I had David Bowie's "Lazarus" on repeat as I wrote this chapter. I feel as though this song was his all too haunting way to say goodbye, and I felt like it fit with this chapter both aesthetically and contextually.

Chapter 7: Lazarus

Later that day, I hear a commotion on deck so I go up there to see what's the matter. As soon as I'm there, I understand.

Fog as far as the eye can see surrounds the ship. On the far end, I hear Eyes yell to the crew. "Light the torches at the stern and the bow" he says, his reassuring bitch-faced smile is nowhere to be found. He speaks in an uncharacteristically stern voice, yelling orders left and right. Not being able to see off into the horizon is a terrifying feeling. The uneasy feeling works its way deep into my stomach and out again. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my arms are covered in goosebumps.

"That's not like you" Roberts says, sensing my uneasiness. I turn around and there he is. I say nothing. Noticing the disturbed look on my face, he grabs onto my shoulders and pulls me closer. He peers down into my eyes, into my soul, his face so close I can feel his breath. And despite his overwhelming presence, I remember how good-looking he is as I take in his features once again. His eyes are narrowed, softening his usual daggered gaze. "You're shaking like a leaf" he says.

He grasps my hand, holding it up for me to see. Sure enough, I'm trembling. "I didn't notice before" I say. A slight smile spreads across his face.

"That's because you're tough" he says, closing his hand around mine.

Off in the distance I hear a faint ring floating through the air. "Roberts, did you hear something?" I ask him, turning my head to gaze off to the direction the sound came from. A shiver runs down my spine, and without realizing it, I press closer to Roberts.

"...I didn't hear anything" he says. But he draws me closer to his chest anyway, more protective than even Nagisa. He chuckles.

"You really are a woman" he says as I return my attention back to him. "Here you were, sleeping like a rock, eating heartily, helping out around the ship . . . made me forget-"

I notice him look down to my chest, which at this point is pressed up against him through his unbuttoned shirt, and then back up again. I smirk. "That I'm a girl?" I ask, finishing his sentence. He pats me on the head.

"Anyway, don't worry, we're all here with you" he says, rubbing my back with an innocent smile on his face. That smile sets my heart racing again.

"Don't worry about me" I say. "I'm a big, tough girl; I can tie my own laces and everything."

"Whatever kid."

I roll my eyes. "Like I said, 21, fully-fledged adult" I remind him.

He smirks at me. "Treating you like an adult would end with you in my bed, you okay with that?" he asks jokingly. I only roll my eyes again.

"Just kidding" he laughs, backtracking as he holds me tight. With his arms wrapped around me like this, I feel buried in his huge frame. But despite all this, I begin to feel a sense of security. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I like standing with him like this.

"Hm?" Roberts says, suddenly raising his head to look around. "...I hear it now."

We listen intently, and sure enough, I hear the faint ringing again. It's got an eerily haunting sound to it; harsh and metallic, like harp strings plucked violently. I freeze upon hearing it.

"My head . . . hurts" I say, pressing my hand to my forehead.

Suddenly, Roberts is in a panic. "Crap! It's the mermaid's song!" he says.

"Mermaid's song?" I ask, looking up at him. All the while the sound reverberates louder and louder on the inside of my skull, even though on the outside, it remains faint. Looking around, I see the rest of the crew doubled over, holding their heads.

"We mustn't listen to it!" Eyes yells from off.

"Cover your ears!" I hear Yoh shout out.

"Avalon?" I hear my brother's voice call to me from far away.

"I'm fine" I yell back.

"Don't listen to it!" Roberts scolds me. He covers my head to protect me from the sound, his big hands clamp down over my ears. But just as the smoky, rich scent of cigars envelopes me, I begin to fade in and out of consciousness. I hear someone calling my name as if they're far off, and then it fades away completely.

I open my eyes again in a dark room. But despite it's darkness, it somehow feels translucent. I slowly get out of the bed I've awoken in, feeling a cold air on my skin as I remove the covers, and I get goosebumps again. Someone is here with me.

I turn around to see a tall man with long limbs and hair emerge from the shadows of the corner. He's dressed in very ornate clothing and a crown upon his head.

"Don't look so shocked" he says, his voice reminding me of the sound I'd heard earlier; harsh and eerily haunting. His skin is pure white like that of a mime or a porcelain doll. His lifeless eyes stare into my soul. I am suddenly overcome with a sweet sense of seduction radiating from him.

"Where the hell am I?" I ask. Seemingly uninterested in my question, he takes his time before answering it.

"I am Heine, the captain of this ghost ship" is all he says.

"Ghost ship" I repeat, everything around me starting to make sense, yet still making no sense at all. "I'm supposed to be aboard the Black Swan" I say. My voice is shaking.

"Are you worried about them?" Heine asks me after a few moments. He continues staring at me with his emotionless glass eyes.

After a few moments of nothing, I finally ask "Why'd you kidnap me?"

I thought for a moment, and then added "Also how?"

And of course, Heine is not in any hurry to answer any of my questions. "I have business with you" is all he says.

Then I decide to ask him directly. "Is this 'business' you have with me about the Gardiner's Trove? Because if it is, there's no wa-"

"I'm glad you're so perceptive."

"Okay . . ."

"I know much about the Gardiner's Trove."

Even despite his disinterested tone, I decide to press him further. "Like what, for example?"

"What it truely is" he says, taking several steps in my direction. I instinctively move backwards with him until he stops and says "A biological weapon; a virus."

"Virus?" I repeat quizzically.

"A virus so contagious, so fatal . . . it could wipe out humanity" Heine tells me. "Created by the ancient civilization to surpass God and create humanity themselves. And they were successful."

"I-I don't-"

"This virus, in the amount of time it took to create the world supposedly by a God, seven days, will wipe out the entire human population upon it's release."

"Then how are people still alive?" I interrupt.

"You did not let me finish. . . Fortunately, the virus has an antidote. But the rest is, ah, difficult. But how you are to open the casket, my dear, is what you must know."

I nod eagerly.

"It requires a certain relic, a certain . . . rosary, stained with the blood of the royal family that guards it. Only a drop upon the cross, that is the key."

"The key, huh?"

"One more thing," And then suddenly he's right in front of me, too close for comfort. "burn the casket's contents. That is the only way to kill such a virus."