This entire chapter is mostly filler but I had so much fun writing it so here you go friends
It's taking longer to get to the Alvarado Island than I had originally anticipated. Mitch had claimed that the island was just an hour away, but then an hour turned into two, and then four, and then six, and now the sun has set. The entire ship is illuminated with lanterns that Avi had found below deck because he had refused to let Lindsey brighten the vessel with magic. Avi is steering the ship now, and Mitch is nowhere to be found.
"Y'know, I think he's warmin' up to you, Scott," K.O. tells me as we sit on the deck, sailing calmly through the ocean.
"Mitch?" I ask.
K.O. nods. "The Captain, you mean. Don't get caught callin' him by his firs' name, or you'd best be walkin' the plank."
"Oh, well...he told me that I could address him by his first name," I reply.
K.O.'s eyes widen. "For real? Damn. I've been on this ship for years, slavin' away for him, and he's never let me do that. And Avi says there's been others on the ship, too. Never once has he ever let anyone call him Mitch. Well, except when he's drunk, o' course. Doesn't really remember much when he wakes up, so no harm done."
"Wait, others on the ship?" I ask in surprise. "How many others?"
K.O. shrugs. "Dunno. I'm fairly new 'round here. Not even Avi's been on board long enough to know all of 'em."
Others? Where had they gone in such a short time? How long had Mitch been the captain of the ship, anyway? "K.O.?" I call. He turns to me. "How old is the Captain?"
"Dunno," K.O. says again. "It's never really come up as a conversation topic. Bit rude to ask, ain't it?"
"Well, how long has Avi been on board?" I ask.
"He said he's been here for ten years," K.O. replies.
"Ten years?" I repeat in astonishment. "And there were others before him? What, did Mitch start this pirate life at age seven? Blimey."
"Maybe he just looks younger than he is," K.O. offers.
I sigh. "Maybe."
K.O. and I sit in a comfortable silence, and my gaze wanders to the two girls on the ship. Kirstin is braiding Lindsey's hair as Lindsey sings a little song that is composed of mostly mindless blabbering, and Kirstin is humming along, as if she knows the tune.
What a weird crew we are, each person so different from the rest. And yet, after less than twenty four hours of bonding, we're already all getting along. It's bittersweet. It's not home, but it's still joyful in a twisted way.
"Where's Mitch?" I ask, looking around, suddenly aware of the captain's absence.
"I dunno," K.O. says.
"Wow, you're being real helpful today," I say sarcastically before my mind catches up with my mouth.
"He sometimes jus' disappears," K.O. tells me, shrugging off my sarcasm. "I wouldn't worry 'bout him. It's not like he can go anywhere besides the captain's chamber."
"Oh. What does he do in there?" I ask.
Before K.O. can answer, I hear a door creak open behind me, so I turn to look. When I do, I jump in surprise. Mitch is directly behind me, close enough to my face that I can feel his breath. "The answer to that, Pretty Boy," he says, his words slurred, "is in the rum."
"Pretty Boy?" I ask, taking a few steps backwards.
I hear K.O. groan behind me. "Oh, no. Here we go again, Av."
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The Clockmaker and the Pirate - EVERMORE BOOK 1
Fanfic"The only thing I've wanted my entire life was to die, to die, to die. But then -- by a twist of fate you found yourself onboard my dinky little ship and you flashed your stupid smile and you gave me the opposite," he tells me. "What's that?" I...
