chapter 7

~~~

"Dude, you're pissing me off!" Suzanne growled at Andrew.

"You shouldn't be a klutz," he replied in a cool tone, not at all fazed by her temper.

"It was an accident!" She yelled at him.

"Maybe you should work on controlling your body movements, like you need to work on controlling your tongue," Andrew told her curtly and turned back.

He glanced at the broken pieces of the clay bowls Suzanne ought to have brought out where they were all camped outside around the fire before he started walking out of the kitchen.

"How about this for control?!"  Suzanne hissed as she grabbed a nearby small pot holding water and hurled it at Andrew's head but he simply moved to the left without looking back and she missed her target.

The pot connected to the wall beside the entrance to the kitchen.

Ryan who was coming to check what was taking them so long, flinched at the nearness of the pot crashing by him.

He looked at Suzanne who was fuming behind and Andrew who just gave him a bored look before walking out.

His gaze returned to Suzanne.

"You almost killed me." He was trying to cool his racing heart.

"I don't care!" Suzanne pushed past him as she stormed out of the kitchen.

Ryan looked at the floor, where the broken pieces of the clay bowls laid.

He knew sending Suzanne to get the bowls for the broth they wanted to eat as supper was a bad idea but Ashley had insisted Suzanne was more than capable.

When she had stayed a while inside the shelter, Andrew just got up and entered the shelter wordlessly.

Few minutes later they heard stuffs breaking and a bitter quarrel between Andrew and Suzanne followed.

Ashley nudged him to check it out while she tried to entertain the ever curious Ethan.

When Ryan came out saw Suzanne seated by the fire with an angry scowl plastered on her face. Ethan was probing her to tell him what happened but she hardly answered him.

Ashley turned worried, questioning eyes to him when he came out.

"Where's Andrew?" She asked.

Ryan noticed Andrew wasn't by the small fire they had created for warmth.

Ryan shrugged but grudgingly went back inside when Ashley's eyes and facial expression told him to find Andrew.

She then turned to face Suzane once Ryan entered the shelter.

"Andrew?" Ryan walked towards the bedroom.

"I'm not hungry so leave." Andrew's curt voice sounded from inside the dark room, faintly illuminated by the rays of the moonlight.

"You're in a fight with Suzanne?" Ryan asked instead. When he got no reply he went on.

"You're smarter than this Andrew. Fighting with Suzanne of all people about something irrelevant."

He then walked out of the room but not before glancing back at Andrew with a side of his eyes.

"Think about it," Ryan added before finally leaving.

And Andrew did  think about it.

~~~

Andrew looked at the blue print he held in his hand and nodded to himself as he looked up at the boat they built.

It was medium sized and it had high sails and it was made mostly of woods.

After eleven days of building it was finally done.

They also had a very small rowboat aboard, in case of any emergencies.

"All aboard!!" Ethan yelled excitedly as he rushed into the boat and grabbed a small mast then he titled closer to the water edge.

"Geez, don't do anything stupid Ethan," Ryan cautioned him coolly as he stepped into the boat holding a bag.

"I'm not stupid!" Ethan snorted at him.

While he was trying to scowl at Ryan, he slipped and fell off the boat into the shallow part of the river.

"Aaah!" He shouted as he landed with a splash.

Ryan smirked as he looked over the edge of the boat.

"Yeah, right."  He sneered.

Ethan angrily looked up.

Suzanne yanked him out of the water. "Quit fooling around Ethan, we need to get moving." With those words she shoved his towel into his hand and walked into the boat. Ethan huffed but followed her nevertheless.

Ashley gazed at the boat and a look of nostalgia washed over her.

Andrew who was untying the ropes so as to get the boat moving turned to her and paused at his task when she wasn't getting in the boat.

"Ashley?" He called in his usual tone.

For a moment it seemed she didn't hear him as she stared at the boat. A soft sad smile playing on her lips.

Andrew left the ropes and walked to her till he was standing beside her.

He also turned to look at the boat.

Ethan was teasing Suzanne and running round Ryan while she angrily tried to catch him. Ryan was irritated they were circling him and was warning them to stop their childish nonsense.

Andrew briefly glanced at Ashley again.

"I've never been in a boat before," she said in a quiet tone.

Andrew looked back at the boat. "It's not as strong as the real one and there's no cabin inside or whatever, just the deck that's all but," he looked at her again. "It's still okay."

Ashley looked down at her palm.

"I suppose."

Andrew kept both of his hands in his pockets.

"I was planning to actually board one, one day," Ashley said and looked at the boat again.

"What happened?" Andrew asked simply.

She turned to him and closed her eyes and smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes like her usual ones.

"My fellow captain died." She chuckled in a low tone and looked at her palm.

"My dad died."

Andrew sharply turned to her.

Maybe I should have found a means for us to use the road instead.

He said inwardly.

"Are you--?" Andrew started but she cut him off in a gentle tone.

"It's okay now, though. That stormy past has passed, yeah?" She grinned at him. "And again, I have to be strong. Afterall, it's my duty to protect the protecters of the world. I really can't protect anyone looking gloomy now can I?"

She laughed and turned to him.

"So let's go."

She turned to go to the boat but Andrew kept an arm on her left shoulder.

"It's alright not to be strong everytime Ashley," he said in a low tone.

She tensed but relaxed almost immediately.

"I could say the same for you Andrew," she said without looking back and he removed his hand from her.

She laughed again but still didn't face him.

"We all have our own dark secret right? And it's only ours to bear. So please," she turned back a little so that her brown eyes could gaze into his deep blue ones.

"Don't interfere."

She then walked inside the boat.

Andrew sighed and rubbed his face.

"Are you coming or what?!" He heard Ethan shouting at him.

He kept his hands in his pockets and strolled into the boat.

Ashley was smiling genuinely again as she talked to Suzanne about hitting Ethan too much while Ryan just stood by. 

Andrew grabbed the helm of the boat.

"We're leaving," he told them and turned the steering.

The boat started moving, slowly but surely.

"We could act like pirates!" Ethan suggested, wanting to play rather than do nothing.

"I'll be the handsome prince," Ryan said smugly.

"Yeah, the prince that's captured," Suzanne said snidely and Ethan laughed.

"Let's tie him up with some ropes," Ethan suggested to Suzanne. Ryan frowned a bit but stayed put as Ethan tied a tight knot around his wrists.

"Ashley," Suzanne turned to her.

"Would you be the captain assigned to get the prince back?" She asked.

Ashley smiled.

Fake smile. Andrew thought as he watched as she nodded.

Andrew lifted his gaze back to the task at hand.

Whatever happened to Ashley, it sure had a thing to do with something related to the sea.

He thought as he steered the boat on the river.

Not that I care anyway.