Chapter Fifteen
June 3, 1766—Later that Morning
Jack yawned and stretched as he came to the end of the street in the one-
street town. A low and uncomfortable growl rumbled through his stomach.
"That's not good," he thought aloud, looking behind him and noticing that
all the cafés (all TWO of them) were closed.
He grinned, the reminding thought that he was in fact a pirate seeping
into his mind. He looked up the hill in front of him to see a sprawling
plantation—complete with barn and several fruit orchards, including a
small vineyard—just beckoning him over.
--- --- --- ---
Katie Preston, seventeen years old, stood at her window, staring out in
memorization at the rather large ship (a pirate ship, no doubt, thanks to
the Jolly Roger flying high on it's mast) docked out in the Greenfield's
harbor. Her eyes practically danced on the ship's tattered black sails, a
small smile finding its way onto her face.
She was the only one awake that early in the morning, as she was the
first one up every morning. She always loved to watch the sunrise,
imagining how much more beautiful it could be out on the ocean. She
imagined about the life of a pirate—how free and exciting it must be, all
the different people you would meet, the beautiful and exotic places you
could see.
She felt her cat brush up against her legs, breaking her gaze from the
window. "Come here, Maurice," she said in a throaty, tired voice, picking
up the cat and cradling him in her arms. "I have to go to church today,"
she complained as she sat on the window seat, the cat still curled into
her arms. Her entire life she'd been taught about religion and faith,
what to believe in, what not to believe in. But she always wanted to
believe something different than what she had been told.
She didn't believe in sin and thought that everyone was born the way they
were for a reason. She believed in equality and didn't really understand
what was so bad about pirates. She shrugged, knowing she had never really
had an encounter with one and therefore shouldn't be talking, but at the
same time thought that there were a lot of misconceptions about pirates.
Katie was a true romanticist at heart. She believed that there was one
person out there for everyone, she believed in love at first sight and
believed in soul mates. "Someday........." she sighed. "Someday, he'll find me,
Maurice." Her hand stroked his soft fur, unknowing that that someday was
today.
She turned her head out the window, looking down at the apple orchards
below. Her eyes immediately stuck on a young man sitting on the thick
branch of a tree, his foot dangling down and an apple in his hand. Her
eyes narrowed into slits. There were a lot of things Katie could
tolerate, but steeling from her father was not one of them.
"Maurice," she sighed as she set the cat down on the ground. "You know I
love you, but there are times that I wish you were a guard dog." The cat
just purred and rolled onto its back in the sunshine splashing through
the window.
Katie moved across the room and pulled a jacket over her dress, quietly
making her way out of the house and towards the orchard. She found the
young man exactly where she saw him last in her window.
--- ---- ---
"Excuse me!" Jack popped his eyes opened and swallowed his apple, looking
down at a spry, young woman standing below with her arms crossed. "Is
there something I can do for you?"
Katie tapped her foot impatiently. The young man dropped from the tree,
landing perfectly on his feet in front of her.
"Actually, I was just leavin', Miss," he waved his hands in little
circles, waiting for her to give him his name, but she continued to tap
her foot and blew out an angry breath of air. He was no doubt a pirate
judging by how he was dressed, and no matter how much Katie wanted to be
short with him, she found the immediate attraction she felt to be a bit
much.
"Katrina," she said quietly, swallowing and avoiding his eye contact. He
flashed her a charming grin that made her stomach flop. "May I ask
what......... why you thought it appropriate to steal from my father's trees?"
"Borrowing, actually," he replied, the grin still on his face. "If it
makes ye feel better, I'll get ye another apple to replace the one I
ate." They stood there, their eyes locked in a gaze until he spoke up.
"Well, Miss Katrina, I best be on my way."
No.......... don't leave......... "Are you a pirate?" she asked, the words the only
ones she found leaving her lips. He laughed and turned around, a grin
spread on his face. "I just meant—because there's that ship in the
harbor—and well, you look—I don't mean you look different, I just—"
"Yes," he said simply, clamping her hand between his so she would stop
embarrassing herself. She stared, eyes wide, at his hands on her own.
"It'll be our secret."
"Okay," she replied, her eyes still staring at his hands. She finally
looked up and he winked at her before swaying away. "Wait!" she called
after him, still not wanting him to leave quite yet. He turned around,
raising his eyebrows and waiting for her to say something. "Are you going
back to your ship?"
"S'not mine, luv," he called. "Belongs to me dad."
"Well, are you going back?"
"Aye......... best to be outta the streets before the people of this town come
along and start accusing me for breathing," he told her, his brown eyes
catching the sun's rays and glistening with flecks of gold.
"Oh," she nodded and looked at her feet, her hands going behind her back.
He smiled at her, knowing what she really wanted. He walked back to her
and took her hand again.
"Would ye like to meet the captain? See the ship?"
"Oh!" she gasped, trying to hide her excitement. "Well......... I mean, I don't
want to be a burden to anyone, I just—yes. Yes, that would be lovely."
"Lovely," he repeated, and for a moment they stood together, just staring
at each other's eyes. Her deep, dark chocolate colored eyes stared into
his gold flecked milk chocolate eyes. Then, they walked in silence, hand
in hand, back towards the direction of the beach.
June 3, 1766—Later that Morning
Jack yawned and stretched as he came to the end of the street in the one-
street town. A low and uncomfortable growl rumbled through his stomach.
"That's not good," he thought aloud, looking behind him and noticing that
all the cafés (all TWO of them) were closed.
He grinned, the reminding thought that he was in fact a pirate seeping
into his mind. He looked up the hill in front of him to see a sprawling
plantation—complete with barn and several fruit orchards, including a
small vineyard—just beckoning him over.
--- --- --- ---
Katie Preston, seventeen years old, stood at her window, staring out in
memorization at the rather large ship (a pirate ship, no doubt, thanks to
the Jolly Roger flying high on it's mast) docked out in the Greenfield's
harbor. Her eyes practically danced on the ship's tattered black sails, a
small smile finding its way onto her face.
She was the only one awake that early in the morning, as she was the
first one up every morning. She always loved to watch the sunrise,
imagining how much more beautiful it could be out on the ocean. She
imagined about the life of a pirate—how free and exciting it must be, all
the different people you would meet, the beautiful and exotic places you
could see.
She felt her cat brush up against her legs, breaking her gaze from the
window. "Come here, Maurice," she said in a throaty, tired voice, picking
up the cat and cradling him in her arms. "I have to go to church today,"
she complained as she sat on the window seat, the cat still curled into
her arms. Her entire life she'd been taught about religion and faith,
what to believe in, what not to believe in. But she always wanted to
believe something different than what she had been told.
She didn't believe in sin and thought that everyone was born the way they
were for a reason. She believed in equality and didn't really understand
what was so bad about pirates. She shrugged, knowing she had never really
had an encounter with one and therefore shouldn't be talking, but at the
same time thought that there were a lot of misconceptions about pirates.
Katie was a true romanticist at heart. She believed that there was one
person out there for everyone, she believed in love at first sight and
believed in soul mates. "Someday........." she sighed. "Someday, he'll find me,
Maurice." Her hand stroked his soft fur, unknowing that that someday was
today.
She turned her head out the window, looking down at the apple orchards
below. Her eyes immediately stuck on a young man sitting on the thick
branch of a tree, his foot dangling down and an apple in his hand. Her
eyes narrowed into slits. There were a lot of things Katie could
tolerate, but steeling from her father was not one of them.
"Maurice," she sighed as she set the cat down on the ground. "You know I
love you, but there are times that I wish you were a guard dog." The cat
just purred and rolled onto its back in the sunshine splashing through
the window.
Katie moved across the room and pulled a jacket over her dress, quietly
making her way out of the house and towards the orchard. She found the
young man exactly where she saw him last in her window.
--- ---- ---
"Excuse me!" Jack popped his eyes opened and swallowed his apple, looking
down at a spry, young woman standing below with her arms crossed. "Is
there something I can do for you?"
Katie tapped her foot impatiently. The young man dropped from the tree,
landing perfectly on his feet in front of her.
"Actually, I was just leavin', Miss," he waved his hands in little
circles, waiting for her to give him his name, but she continued to tap
her foot and blew out an angry breath of air. He was no doubt a pirate
judging by how he was dressed, and no matter how much Katie wanted to be
short with him, she found the immediate attraction she felt to be a bit
much.
"Katrina," she said quietly, swallowing and avoiding his eye contact. He
flashed her a charming grin that made her stomach flop. "May I ask
what......... why you thought it appropriate to steal from my father's trees?"
"Borrowing, actually," he replied, the grin still on his face. "If it
makes ye feel better, I'll get ye another apple to replace the one I
ate." They stood there, their eyes locked in a gaze until he spoke up.
"Well, Miss Katrina, I best be on my way."
No.......... don't leave......... "Are you a pirate?" she asked, the words the only
ones she found leaving her lips. He laughed and turned around, a grin
spread on his face. "I just meant—because there's that ship in the
harbor—and well, you look—I don't mean you look different, I just—"
"Yes," he said simply, clamping her hand between his so she would stop
embarrassing herself. She stared, eyes wide, at his hands on her own.
"It'll be our secret."
"Okay," she replied, her eyes still staring at his hands. She finally
looked up and he winked at her before swaying away. "Wait!" she called
after him, still not wanting him to leave quite yet. He turned around,
raising his eyebrows and waiting for her to say something. "Are you going
back to your ship?"
"S'not mine, luv," he called. "Belongs to me dad."
"Well, are you going back?"
"Aye......... best to be outta the streets before the people of this town come
along and start accusing me for breathing," he told her, his brown eyes
catching the sun's rays and glistening with flecks of gold.
"Oh," she nodded and looked at her feet, her hands going behind her back.
He smiled at her, knowing what she really wanted. He walked back to her
and took her hand again.
"Would ye like to meet the captain? See the ship?"
"Oh!" she gasped, trying to hide her excitement. "Well......... I mean, I don't
want to be a burden to anyone, I just—yes. Yes, that would be lovely."
"Lovely," he repeated, and for a moment they stood together, just staring
at each other's eyes. Her deep, dark chocolate colored eyes stared into
his gold flecked milk chocolate eyes. Then, they walked in silence, hand
in hand, back towards the direction of the beach.