"A what-?" I blurted out, "a bird? You got cursed by a bird?"
It was clear by the Captain's expression that I hadn't managed to keep my amusement at bay. But the idea of a tiny little bird tricking a whole Armada into a curse was something out of a fairytale. Completely ridiculous.
He scoffed. "No, not bird, Pirate." He spat out the word like it offended his very soul.
I held up my hands in an offer of appeasement. This man was quick to anger and I didn't fancy ending up like Swiss cheese. However, he didn't even seem to notice the gesture. His eyes were looking too deeply into the horrors of the past.
"Okayy, and how exactly am I supposed to break this curse?" I asked.
The Capitan shook his head lightly, drawing attention to his hair that seemed to have a life of its own. It floated as if continuously under water, creating an eerie halo of darkness around the cursed Captain.
"I believe," began the Captain, a smirk forming on his lips. "That is something for the niña to resolve."
I shot him a perplexed look as I looked around at the crew. 'For some common sense' my mind snarked. "You can't be serious?" I asked. "How am I supposed to know how to do that?"
The Captain hummed in thought, tapping his cane against the floorboard. Tap tap tap. The crew grew restless as I shuddered at the sound. Like a judge hitting the gavel, it felt like a death sentence.
"The same way you arrived," he stated, having come to a conclusion.
I waved a hand in frustration. "I already told you that I don't know how I ended up here!" Pinching the bridge of my nose I took a deep breath, before I continued in a lower tone. "One minute I was walking and the next I'm on my arse."
'Staring at your sorry face' I thought maliciously, but knew better than to say it out loud.
He watched me with an unreadable expression, not seeming offended at my little tirade. Then he turned around and started walking back towards the helm.
"It seems Señorita is weary from her travels." He said over his shoulder. "Prepare a room for her."
At once the men came into action, each one instinctively knowing their task. I gasped as two men suddenly grabbed me by the arms and started leading me down into the darkness.
"Wait wait!" I desperately tried to stop the commotion, digging my heels in. But for no avail, the men continued on unaffected by my spectacle. And soon enough I had to rely on them not to fall on my face as the darkness swallowed me whole.
I desperately tried not to stumble or worse hit my head as we continued down. At one point I felt a hand push my head down as we came to a low doorway. The tingles on the back of my tongue only got worse the further down we went. It didn't help matters that the only thing that could be heard in the darkness was my heavy breathing and the sound of footsteps. Listening closer, I realized what had bothered me so much about the footsteps. There were three of us, but you could only hear the sound of two people's footsteps. I shivered and could feel the cold sweat running down my back.
Suddenly we came to a stop. One of the men fired a quick question in Spanish, which started an argument between the two. 'Well this is awkward' I thought, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. 'Shame we didn't have Spanish lessons in school.'
"Señorita-" I jumped, startled at being so suddenly addressed. Shaking my head slightly I tried in vain to look for a face in the darkness.
"Lo siento" He said in an apologetic tone. "We have no lights down here, and there is a large opening in the wall, so you need to be careful."
"Where?" I asked, looking around.
"We are in the room, Señorita." The other one explained, exasperated. "And the hole is to your left."
My mind raced around in circles. Things were becoming more confusing by the minute. I didn't know what to say so I blurted out, "Aren't I supposed to be in the brig?"
This sparked another argument between the two, one that didn't seem to end. If anything it only got louder.
"I will soon bring you some bedding to sleep on Señorita." The kinder one said, as if to say to the other one 'and that is the end of that'.
With that, they left and quietly closed the door behind them. I sighed and sat down on the cold floor. Pulling my knees up to my chest I rested my head on them. Drawing in shuddering breaths I tried to calm down. But I could feel the breakdown approaching, gods how I hated crying. I hadn't had time to reflect on what had happened up on the deck, with the Captain breathing down my neck. Down here though, in the darkness with nothing but my thoughts for company, it was a different story.
I hiccuped, trying to keep the tears in. I gasped for breath. Held it in. Anything to stop the tears, but they didn't listen. They burned as they streamed down my face. My nose started to clog and I tried my best to keep my piercing clean of the snot. 'Just what I need right now,' I thought laughing through the tears, 'a big booger hanging from my piercing.'
Eventually the tears did stop, emotionally drained from the ordeal. I rubbed my puffy eyes, they were burning and itching in the worst possible way. Sometimes I feel better after crying but this time I only felt worse. I wiped away the tears and snot on my sleeve and did feel a little better after that. 'Gods I must look a fright' I thought, eyes burning, but had no more tears left to cry.
Curling into a ball, I tried to get some rest, finally feeling the weariness that the Captain claimed I had. 'This is just my luck.' I thought 'Getting transported back in time where curses are real and the dead are walking.' The Captain might not have retained much from being alive but he sure retained the sheer audacity all men seem to possess.
"Asshole." I muttered, curling into a tighter ball. I hope they bring some blankets soon, before I freeze to death.