A Pirate's Life For Me

Chapter 10 - Set Course For Home

HEATH

I dunno what's bothering Olive, but she won't sit still.

We keep on telling her that if she doesn't rest, her ankle is just gonna get worse, but she won't listen. And we can't really stop her. She is the captain after all.

I guess the good thing about her excessive activity is that it keeps her distracted. After the Pete incident, Bill told me that I should have talked to the cap'n when she was in her mood, 'cause I know her better. I guess that's true, but I neither of us are really into heart to hearts, so I'm not really sure how that would have worked out. Probably something like, 'are you okay?' 'I'm fine.' 'kay good' 'whatever' 'Bye.'

Still, I don't really want to have to risk the conversation going in the other direction -- y'know, the one with feelings and stuff -- so I'm pretty glad that she's managed to keep herself occupied.

Two of her knives are still stuck in the mast. No one has been willing to retrieve the knives for fear of falling. The general understand is that if Olive can't do it, we probably can't either. That's why she became captain.

"HELP! HELP ME!" Screamed the blasted parrot, or as Bill calls it, goose. Every few minutes, he circles the ship, repeating his piercing shriek until either Bill sends him away or he just gets bored and flies away. 

Olive is obviously getting very peeved by the goose's interruptions. Her face is set in a scowl, and I'm kind of afraid that she's going to throw something at it. 

"Olive!" I holler over the wind. Yep, I was right. She's reaching for her bandanna, a clear indication that she is planning on skewering the goose with the dagger she keeps up there. She glances over at me, hand pausing at the base of her neck. "Ye can't murder th' goose! Tis th' only way we got o' knowin' whar th' person who's needing help be!" Olive rolls her eyes, probably disappointed about the lack of violence in this expedition so far. We don't kill. We only maim or seriously injure.

"GET OUT O HERE! SCRAM!" Olive bellows to compensate for killing the bird. Pete is surprisingly obedient at times, and I guess now is one of them, 'cause he flies away without another word.

I need him to keep coming back, though, because it's the only way I know where I'm supposed to be going.

The Fina is one of the fastest ships on the water. About a week ago, we made it across the Gulf and back in less than eight days. At the rate we're going, we're gonna end up in Cuba in a couple days.

"I be sorry 'bout th' goose," Bill calls from the lower deck. "He's a real pain in the--" He's cut off by Olive's phone ringing. We may be pirates, but really, who doesn't have a phone these days? Olive excuses herself and goes below deck, leaving Bill and I alone.

We're not the only ones on this crew, but the rest are either part time or on vacation right now. Bill, Olive and I are the constants. We're the only remaining three from the crew that the original Captain Ramsey put together.

"Bailey -- Babe, calm down. Bailey! I can't understand anything you're saying -- " Olive snaps, appearing out of the stairwell. "Please, just slow down and speak English!" I've never actually met Olive's sister, but I've heard a lot about her and her sons. She seems like a stiff person, very much the opposite of her little sister. It's still weird for me to think about Olive being anybody's 'little' sister.

"They took -- they -- osten -- ostengenesis --" I can hear Olive's sister stutter through her sobs. Olive glances over and rolls her eyes at me. I chuckle in reply. Olive is not one to appreciate dramatics.

"Bailey. I'm gonna say this one more time, and then I'm gonna hang up," Olive tells her, walking toward the mast. "Calm. Down. Speak. English." I can hear Bailey more clearly now. She lets out one last sob and then takes a deep breath.

"Aiden," She squeaks, her voice breaking. "broke his hip--" Olive's eyes widen as Bailey resumes her sobbing. "And they -- they say he might -- he might have --" She can't seem to get the sentence out of her mouth.

"WHAT?" Olive shouts. "He might have what?" She looks enraged, but at what, I couldn't tell you.

"OI," Bailey sobs. "He might have OI."

"What the heck is OI?!" Olive's face in turning red. Bailey doesn't respond. "What is it?"

"I -- I'll tell you later but -- but they took him -- they took him and Peter --" She lets out a heavy sob, breathing in sharply. Olive narrows her eyes at the phone.

"What do you mean?" She's taking deep breaths, obviously trying to remain calm, but that doesn't stop the blood from rising to her face or her hands from shaking.

"But they think -- they think I hurt him!" Olivia's eyes widen, igniting with angry fire. "I didn't! I would never--"

"Why in the world would they think that?" Olive hisses.

"I don't know! I don't -- please just come! They won't let Peter come home--" She breaks off with another horrible sob. Olive leans against the mast, closing her eyes.

"Bailey, I really--"

"Please! You have to!" Olive takes a deep breath, not opening her eyes. I can't imagine what is going through her head at the moment.

"Set course for home," She says quietly, hanging up the phone.