Linewalkers

22 | Barter and Smarter

Not Edited

******

She didn't know when the storm finally stopped. 

It had been a long and miserable night, of which she hated every second of it and watched with envy as Kreve seemed to be relaxed through the entire ordeal. She guessed that was the difference between the two of them. He knew what to expect and she didn't. She was blindly following his lead and she prayed he was true to his word. 

Somewhere around early dawn, she passed out in her berth. The exhaustion from last night had eaten up every last ounce of her energy and she was drained. She was as good as dead to the world for most of the day. She wasn't even aware of Kreve moving around the room, checking supplies, and digging up valuable items from the sacks by the door. 

She had lucid dreams. They would appear out of nowhere, as clear as day, and then they would morph into another. She dreamt of being home, with her mom and dad, and her beloved cat. She was curled up in her bed and Nomad was snuggled into her lap, a blanket surrounding both of them. Then, the dream would change, and she would be standing in front of a giant computer with hundreds of codes racing across the screen. They wanted to be cracked and decoded but the moment she did it, the screen split and she was sucked in. 

Then, she saw Elias' face. He was smiling, holding a chemistry exam that he had passed. The very same exam she had helped him pass. Those days felt like ages ago and her dream blended with her nostalgic feelings. She saw Elias sitting at his computer, grinning as he cracked another code and got into some forbidden website, and then she saw him watching her dance. 

She was dancing with the grace of an angel and the tippy toes of an experienced ballerina, until suddenly she was spiralling out of control. The world moved in a blur and she cried out as she watched Elias fall through the ground as it opened up. There was a blackness creeping into the room and it was crawling closer, desiring to swallow her whole. 

She woke with a gasp. 

Her eyes immediately focused on Kreve. He was standing at the door, his hand on the wood as if he was about to open it, but she had stopped him. He blinked a single time, making his glowing amber eyes even more inhumane, and then he sighed. 

"Sorry if I woke you," He spoke, "I'm heading out for dinner and then I'm going to barter with the crewmates. When they're drunk, they'll give away anything and not even care." She noticed the sack he held in his left hand, probably the ones he was going to trade. 

She felt small, "Okay." 

He rose a single eyebrow at her in question, then he shrugged, "You'll be fine." And then he opened the door. 

She was left alone and she puzzled over her dreams. 

*****

"How did you manage to get all these things?" She cried out in awe. 

Kreve finished dumping the valuable items on the crate. There were actual gold coins amongst the mix of things and she instantly grabbed one to examine it. She was amazed, she had never held real gold before and it felt slightly heavy as she rested it in her palm. 

Suddenly, the gold disappeared, "Careful, you'll lose your mind over gold." Kreve scolded as he snatched it away from her, "It has driven any man mad." 

"And you are immune?" She quipped but picked up a ruby necklace. Its pendant gleamed like freshly spilt blood and she figured it had cost just that, blood. 

"No, but there are more valuable things in this world," Kreve answered and he studied the necklace she was admiring, "That was meant for a lover but then he killed her." 

She dropped it as if it burned her, "What?!" 

He grinned like a cheshire cat, "That's what I was told. It's not uncommon." 

"People kill their lovers?" 

He shrugged, "Think about it, we're all animals in some way. We follow our instincts. Sometimes we kill each other after mating, especially the reptilian kind." 

She wrapped her arms around herself, "That's really dark." 

"Its the way of my world. You don't have to understand it." 

She was quiet. He was definitely right. The more time she spent here, the more she realized she didn't want to be here any longer than she had to. She wanted to find Elias and get home. A place that she missed more and more the further she ventured into this unknown. She wanted the comfort of her cat. 

She knew that Nomad was Kreve but it just didn't feel the same. Now that she knew he was a full-grown man, it was awkward to think of him as a cat, curled up in her lap. She cringed internally, he probably seriously enjoyed perching atop her breasts and kneading his paws there. That was really awkward. Still, she missed the comfort he had once brought as Nomad. 

Kreve sorted through the rest of the valuables and treasures he had gotten from the crew and she watched in silence. There were things she had no idea how to identify and others that looked similar to what her world would value. 

Finally, she broke the silence, "So, what's next?" 

"We make landfall, gather more supplies, and hopefully Elias will give us a sign." 

"What if he doesn't?" 

He shrugged, "I don't know, we just start looking. I know a few places he could be." 

"Will there be Fallarks there?" She shivered at the thought, "How will we disguise me?" 

His eyes flicked to her, "I managed to steal something from the Captain's cabin while he was busy. I knew it was here." He dug through the pile until he found it and then he pulled out a bracelet. It was a rusty brown color and its finish looked like it was molten in seaweed. 

Her nose scrunched up, "What is that?" 

"It was used by the first Linewalker, he managed to discover sampaguita, which is a rare, tropical species of jasmine that exists in both our worlds. It can disguise any scent and this bracelet is infused with it. The Fallan dismissed its existence when they killed the first Linewalker, but it was recently discovered at the bottom of a lake. Of course, Captain Hawkeye saw it as the most valuable treasure and he went to quite the lengths to get it." 

She frowned, "So, you just stole his most valuable possession and we're on his ship, in the middle of the ocean, and he could find out at any moment?" 

Kreve blinked. 

She threw her hands up, "Fantastic! That sounds like a great plan. Are you crazy?! He'll know it was us without even batting an eyelid!" 

His expression soured, "Well, we definitely can't let everyone on this ship find out you're a human, now can we?"

"No." She mumbled. 

"Glad we can agree," He said shortly and before she could say anything else, he clamped the ancient-looking bracelet around her wrist. 

"Ow!" She whined as its cold metal pinched her wrist bone. It didn't even hurt, she was just surprised with his quick movements. 

Kreve rolled his eyes. 

.      .      .      .      .      .

I'm really enjoying this. 

These characters feel so natural as I get back into their story and that's something I've missed. I'm hoping to develop this world a little more, too. Of course, the next chapter holds some trouble and action *winks*