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quiet. A smile over takes her at the gesture. I don’t speak, she thinks and covers her mouth, trying not to laugh.
    He shakes his head and closes his eyes briefly, realizing his mistake. “Sorry,” he mouths. He points at the door and whispers, “Intruders with guns.”
    Her sapphire eyes go wide. Guns, unlike whips, kill instantly. As she backs away in a waddling position, the nickname Ducky suddenly fits the situation perfectly.
    “ She’s like a ticking time bomb!” a woman barks with venom.
    “ There’re no women on this ship besides you, lady!” Captain Travis argues. This surprises Summer.
    “ Sit your drunk ass down,” a man commands. Something clicks.
    The intruder’s voices grow louder as they come closer to the door. Landon takes Summer’s hand, pulls her up when they aren’t in the window’s view anymore, and sprints down the hallway. She continually glances over her shoulder, wondering if they are behind them. Her heart is pumping rapidly, and her palms grow sweaty. Landon doesn’t let go, only picks up pace. Her blonde hair flies behind her like a waving curtain. She’s running out of breath quickly—living on a ship doesn’t exactly provide much exercise. As they round the corner, they both come to a skidding halt. He swiftly pulls her behind his back and tries to keep her out of view. She looks under his arm at the girl standing in the middle of the hallway—the reason they stopped.

CHAPTER 5: JADEN
     

     
    15 years old
     
    Long, shiny black hair, beautifully bronzed skin, and eyes so dark you can’t even call them brown. The girl is about her age, she notices. But who is she? They’ve never seen her before. Around her neck is a leather necklace with five wooden button-like beads that look like they’re choking her. The girl holds her hands up to say that she means no harm and whispers low in an American accent, “Follow me if you want to live.” The voice is familiar.
    “ And why should we?” Landon interrogates, his voice low and sure. His muscles are stiff, and he’s on high alert.
    “ Did you not understand the part about living?” the girl asks in disbelief. “Suit yourselves, but when you’re flying around as ghosts remember I told you so.” The girl turns, flips her black hair behind her back, and strides away.
    Summer pulls at the back of Landon’s shirt. When he looks back she can tell he’s not certain of what he should do. She points at the girls back and gives him a little push.
    “ Wait!” he calls out, and the girl freezes.
    She pivots around while a smile creeps up her face. “Ah, thought you’d change your minds, but you had me thinking otherwise for a second.”
    “ What’s yer name, and what’re ye doing on this ship?” he asks sharply.
    “ My name’s Jaden, and I’m here to capture Summer,” she says simply, like this is normal for her.
    “ Pft !” he huffs, but a surprised Summer peeks around him and points at herself in question. He sidesteps so she’s not in view anymore.
    “ Yes you, silly. Remember me? We used to have cells next to each other.”
    Summer steps the other direction and looks around him again. The memories of her time as a four year old are some of the worst of her life. The only part she remembers without physically flinching was when she and Jaden would sneak in conversations when the guards left. They never saw each other besides through a slot in their doors, but her voice sounds so familiar. She nods at Jaden.
    “ I see you never got out of the slave business. Well, neither did I.” Jaden frowns and absently rubs her scarred wrists.
    Landon steps back to look between the two girls and their interactions. “Ye know her?” he asks Summer.
    She nods, her eyes not leaving Jaden who’s almost Landon’s height. She has scars up her arms that remind Summer of her own burn marks. Her eyes look haunted, though her face is unruffled. Her body is not quite as small as Summer’s, but clearly her diet isn’t that