Pirate City

Chapter 13 Train

The music is kind of the mood of part of this chapter, I was listening to this while writing lol. Also, I changed her age to 15, it didn't feel right having her 13.

Angelo's pov:

Does it count as lying if it just isn't the complete truth?

I could barely hear Luna's footsteps behind me as I walked back along the deck, trailing my fingers along the taffrail and watching the sea mindlessly. The water and the horizon looked the same when I blurred my vision, the foamy white of the wake cutting into the almost-perfect symmetry. We had been at a standstill for the past while- it was hard to measure how long. There was probably new news by now - any news was good news if it meant the was boat moving again.

I gripped the taffrail, watching as my knuckles turned from red to white and back to red as I clenched and unclenched my fingers.

"What time is it?" Luna whispered, trying to fill the silence. I looked from the horizon to the sun, guessing the spaces between.

"About 10:30," I said, shrugging my shoulders and looking back down to the water.

"How can you tell?" She asked curiously.

"An old sailor's trick. Put your hand like this," I turned to the other side of the sky and lifted my hand so that my pinky rested on the horizon. "Every hand is 2 hours." I switched out my hands to count 5 hands and 2 fingers. 11:00. Close enough. An awkward pause fell between us, the elephant in the room forcing an uncomfortable silence.

"How long do we have." She knew there was more I wasn't telling her.

"24 hours." I answered quickly, avoiding her face. If we kept this speed it would be even sooner, we could be at the dock by sundown or early tomorrow morning. My arms folded over my chest uncomfortably.

"Why are you nervous." It wasn't a question. I looked back at her, frustrated.

"Enough with the questions." The wind made her hair float behind her, the loose strands scattering around her face. She squinted in the sun's reflection, shielding her eyes from the glare with her hand.

"I'm scared Angel." She whispered, fixing her eyes on the lapping water. I didn't know how to answer that. I don't think she wanted an answer. I turned to her and bent down so that our eyes were at the same level, my face coming close to hers.

"I promise you," I spoke quietly, looking directly into her dark eyes. "That I will protect you no matter what it costs me. As long as my heart beats, so will yours." Her expression changed, I couldn't tell what she was thinking but she relaxed with my words. Satisfied, I turned back to the water. I could watch the waves for hours; the mesmerizing light pulled anyone into a trance, like Medusa turns men to stone.

"If something happens-" She didn't finish her sentence, letting the unspoken question still the air. I breathed slowly, allowing some time to slip away as I thought.

"If something happens to me?" At least she would be safe. "You are strong Luna. It's time I show you how to use that blade of yours." I avoided the question, distracting her with another problem; her safety. I looked over to her pocket where the dirk hid, her hand already closed around the shaft. She was good with the thing, naturally confident with its complexion and gifted with the understanding of control.

She nodded and handed me the small dagger, the leather sheath still buttoned around the handle. I felt bad. She was still innocent. I felt bad leading her from where the only thing she knew to kill was time to where the only real part of life was death. I unbuckled the clasp, unwrapped the leather strap around the handle and slid the case back, revealing the carefully polished blade.

I shook my head and handed it back to her, offering the handle as I had only a few days before.

"Show me."

"What?" Her cheeks flushed.

"Show me." I repeated, the knife wobbling in my fingers. I hated that I had to give her something to defend herself. People should learn something I think they call basic human fucking decency.

The blade moved smoothly in her fingers. She was good at that, but twirling a cutlass wouldn't help her much if another man slipped a noose around her neck. I cringed at the memory of pealing the 300-pound man off of her bleeding body. 

"Hold it like - that." I moved the knife in her hand so that her fist closed around the handle and the point of the blade pointed to the ground. She swiped through the air, narrowly missing her thigh. I sucked in quickly, clenching my teeth as I released my breath.

"Try curving it sideways." It took her a few tries before she could guide the blade through the air, making a swishing sound as she conducted the shaft. "Better." That would only help her if someone were really close, which would mean they would be stronger and more confident than her. She needed to learn how to get it farther. I would need to teach her how to throw.

"How long are we going to do this for?" She asked, looking towards the sun. "It's 12:00." I smiled, she learned quickly which boosted my confidence and made teaching her easier.

"Let's go to mess, we'll do this later." I was hungry and by my reminder, so was she. She nodded and let me lead her into the dining hall. It wouldn't be long until we reached the mainland. 

I looked up from my plate of food to see Stephano looking at me from across the room, leaning with his arm propped up on the doorframe. I tasted blood coming from the tip of my tongue, my teeth digging into my flesh. He pissed me off. He was intimidating and scared even the toughest of his men. I kept my eyes locked on his, not caring about the scatter of people walking between us. His blue eyes cut like sharpened ice into my skin. 

I could feel my temples pulsing with my clenching and unclenching jaw,  my eyes slicing back at him.  He smirked and walked out of the room, the toothpick in his hand now twirling in his fingers. That was his weakness. A mafia leader scared of a room of people. 

Stephano Russo is a coward.

Thx for reading this far! 

It might take longer to write the next chapters, I kinda have to write in secret now. 

ok, ly bye!! <3