Tom watched with shock and concern as Shadow fled the top deck. Unknown to the new cook's assistant, Tom too had seen Jake. He now wondered who that person was, and what they could have done to Shadow to cause him to react in such a startled way.
The boy seemed almost like a startled cat or dog when he yelped, Tom thought with a frown. He had never heard anything like it in his many years of sailing.
"That was… odd," Bart remarked, watching Shadow's flight.
Tom looked at his friend, wondering if he should tell Bart about the strange person who had vaguely threatened their new crewmate. After some thought, he decided against it. The man could possibly have just been gesturing at the ship in general. But why then would Shadow be as disturbed as he was?
I should probably tell Al… but he may get suspicious again. Tom sighed and addressed Bart. "Aye. Maybe he saw something?"
Bart frowned. "But what would cause a reaction like that? Shadow is fairly laid back. The only one I can think that would cause a reaction that negative is Mr. Allan," he said.
Or a person Shadow has had bad experiences with in the past. I'm almost certain he knows that man. But from where? Tom decided to ask the young male later. I'll first ask Shadow about it. If it's nothing, I'll tell Al then. If not… well Al doesn't have to know. It's just nothing, after all.
My Pov
I fell back with a yelp of surprise and then fright when I realized who it was. His large hand wrapped around my wrist and prevented me from falling down. I'd personally rather have fallen.
"Hold it, kid," Allan said as he pulled me back to my feet.
I froze under his sharp amber glare. This was bad. Really really bad.
He frowned and his head went to one side. "Jeez, you look like you've seen a ghost."
Nope, but I am being held at the wrist by a devil.
His frown deepened. "I'm not a devil."
What. I stammered like a gaping fish for perhaps a solid minute before I managed, "I… I said that aloud?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes, you did," he said in a low tone.
This time, I could not make any words come out of my mouth, let alone an apology.
That's it. He's gonna flay me alive. I should have jumped overboard when I had the chance. This is really, really bad.
Allan raised a hand, the one not holding my wrist in a death grip, to silence me. "I'll let it go." He pointed a finger at me. "This time."
I gulped. "Y-Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," I said in a small voice, shrinking down. I kept my gaze lowered, not wanting to meet his eyes.
He released my wrist. "Why are you running, anyway?" he asked, crossing his arms as he stood blocking my way.
"Er, nothing. No one."
"Bullshit, kid. You look spooked and were not going at a leisurely pace when you crashed into me. You're running from something. I asked you what."
I sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat when I realized there was no point in lying to him or trying to avoid the question. "I thought I had seen something on shore when we left, and it spooked me. Can I go now?" I muttered the last part under my breath. Or at least tried to.
"Yes, you can go now," Allan said, the faintest growl of warning in his words.
I shrank and said a pitiful "T-Thank you, sir" before rushing past the first mate and breaking into a dead run down the corridor.
I did not stop until I reached the semi-familiar door of the mess hall. I burst in, mouth open and chest heaving.
Rango jumped and looked over in alarm, reaching for the large butcher's knife on the table. Seeing me, he quickly calmed. "Shadow! Goodness, did you see a ghost?"
Is that a normal occurrence on this ship? Do ghosts just roam the halls? Another thought sent a shiver down my spine. If I can't learn to watch what I say around Allan it very well might be my ghost roaming these halls.
Gasping in a breath of sweet air that burned my throat, I managed, "Ran back… here for… the sheer… hell of it."
He raised an eyebrow. "Well I'm sure glad you are eager to get ready for lunch, but there was really no need for that," he remarked, then shrugged. "Well, while you're here I might as well show some basics of it. Come on."
I stumbled over, still trying to catch my breath. "Er… Rango? For my first day," I paused to draw in air, "Would it be possible for me to stay in the back and just bring out extra food?"
He looked over and gave a warm yet slightly teasing smile. "Not fond of crowds? Well that is quite alright. Lunch is often the busiest," he agreed.
I grinned, glad he didn't guess my true motive. I wanted to stay as far from Allan for as long as I could. Hopefully I could avoid him for the rest of the trip.
However, something told me that would not be the case.
Allan pov
Allan watched with narrowed eyes as the kid fled from him. What was that about? First he runs into me at almost a dead sprint, almost knocking me down. Looking as if he'd seen a ghost or a demon no less. Then he calls me a bloody devil. Where had that come from? Something is not right with that boy. And just what had he seen?
Allan looked up as his friend Tom came walking from the same direction Shadow had come from. Upon seeing Allan, the stockier man picked up the pace and trotted over. "Hey, Al. Did ya happen to see Shadow run this way?"
Allan nodded. "Yeah. That boy ran into me and came close to knocking me over. Then he called me a devil," he growled, waiting for Tom's response.
The sailor's blue eyes went wide. "He did wot?" he sputtered, his accent growing thick in his shock. He blinked in disbelief. "I mean, I knew 'e was terrified of ya, but to call ya a devil?!"
Allan rolled his eyes. "You know I can't understand you when your accent gets thick like that. But yes, he called me a devil. Apparently he thought he was only thinking it. But that's besides the point. When I questioned him on why he was running, he said he had seen something during the launch that spooked him. Would you be able to tell me what that is?"
Tom lowered his eyes and shuffled. "Er… I can't."
Allan scowled. "Right… well remember this little fact. I can put you on dish duty for the next week if you don't tell me."
Tom groaned, knowing Allan had him in a corner. "Alright… alright. When we were leaving Shadow was looking towards the old Tim's Library and I followed his gaze a saw a lone man glaring towards the ship. I thought nothing of it until I saw the man draw his finger across his throat. It was quickly after that that Shadow fled the deck," he grumbled.
Could that explain why he was so eager to flee? Was that man after Shadow? Allan thought. "Hmm… well that explains the look of horror on his face. Unless that was also caused by running into me," he said, then scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I think I have an idea."
Tom was hesitant in asking, "Er… what is that?"
"I think it's time for me to get to know our newest crewmate."
