Adeline (Watty Awards Finalist 2013)

Redemption

This is unedited, sorry.

He smiled cruelly at my shocked expression, “A pleasure to meet you dearie. You may call me Captain Gaige.” He said with a bow. I shuddered as his cool breath fanned my face as he spoke. Goosebumps spread along my arms as only one question circulated in my mind. Wasn’t Flynn and Indie’s dad dead?

I slowly put my hand into his doing my best not to tremble as I did so. His presence in itself seemed cold and terrifying. He grasped my hand in his gloved one and brought it to his lips. The kiss he laid there was so cold and enthralling, I felt like I had frozen.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well” I mumbled.

He smiled, “How is my boy?” he asked with a toothless grin. I felt uneasy in his being there. His whole aura screamed dangerous as was his manner, not to mention he somehow cheated death, controlled the ocean, and managed to kill off an entire crew in the course of ten minutes.

“F-Flynn?” I stuttered out. He nodded, his cold calculating eyes never leaving me.

“He is alright” I murmured.

He scoffed, “Where is the outspoken meddlesome girl I have heard so much about? You seem less than what I had expected. You are no more than a frightened girl.” He insulted. I bristled at his insult but still said nothing. I would not let him bait me to lose my temper. He had enough reasons to kill me already.

“You are dim in comparison to the late Elizabeth.” He disputed.

I narrowed my eyes, “You killed her. You do not recall that don’t you?”

He laughed loudly, “I had no choice in the matter. I could not be a father in life, but I’ll be damned if I do not give my boys what they want in death.” He bellowed.

I scoffed, “It seems you only grant Indie the things he wants.” His happy demeanor disappeared at once, the atmosphere in the room turning dark while the temperature dropped to a freezing cold. I gasped as a cloud of steam flowed out of my mouth with each breath.

He grabbed my arm and hauled me into his chest roughly, “Do not test me girl. You are already going to die, do not force me to make it painful as well.” He bit out, his cold breath causing the skin on my cheek to tingle.

I nodded quickly berating myself for saying anything to make him angry. I pushed the bit about my death to the back of my mind. Thinking about it would mean giving up, and that wasn’t an option.

He dropped my arm as if I had a contagious disease, “I have tried my very best to give Flynn whatever he wanted. All I asked is that my boys do not make my same mistakes. That they do not allow what happened to me to happen to them.”

I pulled all the courage I had up and asked, “What’s that?”

He faced me and smiled cruelly, “Women. Women are the temptresses and whores sent to cause men pain. They are nothing more than vessels for men to be born of. I know that now.”