"Forrest!"
Seeing Skylar coming toward us, Euphie, Elsa and Yvonne shrieked, and quickly ran over to me. They stood between me and the leader of the pirates, human shields of sorts. Nicholas' blood was still warm on Skylar's hands. I could almost see a dark shadow engulfing Skylar—the same shadow that seemed to radiate from every murderer. Euphie and the others could scarcely stop themselves from trembling as she came ever closer.
I held my ground, standing tall and proud. As I looked at their slender backs, my chest warmed with gratitude. Despite how afraid they were, the three of them were still here, trying to protect me. I grabbed their shaking hands as gently as I could and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
Just as I was about to say something, Skylar spoke. "If you're so worried for
