For the next two days before the day of departure, Crystal learns about several compartments of the ship. She memorizes the structure and interior of the ship and all the departments, and functions of each department.
Within those two days, Crystal had the blueprint of the map of the ship with that, she put together a plan to move into the ship.
Tobi on the other hand was on the verge of a panic attack and running mad. He was uneasy and anxious, every minute felt like the ground had opened up and swallowed him whole over and over again.
Why was he worried?
He had not seen Crystal for the two days and being that she had planned to leave the island he was scared that she had already left.
He could not tell anyone that Crystal had gone missing and if anyone noticed that Crystal wasn't out and about like the other kids on the shore playing or swimming they would often ask him, He would simply reply
"Oh?! She's playing farther out in the sea" and diverted away from answering any further questions, he wasn't quite the liar.
Every night he went to bed he would stare at Crystal's mat and hope to see her again.
As annoying as she was when they had fun together, Tobi never wanted to be apart from Crystal ever since they were just toddlers,
Crystal was his favorite sibling, he adored her and admired her,
Even though his other siblings did not like her very much Jana despised Crystal than anyone in the family,
Their parents loved every single one of them equally but since Crystal wasn't their biological daughter there was a limit to how much they could defend her from negative remarks or comments about her.
Tobi is the only family member who truly cherishes Crystal, he does not fit into his community,
Everyone had dark skin, afro hair, and dark brown eye while he had a darker skin tone, incredibly long and curly hair, and bright green eyes, the contrast was appalling to some of the elders and the people of the village they all treated him differently, which is why he loved and admired Crystal.
Despite being completely different from the entire village, Crystal never backed down. Her short soft blonde hair and bright crystal blue eyes were what made her understand she did not belong to not just the village but this world. She understood that she was called for something greater.
That knowing was tattoed on her heart and brain, she never felt bad when she would be insulted and left out of playgroups or her step-siblings, she was brave, bold, and crazy.
Tobi, seeing how Crystal handled her setback made an impression on him, he truly admired her because of that.
Knowing that she was going to leave the Island made him worry, he did not know how he could handle the maltreatment from his people, no one would be there to protect him or tell him comforting words.
His mother and father only pressured him to be a "strong man" and "deal with it".
...
At night Tobi lay on the floor in his room, tossing and turning, he sat up and held his legs close to his chest, he looked out the floor-to-ceiling window and stared at the moon.
"Sis... I don't know what I'll do without you"
Just then there was a knock coming from the window, Tobi was startled and immediately pushed his head against the wall in fear, then the knock came again this time louder, "Tobi! It's me!"
The second night before the voyagers left for their own country, Crystal came back home.
When Tobi saw her, he cried. He ran straight towards the window opened it for her and hugged her.
"Sister!..." *hic*
"I thought you'd gone and left me alone" *hic*
"You know I wouldn't leave you Tobi" Crystal chuckled as she patted his curly hair.
The two were especially close.
Crystal had no parents or family on the Island and she doesn't look like anyone on the island. Everyone was dark-skinned with black hair and dark brown eyes, she was lighter in complexion and had bright blue eyes with blonde hair. The only exception to this contrast was Tobi.
Tobi was also dark-skinned but he had bright green eyes and curly short brown hair unlike the rest of his family who had dark brown eyes and black afro hair.
...
Twelve years ago, on a cold rainy night, there was a knock on the door of the Ọkan family cottage. It was a three-year-old child, soaked, cold, shivering, and drained in the cold rain.
'knock knock'
"Who is there?"
There was no response.
Tobi who was just two at the time when he met Crystal, was in the arms of his mother.
Mrs. Ọkan had a worried expression as she held Crystal close to her bare body and covered her nakedness with a large piece of clothing called a 'rapa'.
He remembers peeking from a corner of the room as a little toddler to see his mother kneeling close to the fireplace with Crystal resting on her chest, singing Crystal to sleep.
'Poor little girl, how did she end up in this bad weather
When Crystal fell asleep Mrs. Ọkan put her down and wrapped her in another rapa and placed her beside the fireplace.
Mrs. Ọkan left to her room and had a chat with her husband about what had just happened and they decided to raise Crystal not as their daughter but as a form of hospitality and let her be on her own when she's of age...
Tobi as a little boy sneaked out of his room and walked over to the room where Crystal was sleeping, She was wrapped up and fast asleep, Amazed at how different she was from him he stretched his little hand to touch her skin but instead he fell over and hit his fire head against hers,
"Baby!" Tobi's mother yelled as she saw him fall over, she rushed to carry him up to the ground and kissed his forehead, "Oh buba, does it hurt?"
Tobi had tears building up in his eyes but stopped himself from crying when he noticed Crystal's eyes.
"Mama..."
"Yes, baby?"
"C...K.Crystal..."
Tobi stared at Crystal's wide awakened face, unfazed by the forehead bump, Crystal closed her eyes back and fell back asleep.
Tobi's mother noticed this and was surprised by the level of concentration Tobi had as he started at Crystal.
"Ah yes... She is a Crystal"
"Mama..."
"Yes, baby?"
"Big sister?..."
"...oh... uhmm yeah... That's big sister" Tobi's mother was shocked at his question but she agreed to his question, Crystal was now their new family member.
"My Big sister... Is a crystal..."
At that moment, Tobi's Mother realizes what to name Crystal.
"Big sister's name Is Crystal, baby..."
"Big sister's name is Crystal?" Tobi's eyes got wide open as he stared at Crystal.
"Yeah... Your big sister's name is Crystal indeed sweetheart"
...
Twelve years later, Tobi and Crystal are close to each other and they even share three great friends.
-------------------------------------------
*inaudible voice*
Goo'Go'go with the voyagers'Go'go to the land they came from
'... I don't want to"
'Go!'
'No! No! no! No, I don't want to!'
"Ahhhh!"
Crystal suddenly wakes up from a dream where an inaudible voice speaks to her in her dreams, urging her to go with the voyagers but she doesn't want to.
She looked at Tobi asighedghs in relief, Tobi was still fast as looking out the window Cryst whispered to herself.
"It's that dream again"
*hiTearsars begin to roll from her eyes
"Go and save the world she mocks the voice in her dreams-
"Crystal?" Tobi calls out
Crystal hurriedly wipes her tears and responds to Tobi.
"Hmmm?"
"You can't sleep?"No"No no, you can sleep, I want to get some fresh air"
"Okay good night," Tobi says and goes back to sleep.
Crystal has always been like an older sister to Tobi and vice versa for Tobi, he's seen Crystal as a role model and a Big sister anyone can count on. He cares about her very much and would do anything for her, likewise Crystal.
------------------------------------------
Crystal is also quite the man,
As the oldest of the four boys, she's also the strongest compared to Tobi, Tara, and Tesha.
Crystal, in all of Tobi's childhood memories, was a superhuman, there are times when she took up the responsibility of the first ideal son of a house.
On one occasion, a wild Elede (a wild boar) attacked Mrs Ọkan when she was on the farm with her husband but Crystal, who was seven at the time saved her from the attack, not only did Crystal do that but she also killed the Wild Elede.
Crystal also chopped the firewood for the house and did most of the fishing with Mr. Ọkan.
Tobi on the other hand was a reserved and calm boy, who loved playing just like everyone else but refused to do strenuous work because he thought that that was the duty of the 'first child'.
--------------------------------
The next morning everyone was up and about their daily business and the voyagers were packing up and getting ready to sail back to Neda.
Once they were ready, the village people gathered around the shore to bid the voyagers farewell.
The ships were lined up on a straight path facing the sunset, The crew members came on the dock of the ship waving the villagers goodbye, amongst the villagers waving goodbye to the voyagers were Jana and his 3-year-old younger brother, Tara. He was with his other brother Tesha, and he soon realized something was off, Tobi wasn't with him neither was Crystal...
They had followed the voyagers.
Jana runs back home with Tara in his arms to tell his parents what happened but as he gets home and opens the door he sees his mother in tears, he looks at he and he notices there was a note in her hand, it reads:
"Dear Father and Mother,
If you're reading this, I am no longer on the island, I am with Crystal. We're both on our way to a faraway land for a greater future...
Tell my brothers not to miss me because I won't be missing any of them... I'll also make sure to send you letters about our adventures and discoveries so that your hearts don't wither because of our unknown whereabouts.
Love you,
From Tobi".
!Extras!
[ Crystal always called Jana "a rookie" from the very time she met him; when he was a baby and Jana acted as the name says about him, thereby becoming a rookie of not only the house but the rookie of the whole village. The rest of Tobi's siblings had their unique behavior, Tesha was the bookworm of the family while Tara was the artist of the family. ]