Marna's POV
The smell of sea salt surrounded me and a cold breeze nipped at my skin, fighting against the scorching sun rays beating down around me. I could feel a faint sway, as if on a boat, and the low sound of people chatting flowed around me. Everything I turned to was fuzzy still and there was nothing clear enough for me to see. I tried putting my entire strength into just focusing on the things around me, but I simply couldn't make anything out.
"Marna! Watch yourself on there!" I heard a a deep voice shout, but chuckle afterwards. "I know you can swim but the fall will still hurt."
My eyes travelled down and all I could see is the intensely blue ocean swooshing and crashing against the boat I was aboard as it cut through it. A throbbing entered my head and it was intense. The breaths that came out of my lungs were heavy and dry against my lips. Something changed quickly, something that I don't think was supposed to happen, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as goosebumps traveled down my skin. The breeze was no longer so gentle and the sun seemed to run away within a second. It was suddenly a grey haze of clouds and dark sea, with the shadow of what looked like an island in the distance. The boat shook and shuddered as the waves became more aggressive.
One wave hit the side of the boat and sent me flying, but I luckily caught onto the top of the railing. It creaked and my heart pounded against my chest as a scream rattled through my throat. Lightening stroke close and startled me so much I almost lost grip completely, falling further down. Panicked shouts rang through the air, which made me feel like my chances of surviving were slim. Rain started pelting down and soaked me almost instantly, making it much worse to hold on. My muscles burned and felt as thought they were going to give out at any point.
"Marna!" A rugged looking man stuck his head over the side and I could work out his face. He had dark hair and a trimmed beard, with piercing blue eyes. His face was so similar, and his name felt on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't work it out. He looked like a typical stereotype of a pirate in old fairytales. Quickly, he tied a piece of rope around him and to the side of the ship. "Stay right there, I-I'm going to get you," the panic in his voice was evident. He wiped his soaked hair out of the way of his eyes and climbed over carefully.
"Please- Please hurry!" I cried out, trying to pull myself up so that he could get to me better.
But it was no use, just as he reached towards me a wave the size of a building smacked into the side of us and he only grabbed at something around my neck which snapped off. It felt like a hundred knives pierced my skin at once and everything seemed to fade away from me, the only sense being the faint shouting of my name from that man. But who was he?
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Stirring awake, all I could feel was the pounding in my head and the ache in my stomach. I was exhausted and hungry, not even remembering the last time I ate. But all I could think about was that dream. Who was that man - or, should I say, pirate? Then that just led to the question of what I was doing with a bunch of pirates and whether finding them was the only way I would remember everything. I felt scared and simply lost, longing for the comfort of something familiar. My hand travelled towards my chest, as if going to fiddle with a necklace that wasn't there.
"Is the sleeping beauty finally awake?" A sarcastic voice startled me and my head snapped up. My eyes landed on the same boy from the day before and he still had that smirk plastered on his lips. I didn't reply. I didn't know how to, or what he even wanted me to say. "Well, you're simply no fun," he fake pouted, but it still had an obvious underlying smugness.
I shifted so that I could pull my knees to my chest and rested my head on top. I was too drained to look at him let alone listen to whatever antics he had ready. The bruises and cuts on my face stung but I couldn't be bother moving again.
"Look, if you're of no use of me I'll just have to get rid of you."
A deep sigh left my body as I tensed my shoulders to stretch and I lifted my head, raising my eye level to look directly at him. "Anything would be better than this hell hole." A chuckled rattled through his body and, for a moment, he almost seemed like a normal human. Almost.
"Funny, I like that," he grinned. I raised my eyebrow and pursed my dry, cracked lips slightly, clearly showing that I didn't care. He continued however, "How's the memories doing, airhead?"
I scoffed at the insult but answered, "Better."
"You remember something?" He tilted his head, as if actually intrigued in what I had to say.
"Well, only a little," I explained. He didn't say anything and I took that as an invitation to continue. "A ship, and a storm. A man, but an actual man, not your boys running around. He looked like a - well... a pirate." To say it out loud sent a shiver down my spine and my headache seemed to intensify for a moment, causing me to wince and hold my temple.
"A pirate?" He asked quickly in a furious tone, marching over to the bars. "What business do they have here?"
His interest perked me up slightly, I could possibly use this to survive. He clearly had a dislike towards the pirates, so I couldn't have told him that the man was trying to save me and seemed to care for me. I racked my brain for anything. Anything that would make him not want to kill me. I blurt the first thing that comes to mind, "They want to attack."
"Big surprise there," he scoffs and goes to turn away."
"They were going to use me for it," I shout to regain his attention. I move so that I'm on my knees and I shuffle over to the bars, gripping onto them. He stops in his tracks, turning his head to look over his shoulder.
"Use you how?"
"I-I don't remember yet, but surely you have the upper hand now," I said desperately, hoping I sounded a lot more confident than I felt. I could see in his eyes that he was contemplating my words.
"Hm, maybe you could be useful," he said slowly as he looked over me. "I'll order for some food and water to be fetched to keep you alive... for now."
