Leah's POV at 8 years of age
"Jakey, don't go out too far." I cautioned him while we were both sprawling on the ship's beams
"You're just a scaredy cat Lee Lee because I am out further than you are." Jacob taunted me.
"Leah, Jacob!" "You get off that immediately!" a voice behind us shouted.
"Not only did you endanger yourself, Jacob but you encouraged Leah to do the same." The man said to us as we slowly climbed off the beams.
"Sorry Father." Jacob replied to the man as we walked over to the man who was standing in the center of the ship that we were on.
"I know you two want to have some fun and I promise once that we get to New York, you will have lots of fun but please, can we get there in one piece? "That's all I ask." The man vowed to us.
"Will Mother be joining us in New York, Father?" Jacob asked.
"I am afraid not." His father replied with a sad smile and a distant look in his eyes.
"I told you once you go to heaven, you don't come back." I told Jacob. "Isn't that right Uncle Billy?" "My mother and father are in heaven and they aren't coming back."
My mother died giving birth to me and my father followed her two years later. I ended up living with my Uncle Billy, Aunt Sarah, and my cousin Jacob. That is until a couple months ago when Aunt Sarah died from pneumonia and Uncle Billy decided to leave La Push, Washington for a fresh start in New York.
"That's right, Leah." Uncle Billy replied. "And we will all meet up again after we lived long and happy lives."
We were all standing there pondering Uncle Billy's words when a splash from the water interrupted our thoughts.
We walked over to one end of the boat to see where the splash came from and saw three ugly fish with fins on top of their head.
"Father, what are those ugly fish?" Jacob asked.
"Those aren't fish.""Those are sharks." Billy told him.
"I wish I had a hook so I could catch one of them and bring it up so Cook can fix it for dinner." Jacob said happily.
While we were gazing at the sharks, one of the sailors came out of the rooms with a bucket and dumped the contents in the ocean. The sailor looked unkempt with an unruly beard and hair to match. It almost looked as if he hadn't washed himself for days. He kept staring at Jacob and me as if we didn't belong on the boat.
"18, 19, 20." I counted. I was searching for Jacob until I heard a low whisper. "Lee Lee, come here." The voice beckoned in a room I was about to pass.
It was Jacob and he was holding some cards in his hands. I wandered over to where he was just to see a glimpse of what he was looking at.
When I peered over his shoulder I noticed the cards he was holding were of pictures of ladies without any clothes on.
"Why are they naked?" I asked Jacob.
"I have no idea."
"What the hell do you two think you are doing!" a voice yelled at us.
We looked up and it was that unruly sailor we saw moments ago up on the boat deck. He had a mad expression on his face.
Jacob dropped the cards and grabbed my hand to make a run for it but the sailor was too quick, he had Jacob over his knee and was spanking him until I bit him. That gave Jacob enough time to slip from his grasp but while Jacob was making his escape, the sailor grabbed me instead and was going to give me a spanking as well. I was just about to start to scream when we all heard that one word that no one ever wants to hear while they are on a boat.