The Historically Unhistorical Work of Historical Fiction

Chapter 15-October 12th, 1495

October 12th, 1495

We had made it on land a couple days ago and we were in such luck. More tan-skinned people like the Taino had inhabited the island. They not only were nice, they treated us like gods! Peter had no trouble communicating with them since they had a language very close to ours. They were a tribe called the Bolinas and they showered us with more gold than I could ever dream of. Necklaces made of shiny beads were given to each crew member but most of the men didn’t want them. When we went to sleep on the ship, they all took off their necklaces and never put them on again. Everyone put them in a corner and never looked at them again.

I thought that they would make a good present for my Aunt Myla so I took out my satchel and put all the necklaces inside. Just as I put my satchel back, Joel walked into the room. He looked surprised that I was in there and I couldn’t stand the sight of him. Joel meant nothing to me anymore; he was just an idiot and a backstabbing liar who couldn’t keep a promise even if it would kill him. I was about to walk out without saying anything when Joel grabbed my arm.

“Let my arm go Joel.” The anger I had from him revealing my secret was still fresh.

“No, I have something to say to you and I know you’ll walk away if I don’t keep you here.” When I looked at Joel, he looked troubled and he avoided looking in my arms.

“Fine, I won’t walk away, just let go of my arm.” I really did want him to let go of my arm, I didn’t like it when people touched me, especially liars like Joel. I went back into the room and waited for Joel to speak with my arms crossed.

“I’ve been thinking, and I’ve realized what I did was wrong.”

“You realize that just now?!” I raised my voice at him because my anger was already about to skyrocket.

“Well it’s just that...I wasn’t sure how to deal with you being a girl and then I’ve never been good at keeping secrets,” Joel was rubbing his neck like he was embarrassed about what he was going to say next, “So I’ve been thinking and I’ve decided that-“Joel was cut off by the sound of someone groaning in pain. I brushed past Joel and saw Eliza crumpled on the ground. Looking up the stairs, it looked like Captain Nyle had pushed or thrown her down the stairs. I shook my head in disappointment and disgust; I didn’t know that the captain could be so cruel.

Kneeling down next to Eliza, it looked as if her left wrist was broken because she was holding it carefully with her right hand. When I tried to hold it in my hands, she cried out in pain. Seeing Eliza so vulnerable didn’t fit the attitude that she usually had: confident and powerful. Joel was just standing around so I motioned him over and he got what I was trying to do. He came over and slipped his arms under one of Eliza’s shoulders while I did the same for her other side. We hoisted her up in her feet and we led her to her room.

She had a limp and I figured that one of her ankles might have been twisted. Once we got into her medical room, we put her on a bed and then I left Joel to take care of her. Eliza was able to tell him what he should do to help her and he was good with his hands, so I figured that she would be in good care. Meanwhile, I was going to find out what had been shoved up the captains butt to make him angry enough to push a girl down the stairs. When I stepped onto the deck, there was overwhelming tension from all of the crew members. One of my classmates came over, Herat, came over to me slowly to fill me in on what had happened.

“The Bolinas’s chief had no more gold left to give and the captain became really angry,” Herat whispered in my ear, “He came back onto the ship and Eliza had asked if he was okay. He didn’t even answer, just pushed her down the stairs without a word.”

“Wow, who knew the captain was so evil on the inside.” I whispered back to him.

“I know right.” We watched the captain like everyone else who was up top. Captain Nyle was just leaning over the side of the ship, staring up at the sky. Nobody went near him and even Striker didn’t look at him when Captain Nyle went to talk with him. The captain then locked himself in his private cabin and only came out when food was being served. He was acting like a little kid having a tantrum. I didn’t go and try and console him. After the incident, I didn’t want to be pushed down the stairs.