Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

A Bittersweet Departure

*The Next Day*

"We should probably get more supplies while we're on the island." Casper muttered, rummaging through the sparser-than-usual fridge for the last of the eggs. Summer glanced his way, continuing to cook the bacon on the skillet for breakfast.

"I'll let Captain know later." She replied, and he closed the door. The older cook sighed.

"I forgot to talk to the Captain about the available beli for food. I'll be right back, lass. And don't burn anything!" He warned in mock seriousness. She smiled, giving a salute. The cook pushed through the door, and Summer returned her attention back to breakfast.

Humming quietly to herself, she turned over several strips and placed more raw pieces on the hot skillet. Her spirits were high that day, unusually so, perhaps. The thought of getting to the island was actually rather appealing. She had an idea why, but it was hard to explain.

Actually, she knew exactly what it was when she thought about it. She wanted to thank this James person for leading her crew to her. Sure, he might've had ulterior motives for doing so, the file being a large part of it, but without him, she wasn't sure if she would have ever seen her family again. And for that, she was very thankful.

A head popped into the kitchen, and Shachi sniffed the air loudly.

"Summer-chan, your bacon always smells the best! How do you do it?" He questioned, unsuccessfully trying to sneak a piece when she reached for the salt. With a raised eyebrow, she smacked his hand away with the tongs.

"No eating until everything's done!" She ordered, and he scurried back out into the mess deck. The men outside laughed, and she grinned in satisfaction at keeping the men at bay. Then, suspicion crossed her expression. Wherever there was Shachi...

She spun on her heel, holding the tongs out like a sword as Penguin froze, reaching halfway up the counter for the plate of cooling bacon.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked quietly, and he gulped. Slowly retracting his hand, he scooted back towards the door, glancing around nervously.

"Oh, hey Summer-chan! Didn't, uh, expect to find you here!" He laughed in fear, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh huh..." She muttered, smacking the ends of the tongs against her hand menacingly. She smiled darkly. "You know no one's supposed to be in the kitchen, right Penguin-kun?"

Taking a step forward, she laughed in excitement at the punishment she was about to dole out on the two. Deciding his safety was more important than a few extra strips of bacon, he screamed and ran out the door.

"Summer-chan's so scary!" The men in the mess deck laughed louder, some even applauding at her ability to keep the two knucklehead's away. She sighed goodheartedly, turning back towards the skillet.

The grease that popped from the cooking bacon, coupled with the heat of the stove on the tile floor created a sort of slippery grease spot directly in front of the stove, the perfect conditions for the unsuspecting blonde to slip on.

She gasped, but the laughs of the men covered up the sound and no one heard as she crashed to the floor, face hitting hard against the tile. The tongs slipped from her hands a few feet away, but the pain was what took prominence in her mind. She lay there, too dazed to cry out or move.

Eventually, she cracked her eyes open to the white tile floor, and small drops of blood from her nose and mouth.

White tile...

Adrenaline began coursing through her body as the panic rose, the rushing of blood in her ears dulling every other sound. Her eyes widened and her breathing became rapid. The white tile...the blood...