I stared out at the water through my bedroom window, "Wow! The ocean sure is pretty tonight!" I set my book down on the little desk that I was sitting at and then got up, quickly making my way to my bedroom door and leaned my ear against it. There was no sound. I grinned widely and hurried back over to my window, where I opened it and climbed onto the sill, "Hang on Ocean, I'm coming!" I giggled as I climbed onto the tree that was sitting only a foot away from the window. After gaining my balance, I made my way down the tree and onto the garden below me. "As long as I am back before dawn, everything should be just fine." I glanced back at the house to make sure no one had awakened before I dashed out to the open ocean that awaited me.
I wasn't sure how many hours went by before I was soon joined by a small group of Pirates. They had landed on the shore and had started a party a ways away from town. Filled with curiosity, I followed them deep into the forest, watching them all with widen eyes. "Those are pirates?" I thought about how the village had always told the children to never go out at night or else the pirates would kidnap and kill you. But these pirates didn't seem like they were dangerous; in fact, they merely just built a fire and began to get drunk, reminiscing stories about different islands that they had been to.
"Hey." A voice spoke next to me and I let out a squeal "I'm so sorry Mister Pirate! I promise I won't tell the village that you're here!" In return for my sudden fear, I only got laughed at "Man, calm down. I ain't gonna hurt you." The pirate smiled, "I just saw you admiring the party and thought you might want to join." "Really? You'd let me join?" I asked, the fear being replaced with excitement. "Absolutely!" The pirate led me over to the bonfire, where the group began to explain to me the exciting adventures of being a pirate.
I giggled as I watched them dance and sing just like normal people. I clapped along as they all cheered, living their very best lives. "You don't seem like the type of pirates that kill kids..." I admitted to one, who looked at me with absolute shock, "Now who told you that?" "My whole village doesn't like pirates." I explain, "They tell us that if we stay out after dark, pirates will come and kidnap the kids and then kill them on their ships." The pirate I told frowned before taking a sip of his beer, "Well that is just the most stereotypical thing I have ever heard about pirates."
Once dawn had almost arrived, I bid the pirates farewell and a safe journey to wherever they were going before I began skipping towards home, climbing up the tree, and making my way back into my room; but before I could lay down, the bedroom door slammed against the far wall. Father stared at me angrily as Mother began weeping tears. "Mother, what is wrong? Why do you cry?" I asked. "Tell me it isn't so!" Mother wailed "Tell me that the night guard didn't see you partying with pirates!" "B-but they didn't do any harm..." I started and there was my mistake. Father marched into my room and snatched my arm "How dare you party with the likes of them!?" "Papa, you're hurting me!" I clawed at his hand, trying to remove his iron grip. "Answer me!" He barked, shaking me like a ragdoll, and for the very first time in my life, I felt fearful of my father. "But they didn't do anything wrong!" Tears began to slip down my face as I tried to explain that the group of pirates I was with meant no harm to anyone on the island. But neither of my parents would listen to reason.
"Call the doctor, we must make sure they didn't poison her mind!" Mother raced away to the phone as Father kept his hand around my bicep. "Papa, please! You're hurting me!" I exclaimed again, my words falling on deaf ears. "We can get to him immediately!" Mother rushed back in, "We must be quick!" I squirmed as they dragged me out of the house and down several city blocks to the doctor's house, who gestured us inside immediately. "Sit her on the couch." He pointed over to his sofa. I was forced to sit on the sofa and explain why I was up all night. I began to explain that I had been drawn to the ocean and that I went for a midnight swim, watching the pirates come to shore and followed them. I watched them party and tell great stories. And then I joined them. Mother's loud gasp interrupted my story, "No! Not my daughter! Please doctor is there anything you can do!" "I can but it is risky." The doctor responded "I can't believe those pirates didn't eat her alive." I looked over to my father with pleading eyes, "Dad...?" Surely he wouldn't allow the doctor hurt her. "Pirates are the devil, child!" He growled at me "Do whatever you must doctor!"
When I awoke next, my neck hurt so badly. What had they done to me physically? I was scared to find to remove the bandages from around my neck, constantly having a strange feeling of unable to breathe properly. After weeks of being in the doctor's office and repeatedly told that pirates were evil, my parents paraded me around as if I had been saved from the devil. I learned right then and there that hell wasn't a place you went to when you died. Hell was the very ground I walked upon.
I then began to keep to myself and learned to love singing in place of swimming.
"Come on Darling, it's time to go to the market." Mother spoke up from the kitchen and I glanced over to her, "Do I have to go?" I hated going outside. The villagers hated me. They would corner me any chance they got to beat me. They blame me for the younger children staying out later because I had survived the pirate's attack. "Yes you do." She snipped as she grabbed the basket. "But Mother the people are mean to me." I muttered softly. "Come along Dear." She grabbed my hand and began to lead me outside. She never listened to me. She completely began to turn a blind eye to everything ever since Father began staying out late in bars and drinking all the time.
I kept my head down as we walked through the town's market. Hopefully, everyone will leave me completely alone.
"Where's Kairi!"
I jumped in my room as I heard Father slurred bellow as he wandered through the front door of the house. I set my book aside and began to climb my way under my bed. I have to hurry! My heart pounded along with his loud footsteps up the stairs, heading straight to my bedroom door. I shoved my clothes out of the way as I crawled further under the bed.
"Kairi!" My father screeched as he grabbed my leg and began to drag me out from under the bed. "Papa no!!" I squealed as I tried to kick at him with my other leg, "Let go!" He grabbed at my shirt and jerked me out, rolling me onto my back. "I'm going to kill you!" He loomed over me before his large hands clasped around my throat. "Papa-!" I coughed, gripping at his fingers. Tears began to blur my vision. "YOUR THE WHOLE REASON THAT MY LIFE IS DOWN THE DRAIN!" His voice boomed and rattled through my bones. "I-I can't breathe!" I whimpered as I began to kick at him but he sat his slightly overweight body down on my stomach. If I don't do something, he's going to kill me! I leaned my head back trying to find any angle to get any air into my lungs before I opened my mouth and emitted the loudest sound I could muster.
~years later~
"Good morning, Commander." I spoke softly as I walked forward and stopped only a few feet after from the table, where my commander sat. He looked up at me and crossed his fingers together and rested his chin against his hands. "I have a new mission for you." He was quick to the point of this meeting as he didn't like being in the same room with me for long. "I need you to take out Edward Newgate." He shifted some papers around before handing over his wanted poster "He is looking to start a pirate crew and we don't need anymore scumbags causing the Navy trouble!" He smacked his fist against the table to make his point. I took the wanted poster from my Commander's hand and looked it over. The picture was of a man with long blonde hair and a large white moustache under his nose, covering his mouth. He wore a captain hat with his jolly roger and a typical white and red captain jacket. He looked fairly muscular. To be honest, he wasn't a bad looking guy. I nodded slowly, "Yes sir, any information on his whereabouts?" "He is about to arrive on the little island known as Swallow." He replied before waving me away to do my job.
I watched as Newgate jumped off his little boat after he landed on the island. He tied his boat and headed into town to resupply his trip.
He probably had been on the ocean for several days searching for a crew to work with. I guess he had yet to find anyone. He frowned slightly as he walked into town before speaking with a few of the market sellers as he wandered through the town. They seemed super cheerful and would recommend him to their friends, who could help him with his boat supplies. I kept my distance as I followed him.
"...so how long do you think the Navy will be here?" He caught the middle of a conversation from two townsfolk as he drank at the bar. "Who knows." The second man shrugged his shoulders, "They are always here searching for pirates to arrest and bring into headquarters." Newgate took another bite of food as the lovely bartender walked over to refill his beer. "You ain't from around here." She looked at him with a gentle smile as she began to wipe down the bar. He shook his head no and cleared his throat "What gave you that impression?" His blonde hair pulled back out of his face so he could eat. She grinned slightly more "Well for one you smell like the ocean." She leaned in a bit closer to him "Also I have never seen a man with long blonde hair." He chuckled lightly at her observations "I just got here a few hours ago, I needed to resupply my boat." "A ship? Well, you don't look like Navy, I guess that makes you a-" "Pirate!" A voice yelled from outside interrupting the bartender as everyone turned to see who had yelled. It was one of the townsfolk that had led a few Navy officers straight to Newgate. "Hold it right there Newgate!" One pointed at him as the other readied his gun; both shaking slightly with fear as this pirate was not one to be messed with. Newgate cleared his throat before finishing off his beer. He didn't seem concerned with fighting these low ranking officers. He turned back to the bar, "Excuse me a moment." He placed down some beri's before he stood to his full height and turned to walk to the door, easily knocking the officers outside. Newgate walked back to his seat to continue his conversation with the bartender. She smiled at him, "I guess that answers my question." He chuckled softly, "Yeah." Everyone turned to the stage as the lights in the bar dimmed and a spotlight shined down on a me standing there in a beautiful blue gown that shimmered under the lighting. The regulars that recognized me began to cheer as the music started. I hummed softly into the microphone as I awaited my cue. Newgate sat up slightly straighter as I began to sing. The whole bar mesmerized by my soft looks that was defined by my curled locks. I made sure to look as fragile as a china doll.
Once the performance was over and Newgate tipped the bartender and then began to head back to his boat, carrying his supplies over his shoulder.
He turned when a whistle caught his attention to see me in rags, waving him over, glancing around to make sure that no one else saw me. "Can I help you?" He asked me as I gestured him to follow me back through the alleyway and down the hill. "The navy found your boat and burned it to make sure you couldn't leave so I offer you mine." I hurried over to the smaller dock that was hidden from the normal path into town. I pulled off several sheets to reveal a roughly built ship that was only slightly bigger than the boat he just had. "What is that?" He looked at the helm and I turned to him, "It's a whale!" Crossing my arms in annoyance that he couldn't tell. He glanced at it again and make a bit of a face before I pulled him over to the ship "I know she looks rough but I built her from the ground up myself. I call her Moby." I patted the side "Don't worry, she's perfectly seaworthy." I grinned at the uneasy look on his face before we both boarded. "Since the island is so small, your log pose should be ready to take you to the next island." I pointed at the log pose on his wrist. He glanced at it, the arrow now pointing due east. "Why are you helping me?" He set down the bag he was carrying and began to look over the ship. The deck looked solid. He stomped his foot a bit and listened as the Moby creaked a little under his weight. "Because fellow pirates help each other, don't they?" I asked him as I began to dig through his supplies and turned to the kitchen. "You're a pirate?" He grabbed the rest of the bag and followed me. "No, not yet." I admitted sadly, "But I want to be." He stopped at the entrance to the kitchen "What has stopped you from achieving your dream?" I opened the fridge and began to stock it, quietly thinking about his question. "I would like to be a pirate but the thing is no one has ever taken me seriously when I ask to join their crew. Also not too many pirates want a woman with a messed up leg slowing them down in battle." I moved to place the spices in the cabinets. "Why don't you join my crew?" Newgate asked me. I froze and then turned to look at him, clearly trying to see if he was mocking me. His face held nothing but a serious look.
"You want me to join...?" I asked him, limping towards him. "Yes I do." He responded and I tilted my head, "But you don't even know me." "I don't have to." He crossed his arms over his chest. I grinned from ear to ear "Alright, Captain, where to first?" I placed my hands on my hips. He grinned back "Why don't we buy you proper clothes for a sea voyage." I glanced down at my rags and nodded in agreement "Sure." He held out his hand to me "Edward Newgate." I took his hand and shook it "Kairi Iagina."
Newgate headed up the mast to untie some of the sails as I untied the Moby from the dock.
"Done here Captain!" I called to him, waving my arm a bit to make sure he heard me. He threw down the giant white sail and reached for the smaller second sail, frowning slightly as he could see the Navy headed straight for the secret dock.
"We must leave immediately!" He called down to me and I rushed my way to the steering wheel of the ship. The wind had changed and the ship began to go backwards before it stopped in place with a halt.
"The anchor!" Newgate jumped down from the mast and hurried over to the anchor, beginning to heave it up with all his might. "Watch out!" I cried out as the Navy topped the hill and began to fire their guns at Newgate. He ducked slightly, keeping his attention on the anchor. "Don't let them escape!" The vice admiral yelled out to those under his command and they raced forwards to jump onto the ship.
"Anchor secure!" Newgate hollered and bum rushed the Navy that had jumped aboard.
I looked up at the sails, feeling hopefully as the wind began to work in our favor and the Moby began to back up from the dock. Once a small distance away I spun the wheel as far as I could left. Moby creaked and groaned under the sudden request.
"Ahhhhh!" A few men shouted as they were thrown overboard by Newgate, who was having a rather easy time taking care of the low rank soldiers. I righted the steering wheel and glanced behind me to see that the Navy had their own ships that seemed to be closing in on us. Canon balls loaded and then fired! I squealed in fear as I urged the Moby to go faster, which was controlled by the wind. "Captain!" I called and glanced to the back; the Navy gaining on them. Newgate rushed to the back of the Moby and began to load our own canons. He returned the Navy's fire. Luckily, he was a better shot as his canon balls actually hit their targets. I hurried to the side of the ship "We need to get out of their range!" Trying to find a way to make us go faster. Newgate was too busy to hear my plead and stumbled as the ship suddenly jolt forward with newfound speed. He steadied himself and glanced over at me "What happened?" I shrugged just as confused as him, "I don't know? Stronger wind?" I rushed back to the wheel to steer us out of the way of the coral reef and out into the open water, where the Navy lost us completely.
When I got a moment alone I pulled out my baby transponder snail to explain to my Commander that I was going to gain Newgate's trust first as he was clearly much stronger than me and my regular approach wasn't going to work on him.
"Don't screw this up." His annoying voice crackled through the snail and I rolled my eyes, "Yes sir." Before I hung up the call.