Chris cleared his throat. "The details of why your daughter's on the ship, I can tell you at a later time. What is important now is how that demon enslaved you."
Selina exhaled slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "John and I had just said our final goodbyes to Cee, and then somehow, we found ourselves aboard this very ship." She held her daughter closer, stroking her hair. "Before the ship left port, John gripped my hand and we fled—he kept insisting he had found something. Then the reapers came, chasing us in the dark. I don't know how, but we got separated and I ended up... somewhere else."
Cecilia's eyes widened, her voice trembling. "So, where is Dad now? Is his soul lost?"
Selina's gaze darkened, haunted. "I haven't seen him since that day. But there's something strange I just remembered... The demon said he found something."
Bustamante's brow knitted deeper, confusion and unease rising. "He? The demon? What exactly did he find?"
"No," Selina corrected sharply, her voice tense. "He meant my husband. John." Chris leaned back, hands nervously twisting, his eyes flickering with doubt and suspicion. The fragments Selina shared only deepened the mystery—what had John found? And where is he now?
Later that day, Chris was on the bridge when Selina came in. "You asked for me, Captain?" She wanted to know the reason for her summoning.
Chris looked behind Selina, making sure Cecilia was not around, and he guided the lady to Bustamante's station. "Can you tell me about Cecilia's abilities?"
"What about her abilities?" Selina asked curiously.
"Your father told me she was not born with those abilities. Is this true?" He continued to probe about Cecilia's abilities.
Selina nodded as she answered, "Yes, up to her accident, she did not exhibit these abilities."
Bustamante's head shot up at what he heard. He looked at Chris, "Captain, that's impossible, these abilities are inherent upon birth, they are not acquired later in life!"
Chris pressed with his questions. "Your father said that she was in a coma because of her accident, correct?"
"Yes, for three days," Selina answered before a question of her own, "Captain, what is this about?"
Chris asked his last question, "Does John, I mean your husband, know how to cook seafood?" Bustamante and Selina shared bewildered looks at the absurdity of the question. "Please answer the question," he requested.
"No, he doesn't know how to cook anything." Selina finally answered, "Captain, may I know what is going on?"
"You asked me why Cecilia is here on the barge of the dead. Azrael, archangel of death, said that Cecilia's abilities far surpass anyone's. She doesn't just see the world of the dead, but she can touch and feel them, too. Your daughter can even cross the veil that separates the living from the dead!" Chris paused as he slowly pieced together the mystery of Cecilia's abilities. "That is why she saw the ship when others could not, that is why she was able to board it, and that is why she was bound to it," Chris further explained.
Selina's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "My poor child, then that old woman was wrong; this is not a gift. My husband was right, it's a curse."
"Old woman?" Chris asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice
Selina shook her head as she tried to remember that night. "A shaman, an old woman, told me that Cee would be a bright beacon to the lost souls, and that my child must learn not to fear these souls, because I think she was meant to help them."
"That's exactly what he said…" Chris's expression contorted to one of irritation after he figured something out. "You sneaky old fart…I'm going to pluck your feathers!" Chris growled.
"Who is this Azrael you are talking about? Is he the one who gave my child that curse?" Selina asked, her breath hitched.
Chris shook his head after putting all the pieces together. "Azrael and that old lady are the same, the archangel of death."
Before their discussion continued, Cecilia suddenly jumped behind her mother. "What did I miss?" she asked with a smile on her face, her glance shifting to the three.
Selina quickly diverted the topic. "Cee darling, you promised me a tour of your ship…why don't I take that tour now?" She leads Cecilia off the bridge. Cecilia looked back at Chris with a confused look and pouting lips.
Bustamante spoke after the two ladies left. "Captain, if it was not Triple-A that gave Miss Bermudez her abilities, then who did?"
"I did! They're not her abilities, chief…they're mine!" Chris replied ominously.