Present Day

Their ship always arrives at the shore with an ear splitting bang. Their captain always makes a point to fire their loudest canon or gun when they dock, startling the entire village awake. The entire crew always gives a sadistic cackle as the women and men on the island scream and scramble from the noise. Because for most, it unraveled the most gruesome memories. Jane often clings to my side as their weapons ring out. Her hearing had grown sensitive since she'd lost her eyesight, and the ruckus was almost physically painful for her. A metal plank is lowered from the gaping side of the ship. It's rusted hinges scream in protest as it slams down against the concrete docks. I tuck Jane protectively behind me as the soldiers begin their descent. The crueler ones often kicked her around the most.

They were all as we remembered. Towering, stocky, pale skinned soldier boys dressed in ghostly white uniforms with weapons strapped to their sides; their mocking and disdainful expressions all carbon copies of one another. Their captain strolls towards us leisurely. There was no particular leader in our village, so when we made these brief exchanges, he often talked to whoever was available.

"Good evening, Captain," I say with as much respect I can muster.

"Afternoon," he responds curtly. I spare a glance over my shoulder to see with great relief, that my peers had overcome their fear of the noise and had assembled in a neat line in preparation for the crew's arrival.

"We're ready for the next shipments and our supplies," The man looks down at me distastefully, as if genuinely trying to comprehend that I was indeed a human being who needed the food and water he carelessly delivered every month.

"Take your places," The villagers make haste for the docks with Jane following close behind, recalling that the last time we failed to meet their demands efficiently enough, they tossed our rations overboard and left us to starve for the following month. I watch painstakingly as the higher ups advert their attention from me before gazing eagerly down at the lower docks where some of the crew began unloading our supplies.

"Hello again!" I beckon, catching their attention. The lot of them look up, and to my delight, a soft smile breaks across their exhausted faces. The boys who passed on our equipment were all the youngest in the crew. Unlike the rest of the staff, they were clad in ghostly white uniforms, all deteriorated from lack of care and age. Each of them brandished a grey band on their right arm just below the shoulder. It was a stark contrast to the sharply pressed royal blue military jackets the remainder of the troops sport. There was almost an air of shame that physically manifested around the boys when you tried to address them, and the commanders made no attempt to let it go ignored. They strolled around abusing and spitting on the group, kicking their meticulously packed crates the floor and doing everything they can fathom in order to make their time here more grueling.

And yet despite it all, I've come to discover that they're among the kindest human beings I've ever known in my entire life.

"Good day, Miss!" A boy near the back calls out. He boldly abandons his crate on the pavement and jogs up to meet me, Knowing that if he were caught not working, he could lose a finger for it.

"Elias! Lovely seeing you again," I say. He wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up in a spin. The wind makes his bangs fall dazzlingly across his hazel eyes. His pale skin caught the sun's rays in a way that makes his entire being glow an iridescent gold. He sets me down gently and I dip in to wrap my arms around his neck. A young boy whistles from the back of the group and Elias rolls his eyes in good nature. Several of the men jog over to greet me as well, and I embrace each of them with rejoice before they all scatter back towards their stations - in fear of being caught

"She your new girl?" We both glance towards the direction of the voice to see a scrawny shy boy limping towards us. Elias' carefree jubilance melts into something softer at the sight of him, and I recognized the true unconditional affection he had for the boy almost instantly.

"Only if you fell for her too, Tobias," he says intertwining their hands. He turns my way, the warmth in his smile never dimming, "This is Ms.Sparrow, ID 198."

"A pleasure," I clasp Tobias' hands in a warm greeting; he flinches at the sensation, and I pull back in surprise, quickly recognizing his fear of being touched by strangers.

"Apologies, Tobias." I back away and bend down in a bow instead. He seems flabbergasted at the gesture, like no one in the entire world had ever respected his boundaries before. I could see it in the way his eyes widened and his forehead creased; it broke my heart. My eyes land on his right leg momentarily, and I notice the wooden peg sprouting from just beneath his knee.

'An amputation?' I wonder with pity. But I suppose I should be relieved for him. I hear rumors among the boys that it's not uncommon for the captains to neglect them when they're sick; to just allow their illnesses to devour them until they're nothing but bones and ash. I glance back up towards Elias to find him gazing unwaveringly at Tobias. It triggers something inside of me; something so painfully familiar I almost double over in agony. But that's impossible. No one had ever looked at me with such love before, I was sure of it. And yet I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, somewhere, there was once a time when someone had looked at me that way as well- constantly, as if my existence inspired them to live.

But how?