The sheets rustled. The love birds chirped. Nii retracted her feet. There wasn't enough space. From the corner of her eye, Nii could see Leonie lying on her side, staring into space. No one could sleep that night. It was too hot, damped and cramped. Only the love birds didn't seem to mind the heat, as they were in their very own.

Something had stung her on the chest, a mosquito, and it took all of her energy to shift her focus from the pain and itchy skin irritation. The love birds chirped ruthlessly that night. She was exhausted. How can a single mosquito bite be so physically taxing?

Her bones and muscles screamed in pain. The four of them shared a corner of the room deep inside the great ship's belly, Leonie beside the lovebirds, Nii opposite the three. Should she extend her feet, she could touch theirs, and she'd rather not. So she lay there uncomfortably, awake all night long.

And daybreak came. Nii must've fallen asleep at some point since she could remember vague images and thoughts of a journey still before them.

Past Africa, past India

Though, such a route didn't make much sense.

She still felt dazed and tired. When she tried to move her limbs, she suddenly started to feel sick. The journey had taken its toll on her. The long time on the ship and the never-ending heat had really gotten to her.

And then there were the mosquitoes. No one else had fallen victim to them as much as she had. Her sides hurt and itched. She must've gotten new bites. The others were already up and about. Though no light indicated the beginning of a new day, the watered-down coffee did.

'Even so, it still is a luxury.'

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Nii figured it would be best to at least put in the effort to get up, but she still felt so tired. As she was trying to sit upright, her shirt slipped, revealing her burning sides. She heard Leonie and Pania giggling next to her. What was that all about? As she followed their gaze, she saw that the bites had swollen and looked horribly deformed.

"Sorry," Pania said, still giggling. "We just didn't expect to see a sight like that."

"These are mosquito bites," Nii explained, irritated, though, through her haziness, she sounded even more deprived of human emotion.

'What are those two even thinking?'

"If that's true, then that's quite worrying," Mike chipped in.

'Is it?'

She couldn't form any clear thoughts; everything was hazy and white-washed. She let them inspect her numerous insect bites and, ultimately failing to get up, she simply gave up and fell back into an uneasy slumber.

♫

She woke up, or had she even been asleep? There was noise. There always was. Leonie and Pania were giggling about something again. The journey and the long-time aboard should have been exhausting for everyone, but most took it better than expected. She saw Kazuya striding past her towards the others who had erected a living space with a makeshift table and cushions.

Leonie and Pania sat next to the mattress she was lying on; Mike sat close to them, leaning against the wall connecting to the next room. There was cargo around them. Every nook and cranny of the ship was stuffed with goods and things that might become goods if sold at the right time and place. There was only space for wares, no place for the living. So they had to do with what they could get between things more worth than life.

'Did life ever have any worth? Does mine have any worth?'

'Not good.'

Every waking hour felt like a living hell. She had never gotten used to the rocking of the ship, even ships that large rock or was it a small ship in contrast to container ships?

'Probably'

Her bites had gotten infected and were festering into an unholy mess. She had no clear view of the living space from her angle on the bed. She could only hear the laughter. She strained her neck with as much energy as she could muster and faintly saw the others sitting around and talking. Then the noise came to a halt. Kazuya had sat down next to them with his guitar.

And he began to play an old song, one she had loved deeply, and a yearning began to grow within her.

♫