I: ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME
Song: Be Alright by Ariana Grande

Multiple footsteps padded against the dirt road. Yelps and shrieks could be heard all around as figures ran past merchants and passersby alike, evading the squad of law enforcers and bounty hunters that were hot on their tails. A small group of 5 pirates being chased by over 20 well-built men was a sight rarely seen in the Southern Markets. The entire island was a sanctuary for wanted criminals and pirates, hidden well by the ruse of merchants and traders. Corruption also had the police and government officials turning a blind eye to all the illegal activities. Unfortunately, the understanding did not apply to this particular group of pirates, who had done nothing unlawful since they stepped foot in the markets earlier that day.

The sound of waves crashing against the sand grew louder and louder the further the pirates ran away from the market proper. The pirates never stopped running, no matter how much space they put between themselves and their pursuers. The salty air told the group how close they were to escape, making their legs run faster. The sight of their small dinghy was enough to pump one more shot of adrenaline into the group's veins.

"Hurry up!" A panicked voice shouted. He was the first to the rowboat, already pushing it off the sand and into the sea. His muscular arm pushed against the waves with ease. Two brunettes then jumped into the small vessel and took hold of one oar each. The three were all situated comfortably on the dinghy and already rowing out of the coast when a blonde jumped in.

"Were you seriously going to leave us?" The blonde asked, catching his breath. The three shared a look and shrugged their shoulders, answering his question. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. He knew better than to ask questions he already knew the answers to.

About a third of the way to their main ship, the four noticed something was wrong. They were missing someone. A head popped out of the water, an auburn-haired girl was swimming as fast as she could, trying to catch the boat. "Slow down, nitwits. At this rate, you're gonna leave her behind." The blonde scolded his companions, reaching an arm out to help his friend. "Thanks." The girl said shyly once she was aboard the dinghy, shivering in her wet clothes.

The group looked back to the beach. Men were disappearing into the forest and heading back to the markets. It seems like the not-so-friendly group of thugs had given up the chase the moment the escape vehicle was 20 meters away from the shoreline.

Once the rowboat made contact with the wood of a 2-mast schooner, a rope ladder was let down. The last one to make their way up the ship was the dripping wet redhead. "Um, Cap? Why are you wet?" A husky, light brown-haired man asked, genuine curiosity lacing his voice.

A scowl appeared on the captain's face, annoyed at many things. "I don't know, Finley. Why don't you ask the three idiots over there." She said sarcastically, pointing over to where the skiff was being tied up. Three heads looked up with mischief in their eyes. "We just thought Henny could use a bit of exercise." One of the brunettes said casually, her messy braid slightly shaking as she gave a little laughter. With a roll of her eyes, Henrietta took off her wet coat and handed it to the waiting arms of the cabin boy. "Thanks, Tommy." She said softly as the boy shuffled off to hang her coat dry.

Multiple voices lambasted the trio for almost leaving their friend behind. "You return without her again, I'm throwing you overboard, Shadow." Haven, a spunky redhead, threatened. Her hands were on her hips, a serious look on her face.

"Come on, babe. It was just harmless fun." Shadow tried flirting his way out of trouble. Haven let out a scoff and brushed Shadow's comment off, walking away. The remaining group laughed at Shadow's expense, he turned beet red and irritatedly stomped off.

"If you are done entertaining yourselves, get back to work. Fin, Shadow, pull the dinghy up. Ray, Tee, get the anchor, won't you." Henrietta barked. The brunette twins grumbled about their captain's sudden attitude but went to unanchor the ship. The two boys then got to work pulling the rowboat and securing it on the side of the ship with rope. Haven and Brianna, a tall girl with long brown dreadlocks, climbed the mainmast to release the sails. The wind whipped around, pushing the ship further away from the Southern Markets. At the wheel was the ship's captain, steering her ship outwards to the open sea. Henrietta let the wind dry her hair and clothes, letting goosebumps rise on her skin. She didn't mind the slight chill; it made her feel free.

The slender beauty set her sights down on the deck below. The two cabin boys, Tommy and Brandon, were running around with small wooden swords, play-fighting. By the railing was Mabel, Finley's apprentice, drawing on her arm while laughing at the antics of the two young boys. The twins' bickering preceded them as they came up from the hold. Raegan's chocolate brown hair whisked further into a mess when they hit the open air. Shadow's brawny figure followed a few steps behind, trying to force himself into whatever ridiculous conversation the twins were having. Henrietta let out a small smile at the scene in front of her. This was home and she wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Distracted by all the ship's hustle and bustle, Henrietta gasped when a heavy coat was draped on her shoulders. Its warmth confirmed that someone had recently just worn it, and she had a pretty good idea who it was. Taking a whiff of the coat, a masculine scent mixed with some saltiness from the sea filled her lungs - it was her favorite scent. Through her peripheral vision, Henrietta saw the golden locks of the coat's owner. He situated himself next to her and stared straight ahead. Henrietta held back a bigger grin, even with earlier's troubles, she felt at peace. She was happy.

"What's with the smile?" Henrietta's companion asked, never taking his gaze off the horizon. "Nothing's with the smile." She replied blissfully. Her stare moved from the deck to the horizon. The sun was starting to set, giving off a beautiful golden glow. Laughter reverberated throughout the ship, but Henrietta could barely hear it. She was too transfixed by the gorgeous blue, yellow, and orange hues of the cloudless sky.

A moment of silence passed before either of them spoke again. "You are such a bad liar." He whispered, amusement palpable in his voice. Henrietta released her smile and let out a giggle. "It seems like you know me better than I know myself, Alistair." She bumped her hips against his as he chuckled along.

Their laughter died down as they locked eyes, getting lost in the vivid colors of their irises. Neither of them realized how close they had gotten to each other or how everyone else got quiet, their attention now on the captain and her first mate.

Alistair's gaze flicked from Henrietta's eyes to her lips and then back to her eyes. This action made Henrietta subconsciously lean in closer. Their faces were now just a hairbreadth away. Any movement forward would have them kissing. Alistair made a move to break the distance. But, just before their lips could touch, Henrietta looked away. She placed her hands on his defined chest and pulled back.

Quiet groans echoed from the rest of the crew. Noticing the awkwardness between their leader, everyone went on acting busy as if they weren't just watching their friends almost kiss.

Alistair opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, closing his mouth and walking away. Henrietta stayed silent. What did I have against kissing Alistair? She wracked her brain for answers and came up with none. She looked up at the sky, regretting her actions. The sun had set significantly, allowing the stars to appear against the dark blue tint of the sky.

Someone cleared their throat, getting Henrietta's attention. Stormy was standing a few feet away with a compassionate smile, contrasting her facial piercings and black hair with blue and purple highlights.

Silently passing control of the wheel to Stormy, Henrietta voiced her thoughts. "How much did you see?" Stormy was calm as if she was expecting this question. She let Henrietta rant and mumble on and on for a while, knowing she needed to get things off her chest as she paced back and forth. Once done, Stormy waited a few seconds before speaking. "I saw just as much as everyone else did. It's clear you both have feelings for each other. Maybe you're just scared or unsure of what will happen." Stormy said casually.

Henrietta processed what Stormy had said. She valued her opinion greatly as she was the oldest on the ship and acted like a big sister to the rest of the crew. Henrietta pondered for a while and looked around. She saw candles being lit and lanterns being hung. The brightness of the ship contrasted with its dark and empty surroundings. Dinner was being served as bowls of food were passed around. Alistair was nowhere in sight, and Henrietta knew she blew it. He's ignoring her.

Having made up her mind, Henrietta walked down a few steps to the deck. She intended to find Alistair and talk to him. But, before she could even begin looking, Finley came up to her with worried looks plastered on their faces. Without him saying anything, Henrietta knew this was serious. "Let's talk in my quarters." She offered, leading the way to the captain's chambers.

The captain's chambers looked exactly like what you'd expect from a pirate captain. Lanterns provided the small room with some light. At the center of the room was a desk full of charts, maps, books, and other miscellaneous papers. A wooden chair way too big for Henrietta was situated by the desk. A single bed was unkempt in the corner with shelves covering a whole wall. The shelves held more books, knick-knacks, medicines, and some treasures.

Once inside, Henrietta motioned to close the door as she sank into her chair. The door shut with a quiet thud and the room fell silent. Henrietta let out a sigh, her head in her hand with her arm resting on the chair's armrest. Nobody wanted to speak first. Henrietta for fear of what Finley has to say, and Finley for dread of bringing up the topic.

"Why are we here?" A familiar voice broke the silence. Henrietta's head shot up immediately. Her eyes landed on Alistair leaning by the door. Half of his body was shown by the light while the other was hidden in the dark, but Henrietta knew that voice and physique. She didn't know he had followed them into her room.

"We don't have any more supplies. Food and medicines are dwindling to almost nothing." Finley said quietly. Realization quickly hit Henrietta like she was doused in cold water. She was so stupid for focusing on her and Alistair, that she forgot about the rest of the crew. They were at the Southern Markets to replenish supplies and before they were able to get any, they were literally chased off the island. "The Southern Markets was the third or fourth place that tried to catch us." Henrietta thought out loud. "It doesn't seem like a coincidence." Alistair inferred what Henrietta was implying. Finley nodded along.

Henrietta stood up from her seat and paced around back and forth. The two boys knew better than to interrupt her pacing, it meant she was thinking. Nothing stood out. She could not find any plausible idea of why they were being hunted down. In the past, they were always ignored in the Southern Markets. Things did not make any sense, Henrietta concluded.

The redhead gave up reasoning their situation, sitting down exasperated. "We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to restock. What's the closest port?" Alistair said objectively. Right, one problem at a time. Henrietta brought herself back to reality. This day was proving to be mentally exhausting for the captain.

Finley pulled a map off Henrietta's desk, calculating their position. He mumbled to himself as he worked but stopped abruptly. Henrietta looked to the blue-eyed boy from across the room, sharing a look of concern. Something was off. Finley rarely stopped mumbling when he worked.

Alistair walked over to Finley's left side while the green-eyed girl rounded the desk to Finley's right side. His tattooed arms placed the map down on the desk, his finger pointing to the one place they never thought they would return to. Bryla.

Henrietta felt faint. She would die a thousand times before returning to the hell she once called home. If only the lives of her friends were not at risk, she would say screw it and opt for the next dock. Unfortunately, they wouldn't make it to the next port after Bryla. They were out of options. With a nod, Henrietta gave the go signal. "Very well. Plot the course, Finley."

Letting her sailing master do his job, Henrietta sat back in her chair. She wasn't feeling too well and had a headache. "I'll take the night shift," Alistair said. Henrietta gave a small nod in acknowledgment and massaged her temple. The blonde saw how frail his captain looked, but walked out quietly instead of saying anything.

After looking over various charts and maps, Finley had a route laid out. "Assuming the wind stays this way, we will be in Bryla's waters just after midday tomorrow." Henrietta's best friend explained. Finley's meaty and tattooed exterior was the complete opposite of his personality, which made Henrietta get along with him so well. They were both judged too harshly by their outward appearance, people often underestimate them.

"Very well. Update everyone and give the course to A. When you're done, get some rest. I need you for tomorrow." The captain dismissed. She loved her friends to death, but they got on her nerves a lot. She just couldn't deal with it at the moment.

"Are you okay, Hen? You don't look so well." Finley said. He was concerned about his friend. Her skin was pale. The usual happy look on her face was gone. The vivid spark of green in her eyes was now dull. Overall, she wasn't herself. This was dangerous because the crew relied heavily on her. Even if the twins and Shadow were joking about leaving her behind, they all knew that she was the reason they are where they are now. Whether it was good or not, Henrietta was the greatest asset to the team.

"I'm fine. Just tired." Henrietta bluntly replied. Finley understood that tone of voice enough. She wanted to be left alone. Only one person had a high success rate in bringing her out of the disoriented mood she was in. That person just happened to be avoiding her.

A sigh escaped Finley as he looked at his friend helplessly. There wasn't much he could do. He knew how stubborn Alistair could be and how equally hardheaded Henrietta is. They have to work on their issues without any outside meddling. All he could do to help was take care of their ship and the crew.

Just as he turned to leave, Finley gave one last look over his shoulder. Henrietta had barely moved a muscle. Her thoughts were out of control. Everything from her and Alistair to her impending return to her father's territory, Henrietta let every possible anxiety, expectation, and emotion take over her brain.

The sound of the door closing signaled that Henrietta was left alone in her room. She was too tired to move over to her bed and just settled comfortably in her huge chair. She let exhaustion take over, her eyelids feeling heavy. Her mind calmed down slightly as she took in her favorite smell. The last thing she remembered was positioning Alistair's jacket over her and inhaling his scent some more before drifting off to sleep.