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“Once, the sea sought a lover, and so she bedded the sky,” the musician began.

Ninti shifted her weight between shoulders, bouncing to the catchy beat. Vanessa glowed brighter, the ship cutting through the water faster.

Zayne tapped on my shoulder, and I spun around.

“Shall we dance?” he asked.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I was waiting for you to ask.”

We drove a heavy beat. Spin and twirl, dart and stomp. We clapped the beat against our bodies, pumping fresh blood.

We danced back and forth. The small deck became an endless dance floor. I chased him, and he caught me. He wrapped me in his arms, lifting me from the ground. I soared. He laughed.

The song grew in a crescendo and then crashed, the release of a wave. Ninti howled, singing to the clear sky.

Facing the dying horizon, we embraced the night.