Masked ✔

Chapter four

     
chapter four
   

"Doesn't she look like an angel?"

"Only when she's sleeping."

My eyes shot open when I heard voices. I was laying in bed, pretty normal for a morning. What wasn't normal was how two men stood beside my bed, staring down at me. I immediately screamed and sat up, shuffling my body back up against the wall behind me.

"Woah, Vivienne calm down!" One was Rubin.

"How am I supposed to calm down when I wake up to two guys watching me?" I cried, holding the covers up to my neck.

"I was just walking around with Rubin. We came in the cabin and saw you and he just said you look like an angel when you're asleep and I said-" Jackson frantically tried to explain.

"Perverts." I grumbled, interrupting Jackson.

"We are not perverts!" Rubin glanced to Jackson. "At least I'm not."

"Are you saying I'm a pervert?" Jackson stood up straight and glared at Rubin.

"Well..." Rubin inched backwards, taking small steps. "You were the one that said you would love to pin Vivienne down against a bed." Rubin shrugged and gave a nervous laugh.

"Whaaat? I thought Captain Gareth said you're completely normal and not perverted, Jackson!" I was hysterical. Did the captain lie?

"Jackson here is unfortunately dirty-minded as all hell. He just hides it." Rubin glanced down at me and gave another shrug.

"Well, I don't care. The two of you - out!" I extended an arm and firmly pointed at the cabin's wooden door.

"Fine!" Jackson stormed straight out of the room and Rubin followed behind, a bit more calm than Jackson, but that didn't stop him from slamming the door.

Once they were gone I released a heavy sigh of relief. My tense shoulders fell and relaxed into place. I pressed a hand onto my forehead and dragged it down my face.

What am I doing here?

I looked down at the bed sheets spread out on top of my body.

I don't belong here. With pirates. This isn't where I belong.

I slowly shook my head.

But where do I belong?

A familiar yet forgotten young woman's smiling face flashed across my mind. My eyes widened.

Mom.

* * *

chapter four, part II
    

I occupied the daylight time by helping Jackson clean around the ship. I mopped the deck, sharpened Captain Gareth's sword, snacked on fruits, stared out into the endless sea, and before I knew it, the sun began to set.

In the pocket of my plum purple dress was my mask. Leaning against the railing of the ship, I pulled it out and hung my head as I fit it over my eyes. I tied the thin strings into a bow on the back of my head as usual and raised my head to look at the seawater through the violet mask's eye holes. I brought a hand to the mask's edges and traced along with a single finger.

Wearing a mask felt so strange. Like I wasn't... me. I felt like I was someone else. I could be anyone under the mask. I could be a simple maiden, I could be an insane woman, I could be a serial killer. I could be anybody. I could do what I want and be who I want, and no one would know it was me; a plain orphan named Vivienne Loress.