Infinite Brine by Ai Kagi (books for 9th graders .txt) 📕

Table of Contents

Prologue


Chapter I


Chapter II


Chapter III


Chapter IV


Chapter V


Chapter VI

Infinite Brine
By: Ai Kagi

Prologue

“Excuse me. Do you have any work I can do? I need a job, sir,” a caramel-color-haired girl asked. A fisherman that she was trying to talk to said, “No. Ain’t got any work for a girl. Go away.” The girl went over to another fisherman nearby. She asked the same thing and got the same answer.
She kept this up all day until it was dark and everyone had gone home. So, the orphan girl, named Ana Feesico, sat down on some crates near the end of the dock. She didn’t realize how tired she was until her eyelids felt very heavy and she fell asleep.
The lanterns on the docks had been lit and the dock was lit with enough light to see a dark shadow of a man. He was probably out for a walk, but stopped a little way off from Ana. Then, he continued and walked up to her. He touched her face; it was cold. He picked her up and walked back the way he had come.

Chapter I

Ana awoke to the sound of muffled shouting. She sat up from a wooden floor and looked around. She saw that she was in a jail cell. ‘Where am I?’ she thought in horror.
Just then, she heard stomping down some steps from across the room. A large, muscular sailor came down the steps. He saw Ana and walked over to her cell. After taking some keys off his belt, he unlocked the door. Ana tried to step away, but he took her arm and drug her out.
The sailor took her up the stairs, Ana struggling all the way, and they arrived at a deck. ‘I’m on a ship?!’ Ana thought frantically, looking around and seeing the vast ocean all around.
The sailor let go of Ana’s arm and she began to run away from him, buy she tripped over a pile of rope. She fell to the ground very hard. “Oof!” Ana fell flat on her face.
Ana heard someone chuckling and saw someone’s boots. She looked up, holding her nose, and saw a man with blonde hair. She frowned and sat up. “Where am I? And who are you?!” Ana demanded. “You’re on the Iron Fall, my ship. I’m the famous pirate, Captain Kire Morgan,” the man said. “Why am I here?!” Ana said. “Because…” said a sophisticated voice, and Ana watched as a tall, slender man with shiny, dark-brown hair walked up next to the captain. He continued, “I saw you yesterday. You were looking for a job. You were there all day and no one hired you. You were sleeping outside, where it isn’t safe. I knew you would get cold, so I brought you onboard.” Ana then asked, “So, why was I in a jail cell?” “Oh, we don’t have anywhere else for you to stay at and…it was to keep you safe from these scalawags,” the captain said and gestured to his crew.
“So, the brown-haired man said, kneeling down to her, “I’m Fukyuu Ori. Will you join my friend, Captain Kire’s crew?” Ana glared at him, “I won’t believe an abductor. Of course I won’t join pirates. So, you’ll just have to kill me.” Fukyuu looked disappointed and he said to the captain, “I’m going to my room.” “Okay,” Captain Kire replied.
After Fukyuu was gone, Captain Kire scratched his head and said, “Well, if you don’t join my crew, it’ll be hard to convince them that you’re not a prisoner, because most of them don’t understand. They think a jail cell is for prisoners, and it is, but… Never mind. You can work for a smaller pension than the crew members. Bru, take her back to her room.” “Aye, Captain,” Bru, the pirate that brought Ana from the cell, replied. He took Ana’s arm and brought her back to her cell. He locked the door and left, after he put Ana in.
‘This isn’t right,’ Ana thought. She walked over to a corner of the jail cell and curled up on the floor. ‘Stupid Fukyuu…Ori,’ she fell asleep after that from fatigue.

In the afternoon, Fukyuu came down to the cells with some food for Ana. Fukyuu opened the cell, went inside, and locked it behind him. He noticed Ana was sleeping and gazed at her face for a moment. He sighed and gently began to shake her shoulder.
Ana woke up, her eyelids slowly lifting until her eyes were opened. She gasped when she saw Fukyuu and quickly tried to punch him, but he caught her wrist. She frowned and tried to hit him with her other fist, but he grabbed that wrist as well. Ana growled as she struggled to get out of his grasp.
“I brought you some food,” Fukyuu said. Ana paused as he held out a tray. “It’s poisoned. I’m trouble, right? So, you’d poison me,” Ana said bitterly. “No, it’s not. Look,” he said, picking up some food. He almost ate it, but Ana grabbed his hand. “Don’t kill yourself to show me it’s poisoned!” she said. Fukyuu was shocked and ate the food anyway. “No! Now they’re going to think I killed you!” Ana said, holding her head and closing her eyes. “You didn’t do it, Ana. You didn’t do it…” she said to herself.
Fukyuu touched Ana’s arm. “Ana, it’s okay,” Fukyuu said. “No, you’re probably just immune to poison,” she protested. “Won’t you at least eat something?” he asked her. “No, I’m not hungry,” she said.
Fukyuu sighed and left. Then, he staggered to his room. Captain Kire saw him and wondered what happened.
Fukyuu collapsed in his chair. Not long after, Captain Kire came in. “What’s the matter?” he asked Fukyuu. Fukyuu leaned his head back on the chair, “I tried to get Ana to eat.” “Ah, so that’s her name.” Well, I tried to convince her by eating some food myself.” “Oh. So, I’m guessing you’re not feeling too well now.” “Yes. Could you hand me that Red Root potion?” “This one?” Captain Kire held up a glass bottle with dark red liquid in it. Fukyuu opened his eyes, “Yes, that’s the one.”
Captain Kire handed him the bottle and Fukyuu put some in a glass. He drank it quickly and sat back down. “Thank you,” he told the captain. “You shouldn’t do that again; you don’t know what could happen,” said Captain Kire, and he left. Fukyuu sighed.

‘He looked pretty concerned,’ Ana thought, ‘Maybe he was telling the truth.’ Ana pulled the tray over to herself and weakly ate the food.
Once she was finished, she fell asleep. She could feel her strength slowly coming back as she did so.

In the morning, Fukyuu came down and saw that Ana’s tray was empty. He went inside to pick up her tray. As he was about to stand up and leave, Ana’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm. Ana was still asleep, as he noticed, and took her hand off his arm. Then, he touched her head and left.
Fukyuu soon came back and put a blanket on her. He had some breakfast for her and set it down on a barrel in the cell.
Ana woke up as he was about to leave and said, “Thank you… Mr. Ori.” “You can call me Fukyuu,” he said. “Thank you… Fukyuu,” she blushed when she said his name. “You’re welcome, Ana,” he smiled and left. Ana held the blanket tightly around her as she watched him leave.
Ana ate her breakfast quickly and sat down again by the wall. She wondered why Fukyuu was so kind to her.

Later, a skinny, short crew member came down to the jail cells. "G'Morning, Miss Ana. Are you ready to swab the deck?" he said. "Sure," Ana sighed and he let her out.
They went up to the deck and he handed her a mop and bucket. "I have confidence that you'll clean it better than t' others," he said. "Heh. Heh. Thanks..." Ana said un-surely. Then, the pirate turned to two pirates, Bru and Jugger, and said, "Mind yerselves lads! We've got a lassie on board and I don't want any trouble!" "Yes, Mr. Weasel!" the saluted and Weasel scurried off.
Once she was done, Ana was tired. It had taken her two hours to clean the large ship's large deck.
Leaning against the railing, Ana looked up at the calm, blue sky. She was glad she had finished her job and hoped the pirates would be satisfied with her work.
Jugger and Bru had been fixing up some sails and came down from the rigging. They walked up to Ana and showed her their tattoos on their arms and faces. Ana was pretty grossed out when they began to flex their muscles. 'I don't like these pirates; they're acting strange,' she thought.
Suddenly, Ana felt someone's cool fingers cover her eyes. The person pulled her in close to himself.
"I'd appreciate it, if you never did that again," Fukyuu said. "Fukyuu?" Ana asked, being relieved that he saved her.
Bru and Jugger were very apologetic, "We're sorry! We won't do it again." Fukyuu doubted it and walked off with Ana.

After they'd gotten away from the two sorry pirates, Fukyuu said, "I'm sorry that they acted like fools." He put his fingers through his hair and sighed. Ana smiled and he gave her a questioning look. "Thank you," she said, putting her index fingers together in a childish manner. "You're welcome," Fukyuu smiled. Ana blushed and he chuckled.
"Oh. Captain Kire wants you to eat dinner with us tonight," said Fukyuu. "Okay..." Ana replied slowly. "What is it?" Fukyuu questioned. "I- I don't have decent clothes to wear," Ana said. "That's taken care of," Fukyuu said, "Wait here."
Fukyuu walked off and came back quickly, holding a cream dress. "Here. You can wear this and you can also take a bath in on of the tubs that Captain Kire acquired recently. Then, you can come eat dinner with us," he said.
"Th- Thank you," Ana said, accepting the dress. Fukyuu smiled and showed her where she could take a bath.

When Ana had finished bathing and put on the dress, she went up to the deck. Fukyuu was waiting.
"You look better now," he smiled. "Thank you," Ana replied bashfully.
Fukyuu led Ana to a room that had a long table; Captain Kire sat at the head of it. The dinner was on the