I glanced at James and John, both smiling as they shared an 'Earl's special juice' which I didn't trust in the slightest- but it was nice seeing James smile so much now. I remember he hardly smiled at all since we joined this crew. And John- even after three days of sailing next to the Albatross with these other pirates, the sight of John still sets me on edge. My scar itches. I'd much rather forget those memories and have them replaced. Even fake happy memories would be better than these nightmarish ones-
A tug on my hair dragged me from my spiraling thoughts. "Ow- that hurt Ryder."
"Ah, sorry- knotted hair." He replied, carefully untangling my hair before re-braiding it. Ryder... one of the only spirits that sticks close to me like a third arm- the one who's helped me past my episodes. I looked at the floor as he finished, tieing my bandana around my head myself.
"Hey Malachi, let's go take a walk to breathe in the salty air. I love sea air!" Ryder chirped in my ear. I shook him off. I just want to sit here and stare at the wall if I need to. "Yeah, Malachi! Let's go above deck. Those guys are just minding themselves. Let's go!" Rika, Ryder's twin, popped up, siding with Ryder as always. Both shadows came to stare at me, breaking me down until I finally sighed. "Fine. Only because you both insisted." I pushed myself off away from the barrel before I stopped, realizing that John was making his way over to me.
"Hey- Malachi, right? Nice to meet another member of the Sunset Wind!" He held his hand out to me. I froze, shivering even in the morning heat. Shadowed memories flashed by my eyes, obscuring reality. "Hey- I said I wanted silence! Stop whimpering, you're not three anymore, are you?! What, are you scared?! Grow up!" I looked up at John, his face blurring into the face of my father. No- no n-no no- I took a step back anxiously. James was somewhere far away. I could only focus on the sky or on John, so to the skies I looked.
"Man, your crew is wild! And makes for fast friends. That bird captain and Gillion left pretty early in the morning. Something about a morning training routine? Those two battle junkies are just itching to fight each other again." He continued talking, and I tried my best to listen. "It's not like I blame them. I heard from James that they got interrupted, and I already know just how crazy Gillion can be..." His words blurred together with memories from my past.
"Uh, are you alright-?" I tuned out his voice involuntarily. "Hey! I thought I told you not to complain! Food is food. You should be happy I didn't leave you like your mother. She was more of a coward than you are. I told you to eat, so eat it!" My scar stung like it did that day.
"S-Sorry- e-excuse me-e-" I pushed past him, running onto the deck and leaning over the rail to hurl. "Malachi?" The soft voice of Zoey whispered in my ear. I sank to my knees, my insides tensing and cramping. "It's okay- breathe. In and out- John isn't him." Ryder whispered, trying to help. I tried to even out my shaky breaths, which was unsuccessful. I sighed, leaning my head against the rails of the Sunset Wind. It's okay... I'm okay... This is fine. I thought to myself, just breathing the salty air that made my lungs hurt, and the spray of the water coating the side of the ship with a thin layer of salt.
"Malachi?" John's hand tapped my shoulder. "MALACHI!!" I jumped, stumbling away from my father. My father. But it wasn't him, and deep down I knew that. I was hyperventilating and didn't notice my legs lifted up as the railing became nothing but a trip. The sky seemed to blacken, even my voices left me. My father got further and further away, John with worry on his face. I immediately passed out when my back hit the water, cold plunging me back into a nightmare.
YOU ARE READING
The captains of the sunset wind.
FantasyA fanfic based in the universe created by the podcast Just Roll with its Riptide. This is a story me and two of my friends wrote for fun. It's purely for fun and is probably the least likely to be updated often.
