The familiar dim quarters filled Venus’ senses again as she helped Caspien to his bed. The boat stayed unusually calm, maybe because the moon was no longer tormenting the waves, pushing and pulling them away. Now the two were at peace, sitting side by side with the sun. “You’re dismissed, Scotty,” or so she thought. Without another word, Scotty scurried away closing the door behind him causing the room to go dark. With the strike of a match, Captain Caspien sat up and lit some nearby candles. He groaned, “make yourself comfortable.” Strategically threading a needle with his shaky hands, Caspien slouched over a chair and bit a nearby rag looking over his cut getting ready to sew himself up.

“Lay down,” she commanded as she pushed him over the chair and onto his cot.

“Wait, what-?” He tried to sit back up but the blood started to gush faster from his wound making him gasp while Venus grabbed a broken shell from his dusty shelf and made her way back over to him with the nonchalance of a fish jumping off of a hook just before it’s pulled out of water.

Without another word, she pushed him down flat and crawled atop of him to sing, “By earth and air, fire and water. So shall you hear my call. Powers of birth and rebirth, powers of silence and peace, heal his body and mind.” She repeated it until her hair glowed with her red eyes. Just as the power traveled throughout her body, as soon as it reached her arm she took the broken seashell in her hand and cut down her arm breaking the skin.

As her blue blood trickled down her arm, Caspien’s eyes went wide as his wound glowed a mystically confusing light, closed up, and disappeared with every drop as if it hadn’t been there, to begin with. Grabbing her arm he yelled, “don’t ever do that again!” Her eyes stopped glowing and her hair became a matter brown again. Opening his hand from around her arm, the blue blood that flowed to his stomach before was gone without a cry from the girl from which it dripped. He looked down to not even see a scar and chuckled, “looks like I won’t be able to add to my collection.”

Climbing off of him she tilted her head and asked, “what do you mean?” She licked the blue blood from the shell and placed it back where she borrowed it from.

Pulling off what little he had left of his shirt, Caspien showed off different and deeper scars all around his body without meaning to. Digging into his drawers he pulled out a semi-fresh shirt and slipped it on over his head. He chuckled, “each of these scars has a specific story, not all being simple or even pleasant to remember but this one,” he pointed to his forearm where a faded and stretched scar laid. He chuckled somberly, “it’s funny actually…”

Venus thought otherwise. There was nothing funny about this situation, being alone with the captain she’d been trying to avoid but always felt like he had the answers she needed. She looked back at the closet and thought, ‘should I ask now or wait until he’s more immersed in his silly stories? I have all of the time in the world but I don’t really want to spend more than I’d have to with him. I need to be sure of him before acting.’ She shifted in her seat thinking how to approach the subject.

He cut in, “is there anything wrong or do you need to powder your nose, by chance?”

“My nose?” she looked back at him bamboozled.

He chuckled, “what? Have you been living under a rock this whole time to not even know what ‘powdering your nose’ means?”

“No but under the waves, yes.”

He cleared his throat trying to break the awkward silence. He didn’t know if he should laugh or apologize, what’s more, her facial expression wasn’t giving any hints as to which he should choose. He looked around the room to try and remember what he was saying before while Venus began staring at the closet again as if no time at all had passed.

Listening to the waves outside and the clanking of chains from the closet, Venus knew now was the best chance she’d have at ever getting her answers. She looks him straight in his hazel eyes as he sits up straight seeing that she has something to say, “what exactly do you know about me, captain?” Although it was a question, by the way she was looking down on him, it was more like and order. It was as if the waves followed her every command by rocking the boat to make him tip over while she stayed stock-straight waiting for his answer.

Apparently, he didn’t pick up on the subtle threat in her lavender gaze, seeing as he just shrugged off her question and sat back languidly answering, “I only really remember when we first met.”

“Well it was this morning, I’d hope you still remembered that time,” she scoffed.

Snapping out of his calm state he stared back at her and informed her as if she should’ve already known, “we’ve met before. Don’t you remember, Venus?” He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand explaining, “it was many years ago but I remembered your face and voice so clearly like it could’ve been this morning!”

“I have not the slightest idea of what you’re talking about.” She crossed her arms and turned away from him but was caught looking straight at the earring he dangled in between her eyes. Reaching into her pocket without a word, she wrapped her fingers around the matching one she’d brought back from Baia.

Caspien gave a sly smirk as he watched the color drain from her face. She was caught in a trap she didn’t even remember being there.

Knocking back his rum, he stood up and swung open the dreaded closet door. He pulled out different trinkets and fishing gear to clear the way for what Caspien was trying to explain. “This ship,” he began still pulling things out, “was originally my father’s. When he was still able to command the navy he would sail everywhere with my mother and me. So, when he had to stay on land to keep the nobles in line, he gifted me The Anastasia while also leaving some of his belongings behind.” He pulled the racks and racks of shriveled up tails from the closet while others hung from the ceiling.

Venus had to hold back her vomit at the sight being hit by the afternoon sunlight. She looked away and begged to crawl back to the water where she knew she’d be safe.

“I’m sure you already know but mermaids were hunted when I was younger but for some reason, the support faded over time. There were rumors that my father had captured and killed the last one.” He looked away from the tails in disgust and continued in a pained voice, “it was a tradition to hunt them to show that you’re worthy in my country because you’ve bested a mermaid that lures sailors to the watery grave by using the song of the sea.” He scoffed as he threw everything back in.

His distrust for his own country grew every time he thought back to what he witnessed as a mere child. Unable to stop them or protest, only forced to watch and be taught how to deal with the ‘prize’ quickly.

Venus drifted off into her past as well, even though it might not have been her childhood, it was still very dear to her. The sounds of laughter echoed in and out of her ears as she remembered her family and friends being around her day in and out. The sun shined through the water as they laughed and swam together only to have a shadow cast over them by a menacingly humongous ship fighting with the waves for power.