Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

At Long Last

"Want to stay with me?" Oceane came up behind Ava while she was gathering her stuff from where it had been thrown into Theo's room to make room for the new guests. It was still dark outside and the lower deck girls were gathering their things to move into cabins.

Ava turned around with an arm full of books and broke out into a smile, "Sure."

"Fair warning, I do not have a lot of space for our bodies. There are a lot of plants in there," Oceane commented and helped Ava with a knapsack that was filled with her clothes.

"Plants?" Ava asked and Oceane provided no more information. Just a nod.

They walked into the hallway lined with cabins and Ava let Oceane lead the way to her cabin. Oceane usually stayed in the lower decks and was one of the only crew members that actually used their room as somewhat of a storage area. Apparently, the cargo she was storing was... plants?

Oceane popped open her door with ease, having been unlocked the entire time. She walked into Oceane's room and sure enough, there were plants everywhere. Green ones, colorful ones, big, small, leafy, stalky. She had all kinds of varieties and she proudly stood in her room to show off her pride and joy. Ava set down her stuff with a small thud and began to walk around the room. Her hands came up to touch one of them and Oceane stopped her.

"That one will stain your hand green if you touch it," Oceane said and Ava really wanted to test that out.

She reached out and touched one of its leaves and she felt one of its spore pop against her hand. A small puff of powder was released and when Ava removed her hand, the powder that had fallen onto her finger had mixed with the slight sweat on her hand and stained it. She laughed and held up her finger to Oceane who laughed as well. There was only one bed in the room and it was small. The ship was so crowded that she didn't dare to even go look for an extra mattress or blankets to lay on the floor; someone else probably needed it more.

Ava sat down on the bed, there was nowhere else to sit. The chair, desk, and small night table had all been overrun by plants. Ava was quiet once she sat down. The smile and laughter that she had experienced only moments ago giving way to reflection. She remembered why she was in Oceane's room and not the lower decks and the mood became somber once again.

Oceane sat at the edge of the bed, opposite Ava, and reached a hand out onto the bed. She opened her palm and Ava slid her hand into Oceane's. Oceane squeezed it and let out a sigh.

"The first times are always the hardest," Oceane whispered.

"The first time for what?"

"Everything. Killing, watching a town burn, being a part of an uprising, stealing, lying... Any pirate-type activity is hard the first time. I would say it gets easier but it doesn't, you just learn to know what to expect," Oceane said solemnly.

Never the one to be anything other than chipper, Ava could tell this affected Oceane.

"Are you alright?" Ava asked and Oceane reassured her with a nod and a tight-lipped smile.

"Just something about seeing people out of their homes that doesn't sit right with me," Oceane said, "I always feel so powerless to stop it. I know we are doing what we can but it's never enough. My family could be next. There is always talk of rebellion around their parts."

This time it was Ava who squeezed Oceane's hand. They sat in silence together, both thinking about the night's events. Ava felt the exhaustion tug at the strings that kept her sanity intact, pulling them taught and threatening to break them. They had just begun and there was still so much left to go. Ava had never been through the process before but she assumed it entailed reuniting those they could and then relocating those on the ship. For that moment though, she allowed the short peaceful reprieve that came with the silence.