Fight For The Right

21~ Big (And I Mean BIG) Trouble

*Maddie's P.O.V*

“Maddie, it's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything to help then without getting caught yourself.”

I shook my head, still riding to believe that I wasn't, in some way, at fault for my sister and Will bring caught by the East India Trading Company (EITC). For the last 24 hours since we'd sure away from Port Royal, Jeffrey has been trying to convince me that it was just a fluke that they were the at the same time we were. Being a stubborn little critter, I wouldn't listen.

“You don't understand, Jeffrey,” I sniffled, looking up at him. “When we left Port Royal three months ago, I swore to my Father and sister that I would keep the Company's interest away from them. What did I do? I brought it straight to them.”

“The Company was bound to dock at Port Royal at some point. You managed to keep them chasing their tails for three months. That's longer than most pi - sailors manage.”

I raised an eyebrow, realizing what he was going to say. “Are you calling me a pirate?”

He seemed relieved that my time was joking. “I guess?” he smirked.

I smiled at him for the first time in hours. “It's fine, Jeffrey. If the Company is after me, it's because of the crimes I've committed, which puts me up on the scale as a pirate.”

“I suppose you would make a very tough pirate.”

“You bet!” I playfully punched his arm.

We had left the rain behind and were​ now sailing under clear skies and sunshine. However, in the distance we could see the makings of another storm. And the further the sun dipped below the horizon, the close it came, and this one looks even worse than the one in Port Royal.

*

Darkness fell, and the storm hit us. We did our best to navigate our way through it, but with the high waves crashing down on our boat, nearly washing us overboard, the complete lack of directional sense and the rain near blinding is, the going was hard. The ropes we slippery in my hands as I did my best to hold the sails steady, and Jeffrey was having his own battle with the rudder. On top of that, I was scooping we from the boat with a pail.

Suddenly I got thrown to the deck as a wave crashed down on me. I grabbed a for before I got washed overboard, and held myself back in, just as Jeffrey yelled, “We've lost the rudder! We're going in blind!”

“What do you mean?” I shouted as we have each other's arms to stay together.

“We've lost the rudder!” he repeated above the girl of the storm. “That means we've got no way of steering through this thing! If we don't get out soon, we're dead!”

My eyes widened, and they widened even further as we both turned to stare at the massive wave during over us. We barely had time to duck our heads before it crashed down on top of us. I heard the splintering of wood and I was submerged in the water. I lost my grip on Jeffrey's arm and lost all sense of direction as I was tossed about. I kicked for the surface, when I had eventually uprighted myself, and filled in a lungful of air before being submerged again. I was cursing mentally as I tried to find the right way up. I felt my head break through the water and before I was pushed under again, a strong hand grabbed mine and hauled me up. Through the water droplets coughing my vision I could see Jeffrey digging to a bit of driftwood. I grabbed the edge and helped him to keep it afloat. We both did up waste, trying to up keep calm. It was in that second I realized that what were clinging to, was actually once part of the deck of the boat. So where was the rest of it?

My question was answered as I saw bits of wood, sails and ropes letting the with sea around us.

“How long do you think this is going to last?” I held above the noise as we need ourselves against another wave. I didn't hear his answer over the wind as our temporary ready right about and nearly capsized twice. Or eyes meet, and I could see clearly that he was terrified. I admit,I am as well. We have never experienced a storm this bad in the three months we've been traveling. I racked my addled brain for some answer to this, and I felt my stomach drop as I remembered a conversation I offered two doors having while we were in Cuba.