BPOV
I manage to successfully avoid my parents all day, along with Michael Newton. I feel a little guilty for having to skip our meeting, but I know he would not find it charming if I showed up with hair that resembled his.
I can't imagined how worried mother and father must be. They do not deserve such a rambunctious daughter, but it is time I start living for myself. I hope they do not hate me for what I must do.
As the sun sinks lower in to the horizon, casting an orange glow over the town, I bid farewell to my best friend and start through the streets on my way to the gigantic pirate ship looming in the distance.
I can see its grand sails and its lookout tower stretching into the sky as if reaching for the clouds. I know becoming a pirate will be an irrevocable decision, but this is what I have wanted almost my entire life, and I cannot go back now. I will miss my parents, Angela and Jacob, but I know that I will make new friends and family. I want to feel the ocean wind on my face as we fight other pirate ships for dominance, slashing their throats and stealing their stolen gold.
We'll track down buried treasure and discover secret islands. I'll fall in love with a handsome crew member and we'll be together forever, living out the ultimate adventure.
Giddy with excitement, I make it past the last shop and out onto my little dirt road before I'm accosted on the arm for the third time today and yelp in fear.
"Shh. It's me." I turn to find Jacob. Instead of wearing his usual uniform of a white shirt, vest and beige britches, he is wearing a similar ensemble as me. He also has a bag slung over one shoulder.
"What on earth are you doing? This is the third time today that you have manhandled me and I am not appreciative. I have reason to call the police."
He cracks a small smile. "I am coming with you."
I start in surprise. "What? Why?"
"I cannot let you walk into a lion's den all by yourself. You are my best friend, and if it's an adventure you want, then it's an adventure you're going to get."
"Although that is a sweet gesture, you cannot come with me. This is something I have to do on my own." I start to spin around when he catches me again.
"What kind of man would I be if I let you go alone?"
"A man that listens."
He sighs. With a shake of his head, he says, "I am coming with you whether you like it or not. Someone needs to protect you out there. And it's going to be me, since apparently I can't reason with you not to go."
"You're right. You can't. And you cannot come with me. This is my dream, not yours."
Glaring at me with his chocolate eyes, he rubs his head in exasperation. "You are my dream, Bella."
My heart clenches at his words. Jacob is everything to me. He has been the kindest man I have ever known, besides my father. He's always been there when I needed him, he's taken care of me and he even taught me how to skip rocks on the ocean. But he knows that I don't want him and I am getting tired of having to tell him so. I don't want to hurt him anymore, but I have no choice.
"Jacob, you deserve someone who will give you all of her heart. I cannot give that to you."
"Then you don't have to! I will be perfectly fine with just being able to love you forever and take care of you."
Why would anyone want to put themselves through that? "That wouldn't be very fair for either of us." I sigh and, remembering why I was here, I start down the path and towards the harbor. I know he's following me, so I say, "Go home, Jacob. Let me do this alone. If at some point I come back and you're still waiting for me and I decide I'm ready, then maybe. But I need to do this." I hate having to lie to him, but I see no other choice.
His steps falter. "I need to go and see that you're safe."
"I can take care of myself."
"I can't let you go."
"I know. But you have to." He's still following me, so I stop and turn back around. Facing him, I give him my saddest look I can muster. "I will miss you, but this is important to me. I will see you again one day."
This time, he doesn't follow me, but instead I hear him call into the wind. "I'll be waiting."
{~}
It is the largest ship I have ever seen. In the fading darkness I can make out four levels, including the deck, large beams with millions of ropes hanging down from them and a lookout nest at the highest point. It's marvelous and just how I pictured it in my imagination all these years. I can't imagine how something so gigantic can so easily glide across water and not sink from its weight.
On the dock, there are several men hoisting chests onto their shoulders and carrying them up a long stretch of wood that leads directly to the deck of the ship. I wait patiently as the rough-looking men cart each chest one by one onto the ship and disappear through a set of double doors to the left.
Once the final chest is removed from the dock, I make my way up the steep incline of the plank and step onto the ship. The deck is large. In the center is a large wooden mast extending upwards into the sky, a sail rolled up tightly at the top. A rope ladder extends from the railing of either side of the ship up to the top, where the crows nest is visible in the darkness. To my left, there is a large platform with a staircase on either side. Underneath the platform, there's a set of painted red double doors that the crew were taking their supplies in to.
To my right, there's another platform that mirrors the other one, except it's taller; more stairs are leading up to it. But this time, I can make out a wooden steering wheel at its center. Instead of a set of double doors, there's three single doors beneath the platform.
I'm just about to go look for someone when Alice and Jasper appear out of the set of double doors. They're chatting easily when they spot me.
"Isaac! You came!" Alice exclaims, rushing over to me and pulling me into a hug.
Jasper shakes my hand. "I'll alert Edward."
"Edward?"
Alice smiles excitedly. "Yes, our captain. Don't worry, he's the best."
Jasper knocks on the center door to the right. There's a gruff "what" and I suddenly feel extremely nervous. I have heard pirate captains are mean, ruthless old men with hooks for hands, patches over an eye and pegs for legs. I am not exactly the most ideal candidate for a pirate so I only hope he doesn't turn me down. Or worse. Kill me.
"The boy we told you about has arrived." Jasper yells through the door. There's some rustling coming from behind the door and Jasper gives me an almost apologetic smile.
Finally, the door swings open and I'm met with the most captivating golden-topaz eyes I have ever seen.
The impossibly beautiful boy is slender, but muscular. His hair is a crazy array of mess atop his head, its bronze color almost emitting its own light source. The man's facial features are perfect and angular, with high cheekbones, a strong jaw line and full lips. His hair falls over his forehead in delicate waves and the waves continue down his neck where they stop at his collar.
At another look, I realize his eyes are not gold, but green.
"Hello."
His voice sends velvet tremors through my body.
"So you're the lad who so bravely asked to become a pirate."
I stand a little straighter. This is my time to show him I'm serious. His eyes are staring at me, challenging me.
"That's right."
"What makes you think you got what it takes to be one?"
I start at his question. He's right. What makes me think I'm capable? I'm just a petit woman standing on a giant pirate ship, pretending to be a man. How am I going to pull this off? The three pirates are staring at me, waiting for my response. I start to panic. I have no idea. "Um.."
"Because by the looks of you it seems you haven't eaten in weeks."
I look down at my small frame. He's right, again. I appear to be extremely malnourished compared to him.
"I think he's got spirit." Alice spits out the word 'spirit'. She's got a dark look of excitement on her face. Her eyes are narrowed and a small smirk is spread across her face, making her seem almost sinister.
"Well, what do you have to say?" Edward prompts.
"I think you've just got to see for yourself."
The captain shoots a look at Jasper and Alice before ushering me into the door he just came out of. I follow him reluctantly.
He shuts the door behind me and I'm left alone with him. The room we're in appears to be his bedroom/ office space. Along the far wall, there's a large bed with a red comforter and dozens of large pillows stacked up. It looks fit for a king.
To the left of the bed, there is a large wooden desk with papers scattered all over the surface. Along the opposite wall there are several plush chairs around a small table. There are sconces full of fire all around the room, casting an ember glow throughout the space.
Edward sits behind his desk and ushers me to sit across from him.
He gazes at me curiously. "Isaac, is it?"
I nod. "Yes."
He nods thoughtfully. The captain places his hand over his chin as he leans back in his chair. "There are nearly 700 crew members on this ship." I internally gasp at the large number. This must be bigger than I thought. "Almost all of us have been trained our entire lives for life at sea." He continues. "Each one of us has specific duties to come together and make this ship sail smoothly. If one person were to mess up, it would compromise everyone else."
I gulp. I hadn't thought about that.
"If you think you have what it takes, then we'd be happy to have you." I smile at his words. I can't believe my dreams are coming true. "But, there are some things you must know. For starters, this is not an easy job and it will not come easily to you in a day. It takes years of training. The things we do," he pauses, leaning forward, "the things we see are not easy. This is life, and it's a brutal reality."
I nod, understanding. Nothing he can say will make me want to change my mind. This is what I signed up for, and this is what I want.
Edward opens a drawer in his desk and pulls out a jug containing a dark amber liquid. He grabs a mug off of the shelf behind him, pours it full of the liquid and places it in front of me. "Drink."
I stare at the man in shock. He's going to force me to drink a mug of alcohol? "Why?" I ask.
"Bottoms up!" He says. "We can't let you on the ship if you can't hold your alcohol. Drink it all at once."
I watch his green eyes for insincerity. However, he seems quite serious. But what kind of test is this? I have never drank alcohol. My parents think it is only acceptable for men. Surely I will fail.
Staring down at the mug in front of me, nerves tickle the back of my throat. Surely, once I drink this he will know I am not a man. Even Jacob, whom is a very respected man in society, could probably master this test. But I cannot.
"I don't want to."
The captain raises his eyebrows in shock. His mouth forms a slight 'o' shape. But the surprise quickly turns to anger. "You will if you want to be on this ship. Drink." He commands.
I take another glance at the alcohol. This is the only thing standing in my way of becoming a pirate. Picking up the mug, I put the glass up to my lips and recoil at its bitter smell. Closing my eyes, I tip the glass back and let the sour liquid slide down my throat. I start to choke, but keep forcing the liquid down. Nothing is standing in my way.
Finally I finish it and I look up to see Edward nodding in approval. I begin to feel lightheaded. I place the mug back on the desk and clutch the arm rest of the seat to support myself. He eyes me critically for several moments. I fidget under his gaze.
Finally, he nods his head and speaks. "Very well. Before you can officially become one of us, you must sign a set of regulations."
I almost cheer at having passed the alcohol test. However, if it weren't for the churning in my stomach and the bitter taste in my throat, I may have been more easygoing at the thought of rules. "Regulations?" All my life have I lived with rules. Women are supposed to be proper and follow the utmost social etiquette. We mustn't laugh too loudly or sit with our legs uncrossed. My mother would remind me of these rules every day, even if we weren't expected to go out or entertain guests. It was what I have lived with for eighteen years.
My dream of becoming a pirate was accompanied by the hope to be able to ditch social codes and proper lady etiquette. I wanted to act like a man or someone who isn't constricted by harsh expectations, but it looks like those dreams are foolish.
Edward's green eyes pierce through me like a hot knife slicing through butter. They're trained directly on me, roaming my face in rapid succession. It's like he can see right through my façade. "Yes. Us pirates are not allowed to do what ever we want. We have a strict conduct and if anyone should break it, the punishment is death."
It's as if he's purposefully trying to crush my dreams.
He rustles around in his drawer and pulls out a large piece of parchment that is worn with age.
"We follow the same charter the original men of this ship did, and everyone on this ship has signed this."
He places the paper in front of me and I glance down at it. The rules at the top are faded and written in harsh script, so I have to strain to be able to read it.
I. Every man on board shall obey orders given to them by either the captain or quartermaster.
II. Anyone keeping secret of attempt to desert will be marooned. He may take only a flask of gunpowder, a bottle of water, a gun and some shot.
III. The punishment for hitting a man is 40 lashes on the bare back.
IV. Gambling with cards and money is forbidden.
V. The compensation for losing a limb is 800 silver dollars.
VI. Anyone lying, stealing or fighting on board will have his ears and nose slit open and set ashore.
VII. The penalty for bringing a woman aboard in disguise is death.
VIII. Everyone may vote on all important decisions.
My resolve crumbles as I read through the list of harsh punishments. I'm not so sure about my decision anymore. The wonderful, picturesque vision I had of pirate life has fallen off a cliff. But, I freeze when I read number seven. It seems to only be talking about if men bring women on board, not if women bring themselves on board. But nevertheless, my stomach sinks with heavy fear.
Death. What have I gotten myself in to?
Holding my breath and not meeting his eyes, I quickly sign the parchment as if I'm signing over my soul to the devil. If the devil looked like Adonis. Edward whisks it away. "Very well. Welcome aboard, lad. Jasper'll give you the tour and get you accommodated. We'll discuss more tomorrow."
Jasper is waiting for me out on the deck. Alice is no where to be found, and the rest of the deck is void of anyone else, either. With nearly 700 crew members you would think you'd see more of them.
"He said you'd give me a tour and get me accommodated."
The blonde-haired man gives me a warm smile. "Great. Welcome aboard."
And my fate is sealed.