Waves splashed against the hull of the Kingfisher. Sobbing crashed against the ears of Maya.

She sat on the wooden planks of the quarterdeck, staring blankly at the unread stack of letters beside her. The sky was a beautiful array of blue and white, but she did not feel like admiring nature’s beauty when she was so distracted by the cries of the civilians below at the deck.

Sleep was non-existent to her at this point. It was impossible to sleep when everyone was too deeply awake with the thoughts of their obliterated home. Mister Castel kept wide awake the whole night too, and Maya did not want him to feel alone in the midst of severely unfortunate events.

Zachary was nowhere to be found. He slipped away when Maya wasn’t paying attention, but she didn’t really care. She kept her end of the bargain, and he kept his. She doubted she’d be remembered as a rebel by the soldiers anyway, not after all that happened.

“Sheesh, you look like a goddamn cod.”

Maya looked up to see Dirk, one of the sailors. His face was looking mournful, especially under heavy bags and a black curly short beard. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Depressed.” He took out something square and grey from his pocket, and waved it in front of Maya. “You dropped something.”

Her brows rose. “My box!” She took it from his waiting hand. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice. Where did you find it?”

“Oh, it ain’t me who saw it, but you can pay me if you want to. Some fella with expensive eyes handed it over to me. He said he found it on the ground.”

Maya knew in an instant that he was talking about Zachary. He was still on the ship, sauntering somewhere. Being a criminal. Maya could not explain it, but something about him made her feel angry, as if it was his fault the bombing happened.

She gasped. It was possible. Zachary knew about the last set of bombs.

“Dirk, where is he?” she asked, jaw set.

“Now you’re looking like a blowfish. And for your question, I seem to have forgotten…”

“I’ll pay you.”

“He’s down behind the captain’s quarters.”

Maya jumped up and ran past Dirk. She speeded down the stairs and to the place he said Zachary would be.

If it were up to the normal Maya, she really would have just left Zachary alone. Unfortunately, Maya was feeling anything but normal. She was frantic. Zachary was possibly guilty, and her strong sense of curiosity and stupidity could not just let that go.

As soon as she got to mingle with the crowd of devastated victims, the smell of ashes overwhelmed everything. Many people had their hair singed and clothes burnt, and a few just barely got away from burning their skin. Severe casualties were almost down to zero, but many were hurt from the mass panic.

Behind the captain’s quarters, a child cried from a wound on his knee. His parents were nowhere to be found, and no one seemed to care. Everyone was too caught up in their own sadness. No one was ready, no one was prepared, and no one was quite awake from the dream yet.

No one except for one person.

Zachary came shoving through the people, trying to get to the crying child just near Maya. He looked haggard and tired, more so than Dirk, but his eyes were more alive than anyone else’s. His golden hair was nowhere to be found. It disappeared under a dull red bandana on his head.

“Stop crying,” he said to the child as he kneeled next to him. His tone was harsh, but his gestures seemed to say otherwise as he brought out a roll of bandage from his satchel. “You’ll be fine.”

The loud sobs slowly calmed down.

Maya started to have second thoughts. He did not look like such a monster. He even bandaged her wrist for her last night.

No, he might not be as innocent as he looks, she forced herself to think. Good deeds did not make a guilty man innocent.

She met with his eyes. Although unnerved, she did not look away.

Zachary smiled mirthlessly as he walked towards her. “Great weather,” he said once they were face to face.

Maya crossed her arms. “How did you know about the bombs?”

“Oh, that.” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes steady “I just heard it from someone else. I don’t remember who. Maybe the soldier that tied me up? Terribly, even.”

She lowered her eyebrows. He didn’t look like he was lying, but Maya was still suspicious. “The soldier? So that was another one of those Military orders?”

“I don’t know. Ask the soldier.”

“Never mind that. Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m Zachary, a rebel. I stole something, if you, uh, watched my thing back at the town square. Are we done?”

Maya was not satisfied. She had no more business with this man, but somehow, she could not let him go. If it were fate not allowing her to part with him—which she would not believe—then she could use a little more help from the gods. This man had a role in something, although she still does not know what.

“Tell me,” she said. “Why were you going to be executed just for stealing?”

Suddenly, he laughed. “Hah! You really think he was going to execute me for stealing?” He shot an icy stare. “Of course not. I’m a rebel. What other reason should there be for me to be executed?”

He was right, and Maya knew it. It seemed inhumane for the Military to do, but then again, just last night, a soldier shot her even when she was surrendering. They bombed rebel towns and cities.

The Military seemed to be built on violence.

“Wait a minute,” Maya said, a realization washing over her. “The… the bay wasn’t a rebel town.”

Zachary frowned.

Her eyes widened. “Oxford Bay! It wasn’t a rebel town! In fact, it carried most of the Military’s business ventures! Mister Castel took a contract once!

She caught her breath. “Then why did the Military bomb it?”

Silence hung in the air as she began to unravel the answer. She raised her shaking eyes at Zachary.

He wore a scowl.

“You, you didn’t hear it from the soldier, did you?”

It took a few seconds, but Zachary shook his head slowly. “No.”

“Only you knew of it.”

He huffed. “Only I am accountable for it.”

Maya clenched her fists, but winced from the pain of her wounded wrist. She took a quick glance at it, and the memory of Zachary’s kind gesture made its way to her eyes.

Zachary seemed to read her thoughts immediately. He knitted his brows. “The world isn’t just black and white, Malaya. The same goes for people, for rebels. They can help and be like other normal people… but they can do the opposite too.”

She took a step back. She was not prepared for the truth, not after tonight. Not after seeing all the people cry their hearts out in an attempt to curse the gods. Not after being there herself.

But Zachary didn’t stop. His nostrils flared as he tried to choke down whatever he was feeling in an attempt to look stoic. “I killed people, Malaya, and I don’t even know how many. I saw children weeping here last night. Families praying together.” His clenched his jaw. “If this is what it takes to be a rebel, then so be it. I will never forget. I didn’t know that it could be this painful.”

“You have no right to be in pain!” Maya screamed. People turned their heads at them, and Maya knew she could not keep this up. She gave Zachary one last look of hatred, and then she stormed off.

*

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