[Terminé] Shhhhhhhhhh......[Libre]

Wind howled, howled her soul away. She hardly could breathe, so oppressed…
Wave scratched on the sea. She tried to grip the branch floating in her ear, so close…
Sea smell twiddled her mind. She felt herself spinning around, so fast… and went deep down to the button of…
BOMB!
 
“wa…wa…water……SEA!”
Anhydre pulled her consciousness back by screaming out loud,  shaking her head, hands hit on the ground at the last word.
She opened her eyes and nearly jumped up to the ceiling… Looking at and touching herself, she let out a sign of relief- still a dry body. However, she felt it’s not a dream…
 
The strong smell of sea made her wrinkle her nose. The floor went up and down sometimes. She had no idea of how she got in this damn space, nor why she appeared here, nor what was it. Question marks like those containers packing the small room swarmed her brain.
The dim light wasn’t bright enough for the whole space. Two third of it was in the darkness… She stood up slowly and walked around.
 
It was a rather narrow place. The cargoes were stocked up in every angle, seeming that they were in a good spot as long as no collision was made. Just as she tried to tear down a label on the cover, the sound of footsteps in a silent background caught her attention. So I am not alone?
Under the yellow light, the sight fixed on the torn label stickered on her hand, written Aëlia M…
Suddenly, a crack from the wooden ceiling was sent. Having a glance on the wooden board carefully, she found there was a small lock... after a second, the cracking sound stopped, then-
 
RUN!!!!!!!
She’d better found a place to hide! Before anyone walked down…
Rushing to the darkest corner, letting go those noise she made, hiding behind the big cargo… Thanks to shadow on the wall, she could see other dead corners…
 
Holding the breath, she stared at the lock far… but-
Gooooooosh!
A small pile of sand was left on the place where she hit on the ground seconds ago…
 
Now, Anhydre realized she was leaking herself, somehow.

[OK, let’s go for some hide and seek haha !]

Lëlie, there is noise in the slipway …

Aëlia bursted out laughing. This was just impossible. They were in deep sea, for several days. They had a stop in Eaque, in order to refill, but nothing important, and no one could have come on board without being seen, she was sure about it.

No, you just had too much rhum dude !

She was mocking him, smiling to the poor sailor

But I assure you I heard something down there !
Gosh, you’re afraid of nothing ! But Alright, go check this. If that’s rats, don’t faint, just kill’em.

She blinked at him, playful,and came back to her watch. Alban had an enormous headache, so she was in charge of the boat and of the men’s behavior and efficiency. This was a big task for her alone, but they knew her for long, and also knew she was as fierce as her brother, maybe more. So this was not a problem.

Aëlia ?
Oh, you’re back ? So, nothing, uh ?
Yes …
Ah ! See ?
But …
Raaaah … Again ?
There is sand, like a little pile of sand, just in the middle of the room. Like is someone had just swept it.
… What ?

This was strange. Very strange. No one swept the slipway. It was already hard enough to maintain the deck clean ! She frowned, and catched her sword. She preferred to be prudent. If one of her sailor had heard noise, and saw something like that, maybe there was someone, even if her power was not detecting anything strange, or stranger than usual. So she went down the stairs, and put on a lamp. Well, there was sand indeed …

Hello ? Is there anyone here ? Hello ?

K—K—Kp-Pk—P
A series of key-opening sound…
Anhydre looked at the lock only with her two eyes half-hidden behind a big box, hands fisting. The wooden door had been lift open hesitantly; then, the feet went down before whole body immersed into the slipway and tried to reach the first step without watching it.
A man! So there were other people surviving in this strange object, except for Aëlia?
Overloaded fear and nervousness full written on his expression, he walked down the stairs slowly and silently by browsing the place with eyes squinted, as if he just came to a haunted house, as if he was forced to be here.
When the glimpse given to a pile of sand on the floor made he shocked enough to walk back several steps… Anhydre smiled, thinking it’s lucky to see a living man looked more horror than a ghost! Why not just flushing hum away in one go before he frightened to death due to knowing her existence?
Therefore, she loosed herself and turned into a big pile of sand… rushing… SSSSSSS…looking at the wall, finding herself at the man’s back, just at the edge of shadow, she gave a big jump! A sudden black human-shape shadow flew across the other side fast… and away.
When the man turned around but found nothing, silence returned to him. Barely could stand any longer, he hurried to the stair, rolling and crawling up to the top, shut the wooden door up!
Silence.
 
For sure, the man might tell someone who sent him here or anyone he came across so she’d better leave here as soon as possible. Since she was a sand pile, it was free to get in and get out of this place. In the dark, she floated to the ceiling. Thanks to the wooden board, seams were quite wide. However, after setting herself into the first board finally… she leaned that there were two-layer boards, upper layers was much more narrow then one down below she just passed and between them was a messy cluster of electric wire.
Nearly, shouting out the dirty words but a sound of switch…CLICK up, stopped her impulsive mouth…Light! Someone came down to the slipway again! Anhydre didn’t look below but tried to squeeze herself and made a way through the wire… It was so crowed for her whole amount of sand. She had to support herself not to drop down but also needed to pass through those complicated wire…
ONE TIME!
It would be better to accomplish passing those annoying wires and narrow space with one effort than torturing herself before energy running out. In result, she drew a deep breath, and then… DASH OUT!
B-BUU- Buzzzzzz…Through the wire, she knew several of them had been cut off because of the sand squeezing force, the light might…
This wasn’t the ending; another disaster followed up. She knew it as she realized a moment ago, why she didn’t see the outside through the board. The reason was: it was blocked by the wooden door! “Someone” came to the damn slipway, or to say now the one in the damn slipway placed the door on the top of her entrance! Not to think much, she hit it back straightly, plus the harsh wind, which made the door close itself with a super rather big sound-BOOM! So loud that could shake the whole room and made Anhydre deaf.
 
This severe hit dizzied Anhydre so much that she lost control on herself…
Sometimes later,
When she found herself awake was in… a bathroom.
 
She twisted further into herself in the corner, hugging her knees close to the chest. She felt so weak, felt like she was going to collapse anytime, felt like she had suffered tons of catastrophes … But she remembered nothing.
Looking at her left hand, by closing her fingers, she saw two-arch marking lines and a sticker on her right arm, written: Aëlia M-
 
Where did I get this?
 
Whispered the name, she heard no voice but the wood Gi-wi-gi-Wi-gi-wi, made by the wind.

Spoiler:

After having seen her sailor being so afraid, Aëlia wasn’t exactly relaxed, and feared a little bit what she was gonna find in the basement. So, when she opened up, she had the surprise of not finding anything. No sand, no rat, no one. But the light was weakening regularly, with a strange noise. There was still light, but weaker, and then brighter, and then weaker, like if the light itself had a problem. But there also was some strange noises, and Aëlia was perceiving some fear, some rush, without finding where it was from. It seemed to be above her, but she couldn’t see anything, and just above it, it was the boat deck. Impossible, so, that anyone who was not from the crew be up there. Just, impossible: anyone would have seen him or her and …

Aëlia screamed. In the same time, the door closed with violence, and the light turned off. The surprise was strong: she did not expect that, as she was focused on localising the person who was thinking that he or she had to escape and run. She was brave, but she did not expect that, so her heart was beating really fast. Quickly, she was laughing of her own stupidity. She had nothing to be afraid of: she was on her own boat.
But now, she knew that there was someone. Someone who had swept up and then took off some sand, someone invisible, who was hurrying to go off, someone who maybe had tried to scare her by switching the light off and slamming the door.
She was not going to tell the crew. Not now. They would panick or flip up the boat, and it was not the goal at all. She was just going to tell Alban. For the men …The door opened up, some of her men head appeared, so she climbed up the stairs. Some sailors were waiting for her. She smiled.

It’s ok. The wind shut the door, and the light came off. Nothing bad, so, don’t worry. But keep an eye open. Maybe we have rats. If you see anything unusual, just … tell me. Now, to your places dudes, we are not here to chat !

So it was done, and by the end of the day they had progressed of some dozens of miles in their odyssey. During the whole day, Aëlia used her powers, trying to localise the stowaway, without success. It was like the person wasn’t here anymore, or sleeping. At the end of the day, she had an headache, and wanted to take a shower, a long, cool, shower. So she went to the bathroom, and at this exact same time …

*God. It’s awake.*

She was feeling lost, and afraid, and tired, and weak. Nothing like the rush of the beginning of the day, but Aëlia was sure it was the same person. And it was very close. She close her shirt that she had just opened up, and, just wearing pants and shirt, without jacket, shoes, hat, or arms, she said:

Hey ? Is anyone here ? Please, i don’t want you any bad. Just show yourself ! Hello ?

Hearing no voice but the sound of wind…
 
In the darkness,
Anhydre bent forward and used her hand force pressed on the ground to squat herself… just one more step, she could stand up…one more step… However, for not enough strength on her knees, she was in fright for letting go her hands…for not getting a human shape again, even if it was a simple fall. To her, it would be too much.
Just before the feet got sore and falling back in vain, she moved away her tremble hands. An exertion! She managed to take her right to stand up back but the weak knees fell back… and she fell apart really HARD… followed by a scream… It supposed to be a loud and chilly scream but nothing came to her. Nothing!
The shock made by silence roared away the pain caused by tumble. She held her throat and opened her mouth, attempted to make the sound but NOTHING!… Something got wrong in either her voice or ears here. Nervousness and startle lift up little left energy. Rise up one hand to grip the washstand, she kneeled in front and rest her head and arms on it, propped, trying to staaannnnnnnnd up…
Finally, she made it by leaning beside the verge, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Despite of murkiness, a blur figure she could vaguely guess.
 
Then, she got close to it, scolded a word -FUCK- her mouth opened as wide as she could, the throat kicked “ck” with great force but still, ended up seeing her fierce facial expression, no any cursing word sound…
In a fury, she punched toward the mirror in front of her eyes… A sharp and clear broken sound… A sharp and clear broken sound! After that fist, she realized it was her vocal folds lost. Some parts of sand in charge of her vocal cords were left somewhere else in this damn moving object.
It was hard to bear this truth, what happened to her?! If she failed to improve this situation, what she missed could only be more, not less… What if she couldn’t find the therapy or any solution… then, a mute Anhydre she would get… maybe, deafness was around the corner, only waiting for a good timing… and the Death, probably.
No! Damn! What the hell! She shouted, yelled, screamed. So angry and fear that she jumped and kicked around… now, nobody could hear… no one else… even herself, ironically.
 
Lost. Afraid. Tired. Weak. Impulsive reaction brought her nothing but deconstruction…
She had no track of time, no idea of how much time she had spent, neither of the process of getting into such a broken stage.
Now, all her sand parts were scattered in this bathroom, carried by the wind while she fainted after whole energy running out. After taking a rest, she jerked up when the light had been turned on by someone, A girl?! Thanks to her eyes part of sand attached on the towel hanging on the towel rack, everything was under her sight quite well.
 
The girl, wearing the shirt and pants, preparing to take a bath but something stopped her at the door... as if she had seen something horrible…Not like the man early that day, scared like a fool; instead, the girl plucked up her courage and asked someone to show up, which brought her a funk!
 
What the hell! How did she know…?
 
Looking around, there was no sign given to the girl for suspecting there was someone inside, no shadow, no voice, no sound…It was no more than a normal bathroom! And the girl looked so normal too. Honestly, she dared not hope she could receive any rescue from her but her courage, kind-hearted will and nowhere “sensibility” were pretty impressive.
Anhydre found herself in several places in this bathroom: wall, faucet, towel, shampoo, toilet, toothbrush, toilet paper, hairbrush, shower head… and she’d better hidden them well, not willing to let the girl know anything about her, at least, this present.
 
Nevertheless, a fatal error just appeared on the broken mirror- The label written Aëlia M- stuck right in the central… Daaaamnnnn! Wind had betrayed her.
Next moment… when the girl walked closer to the faucet and was about to open water, Anhydre did almost surrender- she couldn’t bear moisture under such weak condition, she would die-but withdraw at the last moment. Thanks to parts of herself inside the faucet, turned opposite way in time, so that no drop of water came out. Try ONCE, TWICE, THIRD… The girl was unable to turn the faucet… she must feel weird and Anhydre just knew it and felt sorry about it… but still, she mustn’t let the water out! No, she could not.
 
Obviously, simply shut down the faucet wasn’t enough; she had to act something so she let go few sand particles, nearly unseen, and gave strokes on the girl’s lower arms slowly:
 
W-A-T-E-R on her left arm. “←” in the end.
F-O-R-B-I-D-D-E-N on her right side arm. “。” in the end.
 
Anhydre wasn’t interested in bothering someone’s showering time anyway so she would like to take a leave now… in order not to let her find “yellow sand”… little quantity at each time…little…little…little away…during the writing period.
 
At the last part of sand leaving, the lock of the bathroom door had been pressed on after...a CLICK!
 
Everything seemed to move on perfectly, except for one thing: the sand in the faucet sprinkled out, which was too late to catch up and left in the bathroom, neither Anhydre had been noticed it…

Spoiler:

There was someone in her bathroom. Aëlia knew it. She knew it perfectly well. It was like a presence, and it was everywhere in the room; It was not like a classical someone when she could feel the thoughts in one and only place, no, here there was someone in the whole room, and she felt the thoughts in the whole room. Except she did not understand anything. Like, not at all. Gosh, it was panic, something was missing. The pirate couldn’t understand what it wasn but she knew something was missing, something important, that made him, her or it unable to communicate properly with her. Then, she felt a vague of panic, something was betraying the personne and … And she turned and saw the label with her name on it, just at the mirror.

What the hell is this doing here … ?

She was muttering, because she understood the person here would not answer her at this time. She sighed. Gosh, she didn’t know at all  how to deal with that. In order to make the person react, to faint that the was going to take a shower, hoping that the person would show thinking that she was busy, she went to open the faucet. But, the faucet did not open. Like at all.

What is that again … ?

The faucet was making resistance, and it was very strange because it didn’t do that anytime before. It was like the person in the room was blocking it.

*But, Gosh, how ?? I don’t see it !!*

She was feeling the panic and the effort of the person, and then she understood. This person couldn’t bear water at all. This was confirmed to her by the sand on her arm.

*SAND ?*

Hey ! Where are you ? What are you doing ?

But too late, the person had decided to leave, and the door was shut, the lock pressed.

*But … Why ? Is this … a ghost ?*

Aëlia did not believe in ghosts. She was a rational girl, and then did not like magic tricks a lot. Things she wasn’t able to explain where something she didn’t like. And she wasn’t able to explain any of this.

*Crap.*

She decided,because the person was more afraid than anything, and if she scared the sailor, she did not try anything against her, to take a shower. She finished undressing  and tried again to open up the faucet, that opened.

*OK, so it was the thing in my room. Great.*

She went into it and then … She screamed, so in a second there was three sailors in the bathroom in front of Aëlia naked, who had just jumped out of the shower.

- A FINGER ! FUCK THERE IS A DAMN FINGER IN MY DAMN TUB !

She was as white as snow, and shaking of all her members.

Wait … What ?!

Alban just came in, just awake.

AH ! Captain It’s true ! There is a finger in the shower !
Aëlia ! What the hell did you do ? And please, cover up ! Take that !

He gave her a towel and his vest. She covered up herself saying:

I didn’t do anything I promise ! Alban, there is a fucking finger in my shower ! In our shower ! What are you thinking about ! I wouldn’t have put that here ! Gosh, who the hell do you think I am ?!
OK, ok, calm down, I’m sorry. Come here, stop shaking.

He took her in his arms.

So explain us: what happened ?

She tried to reassemble her thoughts, and, thinking as she was talking she said:

  I don’t really understand. This morning, as you were resting, one of our sailors came to me saying there was something in the slipway. I mocked, but I went down. There was like a little pile of sand, and some in the air. The light dazzled, and came off, and the door shut. I am quite sure there was someone I couldn’t see there. I felt something, I’m sure about it, but it faint, and reappeared some minutes ago … in our bathroom, as I was going to take my shower. Alban, I don’t know what it is, and I didn’t want to talk about it, because I didn’t want to make a hunt … But, I could not see it, or hear it, I just felt it thoughts. It was afraid, really afraid. Something was missing to it. There was a problem. I also understood it can’t bear water, so I don’t know what it is doing on our boat, but I am sure it is not mean, it did not attack me, just …
Just ?
You are all going to think I am crazy. You already do, aren’t you ? But it wrote with sand on my arm that water was forbidden. Then the sand left, and I am sure the person too, because what I felt has moved away … But there was still some sand in the tub, and … Gosh, I am pretty sure it turned into this little finger …
What?! That’s not possible ! Lëlie, honey, you’re saying nonsense … You might be sick, maybe the sun, or the food, maybe you didn’t sleep well …
Please Alban ! I know what I saw, what I heard !
Well. How do you explain all of this, uh ?

There was a silence.

I don’t know.

She lowered her head, like a little girl would do.

Me, I may know.

One of the sailors just speaked.

You ? Why ?
You know, I haven’t always been a pirate. I lived a little bit everywhere in my young years, and in my young years, I had the chance to meet a people who was made of sand and lived in the desert. I doesn’t explain everything but …
Yeah ! Yeah ! I’m pretty sure it’s it, and this person has a problem and … Oh gosh ! Don’t throw any sand away ! Don’t, ever ! Search for every little grain of sand, everything strange on the boat, and keep it safe, please, like in the ice ! Maybe it’s this person, maybe this person has a problem with its powers and …
OK, got it. Calm down. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. We don’t know what it wants. So don’t overreact. Don’t search for contact. Maybe it’s more dangerous than it seems.
But …
Stop. Do what I tell you to do. You, go pass the new. The others, out.

He ordered this to one of the sailors. They left.

Just … Dress. You’re not five anymore, I will not shower you up young lady !
Nya nya nya, you jerk !

He laughed and left his sister alone.

*Gosh, what are you ?*

She did not shower, even if the finger was not there anymore. She just dressed up, thoughtful. And she went on the bridge. There, despite what her brother said to her, she tried to establish the contact.  She tried to reach anything that was not the sailors, with this thoughts to put in minds.

Hey ! Don’t panic. I know you’re here. I am Aëlia Merirosvo. I don’t want you any bad. I am a telepath. I can read minds, and you can communicate with me this way. Don’t panic. I just want to help you.

Anhydre formed into a human shape outside the bathroom with one hand on the wall, which cost lots of effort building herself. It was really unwise to be “broken” again. Puff…puff..pu…ff… Seeing the bathroom door once, however, now, she had no time thinking what the girl would think about “everything” that happened to her, she got to leave or escape right away before anyone came!
Looking around, both of rooms beside the bathroom were closed and she dared not to risk herself. In front of her, to the right, there was a door… she went forward and gave a push. The door wasn’t locked but harsh wind kept shutting it back …
 
What a damn! Finally, with her full back force, she got out! Thinking she finally got out of this weird object… but no!
 
“Holy Shit!”
By realizing her no sound curse made her “say” it again: “SHIT!”
The scene in the sight nearly blew her “few” saneness away, loading on heavier suspicion and confusion and fear, instead.
Ship masts, sail canvas, rudder, a well-set boat… Anhydre standing right on the bridge of a “boat”, around the boat was “sea”! Limitless DAMN WATER!
Bunches of questions sprang out: How did I get on this demon boat? What was it? Where is it going? How many people are on this boat? How many days? Am I dead actually-
 
In such a sudden that she had no time adding a question mark in her doubt, from back, behind that door she just opened, a shrill, ear-pierced scream came, as if someone got a deadly stab, which brought three sailors rushing inside and thanks to masts and canvas, Anhydre successfully escaped from them by giving a turn. WHO? Obviously, were it not for that cry, she might have been captured by them without notice and alert.
She knew she had no chance to get rid of this boat in temporary so she’d better found a good place to hide herself, at least before on shore… or before those three came back.
 
Walking down the stairs, afraid of being close to the side of boat, she kept herself in middle… trying to find an entrance or a hole to get in. Wabble, wabble, wabble…
On the main brace, there were a huge word printed “l’Envolée”. A boat name, she guessed. Just there, a “l’Envolée” printed steel cover in grid was under her feet, through which she could peep in a little.
As she was agonizing for how to lift the cover- even a glass she couldn’t hold, let alone the steel- she looked around the bridge and found something interesting… Seaweed! It was hanging along the boat, carried by some crashes of wave probably and had been dried already.
A strip of it would work greatly. Then, she extended it and pulled the other end up with her left hand to make a hook… A GREAT PULL! Because of the force she didn’t control well, the cover with seaweed flew across her head and upward to the end of top mast “perfectly”, like playing “ring toss game” and indeed, it was swinging there in a steady tempo. Score!
 
What the hell!
No time to be stunned by her astonishing performance, she threw herself down inside. Another place that could widen her horizon, filled with canons, arms and rowing… it might be used for fight and emergency. Few people might come in normal time, which meant it could be her safe place potentially.
Naughtily, she squeezed to the front of the mouth of canon… watched and appreciated it in awe. Nevertheless, the moment only belonged to her and canon ran off in a sudden when the racing pace from far the other side sent, sounded like three to four people were in a rush.
The sound was fade away fast but another footstep came up in following. Anhydre clipped herself tight beside huge canons. From shadows cast, two people were walking near to her…
 
“Have you heard the scream few minutes ago?”
“I’m not sure, but whose?”
"The LITTLE sister of our captain, Aëlia… I heard of...”
 
Aëlia!
The name on the label and it was she that screamed…? A captain's sister?!
I thought she is a sailor….
Anhydre tried to squat down and move...
 
“What’s wrong with her?”
“A finger! In the bath tub… Do you believe that? HAHAHAHA….and our great…” The man burst out laugh.
 
Finger! Bath tub!
The hunch told her that scream did come from the same bathroom they were at and the girl she met named Aelia M-, who could be the partial owner of “l’Envolée” and the finger….
She stretched out her hands… the little finger on her left hand was gone!
 
“BULLSHIT!”
“Ridiculous, huh! Yeah! Someone just SHIT in our GREAT Aëlia’s bath tub, a FINGER shaped! HAHAHAHAHA….”
The man couldn’t help himself laughing and even grabbed the pole beside him to stand himself.
Now, the men had passed Anhydre.
Once hearing those dirty words, she crawled out to the path and faced their back in a fury with big eyes open. She couldn’t tolerate someone insulting her like that, maybe also to the girl she just met.
 
To vent her anger, she stood on a wooden table, rolling gears on the ceiling fast, which released a rope, before the men turning back, Anhydre had used her “sand-spin” power to swing the rope around them in several rounds. Then at the final, she turned the gear hard in converse to lift them up… A fix.
 
The two men were tied in the air, facing the entrance Anhydre just came down, with no idea who made them be like now… scolding, shouting, struggling…. Unable to turn around, she looked at their backs in satisfaction.
 
So, where is my finger?
Looking at the other side of space, she got to find it out…
 
Suddenly, a sound came into her thought… a girl’s voice…
She gave a throb. It really shocked her. Illsion?
Aëlia Merirosvo, telepath, a mind reader, help?…
 
Just that moment, a frozen feeling crushed to her body… It never happened to her before because she was senseless to temperature but what the hell was her feeling now? Fierce, fierce, fierce, It was so… unbearable! Hard to move! Telepath?
 
*WHAT’S THIS, WHY… WHY do you give me ….THIS?… TAKE IT AWAY!! Daaaaamn!*
She wanted to shout, wrinkled her face, crawling on the floor…
 
She got to find a place to hide…
Before anyone came…
…to find them.

Spoiler:

An answer ! The girl just answered ! OK, she answered her to get out of her mind, but she answered ! So she heard, and understood !

*I said don’t panic ! I don’t wanna hurt you, just help you ! I think I’ve got your finger, and maybe other parts of your body that the crew is just searching. They are searching all the sand in the boat. Because you’re made of sand right ?*

She was still standing on the bridge of the boat, looking to the sea. She felt this person was just above her, but it was panicking, and she did not want her to flee again.

*Please, I just wanna help you. But you’re on my brother’s boat, and you did not pay your travel. We need to see you, and have some explanations. You just scared a part of the crew, and the other part is sure we are just crazy. Please, stop panicking. If you want I can come to you. Or we can meet in my room. Just, stop panicking, stop freaking out. Please. I don’t want you anybad. Trust me.*

She sighed. She felt it was gonna be complicated.

Wedged between the harsh feeling and an intrusive mind reader’s words, both of which she couldn’t get rid of, Anhydre could hardly prop herself up and drag one inch far.
She lying on her stomach with frozen feeling wrinkling her face, fingers clutching hard, her energy was almost drained out… nothing did she know what kind of disease she were suffering. By giving a glance at her left hand in small seam of her eyes… four… fingers.
 
Then- words came to her mind AGAIN!
“Aëlia M…”
She opened her mouth and tried to call her… However, until now did she recall the fact that she had lost her voice hours ago. And until now did she realize whom she could communicate was the captain’s sister, Aëlia Merirosvo!
She didn’t want to get in touch with anyone on this ship at all actually but somehow, a sense of security from nowhere crashed up suddenly- something she couldn't recall but indeed happened to her- and the event in the bathroom- the girl’s shocked apearrance- refloated in her mind, and the sudden temper rose up as she heard someone insulted this mysterious girl…
Clearly, inside of herself or so-called fate (though she didn’t believe this kind of superstition) had put a certain trust in her, Aëlia M-
 
Everything Anhydre had heard of and suspicion from those sailors got proved by the girl’s words. Finger did drop in her bathtub, she was on the girl’s brother’s ship and… CREWS! WE!
The girl said crews were what… searching all the sand?!
This stream of shock took her last energy for fighting the coldness away. Noooooo waaaaaaay… she was going to fall in others’ hands?!!!!
 
In her unconscious state, words were sent:
*No! Must not. We alone… just… alone… keep…the secret only… you… and…me…and pl..*
At the last word, Anhydre couldn’t help herself turning into a pile of sand. No strength to maintain being a human shape, nor for thinking anymore…
 
She didn’t know whether Aëlia had received or not, neither did she know whether Aëlia would be able to complete her unfinished words: and please shhhhhhhhhh.
Still, with no energy, sand pile kept throbbing due to the non-stop fierce crush… like harsh wind blowing.
 
Yet, truly, outside, on the board of ship, a harsh wind did come so powerful that blew the steel cover ringing on the mast off, which made a thundering sound- BOOOOOOOOOOOM, shaking the boat heavily, followed by a loud screamed…
Thanks to the heavy smash, the light in which Anhydre and two bounded crews at was out…
 
A room in Pitch black!
With
Two people tied
And
A pile of COLD sand throbbing!

Aëlia felt a lot of mixed feelings from this person onto her. Something like annoyed, but also, some panic, some anger but … trust ? She did not see that coming . A small smile on her lips, she tried to understand what the person below her was trying to say.
Keeping the secret ? Too late. They were on a damn ship ! Everything new, unusual was know in the instant, and said, repeated, deformed and amplified. Obvioulsy, this person had never been on a boat before …

*Please calm down … Where are … *

She did not even have the time to finish her sentence. The girl shut down. Like she had fainted or something. The pirate felt a panic attack into her: if something had arrived to her, it was her fault, and only her’s ! And she did not know where the girl was ! DAMN ! She tried to think fast and clear. And decided to go down. The instant she opened the trap to the basement, the wind came and blew. Strongly. Very strongly.

*Fuck it, this is a storm beginning or I’m not a pirate.*

She had just the time to think that something came off the mast to crash on a bridge with a deafening sound, that made Aëlia plunge to the hold, and discover … A whole black space. She grumbled, and took a tempest lamp that was at the entrance, cracked a match and the light came back by the action of fire. She smiled a little bit, even of the was surprised. Two of her men were tied there, and there was … A pile of sand ?

Gosh, what did you do … ?

She mumbled it, maybe more for herself, and went to the sand, touched it … Iced.

*Is that you … ?*

If it was, she did not how to help. So she grumbled and went to untie the two guys.

So what happened to you two, dumbasses ?

And they went explaining and the she blew off laughing.

Seriously ?! Well done guys ! So just come on the bridge, and don’t tell anyone what happened. A tempest is arriving on us, and I think, they need help. Me, I have something to find and I come.

So they did.

So, you really are a badass, uh ?

She said that out loud, sure that this pile of cold sand was the girl she talked to -was she going crazy ? Maybe. Surely.

So. I’m sorry, but I’m more specialised on water things. Sand is not my passion, and I don’t really know how to help you girl. We have some sand in the fridge, maybe it’s you but …

In her head something connected to something else.

Wait here. Don’t move or anything.

And she ran to the kitchens, to take the sand in the ice, and get back to the pile. Maybe, maybe it was one of the reasons for which this pile of sad was so cold !! She grumbled, and opened the bag with all the sand the sailors had get back on the whole boat -maybe L’Envolée had not been that clear in years !

So … are there part of you here ?

She poured the sand next to the pile, and waited, not very disturbed by the erratic moves of the boat: she was used to it, and had seen more tempests that most persons. She was not afraid anymore, just annoyed.

In half-coma state, Anhydre hadn’t fully lose her conscious. Being a pile of sand could still sense what happened outside vaguely. It was her another specialty she found just now! Anyway, being so broken wasn’t a common thing to her.
The sound from the outer world was like insects whispering- whisssssissspxisss, whisssssissspxisss, whisssssissspxisss….
However, it was not the case for “mind”. Nothing could be more clear than the “thought” sound during her coma period. In other words, the girl called “Aelia”, whose voice could pierce her ear parts of sand pile and even shock her “nerve” if the “volume” was loud enough… Sadly, Anhydre failed to do anything, even for a chance to “talk back” in thought… Nope, sorry, it wasn’t allowed.

Only be a role, passively receiving the message. What the hell!

Coldness kept attacking…numb... in the dark…
Suddenly, a thin light came. Footsteps.

Gosh, What did you do…? A surprised tone!　
(Aelia?)
Anhydre could feel that girl was getting near and squatted beside her. A hand! came and “touched ” the sand… That girl didn’t know the sand particle was arranged so well that even a slight touch could mess all up. Anhydre felt her hair was “tangled” with her nose now. (duh, Stop!)
Is that you...?
Aelia’s following annoyed emotion pulled her hair. WHAT? As far as her recent condition concerned, weakness made her too far from adjusting herself into the normal order… Messed pile mixed with different body parts.
Then, the girl walked forward, away from Anhydre… She did something difficult to sense and a series of whisssssissspxisss, whisssssissspxisss, booopoo booopoo booopoo, whisssssissspxiss tapped on her head and feet.

All of a sudden, A thundered sound:
So, you are really a badass, uh?
Like bullet bombing or fireworks exploding, the powerful beat of six words hit on her butt hard in six times and at the last “uh”, it twisted her ears... Thanks to the coldness, only a little hurt she got but still...It’s too bad that Anhydre could not send a “thought” to Aelia… told her how the sand pile worked and what she reacted wwould reflect on her, please behave herself well!

Thankfully, Aelia had cool down soon, thinking for a good solution. When the girl’s head came up an idea, this spirits had also enlightened Anhydre’s eyes. However, as a sand pile, nothing could be seen but a more screwed sensation she got.
Wait here. Don’t move or anything.
The commanded tone gave a “really” hard step on her fingers.
Later, at one moment, she felt herself getting softer and the coldness had been peeled off a bit. Why?

Just when the girl came back again, with a heavy load? Boom and slassssssssshhhhhhh… Tons of sand rolling down, even so, as the girl said:
So… are there part of you here?
Anhydre felt nothing. Just like another pile of sand beside her but no any belonging feeling.

After a while-
The warmth of match defrosted sand,
As frozen numb had been driven away little by little, Anhydre could clearly feel herself start to whirl… hizz..hizz.. hizz..

Then, a sand storm- a tiny sand tornado- rose up.
In about ten seconds, a short hair girl in “dust-yellow” skin and in white hoodie clothing sit on the ground with her “frozen” hair, which had not defrost fully, stock here and there, left and right, up and down. Her head down with eyes closed. Hands supported her body on both side and legs straightened forward.
ANHYDRE !

In a slow motion, folding her legs crossed, opening her eyes, blink…
She gave a short glance at the sand pile beside, and then fixed her sight at her right-front side immobile, in a bit of hollow and not too friendly but not too harsh look on the girl, who was exactly the same one came into the bathroom, whom she knew the name before seeing in person, and also “probably” who knew her the best on the ship...
AËLIA MERIROSVO !


Without a blink, Anhydre stared at Aelia.
*Can I trust you… finger picker? In everything?*
It was a question more to herself.
Somehow, she knew the answer, perhaps…either after those “annoyed” punches on her, or the moment she called her badass !

*And sand won’t get rotten, I think, no need to freeze it in the fridge.*
She curved a very subtle smile…
A very very very thin one that might be overlooked if Aelia didn’t pay much attention to her.

Aëlia’s eyes widened while the sand shaped as a girl, shorter than her, who was sitting on the floor, bare foot, with her short hair frozen, and a white hoodie. Then, she was standing in front of her, and Aëlia blinked. So, the old one was right, this was a sand girl ? No way ! Aëlia wouldn’t have believed it until she had seen it. She was not able to talk, too surprised. Of course, she should have expected it but … But who could expect sand to shape as a girl ?
And then, someone spoke in her mind. Gosh, yes that was her. And she was staring at her.

*I think that if you could not trust me I would not have done all of these, like, i would have thrown away in the sea all the sand. And you perfectly know you can trust me. Otherwise you would not have shaped.*

Then she laughed at what she said.

*Yeah you’re right, that’s stupid ! But admit that you’ve an unusual way to come into people’s life ! Sand people are rare, moreover in the sea you know, let us panic hehe!*

She winked at her.

*So. What’s your name, and how did you end up here ? And more, how can I help you a little more ?*

The girl did not seem to want to hurt her, or the crew. The seemed a little bit panicked, and confused, maybe, but it was hard to read to this face.

Looking at this girl...Aëlia, who had a tanned skin and a wavy brown short hair. In her brown eyes, wisdom and mature were shown. Not in a real teenage, Anhydre thought. She looked like having experiencing lot of things. The appearance was between woman and girl but it was her way of saying that Anhydre decided to call her "girl".
As Aëlia explained to her, the reason why she could trust her made Anhydre startle, She twisted mouth and raised her eyebrow at one side, looking at her and trying to comprehend the consequence if Aëlia were not a trustworthy person, she might now end up sinking into the button of sea and bye to her life. So incredible.
Indeed, she knew it’s Aëlia that attempted to help her but it’s her that refused. The finger picker even stock those sand into fridge, even though to be honest, it was the most stupid thing people have done to her. However, anyway, who else could be so considerable to... a simple pile of sand, except for this girl. Weird.

Aëlia laughed at her words with eyes curved and some wrinkles around and made “hehe” in the end, which let down her inner guard greatly. This girl called Aëlia was kind of funny and passionate, really different from the shocked one who came into the bathroom or the one who thundered the whole space with “badass”.

The girl winked at her and bombard her several questions.
Anhydre got caught off guard, cracking a smile. Looking at the sand pile beside, she flatted it like a map and with her finger, she wrote: Anhydre Aëlia, and then added “&” in the middle.

*In your capital and plus n-h-y-d-r-e will be my name. And this line* she pointed the ground,
*could we agree on our secret, about my existence and everything? I know some people might find something weird and even suspense but… I don’t know, I really don’t want to let others know. Please shhhhhhhhhh… okay?” She put one finger on her lips, and dare not to imagine elsewhere she could go if her existence got revealed. The last word-okay- was whispered weakly.

*Does the puzzle need a start or it’s at the end?*
She pointed the sand pile and continued: *I have no idea… in there*
*… I lost some of them, my memories, my voice and my finger, I guess… but I have no power to get them back, I’m afraid I would keep losing myself… and perhaps, in next second, I don’t know you either. Aëlia Merirosvo.*
Those words, she spoke in one breath…

Anhydre looked at her, speaking out her fear and panic… Don’t get her wrong, she wasn’t a person who would easily let out her inner voice but the way of communicating with Aëlia was like speaking to herself. She felt relief and released.

*We are on the ship, aren’t we? And we need to hide those sand again before anyone finds or thunder comes...*

She stood up, looked down at what she wrote- Anhydre & Aëlia.a
Outside, it poured heavily… thundering!

Aëlia nodded while Anyhdre -so was her name- was writing their names in the sand, and asking her to keep the secret. Aëlia grinned. But she had no time to answer because the girl continued. As she was telling her her problems the pirate felt so sad for her. So that was the cause of all the fear and panic she felt … Poor girl ! She had to help her, the situation was too hard and awkward for her to do nothing about it ! She smiled at her, kindly.

Alright, I’ll help you the best I can. BUT I cannot promise you to keep the secret, because the whole crew … already know. I can try not to confirm, but after the finger episode, i told them what happened, and some of them suggested that you were made in sand. So they basically know you’re here.

She raised her shoulders.

that’s not really a problem, don’t worry. But yeah we are on the ship, sure, and a tempest is coming, that’s sure too. So yeah, we can hide the sand if you want. Do you have an idea how to make everything back ?

Saying this, she was collecting the sand.

If you’re sure that’s not you, I can throw it to the sea. If you’re not, I think putting it in an empty tonnel is quite a good idea …

Anhydre smiled at Aëlia as she tried to assure their secret being kept. She knew it was impossible not to let others know but after having her words for the help made Anhydre feel much more comfortable and got a sense of safety. At least, she was willing to help her.
However, when the girl asked her how to make everything back, she shook her head hard. Having no idea, she even didn’t know what kind of weird disease she got and what she could do now.  At the present, all she wanted to do was to “seize the day”. No matter how worse the future might be, now, she knew, there was a girl willing to give her a hand… at least, knowing her difficulties. That’s enough!

Aëlia then squatted down and collected the sand. When her words sent to her ears, Anhydre frowned, wrinkled her face hard as if she had touched something disgusting or awful things.

*No sea, no sea, no sea. Pleasssssssse, no sea !!!!*
Anhydre shook her head as hard as she could, like a kid asking for candies in a negative way or a kid having a nightmare. And then, a thought came up to her mind, which made her smile, a very bright one.

*Ha ha, no empty tunnel, I turn them down. Your room. I want to go to your room. We can hide the sand there, and play there, can we? Pleassssseeeee?*
There would be the most safe place she could think of.
P-l-e-a-s-e, the word, falling down with the sand she sprinkled  from the sand pile while the tone went up. She pinched the sand and sprinkled… pinched and sprinkled…  pinched and sprinkled… and even moved too close to Aëlia’s head and some of them had dropped on it.

Help? Sadly, it was the last thing she would remember to do….

All of a sudden, a force of rushing forward--  
The ship went up and down with the waves… Without a caution and because of sand particle, Anhydre rushed forward too and bumped into the dark corner beside the entrance straightly.
Booooshhhhh...

She got no hurt.
She clasped her hands and stood up quickly by sending a thought:
“Haha, I am okay.”

Nevertheless, a crew went down here so fast that he appeared in a sudden and didn’t notice Anhydre was right beside him in the dark corner.

He called: Aëlia...
Holding the breath, Anhydre flatted herself against the wall nervously, looking at Aëlia…

Yeah, Aëlia now was facing two people, one crew and Anhydre.
One didn’t notice her.
The other didn’t want to let him know her.

Anhydre twisted her lip again,
*oh no... Aëlia...*

Aëlia laughed. Anhydre seemed to be five max, and it was so funny, so contrasting with some seconds before, when she was so serious, even scarry ! The pirate grimaced when some sand felt on her -what if it was some finger, uh ?
But she did not have any time to answer to the girl. A violent wind, a violent wave shook the boat, and they were propelled at two different points of the boat. Aëlia bumped her head and sweared of pain, at the same moment where a member of the crew went down. She was seeing light butterfly, so she recognized him just when he called her name.

*Alban !*

Hey ! I’m here don’t worry !

He sighed.

Gosh, what are you doing here with this time ! Always worried about this and people ? You know I want you in your room during tempests; I Don’t want you to go overboard. You’re too precious …
Oh, sooooo cute !
Stop fooling around, and go into your room now young lady !

He had gone to her, while she was winking to Anhydre and saying to her.

*Meet me into my room. doors are opened.*

Her brother was putting her on her feet.

What is all that sand again ?
Hrm nothing …
The sand people ?
Maybe … Can you put it in a small barrel, and give it to me ? I would like to study it into my room.
Aëlia …
Please, big brother that I love with all my heart !

He grunted, but did that, because he knew her head was buzzing because of the shock. He went with her into the room.

Stay here.
OK ! Love youuuuu.
Stop being silly.

And he left.

Are you there ?

She smiled. It seemed like she was crazy and talking alone. In fact, she was looking for Anhydre.

Looking at the man walking toward Aëlia, Anhydre dare not to give out a breath, like a mosquito sticking on the wall, afraid that he would turned over suddenly and caught her alive while down there, a big sand pile on the ground, beside his foot ! A gasp of shock nearly broke down her brain nerve. He would find something wrong out there…but noooooooo, he mustn’t…
Aëlia tried to attract the man’s attention and drifted his words, attempting to strike a balance between his suspicion and her white lies. Suddenly…

A mind came: Meet me into my room. Doors are open.
Anhydre smiled. She knew she’d better leave at once before it was too late.
But… Aëlia… Anhydre stopped.
She would be worse than a beast if she left her for explaining those sand pile alone!  However, what could she do even if she stayed here like a dead cockroach?
At the thought of being a stumbling block, she carried herself with harsh wind up to the deck in a hurry… the violent wave hit the ship hard… thankfully, the thick, fat, black cloud hadn’t made everything worse by raining cats and dogs.
Anhydre lowered herself down and “rolled and crawled” to the entrance where she had left from the bathroom. Even though she had no idea for the place where Aëlia’s room was, at least, she guessed it might be near around the bathroom Aëlia went into… yeah, it was one of her experience learned from being an uninvited guest before. Rooms are always close to bathrooms.

In result, hurried to enter in, without wind blowing and the risk of sudden pouring, Anhydre felt relieved. Facing the bathroom directly, she found two rooms on each side, one is closed while the other open.
Now, she slowed down and put each step lighter, sneaking toward the room that was open… in order to make sure no one was there, she stood against the wall for some seconds… and then- rushing in and “slammed” the door up.

Hooo-
Finally she was safe.
Just then, it nearly took her life away… the moment when the man came down.
But now… she was quite worried Aëlia for mending the suspicious gap. She had told her lots of sailors had knew this event more or less… but what if this sand pile brought her another trouble again, or even caught her in a danger for others’ wrong suspect? Anhydre paced up and down and felt a sense of guilty to leave her.

All of a sudden, someone were getting closer toward this room… By giving a quick glimpse, Anhydre stuck herself inside a big drawer -as one part of closet- which didn’t fully closed. She stretching out her arms and gave a heavy push on the ground, the drawer pursed its mouth up with a PONG.
Nevertheless, it was the most stupid thing she had done to herself… thin air offered her not enough for breathing and lack of air circulation, she was nearly suffocated. Squeezing herself to meet the size, she hardly could move and her train of thought had been twisted…

Finally, when a mind came to her again: Are you there?
Aëlia is safe and has come back ?!

Anhydre tried to push out the drawer by moving her butt back and forth… finally, a chink was made; then “four fingers” grasped the upper layer and forced backward a bit, hanging one of her arms outside powerlessly, she breathes deeply, like devouring the air, in the drawer. Before getting out of it, she got to breathe in enough air… to get strength.

*I’m... here. In..in..side... the draw...er.*

To note her, sinking in the drawer fully, she swayed the hand hanging outside...

In the DRAWER ? Seriously ? Why wouldn’t you have gone somewhere easier like … under the bed for example ! Gosh ! You’re not a very simple one, aren’t you ?

She was laughing saying this, approaching the drawer. She has notified the fact that the voice wasn’t very strong, but she thought it was because the girl was inside something. But then, she saw the fingers, the arms, and was all worried at one. She opened the drawer, and discovered the girl, contortionned, and probably unable to breeze correctly.

Rah là là …

She was looking third amused, third pissed, third curious, but in fact she really was worried.

Well, get out it, and breeze, girl !

She tried to grab her hand, and pull her out of the drawer, but just ran through it and sighed with some exasperation after a little sound of surprise and fright.

Are you alright ? Can you breeze, now ? Are you, in some ways, hurt ? Do you need anything ?

Aëlia ran her hand over her face, looking suddenly exhausted. How did this girl, with her so many problems did get on the boat ? And why was her as much good as she was actually helping an clandestine passenger ?! The girl obviously was deeped in so many troubles, losing memories, losing her body, and being on a boat while fearing water …

We need to find a solution to your … body problems.

She sighed. It was easier to say than to do … She did not do any chemistry ever, so she did not really know how did sand reacted to … other things, except for what she had experienced (becoming burning with sun, but so cold during the night, absorbing water if there was not too much, forming little balls if there was some more water, and just being some kind of mud if there was too much water). Obviously, putting the girl in the sun, and wait for her to dry was not really an option she was considering, because of the whole sailors crew.

Hardly to get a full breath, Anhydre closed her eyes and tried to still her body up… However, the dizziness kept drowning her down.
Hur-hur-hur….
Hearing Aëlia’s “Rah là là” waving tone, she managed a slight smile in her mind, glad to know she was safe and finally, they stayed in a “temporary” private area successfully, where it seldom had annoying bothering and people. This founding unloaded her worries a lot. She wouldn’t forgive herself if Aëlia was caught into trouble simply because of her.

Suddenly, a touch… guessing it was Aëlia tried to grab her out of drawer but her hands immediately drew back. This sudden contact made Anhydre creep and nearly scream out loud. Even though she knew Aëlia did it all out of kindness, her high self-defensive mind activated at once; In hence, she opened her eyes big as if being shocked by static electricity and shrieked back and drew a “BIG” gulp.

Aëlia looked at her with full worries and frightening, asking her whether she was okay and needed any help, like comforting a little child who just got a massive tumble. Anhydre nodded her head slightly, trying to force a grin shape.
*No worry, I’m okay.*
A deep breath.
Compared to her lost of body sand, this stupid  “air stock” was a piece of cake….and hurt? It seemed that she had lost her sensible nerve since she got no feeling toward finger drop...

However, as for Aëlia, from her expression, she looked like having experienced as much shock as a plane cracking open, BIG BANG- running her own face to refresh herself… Anhydre chuckled.
Did she really cause a lot trouble to her?
In her blur consciousness… she had heard something like: You’re not a very simple one, aren’t you?
It made her chuckle again.

However, the following words from Aëlia gave Anhydre a full heart-warmth touched.
Although she wasn’t used to receiving help from others, this time, she had no believe even in herself. She knew...
From Aëlia’s ensured blink in the cannon room to her worried look due to the stupid action now, Anhydre knew…  she was a person who could trust. Those countless “don’t be panic” mind sending, now, looking back was like a secret signal.
She would do her very best to help her…
Knowing this was enough for her. Who else could be more important than a “trust-worthy” person to the one who might lost herself at anytime. One day if no solution found, she, Anhydre might be in a risk forgetting herself but she believed, Aëlia would help her rebuild the memories…

She then pushed the drawer further, trying to “stride” out from the drawer but ended up “falling” out.
BOOM.
The weight of sand “ponk” on the ground.

*Damn.*

* But… finger picker… I don’t know where is the point we can start of, neither to the end... *
* Hey, wait ! *

When her eyes moved toward the bed, without any thought, she jumped on it and seized the two corners of colorful quilt….
Started to roll herself inside the quilt and sit up with foot folded… Covered as an egg roll.
* Look, in this way, I won’t drop any pinch of sand anymore ! So we can play now…Eh, like this... !*

She looked around herself, covered pretty completed. In satisfaction, she hopped her body up and down like a spring.
* Who is that man calling your name in the cannon room? Are you a bad person? I mean, pirates do lots of illegal things, do you rob and kill?… *
* And why are you so kind to me, especially when nobody believes it? *

Obviously, she was really curious...
Yeah, she would like to know everything about Aëlia… who tried to save her. At least, she wanted to have a “pint” of her knowledge in her limited time and memory. Perhaps, through their talking, she could find some ideas about her strange disease.

The girl backed when Aëlia tried to touch her. The pirate had a movement back too when she get out of the drawer, which was something a little bit surprising. The sand was something heavy, so the was a noise when it touched the floor, but she knew there was already so much noises on the boat so no one would give attention to this. Then she saw the girl wrapping herself in the quilt, and the laughed out loud. Gosh, she was not excepting that … at all ! Anhydre was so special, but she had a sense of humour too, this was really clear. As she was asking her so much, Aëlia smiled. She had not really planned to have a sand girl wrapped in her quilt, hidden in her room, who clearly had a disease, and was so curious. Anyway. LIfe doesn’t always follow plans, right ? She smiled to her, and went to sit not far, on the bed.

Alright. This man was Alban. He is my brother, and we live together since I’m like seven. My family was not quite a good thing, so he went away, and took me with him, on the seas. He is the owner and the captain ou this ship, named L’Envolée. We are pirates, and that means we are free, more free than anyone.

She smiled.

We are our own masters. We have no king, no governor. The only person who can tell us what to do is Alban, and Alban is a fair man. The only thing above him is the sea. In a way, sea is our goddess, and only master. We depend on her. Nad yes, we sure do illegal things. We attack other pirates ships, but also some merchant ships, in order to get some goods, like gold for example. Sometimes we kill, because people don’t obey, but we try not to. However, we value our lives and our freedom before anything, so if something is standing in front of it, yes we eliminate it.

Then, she sighed a little. Yes, pirate life was something exciting to her. This was, to her eyes, the best way to live her life. She was raised in this spirit, and could not see any other way to live a happy and healthy life.

Why do I trust you, and believe you ? Why shouldn’t I ? You are made of sand, and afraid of water, so no reason for you to be on a ship in high sea. You are panicked, so I deduce you’re in distress and need help. You have not threatened nor my life or my freedom, so I have nothing against you, even if you frightened me. I just think I have to help you: you’re stuck somewhere you don’t know and you’re not confortable with that. You clearly have a problem. I live on this boat since … so long I can’t really remember, and I clearly am the only one who understands that you are not here to rob anything for example. So why shouldn't I help you, huh ?

She winked at Anhydre.

I don’t know either where to start to help, I don’t even know what are your powers, or how you live. What do you eat, for example,or where you come from, or how does your body functions. But I’m sure we’ll figure out, don’t worry.

Anhydre watched Aëlia concentrated. Illness rendered her really weak; however, Aëlia’s voice did give her sort of support, like solid pillar lining her faint up. Yet. she couldn’t help herself blink several times to pull the floated mind back.
The fact of that man being her brother comforted her previous worries a lot. Even though little thing did she know what “brother” could mean to a person, she knew he was very important to Aëlia and wouldn’t do her harm… But still, that trust wasn’t enough for Anhydre to let him know her existence. No, not this present.
And right, she got a good guess in L’Evolée. It was a ship name.
Knowing Aëlia had a freedom heart sparked her eyes greatly. Freedom to her surpassed everything. Even if few things did she remembered she had done before, freedom spirit always stayed in her mind… she wouldn’t bend her knees to this weird physical condition either. No, never and ever. Having the same belief gave her another confidence and trust in Aëlia. Now, she could let go the possibility of being bound on the chair and forced to be cured… such a torture to her, so was it to Aëlia.

Anhydre laughed out loud once hearing she wasn’t here for robbery. It was such least and not funny thing to do... Actually she didn’t understand why people are interested in possessing things.
But worries waved up again when Aëlia mentioned about her  power and life. Anhydre darkened her face… Everything now she could recall was…

*I am made of sand… and that’s all I know now…*
Looking to her left side, she wanted to grab the pillow to lean against…
She felt her body was getting limp… she was “leaking” in her quilt roll still.

As her hand grasped, the pillow went through her hand instead as if she were a transparent being. Anhydre looked at Aëlia in a shock and with a nervous look…
*Um… Guess I cannot grab things too…*
She took back her hand fast…
*But why? I also cannot do it before?*
Her little inner thought accidentally ran across her mind…

The throat tightened suddenly. That feeling was she never experienced before… scratch and dry??? She cleared her throat by launching “kumkumkkum” sound. However, that emptiness feeling just needed something to fill and smooth.
Liquid? Water came into her mind first…

*Yeah, that thing…*
she looked at Aëlia in a pleasing look.
*I need water! Could you give me? My throat is so…I need water…need water… so that I can speak again… WATER !!! Go------finger-picker !!!*
KUMKUKUM…

She pushed Aëlia hard to go and fetch a cup of water...
yeah, it was her first time touching someone. The first time a sand-flesh touch and first time Anhydre requested someone to do something for her…

Silently…
That losing sand pile stock in the barrel was clotting and turned black…

Yup, she was made of sand, and could not touch ou grab. This, Aëlia had already noticed. She understood quickly however, that the girl suffered memory loss. And she could feel she was sad about that. She smiled lightly at her, trying to be reassuring. Then Anhydre made a strange sound, very strange one, and suddendly panicked, asked her for water, pushing her.

Yes, yes, relax !
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Quickly, she grabbed a glass, and went to the bathroom where she filled the glass with fresh water. Then, one thing stabbed her. The girl could not grab anything but she touched her. Her sand skin, against her flesh skin. This was odd … Like if it was a concentration and will problem ? No, this would be too strange … The pirate came back with the filled glass, and gave it to the girl.

You need help ?

She was ready to help her drink. But she did not know what else to do. Until then, she thought the girl was afraid of water, that water made damages on her. But Anhydre knew better than she did what she needed, right ? She would not ask her something that would destroy her, right ?

Spoiler:

Puffing faintly, Anhydre closed her eyes to settle pinch of consciousness while waiting for Aëlia’s coming; however, there, around the heart place in human body, a thumping waving she could feel and the frequency was getting faster gradually… she never got such a weird “jump” inside her body  before. Technically, a “heart-beatless” girl she was

Soon, a soft voice came… it was Aëlia.
Anhydre tried to open her eyes; to be precise, “pull” her eyelid open with her will… but no… she was too weak to make it happen. What she could response to her was only few sand rolling sound- “kum..kum” (yes, yes)

Haven’t leaned how to use a cup or drink water with a cup, Anhydre “loosed” her mouth. As the glass touched her lips, she dodged it… struggling between Aelia’s arm and the filled glass. She was annoyed by the texture of glass, especially, to her sand lips which was used to rock and sand. The cold and hard stuff made her face wrinkled while the “heart” beating so fast that she nearly thought she was going to transform into a beast.  

Her right hand pinched Aëlia’s thigh… not really tight but a sting of pressed strength.

Self-sound kept telling her,
Drink it, drink it. Everything will be alright  … voice will come back and also the memory…Drink it, drink it. Drink it, drink it. Drink it, drink it.

* Finger-picker? Finger-picker? Finger-picker? Finger-picker?*
She wanted to find her with own will ! She wanted to push that voice away but could not…

Drink it, drink it. Everything will be alright  … voice will come back and also the memory…Drink it, drink it. Drink it, drink it. Drink it, drink it.

Her right hand pinched Aëlia’s thigh tighter this time. As the smell of water got closer again, unconsciously, she wiped it off. The crashed glass knocked the ground sharply after water splashed out, which fell on her legs and bed sheet… and also sputtered on Aëlia.

Water soaked in her sand legs soon spread inside her whole body, like blood circulation. Before losing her consciousness, she thought loudly, loudly as possible…
*THERE*
And “mind-direct” toward the place where her lost sand was collected…

Apart from her legs being muddy, other parts became clogged.
Fingers that “pinched” on Aëlia lose strength as if power were switched off suddenly as soon as she fall back against the wall, starting to turn dark.
Now Anhydre was pretty like some kind of remains found in historical heritage.
Silent.


In the barrel, the clogged sand was inflating…
The barrel had “p..p...p” sound, which sustained the power of inflation with simple plastic…
Less than five minutes, it would break out.

Now only one touch needed, it would pour all out. Everything.

It was a moment of panic. during the time Aëlia went to the bathroom and get back with the glass, Anhydre seemed to have partly fainted. The pirate did not understand what was happening, and though that it was impossible to find any logic to the girl’s comportment. But she also knew Anhydre needed help, and that finding any logic was something that was going to make her lose some precious time and would certainly not help a lot in the current situation. She reacted quickly when she saw Anhysdre collapsing: she held her in her arms, but it was not sufficient to save the glass, that crashed on the floor, pouring water everywhere. Anhydre was becoming … mud ?! Aëlia tried to speak to her, but there was not an answer, not even in er mind, where Anhydre seemed to speak without perceiving the outside world. However, the pirated perceived, in the sound and thoughts tempest in their two meeting minds that the barrel was important. And, indeed … There was some sound going of it, like if the snad inside was … alive ? noooo … But she looked at Anhydre again. Well, she was living sand, right ? Why would the sans in the barrel not be alive? If she opened it, would it create a mini-Anhydre, another being ?
The pirate groaned, but now, the girld had stopped pinching her thigh. She was forceless, living less. And the pirate could not imagine what to do. In fact, she never had imagined before that she would ever have in her room living sand, and that this living sand could die, our faint on her bed -bed that was now covered in a strange sort of mud. in brief, this day was not really happening like she thought it would. So, she was not sure it could go any more bad, any more strange.
She had one thing to do, and she did it.
slowly, she approached the barrel that was making this strange sound, the sound of something trying to escpae. She brushed it, with the end of her fingers. It was a shy, almost tender touch. There was some fear, too. And she understood quickly she should have been warrier.
The barrel exploded to her face, and she was very lucky not not have any sand in the eyes, not to have any wood jabbed in her body. she covered her face really quick with her arms, while the sand seemed to go back to its posessor, to Anhydre lying on the bed. Aëlia suffocated, submerged.
She was drowning, not i, the snd, not in any water, but in memories that were not hers. She was not prepared to it, it was like an attack, it came from everywhere, with no structure. There was a speaking animal, a room, blowing windows, fear, incomprehension, slave stories. There was mist, sand, anxiety, fire, fear, blast, wind. A lot of wind, a journey, a long journey, sea, moisture, water, boat. The pirate was hardly breezing, nearly suffocating, incapable to organize the chaos in her mind, in the memories, incapbale to distinguish her memories and the ones the sand was giving her.

And then stop.

Nothing. Aëlia was the only owner of her mind again. Panting, the layed down a moment on the floor, eyes closed. Then, when her breeze was almost back to normal, she recovered, and looked at the bed, where anhydre was supposed to be.

Under the HARD “dead” cover shell, spirit couldn’t get out and thought couldn’t be expressed while the heartbeat was getting faster and faster, nearly to break out. Just a brush, it would explode.
Tens of thousands of needles prickling her  “nerve and muscle”, water molecules gave steps on a “broaden land”. Prickle, immerse, prickle, immerse… bit by bit, bit by bit. It was hundred times torturing than being killed by a sword. No voice, no yell, no twisted face but a “can-not- be-more-clear” feeling.
Water attack now was pointing at her chest center. It will be a forever end if even the deepest soul was clogged. Certainly, Anhydre, herself, knew better than anyone that she had no more power to defend, only to drag time.
Just as frighten and fear peaked on the top of her mind with “high speed” heart beats, an explosion came! from somewhere… but where? The heartbeats turned into a huge flushing force, which started to whirl the chest sand on counterclockwise direction and could highly cut down on the speed of water attack. But, still, that was not an ultimate solution.

Something did come. Memory, voice… did come back to her !
She could feel it but hard clogged shell seemed not to welcome them. Nerves were dead, which couldn’t keep them but let them go.  Sand poured in the barrel sprinkled and fell down from her body to the bed. Until now did she realize how the whole “elements” was going on her body.
If water hadn’t fully occupied in her body, some of “watery” sand would drop, her memory, voice and little finger for example to stop more moisture getting in; nevertheless, if that situation couldn’t be improved and water was at its advantage, the main body would send an emergent call to those “dropped sand” for rescue. Heart beats was the call.

Obviously, now… reinforcement was shunned off ! Sensing the water was getting near… she got to do something !
Stocking beneath the hard shell… no any sign. In black world, she couldn’t see anything outside. That reinforcement, could she have connection with it? She hoped so. But how to do? Aëlia! The finger-picker supposed to be there right? But what kind of signal could she send for telling her to get something which could get rid of water? Everything happened to her due to water.
Damn… she should have thought of that !

Suddenly… an idea. SIGNAL. In order to let the finger-picker know she was “almost” dead but not yet, she tested… searching the sand around her on the bed with her will… collecting…
She have no idea what she made with her will. But yes, she was sure she got it all.

The little finger, which got lost in the bathroom !

It was really annoyed that she failed to give a sight outside… god knows… where were finger-picker and her lost “little finger”? And how to let her know the water cause? Fine, what she could come up with was… writing on her bed.

Using her will, like last time- water forbidden- on Aëlia’s arm, she “controlled” little finger to wrote “WATER CAUSE”. Since no sight could direct her what kind of word shape did she write exactly and whether the finger-picker noticed, she hopped the finger at every time she finished these two words. Not much energy to cost, a hop was the limit.

Beside, it would be better if the finger-picker could bring “it” (little finger) through the path of finding therapy. Despite of losing sight, still, she wanted to know the world. If possible, they could have “pinky swear” on the way.

Now all her hope was on Aëlia.
In a silent and blind world.  She wrote. To against water. The first defense sent.