Caspian Jones

Chapter 18: Caspian

"Excuse me, Cas." Davy squeezes past me, pressing me up against the base of the ship.

It's been three and a half months, we're nearly done with the ship. We've finished actually building it, today we're adding a waterproof sealant, and now all that's left is to build furniture and/or move it in.

"Oh, Cas!" Anna approaches me as I wrap a rope around my hand so I can scale the side and join Davy on the main deck. "I wanted to warn you, I did invite Coraene, or Cora, to help us."

I swallow hard and blink back a few tears that threaten to rise. "That's fine."

"She might bring Eetu. I'll try to keep him away from you and Davy for a while but I can't promise much."

"Thanks for the warning." I jump a little bit, just to get my feet to the hull, and I begin to climb. I've become quite adept at climbing. I like the feeling it gives me in my core, when my body begins to shake under the stress, and then when I move, it releases.

Davy reaches out his hand and pulls me on deck. He welcomes me there with a warm hug. We laugh there together, in each other's arms for a second before he hands me a bucket of sealant and ties the rope around my waist. I jump back over the side, using my feet to anchor me to the hull. Davy joins me at my side, a rope around his waist as well.

Together we rub the oily liquid over the wood, sliding gracefully down the side until we reach the ground. Then we repeat the routine until we cover the whole side.

"Christ, it's hot!" Davy reaches behind him and pulls his shirt off. As if I thought his muscles couldn't get more defined, these past months proved me wrong.

Damn.

I do the same, because ease of movement is ease of movement. Davy winks at me, and we go back to the spot we started by and begin applying a second coat.

"This is an impressive ship, Anna! My brother would die of happiness if he saw this!" Eetu's voice carries up to the deck. I panic and grab Davy by the rope attaching him to the ship and push him on deck. He does the same for me and we duck below so Eetu can't see us.

I feel a twinge of pain in my chest when Eetu speaks. Whether that's fear or I actually miss him, I'll never know. Either way it gets stronger as I hear him come up the side. I start to work on undoing the knot of the rope, but I'm shaking so violently that I keep dropping it. Davy has to reach over and undo it.

I take him by the hand and run into the captain's quarters, barely shutting the door as Eetu comes aboard.

"He loves boats and water crafts. He's always doodling them during military meetings." Eetu says. I risk opening the door a little so Davy and I can peek out.

I shrink back in embarrassment as he says that. I hear Anna laugh a little.

"Well, your brother seems like quite the character." Anna must see us, because she directs Eetu and some redhead girl, I'm assuming Coraene, away from us.

I take a deep breath and risk stepping out into the sunlight, where if Eetu even turned his head in the slightest direction, he'd see me. I wave Davy over and head down the stairs to the cargo hold. I can barely catch my breath, and Davy gathers me into a comforting embrace in hopes of calming me down. He whispers something into my ear, but I can't hear it over the pounding of my heart.

"And just down here is the cargo hold." Anna's voice warns us of the danger. I look to Davy, trying to convey to him the silent panic that's trying to fight its way out.

He pushes me behind a support beam and tells me to stay still while he hides behind the one next to me.

"What did you say you were building this for again?" Eetu asks. My breath catches in my throat as his voice draws closer.