The team set sail at ten in the morning. Not an optimal time by any accounts. But Kain paid no mind to the time. What mattered was that they left the mansion.

He couldn’t understand the Hartwells’ thoughts. They had argued so vehemently against leaving and then turned around and left the next day. The decision made no sense, whether logically or emotionally.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. It was none of his business why they decided to leave.

The yacht cut through the murky waters at an appropriate speed. The initial feeling of being on the yacht had passed, and now everyone was lounging with nothing to do.

The autopilot was engaged, and Kain was enjoying his hands-off time. He looked at the people around him and decided to teach them to drive the yacht. His first victim was Jake.

An hour into the journey, Verdana, with her outgoing nature, felt the need to ask Kain a question.

Kain, who was lounging while giving orders to Jake, turned when he heard his name.

"Kain, there’s something I want to ask you." Verdana’s tone was seductive. Her sultry eyes raked over his body.

She received a nod from Kain, telling her to continue.

"I’m curious. Why did you choose my sister and Matt? Of all the people who went with them, why were you sure they would say yes?"

He held her gaze. The flirtatious smile on her face growing bigger.

"A reason." He pursed his lips before answering. "They weren’t greedy."

Verdana waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. Aside from the children, everyone else was listening.

"Because they weren’t greedy?" Verdana asked, bewildered.

"Mhm," he nodded. "The others approached with the idea of taking all they could. These two approached with the idea of taking what they needed."

He pointed to Matthew. "Him...when I saw him, his eyes were full of calculation. Despite his body size, it was obvious he could carry his own weight. He doesn’t do things that don’t benefit him. He looked around the mansion, not like he could take everything in sight, but like he was scanning the most useful parts he needed to take for himself."

Matthew scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t known Kain was watching him so intently. It would explain why the letter he told the children to give him stated his needs so exactly.

"Her..." he pointed at Jaylin. "She’s a professional. More than any one of them, she knows how to use her looks and delicate features to her advantage. Men want to protect her. Women see her and feel sorry for her. She knows when to advance and retreat."

Just when they thought he would stop, he continued. "You..." he pointed at Verdana. "You use sex as a weapon. You find the weak points in a man’s armour, and you play on that. You make him feel wanted, like there is nothing else in the world except him and his needs. You don’t need to play the submissive role like your sister. Your greatest strength is in your aggression."

"As for the silent one...well, she is a different kettle of fish. But she is useful. All of you are useful. You are all adept at hiding your true nature. You don’t think I genuinely believe any of you are good people?"

"Oh, and one of you needs to take over after Jake." He clicked his tongue, eyes surveying the group, and went back to teaching Jake.

None of them expected Kain to have such a way with words. They admit none of them are good people, but to so blatantly state it, no one had done that before.

They looked at Kain, their minds complex. They were unsure of how to act around him.

When a person has been acting for so long, it sometimes gets to the point where they aren’t sure of who they are anymore. They attempt to adjust only to find themselves slipping back into old habits.

Everyone on the yacht is like that, Kain included. He had been reborn and has been restraining him. There is no person who can go through what he has been through and come out on the other side unscathed.

His eyes flickered. The forgotten memories trying to force their way to the surface.

The atmosphere was complex for a moment. Each person was locked in their own thoughts.

Kain adjusted himself easily. He refused to dwell on the past. This was already a new life. He would make sure he lived it well.

The next victim was Jaylin. Not for any other reason than she was the closest.

Amelia found Kain during this time. "So, am I a good person?" she teased.

"Definitely not," Kain laughed. "But you can pretend to be a good girl tonight."

She scoffed. "That’s all you know how to do."

"And I do it well. Or are you not satisfied?" he hummed.

Hitting his chest, she glared at him. "Be serious. There’s something I want to ask you."

He nodded.

"What were you thinking about earlier? You looked so far away."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

’My death’

"Nothing. But if you want to take my mind off whatever you think I’m thinking we could go..."

He hadn’t had time to finish the statement when he heard Jaylin calling to him. She stopped the yacht.

Her anxious cry caught the attention of the others who were relaxing on various parts of the yacht.

Kain and Amelia were the closest to her, so they were the first to see the problem.

"Shit," Amelia murmured.

The yacht rocked with the waves. The sound of footsteps on the yacht steadily moved towards the bow.

Before them lay what can only be described as a garbage pile. It stretched as far as they could see on either side of the left or right.

The floating debris held a random assortment of various items. From cars to pins. They all appeared to be interlocked, but by what, it was uncertain.

From the looks of it, they had two options.

Clear a path or find a way around.