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few days later

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there was the jolly singing that should have given away the drunkenness of the group as they approached me I eyed them curiously stepping around them but they kept getting in my way it was not night yet but it was dark enough to not be able to see their faces as I walked back but they rushed me grabbing my arms and forcing them behind my back they tied the rope around my hands and feet I wriggled around letting out a yell or two but it was too late with my ankles and wrists tied he took me to the dock and hung me by a short amount of rope over the edge he swung it from side to side I did not know I was over any water until the crew came out to see the commotion they were on the shore close to the start of the dock

"one more step closer slaves and I shall drown the girl"

I looked up or was it maybe down I don't known. and yelled with fear and began trying to throw punches at the drunks legs to no avail I forgot that my arms and legs were tied behind my back

"put her down" yelled Buster coming out from the mess hall I grimaced at his choice of words the drunk smiled

"as you wish"

and dropped me I felt the water cascade over my head and the words from Neon

"but, she can't swim!"

then nothing but the calmness of the water at night I felt my eyes close as my lungs gasped for air I felt a hand around my arm that began to pull me up but by then I was out cold

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I came to wet and cold I breathed deeply and sat up coughed salt water and blood

"Angel?" Reed said "are you-----"

"fine" I said interrupting him

as I tried to get to my feet Neon and Gallent helped me I felt my leg burn as I looked down to see blood slowly leak from the wounds I staggered then fell to my knees unable to hold my own weight Neon and Gallent offered their hands to help but I waved them away I looked up to see all eyes of the crew on me and I could tell they were waiting for me to start walking up the slope but I waved them on and that was good enough a command for them and so I sat there breathing hard my head resting on my knee my heart was still humming from fright as every one disappeared except for Buster who sat down next to me looking at the marks on my leg and shoulder as the blood slowly seeped through he sighed

"so" he said looking to me "you can't swim?"

"yep" I said

"and you sail the sea" I nodded

"that's right"

"that's all water"

"not like I haven't heard that before" I said

there was a long silence then I felt his hands rub my shoulders but he did not touch the mark his hands travelled up my neck when finally he touched my cheeks then grabbed my chin and turned my face towards his were he kissed me gently and I returned it his lips tasted strangely of salt he pulled away and smiled

"Buster I----" I started

"I know" he said "you love another" I looked at him quizzically

"how did you guess that?"

"by the way you acted around me most women swoon when they see me but you didn't even give me a second glance"

he leaned forwards again and kissed me harder holding it and I returned it with the same passion until I pulled away

"but" he said "you being bound to someone else makes my heart ache" I felt my self blush I felt his hand touch my face

'I wish Rikard said something like that' I thought

but little did I know that he had tried to ever since he showed me the pirate haven Buster kissed me harder and pushed me back gently until he was on top of me and this time I had let him

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Buster had approached me the next day when I was watching the others "train" ( hint hint they just swung sticks at each other trying to find blind spots) Buster was more casual around me then he is around his men or my crew (I started saying that the crew was mine and they all seem pretty happy about the new accusation) it was only today that Buster questioned me about the marks but I brushed the question over my shoulder he rolled his eyes and asked no more but said classic Angel the words stung and he knew it I gave him an ear full afterwards but the only word he said was pay back

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I had gone back to my bow training and decided to practice a bit more with my gliding too so I checked the mechanisms and sighed deeply the legs were torn along with the ones on my arms I pulled them off revealing my skin to the cold weather on the earlier winter morning and sat down on a rock pulling out the needle and sharpening it on the rock then taking out my leather cotton then wetting it in the small pond behind me to loosen it so it would run more easily I began to stitch up the holes then I left it to dry and continued my bow work sending arrow after arrow into multiple trunks until I felt a hand brush against my shoulder causing me to jump

"well you look different" I heard Alvin comment "much different without that fancy padding of yours" he walked over to where my padding hung drying in the tree

"don't touch that" I barked

Alvin turned to me and stomped over too me and grabbed my wrist and began bending it backwards I bit my tongue as pain shot through my body until I heard a crack as my wrist gave way to the pressure I yelled with pain

"that ought to teach you" he growled

he brushed past me again and disappeared into the trees I felt along my wrist and sighed with relief it was only dislocated and I easily and rather pain fully put it back into place

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it was rather windy today so I decide to try my luck at gliding I was in the clearing where I did my bow training up in the highest tree I could find it was only when I was halfway through the activity did Buster come along and perched himself on a rock and it was only when I got ready to jump did he question what I was about to do but every question I ignored until I jumped and quickly flung out the retaining rods and glided across to the nearest tree and then down to the ground but miss calculated the landing and skidded along the snow

"ow" I said

sitting up I saw Buster run to my aid I clicked the rods down and got to my feet feeling a stinging pain on the back of my leg I reached back I had torn the pants and something had jabbed into my unprotected skin making it bleed I limped along to sit down but realises I couldn't

"show me" he sighed

I turned around to show him the big gash in my thigh

"great" I said "just great"

I slipped my leather vest off and over my head and I took the pants off I shivered as my body adjusted to the cold Buster came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist I felt his warmth on my skin and I allowed it even up to the part where he ran his hands under my shirt I shivered I felt him kiss my neck I let him do that too I even let him whisper words in my ear that I could not possibly rewrite on paper

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I ducked and jumped out of the way of Neons punches

"come on Neon you can do better than that" I teased

my words made him furious and his punches became faster, harder and more frantic he got me in the arm and sent me flying backwards into the water I yelled out in fright and fear as I splashed around then stood up shivering

"oops sorry Angel" he said

as I huge wave hit me over the head knocking me over I screamed out in fright again jumping five feet into the air and I some how landed on the sand wet and shivering like crazy I heard the crowd that were sitting on the rocks some were from Busters crew and all were from mine heck even Buster was looking on a smile on his face they all laughed but I ignored them

"again" said Neon curiously

and I nodded and he came at me fast and hard I danced out of the way and even landed a few punches into him before I retired to a tree well out of reach of him I winced as I sat on my wound

"bring it on" said Neon punching the air

"knock it off kid" said Buster "I think she's had enough"

Neon stopped looked to the group of people then slunk back red faced I sat down comfortably sides heaving

"alright" I heard Buster bellow "now that's over and done with it's time we got packing".

'Packing' I thought

as Busters crew yelled their happiness and then I remembered we were hostages or more like a good to be traded

'a slave' I thought

I imagined a bider all old and wrinkled and all that he wanted was to ....my skin crawled and during my thoughts Buster had walked below the tree

"are you going to come help?" he asked I sighed

"if I have too" I said but "I don't know what I could do that would help"

"I'll will find something for you to do" said Buster

as I slipped from the tree and followed after him I ended up just watching or sitting on a crate that Gallent,Khan or Gero were carrying but at some stage the crew got me to push one of the crates up the ramp Buster stopped to look and his crew did too and my crew did not stop until they got me to do it I ended up pushing the 100 kg crate all the way across the ground (50 meters )and about 400 cm almost half the way up the ramp Gallent gave a low whistle and the rest of the crew clapped Buster smiled and most of his crew yelled show off the others clapped I sighed

"how can you guys lift this thing"

I said as I slid down the side of the crate they said nothing all they did was smiled then lifted their arms and patted their muscles I glowered at them and their smiles grew bigger

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I did a head count and nodded to myself

'every ones here' I thought

and just as I turned away I heard a grunt of displeasure it came from the front of the ship I turned around to the stairs I walked up them to see Buster on a small crate leaning over a large one I approached him quietly where I looked over his shoulder

"what cha' doing" I asked

"charting a course" said Buster like he had known I was coming "I'm trying to catch the current to Brack Balla but I could never get it"

I smiled and I could not stop myself

"that's because you over shoot the distance" I said

pointing to the spot where the current was and to pointed where the ship is bound to sail he turned slightly and rested his hand on his knee

"and how do you propose then that I catch the current?"

"glad you asked" I said smiling

I pointed from the current position which was marked out on the map and directed him to do a 90 degree turn around the cliff side

"that's madness" he bellowed I smiled looked up at the sail

"not if you keep the sail trimmed taut" I said

he slumped back and charted the course again under my direction then when he was done I went off to annoy Neon who just ignored me while I bounced around him

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it was a short journey it was under an hour when we did the ninety degree turn around the cliff then the ship then lurched into life as we caught the current Busters crew yelled out their praise

"I guess this is a feat" I said

as a heavy fog laid over the ship and the water I felt a shiver down my spine as a cool breeze blew across the deck I could not see my hand in front of my face I turned to the mast and ran up it no one stopped me as I got all the way to the top but there was nothing to see I slid down it again I was drenched from head to toe I ran my hand over my drenched hair

'mist' I thought I felt a presence behind me

"now you know why catching this current is so important"

I jumped then turned to see Buster I hit him hard in the shoulder

"ow" he said recoiling "just add to my collection of bruises why don't you"

I smiled and turned away again and focused hard my ears prickled

"rock" I said

"what?" said Buster

as there was a loud scraping sound along the side of the ship as the ship rock perilously from side to side

"I said rock or more precisely" I continued looking at him with a smile "rock formation" he sighed

"is that just another way to say bad steering?" I smiled

"pretty much" he whacked me over the head

"ow" I said staggering to the side

"don't sass the captain" he said I sighed

"not like I haven't heard that before either captain" I said sticking my tongue out

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the mist hung over the ship for a long time and every body was jumpy and I was drenched to the bone with the water the mist had supplied then suddenly the mist parted showing deep blue water then moments later the shore line came into view it looked like it was mostly rocks for a second because it was too far away I was worried that we had turned in a complete circle but as we got closer the bleak outline of houses began to appear as we neared the shore

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