A/N: Hello, all! I know it has been a long time since I've written an update for anything and my sincerest apologies for that. But, I've been working a lot and homework has been whooping my ass. But this chapter is nearly 10,000 words so I hope you enjoy it. A lot of cute Alicia/Elyza and I hope it was worth the wait. Let me know your thoughts and feelings. I appreciate your patience.
~TGF
Chapter Sixteen: The Calm
The rest of the day past by swiftly. Strand didn't ask for Elyza again and she got the chance to suture up Aden's side. Alicia ended up calling in Travis and Nick to help hold him down while Elyza did it, because they didn't have anything to numb the area with.
After that, they left Aden to rest. When Elyza didn't hear anything from Strand that day, she assumed he was considering letting them stay. At least he wasn't tossing them overboard for the sharks to enjoy. Elyza didn't see him the rest of the day, in fact.
Once Aden was settled, Alicia took Elyza on a tour of the ship. There was a mirroring bedroom just behind the one Elyza deemed the Sick Room where Aden was staying. It had two twin beds, the same desk and a small closet. Another, master bedroom with a queen sized bed and a master bathroom was directly across from the sick room. A small bathroom with a very tiny, glass shower was directly outside and to the left, nestled between the two doors to the master bedroom and the sick one.
A staircase wound upwards towards the main area with its dining room and connected entertainment room. If Elyza kept walking straight, she entered the white colored crew quarters. But Alicia took her up the stairs and showed her the lower deck.
Outside, it was hot and the sun beat down on the wooden deck. She could feel her skin crisping underneath the shirt she had on after a few minutes. It was a good thing the lounge couch was white or it would have been bleached by the overwhelming amount of sunlight shining down on it. Elyza had to shade her eyes it was so bright.
Alicia took her further down to the swimming deck where she explained at the dingy boat was in the wall before opening it up and pointing out that they had gone out on it to rescue Elyza and Aden. After explaining what was inside of the cramped dark corridor they closed it and gazed out at the ocean.
Elyza was impressed and her fingers twitched. The water was so blue and expanded out endlessly in all directions. The horizon was a brilliant blue that blurred with the hazy, sparkling of the ocean. She imagined what it would look like once the sun hit the horizon and the light reflected off of the fluffy white clouds lazily rolling through the sky.
It would be beautiful, she knew and wished she had something to draw it with. But Elyza wouldn't be asking Alicia for anything and leisure as drawing utensils, they had bigger problems to deal with. Aden was sick and their fate was still unknown. She didn't have the time to be drawing.
"So where are you from?" Alicia broke their companionable silence. Elyza was surprised how easily she fell into a simple conversation with the quiet brunette. She wasn't outright friendly, but there was a quiet, calming atmosphere that seemed to draw Elyza in. Maybe it was the steadfast confidence she sensed, but Elyza felt comfortable.
Elyza shrugged, "Australia. I've been going to University for awhile and I planned on becoming a doctor. Melbourne has a lot of beaches and I was there most of the time."
Alicia pursed her lips and Elyza caught the frown on her face. It was one of those deep in thought expressions that people got when they were thinking hard about something. Elyza realized her response had been a little clipped and bumped her shoulder against Alicia's, drawing her attention.
"Want to hear a secret?
The brunette nodded and an easy half-smile graced her lips at the conspiratorial tone of the stranger next to her.
Elyza's grin widened, "I was about to tell my mum that I was dropping out of medical school. Most of my time was spent at the beach anyway and my grades were paying the price for that. I guess I got lucky in the sense that now I won't have to deal with my mum's disappointment."
Alicia's eyebrows shot up her forehead, "Huh, I didn't peg you as the rebellious type."
"Oh, babe, I am most definitely not the rebellious type. I just wasn't happy in the medical field. I like helping people, but I'm not as passionate or good at it as my mum is." Elyza laughed and Alicia shook her head, nodding towards the stairs.
"Come on, Lex. I'm not done showing you the ship." She rolled her eyes with her back turned to the pretty blonde behind her. Alicia tried to ignore the sentiment Elyza used, but it was useless and her cheeks flushed. She was just thankful that Elyza couldn't see it because she had a feeling she'd be teased about it.
Alicia was lying on her back in the spare bedroom next to the sick one Aden was in. Her mom and Travis were across the hall in the master bedroom still, but since they had added two new members to their crew, some adjustments had to be made. Ofelia had begun to feel feverish and weak later in the evening after dinner, so she was sharing the room with Aden.
Strand insisted on staying in the wheel house on the little uncomfortable lounge up there instead of in an actual bed. Chris, Nick and Daniel shared the small, double bunk beds in the crew quarters. Which left Alicia the spare bedroom to share with Elyza.
They had spent a lot of time together that night. It seemed to her that Elyza was sticking to her like glue because everyone else was giving her the cold, suspicious shoulder. Alicia actually had to pull her mother aside to ask her to stop making the blonde so uncomfortable.
The only other person besides herself who had been at all welcoming was Travis, for which, Alicia was grateful. He tried to involved her in the conversation while they ate dinner—a mixture of fish and canned vegetables—and asked her questions about her life.
"Hey," a voice drifted lazily through the darkness, "you awake?"
The Australian drawl of Elyza's voice sent shivers down Alicia's spine. The accent was even thicker with the heaviness of sleep lacing through it. She hummed and turned, tucking the cooler side of the pillow under her neck and lying on her side, facing Elyza. It was too dark to see the blonde completely, but she could catch the slight glimmer of her blonde hair in the faint light.
"Yeah, I am."
"I just realized something," came the drowsy response.
"What?" Alicia prompted after a moment of silence.
"I don't know all that much about you."
Alicia smiled in the darkness, glad that the stranger next to her was curious enough about her to want to know more. But then that smile faded when she remembered everything that had been happening to her these last couple of weeks. Her mind drifted to Matt and the clench in her stomach tightened further at the realization that he was dead and she was in the middle of the ocean. There would be no Berkeley or getting married and having kids. No travelling the world or finally going to New York.
Elyza's voice drew her from her reverie, "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
"No, no," she blinked and settled further into the sheets, finding a more comfortable position, "how about you ask me a question, then I ask you a question?"
"Sounds good to me. We never finished our twenty questions earlier."
"Then ask me a question," Alicia muffled a yawn in her pillow.
"What's your favorite color?"
The brunette chuckled and listened as Elyza shifted, the sheets rustling softly. She imagined Elyza was doing the same thing she was, turning on her side and getting comfortable. "I really like the color blue, but since I've been out here, it's gotten to the point where I'm tired of it."
Elyza hummed softly, "What kind of blue is your favorite though? Ocean blue? Sky blue?"
"That's not how this game works, Lex. It's my turn to ask the question."
The blonde let out a sleepy grumble at being denied an answer but huffed out anyway, "Fine, what's your question?"
Alicia thought about it for a second. There wasn't much she knew about Elyza, except where she was from and all that had happened to her after the world had succumbed to the disease. She also knew that Elyza didn't have a favorite color and she liked to talk about them a lot. Their shading and how they make her feel, she had gone on for several minutes about turquoise until Travis had entered the room.
"You said you were going to drop out of medical school, right?"
"Is that your question?"
"No, that's just me asking for confirmation, smartass," she grumbled.
"Yes, I was going to drop out."
"Okay, so if you had dropped out, what were you going to do?"
Elyza was silent for several moments, opting to allow them to settle back into silence. The only sound that could be heard was the steady hum of the engine as they continued to move. It wasn't too late at night, which probably meant Strand was still up, navigating them further and further away from everything Alicia knew.
"I was going to go back to University and get a degree in Art History and maybe do something art related. I've always wanted to do that, but I was too afraid to deviate from my mom's plan for me after my dad died."
Alicia's heart clenched in her chest, harder than the knots her stomach was already in. She knew how that felt. Her dad had gone off and left them, then proceeded to die too. She wasn't super emotional about it anymore, he had been a drunk and drug addict from the very beginning. Unable to hold down a job, he never took care of the family. It was always her mom. She could remember all of the times Madison had come home late from work and then argued with her father about money and things that didn't really matter.
At the time, Alicia had found it normal for parents to scream and cuss at each other. She would always wake up to it when she was little, but Nick was always there for her. He would whisper that one day it would all be okay and that she should just go back to sleep. He always knew that it affected her more than she let on, that mommy and daddy were fighting all of the time.
Since mom was always working and dad was always off trying to find his next fix—whether it be drugs or alcohol—Alicia had learned to be self-sufficient from a young age. Nick had tried to help her, but she'd always denied him, insisting that she could make them dinner and that she could do the laundry, just as long as Nick did his underwear because those were gross.
"Hey."
"Hmm," Alicia blinked and realized she was not her seven-year-old self anymore.
"Where did you go?"
"Nowhere. What was your dad like?"
"It's my turn to ask a question, cutie, not yours."
Alicia rolled her eyes, "Fine."
"It's the same as before, what kind of blue is your favorite?"
"You know when it's about to rain and the sky turns this gray color and it gets thick and humid?"
"Yeah," Elyza confirmed.
"Well, when I was younger, my dad would sometimes take me down to the beach for ice cream. Just us, it was our daddy/daughter time, I guess. But once, when I was about nine we were sitting on a bench watching the sky get darker and darker with storm clouds. The water got more unruly and churned. It reached this gray blue color that I've always found fascinating."
Elyza turned onto her back and listened to the wistful whisper as Alicia described the scene for her. She could see it in her head, every detail slowly sketched out mentally in her own handwriting until she had a complete mental image. A smile turned up at the corners of her mouth, "That sounds nice. Were you and your dad close?"
"Not really…he left just before my tenth birthday, we didn't see him for nearly a year. He came around on Nick's thirteenth birthday and my eleventh, then it was too late. He died in a car accident not long after." A lump slowly developed in her throat at the hazy memories she had of her dad. Most of them we bad, arguing and yelling. Then he was stumbling into the house smelling like smoke and alcohol. There were some good mixed in though, like game night where they would normally play Monopoly. Or those good days when he would take her to get ice cream or they would go down the pier to sit and look out at the end because Alicia always wanted to be closer to the horizon.
Silence enveloped them again, a morose one but still comfortable. The small distance that separated their beds was easily breached with Elyza reached out boldly. She searched blindly until her hand found Alicia's crooked elbow, was underneath her head. She squeezed lightly and moved her hand away, "I get it. My dad died a couple of years ago. He was probably my biggest fan."
As the dry, warmth of Elyza's hand tried to escape, Alicia made a sudden, emotional movement and grabbed a hold of it. She laced her fingers through Elyza's and tried to keep the hot tears pricking at her eyes from escaping. She didn't trust her voice at the moment, afraid that it would crack, so instead she squeezed, hoping to get her point across.
After a moment, Elyza squeezed back once and her fingers relaxed in Alicia's. "Well this got depressing really fast."
Alicia let out a wet, strangled laugh that she wasn't expecting. She sniffed and shifted, but kept a firm hold on Elyza. "Tell me about your dad."
"Oh man, he was great. I was always attached to his hip as a little kid, even as a teenager. He was into everything, from fixing cars to hiking and surfing. He was really athletic and smart. His dad—my granddad—told me a story about how my dad was out picking up branches when I was about two. I guess I was a clumsy toddler but I still stumbled along behind him. Anyway, my dad was tossing them all into a pile and I saw what he was doing. So instead of helping him, I just picked up each branch that he tossed into the pile and threw them all around, making another mess.
"Granddad always used to say that I was his little shadow. We did everything together, fixed cars and went hiking. Since my mum was a doctor, she worked a lot of odd hours so he was who I spent most of my time with when I wasn't at school. We took of fencing together and he taught me how to surf when I turned nine.
"It was always dad and I…until I went off to University and he took up another job once I moved out. He was always a very reserved guy until you got to know him, but even then he didn't tell you much about his personal problems unless he really trusted you. I didn't know until it was too late that he was sick. By the time I found out he was already stuck in the hospital and more or less out of his mind from the medicine they were giving him."
Elyza fell silent after that, lost in her own memories of her dad, who had always been her number one fan and supporter. She missed him so much that it hurt sometimes, to the point that she feels so incredibly alone that she can't help but cry herself to sleep. It had been awhile since that had happened, especially after spending so much time with the Jahas.
Alicia squeezed her hand but didn't say anything. The silent comfort alone was enough to demonstrate to Elyza that she knew what she was feeling and understood that Elyza needed a moment to collect herself. That level of understanding was unfamiliar for Elyza, since she normally had to explain to everyone around her what she meant. Nobody ever seemed to understand her in a way that was almost as instinctual as Alicia did in that moment.
Maybe it was because they both shared the loss of a father, or maybe it was because of something more. But, in that moment, it was everything that Elyza needed.
"Want to know what I think?"
Elyza sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her thumb across the exposed skin of Alicia's inner wrist, brushing over her pulse point. It succeeded in relaxing and grounding her to the point that her emotional turmoil lessened to a manageable degree. "Sure."
"I think you're dad sounds pretty amazing."
"Oh, he was. Can we please talk about something less depressing?"
Alicia chuckled and hummed softly. Her eyelids were beginning to feel like they weighed a ton. She felt comfortable and relaxed, more so than she had in a while. Since they'd been on this ship, she'd had a hard time sleeping. But with Elyza there, she felt safer than she had since before the world had ended.
This room felt like home, like the two of them were wrapped up in a bubble that nothing bad could penetrate. It was different and kind of scary for both of them to feel that contented with someone else. But it was very welcome. Elyza had experienced a lot of death and negativity while Alicia had been shelter from the full extent of this disaster.
None of that mattered though, they were both still two young girls who hadn't known what to do when the world had been in a much more orderly fashion. When there had been an end goal for success and families and a good job, to be happy. Now neither of them knew where they were going. What happiness could you find in a world that wanted you dead? A world that went out of its way to eradicate you?
"Why don't we sleep?" Elyza suggested after a moment of silence. When she didn't receive a reply, she glanced over to find Alicia fast asleep. Her jaw was slack and her forehead lacked the frown that always seemed to want to grace her features. She looked younger, like the world didn't rest on her shoulders.
Elyza had been so lost in thought she hadn't felt the brunette's hand go slack in her own. So she carefully withdrew, her hand going cold from the lack of body heat Alicia provided. She was thankful that she hadn't jostled Alicia awake and turned on her side, away from the younger girl to try to get some sleep.
The next morning the two girls were awoken by Madison. Elyza had already awoken with the sun as it shown weakly through the narrow window high in the wall on Alicia's side of the room. But, she hadn't wanted to get up because she didn't know who to go to or what needed to be done. There could have been much work to do on the ship, even with so many people aboard it.
Madison left them to make their beds and change into day clothes. Both girls gave each other a brief morning greeting but neither mentioned their emotional conversation the night before. Even though it was at the forefront of both of their minds, the atmosphere had changed. Their little bubble had been popped by the morning sun and the reality of the world around them.
Alicia offered Elyza a clean shirt and the blonde changed into it, along with her borrowed pair of jeans from the day before. They made their beds in silence, but every few seconds one of them would glance up and they would make eye contact. Awkward eye contact ensued and neither of them really knew what to do about it except smile.
"Hey," greeted Nick from the door, "I was just in the other room and Aden is awake. He was wondering if you'd come see him."
Elyza turned to find him leaning against the door and taking up the entire frame. He was dressed in a loose pair of jeans and an impeccably white t-shirt. His hair was still a ratty mess, like he couldn't be bothered to brush it. His eyes looked tired, but the hint of a smile curved at his lips as if he was finding something funny.
"Sure," Elyza nodded and tossed her pillow back on the bed. It wasn't the neatest job she'd ever done, but she didn't really care. Her philosophy on making beds was that she was just going to sleep in it again, so what was the point? But Madison had asked them to do it and she wasn't about to go make one of the adults angry. "I think we should take him outside, it would probably do well for him to get some vitamin D in his system."
"That sounds like a plan to me, do you need help getting him up the stairs?"
"I've got it," Alicia stepped up next to Elyza, "if we need to carry him, I can help. You go do whatever Strand wants you to, Nick." The aggressive undertone to her words informed Elyza that she thought her brother was being influenced by Strand and she didn't like it.
Nick shrugged and avoided looking at his sister, "Fine, I'm going to go up on deck. Shout if you need anything." Then he was gone and the girls were left alone once again.
Elyza stepped out of the room and headed down the hallway before carefully pushing the closed door to the sick room open. Aden was sitting up in bed, his back propped up against the back wall by a stack of pillows. He was still looking pale, Elyza noted upon her initial inspection of him.
Aden's eyes were closed, but they fluttered open when he heard them enter. His skin was damp and glistening with sweat, even though he was only partially under the covers. When he saw them a smile spread across his face, "Hey."
"Hey, kid. How are you feeling?" Elyza took a seat on the other bed, which was still rumpled from Ofelia sleeping in it.
Aden shrugged, "I'm cold and hot at the same time, my head hurts and I can barely hear. Oh, and my side hurts."
Alicia chuckled, "Sounds like paradise to me."
Elyza rolled her eyes at both of them, "At least we're both alive right?"
"Yeah, but you get to sleep in the same room as a pretty girl, how is that at all fair?" Aden huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Elyza and Alicia exchanged a glance, the blonde noticed the pink tinge on the brunette's face when their eyes met.
"Ofelia's pretty, Aden," Alicia offered.
The boy rolled his eyes and let his head loll back against the pillows, "Yeah, but she's mean and older than you right? How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen."
"Exactly! I'm fourteen! Closer in age."
Elyza laughed and ruffled Aden's hair, "Kid, she's out of your league and you shouldn't be focusing on pretty girls. You should be more worried about getting better."
Alicia shook her head and rubbed a hand over her face to try to tamp down the embarrassment she was feeling. She was used to Matt telling her how beautiful and special she was, but the way these two so casually threw it out there like it was common knowledge made her uncomfortable. She had never really thought of herself as that pretty, honestly, she kind of considered herself to be a little clumsy and awkward.
"Don't imply that she's in your league," Aden retorted, turning to meet Alicia's eyes. "She's just trying to shoot me down so she can have you for herself."
It took Alicia a moment to come up with a response. She was too focused on the way her stomach flipped with the idea of Elyza wanting to pursue her. She didn't even know the two strangers before her, but for some reason she wanted to. More than she cared to admit.
"You know, I don't think either of you can handle me, so let's not worry about it so much."
Elyza smirked, "You think I can't handle you? Is that a challenge?"
Alicia tried not to blush at the way that smirk made her feel. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest so she crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow, trying to maintain a straight face, "No, it's just a fact. Now let's get Aden upstairs. I'm sure he's hungry."
Together, Elyza and Alicia helped Aden out of bed. He changed into a pair of borrowed shorts and a loose fitting tank top. Both hung off of his body because they were too big, but it was all they had for the time being. The boy whined and complained a little too much, managing to sound pitiful and in pain the entire time they maneuvered him. Elyza didn't know him that well at all, but he was clearly girl crazy and thought that acting like he was more seriously injured than he was would get more of Alicia's attention.
Elyza wasn't jealous per say, especially since she'd only known Alicia for about a day. But she did feel oddly possessive and felt a jealous heat spread through her stomach at the way Aden was acting. She had no right to feel this way about a girl she had just met, but that didn't mean she could really help it.
Eventually, Aden had his arm wrapped around Elyza's neck while she supported most of his weight as they ascended the stairs. Alicia trailed behind them to make sure that neither of them fell and if they did, she would be the one to break their fall. She actually found it entertaining the way they bickered like siblings, even though they didn't even know each other at all.
"God, Aden, you weigh a ton. Where do you hide it all?" Elyza groaned once they made it onto the lower deck and Aden was slouched on the full length couch with the sun pounding down overhead.
The boy grinned up at her and shifted over to so he was more comfortable, "It's all muscle. I'm a very active guy."
Elyza rolled her eyes, "You need to tone it down like three levels, please. You're not impressing anyone."
Aden scoffed and turned to Alicia, who was still under the shaded porch area. "Am I not impressing anyone?"
"Oh, you're impressing me alright." Alicia nodded encouragingly.
"See?" Aden smirked in victory. "I'm doing something right."
"Oh come on!" Elyza protested, turning to Alicia fully, "You're kidding right? Don't go boosting his ego, he doesn't need it."
Alicia chuckled and Elyza lost her train of thought at the soft sound. It was cute and endearing and it took a moment for her to remember what was going on around her, "I'm impressed that he's gone on and on without getting any reaction. You're a persistent one, Aden. But I do have to say that I'm not falling for it, so you should stop while you're ahead, kid."
Aden pouted and laid flat on his back, basking in the early morning glow. The sun was coming over the horizon and the damp chill seeped under their skin. The clouds were gathering further west and it looked like it would be raining later in the day to Elyza. But for now, the sun was rising and it was the start of a new day.
"Hey, guys," Nick called from the upper deck, leaning over the railing to see straight down.
"What the hell are you doing, Nick?" Alicia called up, pin wheeling backwards to see her brother above them.
"Nothing, Strand just wanted me to get Elyza and I heard you guys talking. He wants to talk to you, though, Elyza." Nick glanced away from his sister to the blonde.
They both knew that this was the decision that Strand had spent his sweet time making. Aden wasn't exactly sure what was going on though, he had been too busy being sick and injured to do much more than worry about himself.
Elyza shared a glance with Alicia before calling back up to Nick, "I'll be up there in a second. He's in the wheel house, right?"
Nick was already heading back inside when they heard his shouted response, "Where else would he be?"
"He always has to be a smartass, I'm sorry." Alicia apologized.
The blonde shrugged, it didn't really matter to her. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to head upstairs. I'll be back in a little bit."
Before Alicia could reply, Elyza was rushing inside and taking the twisting staircase two at a time. When she was high enough to see over the top of the stairs, she spoke up, "You wanted to see me?"
Strand was sitting at his captain's chair and leaning heavily against his control panel. He was staring intently out at sea, as if seeing something that was too far away from anyone else. It looked to Elyza like he was trying to will the boat to move faster, as if he had somewhere he needed to be and there was a time crunch to get there.
"You called for me?" she prompted before ascending the rest of the stairs when he acknowledged her.
"Yes," he turned in his seat and stood up. "I'm going to allow you to stay with us as long as you would like to. But you have to pull your weight. When we need supplies, I'll need you to participate. Since Aden is so young he can just help on board, I don't want to be responsible for the death of a child if something may happen. But you need to pull your weight. So I need to know a little bit about your skills."
Elyza thought about this for a second. She was thankful Strand wasn't going to just abandon her and Aden, but she was worried that he might change his mind eventually. Even though he seemed like the type of person to keep his word if he could, but Elyza still couldn't completely trust him. She intended on being completely honest with him and let the cards fall where they may in the end. She really only had herself and Aden to worry about anymore. There was no reason to dwell on the past when she didn't even know if any of her friends were alive.
"I know a lot of self-defense and have a lot of survival skills. My dad used to take me to archery classes and I've known how to shoot a gun since I was about eleven," Elyza stated, thinking back on it. She was well equipped skill wise to survive in the wild. She'd been camping more times than she could count and her father had even taught her how to set game traps. She never understood why or found it very interesting, but it was still fun to spend time with him. She had mostly been interested in the guns and weapons involved because she had always been the dare-devil type. Her father had told her countless times that she would get herself hurt if she wasn't more cautious and careful.
Strand nodded, "Do you know how to hunt? Like on land."
"Kind of, I've been once or twice. Never on my own and my skills are pretty rusty. But I could probably learn pretty quickly. Why? Are we going to go on land?"
Strand shook his head, "This boat won't go inland and we need to keep moving. But we're pushing our limit when it comes to fuel and I feel like you would be a good asset to have during this…time."
"So you want to use me?" Elyza prompted.
"No, that's not what I mean," Strand amended, "I just mean that it will be good for everyone on this crew to have someone with your skill set with us."
"You're keeping Aden and I here because you want to use my skills."
"You make it sound bad. From what you've explained to me, you've experienced the depth of what's going on. The only reason anyone is going to survive now is if they adapt to their surroundings. You have adapted, half of the people on this boat have not. Alicia, Ofelia, Travis…none of them have really experienced the undead in the way you have. I need you with me so we can make sure all of us survive. Isn't that what you want?"
Elyza couldn't deny that she wanted everyone to live. That's all she ever wanted to do, was save people. That was why she went after Harper, Jasper and Monty. That was why she ended up telling those soldiers that the Blakes and Finn were still out there somewhere. But it always seemed to end badly for her.
"You're right," she admitted begrudgingly, "so what do you want me to do specifically?"
"I want you to be my left hand. While Nick is my right hand, he helps me with navigation and does the things I need him to. You, I want to watch the crew. They don't all like the way I'm running things and I need you to ensure the peace for me. Also, I think you're the most qualified to lead onshore raids so if we ever need to run for supplies, you will be leading." Strand turned to look out towards the shore, or what Elyza thought was the direction of the shore. "Can I trust you to do that?"
The room was silent and heavy with the question because could he trust Elyza? There was no ulterior motive here for Elyza except to guarantee the survival of the people she cared about. But who was she caring about now? If Strand was so conservative about not wanting her and Aden aboard, he wouldn't be going after her friends who could be just as ship wrecked as she had been. So there was nothing Elyza could really do but go along with Strand.
"Of course, anything else?" She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her hip against the edge of the stairs.
"Yes, you'll need a weapon. I want you to keep it on you at all times." Strand moved deliberately over towards the couch. He leaned over it and opened a small drawer nestled within the desk there. When he came away from it, he held a handgun in a holster with straps that went around someone's thigh. A gnarly looking knife was also sheathed with a single, long strap that could be looped through a belt.
Elyza took them from him when he offered the items.
"Don't wear these around the ship, only if the need arises. Keep them hidden at all times and don't let Alicia know you have them."
"Why not?"
"She'll end up telling her mother or someone else and then we'll have another argument on our hands. Madison is a very protective mother, if you haven't already noticed. To her, you're still a child and children should not have weapons, even in this new world." Strand stepped away and returned to his position at the controls. He sounded exasperated and a little annoyed at the way he described Madison, but Elyza wasn't going to be able to draw a conclusion on just the limited views of the man before her.
Instead, Elyza slid the knife into her back pocket and tucked the gun under her arm, "I understand. Can I go?"
"Yes, make sure your brother is feeling well and I'll have Nick come and get you if I need you, okay?"
Elyza nodded but didn't speak only turned and descended the stairs. She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into but there was no helping it. Once she reached the common area, Elyza noticed Aden and Alicia sitting on the deck with Nick. They didn't notice her and she quickly turned and descended the stairs to place her newfound weapons underneath her mattress and make sure they were well hidden.
Once she was satisfied, she went back upstairs and approached the group outside. Nick noticed her first and grinned, "Hey, how'd it go?"
"Yeah, can we stay?" Aden piped up, though he didn't seem all that concerned about it.
"Yeah, we can. You just have to get better and start pulling your weight, freeloader."
"Excuse me, I got shot."
"Speaking of which," Alicia piped up, "so did Elyza. Maybe we should check on that."
Nick laughed, "Since when are you a caretaker?"
"Since you became a drug addict," Alicia shot back and smirked when her brother instantly shut down. He never seemed to realize how much she had done for him, especially through his withdraws.
Elyza rolled her eyes, "It doesn't hurt. I think the saltwater did it a world of good, thank you." She was being honest too, her neck didn't ache much except for the occasional dull throb when she turned it too much in the wrong direction. But besides that, her ribs still ached—she was sure that wouldn't be healed for a while—and her head still hurt but she felt good all things considered.
"It should probably be looked at anyway." Alicia said, placing her elbows on the table and giving Elyza a look that she could only equate to a mum look.
"'Lish, you look like mom right now," Nick noted.
Alicia stuck her tongue out and wrinkled her nose at the apparent insult. "Shut up, Nick."
Elyza laughed at the expression on the brunette's face and nudged her over so she should have a seat on the couch, "Why don't we play a game?"
"What kind of game?" Aden asked.
"Well, while the dead were rising, we didn't really have a chance to collect a whole bunch of board games. But I think Strand has a chess board somewhere. Not sure if that'll do us any good, I don't know how to play." Nick suggested.
"Chess?" Elyza grinned and her spirits lifted. Just the thought of the strategic board game brought back happy memories of her time with Wells. They would always banter and talk shit about each other whilst playing. Wells had always been the better player, thinking out every move and looking at the bigger picture. Elyza would just react to his actions, blocking him off and hoping to realize his end goal before he got to it. She was constantly on the defense but she still loved the intellectual part of it because she got to spend time with her best friend doing something she loved.
"Ew, no. That game is so boring," Aden slouched onto the couch to the point that the table obstructed Elyza's view of him.
She huffed at him, "I happen to love chess. Where is it, Nick? I'll go get it, unless nobody wants to play with me."
Nick glanced at Alicia who stared back at them. Elyza was almost certain they were having one of those sibling conversations that didn't consist of words. She would never understand that, but hoped that her and Wells might have been able to do something similar because they knew each other so well.
"I've never played, but if you'd teach me, I'm willing," Alicia finally said, turning to smile at Elyza. They were sitting close together and the bright, vivid light of the rising sun lit up Alicia's eyes. They were a vibrant, sparkling green that managed to take Elyza's breath away even more than the smile that seemed to come so easy to the brunette.
Two hours later and Aden had retreated indoors with Nick, who was showing him the engine room. The young boy found the mechanics interesting and asked questions Nick didn't know the answers to. Instead, he gave Aden a manual for the filtration system and then took him back down to his room to rest and get some food in his system.
Strand had come outside and moved to the captain's wheel on the upper deck. Nick was sunbathing on one of the lounge chairs up there and Daniel was fishing off of the side of the boat. It was boring and lazy and Elyza understood why people would go stir crazy when there was nothing to do but sit there.
After a while the view grew less interesting and more repetitive. But for Elyza, she was too wrapped up in an intelligent, beautiful brunette with the most attractive eyes and smile to really care. They were in the middle of their third or fourth game and Alicia was just now getting more familiar with strategy after becoming comfortable with the different movements of the pieces.
They had spoken about a variety of things, from their favorite subjects in school to some of Alicia's friends and Elyza's Wells to how similar their mothers were. It was easy to fall into a conversation with Alicia, Elyza noticed, because she just so inviting and funny. Her jokes were too cheesy to be legitimately funny but Elyza didn't care so long as she could make the brunette smile.
"This moves diagonally, right?" Alicia held her finger over her rook, frowning at the board.
Elyza shook her head, "No, love. That moves vertically or horizontally. The bishop moves diagonally." The blonde had adopted using the term of endearment because every single time she used it, Alicia blushed in the most adorable way. Elyza couldn't get enough of the shy smile and the flush that crept over her cheeks every time she said it.
Alicia grumbled and frowned deeper before hovering her hand over the rook and moving it to one of her pawns, then back to the rook. It took nearly five whole minutes for Alicia to make her move, which only succeeded in leaving her knight vulnerable to Elyza's bishop.
"I hate you," Alicia grumbled and slouched against the couch once Elyza had made her move and placed the white knight next to her collection of prisoners.
Elyza laughed, "No you don't." They had moved indoors as the sun had progressed and the heat outside had gotten worse. The heavy storm clouds that Elyza had spotted earlier were beginning to collect closer to them and the seas were getting rougher. It seemed that they would have to end the game soon or their game pieces would be falling across the room eventually.
"Tell me another joke," Alicia stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth to wet her lips before biting down on her lower one in concentration. A while ago their conversation had turned to Elyza's love life after Alicia had begrudgingly mentioned a little bit about Matt. She hadn't explained much since it was still a sensitive subject and wanted to keep it locked down for now. She wasn't completely over it.
Elyza had explained how she was a lesbian and didn't have the best luck with women. Alicia hadn't batted an eyelash at the revelation of her sexuality and had even mentioned making out with a girl once as a dare at a friend's sleepover to make Elyza feel more comfortable. After that, Elyza talked about a couple of the girls she'd been with on the long term. Then, after finishing school and going to medical school how she hadn't had time for anything remotely related to a social life so her romantic affairs had gone down the drain.
Then Elyza had explained how Wells used to dare her to say some of the worst pickup lines when they went out together. She had mentioned a couple of them and ever since, Alicia had asked her for more because she found them so funny.
"Alright," Elyza braced her elbows on the short white table before her and leaned forward over the board, "Hey, my mom thinks I'm straight, want to help me prove her wrong?"
Alicia threw her head back with laughter and Elyza grinned, glad to get that sort of reaction out of the girl. "You actually said that to someone?"
"Yeah, I was out with a couple of mates after a particularly hard day of finals testing and they dared me to go up to this girl in the bar and say it. It was a straight bar too, so I wasn't even sure if the girl was gay. But yeah, I did say that to a girl."
"Did it work?"
Elyza blushed, remembering the way the girl had scoffed, laughed and then told her she was waiting for a guy to show up. She hadn't gotten laid that night but still, "Not particularly, but it did get a laugh out of you so I guess it was worth it."
Alicia rolled her eyes, "Are you trying to smooth talk me?"
"Well, I mean, is it working?" Elyza quirked an eyebrow and grabbed for the bottle of water she'd gotten earlier.
Alicia rolled her eyes again and focused her full attention on the game at hand, choosing to ignore Elyza's question all together. It was working, Elyza's stupid jokes and lame attempts at flirting were obvious but cute. The blonde smiled easily even though there was still that glint of sadness in her eyes with every smile. But Alicia couldn't blame her for that, she'd lost a lot so far and it was going to be hard to cope with that.
Either way, the blonde was succeeding in making Alicia blush and her stomach flip and clench in ways only Matt had really be able to do. Alicia felt more comfortable and safe in Elyza's presence than she ever had completely entangled with Matt, which made her feel guilty in a way. She and Matt hadn't ended because they weren't in love anymore, it had actually been the complete opposite. Matt had been ripped away from her unexpectedly and now here she was, trying to cope with things her mind could barely process.
That didn't stop her heart though, it didn't stop her from feeling things she didn't want to feel. It was scary and sudden and little too intense for the twenty four hours she'd known Elyza. Alicia didn't know what to do with girls or how they worked but she did like the way Elyza's eyes sparkled brightly. The way the black flecks were shown off when the sun hit them just right. Or even the splash of freckles over her cheeks after she's been out in the sun for a little bit. The little side smirk used constantly made Alicia feel like melting and maybe kissing that damnable smile off of her face.
Their game was ended soon after when Alicia's knight was taken and her only defense left was her queen and a single rook against nearly half of Elyza's stronger pieces. Elyza's checkmate came with a swift distraction with her leftover bishop and going in for the kill with her knight.
"I hate you," Alicia repeated once she realized she'd lost again. For the fourth time.
"Like I said before, no you don't." Elyza smirked and started putting the pieces into a velvet drawstring bag they had originated from. Alicia began helping just as a particularly large swell sent the chessboard nearly tumbling over the edge of the table. Several pawns went rolling under the couch and the chairs scraped back a couple of inches.
"Woah," Alicia squeaked, holding onto the table. "That wasn't fun."
"Hey, guys," Chris called out as he opened the door leading to the crew quarters, "we need to secure everything down. Nick says the storm isn't looking too good."
Together and with the help of the rest of the Abigail inhabitants, they managed to tie down every loose item of furniture and food product. They tossed several of the outside chairs in with the mini boat underneath on the pool deck, which nearly sent Travis over the edge. It was pure luck that Elyza reached out and caught him before he could slip on the watery ground and go tumbling into the churning ocean.
Once finished, Daniel called out that everyone should head inside and try to stay seated. The swells were getting bigger, nearly ten feet in height if Elyza was measuring properly and it was getting harder and harder to keep her footing on the outside decks. The sky was growing darker and darker until it felt like dusk in the middle of the day.
Before going to her bedroom, Elyza checked on Aden, who was awake and squinting at his little manual. Ofelia was looking pale and sick, sitting up in her bed with her eyes closed.
"Hey, kid. You're going to go blind if you keep reading that in the dark," Elyza braced herself in the doorway, trying not to feel lightheaded or nauseous as her surroundings moved with the ocean.
"But Ofelia wants the lights off!" Aden whined in protest.
"Then keep the lights off and put down the book. Try to sleep or something." Elyza glanced at Ofelia as Aden grumbled under his breath about something or other but did as she said. "Are you feeling okay, Ofelia?"
The older brunette nodded, "Yeah, I just feel a little nauseous."
"Well if you need anything just shout. You look a little pale."
Ofelia smiled slightly and held up her thumb in affirmation, "Thanks, doc, will do." She responded sarcastically.
Elyza nodded even though Ofelia had never opened her eyes and then turned her attention back to Aden, "Be quiet and don't bother her. If she has to throw up, try to help her. If you start feeling sick, just shout too, okay?"
Aden waved his arms around in an obvious motion to shoo so Elyza did. She stumbled passed Madison and Travis' room where the door was closed. She braced her hands on either wall and slowly made her way back to her bedroom she shared with Alicia.
The brunette was already in there, the overhead lights on her side of the room were on and she held a book in her lap. She was snuggled under the blankets and curled up against the pillows. Her head was tilted down and a pair of glasses were perched on her nose. To Elyza, she looked incredibly relaxed and adorable, even as the ship lurched up and down and side to side.
"Don't make fun of me, I only need them to read," Alicia narrowed her eyes and tensed her shoulders, as if preparing for the ridicule.
Elyza grinned and shook her head, "You're cute."
Alicia wrinkled her nose and pushed her glasses up her face, but her expression and body relaxed considerably. The frames were large and kind of clunky but fit her face well enough to make her look like an adorable nerd. She huffed and turned back to her book, "Shut up."
Elyza collapsed down onto her bed and tried not to allow her stomach to heave up the small amount of her breakfast she'd had that morning. She threw her arm over her face and closed her eyes, trying to imagine the dip of the boat as the rocking of a cradle or something. But it only succeeded in making her feel worse.
"You feeling okay over there?"
"If I was any finer, I'd be China."
"What?" was the confused, chuckled response.
"Nothing, sorry. I was a Pintrest nerd before the internet went out."
"Okay," Alicia drew out the word uncertainty, "do you feel like you're going to throw up?"
Instead of providing a verbal response, Elyza lifted her hand and held her thumb and pointer finger less than an inch apart. Alicia rolled her eyes and set her book down. She was used to the feeling of the boat by now, but also knew that it has worse for some people rather than others.
"Here," she opened the middle drawer and pulled out a peppermint, "suck on this, it might help. If not, keep your eyes closed and try to fall asleep."
Elyza sat up and Alicia noticed the paleness in her face and the way her eyes seemed to try to focus on things that weren't moving even though just about everything was. She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth, tossing the plastic back into the drawer, "Where did you find that stuff?"
"I don't know, it was here when I got here. I read once that it's good for motion sickness. Do you want to try to sleep?" Alicia sat up and set her feet on the rough carpet floor.
Elyza shook her head and relaxed back into her pillow, trying to stop her head from spinning.
"Then I have a question for you."
Elyza heard her shift and then the resounding click of her bedside lamp turning off. She made a soft humming noise to acknowledge the brunette next to her.
"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but you talked about your friend Wells a lot. I was wondering how you guys met. Tell me about him?"
The blonde couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the memories she had of her best friend. "He was born in Australia like me. We were neighbors when we were kids but when his mum died when we were about thirteen, his dad went a little crazy. They needed a new start and Mr. Jaha had gotten a new job so they came to the States. I was allowed to go and see them on my own because my mom was close friends with Thelonious for the longest time so Wells and I were never really separated.
"When I moved out and went to Uni, I visited him all the time. He went to school in California but we saw each other every break. I was with him when all of this happened. I was supposed to be on a plane back to Australia actually, Wells had just dropped me off at the airport when it all really went up in flames."
Elyza sighed deeply before pressing on, "But anyway, Wells was a sweet guy. He always put everyone else before himself. He tried to help everyone and I think that's the only reason why I'm remotely nice. Without him I would have probably gotten into more schoolyard fights as a kid and my filter would be nonexistent. He was the calm to my storm, I guess. That didn't mean he didn't have a sense of humor or anything, he was just more reserved and precautious about things than I was. He liked to dare me to do things that he would never do just to see if I would.
"Before I came out to my parents though, I think my mum wanted us to end up together. Which I would have been totally cool with if we hadn't been such good mates and I wasn't such a raging homosexual." Elyza laughed at the end, remember the horror she'd felt when her mother had revealed her hopes and dreams for the two best mates.
Alicia had settled down in bed and pulled her covers up to her chin after placing her glasses back in their case and tossing them into the drawer. The sky was so dark it felt like nighttime but the ocean was so turbulent there was no way she'd be able to fall asleep. Just as she was about to formulate a response the sound of rain thudding overhead and pounding against the rolling ocean outside drowned out any thoughts she could have been having.
"Today would be a great lazy day if I didn't feel like I was going to be sick," Elyza's voice was a little muddled by the candy she was sucking on, but it was still easy to understand her.
"I agree." Alicia closed her eyes, trying to relax enough to eventually fall asleep but it didn't seem like it was happening. Instead she opened them again and watched Elyza, who was too focused internally to notice.
Alicia watched the way her eyebrows furrowed and her nose curved upward. The way her lips pursed on their own and she noticed the small birthmark just above the upper one. Elyza looked like she was trying to relax. Her shoes had been kicked off while she spoke and one leg was spread out before her while the other one was crooked up with her knee in the air. One arm was slung just above her head and the other hung loosely against her side.
She looked relaxed laying there and Alicia found herself mesmerized by the way her shirt hugged the soft curves of the body before her. She had never really looked at another girl in the way that she was looking at Elyza. She could see herself running her fingers over the exposed skin between her jeans and the slightly ridden up t-shirt. She could see herself kissing Elyza and just as the thought hit her, her eyes trailed back up to gaze at those pink lips.
They looked soft and definitely kissable, different from Matt's for sure. Elyza's were smaller and more palpable. Alicia could see herself getting addicted to those lips. With an inaudible sigh she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, trying to will those scary thoughts away. She willed her heart to stop beating so fast and her cheeks to cool down at least a degree.
Breathe, she thought, go to sleep. Stop thinking.
To the sound of Elyza's slowing and deepening breaths, she felt her own body relax and her heart sync with the blonde's before oblivion took her.