Chapter Seven: Bullet

Page stared at the fight. Englishmen expertly felled sailors with precise blows. But sailors used strange tactics that killed nearly as many English. It was a pretty fair fight.

Page didn't have time to prepare himself.

A soldier rushed him and Pearl. His sword was drawn and there was a look of fury in his eyes. Page's hand seemed to move without thought. He parried the blow and immediately started to work his way to the offensive. Pearl disappeared behind him and he assumed she had started a fight of her own. He took a deep breath and put all his focus in his fight, one slip up and Page would say Goodbye.

Pages mind went on autopilot. He slashed and stabbed. Never morally wounding anyone he fought, but drawing a good amount of blood. Even though he wasnt one of them, he felt a sense of protection come over him for these sailors. He rushed around the ship slashing arms and barely hutting legs. He was just being a general nuisance for the Englishmen.

He got in a couple hard fights, the English were more skilled, but Page was small. Close calls were all around hum, but he felt starngely calm. He, unlike the English, had a plan. He would let the Englishman lead and then when the man got enough courage to try and lunge at him, Page would use his small size and duck. Slashing at the legs as the bewilder d soldier stumbled past.

Then as if someone had pressed a button, time slowed down. Page watched as his sword glinted in the sun, the adrenaline pumped through his veins. This felt right! This felt like it was what he was supposed to do!

Then he saw him. His blood seemed to freeze all excitement fled. Page watched as the soldier took aim and fired. The bullet flew at him slowly. This was a nightmare. He couldn't turn away fast enough!

The bullet was coming for him he wasn't going to...

Then he felt it. The tiny piece of metal hit just above his knee. He gasped. He felt bones break in his kneecap. He sat down hard. His breathing was ragged, it felt as if someone was slowly pressing a hot poker into his knee. He looked down at his wound. His vision becoming blurry. There was a pool of his own blood surrounding his knee. He gasped and leaned back. His back touching the side of the ship. He tried to breathe normally... but the pain was so intense...

He let his eyes close. He could feel the wetness from his knee spreading down his leg. This was going to be it... Page would die here. He would bleed out...

"Oh, No! Page!" He opened his eyes as Pearl fell to her knees next to him. She started ripping off pieces from the bottom of her shirt. He couildnt quite comprehend what she was doing. Everything was so loud... Page felt his lids become heavy. He didn't fight it. If it was an escape from the pain...

Page fell into unconsciousness.

--

She tied multiple pieces of fabric around his leg. This was all her fault. If she hadn't convinced him to come onboard with her he would still be ok. She wiped the hot tears from her face.

She looked at his resting face. He was so handsome... She smacked herself. There was a fight going on. She needed to go help her mother. She turned and saw her mom, the captain fighting three Englishmen at once. Their eyes met and Pearl got the message. GO!

Kayia gave a brave smile and then threw herself back into the fray. Pearl, crying and tired knew what she had to do. She pulled Page up. He was still unconscious. She slung him over her shoulder and took maybe her last look of her ship. This had been her home. This had been her life. She saw her mother's firy hair, even in the midst of the fray she was holding her own. Pearl caught possibly the last glimpse she would ever have of her mother and then she turned.

She climbed onto the side if the ship and jumped. Only swimming would save them now.