14.
The cabin was cramped, with bunk beds, a table, a chair and a small closet with toilets and a sink, and it smelled strongly of rust and diesel fuel. Oliver turned to the sailor who had shown them in and handed him a hundred-dollars bill.
« Bring us our meals in here. »
The man lifted two fingers. Oliver obliged and closed the door. Nola opened the tiny porthole to let the fresh air in and sat on the lower bunk. Oliver slid their bags under the bed and looked at her.
« Okay, one rule, you never leave the cabin without me. »
« Listen to me, Oliver, I may be confident enough to stand my ground, but I'm not stupid. I have no intention of leaving this cabin, period ! Now, what's our next stop ? »
« Nagoya. »
« Great, I always wanted to visit Japan. »
Oliver shook his head and opened the cabin door.
« I have to check up on something, I'll be back later. »
« All right. »
Once she was alone, Nola sighed. The adrenalin rush she had when she confronted the captain has started to wear off, leaving her shaky and cold. She grabbed the cover and draped it around her.
She started to realise that wanting to save Oliver from a potential suicide attempt was laughable. He was not her mother. Even depressed, Oliver would never imagine taking his own life. He'd much rather live in Hell than die. She had made a fool of herself, disrupted his carefully planned journey and probably put them both in harm's way. She could say she was sorry, but what good would it do ? He couldn't smell her self-reproach, so she wallowed in it for a few minutes, sighed and decided it was best if she just forgot about the whole thing and made the best of the situation. She took her phone out, wanting to call Roxanne to pour out her heart, but she realized the hull of a ship was stopping all form of communication.
When he came back with lunch half an hour later, Oliver found Nola lying on her bed, reading quietly. He handed her a sandwich and sat on the chair to eat the other.
« Thanks. I really have to start keeping a record of what I owe you. »
« Don't bother. Please. »
« It's a question of principle. I don't want to be in your debt. »
« Don't die and we'll call it even. »
« About that… »
Oliver wondered what she was going to ask now. A kidney ?
« Will we have some free time, or are you working to pay your fare ? »
« I pay so I don't have to work. Why ? »
« I'd like you to teach me how to fight. »
« What ? No. No way. »
« I just want to learn how to defend myself. If the captain had only slapped me, I'd have been knocked out. Basic moves, simple techniques. With half a foot missing, and even with a good prosthesis, my balance is different from what it was and I need to learn how to move. I thought you could help me. »
Oliver looked at her. He had seen her courage in the face of danger, in the face of pain, her determination and her resilience. She didn't want to be a vigilante, just learn self-defense.
*****
He was back on Lian Yu. Slade had been taking care of him for a couple of days, teaching him how to fight. They both had bamboo sticks and Slade was kicking his ass at every move. His whole body hurt and his bruises had bruises. Slade had no patience, and no respect for him. But he had to train in order to fight and leave this Hell.
*****
« All right, I'll teach you. »
« Thank you. »
« And how is your foot ? »
« Good. I had another surgery, and now I'm more bionic than ever. »
« Bionic ? »
Nola removed her shoe and sock. There was a tattoo of an anchor with a heart on her ankle she didn't have the last time he'd seen her.
« Your tattoo's new. »
« Yes. I had it done the day I got back home after my stay at the manor. It's the symbol for hope. »
« It looks great. »
« Thanks. You'll have to tell me what yours mean one day. »
She took her artificial foot off and showed him what she meant by bionic. There was a metal implant in her stub, with two holes that seemed to go inside her bones. Oliver was stunned. He had seen her struggle with accepting her stub, and now she had voluntarily undergone an invasive procedure that would further modify her.
« See that ? Inside the prosthesis, there are two metal rods that connect with my implant. Inside, it's wired to my nerves. »
She put her artificial foot back on, there was an audible click and she bent her toes.
« I have some control over the movements I make, but since walking is mostly done unconsciously, it happens in my brain without even thinking about it. »
She took some steps around the cabin and Oliver could see she was barely limping. He was blown away.
« You've come a long way since the amputation. »
« It's thanks to you for a good part. We started… sleeping together before it happened, and once it was done, it didn't change anything for you. You still wanted me. It helped a lot. »
« And you wanted me too, even if you knew I killed. »
The air got heavy with the scents of their desires, but Nola made sure not to react. She had left Oliver because she wanted to be in charge of her own life, and she had the feeling if they ever started something again, he would want to protect her, and that meant making choices for her.
« You said you have a hiking foot ? »
She plunged in her bag and pulled a prosthesis where the forefoot had been replaced with a carbon and rubber blade.
« It's derived from the blades the athletes wear to run. I haven't had a chance to try it on yet, so I'm happy about the opportunity. »
« All that because I didn't want to go hiking with you ? »
Nola laughed. While they cleaned the remnants of their lunch, the low rumble intensified and the whole ship started to vibrate.
« Last chance to change your mind. »
« I never change my mind. »
And through the porthole, they watched the city diminish and disappear from view.
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