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 coming closer. A whistle blew as the longboats rowed up to the Man of War, and the man standing in the boat in front raised his voice to be heard.

  "Captain Vane!" He shouted, making my frown deepen since that wasn't who was captaining this ship. "Captain Vane!" He called out again, 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 before I snapped. 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 first woke aboard Flint's ship.

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

  "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 felt better with my eyes closed under the water as it felt as if I was floating in an endless void. When it felt as if there was nothing, I was able to focus on that instead of everything else. The weightlessness and calm of the sea let me go somewhere else in my mind.

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

  "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 of the ship.

  "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 as it twisted 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 a comfort for me, so I lazily swam above and below the surface while remaining within a certain distance of the ship to not get lost or swept away.

  Making bubbles when I sighed, I breathed in 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 while attempting 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, someone started playing the violin, and the pirate playing the instrument was rather skilled. It had added to the calming effect the water had on me. Silver eventually leaned over the side to shout down to me again.