Hidden in the shadows, Wyatt angled his head, moving his lips closer to one of his men. He then whispered to the soldier on his right, "Find the captain. Do what it takes to get him ready to sail back."

    The soldier nodded and pulled out a gun tucked inside his blue jumpsuit before taking determined strides towards the captain''s deck. During their briefing earlier, they agreed upon hijacking the boat as their plan Z.

    Footsteps echoed and faded the farther the soldier walked away, and slowly, the uncertainty of his situation turned Wyatt''s throat dry. Naturally, he swallowed. His Adam''s apple bobbed as sweat dribbled down from his temple, leaving a trail on the side of his face until a blob of liquid salt dropped on his jumpsuit. Stealing a glance on his watch, he made a mental countdown until their back-up would arrive.

    Meanwhile, by the main deck, Nikolai Vasiliev regarded each little girl as if they were dolls displayed on a shelf. He took his time, smelling the emotions that reeked from their skins.

    Some reeked of curiosity, and he loved how those who did would look him straight into the eyes. There were others whose fascination smelled like a rose freshly cut from the garden.

    Nikolai Vasiliev was never a fan of playing favorites. Not after being subjected to the sideline by his own father who was never fond of him. But he certainly preferred one scent out of the others.

    It was that one scent which he loved the most. It was the smell of fear. Nothing would get him off like the scent of one''s skin when it knew it was in danger. Nothing gave him so much power but to look on a helpless face, crying out in pain as he gifted them with his punishments.

    Walking in a straight line, Nikolai Vasiliev took his grand time to pick his doll. He had to make sure the one he comes home tonight would last longer than the previous one. However, just as he was to pick, his assistant came rushing to his side.

    "Your Majesty," the assistant greeted with a slight bow. He offered a phone with his palm up for Nikolai to take. Swallowing, the assistant informed Nikolai Vasiliev in a whisper, "Someone would like to have a word with you."

    Nikolai''s jaw clenched, but he was quick to school his features, flashing a sinister smile on his assistant. Receiving the phone, he pressed it to his ear and spoke, "Nikolai speaking."

    "I will be straight to the point, Nikolai. Currently, one of my men is pointing a gun at the captain''s head. That said captain will steer the ship back to Nisian waters to secure the children." Maxen dropped the pleasantries.

    "I see someone is done with his honeymoon," Nikolai taunted. He was simmering with rage, yet he contained his anger by dipping his free hand inside his pocket in case he subconsciously channel his anger elsewhere, for example, the little doll standing in front of him.

    Ignoring Nikolai''s snide remarks, Maxen''s negotiating voice was akin to the calm seas that night as he spoke, "In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you act the part of the king that you unfortunately are. I''ll see you in a bit, Vasiliev."

    Alarms rang when the smaller vessel sailed away from Vuono''s royal fleet. The secured gangway between the two sh.i.p.s made clashing metal sounds before it dropped on the sea, making a huge splash that blanketed the smaller vessel.

    As if amused, Nikolai Vasiliev''s haunting laugh boomed in the darkness as he got drenched with seawater. With the phone still pressed on his ear, Nikolai''s jaw clenched when Maxen greeted him.

    "Oh, look who''s here? Welcome to Nisia, King Nikolai of Vuono. It''s a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be hosting you this midnight."

    "Can''t wait to meet you, old friend," Nikolai gritted his teeth. He raised his hand to stop the men who started filing towards the captain''s deck. In his anger, he threw the phone to the sea, letting it drown in the pitch dark abyss, much to his assistant''s horror.

    An hour later, the ship docked in Nisia''s port and a team of soldiers and social workers were waiting for them.

    From where Wyatt stood, the creases on his forehead disappeared when red, amber, and blue lights from the waiting ambulance and police cars blared like christmas lights. When the ship blew its horn, the weight on Wyatt''s c.h.e.s.t dropped like an anchor.

    He should be relieved, yet something''s whispering behind his ear that what happened tonight was just the tip of the iceberg.

    ....

    Hello, guys! This is fille. So I was away for a few days because I tested positive for covid19 but I''m perfectly fine. I''m not showing any symptoms, however, it''s the isolation from my children that was weighing me down for a few days.

    Thankfully, everyone else tested negative in my household and I''m free to join the outside world on December 17 if my test comes back negative. Hopefully by that time I''m clear of the virus.

    One word of advice, if you know you were exposed to someone positive even if you didn''t have close contact with that person, don''t be embarrassed to get yourself tested, and alert the people whom you have close contact with.

    I, myself, was a victim of a third-hand infection which means, a family member was exposed to someone in their workplace. But that family member skipped the process of testing for covid19, hence, bringing the virus home and infecting other family members.

    I was pretty dumbfounded because I just went to that family member''s home to wrap presents because I don''t want my children to disturb me, but in return, I got the Rona. lol

    Anyhoo, my only reprieve in this incident was my children and husband testing negative, but the anguish of what-ifs still plagued my mind like a damn curse. Please pray for my sanity.

    As always, please practice social distancing, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and wash it right away to avoid infecting others.

    Fille wishes you all happiness and safety!