I step through the door and immediately she could tell something was wrong. It might be a funny look on my face. It could be that I’m sweating more than I realize. Whatever it is, my mother knows. It’s her job to know when something is up.

“What’s the matter, Anna? You look ill,” she says to me with a serious tone.

“Dad’s…” I mumble out, “dead.”

“What… did you just say,” she questions since I was not speaking clearly enough.

“Dad’s dead! He’s de-” I can’t finish my words. Suddenly, I feel my back slam into the nearest wall with a tight grip crushing my throat. It’s my mom. She’s still on the other side of the room, but her hand is stretched out toward and her eyes look empty. It must be her magic around my neck.

“How did he die!? Who Killed him!?” She bellows

“I... I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” I respond while beginning to have trouble concentrating.

“Why weren’t you there!” She yells back without wasting a second.

“I was at sea for months!” She knows my life. She isn’t blaming me for this, is she? Sutel is the strongest person I’ve ever met and I've been all around the world several times in my time as a pirate. There is no circumstance where I’d be any help against whatever could kill him. I’d have wound dead, too.

“What of Rascal!? Nanoson!? What happened to them!?” Her voice keeps getting louder, almost impossibly. The neighbors would be throwing a fit if they weren’t already scared to death of her.

“They… they’re fine. Ras-cal is fixing the ranch.” It’d be easier to reply if I could breathe, but she is not a person that can be reasoned with when she gets like this.

“Fixing the ranch!?” She lets out in shock.

“It burnt down when dad died. Maybe in the fight… or after.” I don’t even know the details to tell her. I just have whatever Na told me.

“Where is your brother, Anna!? Why didn’t you bring him here!?” She’s grown so loud that DeciaZ has started crying and she hasn’t even noticed.

“He doesn’t even know you’re alive,” I squeeze out. “The plan was to go to Jagan.”

“You took him to that bastard’s house!?” Oh, now she’s really angry.

“Not exactly.” Why did I just say that? I should have lied. That flinging motion hits my body once again as I slam into the ceiling.

“I’ll ask again; where is your brother, Anna!?” If my vision wasn’t blurring, I’d swear her eyes were on fire.

“He’s in,” I start already anticipating the coming pain, “the rainforests of Carnashka.”

Slam. I’m sure I’m on the floor now. Gravity is starting to feel the right way in my head. The breathes are becoming shorter and longer in between.

“You left your little brother in a jungle!?” She whales frantically. “It’s bad enough you just allowed Makell to run off when he was five, but you lose Nanoson now, too!? Do you even give a single shit about anyone but yourself, Anncelia!?!?!?”

I’m pretty sure I’m going to die here. This may very well be the last straw. My mother loves me, I know she does. Still, she’s always had an uncontrollable temper and I’m certain part of her blames me for many of our family’s troubles. When I was born, Sutel became obsessed with me, spending all his time teaching me everything he could and forgetting to give her attention anymore. Then when she left, I was the de facto woman of the house. So when Makell ran away, it was my fault. When news came in that Sheereport was set aflame and she was certain from the report that Makell did it, by extension also my fault. When Nanoson had his episode that got our family’s business barred from trade with the Herminian Empire, that too was my irresponsibility as I split beforehand and didn’t prevent it. And now that Sutel is dead, it must also be my fault. Everything is my fault.

Vision is fleeting, as is my consciousness, but faintly I hear a second voice pick up. It goes, “Stop! Stop it, Mommy!! Stop!!!” It was little DeciaZ, tugging on her sleeves to stop his mother from picking on his big sister. Eventually, his voice breaks through and her glazed over look faded from her face as she let go of my throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry darling,” she softly says changing her demeanor immediately as she turns around to console him. “Did Mommy scare you?”

She doesn’t even bother to heal my wounds. That selfish bitch. Whatever, I’ll hold my tongue. After this last errand, I’m officially off the hook with her and have no reason to come back until I mentally get over what happened here today. For now, I’m skipping any more family time and going back to my ship for the night to eat and then sleep in my own bed. This family doesn’t deserve me anyway.

Overall, it’s a nice evening. The crisp coastal breeze pressing smoothly up against my cheeks is a much need relief from the nightmarish sauna my mother calls acceptable attire. That’s fine though. I may have had to wear this dress for our get together, but I had an eerie feeling I wouldn’t be able to bear the whole night. Just a few buttons and… damn that one’s always hard to reach. There, I’m free. This season’s swimwear, straight from Muron. I’m on one of the best beaches in the whole world, might as well enjoy my walk back to the boat. I’ll fold up and leave this outfit on a bench though. I may hate it, but the shop I stole it from had it priced at eight hundred Krela. That’s a couple weeks pay for some of these people. It’ll be my charity for the week.

It’s too bad I didn’t leave any sooner. It’s about an hour to midnight and the few other people strolling about are up on the streets, lit dimly by lamps, as the scuttle homely from their favorite bars. Meanwhile, down here on the beach there is only myself strutting barefoot through the sand. I was sorely hoping to meet a stud I could kidnap for the night. Even just running into someone going the same way to shoot the shit with would have been nice. Not a soul in sight.

“Anna!”

Wait. Did I just hear my name?

“Anna!”

Yes, that’s definitely my name. As if a rodent were saying it.

“Anna, wait up!” I turn and see him stumbling through the sand while dragging a chest I had gifted him for his birthday last year. I wasn’t around enough to make out it was my brother by his voice, but seeing the moonlight reflecting off his shining silver hair and ruby eyes is all anyone needs. I don’t even know where he gets that from. Mom’s got deep reddish colored hair with eyes that burn like the sun and the rest of us take after Sutel with crystal blue peepers and a head of hay. Maybe it has something to do with Sutel’s other side, but that would only explain the hair. Those eyes have always confused me.

DeciaZ approaches me while wearing a bizarre sailing outfit not too different from what our cousin Anon wears the infantry is being shipped from place to place on deployment. At least it is black and gold with green accents and not that tacky pattern Fair Trade Union forces our kin to fashion. DeciaZ probably doesn’t even know those are our family’s colors either. He’s just seen me wear them enough that he thinks they’re what cool people wear. I think he kind of looks like a dork to be honest, but he’s a kid so I can let it slide.

“Squirt, what are you doing?” I ask him rather displeased.

“I um… I’m ready to go,” he says shifting his feet nervously. “See, I got all my stuff packed for school right here in that trunk you gave me. Mommy said I had to take the skull off of it if I wanted to bring it to school though. I hope that doesn’t make you mad.”

“I’m not mad,” I reply. Not at you anyway. But Mom knows these institutions and probably just doesn’t want you to get in trouble. There more pressing concerns. “We’re leaving tomorrow. Why aren’t you at home sleeping?”

“I’m scared Mommy will hurt me,” he said with the most earnest look he’s ever given me.

“That’s ridiculous, kiddo,” I try to assure him.

“But she hurt you really bad,” he snaps back.

“So, I’ve hurt you pretty bad,” I respond callously.

“Yeah, but you fixed me after,” he quivered.

He’s right though. I definitely got temper from my mother and it’s a part of me that I resent. It’s not even so much the damage it causes either that I mind, when the person deserves it. But how can I know if they deserve it if I’m not cool and collected? My kid brother though has never deserved anything so bad that I’ve administered to him and every time I’ve fixed him after. It’s usually just a scrape, a bruise, or a mild burn, but today was the worst I’ve ever done, yet I was sorry and made everything alright. Not once has my mother ever apologized for anything she’s ever done to me and she stopped damage control after I turned ten. I don’t know what it is that happened to her that made her this way, but I can’t let myself become like her. I can’t be trapped like that.

“Okay, boy,” I say to him softly. “My guest-chamber wasn’t going to be prepared for you until the morning, but my bed is big enough for the two of us. You better stay on your side though.”

I may be hitting the sack, but we might as well make the most of our time and head out tonight. Kelly doesn’t really sleep at night anyway and he is more than capable of navigating us out to course. I hope this kid can get to sleep with the wave rocking. Na didn’t seem to have any problem. Speaking of, I do feel a little guilty about what I did to him before now that Mom brought it up. I wonder how he’s doing.