A Pirate Stole My Heart

Chapter 17

~ Chapter 17 ~

"... and this captain could use any blade, any gun, or any other weapon someone could think of to absolutely destroy 'is enemy. 'E traveled miles an' miles across any sea imaginable, even the ones in ye dreams- 'e was there. 'E memorized every star constellation in 'he sky, every pattern in 'he wind, and every pirate map tha' 'e ever had in 'is life.

"But one day, 'is life came to an end 'cause a curse was cast upon 'im. See, this pirate was incredibly greedy, even more so than this crew."

There were a few chuckles from the crew members who were listening to this story.

"This treasure tha' 'e found one day was unlike any othe' treasure imagined," Johnson continued. "This treasure, me fellow pirates, was mermaid scales. 'He most valuable things ever imagined. But as we all know, mermaids aren't very forgiving when it comes to pirates, so a curse was cast upon 'he scales if ever taken from them.

"But this captain ignored the curse, unfortunately, so th' next battle 'e encountered, 'e would not 'ave 'is normal skills. 'E was killed"

"Who was the captain?" I asked.

"My father."

I turned around to see Charles behind us, listening to Johnson's story.

"He's the reason why I never really got into stealing treasures, but more about exploring the seas."

"Understandable," one of the crew members said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Charles said. "Aria, come out here for a second, please."

"Sure," I said.

I followed Charles out onto the upper deck and he snaked his arm around my waist.

"Do you recognize that island?" he said, pointing to a small piece of land in the distance.

I squinted my eyes but still couldn't make out any details. "Um, no I don't."

"OK, just wondering."

I looked up at Charles suspiciously. 

He looked down at me and smiled, his eyes twinking.

"What?" I asked him slowly.

"Nothing."

"Charles..."

"Aria..." he said, mocking my voice.

"You won't tell me what that island, will you?" I asked.

"Nope." he said, straight-faced.

I gave him a quick peck on his lips and then leaned over the side of the ship and stared at the island.

"Are you just going to keep staring at it until you recognize it?" he asked.

"IF I recognize it," I said, not taking my eyes off the land.

He chuckled. "I'll be in my room." 

"Bye!" I replied, still staring at the island.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next 30 minutes, the island slowly started getting closer and more focused in my vision. I could now see one large store sign.

Baited Bait.

"Baited Bait?" I said out loud. That's a really unusual name, but somehow I recognized it. Then a flashback scene appeared in my head. It was me as a little girl, holding my dad's large hand as he guided me into this store to get fishing bait.

I let out a gasp and jumped away from the side of the ship and let out a small scream. Then I turned and ran into Charles' room and saw him sitting on him bed with a smirk on his face. 

I tackled him with a hug. 

"I love you I love you I love you!" I yelled as I was still hugging him. 

He was laughing for real now. "I thought that you would have been a little bit homesick by now."

I pinned him on his back and kissed him. "Home. Oh my gosh, Charles, I haven't been home in eight years. I haven't seen my mother in eight years. Will she recognize me? What if she doesn't recognize me? What is-"

"Aria," Charles interrupted me. "Please, don't worry about that."

My heart started beating faster as it started to set in that I was able to see my mom again and visit my father's grave. "When will we be there?" 

"Maybe twenty minutes."

I screamed again. "I have to get ready! I have to look nice. Oh no! What if they don't like me?!"

Charles sat up and gave me a long kiss. Then he ran his fingers across my cheek. "They'll like you, I promise."

"Will you come with me?" I asked quietly.

"Of course."

_____ _____ _____

I hope you like the update!

What do you think will happen when Aria arrives home?

~Kristina