II: AYE AYE CAPTAIN
Song: Then by Anne-Marie

Bright sunlight streamed into the room directly into Henrietta's face, rousing her. She immediately sat up from her chair, the coat that was acting as her blanket fell limply on her lap. Despite her drowsy state from being woken up, she was on alert. As a pirate captain, her profession was a dangerous one. Anyone could have boarded her ship and captured her crew. Looking straight at the source of the light, the door was open to let the sunshine in and amplify the smell of salt in the air. A figure stood at the door, and from her point of view, the form was a shadow as she was blinded by the luminous light.

Henrietta covered her eyes and let out a groan as a familiar giggle reverberated around her, the sound amplified by the small space. The auburn-haired girl tried to shift her face away from the almost blinding light now that she knew there was no threat. Much to her comfort, the brightness seemed to disappear as fast as it had turned up. The soft click of the door closing allowed Henrietta to slowly adjust her eyes and look back at the person who interrupted her slumber. Her head was pounding from the sudden awakening she received.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Henrietta spoke, her voice groggy. She brought a hand up to massage the side of her head, trying to lessen the headache. The captain didn't even bother to look at the thin girl. Brianna just walked over to the big desk in the middle of the room, her waist-length dreads swinging as she moved. "You didn't eat last night. Your last meal was almost 24 hours ago. I made that fresh. Now, eat." Brianna placed the bowl down and gave it a slight push over to Henrietta.

For her part, Henrietta looked at the bowl before pulling it closer. The moment her eyes saw the food, her stomach gave out a loud rumble. From the corner of her eyes, she can see Brianna with a smirk on her face, knowing she was right. Henrietta was hungry. Between all the eventful things yesterday, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. It was clear Brianna knew that; she did all the cooking for the crew anyway.

Brianna just leaned on the wall opposite where her captain sat. The smirk was still on her face as she crossed her arms, patiently waiting for Henrietta to finish her food. As she ate, Henrietta took the time to admire the beauty of her friend. Brianna was tall and her skin was a gorgeous cinnamon color that glowed when they worked in the sun. Some of the simple tattoos that littered her body was on display through her cropped tank top. The dull umber color of her long dreads contrasted the sparkle in her hazel eyes, its length emphasizing Brianna's impressive 5-foot 8-inch stature.

A few minutes later, Henrietta pushed the empty bowl back toward Brianna. There was a grateful smile on the former's face, silently thanking the latter for not letting her starve herself to death. The brunette took the bowl just as the door opened again. The light was not as blinding as earlier since Henrietta now had time to let her eyes adjust. The figure that stood at the doorway was just another shadow, again. We must be facing east. Henrietta inferred based on the direction the sunlight was coming from.

Brianna grabbed the bowl and gave Henrietta a wink before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door closed once she did. Alistair's heavy boots walked over to sit on the small bed placed in the corner of the room. They both took their time to assess one another. Alistair's eyes observed Henrietta, who was still subconsciously wrapped up in his coat. Henrietta noticed the dark circles under his eyes, proof that he was up all night.

"What time is it?" Henrietta broke the silence. Her eyes drifted to look at Alistair's jacket on her lap. Despite all her efforts, Henrietta couldn't stop thinking about her almost kiss with Alistair. Sure, they had their fair share of cheek and forehead kisses, but the one last night felt different somehow.

"It's only a few hours past sun up. Fin said we should be there in a couple of hours." Alistair replied lying down on the bed. His lips let out a yawn as his eyes fluttered close. It took a moment, but eventually, Henrietta heard Alistair's even breaths, notifying her that had fallen asleep.

As quietly as she could, Henrietta stood up from her big chair, took one final whiff of Alistair's coat, and placed it over the golden-haired boy like a blanket. Her hands moved to brush a lock of blonde hair away from Alistair's face, unable to resist. With one last look, Henrietta grabbed her now dry coat that hung on the coat rack and put it on as she silently made her way out of the room to let Alistair sleep.

Once Henrietta stepped out on the deck, everything felt like the complete opposite of her room. The sunshine was welcome against her skin, illuminating the clear sky and blue sea. It was a refreshing contrast to the flimsy candle lantern that barely lit up her desk, much less the whole room. The smell of the salty water and fresh air filled her lungs with every breath she took, replacing the stale smell of moist wood. Henrietta's hair floated in the air as a gust of wind blew into the sails, pushing the ship towards its destination. Various voices and sounds drifted to the captain's ears. No matter how many times she would long for the peace the captain's quarters promised, she would never get tired of hearing the hustle and bustle of her crew, her friends.

"Captain on deck!" Stormy called out from her position on the crow's nest the moment she saw Henrietta emerge from her cabin. At this announcement, the crew all called out various greetings and showed warm smiles at the girl. A smile appeared on Henrietta's face, mirroring that of her friends. Henrietta knew that, unlike other captains, her crew was loyal to her not out of fear, but out of respect. That respect went both ways, with the captain treating her crew as equals.

"Hey, Henny!" Raegan appeared from the right, falling into step with Henrietta and swinging her left arm over the auburn-haired girl's shoulder. Before Henrietta could get out of Raegan's grip, she was flanked by Teagan from the left, who swung her right arm around Henrietta's shoulder. This boxed her in. She did not let the twins' grip on her or the terrifying grins on their faces deter her from her destination; the bow. Thus the shorter girl just kept walking.

The twins probably want something. Henrietta rolled her eyes. The brunette twins had the capability of convincing people they are the devil. Whatever they were planning, Henrietta knew she would not like it. "So, we were thinking-" Teagan dragged out every word until she was cut off by Finley. "Please don't think. Nothing good comes from you when you think." Amusement twinkled in Henrietta's eyes. Finley's statement was bold. Sure, anyone else would have said the same thing, but Finley did not want to risk Raegan's wrath.

"How rude of you, sir. Our idea happens to be brilliant." Teagan flipped her hair in confidence. With the practically identical thinking of the twins, they both crossed their arms over their chests at the same time. Henrietta, taking advantage of this, slipped out from between them and stood next to Finley. From this position, it was easier to see the twins' expressions. They both narrowed their eyes and focused their gaze on the broad-shouldered lad. If looks could kill, Finely would have been six feet under by now. From the corner of her eyes, Henrietta saw the boy swallow, probably coming to the same conclusion as her.

"This is not earning you any extra boyfriend points," Raegan said coolly, intimidating the poor boy even more. It was obvious who wore the pants in the relationship, and it was not Finley. "But dearest-" Finely tried to defend his case. He was cut off by Teagan making tsk sounds. They started arguing about the little things, Raegan and Teagan dominating the discussion and ganging up on Finley.

Henrietta, knowing the conversation was not leading anywhere, let out a sigh. "Fix your relationship on your own time." The group suddenly became silent. Three pairs of eyes just blinked at Henrietta before bursting out in laughter. "No offense, Hen, but you are one to talk." Finley choked out in between his laughter. The three were clutching their stomachs, looking like lunatics in Henrietta's opinion. "Yeah. Between you and A, the whole 'running away and becoming pirates' thing has just been you two tiptoeing around your feelings for each other." Raegan said just as their laughter ended, confusing Henrietta even more.

"Anyway, where were we on using Shadow as target practice?" Teagan clapped her hands, bringing the attention back to the main discussion. "You see, Shadow is useless to the crew. It would be more useful to society as a whole if we were able to use him as target practice." Raegan explained. The smile the twins held on their faces was eerie and mischievous. They are the devil. Henrietta knew Shadow was a pain in her butt, yesterday proved it, but the twins were a bigger pain in her behind. "No." The finality in her tone along with her harsh glare almost dissuaded the twins. "But-" The twins stated at the same time, only to be cut off by someone else, surprising the quartet. "She said no. Now, go sweep the deck with Shadow." With the new instruction, the twins turned on their heels and headed to find the boatswain.

"I thought you were asleep?" Henrietta faced Alistair with a questioning look. He was now wearing his jacket, his hair disheveled by the wind, and his slight stubble more visible in the sunlight. "I couldn't sleep." The blonde boy shrugged. Running a smaller-than-average pirate ship took its toll on the crew. After years at sea, they've learned how to operate with little to no sleep.

"I know I said no, but I'm not sure what I negated," Alistair said with a shy smile. This admission sent butterflies down Henrietta's stomach. He blindly agreed with me. Granted he probably would have said no to any suggestion from the twins, but that does not change the fact that he backed me up with no questions asked. Henrietta got caught up in her thoughts as Finley recounted the absurd suggestion of the brunette devils. "It's not a completely bad idea, though. Shadow has been trying my patience more and more lately." Alistair's laugh brought Henrietta out of her daydream.

"Hey, Fin?" Henrietta called the attention of her sailing master. She still had so many thoughts in her head about her and Alistair, she needed to focus on the main task for the day. Henrietta did not wait for acknowledgment from her friend before asking a question. "How much longer until we get to our ... destination?" She was not sure what to call Bryla. It used to be the community she called home, the kingdom where half of her crew was born and raised, the one place she vowed to never return to.

Instead of an answer, fingers gripped her chin and made her look out into the sea. The small figure of Bryla was getting bigger as they got closer. The kingdom's skyline stood majestically against the sky and clear water. The realization of how close they were made the girl swallow the lump in her throat. This was her father's territory; Henrietta had to tread lightly.

With her question answered, Henrietta, turned and headed towards the wheel. Passing through the deck, she saw Shadow cleaning the deck with the twins just sitting idly and watching. "I thought Ali told you to sweep the deck with Shadow?" Henrietta had her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. "I thought he meant get Shadow to sweep and we will supervise," Teagan answered back looking at her sister in fake confusion, earning an eye roll from the captain.

Henrietta turned to face a grumbling Shadow. "Get ready. you are coming with me to gather supplies." Shadow perked up instantly. "Don't worry, babe, I will protect you." He said dropping the broom and flexing his arms to kiss his biceps. Henrietta had lost count of how many times she had rolled her eyes this morning, but she was in no mood to correct Shadow's statement.

"I'm coming too." Alistair piped up, volunteering. Henrietta pretended to ignore him, but she couldn't help almost swooning over his protectiveness of her. "Finley, you know what medicines we need." At the mention of his name, Finley gave a mock salute and walked towards to hold to get ready. "Bri! You are coming along too. Go help Fin." Henrietta called out, not waiting for a reply. She knew her crew was around and heard her instructions. She turned and once again continued to the wheel.

Haven was at the helm of the ship and with a nod, passed it to Henrietta. "Haven, I need you to keep an eye on Shadow. We can't afford his stupidity today." Haven replied with a sly smile and walked into the hold where both Finley and Brianna were.

Henrietta's stress level was now reaching its peak. She deliberately passed Bryla's harbor. The captain steered her ship to the northeast, towards a more secluded area of the island where they can lower their anchor and row into the kingdom undetected.

"Etta." Alistair tried getting Henrietta's attention. She knew what he wanted, it was easy for him to convince her, and she tried to avoid this conversation for as long as possible. "Ali, no. I need you to stay here." Henrietta kept her voice firm. "I need you to make sure the twins don't do anything stupid and make sure they finish their chores." Henrietta's voice was louder towards the end. Down on the deck, the twins let out a groan and Shadow began gloating. "I bid you farewell and good luck, morons," Shadow screamed as he walked away to get ready.

"Aye aye Captain," Alistair replied softly. "I got this, go get ready." His head jerked towards Henrietta's quarters with a small smile. The smile did not reach his eyes, but Henrietta decided not to comment on it. Now is not the time. The girl returned the smile, also not reaching her eyes. She handed the wheel to Alistair, already knowing that he knew where to go. "Thank you." Henrietta's voice was just a whisper. She was not sure exactly why she was thanking him, but she was.

When Alistair gave no confirmation he heard her, Henrietta walked the few steps it took to her cabin. Today's adventure required a clear head and focus. The moment the door of her quarters closed, Henrietta automatically made her way to her chair, sitting in it and opening the bottom drawer of her desk. Inside the drawer was an unopened bottle of rum. Before she can even think twice, Henrietta broke the seal of the bottle and took a swig. Today can only end in two ways. For all their sakes, Henrietta hoped it ended with her and her crew safely on their way to their next stop. She did not want to dwell on the alternative situation. Henrietta took swig after swig until she felt the anchor hit the bottom of the sea.