Follow The Raven

Alone. It's the only word that can describe my situation. I am alone. The letter said that I was the only one with such a strong ability to see the paranormal and I had problems believing it. Once I crossed the gate, the people I ran into were shocked at seeing a human still alive, something I also had problems believing. But these occasions occur so often that I'm beginning to believe it to be true. The captain said no one has ever been born with a path among the dead. No human has ever crossed the gate alive, ever. Imagine the shock of someone doing both of those things.

I sat at the window of the captain's office, staring out into the vast horizon, Remy around the room doing something or other. I find it almost cruel, to be thrown into this whole thing. If there is such a thing as fate, its having a blast with me.

"Miss Lara, let me see your face," Remy called from behind me. I jumped a little hearing his voice. I turned around to see him sitting in a chair facing me with a sketchbook in hand.

"Are you drawing me?" I asked, turning back to the outside.

"If it is alright with you," he said, waiting for approval. I nodded, not even bothering to turn and look at him.

"Please, just call me Lara," I said a little while later, remembering that he addressed me as 'Miss' again. I don't like the extra title, I've tried to get the captain to stop but he humbly refuses saying that it would be wrong for him to take such a familiarity.

I sat there for hours, just staring out into the open sea, a book in my hands but not being read. I hated this idea that I was being led, like a horse to water. The horse doesn't have to drink, but its still being led on to wherever the master wants. I hate the idea that someone is setting up a path and creating all the circumstances to make me take that path and no other. The last time I checked, I wasn't a horse.

I watched the sea serpents jumping out of the water a distance away, wondering why they don't attack ships. Not that I want them to attack ships, that would probably end tragically, but why they don't naturally? I'm sure they're large enough to put up against ships. Just a question, not an idea.

"What do you think?" Remy asked tapping me on the shoulder and handing me his sketchbook. I looked at the sketch, awed by the realism in his sketch. He captured me on the windowsill, looking out of it, every detail absolutely perfect. It looks almost like a photograph, except in pencil.

"It's amazing," I breathed, handing him his sketchbook back with a smile.

"You really have a gift," I added as he sat back down, making him blush.

"Oh no, in my family, this was looked down upon. Mama thought I could do better by working the fields than wasting my time doing this," he recalled.

"Is that why you're a sailor?" I asked curiously. If so, I can understand why he picked the sea over his family. The sea won't bother him if he wants to draw.

"Well, yes and no, my family disowned me in death," he said, making me immediately regret asking that question.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said quietly, turning back to the window.

"Don't be! I would probably have left them anyway, I spent a life with them, why would I spend death with them too?" He asked with a laugh. I joined him, happy that he was opening up. Fourteen year olds shouldn't be shut off, even when dead.

"Would you like anything Lara?" He asked standing up, and thankfully accepting my request of not addressing me as 'Miss Lara.' Makes me sound like some sort of pageant queen. 'And Gracie Lou is the winner of the Miss Lara Pageant 2008!' Yeah, scary thought.

"I'm alright, thank you," I said, turning back to the window, starting to get depressed again. The captain said my health seems to have improved a little, but my morale has definitely declined. It didn't occur to me that the shock people illustrate when seeing me is apparently normal, that I'm just a freak of nature being taken from one world to the next.

"Why are you depressed exactly?" I heard from right behind me, making me jump two feet in the air. I looked behind me and saw Damian, sitting where Remy had previously been seated looking at me with a smirk.

"I am not depressed," I shot back defensively.

"Oh? Then why have you been sitting there all day? Sea serpents can't be that interesting. And if you're not depressed, Remy doesn't seem to agree," he replied, holding up Remy's sketch. It's true, he did draw me with a rather sullen expression. I tried to ignore him, starting to read the book I had in my lap. What was it again? Oh yes, the difference between a fig and a ficus. Wait...why am I reading this? Not even I'm too curious to read that. Where did this come from anyway?

"Come on, answer the question," Damian persisted sitting across from me on the window seat. Seeing me ignore him, he grabbed the book that I was *cough*reading*cough* out of my hands, making me glare at him. No touchie my book, even if it is incredibly painful just to read the title. Who would even write this? Obviously someone dead, they'd have enough time to do it.

"Fig v. Ficus: They Sound The Same But They're Not? Where did you get this?" Damian asked flabbergasted, tossing it somewhere to the side. I shrugged.

"I don't really know, just picked it up I guess," I said, turning back to the window. Its true sea serpents really aren't that interesting. Actually they're not interesting at all, once you've seen them jump out of the water 50 gazillion times imitating a dolphin but failing, you've had enough. But I really don't feel like dealing with anyone right now.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong?" Damian continued, grabbing my chin and making me look straight at him. I shook him off.

"Nothing," I insisted. This time, he grabbed the sides of my head with his hands to keep me in place. Jerk. Always finding a way...

"That's a lie, and we both know it. I'm being very nice right now, don't make it turn sour," he warned, looking me in the eyes. Well, if its going to turn sour, why not make it turn sour for a reason?

"Why should I answer your questions if you never answer mine?" I asked smirking as he started glaring at me and growled.

"You're really asking for a death wish aren't you?" He seethed.

"I'm in the right place aren't I?" I taunted. How far would he go? That's a good question. He slitted his eyes at me, hesitating about something, then let go and stood up and walked to the other side of the room.

"Just answer the question and I'll answer yours! That's fair enough isn't it?" I asked out to him as he started pacing. What is it with these guys and pacing? Seriously.

"Why do you care?!?!" He called out exasperated, continuing his pacing.

"Why do you?!?!" I asked back. Upon thinking it through, since I never think anything through before doing something, I usually think about it afterwards, I think I was really tempting him to just kill me. But hey, the freak of nature is not feeling too hot today, I don't particularly care if I die. I'd probably care after it was said and done though, so let's hope that he has more control than I do.

"You have no idea how much I would love to kill you right now," he said, appearing in front of me and grabbing me by the throat. As I said, not caring today. Come back tomorrow.

"I can't leave you two alone for five minutes, can I?" The captain said walking into the office closely followed by Remy. Damian let go, continuing to mumble and started walking out.

"Great, you're here, you deal with her," Damian yelled as the captain side stepped, dodging the raging vampire. I turned back to the window, glaring at it now.

"I fear the day we make port and you two are back on your own," the captain said, shaking his head.

"Is it that annoying when I ask questions?" I asked, getting up to sit in front of his desk.

"No. Its admirable really, most people you're age don't ask questions. They'd rather not say anything to avoid looking stupid and when someone talks to them, they end up looking even dumber. You, you're curious, and not afraid to show it," he said, reminding me of a grandparent type. Well, that's if I knew what a grandparent type is even supposed to be, my grandparents hated me too.

"Thanks," I said, feeling a little better.

"Now, tell me what's wrong," the captain said after flipping through some maps.

"I just don't see why I'm so weird," I sighed, leaning back in the seat and wrapping myself up more in the blanket that I've had on me all day.

"You're not weird, you're special," Remy said, dusting the shelves.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm too special," I said, curling up in the seat, covering my head with the blanket.

"Hey, where did you get that book on Figs and Ficus?" I asked, jumping to a new subject before anyone could say anything about me. I have a habit of going from subject to subject, I call it mental ADD.

"A present from my ex-wife," the captain said shaking it off with his hand. His wife obviously really loves him. Ex for a reason probably...