Young Writers Society

"Don't leave me. You promised you wouldn't leave me." Polly pleas, tightening her grip even more, almost with a bruising force. Orvins face contorts into one of concern, and he tries again to make her let go. "No!" She cries out when he moves close to say something in her ear.

Behind Orvin, the teen boy has woken up and is watching what is happening. The wolf at his side has it's ears perked up in interest, watching the struggle with intensity behind its eyes.

Soft footsteps thud against the wood as Orthella makes her way over to the group. She looks nearly twice as concerned as Orvin, and is walking at a brisk pace. Orvin and her exchange a knowing look, and Orthella moves into Orvins position to try to coax Polly out of Lucas's arms.

Lucas's expression softened even more.

Polly and him had a conversation, once, about how everyone always left her. He had wanted to do more than just comfort her by saying that he wouldn't, but he was in no position to watch over someone other than himself. He had told Polly that he would always be there for her when she was in town—and he didn't intend to break that promise.

"I'm really sorry," Lucas said, voice breaking. "I-I have to go. You'll see me again. I always visit town. I'm not going away forever. I'm just leaving for a little bit, just like I always do. You have a..."

He looked over at Orvin, not quite sure what their relationship was.

"Orvin," he decided, "and everyone else on this ship. You're not alone anymore. And I...I can't stay here. This isn't my home."

Polly doesnt make a move to let go, instead sniffling into Lucas's shirt. "You promised." Orthella seems to get lost in thought for a moment, gently rubbing circles onto Polly's back.

"You could." Orthella says after a bit. "Stay here, I mean. We've got plenty of space."

Orvin offers a smile. "She is right you know. Youre welcome if you choose it."

Orthella didn't seem all that excited to meet the newcomers. She was a woman of the sea, Archibald reasoned. Likely hardened by harrowing sea adventures. Something impressive like that.

Archie traced the ship's lines in his head, enchanted. This ship opened up quite literally a world of possibility. He squinted, trying to distinguish the scribbles on the deck in the sparse moonlight. Was it Polly who'd drawn them? They may also have come from the boy on the deck, though, the one who was resting on a- on a wolf- Archie hung back behind Orvin, Lucas and Orthella.

He supposed that Orvin wouldn't keep a wolf on board and let children sleep on it if it were dangerous- but the child in question was a pirate, and he was not sure how much he ought to factor that detail in. It was still a very large wolf and there was no shame in caution when large wolves were involved.

The long-haired figure in the crow's nest imparted a sense of foreboding on Archibald, too. But it was too soon to make assumptions about their character. He'd meet them properly sooner or later.

It was hard. It was hard to listen to Polly sniffle into Lucas' shoulder. Archie had to bite down thoughts of Belle. She was almost thirteen. That wasn't the same as seven. He had to go. She had two more big brothers, and a sister to look out for her. He had to abandon her- not forever, necessarily- just for the foreseeable future. Stop. Stop thinking about her.

...Lucas was all alone in those woods, wasn't he?

He had half a thousand bats, and whatever other creatures that may have infested the house, but nothing that couldn't be left to itself. Archibald felt a little shortsighted for having thought of this so late, but a life of vampirism probably left him little choice in his isolation. Maybe he wanted this. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he never thought to imagine he had the choice until it was offered to him.

Just like... oh, sneaky. That sneaky pirate was working his magic again. And Polly, she was working some devastating magic of her own. Perhaps they could convince Lucas to come along!

Archibald knew that it wasn't his place to push Lucas' decision. So he simply contributed moral support and spirited eye sparkles to the collective cause.

Lucas took a step back, too preoccupied with leaving this situation to realize that the added distance made handing Polly back even more difficult.

"But I can't," Lucas said weakly. Staying here did sound nice, but how could he ever take the risk? If this had been before he had turned, he might have said yes without any hesitation–even though Luke Smith had been happy living as a carpenter.

"I'm-I'm not human," Lucas said, his fangs accidentally showing as he spoke. "I need a constant supply of blood, and there's nothing I can feed on besides humans on a ship."

He faltered.

"...Even if there wasn't, I don't know why you'd want me here," Lucas said, voice quiet.

"Trust me. The blood thing isn't too big of a deal. Orthella has handled more difficult requests from other members of the ship. You not being human isn't an issue either. I've known many a Paranormal throughout my years. I hold no grudges toward them and neither do my crew." Orvin allowed Lucas the distance he put between them, and Polly's sniffles had subsided a little, though they were still there. Orthella stepped back to stand beside the captain, nodding at what he said.

"You'd be a big help on the ship if you chose to stay. We're short-handed, and could definitely use a skilled baker." Orvin paused for a moment.

"I want you here." Polly said, her voice starting to lull once more, having tired herself from her outburst, though her grip has yet to falter. Orvin smiles at her as she buries her face into Lucas's neck, yawning but trying to hide it.

"You don't have to do anything if you choose to stay with us, but if you felt it to be unfair. We have plenty of duties you could try out."

Archibald attempted to radiate encouraging sparkles even harder.

Lucas faltered.

They...could handle having a vampire on the ship? That sounded too good to be true. He wanted to believe that it really was. Orvin had apparently met other supernatural people before, and Orthella had handled more difficult requests. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know what those requests were.

But thinking about blood made him smell the blood around him, and suddenly he realized why Orvin was so sure that they could handle a vampire on his ship. The ship was a melting pot of different aromas. Different people had different blood. That was like comparing two differently cooked kinds of bread, still made from roughly the same ingredients. This was like comparing completely different kinds of pastries.

Lucas covered his nose with the hand he wasn't using to support Polly. He wasn't going to let himself think of this ship as food.

"Oh," he said.

He thought about the home he had left behind before meeting Orvin and Archibald, and thought about the place he had found refuge in for the past months. He didn't have much left in either place now.

"Okay," Lucas said, voice quiet and a little hesitant. "If you're okay with having me here, I...want to stay."

He glanced down at Polly, knowing she would be happy with the decision.

He glanced back up at Orvin and Orthella.

"I can also help with any repairs the ship needs," Lucas offered.

Polly leans back and smiles up at Lucas, though her face is streamed with drying tears. She yawns again and burys her face back into Lucas's neck, though her grip on him has loosened.

"We should probably get her to bed." Orthella says, her gaze softening on pollys face. "If you'd follow me I can show you to her room. After she's laid down I'll prepare you both a place to sleep." She walks off, checking behind to make sure Lucas is following her, disspearing below deck with him in tow.

"Orvin?" comes a voice from the corner of the ship. The boy from before has sat up and is now crosslegged, though the wolf's tail is still accross his lap. It's now clear that his skin is a light brown, though strangely his hair is completely stripped of color, a stark white against the dark sky.

"It's fine Silas. Just a couple new friends. I'll introduce you in the morning."

Lucas was coming to sea with them! It worked! Archie would've hugged him from excitement, had he not been laden with a sleeping child.

It had worked, and he would have both his two new friends to start a new life at sea with and this was the best day ever and yes actually the fatigue of today's events was beginning to catch up with Archibald, going downstairs now was a good idea. Would he be sharing a room with someone, perhaps? How rustic.

The name of the boy who slept on the wolf was Silas. Another one to meet tomorrow.

Come to think of it, how many did that make? Polly, plus Silas, the figure at the crows-nest may have been an especially small adult, it was too dark to tell. That made possibly three. He hadn't expected so many children on the pirate ship, but it was welcome. Hopefully the other adults on this ship were as good with children as Orvin was.

Finding out could wait 'til morning. There'd be plenty of time to acclimate after a good night's sleep.

After showing Lucas to Polly's room and giving her many assurances he would still be here when she woke, Orthella went to the room where the laundry was stored. It was completely disorderly with several woven baskets tipped over, and laundry covered the floor. A strange half liquid, half solid substance semed to be spread on all the walls, floor, baskets and laundry. It emitted a foul oder, and Orthella shut the door quite quickly before pressing her forhead to it, clearly quite done with what she just witnessed.

She took a moment to gather her senses before marching up to the top deck with all the proffesionalism she could muster.

"Orvin," She shouts, "A word in private, please?" Orvin complied with no resistance, apologizing as he slipped away from Archie and Lucas.

"Yes, Ortie?" He says when hes close enough for her to hear. Though her eyes narrow and her lips purse at the nickname she said nothing.

"I don't know exactly how it happened, but Benni got into the laundry room. Everything in there will need to be washed several times before its even mildly useable,"

"Any spare beds made up?" Orvin asked, recieving a shake of the head from Orthella.

"The sheets got dusty so we were washing them. Everything is dirty, Orvin."

Lucas awkwardly watched Orvin go to talk with Orthella, and then just as awkwardly looked back at the prince he was currently just feet away. Standing here without anything or anyone familiar, Lucas was all too aware of how out-of-place was right now. He had smelled the blood. He knew he wasn't the only person that wasn't human on the ship. But he still felt so different, and standing next to actual royalty wasn't helping at all.

He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to address Archibald right now. How were you supposed to interact with a prince you very indirectly helped to kidnap? This would count as kidnapping, right? It felt like it would-

"Huh. I wonder what that's about." said Archibald, with a pleasant blank look on his face. For once, his question contained no real interest in being answered.

It was late, and he had already more than passed his fretting quota for the day. Whatever happened, happened.

He looked to Lucas. Poor fellow. Fatigue, if he felt it, had done nothing to assuage his worries. Some friendly distraction was in order.

"Such a charming secret port town. They seemed to know our friend quite well there. I can only wonder, what other obscure pockets of the world might be waiting for us." he said hopefully.

"My education of the world has always had a political, or a military focus, I'm not so well aware of the human element. Less so of the, um, supernatural elements. -Is that an acceptable term? I'm not sure-

In any case, I have a good feeling about this voyage. Not that it'll go at all smoothly. Just that it's a good thing."

He smiled at the vampire.

He had something more to say that had been on his mind since Lucas had joined them in earnest, but it was better to help him be at ease a little before he brought it up.

Lucas froze.

He hadn't expected Archibald to look at him, talk to him, or smile at him. Maybe he should have. He had been friendly the entire time they had interacted in the past day, and Lucas had taught him how to sew. Part of Lucas thought he should pretend that he knew as much as a vampire probably should have about the supernatural side of the world, but he couldn't bring himself to lie.

"...I'm also not sure," he awkwardly said. He faltered. "If, uh, supernatural is the right term..."

"Oh, of course," said Archibald, "That's a blanket term that covers far too many types of people, so you wouldn't feel confident in claiming it's right or wrong on anyone's behalf. That makes sense."