An azure ocean, once clouded by the stars of night, dreaming of nothing but conquest.
A silence so abundant even the stars would drown. Where sea and sky bleed into each other, a lone ship drifts upon the indistinguishable plain.
Time is told by waves, not a clock.
A pitch-dark night screams louder than the most illuminating day. The leisurely waves, by an inexcusable rocking, as only freedom clouds your thoughts.
Where a dark beach is eons away, the stars are all to look up to.
Atlas stood near the bow, one hand lightly resting on the cold steel rail.
He has never known the grasp of land, solely the wave of a ship that has fought over a hundred forgotten battles.
He's seventeen with no goal in sight, only pondering staring at the reflection of the ocean. An epiphany as one may call it.
A voice ruptured his thought.
"Hey Atlas, new recruit on board today, be wary while I interview 'em."
Rumbled Captain Vos, strolling heavily across the ship with such trust that he sees the ship as home. His rough voice displays the years of calling orders to having casual conversation with a boy he treasures.
Atlas only gives a swift but respectful nod as he truly ponders if there is more past this seemingly infinite sea.
This steel military ship, it's all Atlas knows, but what is it now that makes him want to think about life on deck?
He has never found it daunting or even questionable until now.
Atlas isn't much of a thinker, but his mind only drifts to the thought that if he resides, the sea will only swallow him.
He snaps out of it, because he knows this is all he has, he can't let it go.
In a lower deck, the rough captain stares with sea-like eyes at the recruit for the marines.
He opens his crusted lips on top of a stubbled silver beard with a long scar passing vertically past his left eye.
A young girl, possibly a year older than Atlas with short jet-black hair, slowly raises her head to face the captain.
She stares with her dark eyes, ominously reading anybody. A stare that feels like she could see right through anybody.
"Name?" Captain Vos asked.
"Kaya, sir!" she answered steadily but firmly.
The inside of the room was detailed with a long table almost reaching both ends of the room, an immeasurable stack of paper on both sides of the desk, and a form with the resume of Kaya and all her qualifications.
It states that she is 18 years of age, Blood type A, 5 feet 3 inches tall.
The cold air condition fills the room as the captain takes a slight glance at the resume and gives a shivering stare to Kaya again, and asks:
"Before we begin, do you have any questions?"
"Yes!" Kaya responds quickly with compassion.
"I've got a question: Who's the guy behind you?"
The captain's expression becomes staggered as he takes a slow turn behind him to reveal from the back of the room his co-captain and nephew, Lieutenant Sark.
Sark has a tough-gruff like appearance with a more youthful appearance than Vos, but the similarities are apparent.
His low haircut with dark hair contrasted with his large brown eyes and strong but gentle posture emulate how well the captain has nurtured him to be an exceptional marine.
The captain murmurs:
"She's good."
As he takes focus with that same cold stare with upturned eyebrows that speak a lifetime of tribulation in the marines.
He enunciates while fixing his voice as he knows the asset she will be to the crew.
"That is my nephew, Lieutenant Sark. He will take after me once I retire by summer."
The captain readjusts his position in his throne-like chair to a more attentive posture showing his interest in Kaya's spatial awareness.
This girl, this girl… my nephew was almost unsensible, yet she was able to see him as clear as day, even I had trouble sensing him, yet she does it effortlessly. Who is she?
Kaya interrupts the captain's train of thought by asserting:
"My second question: Who are the crew members on this ship?"
The captain turns his head up to see that he senses something endearing about Kaya yet so eerie.
Before answering her question, he takes one last quick glance at her resume.
Skimming through the long lines of high school accomplishments and connections, one piece of information caught his eye.
It read: "Trial Status: Success."
A trial's existence is normally locked to public awareness, however, of the millions of applicants to the Marines, there has yet to be a successful trial status in years.
The captain can't help but make an ear-to-ear grin with his gray beard and dry lips, as if his youth had been granted right back to him.
He delays his answer out of enthusiasm.
"I'll show you the crew members momentarily; however, there's something I'm more interested in about you."
Kaya leans closer to hear what the old captain has to say.
The captain holds the paper firmly and reads it before making his remark.
"On your application, it states that you have a successful trial. Not many people are capable of attaining this, even hearing about this concept is alien to the masses because it is confidential by military personnel."
The captain coldly adds to his statement.
"I've heard that those that have completed such trials in success cross a deep path that is beyond comprehension to my memory. If you have any of those, please demonstrate them to me; I'd like to see it."
The captain then looks upward to the grinning girl that holds a thousand secrets waiting to spill out like a waterfall.
Kaya tenses up and asks the captain after a second of thought.
"Well, Captain, if you're so interested in what I do, then think of anything, and I mean anything. I'll read your mind."
She adjusts herself back in her chair with the confidence of a pretentious critic.
Captain Vos scoffs, playing along with her "joke" by thinking of his favorite sport.
Hah, this little girl won't ever guess that I'm thinking of American football!
Kaya giggles to herself, composes, glances upward with bright amber eyes, and asks:
"So who's your favorite team?"
Vos's eyes bulge out of his head similar to a cartoon, only with more happiness than shock.
He cackles as he could not believe what he has just heard at this moment.
"AHHAH, I can't believe it!"
This girl is something alright.
Noticing his cup of coffee on the table he hadn't finished, he decided to drink it as he grins to himself, whilst closing his eyes.
Kaya adds to his thought in which she barged in.
"Oh yeah... I'm something alright."
Vos opens one eye and keeps a keen look at Kaya's innocent pretty face whilst he slowly puts down the cup.
He comically gulps down the coffee that immediately boosts him with a zap of his prime energy when he was a captain that yelled louder than the roars of the sea.
He takes a second, reaches out his hand that has faced war.
"Welcome aboard, Private Kaya."
He smiles at her with an endearing grin that is almost childlike, showing remnants of his fallen youth fighting for its place.
Lieutenant Sark puts his hand on Captain Vos's shoulder and comments:
"Looks like we found another member for our crew."
Sark pats his uncle's back then gets back to his duties as a lieutenant.
Captain Vos nods with a smile at his nephew and gets back to his business as Captain.
"Now, it's about time you meet the crew!"
Slowly standing up from his chair, the strong yet elder captain points to the door to assist Kaya on where to go.
Kaya swiftly strides to the large steel door that a rhino couldn't break through as she waits for Vos's next instructions.
"Now Kaya, I'm just an old man, I think it's helpful that I get my young son to tour you across the ship."
The captain adjusts his posture and prepares to yell Atlas's name but is stunned to see Atlas right in front of him in a flash.
"Can I help you guys?"
Atlas states with energy in his voice as if he could run a marathon and back.
"Ahh Atlas, yes... please tour this new recruit across the ship, she's one of us now ya know."
The captain mumbles as he slurs his words that were barely understandable.
Atlas instantly focuses almost robotically then straightens himself and gives Kaya a nodding grin with shut eyes as he puts his hand out for a handshake.
"I'm Atlas, nice to meet you."
Kaya gives back a grin and shakes Atlas's hand firmly with respect as she responds:
"Hey hey hey! My name's Kaya, also nice to meet you!"
"So uhm... Oh yeah, let's explore the ship, rookie!"
Atlas asserts but playfully as he is fond of her attitude.
Kaya giggles and punches his shoulder lightheartedly as she also asserts:
"Oh, we'll see who's a rookie once I kick your ass, HA!"
Atlas gives a wholesome smile as he points to the metal door leading to the main deck.
The door is a shiny sea-like metal, with a staircase leading to two floors with rooms with wooden framing down to the main hall inside the ship with crimson-black tiled floorboards.
High-rise wooden tables along with padded maroon chairs all around the hall will make one think it is the bar of a cruise more than a marine ferry.
Ethereal chandeliers that consist of radiant lemon with a slight cerulean incandescence illuminate the room for rows on end.
The room emits a welcoming presence as if it greets one with open arms.
"Well, this is the main hall. Looks like a ballroom, right? I think Carlos is here so that's where we'll find him."
Atlas affirms his point and dominantly steps into the room.
He then sits on the handrail and strides down the stairs like a skater to the bottom.
"You coming?"
He asks as Kaya examines the room.
"Yeah, don't worry about me."
Kaya confirms as she steps back and makes a huge leap of faith in the air to land right next to Atlas.
Atlas widens his eyes as he is impressed by her sudden daringness.
The two of them step into the middle of the hall with all the chandeliers lighting their surreal illuminating colors upon them like a spotlight in an auditorium.
"This is where the crew's rooms are, you'll have yours momentarily. However, there are ten rooms, but there's an eleventh room that the captain strictly forbids us from ever entering."
Atlas adds.
Kaya looks around the room and sees the wooden floorboards on the second floor above them and the intricate detailing on the handrails with zig-zag brandings.
She was pondering as she just realized what Atlas said.
"Huh, wait, where's the room?"
Atlas points at the eerie room that looks as if it was created by the most adept welders with reinforced steel bars and a huge lock on it that requires a code of a specific audio message to unlock it.
The door leaks a red aura, almost like liquid nitrogen, only with a blood-like appearance.
"That one right there."
He points at the room answering her inquiry.
Kaya has an epiphany and is intimidated by the room.
She knows by intuition that whatever is in that demonic room can be no good.
She stares at Atlas with her piercing large brown eyes.
He notices her long stare and the both of them make strong eye contact as they are both in awe of what could be in that room.
Kaya's eyes brighten as she attempts to use her mind-reading ability on Atlas.
Her eyes glimmer in an amber tint as she still locks eyes with Atlas.
Stunned, Kaya can't find one coherent thought in Atlas's mind.
What? I can't read him. It's like there's an infinite number of thoughts fogging his head.
His mind is similar to a cascading waterfall of thoughts in the summer.
Elegant, yet ubiquitous.