The Fallen Stars

Chapter 27 María

I hold the sharp tip of the dagger in between my fingers. I lift my arm, and I throw the dagger towards the tree where I wipped my brother so many years ago.
I hiss through my teeth as the dagger hits the middle of the dead tree.
I grab the next dagger that is lying next to my feet.
I aim. I breathe in. I breathe out. And I throw.

In two weeks, my father will be here... and I still won't have Isla Nunca Más in my hands.
My father will take my right to be a ruthless pirate away.
And I can't have that... piracy is in my blood. I can't live in any other way.

I pick up another dagger.
I aim. I breathe in. I breathe out. And I throw.
The dagger ends up next to the other four daggers in a group in the middle of the tree.
As I pick up the next dagger, I get inturupted with a clearing a throat... I turn around to look at the messenger boy.

His soft brown skin shows through holes in his cream colored oversized shirt. His dark brown pants have only holes over his knees. And he has scuffed up brown leather boots.
His hair shoulder length, loose and messy.

"What is it?" I ask, annoyed.
He shivers.
"There's a message from captain Damião." He says quickly.
I stretch out my hand for the message, and he hands it to me and runs away.

I open the parchment... it's not Damião. It's my father.

~~~

Hello, dearie.

I'll be home soon.
I'll be expecting progress with Isla Nunca Más.
And I'd like to meet that lass that your brother has imprisoned.
If nothing has changed... well, we both know what is going to happen.
See you soon, dearie.

~ Your father.

~~~

I crumble the parchment between my hands.
And my groan turns into a screetch... I throw the balled up piece of parchment to the other side of the cave.

The cave is lit with dozens of torches against the walls.
Like that one night... where I had to punish my own brother.
I shivered of the thought. If Mama was there, she would have never forgiven me... she wouldn't let it happen at all.
But she wasn't. So it happened.
And the worst thing of all... I needed to punish him, I needed to do something I was in control of.
And I hate myself for it.

I crouch down to my knees.
And I stare at the floor.
"I'm a monster... jut like the rest of my family." I whisper to no one.
As my tears were about to fall, an echo deep chuckle made me stand up.
And then a soft giggle comes after.
I quickly grabbed one of my daggers and went to hide next to the opening. It's quite darkish, so they won't see me until I attack them.
I have the dagger pointed down, I take a breath.

They keep on giggling. It's starting to annoy me. As the two figures enter the room, and I stand behind them... I recognize the male figure.
Connor.

"See? It's empty, just like I said." He says softly, looking down at her. Both are facing away from me.
My heart sinks to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker.
Already on to another girl.
She giggles in response.
She is much shorter than him, and her head is at his chest level.
She's wearing a green dress with a low back and a black corset.
Her blonde hair is loose, and with soft curls.
"Alright, the lighting is even romantic." She says breathlessly.
I roll my eyes.

It's not supposed to be romantic... I tortured my own brother here... and many others.
I slowly and quietly walk out of the room...

"Shall we lady Shaw?" He says sweetly, he turns slight to look at her. I stop at the name... I move deeper into the shadows, but I peek my head out to see the two.

Shaw?
Like Colon Shaw's duaghter?
The man I killed on the beach...
So many weeks ago?
Well, this just got bloody fantastic!

"So, is there a story behind this tree?" She asks, giggling.
He puases for a second.
"They will only bore you... I think I'll rather spare you." He says, bending down and kisses her.

He sits down on a nearby rock, and she sits down on his lap... not breaking the kiss.
And that's  when I throw the dagger at the tree.
Bullseye again.

Lady Shaw gasps at the sound of the dagger hitting the tree. She looks around, but she doesn't  see me, for I am in the shadows.
But Connor looks in my direction, his face with a hint of guilt... but just a solonm look.

He knows.

And then I walk deeper into the tunnels.

***

I didn't know where to go, so I ended up at Pez De La Muerte tavern... again.

The place is full of voices and laughter... glasses bumping each other. The smell of rum and fried fish consumes the air.
Josline is at her normal spot surving some already drunk gruffy men.
Her hair is in a high bun with some curly strands framing her face.
She's wearing an off the shoulder cream dress with a light brown waist corset.

I take my usual spot at the counter.
She looks at me with a sigh.
"What the hell do you want now?" She asks, annoyed.
"I want our friendship back." I say quietly.... surprising myself.
That one just jumped out of my dark heart.

She stops filling a glass full rum.
She looks at me.
"Wow... your new life not treating you well then?" She says.

And that stung... but I guess it's true.

"I know we said something... but-"

"But nothing." She cuts in.
She gives the glass to a man across from me with a white beard and just laughing with food in his mouth.
She turns back to me... cutting me with her eyes.

"I thought we were doing better after the whole thing." I whisper.
"No... you were doing better. I was still lost and broken. I needed you when Mona died! But you said we couldn't speak because we weren't going to help each other! Do you know how that broke me even further?" She says, clutching her dress over her heart.

"I'm sorry... I was dealing with a lot of things... my father was trusting me with important things... and Mona's death just brought back some memories... of my mum." I start to explain.

"And I get that.... but what you did... you said that you'll always be by my side... but when I needed you the most. Not to talk about Mona... but I needed my friend... my sister... I was so alone." She says her eyes, getting misty.
She sniffs.
"And when I just wanted to talk to you... you got angry at me... you left with your crew. Being all happy and forgetting about little old me. But, I'm glad you made friends. I just thought you still had a spot for me in your life. And now you want me to trust you again... how is that fair?" She says, then clears her throat.

And that broke me... she was my best friend... my sister.
But... Mona happened.

"What's your order?" She asks, back to being cold.

"It's alright... I'll just take a bottle of rum." I say getting up... and placing some money on the wooden counter.

She hands me the green glass bottle.
"Enjoy." She says, not looking at me.

And then I leave...

I find a quiet place to sit... no one will find me here.
There is a small hole where the ocean comes through, and moonlight glints in.

I scream!

I cry!

And I drink my pain and sorrow away.

After a while, I started to take my clothes off... but I leave my under dress on.
And I take a swim.
And the waves embrace me like my mother would.