Three huge emeralds shone back at her, their glimmering surfaces mesmerising her with their beauty. She reached out a hand to touch them, then picked one up. The emerald was almost bigger than her hand and she admired the smoothness of it. They were cut into shapes with six sides, each one carved to perfection. They must have cost a fortune!
As Bella went to put the gem down, Captain Kell began to stir from his slumber. She froze, terrified, as the Captain stretched his arms and yawned. Her rational brain was telling her to run before he noticed, but her legs refused to cooperate. For some reason, she sensed that Captain Kell would not be happy that she knew about the gems. Her body finally catching up with her mind, she ducked behind the desk, praying to all the gods that he would not see her. She heard the squeak of the bed frame as Captain Kell stood. The heavy footfalls of his iron-tipped boots approached her hiding place and she held her breath.
"Hello, my beauties." Bella heard him say, presumably to the emeralds. She heard two more footsteps, then a pause.
Shit! She'd forgotten about the tray of breakfast. Trembles began to run up and down her body. What would the Captain do if he knew she knew his secret.
Fortunately, all she heard after that was the slurping of soup and a foot tapping on the wooden plank. After a couple minutes, the noises stopped. Bella waited, but as she did, she involuntarily let out her breath in a gasp.
"Aha!" The Captain shouted, reaching his hand down and dragging Bella out from underneath the desk, "What are you doing here?"
"I-I was j-just bringing you food." She explained in a rush, hoping that he would let her free.
"And did ye see anything of import?" Captain Kell asked, the same dangerous twinkle in his eyes as before.
Bella shook her head, "N-no, Sir."
Kell looked suspiciously at her, "I don't want you coming in here again unless I say so. Do you understand?"
The last three words were grounded out from between clenched teeth. Bella nodded quickly and the Captain let go of her.
"This is your final warning, you do anything like this ever again and you'll end up like the cook."
The threat made her shiver, a harsh reminder of what she had lost, and she dashed out of the cabin, not even closing the door behind her.
She fled in the direction of the galley, the only peaceful place on this wretched ship, and ran right into Berkeley, knocking her down flat on the deck.
"Whoa, watch yourself there." Berkeley said in a joking tone.
Bella poured all of her anger and fear into the look she gave the Quartermaster. Berkeley actually stepped back from the ferocity of the stare, "Hey, lass, what's the matter?"
Bella couldn't believe her ears, "The matter? What's the matter? You just killed my only friend on the horrid ship and you want to know what the matter is?"
Berkeley sighed and looked down at the floor, "Bella... Life here is...complicated. People aren't always what they seem to be, and Jeff happened to be one of those people. What else could we have done?"
"Were you even sure he poisoned the cup?" Bella cried, "It could have been anyone else."
Berkeley shook his head, "No, we're certain it was him. Why don't we go down to the galley and I can explain it a bit better for you."
Thank you all for getting me to #490 on Adventure! If I reach 100 votes within this week (which is entirely possible) I'll do a character contest so y'all can submit a character for me to write in! Does that sound good? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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The Lady of the Sea ~ Complete - Will be Edited Soon!
Phiêu lưu"She had tried to escape by sea before, but twice she had been caught." Thirteen year old Bella lives in a world ruled by the sea. She desperately wants to follow her beloved father's footsteps into the Royal Navy, but they will not take her. Sh...
