Lightning Seeker

Give Them Instructions

Life took on a new routine over the next two days. Sky slept for long periods of time, his face growing paler by the day. He stayed in high spirits while he was awake, insisting on teaching Vale how to sign. She began to pick it up quickly, learning the basics and then moving on to more complicated sets of words he insisted she learn, such as tech jargon. She was convinced he only made her learn that for his own amusement. Especially when she had accidentally sworn at him the first time she tried.

She knew he enjoyed keeping his mind busy, and she liked being able to talk to him without needing the screen. Vale quickly discovered that Sky had a snarky sense of humor, which she had only seen hints of on the ship. But he came to life as he signed, sharing a piece of himself she had yet to encounter.

When he didn't spend his time teaching her, he wrote in his journal. His eyes focused as he stared down at the pages. When he found her watching him he shrugged, leaving instructions, he signed without any other explanation. She didn't like the look in his eyes. A finality there that turned her mouth to ash.

She also learned he was a very curious person, which worked well in his line of work. He always wanted to pull things apart and see how they functioned so he could replicate it later. But when it came to Vale, she wasn't as comfortable sharing pieces of herself. But that didn't stop him from asking, and her evasions only made him want to learn more.

"Look I get that you have some time to make up for being stuck on that ship and all, but asking me a thousand questions makes me want to flee, not answer," Vale said throwing her hands up in the air. "Start with one question."

Sky rolled his eyes with some effort, looking exhausted. "Take a nap, I'll be here for you to bombarded with questions when you wake up okay." He didn't respond, slumping over, his eyes falling shut without another word.

Vale moved to his side, checking his pulse. It took her far longer than it should have to find it and when she did, it was very weak. He was fading fast and they were nowhere near land. 

A large shadow above them caught Vale's attention and she turned.

A strange round ship made up of broken pieces of metal hovered above them. Sky's eyes fluttered open. He stared up at the ship. Notebook, he signed weakly.

Vale pulled it out of his bag and handed it to him. He didn't take it. Instead, he looked up at her, his eyes glazed. Hide the notebook. But give them instructions. His eyes fluttered closed but he managed to tell her one more piece of information. Don't tell them what you can do. Who we are.

Vale shook him but he was out. The ship was lowering itself towards them. What instructions? Who are they? Will they help us? Kill us?

Vale shoved the notebook into her back pocket making sure that Sky's large jacket she wore covered it. But after thinking through his words again, she pulled out the notebook and flipped it open to his last entry, suddenly understanding his message.

He had drawn up instructions on how to fix his heart. Ripping the pages out, she shoved the notebook into her back pocket again and quickly evened out the edges of the pages so no one would know they once lived inside of his notebook. She only had enough time to push her hair out of her face before a rope landed on their skymaran and someone dropped on board.

A boy with black hair stood staring at Vale, his green eyes narrowed, appraising her. "Hello. Welcome to the Ignis."