The Island of Many Fates

"Never came up." Axelle said with a hiccup.

"You're right...want more rum?" Artemis grinned stupidly.

Axelle smiled. "No thanks!" She collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"You do..."said Artemis. He promptly spilt a bottle of rum over her head and collapsed alongside her, laughing and giggling crazily.

Axelle blinked as rum slid down her face. "Uhh..." she hummed, staring at Artemis. This is weird. Pretending to be drunk to mess with the kid's head? You're more messed up than you were yesterday. Axelle sighed and looked over at him. "What was thaaaat for?"

Artemis peered at her through a strange fog that was pervading his mind. Something was wrong. I don't drink...how did that bottle end up in my hand? How'd I get drunk? Why is the room swinging... These and other highly intelligent thoughts passed through his mind.
"Uh...you looked thirsty?" He looked into her eyes. "Wow...you're eyes...are...sure are...pretty..."

Axelle's eyes widened but she plastered a goofy grin across her face. "Well thanksh mucsh." She said, tipping over.

"You're welcome," Artemis smiled back drunkenly. "And you smell sweet...a tangy, rummy, sweetness, you know..."

Aha, sooo the truth comes out. Silly boy. Axelle thought with a smirk. She looked at Artemis with a smile. "You're a sweetheart." She said giggling.

"Haha. Not really, you know..." Artemis sighed a mournful sigh. "At times I feel bad for the people I've killed. Never had a chance, you know. But then...I re-remember I hated them." He sighed again, brokenheartedly. " You...you look so nice now, you know...like...like something out....of the books I read as a child...so long ago..." And Artemis began to weep silently.

Axelle stared. "Are you o-okay, Artemis?" She asked, throwing an arm around him. She completely dropped the drunk act and grew far more concerned than she should be. A little too revealing when drunk, Artemis. Just a little. I have no idea how to react... you don't like him. Shut up, Axelle.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "I'm just drunk," he said in a tone one would use to explain to a small child that "a" is not a number. "I dunno...dunno...sometimes I'd like to die, you know. But I get bored...and stop thinking that..." He tilted his head and rested it on Axelle's arm. "I sure...am glad I won't...remember this in...the morning..." He breathed in deeply, feeling more infatuated with Axelle by the moment. "You're a pirate...princess?" he asked again, smiling drunkenly.

Axelle sighed. "Er, yeah!" She exclaimed, pulling her fake state on again. This is pathetic. "I'm tired. I'm gonna take a nap." She smiled, and stood up, careful to ensure Artemis didn't get hurt. She hopped onto the bed and closed her eyes.

Artemis glanced at her sadly. "Not much...fun talking...to me..."
The room cleared as something snapped. "Oh...oh my God." No...I didn't...I couldn't have...Full realization of what he just done hit him on the head like a sledgehammer.
"Oh no...oh no..." Artemis shook his head, paling. "What..." What the Hell did I just do? He gave a rasping gasp then sat down, appalled. His mind had cleared at the worst possible moment. I'm gonna remember this in the morning.
He put his head in his hand and tried to will it all away, then looked at the seemingly asleep Axelle and reached for his morphine, his mind spinning.

Axelle heard Artemis fumbling around and sat up. "What are you doing?" She asked, wide-eyed. "You better not be going for what I think you're reaching for." She glared.

Artemis withdrew his hand from his pocket. In it was a syringe and a vial of morphine. "Why not?" he hissed. "I've ruined everything again. I deserve some rest. Some release. And you don't even like me, you drunk fool. I thought you were asleep."

"I'm not drunk." Axelle said with a sigh. "Come on. You don't want to do that. Well, I'm sure you want to. But you shouldn't." She rolled off the bed and crawled over to where Artemis sat. "Please?" She whispered, placing her hand on the hand holding the drug.

"Not drunk?" Artemis stared at her blankly. "That makes it all the more worse." His hand trembled violently. Please, she said. He let go, resignedly. "So now I lose my one safety? The one thing that was there for me, always?" His drunken eyes reflected an ancient pain, ancient for his young age. "I end up with nothing? Nothing! I came on this trip for nothing?! For more pain?" He laughed brokenly for a moment, then stopped, wincing, as if the sound of his own laughter hurt. "Fine, take it then." He shuddered horribly, and shut his eyes tightly. "You all hate me. The arrogant captain, his wretched girlfriend, those performers, those other two, and you. Isn't that miserable? Why, of course it is! It's so miserable, it's funny!"

Axelle took the drug and set it down. She threw her arms around his neck and held him close. "I don't hate you. That's my problem. And everything you said was sweet. So I don't care. You don't have to hurt. You don't have to run away. You can face it. You're strong enough." She whispered, and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

As soon as Axelle touched him, Artemis began to sob; quiet, gulping sobs. "You should be drunk...You'll regret this come tomorrow..." he whispered. "Nothing will have changed. You'll just resent me more, that's all..."
He shook his head. "I'm not strong enough. I used to think so, but now...I realize I'm alone. That's why I run. I kill others before they kill me." He then realized he was crying. He remembered what she had said. "You said you don't hate me...that that's a problem...why? And don't be sorry. You did nothing to me...nothing...not you, no..."

Axelle huffed and sat back. "I can't say why it's a problem." She muttered, looking away. Her eyes landed on the morphine. "Here, have this back." She held it out. "I, um, trust you." She turned around and climbed back onto the bed.

"Huh..." Artemis' eyes shone. "You shouldn't, you know." He seemed undecided, then put it away, and removed a vial with sleeping pills in it. He seemed to relapse, and poured and insanely large amount of them onto his hand. "Yep, that should do it," he murmured drunkenly, and popped the whole batch in his mouth, and started searching for water, or something to down them with...like more rum.

Axelle looked up. "Artemis, what the hell did you just do? Spit them out."

"Nah, I gotta sleep. Maybe when I wake up this will all have been a bad dream, and I never really got on the boat, or met you. Maybe I just dreamed you up..." While Artemis spoke, all the pills fell out of his mouth. "Well, darn."

"Don't. Touch. Them." Axelle ordered, her eyes narrow. Despite not being able to see, the sound was proof enough.