XIV

The sea before them danced unrythmically, promising the students—who held worried yet excited gazes—of an adventure. The sun was high up in the clear, blue sky, specks of immaculate clouds invading it.

Kimi just placed his hands in his pockets and listened as the teacher took roll calls, his leg digging a hole in the dirt. When everyone was certified to be present, they were divided into groups.

Students marvelled at the ship that was down at the bustling docks, its black colour shining bright. It was adorned with Rhodes Isle’s flag—a red rose against a green background, and the flag danced proudly with the wind.

“Alright,” Principal Aardvark said, “everyone’s here. All we need to do now is wait for the captains who sail the ship.” She pulled up an umbrella over her head with squinted eyes and fidgety hands.

“Captains?” Dae-yang tightened her grip on the straps of her bag. “There’s two of them?” She directed the question to Kimi, but he didn’t answer her.

Kimi paid her zero attention as he blinked away the glare of the sun; a few students held fists to their mouths as they watched Kimi with disgusted gazes.

“Ugh, this sun is stupidly hot today,” Clover griped and adjusted her sunglasses. “Why today of all days?”

“Don’t worry,” the person beside her said, “you still look perfect.” His voice came out timid and flat.

“Did I ask you a question?” She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze, only for it to land on Kimi. She hacked and grumbled, “why is he even here?”

*

Time seemed to evacuate their thoughts as they waited, and waited for hours, but there was no sign of any of the captains, except for a few crewmembers who knew nothing about the position of their bosses. Some students found peace in the ground and were splayed in the sand, counting grains of sand and accessed anybody that walked past them.

“Are we there yet?”

“Dae-yang,” Silver drawled as he adjusted his position against Illiad’s back. “We aren’t even on the boat, talk less of actually starting the journey.”

Dae-yang snorted and looked down at Kimi who was lying in the sand, his hands behind his head and his face buried in the material of his hood. “But he’s far gone.”

“Who?”

She pointed at Kimi and drew invisible circles in the air. “Kimi.”

Silver looked at his cousin with squinted eyes. He tightened his grip on his rucksack as he watched his cousin’s chest rise and fall, his breathing even.

All this years, and Kimi still survived the pain, and Silver wondered how. As his mind and heart reminded him of the broken image of a young Kimi Mikaelis—silent tears in his eyes, and his sanity a long way from home—his heartbeat quickened with the fear that came with a similar memory of himself. A broken image. A lost image.

“I can feel your pulse quicken,” Illiad said when he felt Silver’s heartbeat quicken against his back. “Don’t worry, it’s all in the past and he’s coping,” he said, assurance in his voice. “Hopefully this trip will help him.”

“That’s if your uncle cooperates,” Silver said with a light smile.

Illiad’s body started vibrating against Silver’s when he suddenly found something funny.

“What?” Silver asked and looked over his shoulder.

“Who would have thought that uncle and aunty Raspaard are the captains who Mr. Jaeger could get at such a short—”

“What?!” Silver sat up and turned to notice two people—who were clad in pitch black from head to toe—approach them with slack strides, Ace following behind them.

“Of course,” Tobe muttered as students watched the weird pair with raised brows.

“Kimi,” Dae-yang said as she reached out a hand, “wake up. I think the cap—” Kimi slapped her hand away when she placed it on his shoulder.

“Don’t freaking touch me,” he said with a raspy voice.

He sat up and blinked rapidly so his eyes could adjust to the harsh sun rays. He sat up with the rest of the students as the teachers shook hands with the captains and Ace.

“Students, I apologize for the lateness of our captains. I presume”—Ace looked at the captains with a raised brow—“they have a reason for that.” His voice was so loud that it attracted not only the attention of the students, but also the attention of the dockworkers who peered past items stacked in their arms to see who had that influential voice.

The female, who held a soft but firm stance, cleared her throat and pulled off the bags which were slung on her shoulders. “My brother and I apologize for...”

“Brother?” Dae-yang questioned as she compared the woman’s petite, afro characteristics with the man’s tall, caucasian features. “Please, do tell.”

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who was shocked, because student’s and teachers alike gave them questioning looks.

“... And I assure you that we are going to make this trip worth your while.” Her voice came out in a Dutch accent. “Hello everyone. To formally introduce myself, I am Captain Zee Raspaard, and this”—she gestured to her brother, who gazed lazily at all of them—“is my Co-Captain and older brother Raaf Raspaard. It’s nice to meet you all.” When she was done talking, she clasped her hands before her and dipped her head a little bit, her smile twitching a little.

Kimi furrowed his eyebrows. Raaspard? The name tugged at his memory and he stiffened when he remembered it as one of the names his mother had told him about the other day.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Dae-yang said as she studied the co-captain’s well-built body. “But he’s hot.” Kimi gave her a weird look, and she shrugged. “What?”

Kimi shook his head. He watched as Ace exchanged words with the captain. The buzzing of his phone against his hand made him look to his pocketed hand. He pulled out his phone and saw a message from his mother.

He cupped his hand over the phone in order to block the sunlight and read, “remember to stay clear of them and don’t eat a meal that is not generally served.” He sighed and pocketed his phone.

As soon as Ace and the siblings finished their discussions, the captains walked down to the docks and were immediately flocked by a few smiling dockworkers, most of their smiles directed at Zee.

“Right.” Ace rubbed his hands together. “I hope you all have a wonderful trip. And please”—he spread his arms wide like he was a monarch addressing his feasting guests—“enjoy yourselves.”

“Yeah!” students cried out in unison as Zee ascended the ship and got to work.

“Okay everyone, move in your assigned groups,” Aardvack said as the ship roared to life. “Stay in your groups!”

But her words went to deaf ears as students collided with each other as they rushed to the boat in hysteria, their faces like that of a sugar ant that was presented with sugar. Aardvack shook her head.

“Children.”

“And children they always be,” Ace said as he walked to her and shook hands with her. “Please, keep them safe.”

“I promise Mr. Jaeger.” She nodded in assurance.

Ace hummed and let go of her hand. He looked at the flurry of students, a slight smirk stretching his lips.

“I pray they stay safe,” he mumbled to himself.

He searched the crowd for his son and caught sight of his face in the midst of whooping boys.

“Duan?” he called out, his voice ascending above the others.

He caught his son’s attention and received a wave and a bright smile from his son.

He just raised a hand and mouthed, “for the family.”

Duan’s expression faltered, but he just nodded and continued on with his classmates.

Author’s Note: How’s everything? I’m going to do a double update so stay put for the second chapter. Things are getting better. （・∀・） So please vote, share and comment. Thank you!