Alexandra and the Pirates of Bargadan

Alexandra & the Pirates of Bargadan Ch.6 Part II

              Alexandra & the Pirates of Bargadan

             Copyright © 2013 by Nina Deviine

             Ch.6 Bounty Hunter Mecca Part II

          “I don’t really have to go. I mean I’ll just stay here and clean the ship. You know, man the fort,” I uneasily laughed, scratching the back of my head and inching further and further away from the plank that connected the ship to the main land.

          Oliver stared at me, not budging an inch as I tried to step behind him. I was tempted to pout, but I refrained. I was a boy after all. Captain Scar made an appearance in semi-normal clothing. Looking up, I noticed that their flag was gone as well. Necessary precautions.

          “You have to help Cass at the market. No one’s staying behind,” he told me uncompromisingly. I scowled at him, but followed his orders. Quickly walking across the flimsy piece of wood, I tugged a plain brown cap over my eyes, shielding myself from the sunshine and curious eyes at the same time.

          Captain Scar put his hand on my shoulder and I tried not to tense at his touch. He brought his lips to my ear and hissed, “Don’t try anything funny. For all they care, you’re one of us and if you rat us out you’ll suffer the same fate.”

          I nodded dumbly, feeling as if my tongue has gotten suddenly heavy. He squeezed my shoulder and patted my back before joining Philippe at the front of the line.

          “Where do you think you’re going?” Oliver asked, yanking me back.

          “Following the leader?”

          “You’re going with Cass to the market along with Jim and Joe.”

          “Okay.”

          Cass waved me over and I hurried to her side, wondering what all that was about. Where were they going? As if reading my thoughts, Cass answered.

          “They gyo to weyapon shyop, syome business to do.”

          The twins were busily talking behind me, cursing the Captain for giving them such a mundane task. I looked around, noticing various shops opened on the streets, as well as bars. Unlike Wardle Island, there was not a single illegal activity going on.

Soon enough we entered the busy market. Wooden stalls were packed together and the atmosphere was oppressive. People were shouting from both sides, competing with each other’s prices and quality. The products were laid out in a flattering fashion, to lure people in.

As I manoeuvred my way through, trying not to lose sight of Cass, I kept bumping into people from all sides. People kept stepping on my feet and my temper was escalating. The large, cloth canopy was stretched overhead to keep the oppressive heat out, but trapped the stale air as well. Cass stopped to buy something at a stall and started to haggle with the woman behind it.

I tried to keep the incessant chatter and yelling out, but I could feel a headache coming on. Thankfully, Cass won her bidding war and dumped several bags of produce onto me. Jim and Joe were nowhere to be found, conveniently. I clutched the bags in both of my hands and once again entered the sea of people.

More people started to bump into me, if that was even possible. I couldn’t slide between the bodies anymore and the bags started to cut into my heads. I gritted my teeth .

Suddenly, someone pushed me. I lost my footing and started to tumble down. Dropping the bags I steadied myself on my hands and turned around to find the culprit.