Mad As A Hatter (Completed 2015) [WATTY AWARD WINNER *Featured Story*]

chapter twenty nine

It was snipping a rope.

Pulling a plug.

The connection gone.

Just like that.

Grim bothered to show no regret.

I bothered not to care.

About Grim.

Right. Grim. Him.

I allowed the silence to swoop in and collect everyone's breath, leaving us with this unmoving fraction of time. I filled it with my voice that shook slightly. "My father was the man of the ship. He created all of this, he made this unity of creatures. He wanted to save us, he wanted to make things right." I took steps toward Grim. "And now you've killed that and his body lays dead before me." His face remained still. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

There wasn't even a breath in between. "No."

I thought my back couldn't get stiffer. "Very well." I pointed to the closest cabin men. "Clean up this body." Murmurs that questioned my odd action surfed over the crowd and suddenly, I swung my wrist out and Grim shot off the ground, into the air. The silence returned, taking another round of breathes. His legs were flailing and his hands reached for his neck, clutching it tightly as he started to gag. He hung up there, wiggling helplessly and I watched his lips turn purple, skin go pale, and my wrist began trembling. Something wet rolled down my cheek, and with the hand out, I made a fist and Grim's arms flew to the side as well as his legs-body like a star formation. My nails split open as claws emerged and slowly, red lines trickled down Grim's neck, arms, legs, slits of his skin opening.

No one moved.

I felt my energy wrap around his throbbing heart. A squeeze later he'd be gone. My mind raced. I stared into his bloodshot eyes. He gasped. Instantly I flung my wrist down and his body dropped, cracking the wooden planks at impact. He twitched uncontrollably and I looked away. "Someone put him in the chambers."

There was a scurry of boots and grunts and I heard the door open to the chambers below. I continued my course to the front of the ship, up the stairs and in front of the wheel. Still, no one moved. I stood before them, and I felt my father's energy around me, and I took in with a quick breath. "The king has died but the throne lives on. So must we. I don't know what promises he made. Though I can assure you I will try my best to fulfill them. We owe him to that. And I know he would not want us to mope and mourn, but avenge what he was fighting for and finish his mission. We must. For the king-for a father-for the hero."

They lifted their cheers to the skies and even heaven could hear us. As Macbeth put it, there was never a day so foul and fair.

Look at me getting all poetic and shit.

I thrust a fist up and advanced a bold step. "Now raise the flags, prepare your weapons. We have a war to win!"

And just like that everyone swarmed to their positions and the wind picked up, the water splashed against the boat and the birds squawked again.

The ship picked up its speed and I dismissed both Isaac, Cameron and Levi who attempted to speak to me. My boots clonked along the floor as I made my way to the chambers, down the steps into the darkness.

Crates reached the ceiling and untouched cannons sat with the iron cell in the corner. I saw two hands hanging out of the bars and a familiar golden shag of hair peeking through.

There wasn't much light here.

His shoulders were slumped with exhaustion and he could barely look up without wincing. He said nothing.

I spoke. "You said you'd give me your trust. So I trust you stay down here and not to leave."

He kept quiet.

I said, "If you even manage to break free they will kill you once you step into the light. They loved that man, Grim. You took him away from them."

"You did the same," he said, his voice tiny. "You're familiar with the terms of loved ones leaving, even though you knew that someone was important."

I scoffed at this immaturity. "It's a disgrace for you talk of our relationship at a time like this." I turned on my heel and left. I hoped the word 'disgrace' echoed in his head.

+++

GRIM POV

He promised me she wouldn't do this. What was happening?

What felt like a stone grew in my chest and I backed up, kneeling slowly to sit. I rested my head back on the wooden walls, and the pounding of water on the other side forced my eyes shut. I tried to block it out-the pain, the noise. Was this what it meant to be human? To feel things you didn't want to feel.

I watched her hair swish to past her hip once last time before disappearing up the stairs. My heart skipped a beat.

I yelped in surprise. My heart skipped again. "What the fuck?" I fisted my shirt, wanting to squeeze my heart to stop. But being curious as hell, I pictured Alice in my head again. Butterflies exploded in my stomach and I jerked at the weird sensation. "The fuck is happening to my body."

A voice appeared. "Being a human means you get a whole package of humans. Funny, right? But it's even funnier how reversed this situation is."

Surprised, I would've jumped up but my bones were too weak and the nausea was getting to me. I peered into the shadows, the only ray of sunlight peeked through the floorboards directed at me. "What?"

Remerging from the darkness was Isaac, arms crossed in a humored manner. He approached me slowly, taunting his existence outside of the bars between us. "Your emotions. Not used to them, huh?"

"Why are you talking to me like this?" I eyed him sceptically, wishing to the Lords he didn't have a knife to end me.

Isaac dangerously looped his hand around the bars and leaned closer. "Always beating around the bush. You're a straight forward kind of guy." As if he couldn't lean closer, he bent lower to my slouched state and asked, "Why did you really kill her father? It doesn't add up. You would never harm Alice. You love her too much."

I kept up this smirk. "You think so?" I said it as more of a question.

He paused and I knew he was rethinking his thoughts. I gave out another laugh and said, "Once a demon, always a demon."

Isaac didn't seem so small after this, "But you never were a demon. You were first a human, and then just a transformation." He pointed to my heart. "That is who you are. Demon or angel-you were born human, so was I and so was Alice. No matter how hard we try to get rid of it, redefine it , kill it-as long as we are alive, it will keep beating. We were mutated to be demons. And I know there is a little faith in you still."

I tried to push away this truth. "Do you even know whose side I'm on?" I spoke with an edge.

"Ours," Isaac said without hesitation.

I didn't say anything.

+++

Please vote and comment if you like the story :)

Any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

Xx8tracks