The Lady of the Sea ~ Complete - Will be Edited Soon!

Chapter 7

Bella sat in the mess hall, sipping the bitter morning coffee and glancing nervously about at the pirates around her. She knew she should have noticed that something was different sooner, most of the men were in rags and had yellow-stained teeth with greasy beards, but Berkeley had been so nice and clean. Now, thanks to her own stupidity, she was stuck on this wretched ship for the next couple months until they reached their destination. The thought of spending one more minute on the Lady made her gut twist into a knot. 

She had been helping Jeff make breakfast that morning, at least she wasn't doing to much manual labor, and now the cook exited the galley and walked over to where she sat. He leaned back against the barrel next to the one Bella was on and addressed her.

"So, how are you liking the Lady?" He smiled and I counted three gold teeth in his tobacco-stained mouth.

"It's fine." I mumbled into my cup before taking another deep sip. 

Jeff looked down at the floor, "You know, lass, it's not so bad once you get used to it. I wasn't always a pirate either."

"Really?" Bella perked up a bit, "How'd you get here then?"

Jeff chuckled, "Curious one, aren't you? Well, we have time, so I guess I can tell you.

"I was a cook for a noble man once. A very rich man who lived in a mansion and needed three cooks to make all the food for him and his servants. However, this man was cruel and beat his servants, including me. I was only a boy then, you see. I didn't know how to fight back. One day, it got too much for me and I ran. I headed towards the docks and saw the Lady there, all shining and pretty. And then I knew I had to be aboard that ship. Captain Kell, he was First Mate Kell then, convinced the pirates to take me on and I've been here ever since."

Bella tilted her head, "Do you ever regret it? Becoming a pirate?"

Jeff shook his head, "No. Best decision I've ever made. See, we may be dirty thieves, but we're a family and we look out after our own. You'll be safe here."

Bella looked down at her cup quietly before saying, "I wanted to be in the Royal Navy, like my father." She sounded downcast.

Jeff patted her shoulder, "Come on, lass, breakfast is over. Time to get back to work."

Bella just nodded and slid off the top of the barrel, spilling a bit of coffee on her hands. She set the cup on one of the bolted-down tables and wiped the liquid off on her trousers before following Jeff back into the galley.

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Captain Kell sat on the little cot in his cabin clutching something to his chest. A faint green flash could be seen through his dirt-riddled fingers but that was all. His eyes darted about the room in a hurry and he mumbled feverishly to himself.

"They know. They know. They know."

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