The water was freezing cold, and each wave sent Blake into a new string of gasps as he fought to keep his head above the water. He clawed desperately at the surface, but he could feel the current beneath him threatening to drag him under. It was strong and limitless, while his power was fading by the second. He looked desperately around for something to hold onto, but he was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by churning waves on every side.<br/><br/>And then he fell under.<br/><br/>He plunged down into the depths, his limbs too exhausted to fight anymore. He reached up, weakly, imploring the emptiness above him, but no aid would be coming. It was all over for Blake. At least, that was what he<span style="font-style: italic">thought</span>.<br/><br/>Something came up from underneath him and he felt himself zooming back to the world above; a moment later he broke free of the water's grasp and surged upward into the air.<br/><br/>"Wha's happ'ning?" he said as he looked down and saw a gigantic fish underneath him.<br/><br/>"I HAVE COME TO SAVE YOU, BLAKE," it boomed as they continued to soar through the air with the violent sea now far below them. "YOU ARE SAFE NOW."<br/><br/>Thank you… buh' wha's y'name?"<br/><br/>"MY NAME IS CODIE, BLAKE."<br/><br/>A jolt of pure joy shot through the boy as his dreams came to life; it was happiness beyond anything he could've ever imagined possible. Everything was going to be okay. He wouldn't be drowning, and most importantly, the fish was named Codie. Still, it was difficult to believe it, given the last conversation he'd had with a fish.<br/><br/>"R-really? Y'name's really Codie?"<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">FUCK</span>NO. CODIE IS A TERRIBLE NAME FOR A FISH, BLAKE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW."<br/><br/>"Wait…" he whispered, horrified, as the fish suddenly veered upward, shooting straight up into the heavens, "are you… Joseph?"<br/><br/>"BYE BYE, BLAKE."<br/><br/>The fish turned over, and Blake screamed as he plummeted back down towards the choppy, churning waters down below.<br/><br/>He fell beneath the surface and choked on the salty water -<br/><br/>Blake's eyes opened and he threw an arm out over him in a desperate attempt to swim back to the surface, only to find himself in the bed Margo had lent Mallory and him for the night. But the dream had felt so real… he'd felt the wetness of the water, tasted the salt of the sea…<br/><br/>He choked, and gingerly removed Mallory's hand from his mouth; that explained the taste, and then a moment later he spotted her head on his chest, as well as the large wet spot on his shirt that originated from her open mouth. He breathed a deep sigh of relief - it was just yet another dream that he'd prefer to forget.<br/><br/>Realizing he had to pee, he got up and, upon seeing no buckets available in the room, moved to the door. Strangely, when he attempted to pull it open it wouldn't budge. It was either jammed or locked from the other side - he wasn't sure why, but his immediate response was to put an ear to the wood and listen.<br/><br/>"Two, you said? What kind of condition are they in?"<br/><br/>It was a man's voice, heavy and rough, but the tone was soft, scarcely louder than a whisper. Blake frowned, pushing his head more firmly against the wooden surface so as to hear more clearly.<br/><br/>"A tad bit underfed, but strong," replied Margo's voice, also low but with a lot more energy. "If you push them they'll give you more than your money's worth, I swear on it."<br/><br/>"But you said one's a girl. I ain't biting."<br/><br/>"She's tough, I promise you!"<br/><br/>"On a ship, though… hmm… well I'll take your word for it, but I'm only giving you a quarter of the fee for the bitch."<br/><br/>Blake blinked; his mouth was very dry and his heart was pounding frantically, but he remained glued to the spot. Something was very wrong. Why, it sounded like they were being-<br/><br/>"Come now! We've been doing business a long time, Jarod, you know I don't toy around with words. The girl can work, I said, and if you really believe me you won't try to fuck me on the price."<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence, and then a gruff reply came forth as the haggling continued.  "Half the fee, best I can do."<br/><br/>"Lots of ships sink or get taken, you know, and most times it's not because a<span style="font-style: italic">woman</span>is on board…"<br/><br/>"I know, Margo, but-"<br/><br/>Blake moved away from the door, his eyes wide and his whole body numb; he didn't have the most perceptive of minds, but even he was able to figure out what was going on outside the bedroom. And there was no way out, except for a door that wouldn't open.<br/><br/>However, before he could do anything about their situation, he first needed to tell Mallory what was happening.<br/><br/>He walked over to her and began poking her hard in the side, all while covering her mouth with his free hand as he whispered frantically into her ear.<br/><br/>"Mal, Margo'stryin'tasellusoff t'someguyoutsideth'rooman'he'sgonnacometake us, weneedt'ageh'outtaherebeforeit'st'late," he said as quickly and as silently as he could, only taking two breaths during the proclamation. Mal was probably the only person alive with half a chance of understanding him, and even she'd likely have difficulty with the unrestrained torrent of panicked words he flung at her, but he was too distressed at the moment to care.<br/><br/>He tried to take a breath, and as he looked up he spotted the tiny, rectangular window in the corner over the bed.