“Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean”
My day, as I had suspected, went on as though nothing had changed. But it had, even if no one else knew. Yesterday I had simply been wanting adventure and freedom. Now I longed for them. The tales the pirate had told me made me want to breakaway even more, but how could I ever step foot on a boat, let alone a ship, when we weren’t even allowed to step foot on sand? I wanted to dive into something I had never tasted before, things that I simply wasn’t allowed to do because they weren’t “proper”.
That evening I retired to my room as early as I could. I sat by my window, awaiting any sign of the pirate. If I was honest with myself, a large part of me did not expect him to return and yet I hoped he would. Dusk turned to dark, and yet there was still no sign of him. Just a bit longer, I thought. I heard the Sisters going to their rooms, calling in on us all to say goodnight. There was a knock at my door and I went to open it. Sister Louise.
“Is everything alright, Miss Angelica?”
I nodded politely. “Yes, thank you Sister.” She nodded in response.
“Goodnight, Miss Angelica.”
“Goodnight, Sister Louise.”
As the door latch clicked into place, I sighed, allowing myself to realise that the pirate was not returning. I turned slowly, and then stopped, eyes wide.
“Hello, love.” There he was, standing just by the window, a slight smirk on his face. I smiled.
“Hello, Captain.” I said softly. “When did you arrive?”
“Just now. Heard that woman in here so waited until I heard you close the door then checked she was gone and came in.”
“I am glad you did. I would have been in trouble if you were caught.” He smirked again.
“Well then, we’d best not get caught eh?” And then he gestured to the window. I frowned. “Come on, love. If you don’t want to get caught then let’s not give them anything to catch.” My eyes widened as I realised what he was suggesting. I knew the trouble I would be in if I was caught, far more than I would be in if he was found in my room, but I did not care. I walked over to the window and watched as he climbed out. My room was only on the ground floor, so it was not far to go. Taking a deep breath I pulled myself up onto the window ledge and hung my legs outside. Then, to my surprise, the pirate stepped up to me and took me in his arms, gently picking me up from the window ledge. I felt something I had never felt before as he touched me and was somewhat disappointed when I found myself standing next to him. He grinned at me. “You ready, love?” My eyes shone with excitement as I nodded. He took my hand and led me out of the Convent gates.
I had never seen the town by starlight, and I had to admit it was lovely. The cobbled streets reflected the sky, shining like dark pools of water. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but despite everything I had been taught about how bad pirates were I trusted Jack. He led me out of the town and to the cliff paths and then down a twisting slope. That’s when I realised where we were going. I stopped and, sensing my hesitation, he turned.
“You ok, love?” he asked, seeming to be genuinely concerned.
“I… I’ve never been on a beach before.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “But you’re so interested in the sea?”
“I want to, but at the Convent we are not allowed.”
