The Missing

The Beginning of the End

Halle Alachka's feet paced back and forth on the cold, wooden yacht floor. Her chest was filled with anxiety at the thought of revealing all to her father about what had been happening between her and the illustrious Duncan Randolph during his time onboard their prized yacht, the Poseidon. She looked to the night sky for reassurance, but nothing spoke to her.

"I thought you would be out here," a husky voice suddenly whispered from behind, causing Halle to abruptly end her stargazing and turn towards it.

"Sorry, I just needed to clear my head," Halle apologised, giving her lover a feigned smile that everything was okay.

Duncan did not buy it. Concern was etched across his aged face as his jaw hardened with worry. He brought a gentle, tanned hand to Halle's face and pushed back the auburn wisps that had been unfurled by the cold wind.

"It will be okay," he reassured, wrapping his arms tightly around Halle's slim waste, the sleeves of his woollen top providing a welcome feeling of warmth to her exposed arms.

She lifted her head slightly so that their eyes met. "Will it though? This has been our dream for years. It will crush my father when I tell him that I no longer want to be part of it," Halle sighed loudly, fighting against her mind to make an impossible choice.

Duncan gently cupped a large hand around her pointed chin. "Only it was never your dream," he reminded. "You dreamed of becoming a doctor, but once your," he paused for a moment, knowing the words would be hard-hitting for Halle. "Mother died. You gave it all up to preserve your father's happiness of still having a family. When will your happiness ever begin if you continue down this path of pleasing others?"

Silence fell between the pair. It was only the gentle lapping of the water along the boat's side which endeavoured to disturb the silence.

"It will begin now," Halle finally whispered, as she stared back into Duncan's oak coloured eyes.

His cheeks rose, as a relieved smile came to sit on his thin lips. "I like that answer," he admitted, his voice filled with admiration. "Your father will one day too."

Immediately after the words left Duncan's mouth, he planted a soft kiss on Halle's freckled cheek, causing it to redden slightly.

Her genuine smile materialised for the first time that evening. "I do hope you are right."

"What are you two doing?" A voice unexpectedly demanded from the darkness of the bridge deck.

The pair's eyes widened in fear like a couple of deer in headlights as they immediately recognised the voice. Halle could feel Duncan's arms slip away like retreating snakes to the sides of his hips. It was too little too late. Looking up she could see that her father's face was bearing an expression of rage that Halle had never seen before. They had been caught.

Halle's mouth opened to form words, but nothing intelligible came out.

"You come onboard my ship and seduce my daughter!" Hank Alacha suddenly screamed, disturbing the tranquility of the Atlantic Ocean. "I knew you were a player, but I did not think that you would be sleazy enough to go after a child!"

Tremors of fear began taking over Halle's body as she could see the light of the cabin come to life. The others were awake and would soon be coming to see what all the fuss was about.

"Halle, a child? She is twenty-three years old for Christ sake Hank!" Duncan suddenly spat, no longer being able to bear Hank's verbal assault on his daughter. "She is grown enough to make her own choices. It is unbelievable to me that you do not regard her as possessing a degree of intelligence that could be put to better use than serving arrogant snobs like me. Did you ever think to ask her if she wanted this life?"

"Oh fuck off Duncan. I am in half a mind to throw you overboard." Hank's sleep deprived eyes narrowed on Halle once more, causing her to feel like a scolded child. "What would your mother say, Halle?" He demanded, his voice becoming higher with each word. "She will be rolling in her grave knowing that you are letting a rich man have his way with you. A rich man who will forget all about you once he steps off-board this ship. Like he did with his wife when he slept with his agent!"

Halle could see Duncan's fists clenching in the fluorescent light as he fought back against his fury. She knew she needed to act.

"She would say that people can change," she breathed into the salt-filled air, as she finally found her voice. "Some for the worst but some for the better." Her eyes briefly found Duncan. "Like me. I have changed," she admitted. "I no longer want this life. I want to go home."

There it was, finally out in the open. Halle felt oddly weightless. She had done the unthinkable. She had challenged her father.

Hank scoffed in disapproval, as he saw the face of his First Officer Damien now also beaming up at him. His sea-hardened face bore an expression of tiredness and confusion, but he did not dare ask what was going on. He stood there as a silent observer as some of Duncan's friends, a lady called Bliss and a man called Elijah, also joined him. They too had panda eyes as a result of being rudely awoken.

"You want to leave this all behind," he gestured to his surroundings, " all because a man you have known for two weeks told you to? This is unbelievable." He was running a disbelieving hand through his thick, curly hair.

Halle straightened her back so that she stood taller. "No, I want to leave this life because you thrusted it upon me!" She corrected. "You sold the house so you could buy this dream of yours, but in the process you destroyed mine."

Hank fell back slightly; it was as though the words hurt him. Halle's tirade continued.

"I was in my third year of med school, going on to do something worthwhile with my life. But you took that from me when you left me without a home." A sob escaped Halle's throat. "So please let me finish what I started?" Halle begged. "I have saved every penny that I have ever earned over the last two years, so I have more than enough to rent a place. I just need your approval or else I will always live with a feeling of guilt that I abandoned you."

Eleven people now stood on the main deck alongside Duncan and Halle, including Duncan's five friends and the six other crew members. Each of them were swaying Hank to do the right thing with their aggrieved eyes.

"I-I am sorry, Halle," he stammered, wiping at his glazed eyes. "I never realised how selfish I was." Hank took a pained breath in, trying to shake away the guilt. "You deserve to have your dreams just as much as me. Of course you can go back hom-"

Before Hank could finish, the sound of something large breaking the water filled everyone's ears.

Everyone on the main deck shared fear-filled glances, as Damien nodded his head in Hank's general direction. It was code to go and retrieve the yacht's shotgun from inside the bridge deck's lockbox.

Hank acted quickly, his guilt washing away as fear consumed him. He unlocked the padlock, loading the weapon with buckshot before finally speaking into the radio. "Mayday," he muttered solemnly, knowing that any forthcoming help would be too late.

"What is it?" Bliss asked, an uneasiness taking over her as she watched Hank venture inside.

Before anyone could reply a blinding light illuminated the ship, causing fearful cries to emanate from the group. Halle squinted, even despite the pain that her retinas were experiencing, she could make out a dozen human silhouettes standing on a ship deck. It was not the people, however, that caused her heart to race. It was what they wear holding. They were each holding a gun.

"Oh my god," she cried into Duncan's ear. "They are pirates."