cade murdock . d4 fin

[MATTIO]

cadence murdock
seventeen
district four

. . .

. .

.

and breathe.

[MATTIO]

C A D E.

"Isn't your family, like, filthy rich?" Humble beginnings. Humble eternities. Someone told Cade that the Murdock name he carries means something. Or meant something. Once. The thought that someone with one-quarter victor blood frozen in his veins scarcely runs over him. "Uhh–" A socialite upper class man Cade is not. "I don't think so?" He gives an unsure answer, doing his best not to seem offended or awkward. Outside of Gin, his father, and his father's coworkers, there's no time to talk with anyone.

People mistake him for the other Murdocks all the time. His Uncle Ollie's family lives on the opposite side of the district, probably building towers made of gold coins because they have more than they know what to do with. But Cade wouldn't call his side of the family poor. Sure, the power goes out every once in a while, and Cade middle-mans with his siblings to get their dad to call the guy who knows a guy who will mend their roof after a storm for half the cost. They're humble because they want to be, not because they must. If Attis and Gin were in dire straits, he's sure good ol' Uncle Ollie, a man Cade's spoken to twice before the incident, would lend a hand.

In truth, Cade doesn't spend enough time at home to truly know how bad it is. While Gin and his older half-brother and half-sister live at the house, Cade lives on the sea with his dad. Most school days, Nicky drops him off early in the morning at the harbor. He slips through the door and heads to the shower with his fingers crossed that it'll have any warm water left. Regardless, he'll wash the ocean scent off before school. If Dad has any messages he needs to pass on to the kids, he'll leave them on the kitchen table before heading out. Do they know, Cade wonders, that I'm the favorite? Cade's the only Murdock outside of Nicky himself who knows where they boat off to every day. He is Dad's conduit, the one he'll look in the eye of without flinching.

Regarding his mother, Cade cannot say he thinks of her often. He has a single photo of her, kept in an overused and chipped frame. Not having her in the picture only pushed him further to his father. From what he’s been told, his mom has problems with drugs and alcohol twice as bad as Nicky. While living in his father’s fishing boat and coastal house is challenging, it would’ve been dangerous to live with her. Gin asked him once if he loved her, a woman he’d never met. Umm… I think so." She gave birth to him, so he sort of has to, right? I love that you gave birth to me, that’s a really important event core to my life!

Before the incident, thinking about life in terms of “love” and “happiness” felt ridiculous. Cade exists, uncomplicated, and that’s good enough.

⚓

Their schedule is as uniform as the tides below, gentle waters an anchor for the pair. Nicky drops Cade off at the docks as if it's a parking lot swap, transferred like a child between sea and land. Quick. Silent. After the aforementioned stop to shower at home, he goes to school for whatever social and intellectual fill it has to offer. Gin checks up on him under some caring siblinghood obligation. He's older than her, by six minutes as Nicky always likes to point out. Why everyone seems to mention it and why it makes Gin so upset is beyond him. They're born on the same day and blow out candles on a cupcake at the same time. One of them works on the ocean and the other on the earth, two worlds that in tandem help each other live on.

Five minutes before the last bell rings, Cade slips out of the school's back entrance, skipping extracurriculars and award ceremonies to get back onto the boat as soon as he can. They pull out of the docks by 3:30 and venture out to the fishing spots. Nicky's already clocked in all his morning hours, but they work twice as fast through the afternoon and night. They fish until midnight. Typically, Nicky mans the boat while Cade nets whatever fish, lobster, and crab they can find, along with any other treasure they happen upon.

⚓

The ocean leaves him more tranquil and focused than before. Even on rougher days when a storm is near, finding peace at work brings him some joy. His feet dangle over the edge at the rope attached to mesh nets sink deeper and deeper with the catch. The boat rocks when the rope has reached its end, waking Cade from a trance conjured up by the sunset's reflection fluttering in the waves.

It's a heavier catch than usual. Cade's not a master of the sea yet, so getting a big load is rare. Typically, he's able to bring it up with his might, but if it's too much, Nicky will help set the rope up to the pulley. He shouts for him. "Dad. Feels like a pretty big cash-in tonight. Wanna come out here and give me a hand?"

No response. Dad's probably just downstairs looking at the bills. The boat isn't much, but they have a bedroom each and a kitchen down there. Cade leans down the hatch, shouting for his father again.

. . .

. .

.

With no sound but the ocean's waves brushing against the metal boat, he climbs down the ladder. "Hey–" He says in the direction of his father's room. His door sways between open and shut with the boat's rocking. "I need help up there with the nets."

Nicky's in bed– an unusual sight before midnight and before he's checked on the boat one last time. Cade walks in, and immediately the thick sensation of alcohol clicks in his nose. Once full bottles, used as collectible decorations, are empty. One whiskey bottle is shattered alongside vomit on the floor. Cade's always known about his father's trouble with alcoholism and drug use. Considering his mother did too, it's something that's always mentioned at doctor's visits. But the realization of this fear leaves him frozen in the doorway for five minutes. His father is knocked out in the middle of the ocean. It could be worse; he could be in distress not breathing or dead. That gives him some comfort. But they need to get back to the docks sooner rather than later. He doesn't think his father is in danger, but the thought of it could be worse. Makes him sweat. It could be. It could be.

Cade attaches the netting to the pulley, praying that he did it right and the catch isn't lost for good. He drags the netting into the container at the back of the boat. The trip back to the docks is a rocky one. While he knows the basics of boating, Cade's a novice at best. The rough waters lead first to rain and then a storm. Shit. They were supposed to get back to the docks early today because of the storm.

Heavy clouds filled with tumbling thunder make it hard to navigate. The rain goes from a sprinkle to a shower to full-on storming. The lighthouse's beam is the only tool to guide him back safely. He turns on the emergency lights as he gets closer to the shore. It's not safe. Rainwater trickles into his shoes. They make it back in one piece– thank god– but the man and woman waiting at the docks look at him suspiciously.

"Anyone manning the boats out in the sea must have a license. You don't look old enough to get one."

Rain masks the frustrated tears in his eyes. Cade sniffles. "Yeah… um, I don't really-"

"What were you doing out there alone? We told everyone to be back before ten in anticipation of the storm."

He takes a step to block the hatch down to his father's room. "Just got distracted with the time, you know? Like…"

"Ain't this Nicky's boat? …and aren't you Nicky's kid? Nicky, dude!"

He tries to stop him from going down the compartment, but the damage is already done. Graciously, they offer to take Nicky to get looked at in the hospital. "You got anywhere to go, Cade? You can stay in the lighthouse if home's too far away?"

Little do they know that the boat's his home. With his father, that's the best place for him. But with the choices at hand, the woman hands him an umbrella and sends him back to Attis, Ariadne, and Gin at the house. Clothes soaked and wreaking of the sea's torments, Cade falls into bed, lying there as his shivers exhaust him into a light and uneasy sleep.

⚓

Things happen quickly in the following days. His father is okay, thankfully, but relapsing into old habits makes some believe he's bad at his job. Not his job as a fisherman, but as a father. Cade rolls his eyes at those claims, especially the ones that come from the mouths of people who don't know half of what he's done. But the testimony in favor of his father's good character and parenting aren't enough. Cade's never been known for being a public speaker. Slow, lethargic, and not at all compelling.

Cade sits in a chair beside his father, both of them looking toward a Peacekeeper with their report on his desk. "We think it would be best for you to go someplace else, Cade. Some place more stable." It's a threat. He's sixteen, not nine. He doesn't need to be stripped away.

"I don't think that's true, but," he stops once the Peacekeeper's eyebrow raises. Cade doesn't fight it; it's an argument he isn't capable of winning.

"Is there anywhere else you can stay? With family perhaps?"

There's a brief pause. Mentioning the coast house is only bound to create more issues. Cade shrugs.

"You have an uncle, yes? Oleander? I hear he has a lovely house on the other side of the district." Cade can feel Nicky's grip tighten on the arm of the chair.

"I could do that. I don't mind if they don't mind." It's not the response his father wants, but in Cade's head, it's a million times better than living with some random family. "It'll be something… new."

⚓

Sure enough, they don't mind. Living in Uncle Ollie's old-money mansion is different from life on the boat or even back with Gin at the house. They have strict rules about privacy. While his door is shut, it's always open. Uncle Ollie inspects his room often like the Peacekeepers do with the shipping crates that go in and out of the docks. It only took Cade one inspection to learn the rules as his joint and lighter were both confiscated on the second night. They had him sign up for career training classes. He took one when he was twelve, but the days spent pulling nets through water on the boat trained him to become strong.

He looks back on memories from his old school where people would ask if he was a filthy rich Murdock. Seeing the perks granted to him by Uncle Ollie and the family, he can say now that being wealthy isn't as exciting as everyone makes it out to be. He's obedient out of pleasantry. They invited him into their home, and Cade's not one to step on toes.

On the day before his seventeenth birthday, something feels off. Why does fresh air feel so rotten in this new chapter?

Uncle Ollie takes him to the pool in the yard. "Water, and swimming, are important to the family, Cade. I doubt your father taught you such." He stops at the smaller body of water, inviting him to step in. "We just want to see where exactly you're at."

Cade dips his feet into the water, which is somehow freezing despite the modest temperature outside. "Everyone says I've got good fitness and stamina." He pushes himself in. His heart rate and breathing have always been slow.

"Do you just want me to float in here, or..?"

"Just go under and hold your breath." There's a click of a stopwatch and Cade sinks voluntarily. The water chills his bones. There's about thirty seconds before his body begins to feel discomfort.

He ascends until his head bumps against a solid surface that wasn't there before. His eyes squint above, to see an opaque glass cover over the top of the pool. Cade taps at it with his hands, but it ceases to budge. Uncle Ollie's face looks down at him, a muffled "Not long enough."

Cade continues banging at the top. He's not just strict, he's fucking crazy!

His throat expands in distress as he continues banging. Let me OUT! He hums with more passion and conviction than ever before in his life.

Submerged. They're drowning him. Ollie and Nicky have always been at odds, but to go this far?

Cade's body can't take the breathlessness anymore. On instinct as if he were above water, his mouth widens for a breath. It's then when the panic settles in and his head desperately clings to the corner of the hole for some comfort, the glass opens and Uncle Ollie rips his nephew from the pool and onto his side on the grass. Cade coughs the water, chest wide gasping for oxygen rather than water in his lungs.

There's a firm pat on his back and a whisper in his ear. "Not long enough, but we'll train."

He coughs up the last bit of water before curling his knees up to his chest.

"Okay." Compliant but terrified.

"We'll make a Murdock out of you yet."

[MATTIO]

ᴥ

dibs for you, king!

[ᴥ]

Screaming crying throwing up with rage over the plot my character is responsible for making happen. Cade! Is! Such! A! Good! Boy! It's seriously so cozy in his head, to see him go through so much suffering and roll with the punches. Don't worry, the next drowning will be more excruciating so you have that to look forward to!

Accepted!