Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 263

A door slammed at the far end of the corridor and the Captain rushed to the side of his daughter with a
frown upon his face.
‘Oh dear, David. You should have told me that you lots are facing those nasty pirates. I should have come
with you…’
‘We’re fine, father.’ She glanced at Dave’s shoulder. ‘And we will be fine. Also, you see. Your daughter
managed it well.’
‘Yeah, Captain. She turned on her full vecom-mode that scared the pirates away effectivity. You should see
the way her hair attacked the pirates like octopus. Flying all around like seagulls.’ He shot a humorous look
at Lexi.
‘Oh shut up.’
Her father laughed and ushered them to the cabins. ‘Go to rest now. When the sun rise, we are expected to
be on the land of Lydia. According to your mother research, they’re living a poor life and don’t have
anything decent to use. Hope that we can help them tomorrow.’
‘Yes Captain.’ said Dave, and Lexi, playfully.
The Captain patted Lexi head, nodded at Dave, and went back to his cabin.
Dave turned to Lexi to ask her a question, he turned his head yet stop short when he saw the face of Lexi.
Concern and anxiousness covered her face. He hoped that she was still doing ok after the fight with the
pirates just now. Though she had been practicing all through the years, it was still the first time her father
actually let her to be on battle. Maybe her father finally saw that she grown up already.
Just looked away, Dave. He told himself.
Yet he couldn’t. Instead, he noticed how worried she looked. The Captain had been far more lenient with
her, and he had been telling to the others to take care of her, arranging Dave, the toughest of them all, to
look after her. Anyone who had been with the Captain long enough would know something was up that
the Captain didn’t want to tell them, including Lexi. He didn’t blame her for being anxious. He himself
was. He just hoped she would be able to relax, at least for a while. Just after the daybreak, they had works to
do. They couldn’t manage to lose focus when they had a great mission tomorrow. The land of Lydia,
according to the Captain, was a land of thirst, hunger, and tears. Only with their help would they be able to
become a live city.
Lexi caught his staring and looked at him curiously, ‘Have I got something on my face?’
Dave looked away immediately. What’s with him this day? ‘No, you’re fine.’
‘Oh.’ She paused. ‘You want to tell me something?’
He widen his eyes, ‘How do you know?’
‘I’m pretty good at reading you now you’re always with me.’ She shrugged . ‘What is it?’
‘It’s actually nothing important… I’m just curious. How can your mother knew every places we had to go
and that they’re in need? Had she been there before? If so, why don’t she help them back then?’
Lexi leaned against her cabin door. The corridor light casted upon her made her looked formidable yet
gorgeous- goddess-like, Dave figured.
Stop letting your mind wandered, man. Dave pinched his hand to focus on the words of Lexi.
‘My mum was once the greatest warrior in the whole country. Yet, as the emperor listened to the wicked
that she would threaten his place, he forced her to enter the wild and never went back. Propitiously, her
will to survive lead her travel through nations. She met different people, tribes, countries, which she figured
out they need help in order to have a decent life that she once had. When she met my father, he had been
distributing food to the homeless. Though he was a noble in his country, he still used his very own hand to
do so. Before my mother grew sick and eventually returned to God, she worked on the map and the book
on the people that she wished to help. My father, wanting to complete her wish, built Alice and brought all
of us to serve the others.’ She gave a small smile to Dave that he couldn’t control himself to give her his.
The purity of the hope her mother was magnificent. He had never heard something that noble. He had
never believe it. But coming from the mouth of Lexi, it seems that even the least possible thing could
happen.
Even miracles were possible.
‘Done with the bedtime story, Dave?’ Lexi raised an eyebrow. Dave was looking this relax was new to her,
just like she was talking to another boy instead of the straight instructor of hers.
‘Yes, Lexi. Thanks.’ Dave cracked another smile, and it took all the breath out of Lexi. He was just so
breathtaking, this normal side of him. ‘Get ready for tomorrow now.’
‘Dawn practice too?’
‘Dawn practice then.’
They opened their cabins’ doors, and stopped outside.
‘Goodnight then, Dave.’
‘You too, Lexi.’