it starts with the radio static. the abigail is floating in the middle of the ocean, and everyone is tense, everyone is trying to survive, but alicia feels so alone.

she picks up the microphone, turns the dial, and thats when she hears your voice.

"hello? is anyone there?"

your voice is clear, calm, but there is an edge to it. something sharp. alicia answers, hesitantly at first, and thats how it begins.

you tell her your name is y/n, and you say you are on another boat, somewhere out there, stuck with people you dont trust.

you talk for hours, late into the night when everyone else is asleep.

you tell her about the world before, about music, about things that dont matter anymore but feel so important right now.

alicia has never felt like this before. she feels understood. she feels like you are the only person who gets what shes going through.

you tell her you wish you could be there. you tell her you wish you could see her.

and alicia, being alicia, she blushes, she smiles to herself, she starts looking forward to the radio calls more than anything else.

she starts to fall for the voice in the dark.

"im scared," alicia admits one night, her voice quiet. "everything is changing."

"dont be scared," you tell her, and your voice drops lower, softer. "ive got you. ill see you soon. i promise."

she doesnt know what that means. she doesnt know that "soon" isnt a rescue. its a trap.

it happens when they reach the shore. or when the pirates come for them.

connor is the leader, harsh and demanding, and his crew takes over the boat.

alicia is terrified, she grabs a weapon, she tries to protect her family, but then she sees you. you are standing there with them.

you have a knife at your hip, you are wearing the same rough clothes as the rest of them, and your expression is cold. completely different from the girl on the radio.

alicia stares at you, her heart dropping into her stomach. "you?" she whispers. "youre one of them?"

you dont smile. you dont apologize. you just look at her, and there is something dark and intense in your eyes. "i told you id see you soon, didnt i?"

it feels like a betrayal. it feels like you lied to her. you used her.

you found out where they were, what they had, and you brought your people right to them. alicia hates you for it.

she feels stupid, she feels used, like she was just a game to you.

but then, when no one is looking, you find her.

you corner her in a room or a hallway, and the moment everyone is gone, your demeanor shifts. its not soft, not really, but its intense.

"you think i wanted this?" you say, stepping close to her, invading her space. "connor saved me. i owe him. i do what he says."

"you lied to me," alicia hisses, trying to push you away, but she doesnt really try that hard. there is something about you that pulls her in even now. "you made me trust you."