A Pirate in Time (Completed)

2

The closer we got to the storm, the rougher the ride seemed to get. The boat would pull forward in unexpected lurches as the wind changed or as larger waves crashed against its starboard side. I'd since moved away from Danny, clutching tightly to the railing as I peered out at the watery mess of the stormy sea. Storms were unpredictable. Storms were dangerous. If I didn't do something to stop this soon, something bad would surely happen.

"Danny," I called, trying to reason with him again, "Can we please head back to shore?"

I knew he could hear me, but he pretended not to as he turned the wheel ever so slightly to accommodate the wind.

I let out a frustrated huff before continuing, "I'm not feeling so well. Can you get me to the shore before I get sick?"

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, obviously not believing my bluff.

"Danny!" I pleaded.

"Elizabeth!" he mocked me right back.

I turned wide eyes back to the dark clouds that were nearly upon us. Large drops of rain were beginning to splash the skin of my cheeks. I looked up to see it was already too late.

Looking back out, I found that it was nearly impossible to see through the thick sheets of rain that were plummeting to the sea twenty feet before me.

Sudden flashes of light left me blinking to see while thunder shook me to my very core.

Realizing that Danny was not going to be turning around anytime soon, I rushed down to where all the other passengers sat. Lifting up an open seat, I dug out several life jackets before putting them on my friends. If they were to fall over in these conditions, none of them would be coordinated enough to keep their heads above the water.

I nearly fell as Danny brought us up on a large wave, letting the water pull us into a large dip.

My stomach fluttered at the sudden change of elevation and I quickly grabbed onto something to steady myself.

Danny turned the wheel, bringing us back around to catch another wave, and while I still had time, I continued digging out and distributing jackets.

A few people weakly refused, but I forced them on regardless.

I looked towards the heavens and asked a simple question; why was I the only sober person on this goddamned sailboat?

"Danny, please!" I shouted up to the captain, "Stop this."

"What? Are you scared?"

"Yes!" I screamed frantically up to him, "And if you were even close to sober, you'd have the common sense to be too!"

He only grinned wider and brought us up to another wave. I clutched the railing for dear life as my stomach dipped lower than my toes.

The rain was falling heavier now, making me have to squint to see anything. Weakly turning my head back to the sky, I prayed I would live through this.

A heavy gust of wind whipped in from the side and caught the sails unexpectedly. The sailboat leaned heavily to the side, nearly touching the water as it sliced through the waves.

I desperately grabbed hold of the mast as I slid down the deck. Danny slid too, and the wheel turned as he fell to the floor, still holding it.

We swung to the left and continued to turn as the wheel spun of its own accord. I ducked under the sail as it came about.

Danny stood, and as soon as he saw the wheel spinning out of control, he leaped forward to stop it. The sudden change made me fly forward, tripping on a ledge and landing heavily on another section of the deck. Again I started sliding and reached for the railing.

I was soaked completely through and my hair clung to my face in knotted cords. I unzipped my sweatshirt, being as it was doing me no good now, and tied it to the railing.

"Get us out of here, Danny!" I shouted as I saw him wrestling with the wheel.

The boat lurched again, groaning under the tension, and my feet slipped from under me. I landed with a heavy thud, but miraculously held my grip on the railing.

I was relieved to see some of the passengers making their way below deck. That was less people I had to worry about falling overboard.

I did a quick scan of the deck, searching for a life jacket of my own. As much as I loved it, my AC/DC T-shirt would not help me reach the surface if I was thrown overboard.

Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and that was when I spotted one across the deck.

I took a deep breath and tried not to think too much about what I was about to do. Counting to three, I let go of the railing and moved forward. Water splashed beneath my shoes, and I almost reached the jacket when we lurched again.

I was thrown into the railing on the other side. I let out a gasp of pain as I clutched my aching side before stooping down to pick up the jacket.

I had it over one shoulder when I slipped again. I jolt of pain shot up my tailbone, but I stood again regardless.

I tried to make my way to help Danny, but was tripped and thrown to my knees. I started sliding backwards and looked down to see a white rope twisted around my ankle.

I looked farther down deck, trying to figure out what was dragging me. My eyes widened as I figured it out.

The anchor.

I bent down at an awkward angle as I tried to free myself but it was to no avail. The rope only tightened more as the anchor sank to the bottom of the ocean.

It wasn't long before I was drug over the side. I fought the overwhelming urge to gasp as I was plunged into frigid water. Fear and panic consumed me as I held my breath and bent down again. I tugged at the rope, but still couldn't free myself.

The slack end of the rope above my ankle brushed against my arm as I was pulled deeper.

My lungs were starting to burn from lack of oxygen and I made a last, frantic effort to free myself.

The rope fell away, and I clawed at the water in a desperate attempt to reach the churning surface.

But I was too far under. I could already feel the black tendrils of unconsciousness creeping into the edges of my vision.

I never thought I'd die like this. I had barely begun to live. I never should have gone to this party. I should've stayed home and celebrated my graduation with my parents like they'd wanted.

But now I would never see my parents again. I'll never see anyone again. They probably won't even be able to find my body. Just like Uncle Paul, I would be lost to the sea.

I'm sure my tears were adding salt to the ocean, but there was no way to tell that I was crying under water.

A streak of lightning illuminated my last conscious view of the world, and as it died out, my whole world turned black.

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A/N

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