Chapter 2.
The pull of the waves is both frightening and comforting. For a second I consider letting it take me away to a place where I wouldn't have to struggle anymore. But I fear death and the emptiness that comes with it.
I kick at the water with the same desperation as before. The sunlight , blurred by the fragmenting sea's waves, is my guide to the land above. The current pulls me down, but I am steadfast. I try to swim with the current rather than against it, hoping that it will guide me to some place new far, far away from the sorrows of this island...
x.x.x
I don't know how long I have been in the sea, but the feel of wet sand and hard gravel brings me back into reality. The water had taken me and guided me to open shores. I don't know how long I've been lying on the shoreline, but my hands and feet are bloodied and wrinkled. Still dazed, I try to recognize my surroundings.
With a heavy heart I realize I am still on the island. The blue leafed palm trees that outline the surrounding area are the native fauna of Blues Island.
I take a gasped breath and lie back down on the ground. My body and my spirit are as shattered as the incessant waves that break among the rocks. I pray inwardly, hoping that the elements can finish me off before Alistair can find me here helpless, broken and pathetic. Just like I always am; just like he always expects me to be.
I hear voices coming closer and I give into the despair. Each step brings forward a sentence that I will have to carry out for the rest of my days. They reach me and I close my eyes, letting the darkness and the hopelessness take me somewhere I fear to go.
Someone looms over me but I am reluctant to open my eyes and see who it is.
"Over here! She's over here!" I hear a voice say. It's a woman's voice. A cold hand touches my arm, chest and face. "I think she's still alive, where's Chopper?"
Another voice speaks, this time with a much deeper tone. "He is on his way. How did this happen to such a beautiful girl?"
"I don't know. I just saw her run off the cliff. Anyway, just tell Chopper to hurry up."
A pair of strong arms pick me up. My heart beats uneven rhythms in my chest. These arms are not like the ones that pull me violently out of bed in the mornings or draw back to deliver a painful lashing for one of my many mistakes. These arms hold me with a tenderness that I have long forgotten…and I fear to open my eyes to reality.
Several voices appear through the darkness. I try to imagine what kind of people they are. A woman with a strong, authoritative voice who seems sure and capable. A young man, whose harsh odor of smoke and spices is a sharp contrast to his gentle touch. A child whose voice has yet to break but has hands as hard and calloused as a man who has lived many years. The last a nasally, panicked voice that grows louder with each second.
From my hearing, I estimate that I am surrounded by four people and from my hearing I know that these people are not with Alistair. They discuss the best way to deal with me. To take me back to their ship or to leave me where I am and hope that I wake up soon.
The marines are after them.
The argument goes back and forth. The man in whose arms I lay is adamant that I board their ship and argues that they could take me back to the island later if I desire. The woman, however, makes what would be a sound argument if not for my circumstances; to leave me on the island so that the marines don't associate me with pirates.
From their words I gather that the marines have appeared to the town center in large numbers.
I wonder briefly if it has something to do with the pirates who I had collaborated with to invade the hall while I escaped. While I don't personally like the marines, I am relieved at the thought that maybe those girls I had abandoned would be helped by them. They did not like me nor did I particularly like them, but I sincerely hoped they would survive...
In the end the decision to take me back to the ship is made by the arrival of another voice. The speaker is young and energetic, but it is clear that he is in the position of power. The latent arguments die down and I am hoisted into the air and carried to a place I never thought I'd want to go: a pirate ship.
x.x.x
The bed I am placed in is soft. It is unlike the thin and hard mattresses I am used to. It almost makes want to actually sleep rather than just pretend to. But my stomach is rumbling and the aroma of the food that was left in the room, what I guess was several hours ago, becomes irresistible to me.
I risk opening my eyes and see a white room awash with evening light. From the window I can only see a far blue stretch of water until the horizon. The beauty of it overcomes me and I lose my footing. There is a quick knock on the door and someone comes in hurriedly.
"I heard something, is everything…ok?" A tall young man with bright blonde hair enters the room and when his eyes meet mine his voice dies away awkwardly. We stare at each other wordlessly. I can't tell what he is thinking, but many thoughts run through my head.
He is the man that carried me to this ship. He does not have a cruel face, nor does he seem threatening in any way, but was it a good idea for me to encounter them so soon? With no plan and no backup idea.
I mentally berate myself. I had been on this ship for hours already, but I had been so fearful that they would discover that I was secretly awake and not injured enough to warrant their attention that I did not think of an action plan when I would inevitably have to come face to face with them.
I recoil towards the wall, as if increasing the physical space between us could decrease the mental space that was growing in my mind. The man seems surprised by my actions and bends down where he is standing, so that he and I facing eye to eye.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He says in a soft voice. "My name is Sanji. I brought you here to help you because you were hurt."
I nod in a dumb way, feigning ignorance in hopes of evoking his pity. "I fell into the water… It was…cold."
Sanji chuckles slightly under his breath as if I had said the most obvious thing in the world and offers me his hand.
"I've got some warm soup in the kitchen, if you like." He says. "The one I brought you has gone a bit cold. I think I'll give it to Luffy."
"Luffy?" I say dumbly. From what I could gather, hearing titbits of the conversations between the crew mates, Luffy was the captain of this ship. But I couldn't let this man know I knew that.
"Yeah, Luffy is the captain of this ship." He replies, and hesitates to add the next bit. "Erm…well…this is a pirate ship."
Sanji smiles sheepishly but his eyes are observant, he is gauging my reaction. I measure each facial expression I make. If I seem too fearful they are likely to send me back to the island, but if I seem too accepting then that warrants suspicion. I decide to feign a look of slight fear and misunderstanding, the look of a child who is approached by a seemingly helpful stranger when they have lost sight of their parents. Can I trust you or not?
He seems satisfied by my response because he goes on to assure me of my safety on this ship and his vow of everlasting protection as we make our way to the kitchen and the rest of his crew.