The Boy who Draws

It took them two and a half days to reach Port Vega. Usually, it would take them four days to reach it, Zac didn't know what was happening, but he was glad.

The siren he caught was half okay, and half dreaming the whole time they were sailing. The whimpers of pain made him want to dive into her dreams so he could understand why she was crying every time.

Void was not much help. His medic was always holding a bottle of whiskey on every visit. The smell of alcohol was too much.

Zac looked at the open window of his room and let out a deep sigh. Siren's fever had broken when they reached port an hour ago. His men were unloading the things they had 'acquired' for trading. Brent had taken Raze with him to the kitchen galley to cook.

Jamal and Marcus were busy overseeing the minor repairs of the ship. They need new sails that are much more sturdy than the ones they have. It was a miracle they even reached their destination.

The number of tears their sail had would have made their journey impossible. Yet here they were.

Zac looked at the woman on his bed. Her black hair spilled on his silver-colored pillow like it was meant to be there. Her fair skin looked healthier than before.

Her cheeks even looked better, and her lips were not turning blue anymore. She also felt cool to the touch.

He smiled, at least he had one less thing to worry about.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Raze opening it with his back. The boy was carrying a tray of food.

Zac stood up and quickly took the tray from him. He smiled and tilted his head, indicating to sit on one of the chairs inside the room.

Zac shook his head when the boy sat on the chair he just vacated. Well, it was also his spot for the last two and a half days as they were looking after the siren. No wonder he was attached to it.

The smell of fresh bread and beef stew reached his nose, Zac's stomach rumbled, reminding him he had not eaten last night.

"Have you eaten, boy?" He asked Raze, the boy smiled at him, nodded, and turned back to looking at the siren he caught.

Zac chuckled there were still crumbs on his shirt. The boy was so eager to help that he forgot to wipe his clothes.

Rather than eating right away, Zac placed the tray of food on his table, and a pen and some old parchments from his drawer. He gave it to Raze.

The boy's eyes lit up like it was the best gift he had received. A big wide smile on his face showed how much gratitude he felt.

"The lady might feel uncomfortable if we always look at her, why don't you write or draw?" He suggested.

Zac was prepared to teach Raze how to write if he didn't know how to. So when the little boy nodded and started to draw lines on the parchment, he was glad.

He went back to his table and ate the food that was given to him. He took a sip of the soup and groaned in satisfaction. It was delicious.

The herbs and spices Brent used were fully incorporated with the flavor of the beef, the chunks of beef were so soft it was melting in your mouth.

He tore a piece of bread and dipped it into the bowl. It was perfect.

The consistency of the soup didn't affect the softness of the bead. It enhanced its flavor.

It was a simple, but fulfilling dish.

Having Brent as their cook was the best decision they had made.

Zac tapped Raze's shoulder once he was done. The boy patted the siren's hand before taking the tray with the empty bowl and plate. He made sure to place his etching on the bed before he ran back to the kitchen.

He sat on the vacated chair and picked up Raze's drawing.

His eyes narrowed on what he saw.

It was a childish picture of the sea and…a ship? But where were the sails? It also looked different from his.

There were also tall structures that looked very different from the ones that he had seen. They all looked like they were tall towers. But without the usually pointed roof he had seen. Zac had been to different cities, but he had never seen anything like these.

Zac squinted, trying to figure out the figure that was standing on the deck of the ship, he could not help but notice that someone was in the water.

Raze opened the door, a surprised look on his face. It was followed by the redness of his face. Zac wondered if the boy was embarrassed with what he drew.

"Raze, boy, here," Zac extended his hand while holding the sheets of parchments. "You have a really good imagination. Did you imagine all of these?"

The little boy had a confused look on his face. Raze shook his head, and pointed at the woman on the bed.

Zac frowned, trying to understand what Raze was telling him. What was her connection with his drawing?

In the end though, Zac shook his head and gave Raze a pat on his head. "No matter, you are good at art. We can tell Jamal and the others to buy you fresh parchments and pens. So you could practice, will that be okay?"

Raze nodded and sat on the other chair. He looked at the woman for a few seconds, and then he began to draw.

Zac was amazed with what he was seeing, the boy's imagination was truly outstanding. Whoever his parents were, they missed out on a very talented child.

While Zac was engrossed with Raze, the woman's left fingers began to twitch. It turned into a fist, and it slowly opened. Like it was testing if all her fingers were still functional.

Her eyelids also began to twitch as well. A soft sound escaped her lips as she tried to orient herself. She slowly opened her eyes.

"Hello, Siren, nice of you to join the land of the living…"