Still Breathing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything :(

So here is the first chapter of a new story! It's centered on the Northwestern again. I think that has now officially turned into my new favorite boat!! I enjoy it very much! xD haha

So Read and REVIEW!!! xD haha it would be pretty awesome! Haha

Chapter One

"I'm still confused." Edgar said, challenging his brother who was standing on the docks with him.

"About what?" Sig asked, annoyed that they were still having this conversation, "It's not that hard to understand." Edgar rolled his eyes,

"I understand you hired a girl, but WHY?" Edgar asked. "What happened to no chicks on a the boat, dude?" Sig glanced at him.

"It's more of a favor than it is anything else." Edgar frowned.

"Favor?" Sig nodded,

"Yep. You remember Chet? One of dad's friends?" Edgar nodded. "Well his youngest daughter is in a bit of a situation. He asked if we could take her out with us."

"And naturally you said yes. Any way to remember the old man." Sig glared at Edgar,

"I did it because it's what dad would have done; because it's right." Edgar shook his head,

"Can she even work?"

"Of course she can." Sig said, "I would have said no if she couldn't." Edgar agreed to that one. Sig was tough when it came down to the people who worked for him. Edgar sighed,

"How old is she?" Sig shrugged,

"24, 25…26? I don't know." Edgar rolled his eyes,

"Well aren't you just prepared." He said sarcastically. Sig glared at him but didn't say a word.

"She'll be here any minute Edgar, just TRY to make her feel welcome?" Edgars features softened.

"Fine, but she doesn't get any special treatment." He said.

Three hours later, Carter stepped down on the docks, glancing around at all the boats that were tied down in port. She took a breath. It had been a long couple of months for her. She was tired and scared, but her dad told her that everything would be okay out here. She trusted him more than anything in the world, but not even he could make her feel better anymore. She shook her head, clearing out all her thoughts. She needed to concentrate. Thinking back to past events wasn't going to help her forget about them. She needed to get to the Northwestern and she needed to move on. It was as simple as that.

She walked down the docks slowly, trying to waste time. She was a shy girl and she didn't like to meet new people, and after everything, it had just seemed to get worse. To her right, she saw a big blue boat with 'Cornelia Marie' painted on the side in yellow. She had heard her dad talk about them once or twice. He said that they were one of the best boats out there. But when her dad began talking about crab fishing and stuff, Carter tended to tune it out. She continued walking, picking up the pace a little, not wanting to be late. It took her a few moments, but she eventually found herself standing next to the giant boat. It made her feel smaller than she already was, standing at 5'1". Something about it made her hesitate. She took the whole thing in. The blue paint, the pots stacked high on the deck…the man that was stareing up at her. She looked back, a little afraid to speak up. The man did for her.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Carter nodded slowly,

"umm…I'm here to, um, speak with Sig?" she said. It sounded more like a question. The man nodded,

"Well, come on up then. He's up in the wheelhouse." Carter didn't make any movement, she just stared at the railing. The man chuckled and offered the girl his hand, but she shook her head and hesitantly grabbed the rail. The man raised his eyebrow, but got prepared to help her incase she failed and needed help. But to his surprise, the girl gracefully jumped down next to him. He looked at her curiously, making Carter feel even more nervous under his gaze.

"Well, I guess I'll take you on up to Sig then." He said. Carter nodded her thanks and followed the man at a safe distance. He led her through a door that led into a closed off area, then through another door that led into the galley. He walked up the stairs and Carter continued to follow. But the closer they drew near to the captain, the more nervous she felt.

"Hey Sig, I've got a girl for you." The man said when they emerged from the staircase. A man sitting in a chair looked away from the guy standing behind him and looked over in their direction. He smiled,

"Thanks Matt." The man next to her, who she now knew as Matt, nodded, then walked back down the stairs, leaving her alone with the two men.

"You must be Carter." The man in the chair said. Carter nodded, and the man who was standing up rolled his eyes. "My name is Sig Hansen, and this is my brother Edgar." He said. Carter smiled nicely,

"Hello." She said quietly.

"Hey look! She speaks." Edgar said. Sig shot his brother a look before turning back to Carter,

"So how does it feel to be back on a crab boat?" he asked. Edgar laughed,

"Back? This looks like her first time even SEEING one." He exclaimed.

"Edgar." Sig said, giving him a warning look. Carter took a deep breath,

"It's not so bad, it's nothing I can't get used to." She said. Edgar raised an eyebrow,

"How is it different? It isn't pink like your old Barbie boat?" he asked. Sig was about to speak, but Carter beat him to it.

"Well, for starters, you have a front wheelhouse instead of it being in the back. I'm sure that makes it very difficult for Sig to look after the crew." Sig smiled as the girl made Edgar feel like an idiot.

"It's good to have you here Carter." He said. Carter nodded back shyly.

"How old are you." Edgar asked weakly. Sig glanced at him, but kept silent. Carter smiled slightly,

"I'm 24." She said. Sig looked at Edgar,

"See, I told you." Edgar rolled his eyes. Sig laughed,

"Well, Edgar here will show you where to put your stuff and then explain to you what your job will be on the crab grounds, while I work on getting us out of here." Carter nodded and watched as Edgar walked towards her. He didn't look like he wanted to help her at all, in fact, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. But Carter swallowed her fear and followed him downstairs. He opened a door to the far right of him,

"We don't have a lot of room on this boat these days, so unfortunately, you have to stay with me and Matt." He said, sounding extremely annoyed. Carter looked at him nervously,

"What?" he asked. "You afraid we're gonna mess with you in your sleep, or something?" he asked sarcastically. Carter quickly looked down, finding something on the floor to stare at. Edgar looked at her like she was crazy,

"We won't. We don't have time for that kind of crap out there." Carter didn't look up. Edgar rolled his eyes. "Just put your stuff under that bunk and get out on deck, you have a lot to learn before we get to the grounds." Carter watched as he walked away.

She breathed a deep sigh and dropped her backpack on her bed. She hadn't brought much, just a couple of sweatshirts, sweatpants, and t-shirts. She hadn't really known what to bring. All her dad told her was that she didn't need to bring rain gear because Sig had gotten some for her already. She hoped that he hadn't forgotten.

She rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath, trying to relieve some of the pressure in her brain. She figured she better get out there. She didn't want to make him any more angry then he already seemed to be.

Walking out onto the deck, Carter squinted at the change of light. She looked around her and noticed all the clouds that had formed in the sky. She frowned, but didn't think about it as she looked for Edgar. She spotted him standing at the side railing, leaning forward as the boat slowly pulled away from the dock and made its way to the edge of the harbor. She quietly walked up to him,

"Hey." She said softly. He looked over at her, slightly annoyed.

"You ready to learn?" he asked. She nodded as she followed him over to the bait area.

"This," Edgar said, pointing, "Is your station. Just think of it as your new home. Love it." He said. Carter nodded. "Now, you probably don't know what your supposed to do at all, huh?" he asked. Carter shook her head,

"No, I know what I have to do." She said. Edgar snorted,

"Really? Well go ahead and tell me, bait genious." Carter looked down nervously, but then looked back up, an almost angry look on her face.

"Two cod, you slice them a couple times, then you hook 'em. Then I fill the bag with as much of this chopped fish as it can hold. Then I'm guessing I also have to 'hustle' and put those in the pot. Then I run all the way back here, and repeat the entire process over again. Kind of like a shampoo bottle says. Is that a good enough discription?" she asked softly, even though she felt like she wanted to scream at him. Edgar smirked,

"That's all I wanted. I just wanted to hear you defend yourself. Now you can be our greenhorn." He said as he walked over to one of the pots, re-tightening some of the knots. Carter looked down at the deck boards bitting her lip and sighing softly.

Edgar turned back around and looked at her. She was still wearing the grey skinny jeans with the deck boots pulled over them, and a blue sweatshirt that he recognized as an old Northwestern sweatshirt from when his dad had been captain of the boat. He turned completely around and walked over to her, standing right in front of her.

"Where did you get this?" he asked grabbing her arm lightly and lifting it up. Carter gasped and jerked her arm away, her eyes wide. Edgar frowned,

"Hey…what…" but he didn't get to finish. Carter whirled around and ran back inside, leaving Edgar standing on the deck, slightly confused. 'What just happened?' he thought.

End of chapter one! :) I hope you guys like this one, because I really like the idea that I have for it and I really wanna continue it!

But PLEASE let me know what you think! I really want to know what you think about it! And if you have any suggestions or anything, just feel free to let me know! The more feedback, the better!

PLEASE REVIEW! And make me happy!!! Haha XD