Pirate's Life For Me....

Waking Pt. 2

  "Prepare to drop anchor!" I heard a man call out as we neared Charlestown. The mass of land ahead was nothing but green save for where the buildings were constructed, and there were other ships already in the water. A whistle blew as longboats rowed up to the Man of War, and the man standing in the boat in front rose his voice.

  "Captain Vane!" He shouted, making my frown deepen since that wasn't who was captaining this ship. "Captain Vane!" He called out, and Flint walked to the edge of the ship. "Are you captain Vane? We received your letter and your demands. We are prepared to pay the sum you requested for Abigail Ashe."

  "I am not Charles Vane." Flint yelled back. "I have no demands. But I do have a request." He waved over Abigail, and she went to stand next to him. He, Abigail, and Mrs. Barlow then left with the longboats, leaving the rest of his crew on the ship.

  Watching them row to the docks, I glanced at the water below. The boat was now still, and I had frustrations and thoughts that needed to be somehow calmed for even a little bit. Calmly, I went to the captain's quarters to put the bandages over my chest and kicked off my shoes. The boat was anchored, so now was my chance to swim to clear my head of everything that had been plaguing it since I woke aboard Flint's ship.

  When I stepped back onto the deck, the men that saw me paused, stopping what they were doing as they stared. Ignoring them, I raised my hand while pointing.

  "Mr. Silver, I'm going for a swim." I said loud enough that the dark-haired man heard me, and he turned with his brows furrowed.

  "What?" Then his eyes went a fraction wider as he saw me. "Wait, hold on-" Simply waving, I climbed onto the side of the ship, and dove into the water below. The cool water surrounded me, and I just felt better with my eyes closed under the water as it felt like I was just floating in an endless void. When it felt like there was nothing, I was able to focus on that instead of anything else.

  Taking a deep breath when my head broke the surface, I slicked my wet hair back and looked up to the boat. Captain Flint's crew lined the side, looking down at me since I had just jumped off of the side of their boat.

  "Deana! If you wanted to swim so badly, we could have lowered you in! What if you got hurt from hitting the water?" Silver shouted while hanging off the side.

  "It's better than being stuck up there with you smelly lot!" I shot back, and I could clearly see the reaction on his face despite the distance.

  "And here I thought we had a mutual understanding of one another."

  "That's why I gave you a warning first." I replied before turning away and diving back under the water. I went down as far as I could to see the depth of the water, but I didn't even reach the sand before my lungs needed air. The water was like a comfort for me, so I just lazily swam above and below the surface while remaining within a certain distance of the ship.

  Making bubbles when I sighed, I breathed through my nose while swimming the length of the ship. I didn't get too close in case the bottom was covered by barnacles, and the crew eventually returned to work and to repair the rigging that had broken the other night and ended up killing a man.

  For hours I remained in the water simply because I didn't want to be aboard the ship, and after night fell, Silver leaned over the side to shout down to me again.

  "Deana, I think it's time you came back up now." He called out. "You might get sick if you stay in any longer. That, or eventually turn into the siren the men are starting to think you are." I made some bubbles from my mouth as I rolled my eyes, but I began to swim back to the ship as a rope was dropped over the side.