Poisonous

Chapter 1

I had never given my life much thought until I was lazily propped up against my bed, pain consuming me until it ebbed away slowly. My skin was hot despite being pressed against the cool wooden floor, the alcohol taking hold of my senses. My eyes were heavy. I was tired. My head was spinning. I couldn’t make heads or tails of anything before my eyes fell closed and my body went slack. I heard the wood of my front door splinter and slam against the wall, but I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t look at the owner of the heavy steps as they drew closer. I wanted to reassure the voice that was cooing. It sounded like he was underwater, or maybe I was. No matter how hard I tried to listen, I couldn’t make out anything he said except one thing. It's the same thing I always asked myself.

Why?

***

Year 1; Day 1
Spring

It was warm, and I found myself sitting on my suitcase, fanning my face, and glancing around every few seconds. It was a habit I had picked up on after so many years with a string of excuses already lined up on the tip of my tongue. My dark brown eyes kept darting around from beneath a pair of big, clunky sunglasses. I scanned every face and watched every person who walked by me as I waited on the docks. The movement and constant tensing of my jaw caused an ache to blossom through my face, but it was a small price to pay if it meant keeping myself safe.

After a while, I looked out over the ocean and stared at the vast expanse of blue that disappeared into nothing. I was taking the advice of my aunt and my grandmother. I was going to start a new life for myself beyond that nothingness. A new life that was as far away from Pokyo as I could get without having to completely disappear off the face of the planet. A new life on a little island that was surrounded by the most beautiful coral reef I had ever seen.

I hadn’t been to Coral Island since I was a child, and according to them, it was the perfect place for me. A place where I could go to get fresh air and be free. Until now, I had avoided going back to the island after my grandfather had passed away. I was not ready to face the faded memories of his farm and those long summers I had spent helping him care for his prized chickens and tending to the few crops he kept. I wasn’t ready to rip that bandaid off yet, but my hand was forced. My grandfather was mostly a chicken farmer and often raised and sold chickens if he wasn’t indulging in a chicken fight. Brutal as they were, his flock rarely lost a fight, but once the damage was done, it was done. Despite this, though, he was a kind man who loved to help people as often as he could and completely feared making me or any of his grandkids feel ashamed. He was always a kind soul so long as he saw you as family, but if you were on his bad side, well, no sense holding your breath for his help.

“Ay’ lass! If yer done daydreamin’ I can take you to the Island now.”

I hadn’t noticed the man that had hobbled up to me until he spoke my thoughts coming to a halt. My head shot up when I heard the hoarse voice, and I found myself staring at a man I could only describe as an old sailor. His puffed up white cap aside, there was that air of a seaman that seemed to just radiate off of him in waves. He shifted his weight, seeming to favor his right leg as he simply stared at me with a frown pulling his lips down. He wasn’t much taller than me, but he was definitely heavier than me by several pounds. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his faded maroon coat, and I could feel myself tensing, knowing that he could pull anything from them. The heavy smell of ocean salt came off the man, and my body seemed to relax.

“Wataru.”

“Excuse me?”

“Me name. It’s Wataru. Captain of that there chicken boat.”

He pointed over his shoulder at the oddly shaped fishing boat and scoffed when I just stared at it. I can’t remember having ever seen such a funny looking boat, but it had been ages since I had seen anything outside of corporate offices and fancy restaurants. I shook my head and grabbed my luggage, starting over towards the boat, staring at it out of curiosity. It looked worn, but it was obviously well cared for, so I had no doubt it would stay afloat on our journey. Regardless, I was still afraid of taking up too much space and causing us to sink. Without missing a beat, Wataru took my suitcase from me and tossed it into the boat, stepping in and then offering his arm for me to take. I blushed and took his elbow, taking an uneven step. I wobbled and fell back against my things while he made his way to the front of the boat to sit.. He chuckled softly and untethered the boat, pushing us away from the pier. I smiled as we drifted into the ocean when all I could do was watch as the Pokyo skyline disappeared in the distance.