"Please don't kill me." The girl lies on the deck of the Nordic Pearl as she begs for her life, when not moments ago she had attempted to take Nyssa's. The fall breeze sweeps over them, dancing in the open blue sky and the warm sun dries the deck.
Her words make Nyssa pause and study her. Her yellow hair is thick with sea salt as it falls in wet waves and her lips are white and with cracked dead skin. Her hollow cheeks are red from the sun and Nyssa thinks she can't weigh more than ninety pounds even though she's soaking wet. Altogether she paints a picture of dehydration and malnourishment from her days spent floating at sea.
What had intrigued Nyssa most was the girl's fight. When they brought her aboard the girl had been relieved, smiling as they helped her up, her eyes had a glimmer of hope. However, once she was on deck she took one look at them, suddenly became aware of her surroundings, and instantly got up, launching herself at the nearest person, which happened to be Nyssa. Nyssa watched the girl run at her with no fear in her eyes, a force of will Nyssa hesitated to reckon with.
One of her assassins, Eyad, moves to stand in front of her, blocking the sun. As the shadow crosses over her, the girl closes her eyes, and when he raises his sword, she prepares for death.
"Stop," Nyssa shouts, pushing her arm out to stop his movement. His arm hits hers mid-swing.
Everyone on the boat falls silent. The other assassins, Hai and Katya, stand and stare, waiting for her, and the only sound is that of the ocean slapping against the boat.
"She tried to attack you," Eyad argues, his arm still outstretched.
"She is scared," Nyssa says, pushing his sword away. "We can be quite frightening at times."
She gestures to the water bottle next to him. "Bring it to me."
"Naʻam, Wareeth," he says, handing her the bottle.
"We're not going to hurt you," Nyssa said, as she kneels down to the girl. "Here, drink this."
She nods and Nyssa's hand cups the back above her head and slowly tips the water into her mouth. Nyssa pulls the bottle back to allow her to drink slowly, waiting a moment before giving her another sip. To Nyssa's surprise, the girl doesn't try to grab a hold of the bottle or attempt to gulp it down in one go.
When she is done, she stares up at Nyssa with tired eyes and Nyssa doesn't hesitate to slide her arms under the girl's knees and behind her back, lifting her up. Something must have made her feel safe because she closes her eyes and curls into Nyssa's chest. She reaches up to grab Nyssa's coat, her fingers digging in as she holds on, clinging to her as if Nyssa is her lifeline.
Taking her eyes off of the girl in her arms, Nyssa addresses her crew in Arabic. "Eyad, prepare a team and be ready to explore the ship and the island. We need to see if there are any other survivors or evidence of the muejaza." Then, she turns around and walks inside the ship.
Nyssa wants answers. She wants to know once and for all why this place is so important and how her destiny is tied to this island. Why her father had spun a story about a man searching for a miracle drug and why this girl is the only survivor of that project and the shipwreck that stands a hundred meters away. She won't get any answers if this girl dies.
As Nyssa walks down the passageway, her boots slapping against the blue floor. If she hadn't already buried her face in Nyssa's jacket, the girl would have certainly turned away from the fluorescent white lights that shine down on them. Nyssa looks down at the girl, who hasn't opened her eyes. Nyssa can now see the birthmark on her right arm and the freckles that dot her entire body.
When she reaches the med bay, she finds the heavy door ajar, making it easier for Nyssa to turn around and push her way into the room. The young doctor, Qian Hsiao is a friend of hers and she knows the girl will be safe in her care. Qian jumps when she sees Nyssa enter, having been lost in the latest medical journal, and has to readjust her glasses.
"Wareeth, who is this?" she asks as Nyssa places the girl on the bed closest to her.
"She's from the Amazo. It went down a few days ago," Nyssa says as Qian pulls on a fresh set of gloves and takes a look at the girl before she begins to wrap her in clean blankets.
"What is her name?" Qian asks as she gestures for Nyssa to hand her a gown from the cabinet behind her.
Nyssa shakes her head before she is interrupted by the girl's quiet voice.
"Sara."
Nyssa looks down at the girl's bright blue eyes staring up at her, her lips parting slightly as she repeats herself. "My name is Sara."
Qian smiles at her. "Hello, Sara," she says "I'm Dr. Hsiao. We're going to get you into some dry clothes, then I'm going to do a full check-up. Are you in any pain that I should be aware of?"
Sara turns her head away from Nyssa to look up at Qian. "My ribs."
Qian nods and moves to feel Sara's side. "I'm going to take a look, and we will see if we need an X-ray," Qian says, as she runs her fingers across the area Sara is holding.
Nyssa takes her leave, slowly walking out of the room and up to the deck to meet with the search team. She mentally prepares for the task ahead, but she can still feel Sara's weight in her arms and against her chest.
She doesn't get a chance to see Sara again that day. She instead spends the day searching the island and the boat, wading through a sea of bodies. Tomorrow she'll confirm that Sara is the only survivor and that the miracle drug is nothing but ash.
As Nyssa falls asleep, after collapsing into her bunk, all she can think about is Sara's yellow hair brushing against her neck and the feeling of Sara's hand clutching her jacket.
Special thanks to bisexuallaurellance for beta reading this Fic for me.
I am also excepting prompts so if there's anything you'd like to see let me know.