Episode 2: One Piece

AMARIS SIMPSON

"So, did you bring the snacks," I asked Zaire once I closed the door. He shook his head, making me roll my eyes. Then, he handed me a plate. I smiled before peeking inside. My mouth watered at the scent. I loved Ms. Calloway's cooking. She always made sure I had a plate since I was alone and couldn't cook. She reminded me of my grandma. "Tell Ms. Calloway I said thank you,'' I said. Zaire kissed my temple and walked past me. I pretended not to see the bag he carried.

"You know she gon' be mad at yo' ass fuh callin' her dat," he reminded me. I shook my head.

"She knows I don't mean nothing by it. I'm just being respectful," I explained. He sat on my couch, his eyes roaming my body slowly. I was wearing a Nico Robin-inspired midi dress with slits on each side.

"Weh you bin'," he questioned.

"Nowhere," I responded after sitting beside him. He leaned forward and sniffed me.

"You smell like the moon," he told me. I furrowed my eyebrows. I never understood what he meant when he said that.

My heart raced as his nose brushed across my neck. "Zaire,” I called him, but he continued. Amaris, he's too close, Noctra warned me. She always got antsy around Zaire, and I didn't know why. I gently pushed him away from me.

"My bad, Ama. It's jis'... yo scent… yo' scent so unique," he explained, staring at me too long. I turned toward the television.

"You ready to watch the episode," I asked him. He flashed me a smile before nodding.  "Did you bring the snacks,'' I asked again. He sucked his teeth before pulling the bag from beside him.

"Greedy ass. Don't think I ain't notice you be usin' me fuh my snacks," he teased. I giggled as I pushed his arm.

"I do not, Zaire," I disagreed. We laughed. "You do have the best snack choices, though."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough of dat. Let's get into dis' One Piece episode," he said, rubbing his hand together. I shook my head and pulled it up. For the next twenty minutes, we watched the episode. I glanced at Zaire occasionally to try to gauge his feelings about it, but it was always hard. Having someone who loved anime as I did comforted me. However, Zaire wasn't the typical anime fan.

"Soooo, what do you think," I inquired. He stared at the TV before looking at me.

"I mean... shit was cool," he finally responded. I gasped.

"Right! Making it a flashback episode of how far each Straw Hat has come was expected, but adding the manga panels was a nice touch... and the sentimental value was the most important... A lot of people were disappointed since it didn't have any action, but I disagree. It was so-" Calm down, Amaris. You're rambling, Noctra warned me. I cleared my throat before focusing on Zaire's bright eyes. "Sorry. It wasn't that great," I apologized.

"Fuh wuh? I love when you get excited like dat. I'on see it often," he said. I blushed. "Besides, creating one thousand of anything is sump'n to be proud of. We ain't need an epic episode. The flashbacks and simple thanks is wuh I expect from Oda," he explained. I nodded.

"Right!"

"Don't do dat."

"Do what," I inquired, frowning, and racking my brain to figure out what I had done.

"Shut down on a nigga," he replied, scooting toward me. I pulled my lip into my mouth and stared at my hands. Zaire placed his fingers under my chin and lifted my eyes toward his. We stared into each other's eyes. "You so beautiful, Amaris. Not jis' physically, but… yo' mind, yo' passion... I love dat shit. You different. Don't hide dat shit, especially not from me," he told me. I gulped.

"I-I-I'm not."

"You are do'." he corrected me. I sighed. He was right. The two of us used to be closer when I first moved to Kingstown at sixteen. I didn't know a lot about my life, but I told him everything I did. I was such an open book that my grandma scolded me about it. However, once Noctra awakened when I turned eighteen, I started hiding. "I miss you. The you dat ain't bin afraid of a nigga."

I chuckled before saying, "Nobody's afraid of you, Zaire."

"Oh, fuh real?"

“Of course, not-," my voice trailed off as he lifted me from my seat and sat me on his lap. Amaris, Noctra called me before I could react.

"You sho bout dat," Zaire challenged as he sniffed me again. I froze. "Mmmm," he groaned.

"You smell so... fuckin' good."

"Z-Z-Zaire,'' I stammered as he nuzzled into my neck. Amaris, get away from him. H-h-he's dangerous, Noctra stuttered, shocking me. Although she was a part of me, Noctra never showed any fear, except for the first time she had met Zaire. That was probably the most memorable day of my life since she awakened.

It was on my eighteenth birthday when she showed herself for the first time. Ms. Calloway and my grandmother had gotten together to throw me a party. The only people there were Zaire and his brothers. They were the only family we had when we moved, since Ms. Calloway and Grandma Rose were root workers. Even though Kingstown was famous for its influx of supernatural beings, root workers weren't revered as the healers they were. They were outcasts because they straddled the fence between humans and supernatural beings. So, we didn't get a warm welcome when we arrived. However, becoming close to the Calloways was our only option. Zaire had four older brothers. He presented as the most normal of the five of them. It used to bother him back then. I always made it clear that I didn't agree that he was normal. There was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on, and once Noctra awakened, it became clearer. Once my party was nearing its end, Zaire and I went stargazing in our backyard.

"Do you ever wonder what's up there,” I asked him as I looked through the telescope.

"Of course, I have," he responded. I backed away from the telescope and glued my eyes to him, waiting for his response.

"What do you think it is?"

"I'on know. If I had to guess... maybe dat's weh you come from," he replied. I scrunched up my face.

"Huh?"

"I mean... you said you ain't know weh you come from. Plus-," his voice trailed off as he pulled me into him and sniffed my skin. My body stiffened. "You smell like the moon, Amaris." Amaris, get away from him. He's dangerous, I heard a voice in my head. Startled, I pushed away from Zaire but ended up falling with him landing on top of me. He chuckled, but I was freaking out.

"You good," he questioned as he peered into my eyes. I blinked while trying to concentrate on the voice. "Amaris, you good?"

Amaris, get away from him now, the voice warned me again. "Did you hear dat," I asked him. He frowned.

"Hear wuh?"

"The voice. There was a-," I was about to say, but realized how crazy I sounded. Zaire scanned my eyes before pushing himself off me. Then, he pulled me from the ground. The voice disappeared.

"Amaris, you good," he asked as he dusted the grass from my clothes. I didn't answer. I tried to concentrate to see if I could channel the voice again, but I couldn't.

"Amaris," Zaire called me again, sounding further away from me.

"Amaris, you good," Zaire asked me, pulling me out of my head.

"Huh,'" I asked. He squinted.

"Yo, you scarin' me. You never zoned out dat long b'fo'. I bin' callin you fuh over three minutes," he informed me. I chewed my inner cheek, processing what he said.

"Three minutes?"

"Yeah," Zaire responded before turning his attention to his vibrating cell phone. He unlocked it and read the screen before looking at me. He tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Aye, I gotta go pull up on Dee. You good by yo'sef, right?"

I giggled. "I’m always by myself, Zaire."

"I know. Dat shit not normal do', especially af'ta zoning out like dat."

"I'll be fine. I just... blanked out for a while. It happens," I assured him. He nodded.

"Aight. I might swing through 'fo' I go home."

"No! No, you don't have to," I shouted simultaneously. He stared at me.

"Damn! You ain't want a nigga 'round dat bad?"

"It's not like that. I just,"' my voice trailed off as I fake yawned. "I'm just tired," I convinced him. He shook his head.

"If you say so, Amaris," he mumbled while standing. I copied his actions and walked him to the door. He kissed my temple before leaving. I pressed my back into the door before sighing.

"Noctra, what the fuck was that?" He was getting too close, Amaris. I told you he's dangerous, she replied. I shook my head. "You almost pulled me into your dimension in front of him. You keep warning me about getting close, but you almost exposed us," I scolded her. I didn't.

"You were close. Too close. Why do you think he's dangerous anyway?" He makes you sick, she answered. I frowned. "Sick?" Yeah. Your heart rate speeds up, you get feverish and sweaty, and your breath gets short. Like that time when you had the flu, she reminded me. I sighed. I finally understood why she thought he was dangerous. It was never clear to me before because she usually didn't know how to explain it. Now that we were close to merging, she was more open with me. Those symptoms she recognized were a sickness. A sickness that made me long for my One Piece.

Amaris dressed in a Nico Robin inspired dressed