Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
The next two hours drag, but finally, we have a clear view of the ship. If I squint, I can make out paint scrawled on the hull—something like a skull and some letters. She leans a little to one side, like she’s been patched together by nightmares, but whoever is on board seems pretty comfortable just hauling an anchor into the ocean, unbothered by who could be around. They don’t even try to come quietly—the little raft they send out is quickly filled with men, by the looks, and they’re not quiet.
I count heads as they finally reach the shore and climb out. Six men, three women, and a young woman who might only be eighteen, if she’s lucky.
Aggie sucks in her breath. “Jesus. Look at them.”
I do.
We all do.
The men are massive and look just like they rolled out of a dirty bar somewhere. They are all barefoot, wearing ragged clothes, and judging by the scuff on their faces and missing teeth, they have been out on the sea a long damn time. The women are almost worse. One has a streak of blue hair, tied up in a knot, and her face is sharp, feral. The others are stacked in mismatched layers, half-naked, and two of them start fighting immediately, throwing slaps and shoving each other before one just kicks the other in the shin.
The youngest girl is the only one not moving. She stands by the edge of the water, alone, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the sand between her toes. They have supplies—big yellow water tanks, sacks. The instant they’re clear of the surf, one of the men hauls up a bottle and starts swinging it, chugging. Judging by the way another man snatches it and takes a long drink, I would say it isn’t water.
Tatiana’s eyes are fixed on the young girl, who has this beautiful blonde hair, flowing in the breeze. “She’s so young. Gosh, she would barely be eighteen.”
I nod, wishing I hadn’t noticed her at all.
The next hour is the worst kind of anxiety I have ever lived through. Like with every passing second, we become even more afraid of the fact that they might find us.
The pirates immediately begin scouring the land, and Kellen stands beside me, fists balled, watching as they find the water. I know what he’s thinking: get the water and leave. Just fucking leave.
Time slows to a crawl.
We just sit and listen to the squelch and cuss of pirates as they argue over nothing, watch as the young girl sits farther from the group, until a woman with the blue hair walks over and smacks her, barking something in a language I don’t know. The girl gets up and walks a little farther, like she can outpace the world. Two of the men disappear into the woods, and Tatiana freaks out, saying we should leave, run, hide, but Ace calms her down. A minute later, they come back laughing and shoving each other.
Eventually, they start a fire, barely twenty feet from the creek mouth. Not a single one of them looks up or around, or even seems to notice the caves and rocks. Aggie shivers beside me, and I realise we’re both huddled so close together, my arm is asleep. Ace is standing at the edge of a rock, arms crossed, shoulder leaning against it. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the group, and I know that right now, he’s coming up with a plan just in case they come this way.
“Do we have a plan?” I ask, curious. “If they come up here?”
Zeke shakes his head, just a shared look with Ace, and I can read it: we don’t. We just watch and wait, and hope they’re too drunk or dumb to care.
We wait, and the waiting starts to make me feel insane. Every time someone stands up, I flinch. Every time a voice gets too loud, I wonder if they’ve found evidence of us. For a while, one of the women walks up and down the edge of the trees, looking for something. Maybe she’s just bored, or maybe she’s looking for a reason. Once, the younger girl starts walking in our direction, so slow and careful that my spine locks up. She gets within maybe thirty yards, kneels, and...cries? She’s hunched over, her shoulders shaking.
Then she stands and walks back towards the pirates, her chin tucked into her chest.
Aggie’s whisper is almost imperceptible. “Do you think we could help her?”
No, I almost tell her. We can’t help anyone. We can’t even help ourselves.
But instead I say, “If we make a sound, we’re dead. So, we have to stay here. I know it’s hard. I want to go and take her so badly, too.”
I think we all do.
“Do you think she has been taken?” Tatiana whispers, shuffling closer until her thigh touches mine.