Heavenly Seas - Chapter Seven

Whatever Heath did, he did in devoted faith. He believed in equality; he strived to fight the injustices in the world. Yet, he found himself unable to shift the horrors that lurked within his family and surroundings. Not many people knew he nearly died from a severe allergic reaction to cow's milk. No matter how much he craved milkshake, one sip would be enough to call the Grim Reaper. His allergies tore him apart from his family for years. The vegan community took him in, but even their antics got on his nerves sometimes.

His life work had been tainted by scandal after scandal. Whilst many mocked him for his beliefs, he chose to stand by them, even if it meant being threatened with a life in a psychiatric hospital. A fate worse than the executions he witnessed on the farm.

The signal had gone, so he couldn't even ring his fiancée to tell her the news. He didn't know what Rebecca knew, and she would have to find out through a screen. What if something happened to him? Josephine promised anyone wearing her jumpers would be safe, but what if that was a lie? How he missed Rebecca's smile and warmth. He would swim back to the UK in a heartbeat if he could.

Heath felt his spirit jerk out of him. Observing the decks, he saw a woman in a black jumper. The scrawny little journalist had a jumper on. Of all the people Josephine could have knitted a jumper for, why did it have to be Elaine Jinx? Heath knew that Elaine would have been getting plenty of scoops. His mother always said Elaine was the curse of her life. He wanted to know what happened to his brother. There nothing that could be done without his body.

Heavenly Seas was due to stop by the Caribbean, but the search for Calvin's body delayed things. There was no chance of Calvin being alive now. Heath had little hope of them finding his body at all. The whole thing was a big mistake; he should have stayed at home.

His surviving brother was getting stranger. He would disappear for hours and then only turn up at night. Theo charged into the cabin with a box and placed it on Elodie's lap. "Oh, Mummy Dearest, I got you a gift from the art gallery."

Elodie's eyes lit up. Heath observed them both from a distance. Their reactions appeared strange for somebody who had lost a member of the family. Heath never understood how they could play happy families on a haunted ship. He lost many hours sleep over it. His eyelids became dark and patchy. He had yet to see them cry: not even one tear between them.

"What's the gift?" Heath asked, showing his inherited humour. "Wine-infused eyeballs?"

"It's so much better than that," Theo exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Elodie opened it without a shred of hesitation. Heath gulped, unsure what to expect, but expected the worst.

"What's that?" Heath asked.

"Oh, isn't it beautiful?" Theo said, admiring the art that Elodie pulled out of the box. Elodie gasped, then her lips turned into a smile. It was a clay model of Elaine Jinx beheaded by Elodie herself.

Thankfully, with the jumper, artwork wouldn't be an omen. Heath knew his mother blamed Elaine for Calvin's death. Even if she had nothing to do with it, she would blame her anyway. In a way, she was right.

Heath prayed for Elaine's happiness. It was because of those articles, that the family was damaged beyond repair. The stuff Elaine had said and done drove his mother into insanity. Now...it had affected Theo too. At the same time, Heath started to wonder if Elaine's claims were true. Her stories remained consistant and she never stumbled on her words. His heart accelerated; his family's breakdown scared him way more than any curse that lingered on the ship.