Becoming Peter

Chapter 3

That night, the boys that were on the list and I packed our belongings which consisted of a small blanket and precious, small hidden trinkets. It didn't really seem real, leaving this place. I would just wake up back in my bed, voices yelling in my ear telling me to get up and do as I'm told. It would just be a childish dream of leaving reality's nightmare.
The sun was gone, and the rest of the boys were tucked into bed. We were gathered by the door, waiting.
"See you later, fellas." Spencer calmly lied, but his finger was tapping furiously against his leg. "How lucky am I that I have something that makes it so hard to say goodbye." He whispered, smiling sadly.
The door creaked open and Miss Metcalf peeked her head through. "Lights out!" With that, each candle was blown out within seconds. Moonlight creeped through the windows, reaching for the darkest corners. Only Miss Metcalf's light was left and it created sharp contrasts on her face. She guided us out of the orphanage. Miss Valentine and Miss Burr waited for us at the front door and my stomach twisted. Miss Valentine was smiling.
"Children." She purred. That was the last word before we walked through town. It was empty and filled with dark blues and blacks. The sky was smeared with thin grey clouds from the rain earlier. My blanket was draped across my shoulders and blew in the light wind. The fresh air smelled like rain and dirt, something rare in the city. We walked a couple of blocks before I spotted a stopped carriage pulled by a brunette horse standing quietly.
"I've never ridden a carriage before." I whispered to Sully.
"Really?" I nodded, a little wide-eyed. My mouth went dry. I kept thinking, "I'm leaving. I'm leaving." But it still hadn't settled in quite yet.
A brown bearded man tipped his funny-looking hat to the women. Miss Valentine pulled out her clipboard and started checking off names. Miss Metcalf grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the side. She looked me in the eyes for a moment before pulling me into a tight hug. I couldn't breathe, but I didn't mind. She was almost like a mother to me and my heart began to feel heavy as I thought of every time I treated her like an unappreciated one. Every time I kicked off the covers, refused to eat, didn't want to talk to anyone, and every single time I yelled that she will never be my mother and that I hated her.
"I'll miss you... And I'm sorry." I mumbled in her shoulder.
"Keep dreaming, Peter. I know your life has been miserable, absolutely miserable. Just uh... Remember that dreams will keep you young. Don't let the world drag you down from the clouds. Goodbye, Peter."
"Goodbye, Miss Metcalf." She let go and smiled. Her mouth opened to say something more, but changed her mind and nodded to herself. Miss Metcalf went back to stand by Miss Valentine, who whispered something in her ear. Miss Metcalf changed her gaze to the ground. I wiped the tears before anyone could see and joined the crowd.
The man sitting on the carriage's bench at the front handed a bag to Miss Valentine.
"Much thanks, sir. Till next time." She grinned. He only nodded.
Miss Burr ushered us into the carriage. It was a tight fit for fifteen boys. Once we were all pushed in and the door clicked, we were gone. The world took off running, knocking over those who had to stand. I was in the corner leaning against the door. I winced as a knee hit me. A jolt shot through me as the carriage flew over a pothole. Devlin yelped as an elbow smacked his shoulder and Max fell to the ground, unable to get back up. I closed my eyes and squeezed my grip on a door handle till my knuckles were white. As an uneasy feeling was starting to creep up my throat, the carriage halted with a jerk. A few people groaned.
The door swung open and I tumbled to the road with three others landing on top of me.
"Sorry, Peter." Max said, his head on my chest.
A thick skinned man nearly completely covered in dark hair stared down at us as the rest of the boys stumbled out of the carriage, swaying uneasily. "Get up."
I scowled and joined the boys in a small crowd in front of the man. Something was different. The air surrounding me was foreign and tasted like salt. Buildings were only silhouettes, looming over head. Handfuls of stars littered the sky and water between the rocks of the road made my socks damp.
Five more equally strong and hairy men walked down the street towards us. Clumsily, we were herded down where they came from. We clung to our blankets that we tied around our waists. Mine was soaked from the rain puddle I landed in so I was shivering endlessly.
I was miserable, but I didn't have long to think about it or complain before we were at the docks. The strong smell hit me first before I saw the looming ships and near black waves.
One ship stood out like a horse among a herd of donkeys. It was twice the size of the fishing boats and was composed of darker stained planks. Gold looking metal covered all edges in simple designs. Several sails were tied shut while the largest one hung loosely. A wooden statue of a mermaid was connected the front of the ship. All of it was excessively grand compared to the average fishing boats and... mean-looking. I knew nothing about boats, but I knew this was something different entirely. It had to be a pirate ship.
"Is that...?" Sully asked in shocked awe.
"Yep." I whispered, not able to take my eyes off of it.
"No way!" Spencer's jaw was hanging. "I've only ever seen pirates ships in picture books!"
Everyone else was too stunned to say anything. Spencer started to walk a little faster, leading the group. The first burly man glanced back at Spencer and chuckled to himself.
Another dozen men were loading crates into the ship. It was strange that they were reloading supplies at night, but before I could ask Sully, we were shoved from behind towards a wide plank of wood connecting the harbor and the side of the ship. The water splashed underneath us and the wind was starting up. The moment I stepped aboard, my feet swayed. I'd never been on a boat before now and I wasn't sure if I liked the feel yet but I enjoyed the freedom associated with it.
"What's going on?" Delvin squealed, already looking a little green.
"We are taking you to a far off place, kid." The man guiding us said. I overheard someone call him Brewster. "Whether or not it's any better is up to you. But I bet my money on worse. Way worse!" He laughed deeply.
"Where are you taking us that's so much worse?" I yelled. I was getting sick of not knowing and him laughing in our faces. Or it might have been the fear of leaving the only place I've ever known.
"You wouldn't know it. I doubt you've been on a boat before! It's a popular coast for pirates to make port. Personally I wanted to go to New Providence, but cap'tn said no. Tortuga is'a payin' more." He shook his head, thoughtfully.
"Paying more for what?" I asked tentatively, already knowing the answer but refusing to accept it just yet.
"Slaves." He grinned, devilishly.