𝐍𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 // 𝐊𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝐕𝐈.

CHAPTER 6

Dangerous

     It was the next day when Kaz finally approached Brynn after staring at her every moment she was on the deck. She'd had tons of coffee earlier that day to keep herself awake to go over the plans with the others, to stare in the distance at night when everyone else was sleeping. She didn't trust herself to close her eyes anymore.

Brynn didn't look over when she heard the familiar tapping of Kaz's cane against the deck floorboards and the unsteady thumping of his limping footsteps. He sat down awkwardly beside her, setting his cane down next to him. Her second cup of coffee was wrapped in her cold hands. She hated to admit it to herself, but using her powers cleared up a little bit of the shadows under her eyes and she didn't feel as ghoulish as she used to. But she still felt sick to her stomach every time she thought about what she had to do back at the harbor.

"You don't look like you've eaten," noted Kaz.

She scoffed. "Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special." Pausing, Brynn looked down at her coffee. "No, I haven't. But I'm not that hungry anyway."

"I need you at your full strength in Fjerda," he told her. "And that includes eating three meals a day."

"I told you, I'm not hungry. Coffee counts."

"No, it doesn't."

Brynn shrugged. "You're entitled to your own opinion, even if I don't agree with it. Besides, why do you care that much if I'm not eating?"

"If you can't eat after you kill, we're going to have a problem." Her gaze shifted to his, locking onto his dark brown eyes. "Is that it? Or is there another reason why you're not sleeping, too?"

Too observant, Da would probably warn her. Don't trust him.

But he's handsome! Sasha would probably squeal.

"That has nothing to do with you, Kaz," Brynn said, but her voice didn't sound as resolute as she wanted it to.

Kaz shrugged. "I just needed to know if I needed to know."

She eyed him. "That's why you came over here? To voice your concerns for my health? Where did Dirtyhands go?"

"He's still here." Brynn almost got up and walked away, but he spoke again. "Your secret's out."

She didn't respond. Everyone on the Ferolind knew she was an Inferni, but she hadn't used her powers again. Even though Nina insisted it would help her heal faster, Brynn refused. She was afraid of herself. Afraid of what she could do.

Brynn took a deep breath and stood up, leaning against the rail with her hands holding her mug over the ocean. "I'm dangerous, Kaz. And I hate it."

~~~

Brynn's hair looked perfect, flowing in the breeze. Her stormy grey eyes stared out into the distance, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Kaz had to look away to truly take in her words.

She was dangerous. But to Kaz, it was beautiful.

Fiddling with her rings, Brynn sighed. Kaz shakily stood up next to her. They knew so little about each other, yet he felt like he knew her so well. Whenever she fiddled with her rings, she was either nervous, bored, or thinking. She was obviously thinking right now.

He didn't know why he said it. Did he want her sympathy? Did he want her to tell him something about herself in return? But the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I had a brother."

Brynn turned her head slightly in his direction, but still didn't look at him. "What happened to him?"

"He died of firepox."

She shut her eyes. She didn't say sorry, she didn't even offer any words of sympathy. Kaz was almost grateful. A little piece of him wanted her to be sympathetic.

Get yourself together, he told himself. You're Dirtyhands! Not some lovesick teenage boy!

"We've all had our unfair share of death on this ship," Brynn finally said quietly. "I hope his death was painless."

Kaz shook his head. "Hardly."

"I had a sister," she told him. "She was the light of everyone's life, mine included."

Kaz felt the need to ask, "What happened?"

Brynn opened her eyes and took a few moments to respond. "When my village burned to the ground, we couldn't find her. But I could hear her screaming my name." She chuckled. "Sasha used to call me Brynny. I hated it, but I guess that's why she called me that."

"And then you held onto your parents as they burned?"

Finally, she looked at him. "After all these years, you still remember that." There was a faint trace of a smile on her face. Kaz could get lost in that smile he so rarely saw. Then it disappeared and she turned back to the sea. "I should tell you something before we reach Fjerda."

"Go on."

"I...might have caused some trouble in Elling a few years ago before I came to Kerch."

Kaz raised his eyebrows. "How much trouble?"

"I burned down a few houses."

"And you're just now telling me this?"

She shrugged. "I figured since we're not really going anywhere near Elling, it wasn't really something everyone needed to know."

He exhaled. "I guess Nina's tailoring you, now, too."

Brynn blinked and looked at him. "That's it? You don't want to know how it happened?"

"Do I need to know?" She shook her head and Kaz shrugged. "Then I don't feel the need to know why."

He focused on Brynn. The setting sun reflected perfectly against her skin, making her appear to be glowing. Her red hair served as a halo framing her face, but the fact that she looked sicky still didn't go away. Kaz had yet to see the day when she looked healthy.

When she stepped away from the rail, he felt a surge of disappointment. "I should probably go. Nina likes to check up on me every moment she can get." Brynn turned to leave, then looked over her shoulder at him. "You should probably try and get some rest, too, Kaz. You're not the only observant one on this ship."

Just like that, she was gone. 

a/n— Aww, isn't that nice? Also, super sorry I haven't updated, I've been doing a ton of stuff and I just don't have the time to update. But here ya go! Let me know what you think.