As the sun began to set, she caught sight of another floating village. She rowed as quick as she could to get there before the sky went completely dark. By the time she did get there, she had less than an hour of daylight left, and her arms were as sore as they could get. She knew she would have no other choice but to stay the night.
    
    "UGHH My arms feel like they're gonna pop off..." She groans as she drags her raft closer to the doc to tie it up.

     "What's the hurry pipsqueak?" Someone said from behind, effectively spooking her enough that she stumbled off the dock and into the water.

     Laughing, the mysterious person in the dark hoodie pulled Lani out of the water and proped her upright on the dock in front of this mysterious stranger. Of course her first reaction was to back away making sure not to fall into the water again, but she found herself shivering and frozen in fear.

     "Hey kiddo I'm not gonna hurt you. Okay? I was just messing with you. Jeez-" the strange person was cut off by an angry child before he could finish.

     "What was that for you meanie?! Now I'm soaking and freezing to death! It's already dark, I have nowhere to go, my time is being wasted and now I'm soaking wet." She stomps out of anger, only getting a stifled laugh in response.

     "Okay okay jeez- You can crash at my place for a bit. Er, Well, it's not really my place. It's my friend's, but I'm sure they'll let you stay for a bit when I explain the situation. C'mon." The person pulled his hood down to revel that this stranger was actually a blonde guy this whole time.

     "Hey! Wait a minute! I don't even know your name, so why should I come with you?" Lani stopped stomping and stood there stiff, ready to make a break for it if she has to.

     "The name's Allen, you? Also, what's a pipsqueak like you doing out here?" He asked as he motioned for her to come follow him.

     "For the last time, I am not a pipsqueak!" Lani said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm Kailani, but you can call me Lani for short."

     The boy only chuckled and smiled in response as he turned to walk along the dock. Lani had no other choice but to follow this blond teen in the dark. She was cold, wet, and hungry. But at least she wasn't alone again, so she followed. Who knows? Maybe he might have some clues as to where her parents are?

     "Ight. We're here. You can stay here for tonight with us. I'm guessing you're another orphan judging by how you're alone at sea at night." He sighs and glances at the poor girl only to find a shivering frozen mess.

     "Can we hurry up and get inside? No offense, but I'm freezing out here! Not to mention that I'm soaked to the bone since you spooked me." She said with chattering teeth, almost like a tsundere.

     "Sorry- Look I don't have anything pipsqueak sized, so you'll just have to deal with oversized hoodies. Okay? Quit nagging me or you'll start to sound like my mom." He said as he let her in the house first and handed her the smallest hoodie he owned to change into.

     Well, the smallest hoddie he owned was still so big compared to her since all he owned that wasn't for swimming or fishing was oversized and baggy. Lani had no other choice but to change since her only other option was to keep wearing cold, wet clothing and possibly getting sick. She yelled at him not to look as he handed her a towel to dry off with.

      After pulling off all the soddy clothes she wore that was sticking to her skin, she immediately wrapped herself in the warm towel and pulled the oversized hoodie on. Of course the hoddie was so big on her that she could use it as a sleeping bag or a hammock, so she rolled the sleeves on the hoddie up and pulled the drawstrings on the hood as tight as she could get it so it wouldn't slip off.

     "Okay you can look now, but don't la-" she was immediately cut off by howls of laughter. Great.

     "Yo Al? What's so- Wh-" someone entered the house, seemingly surprised both by Allen's laughter and the fact that some random child was in their house.

     After many attempts of trying to get Allen to stop laughing so he could explain and somehow ending up in a fit of laughter as well, the two somehow stopped laughing and we're now both wheezing and in tears. Of course Lani got mad and stomped like the literal child she is only made them start laughing again untill they were in pain. Eventually, they somehow managed to explain the whole situation without laughing uncontrollably again, and they introduced each other again for Allen's friend's sake.

     "Okay okay- So, Lani was it? Yeah. I'm Felix. What brings you to our man cave?" He asked while making a heart shape with his hands, still a bit out of breath from almost laughing to death earlier.

     "I-I- For the last time, don't call your house the man cave." Allen sputtered, clearly flustered at the wording used by his friend knowing what he really meant.

     "Well your friend here decided it would be a good idea to sneak up behind some kid alone at the docks, so now he's paying the price." Lani said with a chirp, almost as if mocking Allen to add to his embarrassment.

     They spoke for a while more over fishcake and seaweed tea. Everything seemed alright for the time being, but deep down she knew deep down that she was still alone. Eventually they brought up the topic of parents. Allen's mom kicked him out as soon as he turned seventeen a couple days ago. Felix was kicked out by his parents when they found that he was trans. He was originally named Felicia, but switched to the name Felix as soon as he started transitioning.

     "So what about you?" They asked her in unison, they had a good idea of what happened, but we're curious about her story.

    "Uhhh..." She paused, thinking about how to tell them "I-I'm looking for my parents. We got separated in one of those huge storms. I know they're alive! They're probably waiting for me somewhere. I just know it!"

     Allen and Felix looked at each other and nodded, knowing perfectly well that they couldn't convince the determined little kid otherwise. They both know that she would probably leave to go looking for any sign of her parents regardless of whatever they do, so they were going to help her so she wouldn't end up like the every other orphan, dead or alone.

     "I can go with you. Besides, I'm only staying with Felix here until I can get a place of my own, so I guess I can go with you and look for a place to live while we're at it. But first we gotta stock up on supplies and get you something that actually fits you or whatever." Allen said with a sigh.

     "You guys can pack up and whatnot tomorrow. We can talk more about this later, but Lani here is still a baby and needs at least 10 hours of sleep." Felix teased before handing her a small blanket and patting her head to exaggerate how small and short she is, getting nothing but a weak kick to his shins.

     After another painful fit of laughter and very weak punches that was more like a pat, Lani fell asleep. The other two went to bed later as they were "big kids" and was therefore allowed to stay up late. Lani would've stayed up to spite them if she wasn't as tired as she was by then. She could rest a little easier knowing that she has at least two new people who would miss her if she went away at sea and dissapeared like her parents did. They knew that this would only be the start of their long journey.

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Sorry for not updating! I keep forgetting stuff and never having any time to write stuff down, so don't think I actually have up on this book! ( ꈍᴗꈍ)