Chapter Eleven: Poker

Page opened his eyes. He blinked a few times but everything stayed dark. He tried to move, to roll over, but a sharp stabbing pain in his knee made him stop. He gasped as it all flew back.

William had called in one of the sea monsters, he assured Page that he was merely a crewman, but Page still felt wary around the barnacle encrusted man. William had done the surgery. The crewman had been there to hold Page down. He pressed his arms into the bed, Page didn't fight. He tried to hold still. Tears boiled over his eyes and he tried not to scream as Will tried to quickly remove the bullet.

After an hour Page had passed out from mere sleep deprivation and pain.

Page looked around him. A small candle flickered on a desk over in the corner. Page pushed himself up slowly. A large array of pillows were propped up behind him. He looked to his right. A large window, covered with dark black curtains, showed only a small gleam from the tips of waves outside.

Despite it being nighttime Page felt hot. He unbuttoned his white shirt and tossed it to the ground. Something cold landed on his chest. He touched it's smooth surface, then gasped.

It was the ring. The one thing he had left from his parents. He gripped it tightly, he was lucky he hadnt lost it. He rubbed the engraving inside.

Forever and Always... Forever and... Page drifted back to sleep.

--

The surgery had gone well, Page was resting the captains quarters. The captain himself was up at the helm steering the large boat through the waves. Pearl had gotten bored and had sat down behind some crewmembers.

Pearl watched them start the game of poker all over again. The deck of cards had spots of mildew, and water damage nearly blotted out the pictures.

She was sitting behind a particularly scary looking crewmember, with the head of a hammerhead shark and barnacles entrusting half of his upper body.

She peeked over the Sharks/man's shoulder. Two queens, one king and two fives. Not bad.

She watched another crewmember with hands like a large crab lay down a queen. She wondered how he put on his clothes without fingers. The shark faltered at the sight. Pearl leaned forward interested to see how he would proceed. The shark reached for a five and Pearl instinctively yelped, "No!" The shark turned around. Pearl tried to look him in the eyes, but found it hard with them both so far apart on his head, so she picked the left eye. The shark spoke in a low grumbly voice that reminded her slightly of her father's. Intimidating but warm on the edges.

"And what does a lass like you know about poker?" She sat up tall. Which was hard as she was sitting cross-legged on a barrel.

"I used to play it with me crew. I was quite good at it." She gave an indignant huff and tried to look proud. The crewmen were silent for a moment. Then they all burst into laughter. Pearl sat uncomfortably while all the men laughed at her. Then the crewman with the crab-hands pulled up a wooden crate next to him.

"Come show us what you've got little girl." She rolled her eyes and hopped down. She would beat all of these fish heads and then she would be the one laughing. She sat down gracefully and spread out her tattered skirts around her. One of the crew dealed her in. But as she reached for her cards the shark stopped her.

"What are ye bettin?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" The shark leaned closer. She leaned back, away from his fowl breath.

"Ye don't bet. Ye don't play." He grinned. She gave him a small nod. He leaned back to his seat. The crew was watching her

intently now. She sighed, then removed the last thing of value from her person.

The crew gaped. Pearl picked up her cards. "Shall we play gentlemen?" Her gold encrusted dagger glinted in the lanterns light.

The Shark grinned. "Aye."