Author's note: Hello to everyone! This is my first fic in English. I'm rally sorry for all my mistakes. English is not my mother's tongue so please gently inform me of my mistakes.
I was sitting at the docks. Alone. Just the way I liked it. It's not that I don't have any friends, actually I don't, but anyway, I like to be alone near the sea. So, I can listen to the waves hitting the docks, feel salty wind on my skin, listen to the sailors fight calling and watching the horizon.
Yeah, the sea is my home. It's calling my name. I can hear it. I swear.
I was considering running away on a ship many times before when I was in one of my moods. Like, when I'm extremely angry or sad. I become restless and am longing for freedom. Freedom that only the sea can give you.
What stopped me, you ask? My wish for living, maybe. It's not actually safe for 16 year old girl to go on a ship full of sailors. I like ships but I like my life better, thank you very much. That doesn't mean that I don't like to risk since I do but than I'm often sorry.
Like, when Billy called me a coward and I tried to jump from our roof to a tree nearby and ended hanging with my head down. Or, the time I jumped from a gallery to a chandelier in a governor's house and forgot to think, how am I going to come down. I'm very lucky I have Will and Liz to always help me out of troubles. They are the other two factors that keep me on land.
I live with them since I was four. They are really sweet and nice to me but I can not really be myself with them. Their morals are to high for me. I like to take care for my benefits first but they are putting everybody ahead of themselves. That's why I feel a bit guilty about leaving without notice. I hate to feel guilty.
Anyway, I believe that eventually I will return to my roots. Don't ask me who my parents are because I don't know. Only things I managed to make out from Elizabeth's mutterings under her breath is that they are both pirates. Actually, my mother was a pirate but is apparently dead. She was very ill before her death, so she gave me away. And my father, he is as good as dead. I don't even know his name. I tried to talk Lizzie into telling me but she refused. I said that it is just a name and it wouldn't make a difference but she said, why knowing then if it won't make a difference. Aaagggghh…! I hate that woman. Haw is that she doesn't understand I need to know my father's name.
As you can imagine, the fact my parents were or are pirates only increases my obsession with pirates, ships, the sea and freedom.
I heard steps behind me but I didn't turn around. I knew who it was.
"Hello, Thomas!" I greeted him. I was waiting for him.
"Miss Turner!" People around here call me miss Turner even there we all know I am not. But I can hardly use my parents' surname since I don't know one. I stood up. "Let's start this, shall we?" Thomas's father is in Navy so he knows everything about ships and sailing and is passing these on me. Unwillingly. I'm sure you all thought he is my friend or something but actually I blackmail him. I did asked nicely at first but these days people just don't help anybody if you don't have proper leverage. So I slept with him and then used this as a leverage.
Not very nice but now you at least understand what I meant with 'my benefits come first'. Now of course you are all certain I'm some sort of whore. This is not so far from the true actually since Thomas pays me with lessons. But my other lovers don't pay me. Yes, I have a lot of lovers. Get over it. I simply love sex.
I'm kind of sorry for Thomas but it is not my fault his father is a Navy officer.
I really do find excuse for every one of my actions. That's what angers and annoys Will and Lizzie the most. They tried to raise me in a proper and respectable lady but I think we all know this is not going to happen.
Well, governor certainly knows. He looks at me like I'm some kind of disease. Especially since that incident with chandelier.
I came home at dark. Again. Lizzie was waiting for me at front door just like every day, ready to start our argument just like every day.
"You are late again, Perla. How many times have I told you to be home till dinner?" She starts with this sentence every evening, looking worried and angry. I smiled my most charming smile at her.
"I'm soooo sorry Lizzie." She hates when I call her that. " I forgot about time. Will you ever forgive me?" I was mocking her and she was aware of that.
"Quit that crap! I'm not Will. I'm not going to fall on these eyes and sweet talk." She was right. I give her that. I had Will wrap around my little finger but Lizzie was something else. She was good at arguments. I sighed.
"Do we really have to go through this every night?" I asked. "I'm hungry." I looked towards the dinning room.
"Perla! You are so irresponsible. It's dark outside. Terrible things could have happened to you. Don't you ever think?" I rolled my eyes. Bad habit. Lizzie always reminds me.
"Yeah, yeah. Can I go to eat now?" Lizzie now looked absolutely furious.
"You know what? You are grounded!" she yelled. I liked the part when she said this. It meant the end of the argument and I could go to eat. And my detention, you ask. It lasts till I decide to go out again. That means till tomorrow morning or maybe even today if I decide to sneak out. I get detention every day. I know how it works. And they couldn't do a damn thing about it.
"Okay," I said happily and waltzed into the dinning room. Will was sitting at the table and waiting for us. He had that smirk on his face. He of course heard our fight and after all these years it still amused him. Amazing,
"Hello, Willy." I used my nickname for him just to annoy him. I actually like him but it's still fun to do something hi doesn't like. He rolled his eyes.
"Good evening, Perla. I heard you are grounded again."
"Like every day, Willy." I sat down. "Why would tonight be anything special?" He sighed.
"I don't know but don't you think you could come home at time once in awhile, so we wouldn't have to listen to this argument every evening?" He raised his eyebrows.
"And ruined our lovely tradition? I don't think so." He shook his head at me.
"Yeah, you are right. That would be a terrible loss," he said sarcastically. I ignored his sarcasm.
"I'm always right," I said with a smug smile. Just then Liz came in with two little brats in tow.
Billy and Victoria are Will and Liz's children. Billy is eleven and Vicky is seven. They are very annoying. Billy is always following me around and doing exactly what I'm doing. He is the only one that knows about my lessons with Thomas and also my sneaking out at night. I hate that little bugger. I made him swear to not tell anybody. Actually I threaten him that I will come after him with my sword while he would be asleep.
I'm quite skilled with sword due to Will's lessons. He is learning me since I was ten. It was not an easy task to convince him to learn me but I succeeded. I always succeed. Will started to learn Billy about a year ago but I'm still much better and I could easily beat him anytime. I remind him about that every once in awhile. Recently I also added to my threats that my real father is a pirate. He is quite scarred of me now. And that suits me well.
As for Vicky, she is just like her mother. Not just by her looks but also her temper. She wants to order everybody around. The weirdest part is that everybody obeys. That is, everybody except me. It just ticks me off when she puts her little fists on her hips and stomps her foot. I just mimic her and after that she runs away to annoy somebody else.
Yes that usually happens. Except when she wants to hear a story about pirates. Nobody else in this house or this town wants to talk about pirates so she comes to me. She is just as fascinated with them as I am and when she wants a story nothing can move her. Truth be told, I like to talk about pirates. I tell her stories I heard at the docks and she listens without a word. That's the only time I like to spend with her.
I tell her every time she is not allowed to tell I told her those stories to anybody but she always has that expression on her face that says: 'Are you stupid? Of course I wont tell anybody.' It's strange how strong is child's intuition.
Liz and the brats also sat down. Liz was still glaring daggers at me. I just grinned and that made her even madder.
"We are eating, Perla. Put your hat down!" she ordered. There goes another everyday fight.
"And now The hat fight," murmured Billy but nobody paid attention to him.
"Oh, come on, Lizzie. It's just us, " I argued just for the fun of it. I knew I will have to give up.
"It doesn't matter if it's just us. It isn't proper. And don't call me Lizzie." She hissed the last part.
"Alright, alright. Calm down, Lizzie. I mean Elizabeth." Of course I made a mistake on purpose. I put my lovely hat down in my lap.
"I don't understand why you always wear that ugly hat when you have so many nice colourful hats in your wardrobe," she said. Now I was getting really angry. Nobody insults my hat. Sure it's little dirty and torn but it's the best hat in the entire world. From the corner of an eye I saw Will distanced himself a bit from me when I looked at Liz.
"You call those pieces of pink and yellow paper, hats?" I asked her. That was not our everyday fight anymore. It usually stopped when I put down my hat. Her eyes were wide.
"These are hats for proper ladies…"
"We all know I'm no proper lady!" I interfered. She ignored me and carried on. Will sent her a warning look but she ignored him as well.
"I demand you get rid of that ugly hat!" That was the last strike.
"Stop insulting my hat!" I yelled. Lizzie looked shocked. She and Will exchanged a knowing look that scarred the shit out of me but I was to angry to care. I protectively hugged my hat and stood up. "And if you want to get rid of my hat then you will have to get rid of me too." I picked up a plate and marched for the door. When I was almost out of the dinning room I turned around. "Where my hat goes, I go," I finished dramatically and went to my room. There I ate my dinner in peace with my hat on my head.
I decided I won't go to the tavern tonight. I didn't felt like going. Sometimes, quite frequently actually, I sneaked to the nearest tavern for a mug of rum. In men's clothes of course.
But that evening I took a bottle of rum from my secret stash and sat on the windowsill. I hade a great view of the sea and the docks from there.
After I finished my second bottle of rum I was quite tipsy but nothing to awful. This high tolerance for drinks comes with a lot of practice. I somehow managed to took my dress off and put on my nightgown.
Before I fell in my bed I threw one last glance at the sea. It seemed to me I saw a black dot some miles away from the docks but to the moment my head hit the pillow I already forgot.