Seas of Affliction

“Pull!” The order carried through the wind, the sails fighting our attempts to tame them. “Harder, men! Put all your might into it, will ya!”

The rope chafed against my hands as it resisted to be settled. When we finally got it looped around and then tied down tight, most of them men's hands palms were bloodied with roughed up callouses from under the ripping force. I kept mine hidden, if they saw how much better shape mine had stayed in, their discontent towards me would grow more bitter. Just barely did a majority of the crew vote to keep me on, and I mean barely. It didn’t mean I gained any friends out of it but I was still standing aboard at least.

During the night, the winds and weather had soured. We were nearing the Yellen Territory, this was it’s friendly fire assumingly. I was left on my own during the nights now, isolated to the upper deck. The only luck I had kept is that it didn’t rain and I haven’t sense any approaching throughout the day either. Of course lying on the wooden floor wasn’t as comfortable as a cot or hammock was but it was something, if not more peaceful than a dozen snoring seamen.

After a few minutes of making sure that I was no longer needed, I had walked from the rest of the group to stand off on my own, looking off into the infinite horizon, not feeling the itch to step onto some land like some of the other men were. It was adding to the hostility towards me I think, something easy to pick on and not cause offense to the others around them. I had only been feeling this energy towards me, no one had actually physically or verbally tried to degrade me. I had just been exiled it seemed from the social interactions. But then a hand grabbed against my backside and it all changed in that moment.

I whipped around, my eyes searching for the source. I spotted Wick walking away slower than anyone else around me. I rushed up, grabbing him by the back of his collar. He stumbled back surprised, a hand grabbing onto a railing for support. He looked at me with indignant eyes, as if he hadn’t really expected me to respond.

“Touch me again like so and I’ll sew your hand to your dick so maybe they’ll both learn to control one another in time.” I sneered heatedly.

“I don’t care if you’re a woman,” he towered over me with broad height. “On this ship you’re just another one of men. I’m not afraid to hit you like one.”

“So my lacking of the piece definitively male doesn’t decide who you get handsy with then?” I taunted, my hands itching to plant themselves on my hips but I knew the motion wouldn’t do me any favors in being taken seriously over just irritating.

He wrapped a hand around my neck, shoving me into the steps. I felt a part of my back, closer to my my side, pop from the pressure but no definitive pain followed. I resisted against him, shoving my feet into his stomach. The floor vibrated from his stumbling, the commotion causing most of whoever was left around to look over in attention. I climbed to my feet, huffing out a breath to calm myself. Wick came back towards me, throwing me to the side to slam me into a mast. Then that area that had popped started to ache terribly, shrieking out from its stupor state.

No one stepped in, even though his face had gone close to purple than red and eyes completely clouded with murderous intentions. I dodged his swinging advances, stepping to the side and ducking. I would most definitely be knocked out and severely injured if I were completely human. He had managed to already injury me by how my body chided against my twisting motions.

“You should’ve been tossed from this ship as soon as you were found out!” He grabbed for me. I swung out, punching him in the nose. He fell onto his back, blood rushing from his nostrils. When his hands moved, it was clear that I had badly broken his nose as it was now mangled off to one side.

“What the hell is going on!” Theo roared in a quick approach, looking between Wick and I.

“He grabbed my rear.” I pointed over to Wick as he uneasily rocked up to his feet. “And I yanked him back towards me, telling him if he did that again I’d sew his dick and hand together. Then he threatened me and after my retort, and again defending myself, he attacked me.”

“Is that true, Wick?” Theo didn’t look quite as appalled at his actions as he did our fighting.

He grunted in response, ramming a finger towards me, feet stumbling. “A liar, she is! That’s all she’s done since stepping foot onto this ship!” Wick argued.

“I’m lying, despite the fact that the best thing to do is be an open and honest as possible after getting a second chance to stay aboard?” I scoffed. “Did I smack any logic remaining in your shriveled brain out?”

“Bitch!” He lunged at me.

Theo stepped into his path, holding his arm out to keep him back. “Enough! Florence, go down to cargo and find something to do,” he snapped with his head cropped towards me a little. “And as for you, Wick, I suggest you find someone kind enough to put your nose back in place before it swells too much. After, I want you back up here doing your duties. Understand?”

I nodded, turning away with flushed cheeks of anger. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him get to me but I also need to protect myself. How many different facets of vulnerable am I on this ship? And how many would I allow to be prodded before acting?

“Should’ve filleted the fish when we had the chance.” He muttered, notably loud enough for me to hear.

Again, I should’ve let it go but he would just keep running the insults out and explicits. I needed to make it clear that I wasn’t going to have it. My passing hand grabbed the knife from Theo’s belt as I eyed its destination just a second before it left my hand. Before anyone could realize what I had done, the knife implanted itself just above Wick’s head in the mast behind. He jumped away reflexively, looking at me like I had lost it completely.

“Just think of what I can do if I’m pushed far enough, Wick. That knife is the bullet in the air before it comes back down to hit someone.” I warned.

Theo grabbed my arm, dragging me along with him as Wick remained silent, looking down at me with a disapproving look. “You were almost better than him.”

My eyes moved with vexation. “I don’t care about valor, I care about my safety.”

He let me go once we were do in the cargo hold, still holding a disapproving stare. “What am I going to do if the crew’s decision turns over? Hm?”

“Then I guess it’s my foolish impulses and your crews blindness to harassment to blame.”

“Please, just try and keep under the lid until things normalize a little.” I saw desperation creep into place. He didn’t want a conflict he couldn’t control. I found myself again nodding in understanding.

“Now I just have to deal with, Wick.” He started back towards the stairs but turned back remembering something. “And by the way, don’t ever steal one of my weapons again.”

“Also noted.”

“It’s a foolhardy move to do,” he paused to consider his next words, “and it’s frightening how much better you are at handling my own wielding knife than I am.” My mouth opened and shut, not able to respond to the unexpected words. And even if I did have the words, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get them out before he was called for assistance.

Now that I was alone, my body swiftly reminded me of the biting pain digging in behind my lungs as I took a breath. I hadn’t experience a pain such as this before, not out of all the injuries I’ve had in my lifetime. I had to keep reminding myself while I was immensely stronger than the men on this ship, I was weaker than compared to my normal functions in any given situation.

Mr. Burke popped into my mind, remembering he had dressed my shoulder when I was injured. He was probably one of the more pleasant people to be around at the moment and perhaps had the most medicinal knowledge aboard. I was apprehensive to show myself up on the main deck so soon though but the tenderness under my skin had me climbing the steps back up. I kept my head low as I stopped next to Mr. Burke. He stopped his work, looking over with a furrowed brow.

“Come to incite more conflict?” I could see that he wasn’t being serious, only having an enjoyment of teasing me.

“Not when I’m injured.” I tightly smiled.

He tilted his head as I peaked his interest. “Injured? Again?”

“There was a pop when Wick tackled me into the stairs. It hurts when I breath, the tenderness of the area feels as if it’s expanding.”

“On you back?” He asked and I pointed to the area in response. “Let me feel around here.” His fingers pressed around a large vicinity of where I had pointed, asking if it hurt at all.

“No,” I told him repeatedly. “No pain. Not there either. It’s a little more to the left I–Merda, that hurt!” I cursed.

“Sorry, dear. I’ll press a little more gently.” He felt around a little more, asking me to take a few breaths. “I think you’ve bruised your ribs. There isn’t anything odd about what I’m feeling except for inflammation. This is the better of rib injuries, broken ones will take you out for a few months.”

“If it’s a few months for broken ribs with humans, bruised ribs with me will be a few days I reckon.” Burke looked apprehensive at my estimation. I reassured him, reminding that the bite on my shoulder only took so long to heal because of my actions after.

When I moved to go back down to the cargo hold, my feet stopped when I saw Nikolai wringing a bloodied rag into a bucket of water. Wick was sitting on the steps behind him rubbing his temples, nose straighter but not as straight as it originally had been. None of those things were concerning to me except for Nikolai lifting the bucket to dump overboard. I quickly looked over the ship at the waters, seeing that they were darker than they should be. We had to be in Yellen territory.

“No! Nikolai, stop!” I called over to him.

He rested the bucket on the edge of the ship, looking confused by my frantic order. “I’m just emptying the bucket.”

“You can’t, not where we are now.” I told him as I approached.

“And where is that exactly?” He asked.

I turned, my eyes looking for Theo. He hadn’t told anyone about the marked places? I didn’t see him around. I sighed, knowing that I would just have to hope that he was still as trusting as he was before I was outed– not that he was really giving me a choice.

“We’re in a territory called Yellen. The waters are essentially alive with micro-beings, dumping bloodied water could cause a reaction from them. I know very little about their temperament except that if provoked they will turn against us.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.” He mused, looking to Wick for some sort of response.

“Dump it.” His eyes were still tilted with anger when he looked at me; he’d disagree with me even if he knew I was right.

“Please, I wouldn’t lie about danger if I knew it to be present. Theo should’ve informed you all of this.”

“First name basis with the captain, eh?” Wick interjected with another remark. “No wonder he had a parley about you staying aboard.”

“Excuse me?” I asked for clarification, knowing that calling him by his actual name was a mistake but it was too late to take it back.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it.” He smirked.

I refused to me goaded by him again, turning my attention back to Nikolai. “Just don’t dump it for now, okay? Not until we’ve been on these waters for awhile longer.”

He looked torn as he thought for a minute. “Okay, I believe you.”

I smiled, thankful that Nikolai was like Burke with his disposition about matters of judgement, knowing conceivably that we were still friends as well.