Chapter Sixteen: Adam

Being twelve had its benefits and problems. Turning thirteen was just about the same, other than the fact I was still growing. And I predicted that turning fourteen would be just as boring and useless as the other past years. There was nothing exciting to watch or do, except for my fencing lessons. Mum would make me go out more with her and I hated to because whenever I entered a room full of ladies, their heads would turn to me, and I did not crave the attention they gave me.

The girls my age were just as ignorant, prissy and judgmental as they always were. They would comment about their dresses, jewelry and hair, and they would talk about a rather new topic to me: boys, or to them, young men.

At times, when Mum dragged me to attend parties and gatherings, I wanted to poke my ears with needles because of their infuriating and insignificant talk of their conceited selves. Their words were absolute rubbish, and I would have nothing to do with them. Nothing.

But I still happened to be a main topic in their babble. They would make me join them, and they would compliment me on my clothes or hair or shoes. Afterwards, they would talk about courting, which Mum had talked to me of earlier.

I had come home after a party I was forced to attend. Mum urged me to go to this festivity alone, and so I obeyed. She did not tell me though, that it was one of those parties that helped young girls find their suitor. I only understood what the purpose of this party actually was once I arrived there. The place was crawling with girls my age and several boys for them to gaze at and admire. They were of no significance to me. They reminded me too much of the wicked Matthew, so I did not take the time to look beneath their haughty appearance and into their personalities.

From the moment I arrived, I planned on doing nothing but walking around, sitting, and eating. No talking, no dancing (for several reasons) and no being fond of any boys. Evidently, my plan did not carry out as well as I had hoped. The fault was not of my own. The things I did not want to happen, just happened anyway. I was forced to talk with the other wenches of the neighborhood. I was urged to dance with arrogant little sods (although, I left them all with sore toes), and one boy appeared to have a liking to me. What surprised me though, was that he was not as snooty as the other boys. I actually admit to growing a little fond of him too.

His name was Adam Locke, and he was fifteen years of age.

When I met Mister Adam Locke, I was looking for something to drink. I had just picked up a glass when I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind me. I turned around, and was not shocked to see the face of the young lad. I was, after all, not interested in having anything to do with his kind. "Hello," he said happily. I raised my eyebrows at him and then turned around to resume getting a drink. "I… I don't believe we've met," he continued. I didn't look at him.

"I'm Astrid," I replied tonelessly, reaching for a bottle of wine.

"Your name is Scandinavian," he replied confidently. "It means God's power. Who gave it to you?" I quirked an eyebrow at him and wondered why he was telling me facts about my own name. I did not care what my name meant. After all, it was just a name.

"My dad," I replied, returning my glance to my empty glass. I came to get a drink, but my glass was still empty due to this Adam Locke.

Abruptly, my glass was taken out of my hands, and I was too stunned to complain. Adam poured a reasonable amount of wine into my glass, handed it back to me, and resumed to pour himself a glass. "I don't believe you've told me your name," I answered.

"Oh, forgive me then. I am Adam Locke." He bowed towards me and took my hand. He kissed it briefly and I snatched it away as quick as I could. He looked up at me, a grin on his face, perhaps knowing that I was not used to the attention.

"And what does your name mean?" I asked, hoping to get him annoyed, but I only made him laugh.

"Are you by chance, Roland's sister?" I went stiff at Roland's name. He was the lucky little monster that was permitted to sail on the high seas. Even after two years, my jealousy towards him still had not burned down.

"I am," I replied simply. "His older sister. Why do you ask?"

"He's told us schoolboys about you. His stories brought us many laughs."

"Oh really?" I replied. "What did he tell you about me?" My eyes narrowed in on him. I wanted to discover if Roland had portrayed me as some idiot in his stories. My tone was noticed by Adam and he chuckled.

"He didn't tell us anything bad about you, Astrid. He just told it how he saw it. Of course, we'd always tease him about his fondness towards Alexandra Westley." The name brought a flash of horror in my mind. The wench. The grip around my glass tightened and my lips grew thin with anger and hate.

"I did not tease him about his lover," I said grimly. "I chastised him." He laughed again, his voice light and clear.

"I take it that you aren't on good terms with her."

"I never have been, and I don't intend to. She hates me for some reason, and because of her hate, I abhor her as well."

"Many of us do." I was surprised at his response. I believed he was one of the haughty and arrogant boys who sided with their women counterparts, but clearly he wasn't.

"By the way you talk and dress I expected you to side with her." He looked at me in disbelief.

"You wear the same dresses and put your hair in the same style as all the other girls, Astrid. You can't judge me because you are just the same way." This angered me. I was only dressing like everyone else because that was what was given to me. I would have worn my pirate clothes to every single outing, but Mum would be very disappointed, and I did not want to upset her. I did not argue because I was thankful for everything I had despite the fact that not all of it was to my taste.

"I am not like you, and I am not like the other wenches that amble about this place like roaches."

"I didn't mean it like that, Astrid. It's obvious you aren't, but you judge people too quickly." Anger left me, and I stared hard at him. He was right. I did judge people too soon. I had judged Alexandra and him, and the other people around the room.

"Thank you for pointing that out," I said quietly. I took one last gulp of wine from my glass and left. The liquid tasted sour in my mouth, and I believed it was that way because I realized how sour I was in life.

"Wait," he said, grabbing my arm. I jerked it away and waited for what else he had to say. "Do you mind sharing one dance with me?" My mouth remained closed shut for at least ten seconds before I finally answered.

"Yes," I replied. "I do mind, and I have already shared too many dances for tonight." Without a farewell, I continued my walk away from him, and I thought deeply about his opinion of me.

I arrived home that night, tired and just a tad bit woozy. My slight dizziness was most likely due to numerous glasses of wine I had drunk at the party. I headed straight up the stairs to get to bed, but I heard a voice call my name from below. "Astrid?" I turned around, feeling my eyelids begin to droop over my eyes.

"Yes, Mum?" I replied, my voice weak and sleepy.

"How did the celebration go?"

"I knew it was a party to get me to start looking for a suitor, and it was just as boring as all the others I have been to."

"Did anything happen?" I sensed the eagerness in Mum's voice. I knew my answer would be important to her.

"I met a lad," I replied. "His name was Adam Locke. He talked to me a bit and then I left."

"That's wonderful, Astrid. Do you plan on seeing him again?"

"No. I don't like him." There I went again, with the judging.

"Oh, that's all right. You are probably exhausted. I should send you to bed now."

"Good night, Mum."

"Good night, Astrid."

Despite my weariness, I could not go to sleep. I kept thinking about Adam and what he had said about me. It wouldn't leave me alone. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to shake off the thought, but it would not go away. Was I really just as judgmental as the other girls? And was I really just as proper and pedantic as they were? Indeed, now that Roland had left and I was growing up, I had done less playing and less fencing, and more sewing and more womanly chores. My head ached with the guilt. I had become just like them. I promised myself I wouldn't, but I had let it enter me without knowing. "Damn you, Adam," I muttered. Regardless of the fact that he had told me I was just like him and the others, I still found him likable. He was true and smart and neat. "Shut up, Astrid," I mumbled. "You aren't looking for a suitor. You are looking for a ship to take you away to the high seas."

At that, I relaxed a bit, the ocean always seeming to brighten my spirits. It was as if it was a part of me, and it was always there for me to dream up what I would do once I had reached it. Smiling, I buried my head into my pillow and dreamed of the sea. Somehow in that dream, I came across a pirate, and he took me on his ship.

The pirate was a funny man. He walked as if he was in a daze, but his talk was superbly appealing and easy to listen to. Behind his somewhat always confused face, was a man with a lot of wit and cleverness. He was, after all, a pirate. A pirate relied on his out-of-the-ordinary intelligence to keep his crew and self alive. It was knowledge I would never know because all I was learning was how to dance, sing and sew.

Once on board, he led me into his captain quarters and showed me his large stash of alcoholic beverages. I laughed and he offered me a bottle. Unfortunately, I said no. He shrugged his shoulders and chugged down a bottle as he showed me around the ship. I did not know his name, but he seemed to know mine. He'd call me lassie or love, or just Astrid.

To my dismay, he said I had to go home, and I protested saying that the ship was my home. He only shook his head and spoke to me more seriously. Reluctantly and with tears forming in my eyes, I left the ship. It began to sail away, and as it did, he called back to me. "Don't worry, love! Ol' Jack'll come back for ya when you're ready!" Keeping his words in mind, I watched the ship vanish into the horizon.