The Blackheart Curse

Part IV

Who is Prince Charlie of Jeshima? Good question. The answer depends on who you ask. If you ask my brothers, they'll tell you that I'm nothing more than a bug in their way. If you asked my parents, they'd probably have to be reminded of who I am. If you ask Captain Jocelynn Blackheart, she'll tell you that I'm a no good pig. She'd probably offer you money to kill me. I don't know what I had ever done to make her hate me so much. Maybe that's just how pirates are. Easily upset and murderous. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. It doesn't matter anyways. I'm not here to make friends.

    "Charlie, you awake?" Lionel kicks my bed from his place on the bottom bunk.

    I wince at my sore muscles as I force myself to sit up. "I'll be honest with you, Lion, I don't know if I ever actually fell asleep. Evan's snoring is loud enough to summon a whale." Lionel chuckles. "I'm awake." I roll to look down at him.

    "Good. We best get going. I think we overslept." Lionel stretches before sliding on his shirt. "Kyle. Wake up." He throws a sock.

    "What time is it?" Kyle sits up in the bunk across from me.

    "I don't know, but old Evan's still asleep." Lionel chuckles as he stomps his feet into his boots. "He fell asleep with his boots on, too." Both men get mischievous grins. "The idiot." Lionel laughs.

    "Tie the laces together." Kyle suggests with a menacing tone. Lionel is already doing so. He weaves the laces around and around until they're sitting in a matted tangle between Evan's feet. Well, this'll end badly.

    Lionel leans by Evan's ear. "EVAN JAMES! FRONT AND CENTER!" He scolds. I have never seen a man jolt awake with so much fear. He stands up immediately and trips over his feet. Kyle and Lionel belt out a round of laughter.

    "You twits just can't let a man sleep, can you?" Evan mutters as he sits up. These dumb pirates. Even I could've seen that coming.

"Not when he sounds like a sick siren." Kyle remarks. Evan stands up hastily and shoves both the boys into my bunk. I grab the edges to prevent from falling as it shakes.

"Hey, maybe let's not fight while there's someone up here?" I suggest.

Lionel shoves back. "It was just a bit of honest fun." Evan curses.

"Hey, chill out." Kyle says. Evan swings at him. It soon becomes a full on brawl between the three. I'm launched from the bunk and land on the ground. The wind is knocked out of me when I'm stepped on. Dang. These pirates don't play around, do they?

"Oi!" Jocelynn's voice breaks through the deafening sound of a struggle. The men pause for a moment, giving me a chance to sit up off the floor. She rips Kyle from the mix. His face and clothes are bloodied.

"Stay out of this." Evan growls. They're in each other's faces. Evan seems to have completely forgotten about the fight with Lionel and Kyle.

"Sit down." She says through gritted teeth.

"Make me, little girl." Evan sneers. Lionel, Kyle, and I exchange glances.

A laugh gurgles from Jocelynn's throat. A terrifying laugh. "I've had a heck of a ride in the past few days. So unless you want me to take that alcohol from under your bed and beat you with the bottle, you better sit down."

Evan chuckles. "You wouldn't." He dares her. "I could best you in a second, my dear."

"I wouldn't be so sure." She smiles coldly. "Sit."

"As you wish." Evan says only after running his fingers along her jaw. He takes a seat on the lower bunk.

"How many times are the three of you going to go at it before you kill each other?" Jocelynn asks the question like she's looking for a real number.