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Chapter Six: Call Me Captain

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Both of us walked downstairs into the kitchen, and Lisa greeted us with a fiery glare, but Roland and I stood proudly in our places, side by side each other.

"What did ye two think ye were doing?" Lisa yelled. "This boy is yer guest! Treat 'im like one! I expect better from the likes of both of ye!"

"He was asking for it," Roland replied. Lisa nearly shrilled at Roland's back-talk.

"Don't ye dare speak t' me like that, young Master Roland, or I'll have yer mother give ye a lesson!"

"I'm serious, Lisa," he said calmly. "Matthew teased Astrid even when she asked him to stop. He wouldn't stop no matter how many times she told him to. He had it coming." Lisa crossed her arms over her chest and turned to Matthew who sat somberly in a chair.

"Is that true, Mister Stanbury?" Matthew's head shot up.

"Of course it's not! I was just telling her that pirates were bad people, which they are, and she suddenly punched me!"

"That's a lie!" I cut in. "You took it too far, ya arsehole!" Immediately, Lisa grabbed me and hauled me off to the living room, most likely because of my language use. She sat me on a couch harshly and slapped my face with one quick movement of her hand.

"Ye talk to no one like that, Miss Astrid. You hear me?"

"Yes, Lisa," I muttered.

"Good. I'll be telling the Master and Missus 'bout yer language and attitude, and they will pick what they should do about you." I didn't look at her and she left me on the couch to go back into the kitchen. My fingers touched the sore spot on my face that Lisa slapped. I felt tears well in my eyes, but I swallowed them down because pirates didn't cry.

I heard Lisa scolding Roland in the distance and as soon as her yelling died down, he arrived in the living room, the dreaded Matthew right behind him. "Lisa gave you a spanking too, didn't she?" Roland asked.

"Aye. Didn't cry though."

"I knew you wouldn't. How about we play a game?" He looked at me and I raised my head. He then turned to Matthew.

"What game will it be?" Matthew asked.

"I call it..." Roland thought a moment. "Call Me Captain. Each of us will take turns being captain of a ship, and we'll go on adventures. We even have fake swords to play with, and we have set up small ships in the yard. So what do you say?"

"I'll give it a go," said Matthew. "But I want to be captain first." I wanted to vomit at his spoiled brattiness.

"All right. You can be captain first. Pick your first mate." Of course, he picked Roland, and I was left to be the enemy.

"So, where's the ship?" Matthew asked.

"Follow me, Matthew," Roland said, leading the way out into the gardens.

"No, Captain Matthew, Roland," Matthew said, matter-of-factly.

"Enough with this!" I yelled. "Let's just get to the game, savvy?" I stormed ahead of them and pushed open the door leading outside. "There's the ship. Now, go."

"You're not the captain!" Matthew protested. "I am. I should be the one who's making the orders. You're the enemy, so go off and be the pirate you already are." I glared at him.

"I'm proud to be your enemy then. If there is one thing you need to know 'bout me, Matty-hue, it's this: I'm Captain Astrid Sparrow!"

"Right, captain of a pirate ship. Some honor."

"Not any pirate ship. The Black Pearl."

"Enough!" Roland interrupted. "Can we just get the game going? Astrid's captain of the Black Pearl." He turned to Matthew. "And you're the captain of...um..."

"The Conquest," Matthew finished.

"All right." He turned back to me. "Now, go on to your ship, Astrid, and let's get this game going."

"Aye!" I said. I ran off to my "ship," which was really just a large wooden box with a long wooden pole sticking out from it. The pole had an old bed sheet tied to it for a sail, and there was a wooden wheel at one end. Not exactly like the Black Pearl, but it was close enough; plus Matthew and Roland's ship wasn't that great either. Basically like mine, except on the other side of the yard.

The ships were immovable, and we had no real cannons, so there was always a small supply of tightly balled pieces of cloth on both of our boats. I stuffed small stones in mine so that they would hurt more, which Mum and Dad eventually figured out and forced me to stop using. Thankfully, they weren't here because I wanted to hurt Matthew with all my might and I would always aim for his pompous little head.

I reached my boat and went to the "helm" and began to steer my ship. "I'm gainin' on ya!" I called. Matthew called from his side of the ship.

"We'll be ready when you come then, Captain Astrid Sparrow!" Of course, my ship didn't move, but I had a vivid imagination, and I pretended that I caught up to them. I dropped anchor and ordered my imaginary crew.

"Load the guns!" I yelled. I went and gathered a couple of the cloth balls in my hands, and I was prepared to fire when a ball came whizzing by my head. I saw Matthew sniggering at me.

"That was uncalled for!" I yelled across the "sea."

"And? You're a pirate! You don't play fair, so I don't need to either!" My eyes narrowed in on him, and I threw a cloth ball directly at his head.

I missed.

I threw it again, and Matthew ducked. I couldn't see him or Roland because they were now hidden in their ship, but I hit someone because I heard a familiar, "Ow!" I was at first overjoyed at my accomplishment, but Roland emerged from his hiding place and looked at me, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"That hurt!" he yelled.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to hit ya. I was aimin' for Matthew!"

"Then aim better! I think my head is swelling!"

"No, it's not! You're such a baby!" I snorted.

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

"This can go on forever, but you'll never win," I grumped. Roland scowled at me and hid in his ship yet again. Suddenly, Matthew appeared and he ordered his "crew" to invade my ship.

"Oh no you don't!" I shouted. Both Matthew and Roland jumped out of their ship and then into mine. They drew their fake swords and pointed them at me.

"Surrender, pirate," said Matthew.

"Never!" I picked up my fake sword off of the ground and pointed it at them. "Who goes first?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," shrugged Roland. I frowned and swung my sword. Matthew parried it. I swung again and then ducked and moved behind him. I grabbed his hand and pulled it behind his back.

"Not fair!" Matthew yelled, trying to free himself from my grasp.

"Who says pirates play fair?" I answered with a sneer.

"Not so fast, Captain," said Roland. I soon found that his sword tip was right at my nose. "You still have to capture the first mate."

"That'll be easy then," I replied. I took the ribbon out of my hair and tied Matthew's hands together in a tight knot. I met Roland's sword with my own, and we were off.

He swung, I parried. I ducked, and he spun around. I ducked again, and grabbed a small stone that I found in my ship, and came back in time to block Roland's blow. Little did I know though, that Roland was being taught swordplay by Will since he was old enough to hold a stick. I swung and he tripped me. I fell flat on my back, but the rock was still in my hand and I threw it at him. I hit his hand.

"Ow!" he yelled yet again. I acted quickly and grabbed the sash around my waist. I tied Roland's hands together and cheered.

"Off to Davy Jone's Locker ye go!" I said. My boat happened to be beside a large puddle made from the rain from the past days. "Walk the plank!" I pushed Matthew towards the puddle.

"No!" he screamed. "I'm not going to land in that dirty mess!"

"Too late! It's what ya get for takin' on Captain Astrid Sparrow in the first place. Off ya go!"

"No!" I pushed Matthew one last time and he landed in the puddle. Muddy water splashed all over his sparkling clean attire and his white face.

"Astrid, don't!" Roland yelled.

"Why the hell not?"

"My baby!" someone shrieked. I turned abruptly to the wail and saw a young lady dressed quite richly in the doorway into the gardens, and behind her stood Mum and Dad, whose faces were not very pleased. The richly dressed lady came running up to Matthew who was sobbing now. I looked at Roland.

"You took it too far, Astrid," he said quietly. I grew angry at him because he was supposed to be on my side. He was supposed to be my friend.

"Shut up! I'll do what I want! I'm a pirate and there is no limit to what I can do! Some friend you are." I leapt off my ship, not even guilty of pushing Matthew into the mud. I passed the lady who held the muddy Matthew, and she yelled at me.

"Missus Turner, you'd better do something about that child! She doesn't belong here and you know it! Just send her to an orphanage for God's sake! She'll be a bad influence on your boy." She glared at me, but my face remained passive and stern.

I muttered a curse, and the lady shrilled at me but I walked proudly away. Mum and Dad were in my way of getting back into the house, but that didn't even stop me. I squeezed right through them, but Will grabbed my shoulder. I looked up coldly.

"You're coming with us, Astrid," Will said softly. It was when I looked at him did I feel my conscience. He looked at me with not a hint of anger in his eyes, but only disappointment and sadness, and it was then when I began to cave into my feelings. I started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," I sobbed. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Don't send me away, please. Don't leave me. Don't leave me..." He grabbed me and held me as I cried, but it only made me feel worse. I knew I did something bad, but they treated me with love anyway, and that was what hurt me.