Ahoy!

Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Gemma!

FIFTEEN

It is a still night, the wind having died down to nothing more than a light breeze, when I climb up onto the deck for my watch. Isabella is nowhere to be seen, and though I am relieved to have a moment's peace from the tiresome woman, I find a small part of me is disappointed as well.

There is something to be said for her irksome smile—it certainly makes the night watch move faster.

I settle in on my perch, my eyes scanning quickly over the water, before I let out a long yawn and lean back against the mast. I tilt my head to the wondrous heavens above, losing my focus in the stars.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

My head tilts down, my eyes going wide as Alice settles beside me. "'Tis," I agree, looking over at her. "What brings you to the deck?"

I've never seen Alice on watch before.

She settles next to me, leaning back against a pile of ropes and smiling. "You."

One of my eyebrows reflexively arches, and Alice smiles, looking up at the full night sky.

"What can I do for you, Mademoiselle Beauvais?"

I see Alice's smile tug a little higher. "Do you know what my name means?" she asks, glancing at me. I shake my head. "Lovely view. Isn't that so charming?" Her voice goes dry as she speaks, and I frown.

"Is that not how your…" I hesitate. "Gift works?" I'm still skeptical. I don't trust Isabella, nor her judgment, and though she claims Alice is a great seer, I do not know any such ability to actually exist. It sounds like another one of the piratess's devious plans.

Alice turns to me, her face as pale as the moon.

"You don't believe," she says flatly.

I consider lying, but then I shake my head. "No, I do not."

She smiles, turning her gaze to her hands. "I didn't either. Not at first." Her fingers twist in her lap, and I watch as her eyebrows dip into a soft frown. "It didn't happen all at once. Things came to me slowly, things I shouldn't know. Things people didn't want to ever be known. Things that had not yet come to pass… I thought I was going mad." Her small hands curl into fists. "I was convinced that I'd lost my mind. I tried to keep the knowledge inside of me, keep the information I was being burdened with hidden."

Alice looks up at me.

"Do you know what happens to a secret when it is kept too long?"

I shake my head, and Alice looks forward, her eyes on the water.

"It festers and burns in the hearts of those who keep it." She looks haunted as her mind travels to some long passed time. "Secrets come to me, and I can either release them, or let them destroy me."

I have no idea how to respond to her. What she's saying can't be possible, yet I see the truth burning in her eyes. She truly believes this is her burden.

"A secret came to me. A secret about my parents." Alice shakes her head, her eyes squeezing shut. "It was awful, and I knew the moment it came to me that I would have to run away." Her eyes open and a tear slips down her fair cheek. "That's how I met Bella. She smuggled me away from my parents, brought me to Nassau where I could live safe and free."

She turns to me and gives me a small smile.

"I know you don't believe a word I say," she says, her head tilting slightly. "But I have a message for you."

Something in her tone makes me hesitate. "What is it?"

She takes a deep breath. "Your mother says to abandon your quest. The compass is not worth your life."

I'm taken aback by her words. I haven't told anyone that it is a compass I seek.

"What does that mean?" I demand.

Alice shakes her head.

"I don't know. Your mother was not clear other than she fears for your life and urges you to abandon your quest."

"If it is truly my mother," I say, my voice tight. "Then she will know what the compass means to me… to our family."

Alice shrugs. "It doesn't mean more than your life."

I go quiet. What Alice has said is impossible, yet here we are.

"You convene with the dead as well?" I ask.

Alice lets out a soft breath. "Sometimes, I think there isn't a soul living or dead that I can hide from."

The heaviness in her voice sets a burden upon my heart. She is far too young for such a weight to be on her shoulders.

"Have you more messages?" I work to make my voice softer, kinder.

Alice looks at me in surprise, then a small smile flickers across her face. "Yes, one more."

I can sense by her tone and the impish smile on her face that whatever it is she is about to say, I am not going to like it.

Still, I must know, even if it is all false.

"Well?"

Alice smiles, looking out at the water. "You're not ready to hear it yet."

I gape at her. "But you said the secrets fester in you if not released."

She smirks, shaking her head. "Most do. Some need to age in me until it's the right time to share them."

I huff, leaning back against the mast. "You know, I am starting to see why you and Isabella are such good friends." I pout.

Alice giggles.

"Dear Captain, I'll take that as the highest compliment."