In Deeper Waters

by F.T. Lukens

Who was this boy who valued sea glass the same as pearls and gold? Who was he to smile slyly and tease Tal and touch him casually and make his heart race?

Death, he discovered, was simple, not the terrifying and daunting fate that had loomed over him during his time on the ship.

And I know you’ve always said they’re just rumors, but if enough people speak them, if enough people believe in them, then they aren’t just rumors. They are truth. Those same rumors are why I was taken and why we’re in this situation.

Very true statement - sometimes rumors will take on life

“The world isn’t kind,” Tal said as Garrett held him at arm’s length, the flames of the torch flickering from the ground, casting them both in eerie shadows. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be.”