A Pirate's Life for Me
Chapter 1
Catherine the swashbuckling pirate, jumped to the top of the crow’s nest. “What do you mean? I will never give up my preasouis Bird!”
“Arr! Ye will though!”
“Never!”
“Catherine, your homework please.”
My eyes flew open. I wasn’t on my presouis Bird, I was in school.
And Mrs. Inkly was standing over Me. “What do you mean your won’t give it up? Did you not do your homework, Catherine?”
Snickers went around the class room.
“No, ma’am. I did it. I was just.—“
“Day dreaming. I noticed.”
The class room arupted into hsterycal laughter. Mrs. Inkly swept her gaze around the room. The laugher stopped.
“And, Catherine.” She said. As I handed over her board with her problems on it. “Young British ladies, aren’t pirates.”
Yup, you heard right, that’s me: Catherine Mckow. The British girl who wanted to be a pirate. It was the year 1767. And young women such as myself, exspecly a Admrial’s daughter, didn’t work or daydream. They sewed and learned to be proper and such. But no me, no. I wanted to be a pirate! I thought they were the most thrilling things on the face of the earth. I knew what they did to pirates when they caught them, oh yes I did. They hung them. But I determined that I would never get caught if I was a pirate.
“Catherine! Hello!” My friend Eilean waved her hand in front of my face. “Earth to Catherine!”
Her British accent was thinner than mine. Since she was from the New World. Her long dark hair and muddy water skin where much different than my blonde hair and white skin.
We lived on a tiny island called: Port Royal in the middle of the sea somewhere. I’d lived here my whole life, and I’d never gotten a chance to see the outside world. That was probably why I was so obsessed with being a pirate. Being a pirate meant freedom to me.
I gently hit Eileans hand away. “I’m here.” I said.
“Good, because I have to tell you that Mrs. Inkly, gave you this note to give to your mum and dad.”
I learned to not correct her with how her British terms. It was mother and father to me and mum and dad to her. We just went with it.
“Really? I was just daydreaming.” I would of slipping in MyWorld if Eilen hadn’t said,
“Well here’s what it says, Dear Mr and Mrs Mckow, your daughter Catherine has been.—“
“I know already, Elien!” I snapped.
“Sorry, I was just trying to help.” Her brown eyes were full of hurt.
“Sorry, I’m just bloody mad.” I said. “How am I soupossed to do my work when it’s tiring?”
“It’s not tiring, it’s exciting. Numbers are...”
I didn’t hear what the rest of what she said. I took the note from her hand as she talked about how grand numbers was. I didn’t like Numbers, and I never will.
When I said good bye to Eilean and went into my house.
It was a grand house with windows and rooms golor. I loved the house, the attic was the best place to play MyWorld.
But I couldn’t ecsape up to the attic fast enough, because my mother was there in a split second.
“Catherine Melissa Mckow! Give me that note!”
I slowly decended the stairs, just like a young lady would. But my mothers wasn’t impressed.
“Don’t try to hide that from me, young lady!” I gave her the note and she read it. “What have we told you about daydreaming in class?”
“Sorry mother, I just get carried away.” I said.
“Well, I have not choice but to punish you. You cannot go out tomorrow with Eilean.”
I dropped my board creating a loud noise, which echoed threw the house. “But mother! It’s my birthday!”
“You shouldn’t have daydreamed then.”
“Now, now dear. It’s our daughter’s thirteenth birthday. We must let her celebrate.” My father all dressed up in his Royal Navy outfit. He looked so grand in it.
“I’m sorry, father. I really am.” I said. Gathering up my board.
“Catherine,” My mother sighed. “ladies do not pick things up. Or bend over.” My mother scolded, but I had already picked up my board.
“How about I take her out on my ship, darling? I’ll be able to watch her, just incase she daydreams off.” My father said.
My mother stood there for a second thinking. “I guess that’s alright. I just want her to behave.”
“But I do! I just daydream and then.—“
“We know, dear. Come on now. Supper.” My father gently pushed me towards the stairs.
The next day, which was Saturday, I changed into my sailor dress and my blue cap. I didn’t put my hair up, even though Mother kept telling me too. Putting my hair up have me headaches. But she finalley got me to put it in a long braid. My hair was very long, so the braid went down to my back.
“I swear that one day you’ll be the death of me.” Mother said.
I turned around and gave her a hug. “Don’t say such things, mother.”
She hugged me back. “I love you, Catherine.”
“I love you too, Mother.”
I walked up the gank plank of Father’s ship, the Merciful. I loved Father’s ship, but not as much as I loved my ship the Bird. Alass, I could only see it and ride it in my dreams and daydreams.
“Catherine, don’t go off to where you go.” Father said.
I snapped back to reality. “Sorry.”
Father held out his arm and I took it. “So Ms. Mckow, what do you think of the weather?” he asked.
I giggled, I loved this game. “I think it’s rather nice out. What do you think, Mr. Mckow?”
“I think that the sunshine is coming from my very smart and buetiful girl.” She picked me up and twirled me around. “Your growing up too fast, Catherine.”
“I’ll always be your little girl, Father.” I said, after he put me down. I gave him a hug.
“Always.” He said.
The sun was just right, so that it wasn’t in my eyes and the wind didn’t blow my loose hairs in my face. I smelled the salt of the sea.
Catherine Mckow, the mighty pirate queen, stood upon her mighty ship the Bird. She looked across the sea at the ship in the distance, the other ship’s flag was raised.
“None shall take the Bird!” she called.
The flag had a Jolly Rodger on it.
Jolly Rodger? I snapped back to RealWorld. I took a better look at the oppessing ship’s flag. Yes, it did. It had a Jolly Rodger on it.
“Father!” I called.
Father turned towards me. I pointed to the pirate ship.
“Good grass!” he called. “Men! Set sail back to port!”
The Merciful was too far out at sea to go fast enough! I thought. And the pirate ship was gaining.
“Load the guns!” My Father said. He had his hands behind his back. And he was back and forth on the ship. The soliders were rushing to fulfill his orders.
Father came up to me. “Catherine, go down below.”
“But.—“
“Now.”
I obeyed and went down below. I was scared. I hoped that these pirates would be nice ones, like me if I ever got to be one.
I heard my father barking orders left and right. Then I heard the gaint splash of a cannon ball. I knew from the yells above deck, that we didn’t fire. The pirate ship was faster then it looked.
Chapter 2
The ship rocked and I fell to the ground. Crying out in pain.
Please, please, please, let this be a nightmare.
The Merciful and the pirate ship had only been battling for a couple mintues, but our ship was getting blown a part.
Then I heard gravels latching on to the sides of the Merciful. The pirates were boarding!
I scrambled to my feet.
Father told me to stay down here.
But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.
But I did, because Father told me too.
I heard swords clashing and angry shouts. I was so scared.
After what seemed like forever the angry shouts and sword clashes stopped, everything was queit.
I heard someone talking and walking back and forth, and it wasn’t Father.
Is he dead?
I climbed the stairs to the top deck and looked out. I saw black boots walking bath and forth.
“Now, tell me, do ye have anything valuble?” a man said. His voice was deep and scatchy.
I snuck on deck and hid behind some barrels.
“No, we were just taking a ride.” Father said.
Thank goodness! He’s alive!
The pacing stopped. “Taking a ride, says ye? Me thinks your lying.”
Lying? Never! My father never lies! And he’s not. He just brought the ship and me.
“Are you sure? Because you look like your hiding something.” The man said.
The other pirates ‘ayed’ in agreement.
“We have not valubles. It’s just the men and I.” Father said.
I looked up from behind the barrels, no one was tied up, but guns were on my father and the soliders. And the man who was taking had a black beard and hair. He was wearing a black hat with a large feather in it. He had black boots and a faded blue jacket. And on his shoulder was the most hidoues creatures I had ever seen.
They were scaley and had forked tounges, and yellow eyes. And there were two of them. One on each shoulder.
“Then why are ye eyes darting towards at barrel?” the man asked.
My fathers eyes snapped back to the man and I snapped back in place behind the barrel.
“Men! Find out what’s behind there!” the man ordered.
“Yes captain.” They said.
So, he was the captain.
Then I resgirted what he had said then barrels were knocked away, showing me to the whole ship. I crabwalked back. But the pirates grabbed me, both on each arm. My hat flew off into the wind.
“No! Please!” my father shouted.
“Ah, ah, ah. Ye do have something valuble on board.” He looked at me with his black eyes. “Ye were lyin!”
I struggled against the pirates trying to break free. “Let go!” I screamed.
“Fistey young missy yer are.” The captain said.
“Let her go!” my father said, and he went to tackle the captain, when a gun shot echoed across the Merciful.
Father fell to the ground, clutching his side.
“FATHER!” I screamed. The pirates seemed to be in shock, because their grip loosned and I ran to Father. His breathing was ragged.
“Father!” I whispered to him.
“Catherine.” He said.
“Yes?” I held his hand. He reached up and touched my face, blood got on my cheek.
“Be…strong…for me…will you?” he asked.
Tears streamed down my face I nodded. “Don’t go father!” I cried.
“Be strong, know that I love you…dear Catherine.” He said, and his eyes went up to the sky.
“Father!” I said. “Please! Don’t go! I need you!”
His hand went limp in mine. I pressed his hand against my cheek. “I need you.” I whispered.
The pirates seemed to get over there shock becase the captain started barking about ‘who shot the man!’ But I didn’t hear anything else. My father was dead. And he had taken part of me with him.
Chapter 3
I closed my eyes.
Father. I need you.
His words echoed in my mind.
“I know you love me!” I cried.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and then it tugged at me forcing me to get up. I turned around and there was a boy. Same age as me. He had muddy water skin. His eyes were as dark as choclate and his long curly hair was has dark as midnight.
He didn’t say anything, he pulled at me forcing me to walk to the railing. He jumped up on it, and held out his hand to me.
I looked at him. “what?” I asked.
“I’m going to swing ye across.” He said. He didn’t have a accent, he just talked like a pirate. A bloody pirate.
“What?” I repeated.
He rolled his eyes. “Are ye deaf?” he snapped.
I shook my head.
“Then take me hand.”
I did I hiked up my skirt and he pulled me up. I yelped, and I would of fallen into the dark sea if he hadn’t grabbed me by the waist.
He had a rope in his hand and he clung to my waist. And we swung across.
I screamed. When he landed he let go and I fell onto the deck of the other ship face down.
Of course, he landed on the railing, on both feet.
I struggled to my feet. I looked up at him. His black hair blowing in the sea air.
“Next time, don’t be strugglen so much!” he snapped. He jumped down in front of me. “I could of dropped ye.”
Not that you would of cared.
“I don’t understand.” Was all that came out of my mouth.
“What do ye mean? ‘ye don’t understand’?” he snapped.
Well, you got snapping down.
“I don’t understand why your helping me. You could of killed me.”
He rolled her eyes. “Why would I be doin that? The captain would have me head if me did.”
I still didn’t understand. This wasn’t making any sense. I saw the captain swing across. Along with the rest of the pirates.
When he had landed, I went to slap him. And I would of to, if it wasn’t for the blasted boy grabbed me by the arm.
“You killed my father!” I yelled at him. I had almost said ‘me’ instead of ‘my’.
“I didn’t kill yer father, missy.” He said. His wooden leg thumping on the dark wood of the deck.
“You shot him!” I yelled. The boy pulled me back. And it hurt.
The captain turned to me. “I didn’t shot yer father. Another one of us did.”
“Who then? Who?” I wanted to bad to do something dreadful to the man who had killed my father.
“Me don’t know yet. But don’t worry,” he went to touch my cheek. I bit at his hand. “I will find out. Me always does.”
And he walked away. I would of bit at all his fingers if the boy hadn’t pulled me back a little more.
“Are ye stupid?” he asked. Pushing me towards the entrance to the bottom deck.
“I’m not.” I answered.
“Then stop acting like ye are.”
Thank you for called me stupid.
He shoved me down to the buttom deck. I had to duck, to avoid hitting my head on the ceiling.
I stopped and looked around, there were leaks everywhere. Water drips from the ceiling and holes were in the buttom of the ship too. Everything was wet.
The boy pushed me to the thing he called a brig. And I didn’t know what it was until I saw it. It was a cell. With metal bars and everything. He pushed me inside.
“Sit, here. The captain will send for ye when he wants ye.” He said. He looked the cell door, and ran to climb back up to the top deck.
I hiked the hem of my dress up and sat down on the soggy bench, and cried.
Chapter 4
This can’t get in my way. Catherine Mckow the pirate queen thought. It was no biggie. These nasty pirates can’t keep me locked up! Nay! They shant!
“You can’t keep me here!” she bellowed. Someone grabbed her wrist and said: “Ye calm down! Don’t be stupid!”
I blinked and there was the boy, holding my wrist as it was in mid air about to hit him in the head.
“Calm down, missy.” He said.
I tried to tug my arm away from his grasp, but it was too strong.
“Are ye calm?” he asked.
I nodded.
He let go.
“What were ye doin any how?” he asked. Sitting down on the other bench in the cell and taking a bite of a green apple.
My mouth watered. “Um…I was just….daydreaming.”
“Well, daydreaming aint gonna get ye out of here.” Then he gave me a sideways look. “And don’t go hittin me. The captain doesn’t like violence.”
Goodness! Where did you ever learn such a big word? I thought you were stupid!
“Sorry.” I looked down at the ground. Why was I daydreaming? He was right, I couldn’t daydream out of this. Father was dead and I was on a ship as a prinsor with bloody, stupid.--
“Yer doin it again, missy.” He said.
I blinked and looked up. “Sorry.” I said again.
He rolled his eyes and threw the apple core onto the floor. I squirmed, such horrible manners! And people thought I was messy!
“The captain sent for ye.” He said, he got up. He towered over me. His dark piercing eyes looked terrifying. He froze me to the spot. “And I advize ye don’t go daydreamin.” He grabbed my wrist and he opened the cell door and we walked out.
We climbed the stairs to the top deck, it was morning, I must have cried myself to sleep last night. The sun blinded me, it was dark in the brig. I shielded my eyes with my free hand. The pirates were up too, opening the sails to start sailing, who knows where, just farther and farther from home and from Mother.
I chocked back a sob.
“And go cryin, either.” The boy said. He turned to face me. He was a good couple inches taller then me. “By the way, missy.” He said. “My name is Jashub.”
Jashub? That was the name of someone in the Bible! In those long places of who married who and had so many children. I was the only person who found those interesting.
“C-Catherine Mckow.” I said. I didn’t bother to curtsy, he wound of called me stupid again.
“Sounds like a bird call.” Jashub turned back around and he led me threw the slew of pirates.
“Good morning, matey!” one pirate said to him, he clamped him on the back.
Jashub smiled. “Good morning, Shobal.”
Goodness! Another Bible name in those long places. Only I would of known that though.
More pirates said good morning to Jashub. We passed a pirate with long black hair like Elien’s. But when the pirate turned around it was a women.
I gasped, and I covered my mouth.
“Good morning, Jashub.” She said.
“Good morning, Perida.” Jashub said.
Another Bible name. These pirates were interesting. I didn’t know if Perida was a girl or boy name, but it sounded girly to me. SO I just went with it.
Perida’s kind brown eyes fell on me. “And this must me the girl who’s father was killed.” She said. Her eyes went back on Jashub. “Don’t’ go hurtin her, Jashub, understand?”
Jashub nodded, his head bowed low and he gently pulled me to the captain’s cabin. The doors were stain glass. Only the church back home had those. I was surprised. He went to open the doors, he stopped and turned to me. “Just rember what I said not to do.” And he pushed open the doors and pushed me inside.
Chapter 5
I almost fell onto the floor when he pushed me inside. And there was the captain. Sitting on the right side of the long oak table charting or whatever pirate captain do in there cabins.
Without turning to me, he said. “Have a seat.” He motioned to the chair at the head of the table.
As I went to pull the chair out, one of those horrible creatures hissed at me. It jumped onto the map the captain was charting and started to cross the table towards me.
I gripped the chair until my knuckles turned white.
“What’s takin ye so long?” the captain snapped. He looked up and then his voice became soft. “Sorry about that, darlin. Jill is protective.” He made a clicking noise with his tounge. And ‘Jill’ went back to his shoulder.
With shaky hands, I pulled out the chair and sat down.
The cabin had treaures galor. And the large windows in the back looked out onto the sea. Everything on the table moved back and forth, the ship had started to move.
“Do you know why I so graciously took your aboard the Truth?” he asked. Still not looking at me.
I shook my head. “No.” I didn’t add a ‘sir’, there was no reason to.
Then, he turned to me. “I let ye aboard me ship, because one of us killed yer father.”
“I still have a mother.” I said.
“But, our Code clearly states: If one of us kills someone and leaves one alone aboard the place.” He said that clearly for me to understand. “That we should take that one person into our care.”
Care? I don’t wanted to be cared for by pirates! They’re--
Catherine couldn’t stand for such behavior!
“You can’t keep me here!” she said. She banged her fist upon the table.
“SNAP!”
My eyes flew open the captain had his fingers close to my face in after snapping postion.
“We can keep ye here, missy. And don’t be forgettin that.” He said. He put his hand back onto the map. Jill hissed.
“We have so many young people aboard the Truth because my men cannot control there vilence.”
I held back tears. All I wanted was to go home!
“That is also another thing in our Code: No vilence. Unless neccary.”
I nodded. But I really wanted to slap him.
He traced his finger across the map. “You’ll go with us on your plunders and voyages until you reach eighteen. Then ye will be allowed to go for ye wants.”
I can’t stay with you! My mother will die of a broken heart! And me, well I will surely die too! And by eighteen, I’ll be too old to marry! I will of has some grandchildren by then!
“I can’t stay with you!” I blurted. I wasn’t in daydream world. I was speaking from my heart.
The captain pushed back his chair and stood up. “It has been the Code for more then a century. So you will stay. I won’t be the first captain of the Truth so break it.”
“But.—“
He put up his hand. “Yer going to have to learn the trade of the ship, missy. I will give you a new name .”
A new name? No! No! I can’t! I just can’t! I want to go home!
Barely holding back tears I said: “What kind of name?” I asked.
“A name from the Bible, one of the names that no one even bothers to reamber.” Then the captain went to the door and opened it. “You can leave now, missy.”
I didn’t wait for him to tell me twice I pushed back my chair and ran out the door. Blinded by my own tears.
Oh Lord! Help me!
Chapter 6
I knew that I wasn’t going to live though this. I was sure I would die.
I went below and hid between was barrels full of fish. I didn’t care how bad they smelled. I just wanted to get away.
I covered my face with my hands and cried, harder than I had a long time.
Jashub found me there, still crying.
“Bird, ye need to calm down, yer going to make yer makin yerself sick.”
He couldn’t possibly know how I feel.
I looked up at him. He was a blur of tears, but I could tell that his eyes were full of concern.
“What?” I asked. My voice sounded cracky. Then I buried my face into my dirty blue skirt.
“Really, Bird. Ye need to stop sayin ‘what’.” I felt him sit down beside me.
“I meant: What did you call me?” I said. My head still buried in my skirt.
“Bird. Because your last name sounds like a bird call.”
I looked at him. “I guess you can call me that, since Catherine Mckow is no more.” Then I started to cry again.
“Ye would think ye would of run out of tears.” He said.
Thanks, that was conferting.
“Being on the Truth isn’t bad, ye know.” He said.
“I-I just want to go home.” I sobbed into my skirt. Mother was of scolded me for messing up my dress. But I’ll never see her again!
Catherine couldn’t let the mean pirates change her! She would always be: Catherine Mckow the pirate queen!’
“Bird!” Jashub snapped.
I looked up. Jashub didn’t look happy. “Ye can’t go daydreamin like that. You have to stay alert on the Truth.”
Easy for you to say, you don’t know how I feel.
I hugged myself and rocked back and forth. “I’m scared.” I whispered.
Apperntly, he didn’t hear me because he just started talking about what jobs I might have, and where I’d sleep.
I didn’t hear half of what he said. And I didn’t care.
Jashub got angry that I didn’t hear half of what he said.
“Stop daydreamin! Ye have to stay alert!” He snapped.
And just when I calmed down, you make me cry again.
“Sorry.” I said though.
He stood up, taking me with him. He had his hand on my arm as we walked up to the top deck again. I didn’t want to go up there, I wanted to stay hidden, so that maybe the captain would forget about me. Maybe even Jashub.
Perida was there to meet us. “What were ye doin down in the hold?” she asked. She smiled.
Some of my fear melted away.
“I was.—“ I started.
But Jashub didn’t let me finish. “She was crying down there.” He turned his dark brown eyes which were full of anger towards me. “She needs to stop daydreamin.”
“Come,” she said. She wrapped her arm around me and led me to the wheel of the Truth.
She told me where to put my hands. And she told me which way to turn it.
She took out my braid and my hair blew free.
Then I felt all sad all over again. Mother would of scolded me for letting my hair fly out.
I let go of the wheel and across the ship and back into the hold.
I nearly fell down the steps. I ran to the deepest and darkest place in the hold.
Chapter 7
I got in trouble.
“What you ye doin?” Jashub snapped. He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet.
“Sitting!” I snapped back. Which I found was the wrong thing to say.
He struck me.
He actually hit me across the face!
My eyes brimmed with tears. For a second, Jashub looked sorry. But then his eyes went back to stone.
“Don’t snap at me that way!” he said.
Why not? Your not in charge of me!
Then I heard someone decending the stairs.
“What in the name of apples is goin on?” the captain commanded.
I clutched my cheek, which was red. Jashub still had his hand on my arm.
“Did ye do?” he asked, Jashub.
Jashub let go of my arm. “She was.--”
“Never mind what she did! We don’t strike people!” the captain walked up to me. “Why can’t my men avoid vilence?”
My cheek stung like crazy.
Perida came down the stairs then, apperntly, she’d heard what the captain had said, because she grabbed Jashub by his ear and dragged him up the steps.
“Are ye alright?” the captain asked. He led me back up the stairs.
Perida was giving a lecture to Jashub. “How could ye be so stupid?” she yelled.
Jashub had his head bowed.
“My cheeks fine.” I said. I took my hand off my cheek. No blood. Good.
“Jashub looses his temper often.” Captain said.
You think?
“He has a real hot one.”
Yes, I can tell. Thank you.
The captain gave me a wet cloth to put on my cheek and he let me sit down on one of the chairs in his cabin. The other creature, Jack, hissed at me. But I sat down anyway.
“I thought him looking after you would work. Since yer both the same age.” The captain said. “And he’s been here a long time. His whole life a matter of fact.”
I nodded. “I don’t think he meant too. It was my fault.”
What did I just say?!
“Oh really? Ye care to tell me why?”
“I started to cry and I went down into the hold. And then, Jashub found me and I think it made him mad because he had to look for me or something.”
The captain nodded. He leaned back in his chair. “I never told you the rules, and apperntly he thought I did.”
“What are the rules?” I asked. I took the cloth off and set it on the table.
“Ye cannot go down into the hold without permission from a higher rank. That is one of the rules our Code has. Look in the Bible at the Ten Commandments.”
I nodded. I’d read those, but I hadn’t done a good job at following them, like honoring your father and mother.
Thinking about them made me cry again.
“Now, now, missy. Don’t ye cry.” He gave me a hanker chiff. “Everything will be alirght.”
That’s what you think. You don’t know how I feel.
“I found a name for ye.” He said after a long and uncofterble silence. “I didn’t make it one that people don’t know, since ye are special. And I’m sure ye will do great things someday.”
Really? Because I think I’ll die before then.
“How does Ruth sound? She did some amazing things, she left her home and family and went with someone to a land she’d never been too. Sounds a lot like you.”
I nodded. Ruth. Yes, it was a nice name. But it wasn’t like Catherine.
I can still be Catherine the pirate queen, no one can stop me from daydreaming.
“Alright then.” The captain stood up. “I am Giedon. The captain and leader of the people on this ship.”
I forced back a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
He smiled at me. “And nice to meet you, Ruth.”
When I came back out, with a change of clothes from Captain Gideon. I felt some of the fear disappear.
I went down. With permission from Gideon, into the hold and changed.
I had a sky blue dress on, with a white blouse underneath. I pushed back my hair, but it wouldn’t stay in place.
Maybe that’s why Mother always orders me to put my hair up. Then I chocked up. She’ll never tell me to do that again. Ever.
The captain didn’t give me any shoes, so I was forced to go barefoot. Which was fine, so was everyone else, besides the captain of course.
I came back up from the hold, Jashub was there. I took a sideways step. He grabbed me by the arm. I yelped.
“I just want to say, I’m-I’m-I’m…” he looked over at Perida. She had her arms folder across her chest, she nodded. “That I’m sorry.”
He let go. I looked at him.
The captain would want me to forgive him.
“I forgive you.”
Relief splashed over his face. “Thanks.” Then he walked away.
Later that day, the captain took us bother aside and told me and Jashub that Jashub would be looking after me.
I didn’t like the idea. He would snap at me everytime I’d go into DayDreamLand. And I was going to do that a lot.
“Do you know like that, Ruth?” Gideon asked.
It took me awhile to realize he was talking to me. “Um…yes…”
That was the huge lie.
“Good. Now run along.” And the captain left.
Jashub and I were left alone. And alone I didn’t want to be. With him anyway.
He noticed I hadn’t said anything for awhile so he said: “Don’t go daydreamin, Bird.” It was sort of a snap but not a whole one.
“I wasn’t.” I said. The wind blew my hair into my face, I swatted it away.
“Then what were ye doin then?” he asked.
“Thinking.”
There’s a difference you know.
“Well, don’t’ go too deep into thought.” He said. He turned to go. “I’ll be watching you.”
Chapter 8
He did watch me. And it made me squrmy.
He wouldn’t let me go down below and be alone. He wouldn’t let me go anywhere without his permission or without him.
The only time I got away, was when I ate meals with Captain Geideon.
I didn’t dare tell anybody about what I felt. I didn’t want to face Jashub’s rath. I was sure he had one. And also, the captain would be disappointed in me.
At bed time that night, it was Jashub’s turn to lead the ship. I was finalley alone.
I decided to read the Bible Gedieon had given me. He told me to freshen up on the Ten Commandments.
As I was reading, I was unaware that three boys: Amminadad, Nahshon and Abijah. Were coming up to me. They were all Mormon. Mormon’s belive some false stuff like you have to be good all the time or you won’t go to heaven. Which isn’t true. You only need to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and you’ll be saved, and you only need to do it once. No matter how much sinning you do, you’ll always be saved.
Anyway, back to the story.
“Well, well, so it isn’t the captain’s pet.” Nashon said. He had brown hair and dark blue green eyes.
It didn’t make any sense that he was Mormon, you would think he wouldn’t tease. Which is mean.
I ignored him.
“Ye don’t think she can hear us.” Abijah said. He had a Indain accent, so sometimes it was hard to understand what he said.
“She’s too busy reading, that’s why.” Amminadad said. Amminadad was Chinese. He had jet black hair with brown eyes in slits.
Perida just said to ignore them and they would leave you alone. But it wasn’t working.
“Where’s your babysitter, Ruth?” they chided.
He’s not my babysitter! He’s an annoying boy!
Catherine knew theses boys would get to her. She would loose her temper and then she was get into trouble. She had to bide her time to plan the right escape.
“What is she doing now?” Abijah asked.
“What do you think? She’s daydreamin.” Nahshon said. He was the leader of the group.
Catherine had to respect the higher in rank, or she would get on the bad side of the captain.
“She’s probably thinking about how much she loves Jashub.”
Oh! That’s it.
I slapped the Bible on my lap. “Would you just go away?”
“Uh-oh, boys, we made the captain’s pet angry!” Nahshon said.
Yep, you pretty much did.
“Shut up and leave me alone!” I said.
“I think she thinks we’ll steal her precious rank as captain’s pet!” Nahshon said. “Or maybe, she thinks we’ll take away Jashub away from her!”
I was holding back tears. I wished they would just go away!
“I don’t like Jashub!” I snapped.
“She defentily likes him.”
I got up and started to walk away. Another thing Perida told me to do. But they grabbed me by me arms and pulled me back. Nahshon got right up to my face. “How can you love the boy who shot your father, Pet?” he said.
Jashub killed my father? No, I don’t.--
“Well?” Nahshon asked.
I skipped anwering his question and just started to tell them to let me go, and leave me alone.
Nahshon stepped back and put his hands up, like he was surrenrding. “Ook! Come on, boys. Pet doesn’t want to play.” The other two boys followed him, laughing.
I sat back down on my hammik. Jashub didn’t kill my father, he didn’t. He’s annoying yes, but would he kill?
Then a horrible thought rushed threw my head.
What if he just wanted me? And killing my father would get me.
I pushed that thought away. I needed facts before I went accusing someone of that.
I climbed back up to the top deck.
The night air was cool. The stars were out and a slight breeze whistled though the sleeping ship.
The lights were on in Captain Geidon’s cabin. I didn’t know when we would see land again. I was lucky that I didn’t get sea sick.
Jashub was at the wheel. And Nahshon, Abijah and Amminadad, were talking to him.
I decided to go back down to my hammik when Jashub said: “Do you want something, Ruth?” He didn’t say my nick name around other people. And I was glad. I would become more of a pet if the Three M’s found out. They walked past me. “Good luck, Pet.” They said.
“I thought they’d never go away.” Jashub said. I walked up to him. “Did you want something, Bird?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Nahshon said you went daydreamin and said somethings ye shouldn’t have.”
And you belived them? You just said you wanted them to leave! You make no sense. Killing someone because you wanted someone doesn’t make sense either.--
“Ruth!”
I blinked. When Jashub was serious, he used my ‘real’ name.
“What?” I said.
“Did ye really say somethings?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Good, because those guys just like to mix up trouble.”
Relif filled me. At least he belives me. That’s a good sign.
Reasons Why Jashub Didn’t Kill My Father:
“I was thinking.” I said.
“Well, me was saying somethings and ye didn’t hear any of them.”
I looked down at the ground. “Sorry.”
“Ye look tired.” Jashub said, after awhile. “Ye should get some sleep.”
I was glad to go. Jashub always made me feel uncofterble. Not like bad uncofterble, just squirmy good. Or something like that.
I curled up into and fell sleep, with only one thought.
I think I like Jashub.
Chapter 9
I had been on the Truth for two weeks now, and we’re finally going to make port.
I was happy, that I could be able to excape. But all that changed when, the captain said that I would be stay on the ship.
I was furious! So furious that I burst into tears and went down into the hold without permission.
I hid in an empty barrel.
I could hear the whole ship trying to find me. They would never think to look here.
I cried the whole time.
Jashub wasn’t happy when he found me. “Ruth! What were ye thinkin?” he scolded. He pulled me out of the barrel. “The whole ship’s been looking for ye!”
I tried to get the grip he had on my arm off.
“And I had to stay behind and look for ye, while the rest went ashore!”
Now I felt bad. But I was still furious. “Let go!”
“Yer are in so much trouble.” He pulled me up the steps.
He ordered me to sit against the railing why he went around and cleaned up or something. I didn’t hear what he said. I was so mad I could of sworn that steam could of come out of my ears.
It felt weird taking orders from a boy my age. But my mother always said that when I reach fourteen and marry, my husband is above me. So I’ll have to obey him. Unless he tells me to do something wrong. My father told me that too.
I blinked back tears. That’s all the advice she had given me. And I wouldn’t get anymore.
Captain Geidon told me to obey the ones above me in rank. And that was everyone.
I sat against the railing and sighed. The captain wasn’t going to be happy about what I had did.
I had also gone into the hold without permission, which gave Jashub the atthorty to give me what ever punishment. Even hitting me. Which I didn’t want him to do. Just a slap from him was painful.
I thought it was the most gruesome thing to put upon a girl my age. And by a boy my age to do it!
I prayed that he wouldn’t hit me.
He did though. And I hurt. A lot.
“Ruth, come over here.” He said.
I was shaking like crazy. He had the whip in his hands.
I shook my head.
“Ruth, now.”
I did. I got up from me seat against the railing and went up to him.
“Put out yer hand.” He commanned.
Again, I shook my head.
“Don’t make me force ye!”
I put my hand out then, his voice scared me and his eyes were as wild as a wild dogs.
He raised the whip. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. The whip came down three times. I didn’t dare move, for he might miss if I did and hit me somewhere else.
When he was done with me, he told me to go down into the hold and get fish and hard tack for dinner. He was making it. Since the cook was out with the rest.
I knew he was still angry with me, because he had stone look in his eyes. And he didn’t call me Bird.
I felt like a wounded bird though. In my heart and on my hand.
I went down into the hold, and idmently, burst into tears. I ripped part of my white apron and made a bandage around my left hand. It was bleeding terribly. I shook my hand multiple times.
I didn’t understand why the captain read the Bible. He acted so mean. I didn’t even understand why Jashub would hit me. He could of made me clean the whole ship. And I would of too, just to avoid being hit.
With the tears still coming, I went to open a barrel of fish. We were low, and was part of the reason why the crew had made port, to get more supplies. I hoped that they wouldn’t bring back any little girls or boys with them, they didn’t’ desverve a life like this. I was thirteen, and I could barely withstand it.
When I opened the barrel of hard tack and note slipped out. I set the parcel of fish down, and picked up the note.
It was made of cloth and the writing was faded. It said:
I always hated the Admril. Now I have finalley gotten my revenge!
Another part of it said:
Ye fool! Someone could find this note!
I didn’t recognize the handwriting. I’d seen the captain, Jashub and Perida write. So it wasn’t them. I was some glad that Jashub hadn’t killed my father. I would never forgiven him, no matter what the captain said.
But I knew I should forgive the man who did. I just wasn’t ready yet.
Catherine Mckow the pirate queen looked at the note. This was evadince that someone had killed my father! She thought. If only I could tell who’s handwriting it was.
She stared at the note for the longest time. She couldn’t tell anyone about this, they wouldn’t belive her, she was sure.
“I don’t like to wait!” Jashub yelled.
I snapped back to reality, I shoved the note into my apron pocket and grabbed some hard tack and ran back up the stairs, filled with a new energy.
I dropped the things onto the table on the top deck, where Jashub was fixing dinner. I didn’t understand why he didn’t do it in the kitchen.
He chopped up the fish and hardtack and tossed them into the pot.
I just stood there, watching him. He didn’t seem to see me. I went to the railing on the poop deck. (I hated the name) Which was where we were. And I looked out into the small village. Then, I heard a noise coming from the ocean.
I looked down and there was a girl.
Chapter 10
The girl’s straw blonde hair was such pretty hair, looked soaked. I looked behind me at Jashub, he didn’t seem to know I was there.
I looked back at the girl, she was now trying to climb the ship! I didn’t know what to do. Her blue eyes looked tired. And she was straining to climb up.
I deicded, I would help her, I went to go down to the top deck. But Jashub stopped me. “Stay here, Bird.”
At least he called me Bird. That made me feel better.
Jashub hadn’t stopped cutting and stirring so I guessed he hadn’t heard the girl climbing. I looked down again. She was no where in sight!
I started to panic. What if she had drowned? Or maybe she got inside the ship?
“May I please go down into the hold? I need to fetch something.” I said.
Jashub looked up, his eyes weren’t has stone like now. He nodded. “Yes, but come right back.”
I nodded and hurried down the steps, and into the hold.
I knew what side the ship she was climbing I ran all the way there. But I came to a hualt when I saw the dripping wet girl.
Her hair was drenched and so were her clothes, her clothes were practicly rags.
“Hello.” I said.
She looked up quickly and started to speak so fast in French, that I couldn’t catch what she was saying. (I had taken some French)
“Calme.” I said. Which was the French word for calme. I only knew some words, because I was always going off to DayDreamLand, and I didn’t hear the rest of the lesson.
She stopped talking. And looked at me, her blue eyes filled with fright.
“Oh!” she cried. “You are English?”
Her accent was strong, but I understood. I nodded. “Wi.” Which was for ‘yes’.
“I am so sorry for breaking into your ship!” she said. She looked on the verge of tears.
“No no!” I said. “It’s not my ship. And I do not mind.”
A smile spread across her face. “Oh, thank you thank you!” she cried.
I couldn’t help but smile. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“My name is: Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna.”
My mouth dropped open. “The daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor?” I blurted.
Maria nodded. “I ran away from home, because I do not want to marry.”
I heard foot steps on the top deck. I had totally forgotten about Jashub!
“Hurry, Maria! Hide!” I said.
She didn’t ask why, she just hid.
“Ruth! Ye is going to get into more trouble!” Jashub yelled.
“I’m coming!” I called. “Stay here until I come and get you, and hide when someone comes down here. Understand?” I said to Maria. She nodded. And I went back to the stairs and climbed them.
Jashub was there to meet me. Or scold me, whatver you prefer.
“What was takin ye so long?” he snapped.
“Sorry.” I said and I hurried back to the poop deck. I had grabbed my Bible before I had gone up the steps. I sat down against the railing and started reading.
Jashub came up and stood before me. I didn’t dare look up. I just focused on what I was reading. He walked on and went back to making dinner.
The pirates came back a little while later, just as the soup was ready. Thankfully, they hadn’t brought any young children with them, just themselves. As Jashub severed out the soup, I sat on the railing holding onto a rope and looked out at the village, there was a fire burning up one of the houses.
The bloody pirates. How could the captain call himself a Christian?
My hand still stung from the whip. I was thinking about just jumping into the sea and swimming away when Perida came up and sat next to me.
“Ye doin alright?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No.” more tears were on there way.
She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Care to talk about it?”
I did, I spilling the whole story out. I didn’t mention Maria though.
She sqeezed me tighter when I mentioned what Jashub had did.
“Jashub’s temper is hot, Ruth.” She said. “But he had all the right to do what he likes for a punishment. But I still don’t see why he chose that.” She picked up my hand. The bandge was blood red. “I got these at the store in the village.” She took the other one off and she gasped. “Oh Ruth!” the cut was a good three inches wide and covered the length of my hand. She picked up a poch and poured the content on my cut. It was salt water. I screamed in pain, and tried to pull my hand away. But she kept a firm grasp on my wrist. “Hold still, this’ll heal it.” She said. When she had cleaned it. She put a fresh bandage on it. “There, darling.” She said. She let go of my wrist.
I quickly put my hand in my lap. “Can I go down to the hold?” I asked.
She nodded. But her eyes looked sad.
I hurried past the other pirates, waiting in line for there meal. And into the hold. I didn’t quite get to Maria before I was stopped. And guess who? By the Three M’s.
“Jashub told us what you did.” Nahshon said. He didn’t talk like a pirate, which made him even more annoying.
“Really?” I started to go back up the stairs. But Abijah stopped me. I deicded to change the topic of your convostaion. “What did you boys do at the village?”
Nahshon burst into evil laughter. “Don’t change the subject, Pet.” He said.
“I wasn’t.” I lied. “I just want to know.”
Nahshon grabbed my left hand. “So he did hit you. I thought you loved each other.”
“Stop!” I said. Snatching my hand back. “We don’t!”
I think he’s the most annoying boy on the planet, and I think he’s cruel.
“Really?” he said. He got right up into my face. “Because I don’t think so.”
I crossed my arms looked at the floor sideways. Why wouldn’t they just leave me alone?
I pushed past them, only, Nahshon grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “If you tell on me, you will hurt much more than when Jashub did to you.” I didn’t understand what I would tell him on. Then I found out. He picked me up by my waist and carried me to a closet and dumped my inside, I didn’t have time to react. He closed the door and locked it. I screamed and screamed. But they wouldn’t let me out. I didn’t understand why they were doing this. What did I do to them?
Chapter 11
Jashub found me there, again. He seemed to be the only person to find me.
I was so relived that he found me though.
“Why did ye lock yerself up in a closet?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to say what Nashon had did, when I rembered his warning. “Um…I went looking around and then it shut behind me and locked.”
“Did ye have permission to be down here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Ok then, come on up to the top deck. There’ s some soup left.” He said.
He gently pushed me towards the stairs he looked behind him. And then pushed me a little faster.
I couldn’t touch my soup.
“Aren’t ye hungry?” Jashub asked.
I shook my head.
“Why?” he took my bowl away and set in on the table and jumped up and sat by me on the railing or the ship.
“I just….I don’t know.” I said. I had three secrets in hiding, and I couldn’t tell anyone!
Jashub put his hand to my forehead. I cringed and leaned back.
“I’m not going to hurt ye.”
But you did already.
Then I covered my mouth. I had just said that out loud!
Jashub looked sorry. “I’m sorry about that, I really am. I just lost my temper. I was angry that I couldn’t go into port with the other men.”
“Alright, I forgive you.”
He smiled a small smile and I leaned back forward and let him take my tempture. “Yer burning up, Bird!” he exclaimed. “Are ye sure ye feel alright?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Jashub just looked at me for second, I got that squrmiy good feeling again. Like when your excited.
He slowly inched his hand towards mine. When he almost got to my hand, the ship rocked vilently. I fell face down onto the deck, Jashub landed on top of me. It was good though because, wood chips from the Truth went everywhere.
“What’s goin on?” the captain yelled. He emerged from his cabin.
Jashub rolled off of me and helped me up.
“W-w-what was that?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Jashub said.
The ship was suddenly alive. Some pirates didn’t have both boots on!
“Ship ho!” the pirate in the bird’s nest yelled.
Everyone turned at the same time to the left, and we saw the flag of the French Navy.
Chapter 12
Maria!
I ran threw the crowd of pirates and down into the hold.
“Maria!” I cried. “It’s.—“ Then I remberred, I never told her my name.
But Maria knew my voice and she came out of hiding. “What was that?” she cried.
“It’s the French!” I cried.
The ship rocked again throwing us both against the side of the ship.
“There trying to find me!” Maria said. She burst into tears.
“Maria! What do we do? They might search the ship, then accuse the captain of kidnapping!” I said.
“I don’t know! I don’t want to go back!” she cried. Still sobbing.
I don’t know what to do!
“BIRD!” Jashub screamed. “WHERE ARE YE?”
“I’m coming!” I called. But I didn’t think he heard me, with the cannon’s going off and gun fire.
“Bird?” Maria asked.
“It’s….my nickname. But you can call me Catherine.” I said.
At least someone will call me Catherine.
Maria nodded. “Ok.”
“I need you to stay here.” I said.
“But what if they search in here?” she cried.
“Shh!” I hissed.
She nodded.
I turned around and went threw the door and ran smack into Jashub.
“What are ye doing?” he snapped. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up the stairs. Then the ship rocked again, I lost my balance.
I screamed.
Jashub caught me by my arms. “Careful!” he said. “Are you ok?”
I shook my head. “My ankle!” I held back tears.
Jashub picked me up and carried me back up the stairs.
He set me down by the railing of the ship. I grabbed my ankle. I bit my lip, I couldn’t cry now!
“Yer, white!” Jashub cried.
Then he turned white.
“I-I-I think I’m going to.—“ My hand flew to my mouth. I stood up suddenly causing aganozing pain in my ankle, but I leaned over the railing and hurled.
I know, revolting, but I just sprained my ankle. The pain was horrid.
I felt hands on my shoulders. “Are ye done?” Perida asked.
I nodded. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.
I tried to walk, but then I colpasped. “Ow!” I cried.
“We don’t have time for this!” someone yelled. Someone I knew, and someone I highly disliked: Nashon.
“Shut yer trap, Nashon.” Jashub snapped.
“Ooh! I didn’t know!” Nashon put up his hands in that annoying way he did. Like he was surending.
“Know what?” Jashub went right up to Nashon, getting all in his face.
“Stop it! Both of ye!” Captain Geideon said.
Jashub gave Nashon one more evil look, before he walked away.
Then the captain started barking out orders, the French were closer now. And getting closer.
“LOAD THE GUNS!” he yelled.
Perida helped me to my feet. “Ye need to stay up with me by the wheel.”
“But.—“
She shook her head. And she helped me up to the wheel.
Soon, the cannon’s got closer and the ship rocked more and more. No one knew what the French wanted. Except me, and I couldn’t tell anyone.
“What is wrong with these French?” Abjiah yelled.
“I don’t know, stupid! How about you ask them? Oh wait, you can’t, because you can’t speak French! Your too stupid!” Nashon yelled.
“Settle down, both of ye!” The captain ordered. “If ye don’t! I’ll just give you to the French! Understand?”
Nashon and Abjiah muttered under their breath.
I saw Jashub’s grip get tighter on his gun. He was angry. But he didn’t say anything.
Soon, the French got right up to your ship. Our cannon’s and guns were leveled. The captain said that we don’t shoot, until we know what they want.
My cut on my stand started to sting. I looked down at it and saw that my grip was too tight on the railing ahead of the wheel. I let go and shook it.
My ankle, I found out, wasn’t sprained. I just twisted it a little too much. I could stand on it now.
“What’s the problem, good sir?” Geideon called over to the captain of the other ship.
The captain started speaking in rapid French.
“We don’t understand, sir.” Geideon said.
The captain of the other ship eyes narrowed. He backed away and said something. The guns were raisied and ready to shoot.
My eyes go wide. I grabbed onto Perida. She hugged me.
Gedieon put out his hands.
“That means, we come in peace.” Perida whispered to me.
I nodded. She felt so warm. Just like my mother felt like.
I shook that thought away. I wasn’t going to see her again. Not ever.
The captain of the other ship ordered the guns be lowered. Geidoen told us to lower are guns. We did.
A little while later, the two captains somehow got a meeting together. I don’t know how there going to talk.
Gedieon turned to us. “Who can speak French?”
Everyone shook there heads. Except me. Somehow, I felt I could.
I raised my hand. “I-I-I can.”
Geideon smiled. “Then you can help me.” He motioned for me to follow him. We were going to go over to the French ship and talk this over.
A board was laid down so the captain and I could walk across.
“Good day, sir.” One of the French said. He spoke English. I guessed he was the translator for the French captain.
The captain didn’t look happy at all. He keep muttering under his breath, words I won’t repeat here. I guessed that someone had talked him into doing this.
The captain said something.
Geideon looked at me.
I told him what the French captain said.
Gedion nodded and smiled.
The captain spoke again.
“The good French captain says that they are looking for
Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. Daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She has runaway.”
My throat got tight, I barely got the words out. Maria was on our ship, but I couldn’t tell anyone. I kind of knew how she felt. I knew probably, the captain was going to make me marry someone aboard the ship. Or, I would have to marry someone on the ship. No one would want me at eighteen!
“We do not have her Royal Highness, search all of my ship he ye likes, good sir.” Geideon said.
No! They’ll find her!
The captain shook his head though. And said some things.
I let out a silent sigh of relif.
“Tht is that necarry, we belive you. You may return to your ship.” I translated.
Geideon smiled. “Thank you, sir.” He said.
When we were back on the ship and the French had sailed away, the captain asked me how I knew so much French.
“I just…learned it.” I said. But I knew that wasn’t the case, God had let me understand the French captain so I could translate.
But I felt a wad of guilt in my throat. I didn’t even speak up! But the French would of killed us all if they would of found her! No one would belive me.
He clapped my on the back. I almost fell over. “Well, it’s come in handy!”
And the ship went back to doing what ever it was doing before.
I sat down in the hold (with permission) and read my Bible, a couple days later. I had taken care of Maria. I had given her water and food everyone, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“Do unto others, what you would have them do to you.” I read outloud. “I don’t think I could do that to the Three M’s.”
Then I heard a scream from the far end of the hold.
I closed my Bible and hurried to the noise.
And what I saw scared me.
Chapter 13
Two of the Three M’s were holding Maria by her arms and she was screaming, and trying to get them off her. While Nashon was right in her face talking to her.
“Stop!” I yelled. I ran up to them.
Nahshon turned and grabbed me by my arm. “Do you know her?” he asked Maria.
Maria started speaking in rapid French.
“What did she say?” Abijah asked.
“I don’t know!” Nahshon snapped.
Then his grip got tighter on my arm. “What did she say, Pet?” he asked.
“I-I don’t know!” I cried. I tried to pry her grip off my arm. He pulled me in closer.
“Oh really? Then how come you don’t know French now, when you knew it a couple days later?”
“B.—You wouldn’t know!” I said.
“Aw, did you hear that? She somehow doesn’t know how to speak French now.”
The other M’s laughed. Maria started to cry and speak in rapid French.
“Leave her alone!” I cried. “She did nothing to you!”
“Who is she, Pet?” Nahshon asked.
“Don’t call me that!” I said. Trying to pull away.
He grabbed my other arm and pulled me in even closer. “Don’t change the subject! Who is she?”
“I don’t know!”
He threw me against the ship wall. I slid to the floor.
“Catherine!” Maria cried.
“Catherine?” the Three M’s said.
“Oh….” Nahshon looked at me. I was rubbing my head. “That used to be Ruth’s name.”
“Ooh!” the other M’s said.
“Who’s Ruth?” Maria asked.
Nahshon pointed to me. “Her.”
Maria shook her head and waved her arms in front of her. “No, no. That’s Catherine, she told me.”
“No! Don’t believe them!” I said. I stood back up. Nahshon kicked me in the stomach.
“Shut up!” he said.
I wrapped both arms around my stomach and slid back down to the ground.
“Don’t hurt her! You naughty boy!” Maria scolded.
Nashon’s eyes narrowed. “Now, I’m going to ask one more time, Pet. Who’s this?”
I shook my head. “I don’ t know.”
Nashon picked me up by my ponytail. “What do you mean? I don’t know?”
“Let go!” I cried. “Your hurting me!”
“That’s the point!”
“Come on, boys.” Nahshon said. He picked me up by my waist.
Then Jashub appeared at the door. “What are ye doin?” he yelled. “Put her down!”
Nahshon did. He dropped me.
Maria had broken away from the others and ran to me. “Are you ok?” she asked.
I sat up. And nodded. “Yes.” I rubbed my head.
Nahshon, Abijah and Amminadad were led away by an angry Perida, to see the captain, who was going to get mad when he heard about what they had did.
Maria was crying and I was sulking. I was going to get into so much trouble.
We were both on the floor. And she was clinging to me. I was thinking about crying myself.
Then, Jashub came and stood over us. “Ruth, who is this?” He asked. He didn’t look happy.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Maria put up her hand and stood up. She was almost as tall as Jashub. “I am Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. Daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.”
Jashub took a slight step back. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
From there, all the pirates started to freak. I was glad no one was paying attention to me at the moment.
Maria got to sleep and eat in the captain’s cabin. (I had lost that privilege after what happened) I started to get jealous.
The captain made an announce about how we were sailing to France to drop off Maria and beg the pardon of her father.
I crossed my arms. This wasn’t fair. I rescued her, I should get some….something!
But I knew that all I was getting, was a punishment. And it was going to be a big one. That lump that I had had for weeks got smaller. And I didn’t feel as sick. I now had only two secrets. To hide: Nashon’s threat and the note I found.
Maria kept telling me how great it was to be treated so kindly by pirates. I hate being refered to as a pirate. I’m not! I’m a English citzen, not a bloody pirate. Catherine Mckow the pirate queen is a kind and gentle pirate. She is not bloody.
So I spent most of my time away from everyone and on my hammik going off into DayDreamWorld.
Catherine Mckow needed to escape! These bloody pirates were evil. She needed to get away from them! One is hurting her the other is threating her. And the annoying ‘princess’ is bothering her. She doesn’t think she had stand it!
“I must get out of here!” she cried. “I can’t stay any longer!”
I heard a crash, which brought me out of DayDreamWorld. I groaned and laid down on my hammik. I didn’t want to do anything. I felt sicker and guiltier than ever.
“Catherine! I broke something!” Maria cried.
I turned over. At least she calls me Catherine, so matter what anyone says.
“Catherine!”
“What is it, Maria?” I snapped. Still laying down, it was probably a mouse or something.
“A bottle fell over and all it’s money fell out!” she cried.
Money?!
I got up and walked to the room she was in. She was in a closet, the same closet Nashon had locked me up in.
And sure enough, a glass jug was in pieces and the contence was all over the floor. Maria was already picking it up.
“We’re not allowed to have money. The captain says so.” I said. Stooping to pick up the money and glass. I looked at my black leather boots Perida gave me. I hated going barefoot. It wasn’t right…to me anyway.
“Goodness! This money is from Spain!” Maria cried. She stood back up, looking at a piece of money.
I looked at the other coins. “They are! That’s strange.”
We went on in silence, I didn’t know if I should tell the captain about this, or just keep it a secret. Then I looked at Maria. She would tell the captain anyway. Not if I told her though.--
Catherine Mckow didn’t know what to do, should she tell about his strange jug of money? Maybe the captain would be so grateful, he would set her free!
“Ow!” I cried. I had cut my finger on the glass.
Maria ran over to me. “Are you ok?” she asked. She looked at my finger. She tore a piece of her dress off and bangaged it up.
I looked at both my hands and laughed. “I look like a mummy!” I giggled.
She laughed with me. “You sort of do.” She looked at my bandage on my left hand. “What happened?”
I stopped laughing. “Nothing.” And I started to pick up again.
“I’m sorry, to pry.” Maria said.
And we cleaned the rest up in silence.
When all the coins were on the shelf again and the glass was thrown away. We walked up to the top deck. Perida was there to meet us. “What were ye doin down there?” she asked, hands on hips.
“We found.—“ Maria started.
I elbowed her in the rips.
Perida raised an eyebrow.
“We found…uh….a amazing place to play. Right Catherine?” she turned to me.
“Oh yes! Amazing place!” And I pushed her towards the steering wheel, before Perida could ask anymore questions. It was my turn to steer that day, but I had given Jashub the wheel because I was feeling sick.
“Ye feelin better now?” Jashub asked.
“Yes.” I took the wheel from him.
“Did you vomit?” he asked. He smiled.
I knew he was joking around, but I wasn’t in a joking mood. I forced a smile though. “No.”
He bowed to Maria before he went away.
I rolled my eyes.
“What?” Maria asked.
“Why does he bow to you like that?” I asked.
“He is being a gentlemen, Catherine. Don’t you see it?”
I shook my head. “No. He’s don’t things that aren’t ‘gentlemen’ like.”
Maria turned to me, “Like what?”
My cheek and my hand started to sting at just thinking about it. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Maria wrapped her arms around me. She was the only person I allowed hugs from (besides Perida) and, she was the only person I could actually talk to. I was going to be sad when we dropped her off. “You can tell me, I’m your friend, Catherine.”
I swallowed the lump I my throat. And I spilled out everything, it felt like I was talking to Eilean. It was so easy.
When I was done, Maria actually cried. And she hugged me tighter, I felt like crying with her. But I didn’t dare, I didn’t want to actudenily let out about my other secrets, I never wanted anyone to know about.
Speaking of Nahshon and the others. After I told the captain about him throwing me against the wall and kicking me, he got four lashes, not on the hand, but on his back. I didn’t watch though. And the others got two lashes. I didn’t watch that either. After that, Nahshon and the others had to clean the whole ship. From top to bottom. I steer clear of them, because Nahshon will hurt me, I’m positive. I’ve seen flirting and he’s not doing it. Jashub flirts, Nahshon doesn’t, so I know he will do something awful to me.
“What’s wrong was, highness?” Jashub asked. I jumped.
Maria turned around, eyes around. Opened her mouth several times and then clenched her fists, throwing them in the air and storming off. Her red cloak (which the captain gave her) flowing behind her.
Jashub and I stood there for the longest time, just staring at where Maria had gone. After awhile, Jashub turned to me. “What did you do?” he snapped.
I pointed to myself. “Me? Me! I did nothing!”
Jashub pressed his lips together. He was going to get mad.
“Just shut up and listen for a moment, Jashub. I did nothing. It’s you.” I snapped.
Jashub took step back, stunned. “Ruth.—“
I put up my hand. “Don’t call me that! It’s Catherine ok?”
“Ruth.—“
“No shut up! She’s mad at you for what you did to me! She’s angry with you! Ok?” My hands flew off the wheel and I started to storm off the steps. Jashub grabbed me by my arm, and pulled me so close I could smell his breath.
“Listen, Bird.” He said. “I said I was sorry about that, there’s not reason to go telling anyone about it.”
He was right, and I hated it when he was right. I struggled to get free.
“I have a temper that goes beyond the sky.” To show what he was talking about, he through his hand in the air, towards the sky. Tears were in his eyes. Mine were filling too. “I am, so sorry, Catherine, I really am. I’m just mad at someone I never forgave, and I’m taking it out on you. I am so sorry.”
We stood there looking at each other, he let go, but I stayed there. Then I hugged him. And burst into tears, of joy and sadness, and just plain cried. He hugged me back, if he cried I couldn’t tell.
The moment was the best the best moment I’d had in a long while.
“Catherine?” Jashub asked, we were still hugging.
“Yes?” I choked on my tears.
“I just want you to know I l.—“
“Love birds!” Nahshon said. His brown hair shone in the sun. And his blue eyes sparkled with amusment.
Jashub and I pushed away from each other was the same time. I bumped into the wheel, I had to put both hands on it to stop it from turning.
Jashub and I both stared daggers at Nahshon, Ammidad and Abijah were behind him.
They put up their hands at the same exact time. “Sorry! I didn’t mean you interrupt anything! You weren’t k.—“
Jashub went to tackle Nahshon, but I put my hand out. “He’s not worth it, Jashub.” I said.
Jashub stepped back. Still giving Nahshon the death glare.
Since Nahshon and the others got bumped down a rank I told him to take the wheel from me. And I grabbed Jashub by the hand and we went down into the hold. Not to kiss! I wanted him to talk to Maria.
Maria was on my hammik crying. Again. Not that I couldn’t blame her.
Jashub sat down beside her and talked to her.
When he was done, Maria hugged him.
Everyone must be in a mood for hugging.
It felt good to know that Jashub wouldn’t be doing anything mean to me again. If he did, he said, I was to slap him before he did it. Then he would come to his senses.
Life was better, the days after. Both, Maria and Jashub now called me Catharine. And I was happy about it.
After one month, we finally made it to France.
Chapter 14
I looked out at the most beautiful city I had ever seen: Paris, France.
Maria came up to me, she looked sick.
“What’s wrong, Maria?” I asked.
Her eyes were red. “I don’t want to go back! I’ll have to marry! And I don’t want to!” She hugged me, almost knocking me over.
I actually cried. “It’s going to be ok, Maria. I know how you feel.”
Maria pulled away, wiping her tears away. “You do?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I leaned on the railing. “I can’t go free from this ship and it’s crew until I reach eighteen. By then, I’ll be too old to marry. So I’ll have to marry one of the crew men here.” I shook my head. “And I’m not looking forward to it, either.”
Maria wrapped her around my shoulders, and whispered in my ear. “But what about, Jashub?”
I smiled a small smile. “We have nothing. We just hugged!”
“I know, but you have to admit, you do have something.”
“Are ye ready to go, your highness?” Jashub asked.
Why does he keep scaring us like that?
Maria turned around and giggled. “Yes.”
I kept staring out at the sea, while Jashub and Maria walked away, or that was what I thought.
“What are ye doin?” Jashub asked. He was leaning on the railing on the right side of me.
“Just looking. What are you doing?” I asked.
“Looking…” his voice seemed far away. I turned to see what he was looking at, I found out. He was looking at me.
I got that squirmy excited feeling. I looked back out at the city. A stray hair fell across my face. I went to push it behind my ear, but Jashub got to it first.
I gently pushed his hand away, after he pushed it back. “Thank you.” I said.
I heard his mouth open but he couldn’t say anything because the captain came over and boomed: “What are ye standin there for, Jashub? Get to work!”
I had never heard the captain yell at someone like that, if they hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Y-Yes sir.” Jashub said and he scampered off. I had never heard Jashub stammered either.
“You too, Ruth.” The captain said, he still sounded mad.
I pointed to myself. “Me?”
He nodded. “yes! Now go!”
I did, the captain was starting to scare me.
I was so excited! I was going to go onto land!
It was just Jashub, Maria, the captain and I who were going ashore. The captain said he didn’t want to scare the people of Paris.
We don’t look that scary. Or at least to me, I don’t’ even know what I look like. I hadn’t seen a mirror in ages. I think I would break it.
Catherine Mckow now had her chance to ecsape! She could go back to Port Royal and see her mother again! But, she felt strange somehow, like if she did, she would be leaving someone behind.
“CATHERINE! LOOK OUT!” Jashub yelled.
I blinked back to reality before I could ram into a cart. Jashub pulled me out of it’s path. “What were ye doin?” he snapped.
I pulled away from him. “I was….”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I was….daydreaming.”
“Really, Catherine? Becuae this city is too full for someone to go off like that, come.” He gently pushed me towards, Maria and the captain.
Maria was holding her head high, with her red cloak flowing behind her. The people in the city started to notice us, they kneeled before Maria but when they saw us, they gave nasty looks.
“Why are they doing that?” I whispered to Jashub.
He leaned in closer to my ear. “Because, we’re pirates.”
I’m not a pirate! I wanted to blurt out. I am a British citzen!
Before I could go off into DayDreamWorld, I felt someone hit me on the head.
“J.—“ I yelledI was so going to slap him. But I found the captain there, and he hit me again over the head.
“Stop it! Ruth!” he yelled at me.
I clutched my head. “Sorry.”
Something was wrong with the captain.
Maria saw this and ran up to me and hugged me. “Are you alright?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
I saw Jashub clench his fists. “That.—“
I held up my hand. “I’m fine. It was my fault. I was thinking to hard.”
“But that’s not reason to hit you!” Maria cried. We were still walking, but we were far behind the captain. His torquise hat with the blue feather in it. He looked better off than all the pirates. Even Maria, which didn’t seem fair.
Jashub nodded. “It’s not. He hasn’t done anything nice since.—“ he stopped himself. “Never mind.”
I looked at him for a moment, he wouldn’t meet my eyes. He was hurt somewhere. And I had a pretty good idea who had hurt him: Captain Gedion.
Chapter 15
When we made it to the castle guards swarmed around us. My head was already throbbing so everything was a blur.
“M’lady! Your betrothed: Louis XVI of France has been looking everywhere for you!” one of the guards said. He eyed the me and the pirates. “And you have brought back.—“
“Silence, I wish to take them into the palace. The kind captain,” she motined towards Geideon. “Has something to say to my fiancé.”
The guards bowed. “Of course, m’lady.”
The palace was amazing, but I didn’t get to enjoy it. We were practicly pushed to the prince’s room. (Louis)
“Maria! Where have you been?” Louis exclaimed. He kissed both of Maria’s cheeks before she could reply.
“I just went on a trip, Louis. No harm done.” She said.
Jashub leaned in and whispered: “Why isn’t she still living with her parents?”
I elbowed him. “That’s rude to say, Jashub! And I don’t know why, her father has died. She told me that. And she doesn’t really live here, Louis was just worried, so we came to France. She lives in Hosburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. She’s the Archduchess.”
Jashub looked puzzled. “Oh.”
I rolled my eyes. And they landed on Prince Louis.
My eyes widened, and I looked away. Had he heard what I had said? Or maybe what Jashub had said!
I bit my lip. We’re doomed.
I leaned in and asked Maria if Jashub and I could look around.
She nodded. “Yes, if someone asks what your doing, tell them you have permission from me.” And she said her full name and bretrothed to Prince Louis.
I nodded and pulled Jashub with me. “She said we could go look.” And I told him what Maria had said. He nodded and went off to look by himself.
I was walking along, and I didn’t notice that I was picking up speed as I went. Soon, I was running and I bumped into someone.
“Oh my! I am so sorry!” I helped the person up. “Are you alirght?” I was so doomed now.
The boy brushed himself off. “Yes.” He looked up at me. His light blue eyes and blonde hair made me want to stair at him. But I knew it was rude to do so.
He looked surprised for a second, then he took my hand and kissed my fingers! I was so surprised. I wasn’t a princess or duchess.
I pulled my hand away. “That’s not neccarry, I’m not a duchess or princess.” I said hurridly.
“But your pretty enough to be one.” He said. His blue eyes twikled.
I smiled and shy smile. “Thank you.” I said.
“Your very welcome.”
He didn’t even look at my clothes. He just complemted me! I got that squirmy excited feeling.
He bowed.
And I giggled.
“I am Fredrik.” He said. “And you are?”
“Catherine.” I curtsied.
“Catherine…” Fredrik said. “British, am I right?”
I nodded. “Yes. I am from England.”
“Then what is a very beufitful young lady like yourself so far from home?” he asked.
“I am….” How was I soupossed to explain this? “I have been captured by pirates! And can’t go free until my eighteen!”
But, before I could say anything. Jashub ran up to us. “What are ye doin, Catherine?” he asked. Then he saw Fredrick and I saw him stiffen.
“I just met a very kind gentlemen.” I said. “Fredrik.”
Jashub didn’t smile.
Fredrik said, “And who might this be?” he smiled at Jashub. Jashub still didn’t smile.
“Um…this is Jashub. He’s my friend.” I said. This was getting akward.
Jashub stiffned even more.
“Very good!” Fredrik had a British accent. And I hadn’t noticed until now. I was too busy looking at his eyes…
Jashub shook Fredrik’s hand, half heartily.
“I heard that the archduchess is back.” Fredrick said. I knew he was trying to make convstaion.
“Y.—“ I started to say.
“We brought her home.” Then he took my arm. “Would ye excuse us?” he said to Fredrick.
“Of course.”
He took me at least all the way done to wall. “What are ye doin?” he snapped.
I pushed his arm off me. “Talking. You should try it.”
Jashub leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Was he actually jealous?
“I just don’t trust him, that’s all.”
“You don’t trust him? What’s not to trust? He has deep blue eyes and.—“
“I know what he looks like!” Jashub snapped.
“He’s kind, and besides, I won’t be able to see him again anyway. After you drag me off to somewhere else.”
He pointed to himself. “Me? I don’t drag ye anywhere!”
I pointed at him. “You were the one who hit me!”
“I said I was sorry!”
I grabbed my head, it was starting to throb again. “I’m going back to talk to him. He’s the nicest person I’ve met since Maria.”
And I walked back to Fredrick. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” I crossed my arms. “Just a disagreement.”
He nodded. “I see, is he…?”
“No. He’s just a friend.” I turned and looked at the still leaning on the wall Jashub. “Used to be, anyway.”
Fredrick and I talked until the captain came and pushed me back to the ship. Fredrick said he’d write. I didn’t know how he was going to do that.
“Can’t I say good bye to, Maria?” I asked the captain.
“No!” the captain snapped.
“Why not?” I asked.
The captain stopped walking. I was in big trouble now. He turned to me. “Because, if we don’t leave not, WE WILL ALL GET KILLED!” then he pushed onto the ship.
When we were on the ship, and the captain had walked away. I went to go untie the rope that tied the ship to the dock. When a scream ripped the air.
I jumped up to see Nashon dragging a girl about ten with him to the ship. And I saw Fredrick running behind them.
“What are you doing, Nahson?” I snapped at him.
He threw the girl at me. Who was crying like crazy. I wrapped my arms around her. “I said: What are you doing?” I said more slowly.
“Her parents are dead. So by the ‘code’ I bring her to the ship. That’s what I was doing. –Oof!” he fell to the ground as Fredrick tackled him.
The girl and I screamed.
Annaidad and Abijah pulled Fredrick to his feet. Fighting.
He was yelling about someone killing his parents.
Jashub came running up. “What’s going on?” he asked me.
“That’s what I would like to know.” I gave the girl to him. Who was still crying. He picked her up and started talking to her.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I yelled at the Three M’s. Nashon had his fist almost to Fredricks face. “I want all of you back on the ship!” I yelled.
They let go and walked past me. Nashon bumped into me on purpose. I went over to Fredrick. Who was on the ground. He wiped blood off his mouth with his sleeve. “Are you alirght?” I asked him. I helped him up.
“I’m fine. Who were those boys?” he asked. Brushing himself off.
“Pirates.”
“And how come they did what you said?” He asked. He smiled. “Are you the captain?”
“No. But.—“
Then the real captain came up. “What’s all this?”
Fredrick said, “Those boys killed the girl’s and my parents!” he pointed to the smiling evily Nashon and the others.
After he said that, pirates came at the captain’s orders and pushed Fredrick up onto the ship. I couldn’t do anything. Jashub was still holding the girl. But the captain told him to put her down, and he dragged the crying girl up the gank plank.
I held back tears. “The poor girl! And Fredrick too! This is awful!”
Jashub wrapped his arm around me. “We can’t do anything about it. It’s just life.”
Chapter 16
The girl, I found was named: Brianna. She said she had a mother and father years ago. But they died of smallpox. I felt so bad for her. She said that she was living in a boarding house. Not boarding. But cleaning. SO when Nashon came in with his friends they killed the women in charge, and took Brianna thinking she was her daughter.
“What happened?” I asked her while we were sitting on my hammik. She wasn’t very tall and she was actually twelve years old but acted like she was three. Which was fine with me. I always wanted to be a mother. And I wouldn’t be able to be one if I stayed on this ship until I was eighteen.
Fredrick, Brainna and I always hung out together. It was nice to have someone to talk to.
One night, while I was hanging up landury. And Brianna was sitting by the basket, playing with a doll I had made her and Fredrick leaning on the wall to the captain’s cabin. We got talking about our futres.
“I always wanted to design dresses.” Brianna said. She twirled her doll around. “With lace and…oh! How I want to!”
“I’ve always wanted to just settle down with a wife and children.” Fredrick said. I didn’t get that squirmy excited feeling when he said it though. We were so close, it didn’t matter. We would always just be friends. No matter what.
“Me, I wanted to be a pirate. But now that I see what it’s like. I’m not sure what I want to be now.” I said. Hanging up a shirt. Jashub’s shirt. I got t hat squirmy excited feeling again.
I quickly hung it up before I could hug it. Jashub and I hadn’t talked for days now. He was mad at me and I was mad at him. But I was starting to miss him.
“Watch out!” Fredrick grabbed the shirt I was hanging up before I could drop it into the ocean. “I don’t think it needs cleaned again.”
I turned red. Oops.
“You almost dropped, Nashon’s shirt in the ocean.”
“He wouldn’t be happy about that, if he found you told.—“ Brianna started.
“SHUSH!” Fredrick and I hissed.
She put her hand on her mouth. “Sorry.” She said through it.
Yes, I had told Brianna and Fredrick about what Nashon had did. And I had told them about the note and my father. I kind of felt guilty for not telling Jashub about it. He didn’t seem to be my friend, that was all.
But I was going to pay for telling. And I was going to that night.
While I was walking back with the empty basket to the hold to go the sleep. A door flung open and someone grabbed me by the arm and a hand went over my mouth.
I was practicyly carried through a damp and cold wooden hall. I kept clawing at the hand that was over my mouth.
We made it to a large room and the person through me against the wall and I stood up, and tried to run forward, but someone knocked me back against the wall. I pressed against the wall, wishing I could disappear through it.
Some lit a lantern and there was Nashon and he didn’t look happy.
I gulped. He had found out. I was dead.
“You told Pet,” he said coming towards me. I pressed against the wall even more.
“How did.—“ I said.
“Oh, we have our ways.” He said. He took out a sword from his felt. I swallowed—Hard.
“You mean, you have your ways. Where are the others?” I asked.
“They left, they didn’t think that it was right to hurt anyone.”
“Well, it isn’t. They finalley saw the light. Good for them.” I said. “You should try it.”
Nashon put the tip of his sword under my chin, and lifted it up and looked into my eyes. “Why did you tell, Pet?”
“B-Because, I don’t like to keep secrets.”
He pushed it under my chin more. “Why not?”
“Because! Thanks why!”
“Because doesn’t cover it.”
“Well it does for me!”
HE pushed it under even more. “Well I like secrets. And I was going to tell you one. But I can’t trust you anymore.”
“What secret?” I asked. I started to inch away.
He looked away. “Oh I don’t know, a certain murder, that happened recently.”
Fredrick’s parents?
“What?” I asked.
He looked sharply back at me. “Don’t be stupid.”
I threw my arms in the air. “I don’t understand!”
He leaned in close. “I know the murder of your father.” He whispered.
Then, I did something stupid. I grabbed the sword with my left hand. No, not the handle. The blade. I cut myself as I did it of course, but I rushed at Nashon I got up all in his face. “Who did it!?” I screamed at him.
I felt the blade on my back. He was pushing me towards him. “How about I ask you this question first.” He said.
Fine, just get it over with!
“Fine.” I said.
He leaned in close to my ear and whispered: “Have you heard about the missing Spainish prince?”
What? He was making no sense at all!
I shook my head. “No.”
I didn’t even know he was missing. Or these was one for that matter.
He put the blade further in my back. I yelped. “Are you sure?”
“Positive! I really don’t!” I thought I was going to burst into tears if he asked me again.
Instead, he stepped back, taking the sword with him. He sheathed it. “Alright then.” And he disappeared into the darkness.
And I broke down and cried.
Chapter 17
The next couple of days were a nightmare. The captain either hurt me in the inside or the outside, when ever he got a chance. So I had bruises everywhere.
Nashon and the others always were giving me strange looks.
Jashub hated me, I was sure.
And I had to figure out who told Nashon. He didn’t give me a warning, but I still had that feeling as if I was still hiding something. I told everything to Fredrick and Brinna, but it still felt like I still had to tell someone something.
While I was laying on the cot in the hold I heard a crowds of people talking like crazy.
What is going on?
I climbed the steps and I had to push threw the whole crew for heaven’s sake to see what was going on.
Jashub and Nashon were fighting. With swords.
“Jashub! No!” I yelled at him.
If he heard me, he didn’t do anything.
Nashon had that smile on his face that evil smile, that he knew something and Jashub didn’t. And Jashub looked practicly red.
Then, Fredrick started to fight! He jumped up on the barrel behind Jashub and jumped over him and started to fight with Nashon! It was two against one!
I almost fainted. This was stupid.
“What are ye doing?” I yelled. Then I covered my mouth. Not ye, you! But I didn’t have time to correct myself.
Then, in a flash Jashub and Fredrick had Nashon up against the railing and he fell in!
I heard Brinna scream. Or was that me? I couldn’t tell.
I ran to the side with everyone else, and Nashon was splashing around in the water.
“I can’t….swim!” he cried. Then he went under.
I turned to the high fiving Jashub and Fredrick.
“You both are stupid!” I screamed at them. Then, I climbed up onto the railing and jumped in.
The water was cold. But it felt good. I hoped no sharks would come up and get me.
Nashon was sinking fast. I swam under the water. Then I ran out of breath, so I swam back up to the service. And took a giant gulp of air and went back under. Nashon was flaiing around. I grabbed a hold of his wrist and pulled him up. He started to kick, which helped.
When we got back to the service. A rope was there. I helped Nahson on it and then I climbed up. Perida was there with blankets.
The crew had gone back to work. Jashub and Fredrick were getting yelled at by the captain. I didn’t dare look.
“What happened?” Perida asked.
“Jashub and Fredrick pushed me into the water!” Nashon exclaimed. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him.
I nodded and took a deep breath. I felt good though.
Perida made sure we stayed in the sun, so we wouldn’t catch a cold. (just between you and me, I think we could of caught worse things aboard this bloody ship)
I sat on a barrel and put the blanket on my lap.
“Why did you save me, Pet?” Nashon asked.
I looked at him. He had that smile and that look in his eye. His hair was still soaked, but it glowed in the sun with the water shining on it. He had the blanket over his shoulders.
I looked back at the ocean. “Because, you couldn’t swim. I was just saving you.”
“After how I’ve been so mean to you?”
I nodded. “Have you even read the Bible?”
“No.”
I looked sharply at him. “Well, it says: ‘Do onto others, what you would have them do onto you.’”
He looked at me blankly.
“So…I would want you to save me if I was drowning.”
He sat back a little more on the barrel he was sitting on and looked out into the ocean.
He just doesn’t get it.
I jumped when he said: “I would.”
Just to make sure I heard him right, I said: “What?”
“I would save you.”
Then, because I there was an uncofterble silence that followed, I jumped off the barrel and ran into the hold.
That night, while I was trying to fall asleep, I heard whispers coming from the boy’s room in the hold.
I took my shawl and covered myself with it and tried to block out the noise, but I couldn’t. SO I got up with my shawl on and went to the door way.
And there were Nashon and the others sitting and talking by candle light.
Abjiah was standing over Nashon, apperntly trying to keep there talk contained, but it wasn’t working. Anmaidd was sitting by Nashon and talking to him too.
“She’s not the one.” Nashon said. He leaned back his blue eyes didn’t have any emotion in them. None that I could see anyway.
“Are ye sure? I mean,.—“ Abjiah said.
Nahson shook his head. “No. She’s not. I have put a sword blade under grown men’s chins and they’ve spilled everything. I did it to her, and she just kept saying she had no idea what I was saying.”
I knew they were taking about me. I touched my throat. He didn’t leave a mark, but thinking about it made it hurt. My hand started to hurt too, I now had double the scar.
“But what if she’s just really strong willed?” Abjiah asked.
“No. She’s just a girl.” Nashon said.
Amaidd hit Nashon in the arm. “A young lady you mean. A young lady that’s at age to get married.”
My eyes grew wide and I took a step back from the door way. No way I was marrying Nashon, no matter what he did to me.
They laughed. Nashon smiled just a little bit. That smile like he knew something I didn’t.
Nashon shook his head. “No. Before I try anything like that, we have to earn her trust.”
The rest let out whines.
“Shut up.” Nashon snapped. Then he took a deep breath. “We start by not hurting her. And no teasing.”
“That’s not fair! There’s no one else to tease on this ship! Why did we ever take his assiangment?”
Nashon glared at Abjiah. “Only good teasing allowed You hear?”
They all nodded.
Then Nashon looked at the door way. I threw myself aginast the wall. I felt his eyes on the door. I just knew he was still looking.
“Alright, off to bed. We don’t know if someone heard us.” Nashon said.
He came to the door way and looked out. I held my breath.
“Hm, I guess I was just imagining things.” He said. And he went back into the room.
I went back to my hammock. And I didn’t sleep. And everytime I closed my eyes, I saw Nashon and me. Married. I shivered.
No, never, never, never...
Then I fell asleep. If I had only known that my nightmares would come true, I would of jumped off the ship.
Chapter 18
In the morning, while I was folding clothes. Again. Because Perida wasn’t feeling good. Fredrick came up to me. And sat down on the railing.
“Catherine…” he said.
“Yes?” I said. Still hanging clothes up.
“Have you ever thought about…”
“Yes?”
“Marriage?”
I stopped folding for a second and then started up again. “Yes. Why?”
“Would you marry to someone on this ship?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I said. “Why?”
“Because, I want to ask.—“
“Catherine!”
I turned and saw Jashub walking up to me.
“What?” I asked. We hadn’t talked for days so I was a little nervous.
“The captain wants ye.” He said.
“What does he want?” I asked as Jashub walked up.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I looked at Fredrick. He shrugged. “Sorry, Fredrick, you can ask me after I get back.”
If I come back.
I went to the doors to the captain’s cabin and knocked.
“Come in.” came the ruff replyl
I opened the doors and peeked in. “You wanted to see me?”
The captain nodded. “yes. Have a seat, Ruth.”
He was the only one who called me that anymore. I don’t know why he bothered.
I took a seat. Jack and Jill hissed at me from the captain’s shoulders.
He got right to the point. “Now that your at the age of when young women marry,”
Oh no. It’s happening. One of my nightmares…
“I think it right for you to marry someone aboard this ship. Since you are not free to go until you turn eighteen.—“
“But why me? Perida’s not married!” I burst out.
The captain glared at me. “She is married, Ruth.”
“TO who?” I asked.
“Me.”
My eyes got wide. alright, this was freaky.
“And we have a son.” The captain contuined. I was glad we weren’t talking about me getting married.
I didn’t have to ask who there son was. He just got right to it.
“Jahsub is our son.”
I should of seen it coming. Perida and Jashub looked so much alike. And Jashub must have gotten his tempers and abusive ways from the captain.
Catherine Mckow couldn’t! She couldn’t get married! It wasn’t going to happen!
SMACK!
My head started to throb.
“Pay attention when I’m talkin to ye!” the captain snapped.
“Sorry.” I said, meekly.
“Now, back to the point. As I said, you will be too old to marry when you are free from this ship. SO I have chosen a husband for you.”
“You can’t! Your not my father!” I exclaimed. I got up. Jack and Jill hissed at me.
“Your father is dead, girl. And I am now incharge of you. Sit back down.”
I sat back down. Ready to cry.
“Nashon, will be your husband. I am going to talk to him myself, so there’s no reason to tell him yet…”
I didn’t hear the rest. Nashon? No! It’s not fair! This couldn’t be happening! He tries to hurt me! No matter what he says about trying to be nice, he won’t!
I was ready to faint, throw up or cry. I could do all three.
The captain said I could go. I ran out the door and slaming into Jashub.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. His eyes were full of concern. I couldn’t understand why the captain hadn’t wanted me to marry Jashub. I mean, he was his son for heaven’s sake!
“I-It’s nothing. I just want to be alone.” I pulled away from him and went into the hold. I knew the Jashub would say he gave me permission. I knew he would.
While I was laying on my hammock. I heard voices and then slamming of doors and someone coming down the hold steps. If anyone came down the steps I think I’d kill them.
I put my hands over my face.
“Now why are you hiding your face like that, Pet?” Nashon asked. He was standing over me. I knew it.
“Because. I think I’m going to kill someone I don’t put my hands somewhere.” I said.
He pulled my hands away from my face. His blue eyes were smiling at me. I looked away.
“I don’t like the idea any more then you do. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
I sat up. “How about this? We both commit sucide.”
He looked at me. “I would save you before you could do that.”
I rolled my eyes. At least he had our sense of humor.
I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t love you.” I said.
He sat down on the hammock. it swayed. “And I don’t love you. But that’s not the point. The captain wants the crew to keep growing.”
My eyes were filling with tears. “So he can just kill us and then keep our child?” Oh no, not a good sign, I’m already thinking about having children.
“Catherine, look at me.”
I looked at him. His eyes were full of concern. “What ever happens. I want you to know, I would save you from anything.”
I think I liked the old Nashon better.
“What ever.” I said. I got up but he grabbed me and swung me back around.
“If you don’t coporate I’m going to loose my temper, and it’s not going to be pretty. Do you understand?”
“Let go!” I yelled. He had a hold of both my wrists.
“Do you understand?”
“I don’t! I don’t even like you! How could I even obey you? I don’ t like you!”
His grip got tighter.
“Stop!” I cried. “Your hurting me!”
“That’s the point. I thought that you weren’t working with them. But I’m not so sure now.” He said.
Ok, the new Nahson, I like better.
“What?” I cried. Trying to pull away.
“You know very well what!”
“But I don’t!” I cried. The tears were almost there.
He pulled me closer. “Do you know about the Spainish prince?”
“No! I don’t! Now stop!”
“Your so stupid! We’ve been playing dumb for too long! I know what your up too!”
But I don’t even know what I’m up too!
“See? This is why I don’t like you! You hurt me!”
“The captain wouldn’t care. He hurts plenty of us daily.” He said. He shoved me against the wall. “Tomrrow, when we make port, the captain is going to get us rings and we’ll be officaly betrothed.”
I squirmed at the thought.
“Then, when you turn fourteen, we’ll be married.”
I felt like getting sick at that thought.
“Then you’ll have to tell me everything. Do you understand?”
I shook my head. “no! I don’t!” the tears were coming now.
“Catherine, just tell me. What do you know about the prince?”
“I didn’t even know one was missing! Please, I don’t understand!”
He gave me a hard look. “Catherine…”
“I really don’t! And I don’t lie about these things! And if your not telling me everything. Then why would I tell you everything?”
He let go. “I guess if our marriage is going to work, we have to be honest.”
I nodded. “yes. And you have to be nicer.”
He pointed to me, and leaned in. “Just me?” his eyes were laughing.
I laughed to. “Well, I guess I could go a little easier on you…”
He smiled. “Good.” And he walked back up the stairs.
I would find out what he means, I will. I just have to be paintent.
The next day, while I was sewing clothes. Nashon came up behind me and leaned over my shoulder.
“Nashon, this isn’t quite the way you act. Has your mother told you anything?” I said.
“No.” he said. Then he surprised me by kissing me on the cheek!
I was stunned. “I guess that’s alright.” I said. But I was melting inside.
He sat down beside me. “What are you doing?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m sewing.”
He nodded. “Ooh…”
I pushed him off his seat.
“What was that for?” he exclaimed.
“Oh, nothing.” I said. I giggled.
After he walked away. I got up and turned around to give Perida back her shirt I had sewn for her when I bumped into Fredrick.
“Oh, hello, Fredrick.” I said. Going around him.
“Hello, Catherine.” He said. “I heard about the next big wedding.”
I stopped. “Y-you did?”
“Yes. And I just want to congratulate you.” He said.
I let out a sigh of relif. “Thank you, Fredrick.”
“But, Catherine,” he said. “Do you love Nashon?”
I stopped again. I shook my head. “No. Why?”
“Just wondering.” And Fredrick walked away.
Alright, why did Fredrick act all freaky?
Then I felt a ping of guilt. I never let him finish what he was going to say to me!
“Fredrick!” I called after him.
He turned around.
“What were you going to ask me yesterday?”
He shook his head. “It’s too late now.” He said and he kept walking.
Oh no. Was he going to ask me…? I couldn’t belive it. What terrible timing he had!
I went to go see Perida, she was the only other person on the whole ship that understands what I’m going through. When I opened the door to her room I found Jashub sitting by her bed. I turned to go.
“It’s fine, Catherine. Come in.” Jashub said.
“I-I just wanted to drop off this.” I said. I put it on the bedside table and turned to leave but Jashub grabbed me by the arm.
“Jashub, I don’t have time for this.” I said.
He let go. “Sorry, I just want to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“About what the captain said to you. Is it true?” he looked so sad.
I nodded. “Yes.” My voice was filled with tears.
“I don’t understand. Why did he choose…?”
“I don’t know either, Jashub. I really don’t.”
Jashub pushed pass me. “I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Jashub! Don’t.” I begged. “Your father will just say no.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “How did you.—“ His eyes had hate in them.
“H-He told me.” I stammered.
Jashub didn’t say anything.
I wanted to change the subject. “What’s wrong with Perida?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” And he walked out.
Great, just great. Two bad things in the past twenty-four hours. I’m getting married and Perida is sick, and no one knows what she has.
I wiped away tears as I walked out the door.
My life was falling to pieaces.
Chapter 19
Alright, before you put down this book because it’s breaking your heart to read it. I just want you to know, it’s going to be a happy ending.
A storm hit the Truth that day, so we couldn’t make port that day. So I stayed below huddled in my sadness and fears.
“What’s wrong, Pet?” Nashon asked. He came from the boys side of the hold.
Oh, nothing. I’m just going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life.
“Nothing.” I said. “I-I don’t feel good, that’s all.”
And it was the truth. I didn’t feel well at all.
He sat down beside me. “I don’t feel that well myself.”
I wonder why? Maybe beuase your going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life.
I sighed and got up.
“Alright, your not just not feeling well.” Nashon pulled me back down.
“Nashon, I don’t want to talk about it.” I said. Trying to get back up. He wouldn’t let me.
“Well, maybe you should. If we’re going to be stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, maybe you should start telling me things.”
Something went off in my head. Talk. That’s what my mother said to do with your husband. Or in this case, almost husband.
I opened my mouth. Then a cannon ball shot threw the bottom of the ship.
I screamed.
“Oh my.—“ Nashon yelled. He grabbed me by the hand and went up into the storm.
“It’s not safe up here!” I screamed over the deafning wind.
“Well it’s not safe down there either!” he screamed back.
“What’s going on?!” Jashub yelled. He looked over and saw a ship threw the mist. “What in.—“
The ship rocked as another cannon ball shot threw the bottom of the ship.
“We’re going to sink!” I screamed. I grabbed onto Nashon. He pushed me against him in a hug.
“It’s going to be alright.” He said.
I don’t think so.
“Can you tell what flag they have?” Fredrick yelled.
“It’s too foggy!” Nashon screamed.
“Where’s the captain?”
So many questions. So little time.
“We’re going to die!” I screamed.
Nashon hugged me tighter. “We’re not.”
“Yes we are!” I started to cry.
“The stress is too much for her.” I heard Jashub say. Or yell.
“I’m fine!” I screamed. Still crying.
Then I felt Nashon being torn away. I started to kick and scream. “Shhh.” Perida said.
Then everything else was a blur.
Guns started to go off. People started to yell.
Then I felt someone pulling me away from Perida.
“PERIDA!” I screamed.
Then everything went black.
Chapter 20
I woke up on a cold damp floor.
I groaned.
“She’s waking up.”
“What happened to her?”
“No one knows.”
“What’s her name?”
My eyes flew open. There were too faces. Both with green eyes. Girls. One with brown hair, one with blonde hair.
I sat up and started to inch away from them.
“Hey, it’s alright.” The girl with brown hair reached out to me. I still inched back.
“She must be still scared from what happened last night.” The blonde girl said.
“What did happen?” the brown haired girl looked at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.” I said.
“She can talk!” the blonde girl exclaimed. She threw her hands in the air.
The brown haired girl hit her on the arm. “Shut up.”
“Sorry.” But she was smiling.
“What’s your name?” the brown girl asked. She inched towards me.
“Catherine.” I said.
“My name is Emiline. And this is Molly.” The brown girl said.
“Hello.” I said. “Please, where am I?”
“Your in American of course!” Molly said. She smiled.
“Have you seen my fiancé and my friends?” I asked. I stood up.
The girls stood up with me. “Your betrothed?” Molly asked. She kept bouncing up and down.
I sighed. “Sadly, yes.”
“I know how you feel.” Emiline wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I’m married. And I don’t love the man.”
“And he doesn’t love her!” Molly said.
Emiline glared at her. “Sisters.” She grumbled.
“Emiline? Molly?” a male voice called.
“There he is now.” Molly sqeeled.
“Don’t’ worry,” Emiline said. “He’s very kind.”
I pushed away from her. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay.” And I ran out the back door of the stable I was in.
“Wait!” Molly and Emiline called after me.
I ran into the forest. I didn’t know where I was going. But I had to go somewhere.
I was alone. Again. With not one I knew. Again.
I sat down against a tree and fell asleep.
“Catherine? Bird?”
I opened my eyes. And there was Jashub.
“Jashub! It’s you!” I jumped up and gave him a hug. He hugged me back.
“I thought ye were dead!” he said.
“Me too!” I cried.
He pulled me out at arms length.
“Where are we?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “All I reamber is that other pirates came and tried to kill us. They took you away. You and m-my mother.” He said.
“How did you excape?” I asked.
“They deicied that I would be more useful alive, so they made port here but I ran away.” He looked at my, puzzled. “How did you get away?”
I looked away. “i-I don’t know. I don’t even rember that.” I looked back at him . “Where’s Nashon?”
He let go. His eyes filled with hate. “I don’t know. And I don’t really care.” He started to walk away.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. “Jashub! Listen! I know your jealous but Nashon is a person and he happens to be the man I-I love.”
Jashub’s eyes went further than hate. There’s not word for it but he went from hate to...
He turned to me. “Do ye really love him?” Now his eyes went from total hate to sadness.
“I do, Jashub. And we have to rescue him!” Tears slid down my cheeks as I hugged him. “Please.”
He pushed me away. “Fine. Come.” And he started to walk away.
I followed him into town. There were tons of people. Different langues were everywhere. It was one blur. Like bees buzzing.
Then, someone grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me into an ally.
“Let go!” I yelled.
“Hey boys, look at this. She’s a Brit!” a male voice said.
I was pushed back against the stone wall by hands.
“I damnanded to be let go!” I screamed. I tried to kick away my attacker. Or was it attackers?
“Feisty isn’t she?” someone else said. “I like that.” Someone grabbed my chin and pulled me forwards. A boy with red hair and eyes so blue that they looked black.
I grabbed the arm that he had on me and tried to pull it away.
He grabbed my arms.
At least I got him off my face.
But his grip really hurt. “Stop! Who are you?” I cried.
“Why, we’re orphans with nothing better to do.” The redheaded boy said. He let go of me and leaned against the other wall.
I folded my arms across my chest. “So this is what you do?”
“Ooh! She’s not attidute too!” someone else said.
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, we pick on newcomers here. No one walks pass this ally without seeing us. Right boys?” the redheaded boy said.
“Yes!” the rest of them said.
“Well, I’m sorry. But I didn’t know.” I said.
“Well, you should of!” someone mimicked my Britsh accent.
“Boys, boys. Don’t pick on her too hard. I see she’s had some practice with teasers like us.”
“Yes, I sure have. I’m actually betrothed to one.”
Alright, Catharine, that was too far.
“Oh? Is that so?” the redheaded kid said.
“Joeseph! What are you doing?”
To my surprise Emline walked up.
The redheaded kid looked scared for a second. “Nothing, darling. Just doing what I do.” He went to kiss Emiline but she pushed him away.
“Your not soupossed to be doing that! Leave Catherine alone.”
Joesph put up his hands in surrender. “Fine.” And he walked away. Pushing Emiline along with him.
Poor her. Stuck with a husband like that.
I walked out of the ally and went to find Jashub.
“Where have ye been, Bird?” Jashub snapped. Pulling me along.
“I just got pracitcly kidnapped! That’s what!” I didn’t even bother trying to pull away.
“Well, why ye were being ‘kidnapped’ I found the rest of our crew.”
“Really?” I was to relived I felt like crying.
We made it to the dock. Perida was sitting on a crate. Rocking back and forth. One of the crew was with her.
I saw Nashon and I ran and gave him a hug. “I missed you!” I cried.
“Well, I’m fine. But I can’t say the same for Perida.” He said.
I pulled away from him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s fine! I’m fine!” Perida said. She smiled. “I’m just with child. And the boys here don’t understand the pain.”
I ran to her. “Oh Perida! That’s so wonderful!”
“Then I guess it’s fine then. I just needed Catherine to confirm it.” Nashon smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Oh, and by the way. The captain gave these to me.” He took my hand and slipped a ring on my finger.
I didn’t know what to say. And I didn’t get a chance to.
“The captain…h-he’s…” Nashon started.
“Dead.” Jashub finished. He looked sad.
“Then, who’s captain?” someone asked.
“Jashub is. His father would of wanted him to be captain.” Perida said. She stood up and put her hands on Jashub’s shoulders. “You are now captain.”
Jashub captain? Oh no, this isn’t good. He can break Nashon and I’s betrothal. And I love Nashon.
“I will show you the ropes, my son.” Perida said.
Whew, at least she’ll be telling him what to do.
“We don’t have a ship.” Abjiah said.
“Do you always have to point out the obouis?” Nashon said.
Abijah shrugged.
Amidad hit him in the arm. “Let’s go steal one!”
Everyone looked at Jashub. It was his decision.
He nodded and smiled a smug smile. “Yes. I think we should.”
Chapter 21
“I want to go!” I begged.
Nahson shook his head. “No, darling. It’s too dangouras.”
“But.—“
“No!”
I took a step back. We had ‘rented’ a house to stay in. The crew did anyway. I was staying in the room with Perida. But she was sleeping so I went to Nashon to talk to him. I wanted to go help them steal a ship. Or in Jashub’s case, ‘borrow without permission’. I said we weren’t ever going to give it back. He said that they would hide it and in the morning they would come get Perida and me and we would set sail. He completely avoided my statement about not giving the ship back.
“I said no Catherine. Stay here!” Nashon was loosing his temper. So I decided just to obey him. For now.
“Fine.” I crossed my arms.
And he gave me a kiss on the cheek. But it was a have hearted one. I looked away as he did. I didn’t see him leave. And I didn’t care.
Just so you know, I lied to Jashub, and I lied to myself back at when Jashub was made captain. I didn’t love Nashon. I didn’t. And Jashub told me, that he couldn’t do anything about it. He said that his father had written it out and that it couldn’t be changed. And also, he said that Nashon argued and that he wanted to marry me. I didn’t know if Jashub was lying or what. But he looked like he was telling the truth.
I turned to go, when I saw his coat lying on the bed.
“Hmm,” I went over and picked it up. “How about I steal something from you and you’ll think twice about not letting me go.” I looked in all of the pockets and I found papers. “Papers?”
I looked at them and read them aloud: “Agent of the Young Royalty Protecters. Agent: William.
The next paper said: “Your mission, Will is to track down all possible Young Royalty Assantors and take them down.”
Friendly.
I found other papers too and they had Abijah’s and Amdiad’s papers too. But they scratched out their real names.
“So, you boys aren’t who you say you are.” I said out loud.
“Really? Because I feel like who I saw I am.”
I looked over the paper and saw Abjiah and Amidad standing in the door way.
I am so dead.
I shoved the papers behind me. “Did you boys find a ship?” I asked.
They waved their hands like they were waving away my question. “Don’t change the subject, Pet.” They said.
I am so glad that Nashon or William isn’t here.
“What’s going on, boys?”
Never mind. He’s here, and I’m so dead.
Nashon\Will took one look at the angry faces of his friends and then at me with my hands behind my back and I could see his temper getting up there.
“What did you do, Catherine?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I was just cleaning and.—“
“When we found her in here she said ‘that we weren’t who we say we are’ and shoved our Agentcey papers behind her back.” Amdidad said.
“Excuse me? I was still talking!” I said.
“Catherine, hand me those papers.” Nashon\Will said. He held out his hand.
I handed them to him.
“Now what do we do, Will?” Abijah asked.
“Shut up!” AMidad hissed.
“She already knows his real name because he didn’t scratch his out like we did!”
“So what do we do now?”
Will looked at me. And he didn’t look happy. He flipping the papers up and down and then tossed them on a table.
“We can’t let her go!”
“She knows!”
“Hello! I’m right here!” I said. I crossed my arms. And looked at the door. If I could just run out the door…
Catherine Mckow didn’t know what to do. It was either possible death or freedom…
“Catherine!” Someone grabbed onto me.
“Sorry.” I said. Will didn’t look happy. Then I looked around, I was almost to the door.
“We’re not down talking to you yet.” Nahson\Will said.
He pushed me back down onto the bed. I crossed my arms again.
“We could…you know…” Abijah said.
“No! I will not allow her to come to any harm!” Will snapped.
Goodness, he wasn’t lying about saving me.
“I won’t tell.” I said.
They all looked at me. “We don’t have any gurantee.” Amadiad said.
“You already told about what I told you not to tell about.” Will said.
“I told...uh oh.” I said.
“What?” all three of them said.
“I told Fredrick and Brianna, and I told them not to tell anyone and they promised. Do you think…”
Will nodded. “I see where your going. They could be Agents of the Young Royalty Assains Agentcy.”
“But we can’t trust her!” Abjiah cried.
“Why not? Besides, when Will and I marry he’ll have to tell me what he’s doing. So you should start trusting me now.” I said.
Will still didn’t look confinced. “It doesn’t matter if we marry. We still can’t trust you.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Why not?”
Will sat down beside me and sighed. “It’s hard to explain. If they Agentcy found out that a untrained person was helping us. Excepelty a girl.”
“Excuse me? I have done more then a girl’s work on this ‘adventrue’ I think I can handle myself.” I said. “What would they do to me if they found out?”
“I don’t know. But they could.—“
“Kill you.” Abjiah finished.
“That’s lovely.” I said. “Not.”
“That’s why you can’t!” Nashon\Will said.
“I think I can. The ‘Agency’ can do what it likes. But I want to help. If Fredrick and Brianna are ‘bad’ Agents then I’m the only one who can get information out of them. They don’t like you boys.”
They all gave me the look.
“It’s true! They don’t!” I said.
Will stood up. “Fine. But I want a report every night. And if I don’t hear from you. Well, I’m going to loose my temper.”
I nodded. “Fine. But what if I don’t have anything to say to you?”
“I just want to make sure your ok.”
“Ooh!” said Abjiah and Amdaid.
“Shut up.” Nashon\Will said. He pushed me out the door. “Just, be careful. Please?”
“I will.” I said. And I walked out the door.
When I was walking down the hall. I heard them still talking.
“This is a bad idea.”
“I’m captain of this mission. So I think she’ll be fine. Besdies. We haven’t gotten anywhere on this mission. No one trust us.” Will said.
“Well, if we started to be nice to people…”
“Then people would assume that we’re bad. See? Don’t you guys get it?”
“No.” they said.
Then there was some whispering that I couldn’t hear. SO I decided just to keep walking down the hall.
All of sudden I was whirled around and Will kissed me! ON the lips! And then running back down the hall and back into his room with a bang of the door.
I stood there. Stunned. There were ‘good jobs!’ and laughter.
Did they think mocking me is funny? Is Will just pretending he loves me? Does he really want to keep me safe? I decided just to go ask, Perida. I was surprised that she wasn’t morning over her husband’s death. I guess she really didn’t love him. How does that work exactly? If one person loves another but the other person doesn’t love the other back? It’s not really love is it? Oh never mind. Your brain is probably going wack right now.
I found Perida on her bed, and she had the letter that I had found.
“Catherine, what is this?” she asked.
I snatched it away from her. “N-nothing.”
“Catherine, it’s just ‘nothing’ is something.”
“I just found it back on the Truth. It was a clue to who killed my father.”
“I don’t recognize the hand writing…” Perida said. Then she changed the subject. “Did the men find a ship.”
“Oh! I never asked.”
“Then what were ye doing in Nashon and the boy’s room?” she raised an eyebrow. “Did ye.—“
“no! We didn’t. We just talked.” I quickly said.
“Altight.” She patted my knee. “Just making sure.”
“Perida.” I said after a long silence.
“Yes?”
“Do I have to marry, W-Nashon?”
Perida shook her head. “Jashub cannot do anything about it. I cannot do anything about it. His father wrote it out. We cannot change it. Unless, of course, Nashon dies.”
“No, no! I would never want that to happen!” I said.
“I know you wouldn’t.” She patted my knee again. “And don’t worry about that note. For all we know, someone was just playing.”
“Sounds serious to me.”
“I know. And maybe the person died when the other pirates attacked? We can’t be sure, but don’t worry. People are watching out for you.”
Those last words helped me sleep better that night. I knew that God was there and that Perida and, yes, Will\Nashon. It was going to be hard to rember his real name.
Chapter 21
The next morning. Perida woke me up. The sun wasn’t even up yet. But the men found a ship last night and we were to board it right away.
Brianna started to cry for not reason at all. And I was tired and sleepy so I snapped at her more then I wanted.
“Stop crying! There’s not reason too!”
“s-s-s-sorry!” she stammered.
Fredrick walked by me the whole way. He wouldn’t let Nashon or the two stand next to me. Maybe he suspected them of being the ‘good’ Agents.
When we got the ship. And everyone was on board except Nashon, Fredrick and I. Red coats came around the bend.
I wanted to hug them! I could go home. But Will pulled me back.
“We can’t let them see us!” he hissed.
We hid behind some crates on the deck. Jashub looked over and saw what was going on. And said something to the men untying the rope that connected us to the dock.
“What do we do?” Fredrick hissed.
Will looked uncofterble.
Maybe he doesn’t like being so close to an soupossedly ‘bad’ Agent.
“We sit here until the Red Coats go away.” I hissed back.
“Ooh.” Fredrick nodded.
Will laughed. I hit him in the head. “Shut it!”
“Sorry.” He said. But he was still smiling.
“You there! What is your business with this ship?” a Red Coat asked Jashub.
“I have bought his ship. Sir. And we are going to.—“ Jashub started.
“Bought?” the two soliders laughed. “Your not even old enough to…” then the solider took another look at Jashub. “Never mind. Where are you sailing to? To see yer girl?” the soilders laughed.
“No.” Jashub said.
“Well, then, don’t go getting snippy, where’s yer papers?”
To my surprise. Jashub brought out papers and handed them to the solider. Then solider read over them.
I held my breath.
The solider gave the papers back to Jashub. “Alright, Mr. Smith. Have a nice sail.” And the soliders moved on.
Everyone let out the air they were holding in.
“That was close.” Fredrick said.
“Tell me about it.” Will said.
Something caught my eye. I looked down and saw my engadgment ring. I sighed. The captain was so evil. I can’t belive he would make sure that Nashon and I got married.
Then something else caught my eye. Two girls, with brown and blonde hair were running towards are ship. Then they climbed the rope that connected the ship to the dock and they got aboard the ship!
“W-Nashon!” I yelled.
“What? You don’t have to yell.” Will said. He rubbed his ear.
“Well, excuse me!” I snapped.
“What is it? We have to get on board or they’ll leave without us!” He grabbed my hand and he pulled me to the gank plank.
“But, I saw.—“
“Catherine, if we don’t get on that ship. It will leave without us!” he practicly carried me up the plank and onto the ship. I idmettly went the hold.
“What in they world are ye doing?” I yelled at Emiline and Molly.
“Ye? What kind of word is that. And why are you going on a ship?” Molly gasped. “Have you been kidnapped?”
I wrapped my shawl around myself tighter. “You could say that.”
Emiline put her hands on my shoulders. “We’re coming with you. Joesph is just plain awful. It was an arranged marriage anyway. So I think I have the right to leave. And besides. I want to meet all your friends.”
Friends?
“No! You have to get off the ship! If they find you down here. I’m going to get in so much trouble!”
“Why?”
I stopped talking. I didn’t really know why I was always blamed.
“Um…Because.”
“We’re staying anyway. This is going to be fun! I’ve always wanted to be on a ship!” Emiline said.
“You don’t understand! These are pirates, Emiline.”
Molly gasped. “Pirates? Sweet!”
Total face palm. “You don’t get it! I have been kidnapped by pirates for months now. You don’t want to end up like me!”
“But we want to help you. Besdies. Living with Joesph has taught me some things about watching my back.” Emiline said.
They don’t get it. With Jashub captain who knows what he’ll do! Or Will for that matter. He’ll probably tease them and then be mean to them and think they’re ‘bad’ Agents. This is awful!
Then the ship rocked. Emiline and Molly fell over. But I still stood.
“How can you stand on this boat?” Molly said. Standing up.
“It’s a ship. And I can because I have my sea legs. You’ll get yours soon.” I helped Emiline up.
“Oh.” They nodded.
“But you shouldn’t have gotten on this ship!” I cried.
“Pet? What in the world are you doing?” Will called.
“Pet?” Molly asked.
“That is my fiancé. And that’s his nick name for me. I hate it.” I said.
“Oh.” Molly nodded.
“I’m…just…” I started. What should I say.
“Well, J- The captain wants to talk to us about something. Who knows what. And if you don’t come up here right now I’ll come and get you and that’s not going to be pretty.”
I turned to Emiline and Molly. “I.—“
“Go ahead. He doesn’t sound like a nice one. Go on.” Emiline said. She gave me a smile.
I smiled back and went back up the stairs. Will was there to meet me. “What took you so long? And what was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.
“Which question do I ask first?”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
We walked to the captain’s cabin. And went it. Jashub was sitting at the table looking at the map. I think he was graphing. But when he saw us he pushed it out of the way. I guessed he was mad at it. I could do graphing. I’ll have to show him how…
“Have a seat.” He said.
Ooh, very official.
We took a seat. And Jashub cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes. This was insane.
“I have found the paper that clearly states that ye and Nashon are to be married.” He started.
Both Will and I shifted in our seats.
“And I have done the liberty of burning it. So I’ll be having those rings back.” He held out his hand.
I quickly took mine off. And put it in his hand. But Will just stared at Jashub.
“That’s it?” he said.
“Nashon! Just give it over! We don’t love each other. So there’s not point.” I nudged him. And whispered. “I can still help you, and you can still save me.”
Finalley after staring at him. Will pulled off his ring and put it in Jashub’s hand.
Jashub smiled, a sly smile. What was he up too? Did he really find the paper? Was there ever a paper to begin with? So many questions. And no answers.
When he said we could go, Will went out like a flash of lightning, I walked to the door but Jashub stopped me.
“Wait, I’m done talking to ye.” He said.
Uh-oh.
I turned back around. He got up.
“Yes?” I said. “’captain’” I put up my two fingers and wiggled them up and down.
He didn’t smile a nice smile, or even a teaseing one. He still had that sly smile on.
“Since that paper is gone,”
Oh no. He’s not going to.--
“Who are you going to marry?”
“Um…I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait until I can go off this ship. And why won’t you let me?”
“Because, the Code says I can’t. I can’t disobey the Code.” He was serious about that one. A real serious.
I nodded. “Alright. Then what do you want me for now?”
He came right up to me. He was so much taller then me. It made me want to hide. He was scary with that black hair and dark brown eyes.
“I have an order for you.” He said.
“An order? Um…I can sew something for you. Or whatever. I have nothing better to do.” I was sarcastic about the ending. I had plenty to do.
He took my hands.
This is getting serious. Scary serious.
“You are going to marry me.” He said.
I pulled my hands away. “No Jashub.”
“I order you.”
“I don’t care, if you ‘order me’ it’s a no.”
“Catherine…”
“Can’t I choose who I want to marry?”
In all truth, I wanted to marry him. But I was so sick of being told who to marry.
“Here, you come to me a couple days later and ask me again. If you ask me right. Then I’ll marry you. In all truth, Jashub I love you. But if your going to ‘order’ me to marry you. I don’t think I wanted to be married to someone who ‘orders’ people to marry. Alright?”
He looked down at me and then smiled. A real smile. “What’s the right way?”
I went on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. “You’ll know.”
And I walked out the door, feeling great.
“What did he say?” Will asked.
I sighed. “Go away.”
“I know we’re not bethroaed anymore. And what kind of word is that anyway? Anyway, can we just be friends?”
Friends? I guess.
“Um…sure. But you have to promise. That you’ll be nice to me.”
“I will. Will will.” He said.
I laughed. “Alright.” And I went down into the hold to talk to Molly and Emliline.
Emliline put her arm around me. “Good job, Catherine! You did it! Too bad I didn’t tell Joesph to do that. Not that it would of mattered. I was forced to marry him.”
“So Jashub said that your other wedding was off?” Molly asked.
“Yes.” I said. “Thankfully. Nahson was unsure at first. But he gave up his ring.”
“I’m glad you found someone you love, Catherine, I’m sure you’ll be happy together.”
“Hey, what’s that noise?” Molly asked.
We stopped talking and heard people talking.
“What in the world?” I whispered.
“When are we going to take one of them and question them?” someone yelled. I knew the voice, but I couldn’t place who’s.
“Not yet! You stupid boy!” a girl’s voice.
“I say we just do it now. That Catherine knows something. I can feel it. I say we question her about the Spanish Prince.” Someone else’s voice. But I couldn’t place who’s.
“Fine. But if anyone catches us. I’ll kill both of you!” that girl’s voice again. I knew that voice. But I still couldn’t’ figure out who’s! And she must be the leader.
“Th-that was scary.” Molly whimpered.
“I don’t think you should hide anymore.” I said.
“Why?” Emliline asked. Hugging Molly.
“Because, it’s too dangouras now. Someone needs to protect you.”
They nodded. “Alright.” Emiline said.
I took them up onto the top deck. And took them to the captain’s cabin.
“Jashub, I need to tell you something.” I said.
He looked up from his map. I really need to show him how to do it.
“Who are they?” he asked.
“These are my friends. They kind of…um…”
“We wanted to come with Catherine, so we stowed away on your ship. We are sorry for the trouble we have caused.” Emilline said.
Jashub just stared at them .
“Jashub!” I hissed.
He snapped back. “Sorry. You can stay on my ship. I don’t care.” And he went back to mapping.
Face palm. “Go on, I’ll talk to him about what we heard.” I told the two girls.
They nodded and left.
“Jashub, that was stupid.” I said.
“hm?” he said.
“Jashub! Look up here a moment please!” I said.
He looked up. “What?” he asked.
“First of all. Your mapping all wrong. And second, that was the wroset thing you could have said! ‘Just stay on my ship’.”
I pushed the map away from him and sat down next to him. “Those girls have risked their lives to come on this ship, and I think you could of told them something like ‘don’t worry, everything will be fine. I welcome you on my ship. No harm done!’”
“Really?” he said. “I’m new at the whole captain thing.”
“And third. The only reason I brought them up here was because someone is going to kidnap me and question me, so they.—“
“What?” He interpreted me. “’kidnap you’?”
I nodded “Yes.”
“Who?”
“I’m not sure, I heard voices talking about it. Voices I knew, but I couldn’t place who’s they were.”
He nodded. “It’s going to be alright. I wouldn’t let anything happen to ye.” He said. He smiled. “Oh, and I have something to ask you.”
“Really?” I smiled.
“Yes.” He pushed his chair back and got down on one knee.
I covered my mouth and awe. He had figured it out!
He took my hand. “Catherine Mckow, will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes! I will!” I cried. He slipped the ring on my finger and I jumped down and gave him a hug and started crying. Not sad crying, but happy crying. I was the happiest moment of my life.
Chapter 22
Right after that, Jashub wanted me to stay with him everywhere he went so that I wouldn’t get kidnapped. Which was fine with me. I loved Jashub.
While we were looked out onto the sea, with the sun setting into it. He held hands. (if this is grossing you out, go ahead and skip it.) I leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m just so happy.” I said.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Me too.”
I smiled.
“Jashub! Catherine! It’s Perida!” Fredrick ran up.
Jashub let go of my hand. (we didn’t like doing in front of people. Not that we ever did anything wrong, mind you) “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“She’s in pain…I’m not really sure! Nashon’s with her. Come!” and he ran to the hold.
We followed.
When I saw Perida I knew what was wrong.
“Everyone out!” I commanded.
They all looked at me. “Why?” Will asked.
Boys were so cluessless. She was going to have a baby!
“Just get out!”
They did.
I took Perida’s hand. “It’s going to be alright, you’ve done with before. Just push.”
I watched my mother help other women give birth, so I knew what to do.
I’m not going to go into details because you’d put down this book and have nightmares or something.
It was a brand new baby girl.
She was fast asleep, she had all her fingers and toes. Everything was perfect. She was wrapped in a white blanket and she held my finger while she was sleeping.
Perida was fine too, everything went fine. She was sleeping also.
I opened the door and I startled by Jashub and Will standing there.
“What happened? Is my mother alright?” then Jashub stopped when he saw the little girl.
I saw tears in his eyes.
“Oh, so that was why you kicked us out.” Will said.
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s a little girl, Jashub. You are now a older brother.” I smiled and gave the little girl to Jashub. And he walked off.
“I have to go wash my hands.” I said. Then we burst into laughter.
“Go ahead, Pet.” Then his smile faded. “We need to talk about what you heard that one night.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
After I had washed my hands, Will and I talked about what I had heard.
“You do know something. They’re smarter than we thought.” Wills said, after I had finished telling him.
I nodded. “Yes. They are. I just wish I could place who’s voice’s it was!”
“Don’t worry. Me and the boys will go from here.” He said.
That night. I heard something fall in Jashub’s cabin.
I got up and went up the steps. The light was on and I saw two shapes and one had a sword and the other had a gun.
I gasped and ran to the cabin. I opened the door. “Jashub!” I cried.
“No, Catherine! Go back.—ARGH!” the person with the sword clipped him in the side. Hard. The person turned to me and it was Brianna!
“SO glad you came to join us, Catheine.” She said. I felt the cold metel of the gun in my back.
“Yes, we hoped you would come to help him.” Fredrick said into my ear.
“I should have known!” I hissed. “You two were too nice.”
I felt Fredrick shrug. “And we thought you were dumb enough not to notice. But you were too smart.” He pushed me to wear Jashub had fallen to the floor. I knelt down beside him. He groaned. The sword had gone in deep.
“You hurt him!” I cried.
“That’s the idea.” Brianna said. She put the sword under my chin. “Now, what do you know about the Spainish prince?” she asked.
I didn’t answer.
She pushed harder. “You stupid girl! Just answer!”
“I have one question for you, first.” I said.
She sighed and put the sword down.
“What are your real names?”
“Since we’re going to kill you after you’ve answered, I guess we could tell you. I am Mary Draqo Englanden. The leader of this mission.”
“And I am Steven Laganus.” Fredrick said.
“No fancy title, hm?” I asked.
His eyes filled with hate.
Mary\Brianna waved that off. “That’s a story for another time. A time you won’t make I’m afraid.” She smiled an evil smile and put the sword back under my chin. “What do you know about the Spainish prince?”
“How about we ask you the same question?” Will, Abjiah and Ammidad all stood behind Mary and Steven.
Mary and Steven idmettely dropped their weapons.
Abijah gathered them up.
Will pointed his sword at Mary. “We’ve been stoaking you for a long while. And can you belive that a girl would turn you in?”
Mary shifted from foot to foot.
“See Mary? I told you we should of killed her.” Steven said.
“Shut up!” snapped Mary.
“You have the right to remain silent.” Will said. “Abjiah?”
Abijah went to tie Mary and Steven’s hands but instead he gave them they’re weapons back.
“Abjiah!” Will cried.
Abijah laughed. “You think I’m dumb? I’ve been working with these two ever since they came aboard this ship!” he laughed some more.
Mary and Steven smiled evil smile.
Abijah took the gun from Steven and pointed it at me.
I was froze to the spot. “I pretended I was dumb so that I could gather information and it worked!” then he turned to me again. “We should of killed you right away! I knew you would be a neusonce!”
I closed my eyes are Amidad and Will screamed no and lunged for him. Then I heard the shot of the gun go off.
I opened my eyes. Abjiah was on the floor. And I was alive.
“That’s what you get for waking a tired mother!” Perida said. She blew on the top of the gun, sending the smoke flying.
Everyone except the ‘bad’ agents let out sighs of reilf. Perida told Will and Amdiad to put Steven and Mary in the brig. And I took care of Jashub.
In the morning after I had cleaned Jashub’s wound, I fell asleep on the table. I woke to a groaning sound. Jashub was trying to get up.
I ran to the bed. “no, no. Jashub. Lye still.” I gently pushed him back down.
“W-what happened last night?” he craoked.
“I’ll explain everything later,” I smiled. “You should rest.” I went to walk away but he pulled me back by the hand.
“Can’t I get a kiss first?” he asked.
I laughed and I went to kiss him on the cheek but he moved suddenly and I kissed him on the lips instead. It was the most romantic thing ever.
And we lived happily.--
Wait! Before I go on to that, I want to insure you that I will continue the rest of the story. When it happens.
Jashub is calling, it is our wedding day, I am so excited!
Catherine Mckow was going to make the biggest diecsion in her life. She was going from pirates queen, to pirate wife. Catherine Mckow would not be a Mckow anymore. But inside, she’ll still be the pirate queen, no matter what.
--Ever after.
THE END
Catherine the swashbuckling pirate, jumped to the top of the crow’s nest. “What do you mean? I will never give up my preasouis Bird!”
“Arr! Ye will though!”
“Never!”
“Catherine, your homework please.”
My eyes flew open. I wasn’t on my presouis Bird, I was in school.
And Mrs. Inkly was standing over Me. “What do you mean your won’t give it up? Did you not do your homework, Catherine?”
Snickers went around the class room.
“No, ma’am. I did it. I was just.—“
“Day dreaming. I noticed.”
The class room arupted into hsterycal laughter. Mrs. Inkly swept her gaze around the room. The laugher stopped.
“And, Catherine.” She said. As I handed over her board with her problems on it. “Young British ladies, aren’t pirates.”
Yup, you heard right, that’s me: Catherine Mckow. The British girl who wanted to be a pirate. It was the year 1767. And young women such as myself, exspecly a Admrial’s daughter, didn’t work or daydream. They sewed and learned to be proper and such. But no me, no. I wanted to be a pirate! I thought they were the most thrilling things on the face of the earth. I knew what they did to pirates when they caught them, oh yes I did. They hung them. But I determined that I would never get caught if I was a pirate.
“Catherine! Hello!” My friend Eilean waved her hand in front of my face. “Earth to Catherine!”
Her British accent was thinner than mine. Since she was from the New World. Her long dark hair and muddy water skin where much different than my blonde hair and white skin.
We lived on a tiny island called: Port Royal in the middle of the sea somewhere. I’d lived here my whole life, and I’d never gotten a chance to see the outside world. That was probably why I was so obsessed with being a pirate. Being a pirate meant freedom to me.
I gently hit Eileans hand away. “I’m here.” I said.
“Good, because I have to tell you that Mrs. Inkly, gave you this note to give to your mum and dad.”
I learned to not correct her with how her British terms. It was mother and father to me and mum and dad to her. We just went with it.
“Really? I was just daydreaming.” I would of slipping in MyWorld if Eilen hadn’t said,
“Well here’s what it says, Dear Mr and Mrs Mckow, your daughter Catherine has been.—“
“I know already, Elien!” I snapped.
“Sorry, I was just trying to help.” Her brown eyes were full of hurt.
“Sorry, I’m just bloody mad.” I said. “How am I soupossed to do my work when it’s tiring?”
“It’s not tiring, it’s exciting. Numbers are...”
I didn’t hear what the rest of what she said. I took the note from her hand as she talked about how grand numbers was. I didn’t like Numbers, and I never will.
When I said good bye to Eilean and went into my house.
It was a grand house with windows and rooms golor. I loved the house, the attic was the best place to play MyWorld.
But I couldn’t ecsape up to the attic fast enough, because my mother was there in a split second.
“Catherine Melissa Mckow! Give me that note!”
I slowly decended the stairs, just like a young lady would. But my mothers wasn’t impressed.
“Don’t try to hide that from me, young lady!” I gave her the note and she read it. “What have we told you about daydreaming in class?”
“Sorry mother, I just get carried away.” I said.
“Well, I have not choice but to punish you. You cannot go out tomorrow with Eilean.”
I dropped my board creating a loud noise, which echoed threw the house. “But mother! It’s my birthday!”
“You shouldn’t have daydreamed then.”
“Now, now dear. It’s our daughter’s thirteenth birthday. We must let her celebrate.” My father all dressed up in his Royal Navy outfit. He looked so grand in it.
“I’m sorry, father. I really am.” I said. Gathering up my board.
“Catherine,” My mother sighed. “ladies do not pick things up. Or bend over.” My mother scolded, but I had already picked up my board.
“How about I take her out on my ship, darling? I’ll be able to watch her, just incase she daydreams off.” My father said.
My mother stood there for a second thinking. “I guess that’s alright. I just want her to behave.”
“But I do! I just daydream and then.—“
“We know, dear. Come on now. Supper.” My father gently pushed me towards the stairs.
The next day, which was Saturday, I changed into my sailor dress and my blue cap. I didn’t put my hair up, even though Mother kept telling me too. Putting my hair up have me headaches. But she finalley got me to put it in a long braid. My hair was very long, so the braid went down to my back.
“I swear that one day you’ll be the death of me.” Mother said.
I turned around and gave her a hug. “Don’t say such things, mother.”
She hugged me back. “I love you, Catherine.”
“I love you too, Mother.”
I walked up the gank plank of Father’s ship, the Merciful. I loved Father’s ship, but not as much as I loved my ship the Bird. Alass, I could only see it and ride it in my dreams and daydreams.
“Catherine, don’t go off to where you go.” Father said.
I snapped back to reality. “Sorry.”
Father held out his arm and I took it. “So Ms. Mckow, what do you think of the weather?” he asked.
I giggled, I loved this game. “I think it’s rather nice out. What do you think, Mr. Mckow?”
“I think that the sunshine is coming from my very smart and buetiful girl.” She picked me up and twirled me around. “Your growing up too fast, Catherine.”
“I’ll always be your little girl, Father.” I said, after he put me down. I gave him a hug.
“Always.” He said.
The sun was just right, so that it wasn’t in my eyes and the wind didn’t blow my loose hairs in my face. I smelled the salt of the sea.
Catherine Mckow, the mighty pirate queen, stood upon her mighty ship the Bird. She looked across the sea at the ship in the distance, the other ship’s flag was raised.
“None shall take the Bird!” she called.
The flag had a Jolly Rodger on it.
Jolly Rodger? I snapped back to RealWorld. I took a better look at the oppessing ship’s flag. Yes, it did. It had a Jolly Rodger on it.
“Father!” I called.
Father turned towards me. I pointed to the pirate ship.
“Good grass!” he called. “Men! Set sail back to port!”
The Merciful was too far out at sea to go fast enough! I thought. And the pirate ship was gaining.
“Load the guns!” My Father said. He had his hands behind his back. And he was back and forth on the ship. The soliders were rushing to fulfill his orders.
Father came up to me. “Catherine, go down below.”
“But.—“
“Now.”
I obeyed and went down below. I was scared. I hoped that these pirates would be nice ones, like me if I ever got to be one.
I heard my father barking orders left and right. Then I heard the gaint splash of a cannon ball. I knew from the yells above deck, that we didn’t fire. The pirate ship was faster then it looked.
Chapter 2
The ship rocked and I fell to the ground. Crying out in pain.
Please, please, please, let this be a nightmare.
The Merciful and the pirate ship had only been battling for a couple mintues, but our ship was getting blown a part.
Then I heard gravels latching on to the sides of the Merciful. The pirates were boarding!
I scrambled to my feet.
Father told me to stay down here.
But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.
But I did, because Father told me too.
I heard swords clashing and angry shouts. I was so scared.
After what seemed like forever the angry shouts and sword clashes stopped, everything was queit.
I heard someone talking and walking back and forth, and it wasn’t Father.
Is he dead?
I climbed the stairs to the top deck and looked out. I saw black boots walking bath and forth.
“Now, tell me, do ye have anything valuble?” a man said. His voice was deep and scatchy.
I snuck on deck and hid behind some barrels.
“No, we were just taking a ride.” Father said.
Thank goodness! He’s alive!
The pacing stopped. “Taking a ride, says ye? Me thinks your lying.”
Lying? Never! My father never lies! And he’s not. He just brought the ship and me.
“Are you sure? Because you look like your hiding something.” The man said.
The other pirates ‘ayed’ in agreement.
“We have not valubles. It’s just the men and I.” Father said.
I looked up from behind the barrels, no one was tied up, but guns were on my father and the soliders. And the man who was taking had a black beard and hair. He was wearing a black hat with a large feather in it. He had black boots and a faded blue jacket. And on his shoulder was the most hidoues creatures I had ever seen.
They were scaley and had forked tounges, and yellow eyes. And there were two of them. One on each shoulder.
“Then why are ye eyes darting towards at barrel?” the man asked.
My fathers eyes snapped back to the man and I snapped back in place behind the barrel.
“Men! Find out what’s behind there!” the man ordered.
“Yes captain.” They said.
So, he was the captain.
Then I resgirted what he had said then barrels were knocked away, showing me to the whole ship. I crabwalked back. But the pirates grabbed me, both on each arm. My hat flew off into the wind.
“No! Please!” my father shouted.
“Ah, ah, ah. Ye do have something valuble on board.” He looked at me with his black eyes. “Ye were lyin!”
I struggled against the pirates trying to break free. “Let go!” I screamed.
“Fistey young missy yer are.” The captain said.
“Let her go!” my father said, and he went to tackle the captain, when a gun shot echoed across the Merciful.
Father fell to the ground, clutching his side.
“FATHER!” I screamed. The pirates seemed to be in shock, because their grip loosned and I ran to Father. His breathing was ragged.
“Father!” I whispered to him.
“Catherine.” He said.
“Yes?” I held his hand. He reached up and touched my face, blood got on my cheek.
“Be…strong…for me…will you?” he asked.
Tears streamed down my face I nodded. “Don’t go father!” I cried.
“Be strong, know that I love you…dear Catherine.” He said, and his eyes went up to the sky.
“Father!” I said. “Please! Don’t go! I need you!”
His hand went limp in mine. I pressed his hand against my cheek. “I need you.” I whispered.
The pirates seemed to get over there shock becase the captain started barking about ‘who shot the man!’ But I didn’t hear anything else. My father was dead. And he had taken part of me with him.
Chapter 3
I closed my eyes.
Father. I need you.
His words echoed in my mind.
“I know you love me!” I cried.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and then it tugged at me forcing me to get up. I turned around and there was a boy. Same age as me. He had muddy water skin. His eyes were as dark as choclate and his long curly hair was has dark as midnight.
He didn’t say anything, he pulled at me forcing me to walk to the railing. He jumped up on it, and held out his hand to me.
I looked at him. “what?” I asked.
“I’m going to swing ye across.” He said. He didn’t have a accent, he just talked like a pirate. A bloody pirate.
“What?” I repeated.
He rolled his eyes. “Are ye deaf?” he snapped.
I shook my head.
“Then take me hand.”
I did I hiked up my skirt and he pulled me up. I yelped, and I would of fallen into the dark sea if he hadn’t grabbed me by the waist.
He had a rope in his hand and he clung to my waist. And we swung across.
I screamed. When he landed he let go and I fell onto the deck of the other ship face down.
Of course, he landed on the railing, on both feet.
I struggled to my feet. I looked up at him. His black hair blowing in the sea air.
“Next time, don’t be strugglen so much!” he snapped. He jumped down in front of me. “I could of dropped ye.”
Not that you would of cared.
“I don’t understand.” Was all that came out of my mouth.
“What do ye mean? ‘ye don’t understand’?” he snapped.
Well, you got snapping down.
“I don’t understand why your helping me. You could of killed me.”
He rolled her eyes. “Why would I be doin that? The captain would have me head if me did.”
I still didn’t understand. This wasn’t making any sense. I saw the captain swing across. Along with the rest of the pirates.
When he had landed, I went to slap him. And I would of to, if it wasn’t for the blasted boy grabbed me by the arm.
“You killed my father!” I yelled at him. I had almost said ‘me’ instead of ‘my’.
“I didn’t kill yer father, missy.” He said. His wooden leg thumping on the dark wood of the deck.
“You shot him!” I yelled. The boy pulled me back. And it hurt.
The captain turned to me. “I didn’t shot yer father. Another one of us did.”
“Who then? Who?” I wanted to bad to do something dreadful to the man who had killed my father.
“Me don’t know yet. But don’t worry,” he went to touch my cheek. I bit at his hand. “I will find out. Me always does.”
And he walked away. I would of bit at all his fingers if the boy hadn’t pulled me back a little more.
“Are ye stupid?” he asked. Pushing me towards the entrance to the bottom deck.
“I’m not.” I answered.
“Then stop acting like ye are.”
Thank you for called me stupid.
He shoved me down to the buttom deck. I had to duck, to avoid hitting my head on the ceiling.
I stopped and looked around, there were leaks everywhere. Water drips from the ceiling and holes were in the buttom of the ship too. Everything was wet.
The boy pushed me to the thing he called a brig. And I didn’t know what it was until I saw it. It was a cell. With metal bars and everything. He pushed me inside.
“Sit, here. The captain will send for ye when he wants ye.” He said. He looked the cell door, and ran to climb back up to the top deck.
I hiked the hem of my dress up and sat down on the soggy bench, and cried.
Chapter 4
This can’t get in my way. Catherine Mckow the pirate queen thought. It was no biggie. These nasty pirates can’t keep me locked up! Nay! They shant!
“You can’t keep me here!” she bellowed. Someone grabbed her wrist and said: “Ye calm down! Don’t be stupid!”
I blinked and there was the boy, holding my wrist as it was in mid air about to hit him in the head.
“Calm down, missy.” He said.
I tried to tug my arm away from his grasp, but it was too strong.
“Are ye calm?” he asked.
I nodded.
He let go.
“What were ye doin any how?” he asked. Sitting down on the other bench in the cell and taking a bite of a green apple.
My mouth watered. “Um…I was just….daydreaming.”
“Well, daydreaming aint gonna get ye out of here.” Then he gave me a sideways look. “And don’t go hittin me. The captain doesn’t like violence.”
Goodness! Where did you ever learn such a big word? I thought you were stupid!
“Sorry.” I looked down at the ground. Why was I daydreaming? He was right, I couldn’t daydream out of this. Father was dead and I was on a ship as a prinsor with bloody, stupid.--
“Yer doin it again, missy.” He said.
I blinked and looked up. “Sorry.” I said again.
He rolled his eyes and threw the apple core onto the floor. I squirmed, such horrible manners! And people thought I was messy!
“The captain sent for ye.” He said, he got up. He towered over me. His dark piercing eyes looked terrifying. He froze me to the spot. “And I advize ye don’t go daydreamin.” He grabbed my wrist and he opened the cell door and we walked out.
We climbed the stairs to the top deck, it was morning, I must have cried myself to sleep last night. The sun blinded me, it was dark in the brig. I shielded my eyes with my free hand. The pirates were up too, opening the sails to start sailing, who knows where, just farther and farther from home and from Mother.
I chocked back a sob.
“And go cryin, either.” The boy said. He turned to face me. He was a good couple inches taller then me. “By the way, missy.” He said. “My name is Jashub.”
Jashub? That was the name of someone in the Bible! In those long places of who married who and had so many children. I was the only person who found those interesting.
“C-Catherine Mckow.” I said. I didn’t bother to curtsy, he wound of called me stupid again.
“Sounds like a bird call.” Jashub turned back around and he led me threw the slew of pirates.
“Good morning, matey!” one pirate said to him, he clamped him on the back.
Jashub smiled. “Good morning, Shobal.”
Goodness! Another Bible name in those long places. Only I would of known that though.
More pirates said good morning to Jashub. We passed a pirate with long black hair like Elien’s. But when the pirate turned around it was a women.
I gasped, and I covered my mouth.
“Good morning, Jashub.” She said.
“Good morning, Perida.” Jashub said.
Another Bible name. These pirates were interesting. I didn’t know if Perida was a girl or boy name, but it sounded girly to me. SO I just went with it.
Perida’s kind brown eyes fell on me. “And this must me the girl who’s father was killed.” She said. Her eyes went back on Jashub. “Don’t’ go hurtin her, Jashub, understand?”
Jashub nodded, his head bowed low and he gently pulled me to the captain’s cabin. The doors were stain glass. Only the church back home had those. I was surprised. He went to open the doors, he stopped and turned to me. “Just rember what I said not to do.” And he pushed open the doors and pushed me inside.
Chapter 5
I almost fell onto the floor when he pushed me inside. And there was the captain. Sitting on the right side of the long oak table charting or whatever pirate captain do in there cabins.
Without turning to me, he said. “Have a seat.” He motioned to the chair at the head of the table.
As I went to pull the chair out, one of those horrible creatures hissed at me. It jumped onto the map the captain was charting and started to cross the table towards me.
I gripped the chair until my knuckles turned white.
“What’s takin ye so long?” the captain snapped. He looked up and then his voice became soft. “Sorry about that, darlin. Jill is protective.” He made a clicking noise with his tounge. And ‘Jill’ went back to his shoulder.
With shaky hands, I pulled out the chair and sat down.
The cabin had treaures galor. And the large windows in the back looked out onto the sea. Everything on the table moved back and forth, the ship had started to move.
“Do you know why I so graciously took your aboard the Truth?” he asked. Still not looking at me.
I shook my head. “No.” I didn’t add a ‘sir’, there was no reason to.
Then, he turned to me. “I let ye aboard me ship, because one of us killed yer father.”
“I still have a mother.” I said.
“But, our Code clearly states: If one of us kills someone and leaves one alone aboard the place.” He said that clearly for me to understand. “That we should take that one person into our care.”
Care? I don’t wanted to be cared for by pirates! They’re--
Catherine couldn’t stand for such behavior!
“You can’t keep me here!” she said. She banged her fist upon the table.
“SNAP!”
My eyes flew open the captain had his fingers close to my face in after snapping postion.
“We can keep ye here, missy. And don’t be forgettin that.” He said. He put his hand back onto the map. Jill hissed.
“We have so many young people aboard the Truth because my men cannot control there vilence.”
I held back tears. All I wanted was to go home!
“That is also another thing in our Code: No vilence. Unless neccary.”
I nodded. But I really wanted to slap him.
He traced his finger across the map. “You’ll go with us on your plunders and voyages until you reach eighteen. Then ye will be allowed to go for ye wants.”
I can’t stay with you! My mother will die of a broken heart! And me, well I will surely die too! And by eighteen, I’ll be too old to marry! I will of has some grandchildren by then!
“I can’t stay with you!” I blurted. I wasn’t in daydream world. I was speaking from my heart.
The captain pushed back his chair and stood up. “It has been the Code for more then a century. So you will stay. I won’t be the first captain of the Truth so break it.”
“But.—“
He put up his hand. “Yer going to have to learn the trade of the ship, missy. I will give you a new name .”
A new name? No! No! I can’t! I just can’t! I want to go home!
Barely holding back tears I said: “What kind of name?” I asked.
“A name from the Bible, one of the names that no one even bothers to reamber.” Then the captain went to the door and opened it. “You can leave now, missy.”
I didn’t wait for him to tell me twice I pushed back my chair and ran out the door. Blinded by my own tears.
Oh Lord! Help me!
Chapter 6
I knew that I wasn’t going to live though this. I was sure I would die.
I went below and hid between was barrels full of fish. I didn’t care how bad they smelled. I just wanted to get away.
I covered my face with my hands and cried, harder than I had a long time.
Jashub found me there, still crying.
“Bird, ye need to calm down, yer going to make yer makin yerself sick.”
He couldn’t possibly know how I feel.
I looked up at him. He was a blur of tears, but I could tell that his eyes were full of concern.
“What?” I asked. My voice sounded cracky. Then I buried my face into my dirty blue skirt.
“Really, Bird. Ye need to stop sayin ‘what’.” I felt him sit down beside me.
“I meant: What did you call me?” I said. My head still buried in my skirt.
“Bird. Because your last name sounds like a bird call.”
I looked at him. “I guess you can call me that, since Catherine Mckow is no more.” Then I started to cry again.
“Ye would think ye would of run out of tears.” He said.
Thanks, that was conferting.
“Being on the Truth isn’t bad, ye know.” He said.
“I-I just want to go home.” I sobbed into my skirt. Mother was of scolded me for messing up my dress. But I’ll never see her again!
Catherine couldn’t let the mean pirates change her! She would always be: Catherine Mckow the pirate queen!’
“Bird!” Jashub snapped.
I looked up. Jashub didn’t look happy. “Ye can’t go daydreamin like that. You have to stay alert on the Truth.”
Easy for you to say, you don’t know how I feel.
I hugged myself and rocked back and forth. “I’m scared.” I whispered.
Apperntly, he didn’t hear me because he just started talking about what jobs I might have, and where I’d sleep.
I didn’t hear half of what he said. And I didn’t care.
Jashub got angry that I didn’t hear half of what he said.
“Stop daydreamin! Ye have to stay alert!” He snapped.
And just when I calmed down, you make me cry again.
“Sorry.” I said though.
He stood up, taking me with him. He had his hand on my arm as we walked up to the top deck again. I didn’t want to go up there, I wanted to stay hidden, so that maybe the captain would forget about me. Maybe even Jashub.
Perida was there to meet us. “What were ye doin down in the hold?” she asked. She smiled.
Some of my fear melted away.
“I was.—“ I started.
But Jashub didn’t let me finish. “She was crying down there.” He turned his dark brown eyes which were full of anger towards me. “She needs to stop daydreamin.”
“Come,” she said. She wrapped her arm around me and led me to the wheel of the Truth.
She told me where to put my hands. And she told me which way to turn it.
She took out my braid and my hair blew free.
Then I felt all sad all over again. Mother would of scolded me for letting my hair fly out.
I let go of the wheel and across the ship and back into the hold.
I nearly fell down the steps. I ran to the deepest and darkest place in the hold.
Chapter 7
I got in trouble.
“What you ye doin?” Jashub snapped. He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet.
“Sitting!” I snapped back. Which I found was the wrong thing to say.
He struck me.
He actually hit me across the face!
My eyes brimmed with tears. For a second, Jashub looked sorry. But then his eyes went back to stone.
“Don’t snap at me that way!” he said.
Why not? Your not in charge of me!
Then I heard someone decending the stairs.
“What in the name of apples is goin on?” the captain commanded.
I clutched my cheek, which was red. Jashub still had his hand on my arm.
“Did ye do?” he asked, Jashub.
Jashub let go of my arm. “She was.--”
“Never mind what she did! We don’t strike people!” the captain walked up to me. “Why can’t my men avoid vilence?”
My cheek stung like crazy.
Perida came down the stairs then, apperntly, she’d heard what the captain had said, because she grabbed Jashub by his ear and dragged him up the steps.
“Are ye alright?” the captain asked. He led me back up the stairs.
Perida was giving a lecture to Jashub. “How could ye be so stupid?” she yelled.
Jashub had his head bowed.
“My cheeks fine.” I said. I took my hand off my cheek. No blood. Good.
“Jashub looses his temper often.” Captain said.
You think?
“He has a real hot one.”
Yes, I can tell. Thank you.
The captain gave me a wet cloth to put on my cheek and he let me sit down on one of the chairs in his cabin. The other creature, Jack, hissed at me. But I sat down anyway.
“I thought him looking after you would work. Since yer both the same age.” The captain said. “And he’s been here a long time. His whole life a matter of fact.”
I nodded. “I don’t think he meant too. It was my fault.”
What did I just say?!
“Oh really? Ye care to tell me why?”
“I started to cry and I went down into the hold. And then, Jashub found me and I think it made him mad because he had to look for me or something.”
The captain nodded. He leaned back in his chair. “I never told you the rules, and apperntly he thought I did.”
“What are the rules?” I asked. I took the cloth off and set it on the table.
“Ye cannot go down into the hold without permission from a higher rank. That is one of the rules our Code has. Look in the Bible at the Ten Commandments.”
I nodded. I’d read those, but I hadn’t done a good job at following them, like honoring your father and mother.
Thinking about them made me cry again.
“Now, now, missy. Don’t ye cry.” He gave me a hanker chiff. “Everything will be alirght.”
That’s what you think. You don’t know how I feel.
“I found a name for ye.” He said after a long and uncofterble silence. “I didn’t make it one that people don’t know, since ye are special. And I’m sure ye will do great things someday.”
Really? Because I think I’ll die before then.
“How does Ruth sound? She did some amazing things, she left her home and family and went with someone to a land she’d never been too. Sounds a lot like you.”
I nodded. Ruth. Yes, it was a nice name. But it wasn’t like Catherine.
I can still be Catherine the pirate queen, no one can stop me from daydreaming.
“Alright then.” The captain stood up. “I am Giedon. The captain and leader of the people on this ship.”
I forced back a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
He smiled at me. “And nice to meet you, Ruth.”
When I came back out, with a change of clothes from Captain Gideon. I felt some of the fear disappear.
I went down. With permission from Gideon, into the hold and changed.
I had a sky blue dress on, with a white blouse underneath. I pushed back my hair, but it wouldn’t stay in place.
Maybe that’s why Mother always orders me to put my hair up. Then I chocked up. She’ll never tell me to do that again. Ever.
The captain didn’t give me any shoes, so I was forced to go barefoot. Which was fine, so was everyone else, besides the captain of course.
I came back up from the hold, Jashub was there. I took a sideways step. He grabbed me by the arm. I yelped.
“I just want to say, I’m-I’m-I’m…” he looked over at Perida. She had her arms folder across her chest, she nodded. “That I’m sorry.”
He let go. I looked at him.
The captain would want me to forgive him.
“I forgive you.”
Relief splashed over his face. “Thanks.” Then he walked away.
Later that day, the captain took us bother aside and told me and Jashub that Jashub would be looking after me.
I didn’t like the idea. He would snap at me everytime I’d go into DayDreamLand. And I was going to do that a lot.
“Do you know like that, Ruth?” Gideon asked.
It took me awhile to realize he was talking to me. “Um…yes…”
That was the huge lie.
“Good. Now run along.” And the captain left.
Jashub and I were left alone. And alone I didn’t want to be. With him anyway.
He noticed I hadn’t said anything for awhile so he said: “Don’t go daydreamin, Bird.” It was sort of a snap but not a whole one.
“I wasn’t.” I said. The wind blew my hair into my face, I swatted it away.
“Then what were ye doin then?” he asked.
“Thinking.”
There’s a difference you know.
“Well, don’t’ go too deep into thought.” He said. He turned to go. “I’ll be watching you.”
Chapter 8
He did watch me. And it made me squrmy.
He wouldn’t let me go down below and be alone. He wouldn’t let me go anywhere without his permission or without him.
The only time I got away, was when I ate meals with Captain Geideon.
I didn’t dare tell anybody about what I felt. I didn’t want to face Jashub’s rath. I was sure he had one. And also, the captain would be disappointed in me.
At bed time that night, it was Jashub’s turn to lead the ship. I was finalley alone.
I decided to read the Bible Gedieon had given me. He told me to freshen up on the Ten Commandments.
As I was reading, I was unaware that three boys: Amminadad, Nahshon and Abijah. Were coming up to me. They were all Mormon. Mormon’s belive some false stuff like you have to be good all the time or you won’t go to heaven. Which isn’t true. You only need to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and you’ll be saved, and you only need to do it once. No matter how much sinning you do, you’ll always be saved.
Anyway, back to the story.
“Well, well, so it isn’t the captain’s pet.” Nashon said. He had brown hair and dark blue green eyes.
It didn’t make any sense that he was Mormon, you would think he wouldn’t tease. Which is mean.
I ignored him.
“Ye don’t think she can hear us.” Abijah said. He had a Indain accent, so sometimes it was hard to understand what he said.
“She’s too busy reading, that’s why.” Amminadad said. Amminadad was Chinese. He had jet black hair with brown eyes in slits.
Perida just said to ignore them and they would leave you alone. But it wasn’t working.
“Where’s your babysitter, Ruth?” they chided.
He’s not my babysitter! He’s an annoying boy!
Catherine knew theses boys would get to her. She would loose her temper and then she was get into trouble. She had to bide her time to plan the right escape.
“What is she doing now?” Abijah asked.
“What do you think? She’s daydreamin.” Nahshon said. He was the leader of the group.
Catherine had to respect the higher in rank, or she would get on the bad side of the captain.
“She’s probably thinking about how much she loves Jashub.”
Oh! That’s it.
I slapped the Bible on my lap. “Would you just go away?”
“Uh-oh, boys, we made the captain’s pet angry!” Nahshon said.
Yep, you pretty much did.
“Shut up and leave me alone!” I said.
“I think she thinks we’ll steal her precious rank as captain’s pet!” Nahshon said. “Or maybe, she thinks we’ll take away Jashub away from her!”
I was holding back tears. I wished they would just go away!
“I don’t like Jashub!” I snapped.
“She defentily likes him.”
I got up and started to walk away. Another thing Perida told me to do. But they grabbed me by me arms and pulled me back. Nahshon got right up to my face. “How can you love the boy who shot your father, Pet?” he said.
Jashub killed my father? No, I don’t.--
“Well?” Nahshon asked.
I skipped anwering his question and just started to tell them to let me go, and leave me alone.
Nahshon stepped back and put his hands up, like he was surrenrding. “Ook! Come on, boys. Pet doesn’t want to play.” The other two boys followed him, laughing.
I sat back down on my hammik. Jashub didn’t kill my father, he didn’t. He’s annoying yes, but would he kill?
Then a horrible thought rushed threw my head.
What if he just wanted me? And killing my father would get me.
I pushed that thought away. I needed facts before I went accusing someone of that.
I climbed back up to the top deck.
The night air was cool. The stars were out and a slight breeze whistled though the sleeping ship.
The lights were on in Captain Geidon’s cabin. I didn’t know when we would see land again. I was lucky that I didn’t get sea sick.
Jashub was at the wheel. And Nahshon, Abijah and Amminadad, were talking to him.
I decided to go back down to my hammik when Jashub said: “Do you want something, Ruth?” He didn’t say my nick name around other people. And I was glad. I would become more of a pet if the Three M’s found out. They walked past me. “Good luck, Pet.” They said.
“I thought they’d never go away.” Jashub said. I walked up to him. “Did you want something, Bird?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Nahshon said you went daydreamin and said somethings ye shouldn’t have.”
And you belived them? You just said you wanted them to leave! You make no sense. Killing someone because you wanted someone doesn’t make sense either.--
“Ruth!”
I blinked. When Jashub was serious, he used my ‘real’ name.
“What?” I said.
“Did ye really say somethings?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Good, because those guys just like to mix up trouble.”
Relif filled me. At least he belives me. That’s a good sign.
Reasons Why Jashub Didn’t Kill My Father:
- He belives me, so I should try to belive him.
“I was thinking.” I said.
“Well, me was saying somethings and ye didn’t hear any of them.”
I looked down at the ground. “Sorry.”
“Ye look tired.” Jashub said, after awhile. “Ye should get some sleep.”
I was glad to go. Jashub always made me feel uncofterble. Not like bad uncofterble, just squirmy good. Or something like that.
I curled up into and fell sleep, with only one thought.
I think I like Jashub.
Chapter 9
I had been on the Truth for two weeks now, and we’re finally going to make port.
I was happy, that I could be able to excape. But all that changed when, the captain said that I would be stay on the ship.
I was furious! So furious that I burst into tears and went down into the hold without permission.
I hid in an empty barrel.
I could hear the whole ship trying to find me. They would never think to look here.
I cried the whole time.
Jashub wasn’t happy when he found me. “Ruth! What were ye thinkin?” he scolded. He pulled me out of the barrel. “The whole ship’s been looking for ye!”
I tried to get the grip he had on my arm off.
“And I had to stay behind and look for ye, while the rest went ashore!”
Now I felt bad. But I was still furious. “Let go!”
“Yer are in so much trouble.” He pulled me up the steps.
He ordered me to sit against the railing why he went around and cleaned up or something. I didn’t hear what he said. I was so mad I could of sworn that steam could of come out of my ears.
It felt weird taking orders from a boy my age. But my mother always said that when I reach fourteen and marry, my husband is above me. So I’ll have to obey him. Unless he tells me to do something wrong. My father told me that too.
I blinked back tears. That’s all the advice she had given me. And I wouldn’t get anymore.
Captain Geidon told me to obey the ones above me in rank. And that was everyone.
I sat against the railing and sighed. The captain wasn’t going to be happy about what I had did.
I had also gone into the hold without permission, which gave Jashub the atthorty to give me what ever punishment. Even hitting me. Which I didn’t want him to do. Just a slap from him was painful.
I thought it was the most gruesome thing to put upon a girl my age. And by a boy my age to do it!
I prayed that he wouldn’t hit me.
He did though. And I hurt. A lot.
“Ruth, come over here.” He said.
I was shaking like crazy. He had the whip in his hands.
I shook my head.
“Ruth, now.”
I did. I got up from me seat against the railing and went up to him.
“Put out yer hand.” He commanned.
Again, I shook my head.
“Don’t make me force ye!”
I put my hand out then, his voice scared me and his eyes were as wild as a wild dogs.
He raised the whip. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. The whip came down three times. I didn’t dare move, for he might miss if I did and hit me somewhere else.
When he was done with me, he told me to go down into the hold and get fish and hard tack for dinner. He was making it. Since the cook was out with the rest.
I knew he was still angry with me, because he had stone look in his eyes. And he didn’t call me Bird.
I felt like a wounded bird though. In my heart and on my hand.
I went down into the hold, and idmently, burst into tears. I ripped part of my white apron and made a bandage around my left hand. It was bleeding terribly. I shook my hand multiple times.
I didn’t understand why the captain read the Bible. He acted so mean. I didn’t even understand why Jashub would hit me. He could of made me clean the whole ship. And I would of too, just to avoid being hit.
With the tears still coming, I went to open a barrel of fish. We were low, and was part of the reason why the crew had made port, to get more supplies. I hoped that they wouldn’t bring back any little girls or boys with them, they didn’t’ desverve a life like this. I was thirteen, and I could barely withstand it.
When I opened the barrel of hard tack and note slipped out. I set the parcel of fish down, and picked up the note.
It was made of cloth and the writing was faded. It said:
I always hated the Admril. Now I have finalley gotten my revenge!
Another part of it said:
Ye fool! Someone could find this note!
I didn’t recognize the handwriting. I’d seen the captain, Jashub and Perida write. So it wasn’t them. I was some glad that Jashub hadn’t killed my father. I would never forgiven him, no matter what the captain said.
But I knew I should forgive the man who did. I just wasn’t ready yet.
Catherine Mckow the pirate queen looked at the note. This was evadince that someone had killed my father! She thought. If only I could tell who’s handwriting it was.
She stared at the note for the longest time. She couldn’t tell anyone about this, they wouldn’t belive her, she was sure.
“I don’t like to wait!” Jashub yelled.
I snapped back to reality, I shoved the note into my apron pocket and grabbed some hard tack and ran back up the stairs, filled with a new energy.
I dropped the things onto the table on the top deck, where Jashub was fixing dinner. I didn’t understand why he didn’t do it in the kitchen.
He chopped up the fish and hardtack and tossed them into the pot.
I just stood there, watching him. He didn’t seem to see me. I went to the railing on the poop deck. (I hated the name) Which was where we were. And I looked out into the small village. Then, I heard a noise coming from the ocean.
I looked down and there was a girl.
Chapter 10
The girl’s straw blonde hair was such pretty hair, looked soaked. I looked behind me at Jashub, he didn’t seem to know I was there.
I looked back at the girl, she was now trying to climb the ship! I didn’t know what to do. Her blue eyes looked tired. And she was straining to climb up.
I deicded, I would help her, I went to go down to the top deck. But Jashub stopped me. “Stay here, Bird.”
At least he called me Bird. That made me feel better.
Jashub hadn’t stopped cutting and stirring so I guessed he hadn’t heard the girl climbing. I looked down again. She was no where in sight!
I started to panic. What if she had drowned? Or maybe she got inside the ship?
“May I please go down into the hold? I need to fetch something.” I said.
Jashub looked up, his eyes weren’t has stone like now. He nodded. “Yes, but come right back.”
I nodded and hurried down the steps, and into the hold.
I knew what side the ship she was climbing I ran all the way there. But I came to a hualt when I saw the dripping wet girl.
Her hair was drenched and so were her clothes, her clothes were practicly rags.
“Hello.” I said.
She looked up quickly and started to speak so fast in French, that I couldn’t catch what she was saying. (I had taken some French)
“Calme.” I said. Which was the French word for calme. I only knew some words, because I was always going off to DayDreamLand, and I didn’t hear the rest of the lesson.
She stopped talking. And looked at me, her blue eyes filled with fright.
“Oh!” she cried. “You are English?”
Her accent was strong, but I understood. I nodded. “Wi.” Which was for ‘yes’.
“I am so sorry for breaking into your ship!” she said. She looked on the verge of tears.
“No no!” I said. “It’s not my ship. And I do not mind.”
A smile spread across her face. “Oh, thank you thank you!” she cried.
I couldn’t help but smile. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“My name is: Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna.”
My mouth dropped open. “The daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor?” I blurted.
Maria nodded. “I ran away from home, because I do not want to marry.”
I heard foot steps on the top deck. I had totally forgotten about Jashub!
“Hurry, Maria! Hide!” I said.
She didn’t ask why, she just hid.
“Ruth! Ye is going to get into more trouble!” Jashub yelled.
“I’m coming!” I called. “Stay here until I come and get you, and hide when someone comes down here. Understand?” I said to Maria. She nodded. And I went back to the stairs and climbed them.
Jashub was there to meet me. Or scold me, whatver you prefer.
“What was takin ye so long?” he snapped.
“Sorry.” I said and I hurried back to the poop deck. I had grabbed my Bible before I had gone up the steps. I sat down against the railing and started reading.
Jashub came up and stood before me. I didn’t dare look up. I just focused on what I was reading. He walked on and went back to making dinner.
The pirates came back a little while later, just as the soup was ready. Thankfully, they hadn’t brought any young children with them, just themselves. As Jashub severed out the soup, I sat on the railing holding onto a rope and looked out at the village, there was a fire burning up one of the houses.
The bloody pirates. How could the captain call himself a Christian?
My hand still stung from the whip. I was thinking about just jumping into the sea and swimming away when Perida came up and sat next to me.
“Ye doin alright?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No.” more tears were on there way.
She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Care to talk about it?”
I did, I spilling the whole story out. I didn’t mention Maria though.
She sqeezed me tighter when I mentioned what Jashub had did.
“Jashub’s temper is hot, Ruth.” She said. “But he had all the right to do what he likes for a punishment. But I still don’t see why he chose that.” She picked up my hand. The bandge was blood red. “I got these at the store in the village.” She took the other one off and she gasped. “Oh Ruth!” the cut was a good three inches wide and covered the length of my hand. She picked up a poch and poured the content on my cut. It was salt water. I screamed in pain, and tried to pull my hand away. But she kept a firm grasp on my wrist. “Hold still, this’ll heal it.” She said. When she had cleaned it. She put a fresh bandage on it. “There, darling.” She said. She let go of my wrist.
I quickly put my hand in my lap. “Can I go down to the hold?” I asked.
She nodded. But her eyes looked sad.
I hurried past the other pirates, waiting in line for there meal. And into the hold. I didn’t quite get to Maria before I was stopped. And guess who? By the Three M’s.
“Jashub told us what you did.” Nahshon said. He didn’t talk like a pirate, which made him even more annoying.
“Really?” I started to go back up the stairs. But Abijah stopped me. I deicded to change the topic of your convostaion. “What did you boys do at the village?”
Nahshon burst into evil laughter. “Don’t change the subject, Pet.” He said.
“I wasn’t.” I lied. “I just want to know.”
Nahshon grabbed my left hand. “So he did hit you. I thought you loved each other.”
“Stop!” I said. Snatching my hand back. “We don’t!”
I think he’s the most annoying boy on the planet, and I think he’s cruel.
“Really?” he said. He got right up into my face. “Because I don’t think so.”
I crossed my arms looked at the floor sideways. Why wouldn’t they just leave me alone?
I pushed past them, only, Nahshon grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “If you tell on me, you will hurt much more than when Jashub did to you.” I didn’t understand what I would tell him on. Then I found out. He picked me up by my waist and carried me to a closet and dumped my inside, I didn’t have time to react. He closed the door and locked it. I screamed and screamed. But they wouldn’t let me out. I didn’t understand why they were doing this. What did I do to them?
Chapter 11
Jashub found me there, again. He seemed to be the only person to find me.
I was so relived that he found me though.
“Why did ye lock yerself up in a closet?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to say what Nashon had did, when I rembered his warning. “Um…I went looking around and then it shut behind me and locked.”
“Did ye have permission to be down here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Ok then, come on up to the top deck. There’ s some soup left.” He said.
He gently pushed me towards the stairs he looked behind him. And then pushed me a little faster.
I couldn’t touch my soup.
“Aren’t ye hungry?” Jashub asked.
I shook my head.
“Why?” he took my bowl away and set in on the table and jumped up and sat by me on the railing or the ship.
“I just….I don’t know.” I said. I had three secrets in hiding, and I couldn’t tell anyone!
Jashub put his hand to my forehead. I cringed and leaned back.
“I’m not going to hurt ye.”
But you did already.
Then I covered my mouth. I had just said that out loud!
Jashub looked sorry. “I’m sorry about that, I really am. I just lost my temper. I was angry that I couldn’t go into port with the other men.”
“Alright, I forgive you.”
He smiled a small smile and I leaned back forward and let him take my tempture. “Yer burning up, Bird!” he exclaimed. “Are ye sure ye feel alright?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Jashub just looked at me for second, I got that squrmiy good feeling again. Like when your excited.
He slowly inched his hand towards mine. When he almost got to my hand, the ship rocked vilently. I fell face down onto the deck, Jashub landed on top of me. It was good though because, wood chips from the Truth went everywhere.
“What’s goin on?” the captain yelled. He emerged from his cabin.
Jashub rolled off of me and helped me up.
“W-w-what was that?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Jashub said.
The ship was suddenly alive. Some pirates didn’t have both boots on!
“Ship ho!” the pirate in the bird’s nest yelled.
Everyone turned at the same time to the left, and we saw the flag of the French Navy.
Chapter 12
Maria!
I ran threw the crowd of pirates and down into the hold.
“Maria!” I cried. “It’s.—“ Then I remberred, I never told her my name.
But Maria knew my voice and she came out of hiding. “What was that?” she cried.
“It’s the French!” I cried.
The ship rocked again throwing us both against the side of the ship.
“There trying to find me!” Maria said. She burst into tears.
“Maria! What do we do? They might search the ship, then accuse the captain of kidnapping!” I said.
“I don’t know! I don’t want to go back!” she cried. Still sobbing.
I don’t know what to do!
“BIRD!” Jashub screamed. “WHERE ARE YE?”
“I’m coming!” I called. But I didn’t think he heard me, with the cannon’s going off and gun fire.
“Bird?” Maria asked.
“It’s….my nickname. But you can call me Catherine.” I said.
At least someone will call me Catherine.
Maria nodded. “Ok.”
“I need you to stay here.” I said.
“But what if they search in here?” she cried.
“Shh!” I hissed.
She nodded.
I turned around and went threw the door and ran smack into Jashub.
“What are ye doing?” he snapped. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up the stairs. Then the ship rocked again, I lost my balance.
I screamed.
Jashub caught me by my arms. “Careful!” he said. “Are you ok?”
I shook my head. “My ankle!” I held back tears.
Jashub picked me up and carried me back up the stairs.
He set me down by the railing of the ship. I grabbed my ankle. I bit my lip, I couldn’t cry now!
“Yer, white!” Jashub cried.
Then he turned white.
“I-I-I think I’m going to.—“ My hand flew to my mouth. I stood up suddenly causing aganozing pain in my ankle, but I leaned over the railing and hurled.
I know, revolting, but I just sprained my ankle. The pain was horrid.
I felt hands on my shoulders. “Are ye done?” Perida asked.
I nodded. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.
I tried to walk, but then I colpasped. “Ow!” I cried.
“We don’t have time for this!” someone yelled. Someone I knew, and someone I highly disliked: Nashon.
“Shut yer trap, Nashon.” Jashub snapped.
“Ooh! I didn’t know!” Nashon put up his hands in that annoying way he did. Like he was surending.
“Know what?” Jashub went right up to Nashon, getting all in his face.
“Stop it! Both of ye!” Captain Geideon said.
Jashub gave Nashon one more evil look, before he walked away.
Then the captain started barking out orders, the French were closer now. And getting closer.
“LOAD THE GUNS!” he yelled.
Perida helped me to my feet. “Ye need to stay up with me by the wheel.”
“But.—“
She shook her head. And she helped me up to the wheel.
Soon, the cannon’s got closer and the ship rocked more and more. No one knew what the French wanted. Except me, and I couldn’t tell anyone.
“What is wrong with these French?” Abjiah yelled.
“I don’t know, stupid! How about you ask them? Oh wait, you can’t, because you can’t speak French! Your too stupid!” Nashon yelled.
“Settle down, both of ye!” The captain ordered. “If ye don’t! I’ll just give you to the French! Understand?”
Nashon and Abjiah muttered under their breath.
I saw Jashub’s grip get tighter on his gun. He was angry. But he didn’t say anything.
Soon, the French got right up to your ship. Our cannon’s and guns were leveled. The captain said that we don’t shoot, until we know what they want.
My cut on my stand started to sting. I looked down at it and saw that my grip was too tight on the railing ahead of the wheel. I let go and shook it.
My ankle, I found out, wasn’t sprained. I just twisted it a little too much. I could stand on it now.
“What’s the problem, good sir?” Geideon called over to the captain of the other ship.
The captain started speaking in rapid French.
“We don’t understand, sir.” Geideon said.
The captain of the other ship eyes narrowed. He backed away and said something. The guns were raisied and ready to shoot.
My eyes go wide. I grabbed onto Perida. She hugged me.
Gedieon put out his hands.
“That means, we come in peace.” Perida whispered to me.
I nodded. She felt so warm. Just like my mother felt like.
I shook that thought away. I wasn’t going to see her again. Not ever.
The captain of the other ship ordered the guns be lowered. Geidoen told us to lower are guns. We did.
A little while later, the two captains somehow got a meeting together. I don’t know how there going to talk.
Gedieon turned to us. “Who can speak French?”
Everyone shook there heads. Except me. Somehow, I felt I could.
I raised my hand. “I-I-I can.”
Geideon smiled. “Then you can help me.” He motioned for me to follow him. We were going to go over to the French ship and talk this over.
A board was laid down so the captain and I could walk across.
“Good day, sir.” One of the French said. He spoke English. I guessed he was the translator for the French captain.
The captain didn’t look happy at all. He keep muttering under his breath, words I won’t repeat here. I guessed that someone had talked him into doing this.
The captain said something.
Geideon looked at me.
I told him what the French captain said.
Gedion nodded and smiled.
The captain spoke again.
“The good French captain says that they are looking for
Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. Daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She has runaway.”
My throat got tight, I barely got the words out. Maria was on our ship, but I couldn’t tell anyone. I kind of knew how she felt. I knew probably, the captain was going to make me marry someone aboard the ship. Or, I would have to marry someone on the ship. No one would want me at eighteen!
“We do not have her Royal Highness, search all of my ship he ye likes, good sir.” Geideon said.
No! They’ll find her!
The captain shook his head though. And said some things.
I let out a silent sigh of relif.
“Tht is that necarry, we belive you. You may return to your ship.” I translated.
Geideon smiled. “Thank you, sir.” He said.
When we were back on the ship and the French had sailed away, the captain asked me how I knew so much French.
“I just…learned it.” I said. But I knew that wasn’t the case, God had let me understand the French captain so I could translate.
But I felt a wad of guilt in my throat. I didn’t even speak up! But the French would of killed us all if they would of found her! No one would belive me.
He clapped my on the back. I almost fell over. “Well, it’s come in handy!”
And the ship went back to doing what ever it was doing before.
I sat down in the hold (with permission) and read my Bible, a couple days later. I had taken care of Maria. I had given her water and food everyone, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“Do unto others, what you would have them do to you.” I read outloud. “I don’t think I could do that to the Three M’s.”
Then I heard a scream from the far end of the hold.
I closed my Bible and hurried to the noise.
And what I saw scared me.
Chapter 13
Two of the Three M’s were holding Maria by her arms and she was screaming, and trying to get them off her. While Nashon was right in her face talking to her.
“Stop!” I yelled. I ran up to them.
Nahshon turned and grabbed me by my arm. “Do you know her?” he asked Maria.
Maria started speaking in rapid French.
“What did she say?” Abijah asked.
“I don’t know!” Nahshon snapped.
Then his grip got tighter on my arm. “What did she say, Pet?” he asked.
“I-I don’t know!” I cried. I tried to pry her grip off my arm. He pulled me in closer.
“Oh really? Then how come you don’t know French now, when you knew it a couple days later?”
“B.—You wouldn’t know!” I said.
“Aw, did you hear that? She somehow doesn’t know how to speak French now.”
The other M’s laughed. Maria started to cry and speak in rapid French.
“Leave her alone!” I cried. “She did nothing to you!”
“Who is she, Pet?” Nahshon asked.
“Don’t call me that!” I said. Trying to pull away.
He grabbed my other arm and pulled me in even closer. “Don’t change the subject! Who is she?”
“I don’t know!”
He threw me against the ship wall. I slid to the floor.
“Catherine!” Maria cried.
“Catherine?” the Three M’s said.
“Oh….” Nahshon looked at me. I was rubbing my head. “That used to be Ruth’s name.”
“Ooh!” the other M’s said.
“Who’s Ruth?” Maria asked.
Nahshon pointed to me. “Her.”
Maria shook her head and waved her arms in front of her. “No, no. That’s Catherine, she told me.”
“No! Don’t believe them!” I said. I stood back up. Nahshon kicked me in the stomach.
“Shut up!” he said.
I wrapped both arms around my stomach and slid back down to the ground.
“Don’t hurt her! You naughty boy!” Maria scolded.
Nashon’s eyes narrowed. “Now, I’m going to ask one more time, Pet. Who’s this?”
I shook my head. “I don’ t know.”
Nashon picked me up by my ponytail. “What do you mean? I don’t know?”
“Let go!” I cried. “Your hurting me!”
“That’s the point!”
“Come on, boys.” Nahshon said. He picked me up by my waist.
Then Jashub appeared at the door. “What are ye doin?” he yelled. “Put her down!”
Nahshon did. He dropped me.
Maria had broken away from the others and ran to me. “Are you ok?” she asked.
I sat up. And nodded. “Yes.” I rubbed my head.
Nahshon, Abijah and Amminadad were led away by an angry Perida, to see the captain, who was going to get mad when he heard about what they had did.
Maria was crying and I was sulking. I was going to get into so much trouble.
We were both on the floor. And she was clinging to me. I was thinking about crying myself.
Then, Jashub came and stood over us. “Ruth, who is this?” He asked. He didn’t look happy.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Maria put up her hand and stood up. She was almost as tall as Jashub. “I am Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. Daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.”
Jashub took a slight step back. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
From there, all the pirates started to freak. I was glad no one was paying attention to me at the moment.
Maria got to sleep and eat in the captain’s cabin. (I had lost that privilege after what happened) I started to get jealous.
The captain made an announce about how we were sailing to France to drop off Maria and beg the pardon of her father.
I crossed my arms. This wasn’t fair. I rescued her, I should get some….something!
But I knew that all I was getting, was a punishment. And it was going to be a big one. That lump that I had had for weeks got smaller. And I didn’t feel as sick. I now had only two secrets. To hide: Nashon’s threat and the note I found.
Maria kept telling me how great it was to be treated so kindly by pirates. I hate being refered to as a pirate. I’m not! I’m a English citzen, not a bloody pirate. Catherine Mckow the pirate queen is a kind and gentle pirate. She is not bloody.
So I spent most of my time away from everyone and on my hammik going off into DayDreamWorld.
Catherine Mckow needed to escape! These bloody pirates were evil. She needed to get away from them! One is hurting her the other is threating her. And the annoying ‘princess’ is bothering her. She doesn’t think she had stand it!
“I must get out of here!” she cried. “I can’t stay any longer!”
I heard a crash, which brought me out of DayDreamWorld. I groaned and laid down on my hammik. I didn’t want to do anything. I felt sicker and guiltier than ever.
“Catherine! I broke something!” Maria cried.
I turned over. At least she calls me Catherine, so matter what anyone says.
“Catherine!”
“What is it, Maria?” I snapped. Still laying down, it was probably a mouse or something.
“A bottle fell over and all it’s money fell out!” she cried.
Money?!
I got up and walked to the room she was in. She was in a closet, the same closet Nashon had locked me up in.
And sure enough, a glass jug was in pieces and the contence was all over the floor. Maria was already picking it up.
“We’re not allowed to have money. The captain says so.” I said. Stooping to pick up the money and glass. I looked at my black leather boots Perida gave me. I hated going barefoot. It wasn’t right…to me anyway.
“Goodness! This money is from Spain!” Maria cried. She stood back up, looking at a piece of money.
I looked at the other coins. “They are! That’s strange.”
We went on in silence, I didn’t know if I should tell the captain about this, or just keep it a secret. Then I looked at Maria. She would tell the captain anyway. Not if I told her though.--
Catherine Mckow didn’t know what to do, should she tell about his strange jug of money? Maybe the captain would be so grateful, he would set her free!
“Ow!” I cried. I had cut my finger on the glass.
Maria ran over to me. “Are you ok?” she asked. She looked at my finger. She tore a piece of her dress off and bangaged it up.
I looked at both my hands and laughed. “I look like a mummy!” I giggled.
She laughed with me. “You sort of do.” She looked at my bandage on my left hand. “What happened?”
I stopped laughing. “Nothing.” And I started to pick up again.
“I’m sorry, to pry.” Maria said.
And we cleaned the rest up in silence.
When all the coins were on the shelf again and the glass was thrown away. We walked up to the top deck. Perida was there to meet us. “What were ye doin down there?” she asked, hands on hips.
“We found.—“ Maria started.
I elbowed her in the rips.
Perida raised an eyebrow.
“We found…uh….a amazing place to play. Right Catherine?” she turned to me.
“Oh yes! Amazing place!” And I pushed her towards the steering wheel, before Perida could ask anymore questions. It was my turn to steer that day, but I had given Jashub the wheel because I was feeling sick.
“Ye feelin better now?” Jashub asked.
“Yes.” I took the wheel from him.
“Did you vomit?” he asked. He smiled.
I knew he was joking around, but I wasn’t in a joking mood. I forced a smile though. “No.”
He bowed to Maria before he went away.
I rolled my eyes.
“What?” Maria asked.
“Why does he bow to you like that?” I asked.
“He is being a gentlemen, Catherine. Don’t you see it?”
I shook my head. “No. He’s don’t things that aren’t ‘gentlemen’ like.”
Maria turned to me, “Like what?”
My cheek and my hand started to sting at just thinking about it. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Maria wrapped her arms around me. She was the only person I allowed hugs from (besides Perida) and, she was the only person I could actually talk to. I was going to be sad when we dropped her off. “You can tell me, I’m your friend, Catherine.”
I swallowed the lump I my throat. And I spilled out everything, it felt like I was talking to Eilean. It was so easy.
When I was done, Maria actually cried. And she hugged me tighter, I felt like crying with her. But I didn’t dare, I didn’t want to actudenily let out about my other secrets, I never wanted anyone to know about.
Speaking of Nahshon and the others. After I told the captain about him throwing me against the wall and kicking me, he got four lashes, not on the hand, but on his back. I didn’t watch though. And the others got two lashes. I didn’t watch that either. After that, Nahshon and the others had to clean the whole ship. From top to bottom. I steer clear of them, because Nahshon will hurt me, I’m positive. I’ve seen flirting and he’s not doing it. Jashub flirts, Nahshon doesn’t, so I know he will do something awful to me.
“What’s wrong was, highness?” Jashub asked. I jumped.
Maria turned around, eyes around. Opened her mouth several times and then clenched her fists, throwing them in the air and storming off. Her red cloak (which the captain gave her) flowing behind her.
Jashub and I stood there for the longest time, just staring at where Maria had gone. After awhile, Jashub turned to me. “What did you do?” he snapped.
I pointed to myself. “Me? Me! I did nothing!”
Jashub pressed his lips together. He was going to get mad.
“Just shut up and listen for a moment, Jashub. I did nothing. It’s you.” I snapped.
Jashub took step back, stunned. “Ruth.—“
I put up my hand. “Don’t call me that! It’s Catherine ok?”
“Ruth.—“
“No shut up! She’s mad at you for what you did to me! She’s angry with you! Ok?” My hands flew off the wheel and I started to storm off the steps. Jashub grabbed me by my arm, and pulled me so close I could smell his breath.
“Listen, Bird.” He said. “I said I was sorry about that, there’s not reason to go telling anyone about it.”
He was right, and I hated it when he was right. I struggled to get free.
“I have a temper that goes beyond the sky.” To show what he was talking about, he through his hand in the air, towards the sky. Tears were in his eyes. Mine were filling too. “I am, so sorry, Catherine, I really am. I’m just mad at someone I never forgave, and I’m taking it out on you. I am so sorry.”
We stood there looking at each other, he let go, but I stayed there. Then I hugged him. And burst into tears, of joy and sadness, and just plain cried. He hugged me back, if he cried I couldn’t tell.
The moment was the best the best moment I’d had in a long while.
“Catherine?” Jashub asked, we were still hugging.
“Yes?” I choked on my tears.
“I just want you to know I l.—“
“Love birds!” Nahshon said. His brown hair shone in the sun. And his blue eyes sparkled with amusment.
Jashub and I pushed away from each other was the same time. I bumped into the wheel, I had to put both hands on it to stop it from turning.
Jashub and I both stared daggers at Nahshon, Ammidad and Abijah were behind him.
They put up their hands at the same exact time. “Sorry! I didn’t mean you interrupt anything! You weren’t k.—“
Jashub went to tackle Nahshon, but I put my hand out. “He’s not worth it, Jashub.” I said.
Jashub stepped back. Still giving Nahshon the death glare.
Since Nahshon and the others got bumped down a rank I told him to take the wheel from me. And I grabbed Jashub by the hand and we went down into the hold. Not to kiss! I wanted him to talk to Maria.
Maria was on my hammik crying. Again. Not that I couldn’t blame her.
Jashub sat down beside her and talked to her.
When he was done, Maria hugged him.
Everyone must be in a mood for hugging.
It felt good to know that Jashub wouldn’t be doing anything mean to me again. If he did, he said, I was to slap him before he did it. Then he would come to his senses.
Life was better, the days after. Both, Maria and Jashub now called me Catharine. And I was happy about it.
After one month, we finally made it to France.
Chapter 14
I looked out at the most beautiful city I had ever seen: Paris, France.
Maria came up to me, she looked sick.
“What’s wrong, Maria?” I asked.
Her eyes were red. “I don’t want to go back! I’ll have to marry! And I don’t want to!” She hugged me, almost knocking me over.
I actually cried. “It’s going to be ok, Maria. I know how you feel.”
Maria pulled away, wiping her tears away. “You do?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I leaned on the railing. “I can’t go free from this ship and it’s crew until I reach eighteen. By then, I’ll be too old to marry. So I’ll have to marry one of the crew men here.” I shook my head. “And I’m not looking forward to it, either.”
Maria wrapped her around my shoulders, and whispered in my ear. “But what about, Jashub?”
I smiled a small smile. “We have nothing. We just hugged!”
“I know, but you have to admit, you do have something.”
“Are ye ready to go, your highness?” Jashub asked.
Why does he keep scaring us like that?
Maria turned around and giggled. “Yes.”
I kept staring out at the sea, while Jashub and Maria walked away, or that was what I thought.
“What are ye doin?” Jashub asked. He was leaning on the railing on the right side of me.
“Just looking. What are you doing?” I asked.
“Looking…” his voice seemed far away. I turned to see what he was looking at, I found out. He was looking at me.
I got that squirmy excited feeling. I looked back out at the city. A stray hair fell across my face. I went to push it behind my ear, but Jashub got to it first.
I gently pushed his hand away, after he pushed it back. “Thank you.” I said.
I heard his mouth open but he couldn’t say anything because the captain came over and boomed: “What are ye standin there for, Jashub? Get to work!”
I had never heard the captain yell at someone like that, if they hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Y-Yes sir.” Jashub said and he scampered off. I had never heard Jashub stammered either.
“You too, Ruth.” The captain said, he still sounded mad.
I pointed to myself. “Me?”
He nodded. “yes! Now go!”
I did, the captain was starting to scare me.
I was so excited! I was going to go onto land!
It was just Jashub, Maria, the captain and I who were going ashore. The captain said he didn’t want to scare the people of Paris.
We don’t look that scary. Or at least to me, I don’t’ even know what I look like. I hadn’t seen a mirror in ages. I think I would break it.
Catherine Mckow now had her chance to ecsape! She could go back to Port Royal and see her mother again! But, she felt strange somehow, like if she did, she would be leaving someone behind.
“CATHERINE! LOOK OUT!” Jashub yelled.
I blinked back to reality before I could ram into a cart. Jashub pulled me out of it’s path. “What were ye doin?” he snapped.
I pulled away from him. “I was….”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I was….daydreaming.”
“Really, Catherine? Becuae this city is too full for someone to go off like that, come.” He gently pushed me towards, Maria and the captain.
Maria was holding her head high, with her red cloak flowing behind her. The people in the city started to notice us, they kneeled before Maria but when they saw us, they gave nasty looks.
“Why are they doing that?” I whispered to Jashub.
He leaned in closer to my ear. “Because, we’re pirates.”
I’m not a pirate! I wanted to blurt out. I am a British citzen!
Before I could go off into DayDreamWorld, I felt someone hit me on the head.
“J.—“ I yelledI was so going to slap him. But I found the captain there, and he hit me again over the head.
“Stop it! Ruth!” he yelled at me.
I clutched my head. “Sorry.”
Something was wrong with the captain.
Maria saw this and ran up to me and hugged me. “Are you alright?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
I saw Jashub clench his fists. “That.—“
I held up my hand. “I’m fine. It was my fault. I was thinking to hard.”
“But that’s not reason to hit you!” Maria cried. We were still walking, but we were far behind the captain. His torquise hat with the blue feather in it. He looked better off than all the pirates. Even Maria, which didn’t seem fair.
Jashub nodded. “It’s not. He hasn’t done anything nice since.—“ he stopped himself. “Never mind.”
I looked at him for a moment, he wouldn’t meet my eyes. He was hurt somewhere. And I had a pretty good idea who had hurt him: Captain Gedion.
Chapter 15
When we made it to the castle guards swarmed around us. My head was already throbbing so everything was a blur.
“M’lady! Your betrothed: Louis XVI of France has been looking everywhere for you!” one of the guards said. He eyed the me and the pirates. “And you have brought back.—“
“Silence, I wish to take them into the palace. The kind captain,” she motined towards Geideon. “Has something to say to my fiancé.”
The guards bowed. “Of course, m’lady.”
The palace was amazing, but I didn’t get to enjoy it. We were practicly pushed to the prince’s room. (Louis)
“Maria! Where have you been?” Louis exclaimed. He kissed both of Maria’s cheeks before she could reply.
“I just went on a trip, Louis. No harm done.” She said.
Jashub leaned in and whispered: “Why isn’t she still living with her parents?”
I elbowed him. “That’s rude to say, Jashub! And I don’t know why, her father has died. She told me that. And she doesn’t really live here, Louis was just worried, so we came to France. She lives in Hosburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. She’s the Archduchess.”
Jashub looked puzzled. “Oh.”
I rolled my eyes. And they landed on Prince Louis.
My eyes widened, and I looked away. Had he heard what I had said? Or maybe what Jashub had said!
I bit my lip. We’re doomed.
I leaned in and asked Maria if Jashub and I could look around.
She nodded. “Yes, if someone asks what your doing, tell them you have permission from me.” And she said her full name and bretrothed to Prince Louis.
I nodded and pulled Jashub with me. “She said we could go look.” And I told him what Maria had said. He nodded and went off to look by himself.
I was walking along, and I didn’t notice that I was picking up speed as I went. Soon, I was running and I bumped into someone.
“Oh my! I am so sorry!” I helped the person up. “Are you alirght?” I was so doomed now.
The boy brushed himself off. “Yes.” He looked up at me. His light blue eyes and blonde hair made me want to stair at him. But I knew it was rude to do so.
He looked surprised for a second, then he took my hand and kissed my fingers! I was so surprised. I wasn’t a princess or duchess.
I pulled my hand away. “That’s not neccarry, I’m not a duchess or princess.” I said hurridly.
“But your pretty enough to be one.” He said. His blue eyes twikled.
I smiled and shy smile. “Thank you.” I said.
“Your very welcome.”
He didn’t even look at my clothes. He just complemted me! I got that squirmy excited feeling.
He bowed.
And I giggled.
“I am Fredrik.” He said. “And you are?”
“Catherine.” I curtsied.
“Catherine…” Fredrik said. “British, am I right?”
I nodded. “Yes. I am from England.”
“Then what is a very beufitful young lady like yourself so far from home?” he asked.
“I am….” How was I soupossed to explain this? “I have been captured by pirates! And can’t go free until my eighteen!”
But, before I could say anything. Jashub ran up to us. “What are ye doin, Catherine?” he asked. Then he saw Fredrick and I saw him stiffen.
“I just met a very kind gentlemen.” I said. “Fredrik.”
Jashub didn’t smile.
Fredrik said, “And who might this be?” he smiled at Jashub. Jashub still didn’t smile.
“Um…this is Jashub. He’s my friend.” I said. This was getting akward.
Jashub stiffned even more.
“Very good!” Fredrik had a British accent. And I hadn’t noticed until now. I was too busy looking at his eyes…
Jashub shook Fredrik’s hand, half heartily.
“I heard that the archduchess is back.” Fredrick said. I knew he was trying to make convstaion.
“Y.—“ I started to say.
“We brought her home.” Then he took my arm. “Would ye excuse us?” he said to Fredrick.
“Of course.”
He took me at least all the way done to wall. “What are ye doin?” he snapped.
I pushed his arm off me. “Talking. You should try it.”
Jashub leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Was he actually jealous?
“I just don’t trust him, that’s all.”
“You don’t trust him? What’s not to trust? He has deep blue eyes and.—“
“I know what he looks like!” Jashub snapped.
“He’s kind, and besides, I won’t be able to see him again anyway. After you drag me off to somewhere else.”
He pointed to himself. “Me? I don’t drag ye anywhere!”
I pointed at him. “You were the one who hit me!”
“I said I was sorry!”
I grabbed my head, it was starting to throb again. “I’m going back to talk to him. He’s the nicest person I’ve met since Maria.”
And I walked back to Fredrick. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” I crossed my arms. “Just a disagreement.”
He nodded. “I see, is he…?”
“No. He’s just a friend.” I turned and looked at the still leaning on the wall Jashub. “Used to be, anyway.”
Fredrick and I talked until the captain came and pushed me back to the ship. Fredrick said he’d write. I didn’t know how he was going to do that.
“Can’t I say good bye to, Maria?” I asked the captain.
“No!” the captain snapped.
“Why not?” I asked.
The captain stopped walking. I was in big trouble now. He turned to me. “Because, if we don’t leave not, WE WILL ALL GET KILLED!” then he pushed onto the ship.
When we were on the ship, and the captain had walked away. I went to go untie the rope that tied the ship to the dock. When a scream ripped the air.
I jumped up to see Nashon dragging a girl about ten with him to the ship. And I saw Fredrick running behind them.
“What are you doing, Nahson?” I snapped at him.
He threw the girl at me. Who was crying like crazy. I wrapped my arms around her. “I said: What are you doing?” I said more slowly.
“Her parents are dead. So by the ‘code’ I bring her to the ship. That’s what I was doing. –Oof!” he fell to the ground as Fredrick tackled him.
The girl and I screamed.
Annaidad and Abijah pulled Fredrick to his feet. Fighting.
He was yelling about someone killing his parents.
Jashub came running up. “What’s going on?” he asked me.
“That’s what I would like to know.” I gave the girl to him. Who was still crying. He picked her up and started talking to her.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I yelled at the Three M’s. Nashon had his fist almost to Fredricks face. “I want all of you back on the ship!” I yelled.
They let go and walked past me. Nashon bumped into me on purpose. I went over to Fredrick. Who was on the ground. He wiped blood off his mouth with his sleeve. “Are you alirght?” I asked him. I helped him up.
“I’m fine. Who were those boys?” he asked. Brushing himself off.
“Pirates.”
“And how come they did what you said?” He asked. He smiled. “Are you the captain?”
“No. But.—“
Then the real captain came up. “What’s all this?”
Fredrick said, “Those boys killed the girl’s and my parents!” he pointed to the smiling evily Nashon and the others.
After he said that, pirates came at the captain’s orders and pushed Fredrick up onto the ship. I couldn’t do anything. Jashub was still holding the girl. But the captain told him to put her down, and he dragged the crying girl up the gank plank.
I held back tears. “The poor girl! And Fredrick too! This is awful!”
Jashub wrapped his arm around me. “We can’t do anything about it. It’s just life.”
Chapter 16
The girl, I found was named: Brianna. She said she had a mother and father years ago. But they died of smallpox. I felt so bad for her. She said that she was living in a boarding house. Not boarding. But cleaning. SO when Nashon came in with his friends they killed the women in charge, and took Brianna thinking she was her daughter.
“What happened?” I asked her while we were sitting on my hammik. She wasn’t very tall and she was actually twelve years old but acted like she was three. Which was fine with me. I always wanted to be a mother. And I wouldn’t be able to be one if I stayed on this ship until I was eighteen.
Fredrick, Brainna and I always hung out together. It was nice to have someone to talk to.
One night, while I was hanging up landury. And Brianna was sitting by the basket, playing with a doll I had made her and Fredrick leaning on the wall to the captain’s cabin. We got talking about our futres.
“I always wanted to design dresses.” Brianna said. She twirled her doll around. “With lace and…oh! How I want to!”
“I’ve always wanted to just settle down with a wife and children.” Fredrick said. I didn’t get that squirmy excited feeling when he said it though. We were so close, it didn’t matter. We would always just be friends. No matter what.
“Me, I wanted to be a pirate. But now that I see what it’s like. I’m not sure what I want to be now.” I said. Hanging up a shirt. Jashub’s shirt. I got t hat squirmy excited feeling again.
I quickly hung it up before I could hug it. Jashub and I hadn’t talked for days now. He was mad at me and I was mad at him. But I was starting to miss him.
“Watch out!” Fredrick grabbed the shirt I was hanging up before I could drop it into the ocean. “I don’t think it needs cleaned again.”
I turned red. Oops.
“You almost dropped, Nashon’s shirt in the ocean.”
“He wouldn’t be happy about that, if he found you told.—“ Brianna started.
“SHUSH!” Fredrick and I hissed.
She put her hand on her mouth. “Sorry.” She said through it.
Yes, I had told Brianna and Fredrick about what Nashon had did. And I had told them about the note and my father. I kind of felt guilty for not telling Jashub about it. He didn’t seem to be my friend, that was all.
But I was going to pay for telling. And I was going to that night.
While I was walking back with the empty basket to the hold to go the sleep. A door flung open and someone grabbed me by the arm and a hand went over my mouth.
I was practicyly carried through a damp and cold wooden hall. I kept clawing at the hand that was over my mouth.
We made it to a large room and the person through me against the wall and I stood up, and tried to run forward, but someone knocked me back against the wall. I pressed against the wall, wishing I could disappear through it.
Some lit a lantern and there was Nashon and he didn’t look happy.
I gulped. He had found out. I was dead.
“You told Pet,” he said coming towards me. I pressed against the wall even more.
“How did.—“ I said.
“Oh, we have our ways.” He said. He took out a sword from his felt. I swallowed—Hard.
“You mean, you have your ways. Where are the others?” I asked.
“They left, they didn’t think that it was right to hurt anyone.”
“Well, it isn’t. They finalley saw the light. Good for them.” I said. “You should try it.”
Nashon put the tip of his sword under my chin, and lifted it up and looked into my eyes. “Why did you tell, Pet?”
“B-Because, I don’t like to keep secrets.”
He pushed it under my chin more. “Why not?”
“Because! Thanks why!”
“Because doesn’t cover it.”
“Well it does for me!”
HE pushed it under even more. “Well I like secrets. And I was going to tell you one. But I can’t trust you anymore.”
“What secret?” I asked. I started to inch away.
He looked away. “Oh I don’t know, a certain murder, that happened recently.”
Fredrick’s parents?
“What?” I asked.
He looked sharply back at me. “Don’t be stupid.”
I threw my arms in the air. “I don’t understand!”
He leaned in close. “I know the murder of your father.” He whispered.
Then, I did something stupid. I grabbed the sword with my left hand. No, not the handle. The blade. I cut myself as I did it of course, but I rushed at Nashon I got up all in his face. “Who did it!?” I screamed at him.
I felt the blade on my back. He was pushing me towards him. “How about I ask you this question first.” He said.
Fine, just get it over with!
“Fine.” I said.
He leaned in close to my ear and whispered: “Have you heard about the missing Spainish prince?”
What? He was making no sense at all!
I shook my head. “No.”
I didn’t even know he was missing. Or these was one for that matter.
He put the blade further in my back. I yelped. “Are you sure?”
“Positive! I really don’t!” I thought I was going to burst into tears if he asked me again.
Instead, he stepped back, taking the sword with him. He sheathed it. “Alright then.” And he disappeared into the darkness.
And I broke down and cried.
Chapter 17
The next couple of days were a nightmare. The captain either hurt me in the inside or the outside, when ever he got a chance. So I had bruises everywhere.
Nashon and the others always were giving me strange looks.
Jashub hated me, I was sure.
And I had to figure out who told Nashon. He didn’t give me a warning, but I still had that feeling as if I was still hiding something. I told everything to Fredrick and Brinna, but it still felt like I still had to tell someone something.
While I was laying on the cot in the hold I heard a crowds of people talking like crazy.
What is going on?
I climbed the steps and I had to push threw the whole crew for heaven’s sake to see what was going on.
Jashub and Nashon were fighting. With swords.
“Jashub! No!” I yelled at him.
If he heard me, he didn’t do anything.
Nashon had that smile on his face that evil smile, that he knew something and Jashub didn’t. And Jashub looked practicly red.
Then, Fredrick started to fight! He jumped up on the barrel behind Jashub and jumped over him and started to fight with Nashon! It was two against one!
I almost fainted. This was stupid.
“What are ye doing?” I yelled. Then I covered my mouth. Not ye, you! But I didn’t have time to correct myself.
Then, in a flash Jashub and Fredrick had Nashon up against the railing and he fell in!
I heard Brinna scream. Or was that me? I couldn’t tell.
I ran to the side with everyone else, and Nashon was splashing around in the water.
“I can’t….swim!” he cried. Then he went under.
I turned to the high fiving Jashub and Fredrick.
“You both are stupid!” I screamed at them. Then, I climbed up onto the railing and jumped in.
The water was cold. But it felt good. I hoped no sharks would come up and get me.
Nashon was sinking fast. I swam under the water. Then I ran out of breath, so I swam back up to the service. And took a giant gulp of air and went back under. Nashon was flaiing around. I grabbed a hold of his wrist and pulled him up. He started to kick, which helped.
When we got back to the service. A rope was there. I helped Nahson on it and then I climbed up. Perida was there with blankets.
The crew had gone back to work. Jashub and Fredrick were getting yelled at by the captain. I didn’t dare look.
“What happened?” Perida asked.
“Jashub and Fredrick pushed me into the water!” Nashon exclaimed. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him.
I nodded and took a deep breath. I felt good though.
Perida made sure we stayed in the sun, so we wouldn’t catch a cold. (just between you and me, I think we could of caught worse things aboard this bloody ship)
I sat on a barrel and put the blanket on my lap.
“Why did you save me, Pet?” Nashon asked.
I looked at him. He had that smile and that look in his eye. His hair was still soaked, but it glowed in the sun with the water shining on it. He had the blanket over his shoulders.
I looked back at the ocean. “Because, you couldn’t swim. I was just saving you.”
“After how I’ve been so mean to you?”
I nodded. “Have you even read the Bible?”
“No.”
I looked sharply at him. “Well, it says: ‘Do onto others, what you would have them do onto you.’”
He looked at me blankly.
“So…I would want you to save me if I was drowning.”
He sat back a little more on the barrel he was sitting on and looked out into the ocean.
He just doesn’t get it.
I jumped when he said: “I would.”
Just to make sure I heard him right, I said: “What?”
“I would save you.”
Then, because I there was an uncofterble silence that followed, I jumped off the barrel and ran into the hold.
That night, while I was trying to fall asleep, I heard whispers coming from the boy’s room in the hold.
I took my shawl and covered myself with it and tried to block out the noise, but I couldn’t. SO I got up with my shawl on and went to the door way.
And there were Nashon and the others sitting and talking by candle light.
Abjiah was standing over Nashon, apperntly trying to keep there talk contained, but it wasn’t working. Anmaidd was sitting by Nashon and talking to him too.
“She’s not the one.” Nashon said. He leaned back his blue eyes didn’t have any emotion in them. None that I could see anyway.
“Are ye sure? I mean,.—“ Abjiah said.
Nahson shook his head. “No. She’s not. I have put a sword blade under grown men’s chins and they’ve spilled everything. I did it to her, and she just kept saying she had no idea what I was saying.”
I knew they were taking about me. I touched my throat. He didn’t leave a mark, but thinking about it made it hurt. My hand started to hurt too, I now had double the scar.
“But what if she’s just really strong willed?” Abjiah asked.
“No. She’s just a girl.” Nashon said.
Amaidd hit Nashon in the arm. “A young lady you mean. A young lady that’s at age to get married.”
My eyes grew wide and I took a step back from the door way. No way I was marrying Nashon, no matter what he did to me.
They laughed. Nashon smiled just a little bit. That smile like he knew something I didn’t.
Nashon shook his head. “No. Before I try anything like that, we have to earn her trust.”
The rest let out whines.
“Shut up.” Nashon snapped. Then he took a deep breath. “We start by not hurting her. And no teasing.”
“That’s not fair! There’s no one else to tease on this ship! Why did we ever take his assiangment?”
Nashon glared at Abjiah. “Only good teasing allowed You hear?”
They all nodded.
Then Nashon looked at the door way. I threw myself aginast the wall. I felt his eyes on the door. I just knew he was still looking.
“Alright, off to bed. We don’t know if someone heard us.” Nashon said.
He came to the door way and looked out. I held my breath.
“Hm, I guess I was just imagining things.” He said. And he went back into the room.
I went back to my hammock. And I didn’t sleep. And everytime I closed my eyes, I saw Nashon and me. Married. I shivered.
No, never, never, never...
Then I fell asleep. If I had only known that my nightmares would come true, I would of jumped off the ship.
Chapter 18
In the morning, while I was folding clothes. Again. Because Perida wasn’t feeling good. Fredrick came up to me. And sat down on the railing.
“Catherine…” he said.
“Yes?” I said. Still hanging clothes up.
“Have you ever thought about…”
“Yes?”
“Marriage?”
I stopped folding for a second and then started up again. “Yes. Why?”
“Would you marry to someone on this ship?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I said. “Why?”
“Because, I want to ask.—“
“Catherine!”
I turned and saw Jashub walking up to me.
“What?” I asked. We hadn’t talked for days so I was a little nervous.
“The captain wants ye.” He said.
“What does he want?” I asked as Jashub walked up.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I looked at Fredrick. He shrugged. “Sorry, Fredrick, you can ask me after I get back.”
If I come back.
I went to the doors to the captain’s cabin and knocked.
“Come in.” came the ruff replyl
I opened the doors and peeked in. “You wanted to see me?”
The captain nodded. “yes. Have a seat, Ruth.”
He was the only one who called me that anymore. I don’t know why he bothered.
I took a seat. Jack and Jill hissed at me from the captain’s shoulders.
He got right to the point. “Now that your at the age of when young women marry,”
Oh no. It’s happening. One of my nightmares…
“I think it right for you to marry someone aboard this ship. Since you are not free to go until you turn eighteen.—“
“But why me? Perida’s not married!” I burst out.
The captain glared at me. “She is married, Ruth.”
“TO who?” I asked.
“Me.”
My eyes got wide. alright, this was freaky.
“And we have a son.” The captain contuined. I was glad we weren’t talking about me getting married.
I didn’t have to ask who there son was. He just got right to it.
“Jahsub is our son.”
I should of seen it coming. Perida and Jashub looked so much alike. And Jashub must have gotten his tempers and abusive ways from the captain.
Catherine Mckow couldn’t! She couldn’t get married! It wasn’t going to happen!
SMACK!
My head started to throb.
“Pay attention when I’m talkin to ye!” the captain snapped.
“Sorry.” I said, meekly.
“Now, back to the point. As I said, you will be too old to marry when you are free from this ship. SO I have chosen a husband for you.”
“You can’t! Your not my father!” I exclaimed. I got up. Jack and Jill hissed at me.
“Your father is dead, girl. And I am now incharge of you. Sit back down.”
I sat back down. Ready to cry.
“Nashon, will be your husband. I am going to talk to him myself, so there’s no reason to tell him yet…”
I didn’t hear the rest. Nashon? No! It’s not fair! This couldn’t be happening! He tries to hurt me! No matter what he says about trying to be nice, he won’t!
I was ready to faint, throw up or cry. I could do all three.
The captain said I could go. I ran out the door and slaming into Jashub.
“What’s wrong?” He asked. His eyes were full of concern. I couldn’t understand why the captain hadn’t wanted me to marry Jashub. I mean, he was his son for heaven’s sake!
“I-It’s nothing. I just want to be alone.” I pulled away from him and went into the hold. I knew the Jashub would say he gave me permission. I knew he would.
While I was laying on my hammock. I heard voices and then slamming of doors and someone coming down the hold steps. If anyone came down the steps I think I’d kill them.
I put my hands over my face.
“Now why are you hiding your face like that, Pet?” Nashon asked. He was standing over me. I knew it.
“Because. I think I’m going to kill someone I don’t put my hands somewhere.” I said.
He pulled my hands away from my face. His blue eyes were smiling at me. I looked away.
“I don’t like the idea any more then you do. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
I sat up. “How about this? We both commit sucide.”
He looked at me. “I would save you before you could do that.”
I rolled my eyes. At least he had our sense of humor.
I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t love you.” I said.
He sat down on the hammock. it swayed. “And I don’t love you. But that’s not the point. The captain wants the crew to keep growing.”
My eyes were filling with tears. “So he can just kill us and then keep our child?” Oh no, not a good sign, I’m already thinking about having children.
“Catherine, look at me.”
I looked at him. His eyes were full of concern. “What ever happens. I want you to know, I would save you from anything.”
I think I liked the old Nashon better.
“What ever.” I said. I got up but he grabbed me and swung me back around.
“If you don’t coporate I’m going to loose my temper, and it’s not going to be pretty. Do you understand?”
“Let go!” I yelled. He had a hold of both my wrists.
“Do you understand?”
“I don’t! I don’t even like you! How could I even obey you? I don’ t like you!”
His grip got tighter.
“Stop!” I cried. “Your hurting me!”
“That’s the point. I thought that you weren’t working with them. But I’m not so sure now.” He said.
Ok, the new Nahson, I like better.
“What?” I cried. Trying to pull away.
“You know very well what!”
“But I don’t!” I cried. The tears were almost there.
He pulled me closer. “Do you know about the Spainish prince?”
“No! I don’t! Now stop!”
“Your so stupid! We’ve been playing dumb for too long! I know what your up too!”
But I don’t even know what I’m up too!
“See? This is why I don’t like you! You hurt me!”
“The captain wouldn’t care. He hurts plenty of us daily.” He said. He shoved me against the wall. “Tomrrow, when we make port, the captain is going to get us rings and we’ll be officaly betrothed.”
I squirmed at the thought.
“Then, when you turn fourteen, we’ll be married.”
I felt like getting sick at that thought.
“Then you’ll have to tell me everything. Do you understand?”
I shook my head. “no! I don’t!” the tears were coming now.
“Catherine, just tell me. What do you know about the prince?”
“I didn’t even know one was missing! Please, I don’t understand!”
He gave me a hard look. “Catherine…”
“I really don’t! And I don’t lie about these things! And if your not telling me everything. Then why would I tell you everything?”
He let go. “I guess if our marriage is going to work, we have to be honest.”
I nodded. “yes. And you have to be nicer.”
He pointed to me, and leaned in. “Just me?” his eyes were laughing.
I laughed to. “Well, I guess I could go a little easier on you…”
He smiled. “Good.” And he walked back up the stairs.
I would find out what he means, I will. I just have to be paintent.
The next day, while I was sewing clothes. Nashon came up behind me and leaned over my shoulder.
“Nashon, this isn’t quite the way you act. Has your mother told you anything?” I said.
“No.” he said. Then he surprised me by kissing me on the cheek!
I was stunned. “I guess that’s alright.” I said. But I was melting inside.
He sat down beside me. “What are you doing?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m sewing.”
He nodded. “Ooh…”
I pushed him off his seat.
“What was that for?” he exclaimed.
“Oh, nothing.” I said. I giggled.
After he walked away. I got up and turned around to give Perida back her shirt I had sewn for her when I bumped into Fredrick.
“Oh, hello, Fredrick.” I said. Going around him.
“Hello, Catherine.” He said. “I heard about the next big wedding.”
I stopped. “Y-you did?”
“Yes. And I just want to congratulate you.” He said.
I let out a sigh of relif. “Thank you, Fredrick.”
“But, Catherine,” he said. “Do you love Nashon?”
I stopped again. I shook my head. “No. Why?”
“Just wondering.” And Fredrick walked away.
Alright, why did Fredrick act all freaky?
Then I felt a ping of guilt. I never let him finish what he was going to say to me!
“Fredrick!” I called after him.
He turned around.
“What were you going to ask me yesterday?”
He shook his head. “It’s too late now.” He said and he kept walking.
Oh no. Was he going to ask me…? I couldn’t belive it. What terrible timing he had!
I went to go see Perida, she was the only other person on the whole ship that understands what I’m going through. When I opened the door to her room I found Jashub sitting by her bed. I turned to go.
“It’s fine, Catherine. Come in.” Jashub said.
“I-I just wanted to drop off this.” I said. I put it on the bedside table and turned to leave but Jashub grabbed me by the arm.
“Jashub, I don’t have time for this.” I said.
He let go. “Sorry, I just want to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“About what the captain said to you. Is it true?” he looked so sad.
I nodded. “Yes.” My voice was filled with tears.
“I don’t understand. Why did he choose…?”
“I don’t know either, Jashub. I really don’t.”
Jashub pushed pass me. “I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Jashub! Don’t.” I begged. “Your father will just say no.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “How did you.—“ His eyes had hate in them.
“H-He told me.” I stammered.
Jashub didn’t say anything.
I wanted to change the subject. “What’s wrong with Perida?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” And he walked out.
Great, just great. Two bad things in the past twenty-four hours. I’m getting married and Perida is sick, and no one knows what she has.
I wiped away tears as I walked out the door.
My life was falling to pieaces.
Chapter 19
Alright, before you put down this book because it’s breaking your heart to read it. I just want you to know, it’s going to be a happy ending.
A storm hit the Truth that day, so we couldn’t make port that day. So I stayed below huddled in my sadness and fears.
“What’s wrong, Pet?” Nashon asked. He came from the boys side of the hold.
Oh, nothing. I’m just going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life.
“Nothing.” I said. “I-I don’t feel good, that’s all.”
And it was the truth. I didn’t feel well at all.
He sat down beside me. “I don’t feel that well myself.”
I wonder why? Maybe beuase your going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life.
I sighed and got up.
“Alright, your not just not feeling well.” Nashon pulled me back down.
“Nashon, I don’t want to talk about it.” I said. Trying to get back up. He wouldn’t let me.
“Well, maybe you should. If we’re going to be stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, maybe you should start telling me things.”
Something went off in my head. Talk. That’s what my mother said to do with your husband. Or in this case, almost husband.
I opened my mouth. Then a cannon ball shot threw the bottom of the ship.
I screamed.
“Oh my.—“ Nashon yelled. He grabbed me by the hand and went up into the storm.
“It’s not safe up here!” I screamed over the deafning wind.
“Well it’s not safe down there either!” he screamed back.
“What’s going on?!” Jashub yelled. He looked over and saw a ship threw the mist. “What in.—“
The ship rocked as another cannon ball shot threw the bottom of the ship.
“We’re going to sink!” I screamed. I grabbed onto Nashon. He pushed me against him in a hug.
“It’s going to be alright.” He said.
I don’t think so.
“Can you tell what flag they have?” Fredrick yelled.
“It’s too foggy!” Nashon screamed.
“Where’s the captain?”
So many questions. So little time.
“We’re going to die!” I screamed.
Nashon hugged me tighter. “We’re not.”
“Yes we are!” I started to cry.
“The stress is too much for her.” I heard Jashub say. Or yell.
“I’m fine!” I screamed. Still crying.
Then I felt Nashon being torn away. I started to kick and scream. “Shhh.” Perida said.
Then everything else was a blur.
Guns started to go off. People started to yell.
Then I felt someone pulling me away from Perida.
“PERIDA!” I screamed.
Then everything went black.
Chapter 20
I woke up on a cold damp floor.
I groaned.
“She’s waking up.”
“What happened to her?”
“No one knows.”
“What’s her name?”
My eyes flew open. There were too faces. Both with green eyes. Girls. One with brown hair, one with blonde hair.
I sat up and started to inch away from them.
“Hey, it’s alright.” The girl with brown hair reached out to me. I still inched back.
“She must be still scared from what happened last night.” The blonde girl said.
“What did happen?” the brown haired girl looked at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.” I said.
“She can talk!” the blonde girl exclaimed. She threw her hands in the air.
The brown haired girl hit her on the arm. “Shut up.”
“Sorry.” But she was smiling.
“What’s your name?” the brown girl asked. She inched towards me.
“Catherine.” I said.
“My name is Emiline. And this is Molly.” The brown girl said.
“Hello.” I said. “Please, where am I?”
“Your in American of course!” Molly said. She smiled.
“Have you seen my fiancé and my friends?” I asked. I stood up.
The girls stood up with me. “Your betrothed?” Molly asked. She kept bouncing up and down.
I sighed. “Sadly, yes.”
“I know how you feel.” Emiline wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I’m married. And I don’t love the man.”
“And he doesn’t love her!” Molly said.
Emiline glared at her. “Sisters.” She grumbled.
“Emiline? Molly?” a male voice called.
“There he is now.” Molly sqeeled.
“Don’t’ worry,” Emiline said. “He’s very kind.”
I pushed away from her. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay.” And I ran out the back door of the stable I was in.
“Wait!” Molly and Emiline called after me.
I ran into the forest. I didn’t know where I was going. But I had to go somewhere.
I was alone. Again. With not one I knew. Again.
I sat down against a tree and fell asleep.
“Catherine? Bird?”
I opened my eyes. And there was Jashub.
“Jashub! It’s you!” I jumped up and gave him a hug. He hugged me back.
“I thought ye were dead!” he said.
“Me too!” I cried.
He pulled me out at arms length.
“Where are we?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “All I reamber is that other pirates came and tried to kill us. They took you away. You and m-my mother.” He said.
“How did you excape?” I asked.
“They deicied that I would be more useful alive, so they made port here but I ran away.” He looked at my, puzzled. “How did you get away?”
I looked away. “i-I don’t know. I don’t even rember that.” I looked back at him . “Where’s Nashon?”
He let go. His eyes filled with hate. “I don’t know. And I don’t really care.” He started to walk away.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. “Jashub! Listen! I know your jealous but Nashon is a person and he happens to be the man I-I love.”
Jashub’s eyes went further than hate. There’s not word for it but he went from hate to...
He turned to me. “Do ye really love him?” Now his eyes went from total hate to sadness.
“I do, Jashub. And we have to rescue him!” Tears slid down my cheeks as I hugged him. “Please.”
He pushed me away. “Fine. Come.” And he started to walk away.
I followed him into town. There were tons of people. Different langues were everywhere. It was one blur. Like bees buzzing.
Then, someone grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me into an ally.
“Let go!” I yelled.
“Hey boys, look at this. She’s a Brit!” a male voice said.
I was pushed back against the stone wall by hands.
“I damnanded to be let go!” I screamed. I tried to kick away my attacker. Or was it attackers?
“Feisty isn’t she?” someone else said. “I like that.” Someone grabbed my chin and pulled me forwards. A boy with red hair and eyes so blue that they looked black.
I grabbed the arm that he had on me and tried to pull it away.
He grabbed my arms.
At least I got him off my face.
But his grip really hurt. “Stop! Who are you?” I cried.
“Why, we’re orphans with nothing better to do.” The redheaded boy said. He let go of me and leaned against the other wall.
I folded my arms across my chest. “So this is what you do?”
“Ooh! She’s not attidute too!” someone else said.
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, we pick on newcomers here. No one walks pass this ally without seeing us. Right boys?” the redheaded boy said.
“Yes!” the rest of them said.
“Well, I’m sorry. But I didn’t know.” I said.
“Well, you should of!” someone mimicked my Britsh accent.
“Boys, boys. Don’t pick on her too hard. I see she’s had some practice with teasers like us.”
“Yes, I sure have. I’m actually betrothed to one.”
Alright, Catharine, that was too far.
“Oh? Is that so?” the redheaded kid said.
“Joeseph! What are you doing?”
To my surprise Emline walked up.
The redheaded kid looked scared for a second. “Nothing, darling. Just doing what I do.” He went to kiss Emiline but she pushed him away.
“Your not soupossed to be doing that! Leave Catherine alone.”
Joesph put up his hands in surrender. “Fine.” And he walked away. Pushing Emiline along with him.
Poor her. Stuck with a husband like that.
I walked out of the ally and went to find Jashub.
“Where have ye been, Bird?” Jashub snapped. Pulling me along.
“I just got pracitcly kidnapped! That’s what!” I didn’t even bother trying to pull away.
“Well, why ye were being ‘kidnapped’ I found the rest of our crew.”
“Really?” I was to relived I felt like crying.
We made it to the dock. Perida was sitting on a crate. Rocking back and forth. One of the crew was with her.
I saw Nashon and I ran and gave him a hug. “I missed you!” I cried.
“Well, I’m fine. But I can’t say the same for Perida.” He said.
I pulled away from him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s fine! I’m fine!” Perida said. She smiled. “I’m just with child. And the boys here don’t understand the pain.”
I ran to her. “Oh Perida! That’s so wonderful!”
“Then I guess it’s fine then. I just needed Catherine to confirm it.” Nashon smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Oh, and by the way. The captain gave these to me.” He took my hand and slipped a ring on my finger.
I didn’t know what to say. And I didn’t get a chance to.
“The captain…h-he’s…” Nashon started.
“Dead.” Jashub finished. He looked sad.
“Then, who’s captain?” someone asked.
“Jashub is. His father would of wanted him to be captain.” Perida said. She stood up and put her hands on Jashub’s shoulders. “You are now captain.”
Jashub captain? Oh no, this isn’t good. He can break Nashon and I’s betrothal. And I love Nashon.
“I will show you the ropes, my son.” Perida said.
Whew, at least she’ll be telling him what to do.
“We don’t have a ship.” Abjiah said.
“Do you always have to point out the obouis?” Nashon said.
Abijah shrugged.
Amidad hit him in the arm. “Let’s go steal one!”
Everyone looked at Jashub. It was his decision.
He nodded and smiled a smug smile. “Yes. I think we should.”
Chapter 21
“I want to go!” I begged.
Nahson shook his head. “No, darling. It’s too dangouras.”
“But.—“
“No!”
I took a step back. We had ‘rented’ a house to stay in. The crew did anyway. I was staying in the room with Perida. But she was sleeping so I went to Nashon to talk to him. I wanted to go help them steal a ship. Or in Jashub’s case, ‘borrow without permission’. I said we weren’t ever going to give it back. He said that they would hide it and in the morning they would come get Perida and me and we would set sail. He completely avoided my statement about not giving the ship back.
“I said no Catherine. Stay here!” Nashon was loosing his temper. So I decided just to obey him. For now.
“Fine.” I crossed my arms.
And he gave me a kiss on the cheek. But it was a have hearted one. I looked away as he did. I didn’t see him leave. And I didn’t care.
Just so you know, I lied to Jashub, and I lied to myself back at when Jashub was made captain. I didn’t love Nashon. I didn’t. And Jashub told me, that he couldn’t do anything about it. He said that his father had written it out and that it couldn’t be changed. And also, he said that Nashon argued and that he wanted to marry me. I didn’t know if Jashub was lying or what. But he looked like he was telling the truth.
I turned to go, when I saw his coat lying on the bed.
“Hmm,” I went over and picked it up. “How about I steal something from you and you’ll think twice about not letting me go.” I looked in all of the pockets and I found papers. “Papers?”
I looked at them and read them aloud: “Agent of the Young Royalty Protecters. Agent: William.
The next paper said: “Your mission, Will is to track down all possible Young Royalty Assantors and take them down.”
Friendly.
I found other papers too and they had Abijah’s and Amdiad’s papers too. But they scratched out their real names.
“So, you boys aren’t who you say you are.” I said out loud.
“Really? Because I feel like who I saw I am.”
I looked over the paper and saw Abjiah and Amidad standing in the door way.
I am so dead.
I shoved the papers behind me. “Did you boys find a ship?” I asked.
They waved their hands like they were waving away my question. “Don’t change the subject, Pet.” They said.
I am so glad that Nashon or William isn’t here.
“What’s going on, boys?”
Never mind. He’s here, and I’m so dead.
Nashon\Will took one look at the angry faces of his friends and then at me with my hands behind my back and I could see his temper getting up there.
“What did you do, Catherine?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I was just cleaning and.—“
“When we found her in here she said ‘that we weren’t who we say we are’ and shoved our Agentcey papers behind her back.” Amdidad said.
“Excuse me? I was still talking!” I said.
“Catherine, hand me those papers.” Nashon\Will said. He held out his hand.
I handed them to him.
“Now what do we do, Will?” Abijah asked.
“Shut up!” AMidad hissed.
“She already knows his real name because he didn’t scratch his out like we did!”
“So what do we do now?”
Will looked at me. And he didn’t look happy. He flipping the papers up and down and then tossed them on a table.
“We can’t let her go!”
“She knows!”
“Hello! I’m right here!” I said. I crossed my arms. And looked at the door. If I could just run out the door…
Catherine Mckow didn’t know what to do. It was either possible death or freedom…
“Catherine!” Someone grabbed onto me.
“Sorry.” I said. Will didn’t look happy. Then I looked around, I was almost to the door.
“We’re not down talking to you yet.” Nahson\Will said.
He pushed me back down onto the bed. I crossed my arms again.
“We could…you know…” Abijah said.
“No! I will not allow her to come to any harm!” Will snapped.
Goodness, he wasn’t lying about saving me.
“I won’t tell.” I said.
They all looked at me. “We don’t have any gurantee.” Amadiad said.
“You already told about what I told you not to tell about.” Will said.
“I told...uh oh.” I said.
“What?” all three of them said.
“I told Fredrick and Brianna, and I told them not to tell anyone and they promised. Do you think…”
Will nodded. “I see where your going. They could be Agents of the Young Royalty Assains Agentcy.”
“But we can’t trust her!” Abjiah cried.
“Why not? Besides, when Will and I marry he’ll have to tell me what he’s doing. So you should start trusting me now.” I said.
Will still didn’t look confinced. “It doesn’t matter if we marry. We still can’t trust you.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Why not?”
Will sat down beside me and sighed. “It’s hard to explain. If they Agentcy found out that a untrained person was helping us. Excepelty a girl.”
“Excuse me? I have done more then a girl’s work on this ‘adventrue’ I think I can handle myself.” I said. “What would they do to me if they found out?”
“I don’t know. But they could.—“
“Kill you.” Abjiah finished.
“That’s lovely.” I said. “Not.”
“That’s why you can’t!” Nashon\Will said.
“I think I can. The ‘Agency’ can do what it likes. But I want to help. If Fredrick and Brianna are ‘bad’ Agents then I’m the only one who can get information out of them. They don’t like you boys.”
They all gave me the look.
“It’s true! They don’t!” I said.
Will stood up. “Fine. But I want a report every night. And if I don’t hear from you. Well, I’m going to loose my temper.”
I nodded. “Fine. But what if I don’t have anything to say to you?”
“I just want to make sure your ok.”
“Ooh!” said Abjiah and Amdaid.
“Shut up.” Nashon\Will said. He pushed me out the door. “Just, be careful. Please?”
“I will.” I said. And I walked out the door.
When I was walking down the hall. I heard them still talking.
“This is a bad idea.”
“I’m captain of this mission. So I think she’ll be fine. Besdies. We haven’t gotten anywhere on this mission. No one trust us.” Will said.
“Well, if we started to be nice to people…”
“Then people would assume that we’re bad. See? Don’t you guys get it?”
“No.” they said.
Then there was some whispering that I couldn’t hear. SO I decided just to keep walking down the hall.
All of sudden I was whirled around and Will kissed me! ON the lips! And then running back down the hall and back into his room with a bang of the door.
I stood there. Stunned. There were ‘good jobs!’ and laughter.
Did they think mocking me is funny? Is Will just pretending he loves me? Does he really want to keep me safe? I decided just to go ask, Perida. I was surprised that she wasn’t morning over her husband’s death. I guess she really didn’t love him. How does that work exactly? If one person loves another but the other person doesn’t love the other back? It’s not really love is it? Oh never mind. Your brain is probably going wack right now.
I found Perida on her bed, and she had the letter that I had found.
“Catherine, what is this?” she asked.
I snatched it away from her. “N-nothing.”
“Catherine, it’s just ‘nothing’ is something.”
“I just found it back on the Truth. It was a clue to who killed my father.”
“I don’t recognize the hand writing…” Perida said. Then she changed the subject. “Did the men find a ship.”
“Oh! I never asked.”
“Then what were ye doing in Nashon and the boy’s room?” she raised an eyebrow. “Did ye.—“
“no! We didn’t. We just talked.” I quickly said.
“Altight.” She patted my knee. “Just making sure.”
“Perida.” I said after a long silence.
“Yes?”
“Do I have to marry, W-Nashon?”
Perida shook her head. “Jashub cannot do anything about it. I cannot do anything about it. His father wrote it out. We cannot change it. Unless, of course, Nashon dies.”
“No, no! I would never want that to happen!” I said.
“I know you wouldn’t.” She patted my knee again. “And don’t worry about that note. For all we know, someone was just playing.”
“Sounds serious to me.”
“I know. And maybe the person died when the other pirates attacked? We can’t be sure, but don’t worry. People are watching out for you.”
Those last words helped me sleep better that night. I knew that God was there and that Perida and, yes, Will\Nashon. It was going to be hard to rember his real name.
Chapter 21
The next morning. Perida woke me up. The sun wasn’t even up yet. But the men found a ship last night and we were to board it right away.
Brianna started to cry for not reason at all. And I was tired and sleepy so I snapped at her more then I wanted.
“Stop crying! There’s not reason too!”
“s-s-s-sorry!” she stammered.
Fredrick walked by me the whole way. He wouldn’t let Nashon or the two stand next to me. Maybe he suspected them of being the ‘good’ Agents.
When we got the ship. And everyone was on board except Nashon, Fredrick and I. Red coats came around the bend.
I wanted to hug them! I could go home. But Will pulled me back.
“We can’t let them see us!” he hissed.
We hid behind some crates on the deck. Jashub looked over and saw what was going on. And said something to the men untying the rope that connected us to the dock.
“What do we do?” Fredrick hissed.
Will looked uncofterble.
Maybe he doesn’t like being so close to an soupossedly ‘bad’ Agent.
“We sit here until the Red Coats go away.” I hissed back.
“Ooh.” Fredrick nodded.
Will laughed. I hit him in the head. “Shut it!”
“Sorry.” He said. But he was still smiling.
“You there! What is your business with this ship?” a Red Coat asked Jashub.
“I have bought his ship. Sir. And we are going to.—“ Jashub started.
“Bought?” the two soliders laughed. “Your not even old enough to…” then the solider took another look at Jashub. “Never mind. Where are you sailing to? To see yer girl?” the soilders laughed.
“No.” Jashub said.
“Well, then, don’t go getting snippy, where’s yer papers?”
To my surprise. Jashub brought out papers and handed them to the solider. Then solider read over them.
I held my breath.
The solider gave the papers back to Jashub. “Alright, Mr. Smith. Have a nice sail.” And the soliders moved on.
Everyone let out the air they were holding in.
“That was close.” Fredrick said.
“Tell me about it.” Will said.
Something caught my eye. I looked down and saw my engadgment ring. I sighed. The captain was so evil. I can’t belive he would make sure that Nashon and I got married.
Then something else caught my eye. Two girls, with brown and blonde hair were running towards are ship. Then they climbed the rope that connected the ship to the dock and they got aboard the ship!
“W-Nashon!” I yelled.
“What? You don’t have to yell.” Will said. He rubbed his ear.
“Well, excuse me!” I snapped.
“What is it? We have to get on board or they’ll leave without us!” He grabbed my hand and he pulled me to the gank plank.
“But, I saw.—“
“Catherine, if we don’t get on that ship. It will leave without us!” he practicly carried me up the plank and onto the ship. I idmettly went the hold.
“What in they world are ye doing?” I yelled at Emiline and Molly.
“Ye? What kind of word is that. And why are you going on a ship?” Molly gasped. “Have you been kidnapped?”
I wrapped my shawl around myself tighter. “You could say that.”
Emiline put her hands on my shoulders. “We’re coming with you. Joesph is just plain awful. It was an arranged marriage anyway. So I think I have the right to leave. And besides. I want to meet all your friends.”
Friends?
“No! You have to get off the ship! If they find you down here. I’m going to get in so much trouble!”
“Why?”
I stopped talking. I didn’t really know why I was always blamed.
“Um…Because.”
“We’re staying anyway. This is going to be fun! I’ve always wanted to be on a ship!” Emiline said.
“You don’t understand! These are pirates, Emiline.”
Molly gasped. “Pirates? Sweet!”
Total face palm. “You don’t get it! I have been kidnapped by pirates for months now. You don’t want to end up like me!”
“But we want to help you. Besdies. Living with Joesph has taught me some things about watching my back.” Emiline said.
They don’t get it. With Jashub captain who knows what he’ll do! Or Will for that matter. He’ll probably tease them and then be mean to them and think they’re ‘bad’ Agents. This is awful!
Then the ship rocked. Emiline and Molly fell over. But I still stood.
“How can you stand on this boat?” Molly said. Standing up.
“It’s a ship. And I can because I have my sea legs. You’ll get yours soon.” I helped Emiline up.
“Oh.” They nodded.
“But you shouldn’t have gotten on this ship!” I cried.
“Pet? What in the world are you doing?” Will called.
“Pet?” Molly asked.
“That is my fiancé. And that’s his nick name for me. I hate it.” I said.
“Oh.” Molly nodded.
“I’m…just…” I started. What should I say.
“Well, J- The captain wants to talk to us about something. Who knows what. And if you don’t come up here right now I’ll come and get you and that’s not going to be pretty.”
I turned to Emiline and Molly. “I.—“
“Go ahead. He doesn’t sound like a nice one. Go on.” Emiline said. She gave me a smile.
I smiled back and went back up the stairs. Will was there to meet me. “What took you so long? And what was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.
“Which question do I ask first?”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
We walked to the captain’s cabin. And went it. Jashub was sitting at the table looking at the map. I think he was graphing. But when he saw us he pushed it out of the way. I guessed he was mad at it. I could do graphing. I’ll have to show him how…
“Have a seat.” He said.
Ooh, very official.
We took a seat. And Jashub cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes. This was insane.
“I have found the paper that clearly states that ye and Nashon are to be married.” He started.
Both Will and I shifted in our seats.
“And I have done the liberty of burning it. So I’ll be having those rings back.” He held out his hand.
I quickly took mine off. And put it in his hand. But Will just stared at Jashub.
“That’s it?” he said.
“Nashon! Just give it over! We don’t love each other. So there’s not point.” I nudged him. And whispered. “I can still help you, and you can still save me.”
Finalley after staring at him. Will pulled off his ring and put it in Jashub’s hand.
Jashub smiled, a sly smile. What was he up too? Did he really find the paper? Was there ever a paper to begin with? So many questions. And no answers.
When he said we could go, Will went out like a flash of lightning, I walked to the door but Jashub stopped me.
“Wait, I’m done talking to ye.” He said.
Uh-oh.
I turned back around. He got up.
“Yes?” I said. “’captain’” I put up my two fingers and wiggled them up and down.
He didn’t smile a nice smile, or even a teaseing one. He still had that sly smile on.
“Since that paper is gone,”
Oh no. He’s not going to.--
“Who are you going to marry?”
“Um…I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait until I can go off this ship. And why won’t you let me?”
“Because, the Code says I can’t. I can’t disobey the Code.” He was serious about that one. A real serious.
I nodded. “Alright. Then what do you want me for now?”
He came right up to me. He was so much taller then me. It made me want to hide. He was scary with that black hair and dark brown eyes.
“I have an order for you.” He said.
“An order? Um…I can sew something for you. Or whatever. I have nothing better to do.” I was sarcastic about the ending. I had plenty to do.
He took my hands.
This is getting serious. Scary serious.
“You are going to marry me.” He said.
I pulled my hands away. “No Jashub.”
“I order you.”
“I don’t care, if you ‘order me’ it’s a no.”
“Catherine…”
“Can’t I choose who I want to marry?”
In all truth, I wanted to marry him. But I was so sick of being told who to marry.
“Here, you come to me a couple days later and ask me again. If you ask me right. Then I’ll marry you. In all truth, Jashub I love you. But if your going to ‘order’ me to marry you. I don’t think I wanted to be married to someone who ‘orders’ people to marry. Alright?”
He looked down at me and then smiled. A real smile. “What’s the right way?”
I went on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. “You’ll know.”
And I walked out the door, feeling great.
“What did he say?” Will asked.
I sighed. “Go away.”
“I know we’re not bethroaed anymore. And what kind of word is that anyway? Anyway, can we just be friends?”
Friends? I guess.
“Um…sure. But you have to promise. That you’ll be nice to me.”
“I will. Will will.” He said.
I laughed. “Alright.” And I went down into the hold to talk to Molly and Emliline.
Emliline put her arm around me. “Good job, Catherine! You did it! Too bad I didn’t tell Joesph to do that. Not that it would of mattered. I was forced to marry him.”
“So Jashub said that your other wedding was off?” Molly asked.
“Yes.” I said. “Thankfully. Nahson was unsure at first. But he gave up his ring.”
“I’m glad you found someone you love, Catherine, I’m sure you’ll be happy together.”
“Hey, what’s that noise?” Molly asked.
We stopped talking and heard people talking.
“What in the world?” I whispered.
“When are we going to take one of them and question them?” someone yelled. I knew the voice, but I couldn’t place who’s.
“Not yet! You stupid boy!” a girl’s voice.
“I say we just do it now. That Catherine knows something. I can feel it. I say we question her about the Spanish Prince.” Someone else’s voice. But I couldn’t place who’s.
“Fine. But if anyone catches us. I’ll kill both of you!” that girl’s voice again. I knew that voice. But I still couldn’t’ figure out who’s! And she must be the leader.
“Th-that was scary.” Molly whimpered.
“I don’t think you should hide anymore.” I said.
“Why?” Emliline asked. Hugging Molly.
“Because, it’s too dangouras now. Someone needs to protect you.”
They nodded. “Alright.” Emiline said.
I took them up onto the top deck. And took them to the captain’s cabin.
“Jashub, I need to tell you something.” I said.
He looked up from his map. I really need to show him how to do it.
“Who are they?” he asked.
“These are my friends. They kind of…um…”
“We wanted to come with Catherine, so we stowed away on your ship. We are sorry for the trouble we have caused.” Emilline said.
Jashub just stared at them .
“Jashub!” I hissed.
He snapped back. “Sorry. You can stay on my ship. I don’t care.” And he went back to mapping.
Face palm. “Go on, I’ll talk to him about what we heard.” I told the two girls.
They nodded and left.
“Jashub, that was stupid.” I said.
“hm?” he said.
“Jashub! Look up here a moment please!” I said.
He looked up. “What?” he asked.
“First of all. Your mapping all wrong. And second, that was the wroset thing you could have said! ‘Just stay on my ship’.”
I pushed the map away from him and sat down next to him. “Those girls have risked their lives to come on this ship, and I think you could of told them something like ‘don’t worry, everything will be fine. I welcome you on my ship. No harm done!’”
“Really?” he said. “I’m new at the whole captain thing.”
“And third. The only reason I brought them up here was because someone is going to kidnap me and question me, so they.—“
“What?” He interpreted me. “’kidnap you’?”
I nodded “Yes.”
“Who?”
“I’m not sure, I heard voices talking about it. Voices I knew, but I couldn’t place who’s they were.”
He nodded. “It’s going to be alright. I wouldn’t let anything happen to ye.” He said. He smiled. “Oh, and I have something to ask you.”
“Really?” I smiled.
“Yes.” He pushed his chair back and got down on one knee.
I covered my mouth and awe. He had figured it out!
He took my hand. “Catherine Mckow, will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes! I will!” I cried. He slipped the ring on my finger and I jumped down and gave him a hug and started crying. Not sad crying, but happy crying. I was the happiest moment of my life.
Chapter 22
Right after that, Jashub wanted me to stay with him everywhere he went so that I wouldn’t get kidnapped. Which was fine with me. I loved Jashub.
While we were looked out onto the sea, with the sun setting into it. He held hands. (if this is grossing you out, go ahead and skip it.) I leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m just so happy.” I said.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Me too.”
I smiled.
“Jashub! Catherine! It’s Perida!” Fredrick ran up.
Jashub let go of my hand. (we didn’t like doing in front of people. Not that we ever did anything wrong, mind you) “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“She’s in pain…I’m not really sure! Nashon’s with her. Come!” and he ran to the hold.
We followed.
When I saw Perida I knew what was wrong.
“Everyone out!” I commanded.
They all looked at me. “Why?” Will asked.
Boys were so cluessless. She was going to have a baby!
“Just get out!”
They did.
I took Perida’s hand. “It’s going to be alright, you’ve done with before. Just push.”
I watched my mother help other women give birth, so I knew what to do.
I’m not going to go into details because you’d put down this book and have nightmares or something.
It was a brand new baby girl.
She was fast asleep, she had all her fingers and toes. Everything was perfect. She was wrapped in a white blanket and she held my finger while she was sleeping.
Perida was fine too, everything went fine. She was sleeping also.
I opened the door and I startled by Jashub and Will standing there.
“What happened? Is my mother alright?” then Jashub stopped when he saw the little girl.
I saw tears in his eyes.
“Oh, so that was why you kicked us out.” Will said.
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s a little girl, Jashub. You are now a older brother.” I smiled and gave the little girl to Jashub. And he walked off.
“I have to go wash my hands.” I said. Then we burst into laughter.
“Go ahead, Pet.” Then his smile faded. “We need to talk about what you heard that one night.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
After I had washed my hands, Will and I talked about what I had heard.
“You do know something. They’re smarter than we thought.” Wills said, after I had finished telling him.
I nodded. “Yes. They are. I just wish I could place who’s voice’s it was!”
“Don’t worry. Me and the boys will go from here.” He said.
That night. I heard something fall in Jashub’s cabin.
I got up and went up the steps. The light was on and I saw two shapes and one had a sword and the other had a gun.
I gasped and ran to the cabin. I opened the door. “Jashub!” I cried.
“No, Catherine! Go back.—ARGH!” the person with the sword clipped him in the side. Hard. The person turned to me and it was Brianna!
“SO glad you came to join us, Catheine.” She said. I felt the cold metel of the gun in my back.
“Yes, we hoped you would come to help him.” Fredrick said into my ear.
“I should have known!” I hissed. “You two were too nice.”
I felt Fredrick shrug. “And we thought you were dumb enough not to notice. But you were too smart.” He pushed me to wear Jashub had fallen to the floor. I knelt down beside him. He groaned. The sword had gone in deep.
“You hurt him!” I cried.
“That’s the idea.” Brianna said. She put the sword under my chin. “Now, what do you know about the Spainish prince?” she asked.
I didn’t answer.
She pushed harder. “You stupid girl! Just answer!”
“I have one question for you, first.” I said.
She sighed and put the sword down.
“What are your real names?”
“Since we’re going to kill you after you’ve answered, I guess we could tell you. I am Mary Draqo Englanden. The leader of this mission.”
“And I am Steven Laganus.” Fredrick said.
“No fancy title, hm?” I asked.
His eyes filled with hate.
Mary\Brianna waved that off. “That’s a story for another time. A time you won’t make I’m afraid.” She smiled an evil smile and put the sword back under my chin. “What do you know about the Spainish prince?”
“How about we ask you the same question?” Will, Abjiah and Ammidad all stood behind Mary and Steven.
Mary and Steven idmettely dropped their weapons.
Abijah gathered them up.
Will pointed his sword at Mary. “We’ve been stoaking you for a long while. And can you belive that a girl would turn you in?”
Mary shifted from foot to foot.
“See Mary? I told you we should of killed her.” Steven said.
“Shut up!” snapped Mary.
“You have the right to remain silent.” Will said. “Abjiah?”
Abijah went to tie Mary and Steven’s hands but instead he gave them they’re weapons back.
“Abjiah!” Will cried.
Abijah laughed. “You think I’m dumb? I’ve been working with these two ever since they came aboard this ship!” he laughed some more.
Mary and Steven smiled evil smile.
Abijah took the gun from Steven and pointed it at me.
I was froze to the spot. “I pretended I was dumb so that I could gather information and it worked!” then he turned to me again. “We should of killed you right away! I knew you would be a neusonce!”
I closed my eyes are Amidad and Will screamed no and lunged for him. Then I heard the shot of the gun go off.
I opened my eyes. Abjiah was on the floor. And I was alive.
“That’s what you get for waking a tired mother!” Perida said. She blew on the top of the gun, sending the smoke flying.
Everyone except the ‘bad’ agents let out sighs of reilf. Perida told Will and Amdiad to put Steven and Mary in the brig. And I took care of Jashub.
In the morning after I had cleaned Jashub’s wound, I fell asleep on the table. I woke to a groaning sound. Jashub was trying to get up.
I ran to the bed. “no, no. Jashub. Lye still.” I gently pushed him back down.
“W-what happened last night?” he craoked.
“I’ll explain everything later,” I smiled. “You should rest.” I went to walk away but he pulled me back by the hand.
“Can’t I get a kiss first?” he asked.
I laughed and I went to kiss him on the cheek but he moved suddenly and I kissed him on the lips instead. It was the most romantic thing ever.
And we lived happily.--
Wait! Before I go on to that, I want to insure you that I will continue the rest of the story. When it happens.
Jashub is calling, it is our wedding day, I am so excited!
Catherine Mckow was going to make the biggest diecsion in her life. She was going from pirates queen, to pirate wife. Catherine Mckow would not be a Mckow anymore. But inside, she’ll still be the pirate queen, no matter what.
--Ever after.
THE END