Chapter Five: But Why Is The Rum Gone?
Naomi threw back her head and laughed uncontrollably; Emily stood by the window with her mouth agape.
"You actually…" the blonde struggled for breath, "…actually tossed out a message in a bottle…"
Her eyes were watering and she steadied herself by holding the back of her chair. She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all; the redhead reminded her of a faerie princess from a story—maybe next she would let down her astonishingly red hair and a mermaid could climb in to save her, or maybe if she wished very hard upon the first star she saw, the royal navy would suddenly know their exact coordinates.
Emily wondered if the captain had gone insane; she had expected to be tied back up, or at least for the blonde to go stony silent again.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Naomi tried to regain her composure. "It's just…that's like tossing a grain of rice onto a beach…" She took a deep breath. "Please tell me you at least drank what was left in the bottle?"
Emily shook her head slowly. "I…"
Captain Campbell made her way laughing to a window and slid it open to let in a sharp cold breeze, taking several deep breaths and wiping the corners of her sparkling blue eyes. Emily wasn't sure what to do; she leaned her head against the window and stared down into the oily black water.
"I'm sorry…" she said without thinking.
"Don't be," the captain said. "Show's you've got some backbone."
Emily looked at her with a bewildered look written on her face. She couldn't imagine that backbone was a desirable quality in a prisoner. The redhead sat slowly down on the bed and stared at her feet; how could she have been so stupid, how could she have thought that little note with no real information could have accomplished anything in a vast ocean?
Naomi took another deep salty breath and looked at the girl on the bed; her face fell and she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She turned and walked out the door swiftly; there was a scuffle of feet and rowdy cheers and calls from the crew and the bellow of Cook's voice trying to bring them to attention. The captain returned to the room quickly with a few bottles of unopened wine. She sat down tentatively on the bed, giving the red haired girl as much space as possible and unscrewed a cork. She offered it Emily with a weak smile.
"Here…" Naomi insisted. "It won't help…but it will make you think it does…" She tried for a wider smile this time.
Emily took the bottle hesitantly and turned the bottle in her hands; from her father's ship—obviously she wasn't the only plunder they had taken aboard. She shrugged and took a swig.
"Father has always carried the best merchandise. Your men are very lucky," the red head said warily.
The captain gently took the bottle back and took a drink. "You're not kidding," she said approvingly. "It's not what I'm used to, but this is really quite good."
Emily reached for the bottle again, taking a bigger gulp of the wine this time. She very rarely had anything alcoholic; her mother always said it wasn't proper lady like behavior. Which would have made more sense if her mother didn't keep at least two bottles in her room and had Emily not heard her insist that Katie have a glass every day for her health; she suspected it had something to do with the day in her father's study.
"I'd better not get too used to this…" the blonde said, tugging the bottle out of the girls hand for another drink. "I'll get a reputation for being pompous…no offense…"
"I'd better not get too used to it either or I'll get a reputation for being a real person," Emily said as she stood up shakily and retrieved a new bottle and uncorked it. "Proper ladies can't be real you know," she added with a glint in her eye.
The brown eyed girl plopped down on the carpet and giggled. The captain laughed; she hadn't realized her guest would be such a light weight. Naomi finished her bottle and opened the last of the three and watched the girl struggle to stand and walk the outer rim of the rug. A smile spread across her face as she tilted her head back and gulped down more wine; her blue eyes sparkled as she watched the girl revolve to the center of the carpet and spin in slow circles. The redhead toddled back to the bed, her eyelids heavy, and began to climb under the covers. Naomi stood and stretched, rubbing the back of her neck with a little grimace from the pain as she headed for the hammock.
"Stay…" Emily said drowsily.
"What?" the captain asked.
"It's a big bed, and that big…net…swingy thingy…doesn't look comfortable…" the girl slurred.
"The hammock?" Naomi asked.
"Hammock! That's the word!" Emily bellowed and then quickly shushed herself. "Yes the hammock looks rubbish…come…we're all girls here…" she added patting the empty side of the bed.
The blonde stood for a few moments, unsure of what to do, before slowly climbing into bed—making sure not to lie too close to the intoxicated girl.
"There we go…comfy and…and…" the girls voice was trailing off, "goodnight…" she said with a quick kiss on the blonde's cheek before she rolled over and was out like a light.
Naomi lay wide awake in bed; she hadn't blushed in at least three years as far as she could remember, and all she could do was listen to the sound of the waves and the men stumbling around on deck—and the soft sound of the girl next to her breathing.
"This is going to turn out to be a huge mistake…" she said to herself.
Katie tapped her foot impatiently as Effy stared at a large map on the table in their quarters. It had been hours and the ship hadn't moved so much as a foot in the water.
"What's the matter? The witch's instructions were as clear as day," the redhead snapped sarcastically.
"My my, we are in a rotten mood…" the captain chided.
"I can't imagine why. This detour was so important; I can feel us getting closer by the minute!" Katie pouted.
"I know where we need to go…" Effy insisted. "I just don't know what I know yet."
The brunette fidgeted with the shell fragment intently. Katie glared at her as she toyed with the trinket.
"Well decide quicker," the red head demanded. "I am paying you after all."
The captain ignored her, staring into the contours of the shell, searching for the clue she was supposed to find in it. "Does this look like anything to you?" she asked.
"It looks like a bloody useless…ugh…it's just a shell." The girl snorted.
"I know what it is…I just don't know what I know it is yet…" Effy said distractedly.
She couldn't handle it anymore; Katie snatched the shell out of the captain's hands and threw it on the ground, stomping on it several times and then kicking it across the room. The blue eyed girl looked at her with mild amusement as she took in the child like tantrum; the angry girl stomped over to the bed and tossed herself down with an angry grunt.
"Well that was wildly helpful." The brunette giggled.
Katie threw her a hateful scowl from the bed; that face reminded Effy of someone. The girls angry brown eyes with a hint of hurt blazing in them, and the expression on her face was just like someone else she had known long ago; Captain Stonem's face lit up instantly.
"That's it!" she cheered, turning quickly back to the table and shuffling through her maps.
"What? Are we going to find another loony who will give us the next clue with a handful of buttons?" the girl on the bed groaned.
"No, grumpy, I know our new heading." The captain beamed as she headed out to give the orders.
Emily woke up with a throbbing headache; the other side of the bed was still warm, but the blonde was nowhere to be seen. She sat up shakily and squinted against the sun that made painful slits of light through the windows. She groped through the covers and pulled an empty bottle out from under her back and groaned again; that explained why her back ached as badly as her head did. She squeezed her brown eyes shut and tried to remember exactly what had happened the night before; her eyes sprang open when she remembered the quick kiss she had planted on the blonde's cheek and she blushed. The door opened slowly and Naomi peeked her head in; Emily hid her face in the covers for a few minutes, but she could feel the captain standing by the bed.
"What?" Emily moaned from under the sheet.
"Food," Naomi said. "Trust me, you want it; it'll make you feel better."
The redhead reluctantly emerged from blanket and took the tray; she picked silently at the food without daring to look up at the blonde.
"Have a sip of this too," the captain insisted.
Emily sniffed at the cup and shook her head. "I think I had enough last night."
"Hair of the dog; trust me—last night wasn't my first bender," She insisted.
The hung over girl took a few tentative sips before returning to her meal.
"So…you got pretty…you know…out of it last night too?" Emily said hopefully.
"Yeah," Naomi lied. "You must hold your liquor better than me because I don't remember a thing," she lied again.
The redhead breathed a sigh of relief and finished the bread more cheerfully. The captain stifled a grin as she turned around and sat back at her desk. They were arriving at port as they spoke and she had to choose between two possible locations before they docked. One was the better bet; only she and a hand full of people knew the island so there was little chance of anyone getting the drop on them, but she was reluctant to share the location with anyone—let alone the British navy. So she settled on the second choice and quickly wrote out the finishing touches to the ransom note. The door slammed open and the green parrot flapped in and landed on the top of the desk.
"Naomikins, naomikins!" JJ squawked.
"We've made port," Cook announced. "Would you like me to find a courier?"
"Yes Mr. Cook," Naomi said. "Best to get that out of the way quickly."
The captain glanced over at the girl who was still lying in bed.
"She's a looker, she's a looker," the parrot called, followed by a whistle.
"That she is JJ." Cook smiled.
"And Mr. Cook…" the captain added, "see to it that the boys reload the ship before celebrating this time. Don't want to make that mistake again."
"I think she wants us to leave JJ…what do you say?" Cook laughed.
The bright bird perched back on his shoulder. "Three's a crowd," it mimicked in the first mate's voice.
He laughed as he rushed out the door, dodging the ledger book Naomi had thrown. She turned to the girl and gave an apologetic shrug. The blonde stood and headed to the dresser, pulling out a pair of shoes and a change of clothes and setting them on the edge of the bed before fastening the bureau shut again. Emily looked at her uncertainly.
"I thought you might like a change of clothes before we go ashore," the blonde explained.
The redhead smiled broadly. "I get to go ashore?"
"Of course; we'll get you some of your own clothes, nothing fancy, but still. And the messenger will need to see and attest to the fact that you are alive and safe," the captain clarified.
"Oh," Emily said.
"So…I'll let you get dressed…" Naomi said as she slipped out the door quickly.
Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Big thank you to everyone who is reviewing and please continue.
