BAILEY

I finally came out of the pipe room when I heard the shouts.

As far as I knew, there were only five people on the ship: Olivia, Heather, Bill, the deckhand boy and I. Where were these outrageous yells coming from?

"AYE CAP'N!"

I froze in the middle of the hallway when this cry cut above the rest. I could feel the pounding of feet on the deck above me, the swords mounted on the wall shaking with them. I narrowed my eyes, squinting at the swinging chandelier. A tidal wave of voices, just barely muted by the ceiling, rose together.

"AYE CAP'N!"

I raced toward the stairs, my heart crawling into my throat.

I needed to save them. That was the only reason why I was still on this, this pirate ship. That was the only reason why I hadn't jumped over the side and let the tide bury my body. That was the only reason I was still alive, still sane.

But of course, I could not forget about Cory.

And I couldn't help but wonder, was he in the same place as my son and brother? Had the Cubans kidnapped my entire family?

Excluding Aiden, of course. My poor, sweet Aiden, all alone. I could justify leaving him in my mind, though. This was to make it up to him. I would get his brother, uncle, and father back.

I'd give him back his mother as well.

"--DO THIS!"

When I opened the door, I heard my sister's voice ringing out across the deck, her proclamation met by dozens of cheers and foot stomps. I looked up. My heart stopped.

Pirates.

Real pirates.

The sheer number of them amazed me. In a single glance, I had seen at least twenty men crowded on the deck, and there had to be more -- I could hear them. They stood packed together like X's in a cross stitch, one running into the next so that they became a continuous pattern. I couldn't believe it. Where had they come from?

But although the myriad of pirates unnerved me, they weren't the most frightening thing above deck.

Olivia took first prize. She stood on the railing, clutching the rope that hung down from the mast. She looked terrifying. The dim evening light cast shadows on her face, her hair glowing gold. The knives strapped to her belt glinted in the sunset and her eyes blazed, crazed with ire. My little sister. A pirate captain.

"SET COURSE FOR CUBA!"

Cheers.

Stomps.

Footsteps.

Pirates.

"Wait!" A woman's voice called out from the crowd, deep and husky. I recognized her. Heather emerge from the sea of men, face stricken with panic. "Wait," She begged, stepping right up in front of Olivia. The other men had dispersed, preparing to leave port.

"What, Heath?" Olivia hissed, letting her heels slip from the railing. She slid down the rope, landing in front of the woman.

"I can't do this, Olive. I'm sorry," She whispers. "It's too hard for me, you understand, don't you?"

I watched from behind the doorway as Olivia took a livid step toward Heather. Blood rose in her dusk-shrouded face, her fingers curling into fists.

She growled. Then she let out a sigh.

"Okay."

Well someone was just full of surprises.

Heather also looked startled by the unexpected response. "What?" She said.

"I said okay," Olivia repeated, closing her eyes. "If you're too weak to do this, if you don't care then okay. Get off  my ship." 

Heather frowned, reaching out her hand. "Liv, I didn't mean that--"

"Get off my ship," Olivia repeated, batting Heather's hand away from her shoulder. She turned toward the sea, arms crossed.

"Olive--"

"LEAVE!"

She stood for a moment, looked at Olivia with an expression like a kicked puppy. And without another word, she parted the sea of pirates and swung over the side of The Fina, landing on the dock with a quiet thud.

I watched her go with longing, a longing to go with her. I didn't want to be on this ship. I didn't want to go after the Cubans. I didn't want to leave Aiden behind.

But at the same time, I had to.

And I did.