The Rookie Pirates (Parts 1-6)

04. The Mayor

Due to the threat of the navy's arriving in five days' time, the ship's broken yard was fixed up within two, earlier than the Kirk Pirates had anticipated.

Kirk had ordered everyone on his crew to help out, though it had taken some threatening of bloody murder on his behalf for them to move their asses from the bar.

Surprisingly, Jessica had helped out, too; she probably felt guilty, as she was partially responsible for its destruction, not that Kirk minded her help. He was just intrigued that she had helped, since she'd made it clear that all she wanted from them was one million joules in exchange for her Mr Compass.

It was a deal Kirk now knew he couldn't commit to due to the cost for the repairs. If only he hadn't been so hotheaded that day, he could have been long gone from this island by now. Instead, they were stuck on this island for another twenty-four days and were strapped for cash.

After the completion of the mast, the rest of the crew headed back to the tavern for a much-needed drink.

"Little Red, will you be joining us again?" Kirk's quartermaster, Morgan, asked.

Little Red was the nickname they had given Jessica, much to her annoyance, and it had stuck.

Kirk's crew had taken a shine to her. Even though Kirk would never admit it himself, he too had started to warm up to her.

"Maybe later, boys. I have some business to attend to." She winked at them all and walked off in the opposite direction, jumping back onto the roofs and disappearing.

"She disappeared the same time yesterday," Kirk said out loud.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you're worried for her." Cain nudged him.

Kirk made no response to his comment other than punching him in the gut with a growl and storming off. He didn't care about the girl.

Jessica chuckled from the thatched roof. She had watched the Captain punch Cain to the ground for teasing him. She had heard the two talk, and now she didn't know what to think of Cain's comment. Did the Captain care for her?

Her hand consciously reached to her throat, her fingers feeling the scars hidden underneath her black choker necklace, evidence of her dark past that she would do anything to forget about. Her smile instantly disappeared, and her stoic expression returned. It was then she realised that since Kirk had arrived on the island, she had been smiling nonstop.

Maybe that was the reason why she had helped them with their broken yard. Maybe it was not because she felt guilty, but instead because she liked their company, and their antic behaviour made her smile. It gave her all the more reason for her to find a pirate crew that would take her on.

Jessica stood back up from her kneeling position and ran across the roofs of the town, her footing light and soundless as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, moving swiftly and without a trace of her existence. She gracefully leapt from the roof of a cafe at the town's square and landed on the second floor balcony of the Mayor's mansion.

Jessica pinned her body flat against the whitewashed wall next to the window of his office and placed her hand on one of the glass panels. It creaked open, leaving a gap small enough to hear the mayor talking on his radio transmitter.

Every day at this exact time, Jessica would stand at his balcony and listen in on his meetings and conversations. She did it so she could get a heads up on vessels arriving on the island. They could be of use and value to her, especially since there was a certain ship she kept an eye out for. This was how she'd found out about the navy coming.

It seemed today, Jessica had caught the Mayor talking to a high-ranking officer of the navy, the captain of the navy vessel that would be arriving with the replacement sailors. Not only that, the Mayor gave the captain of the navy ship details and locations of Kirk's crew staying on the island. The Mayor had permitted the Navy to kill the pirates at the local tavern and get rid of them all in one fell swoop by ambushing them.

Having heard enough for one day, Jessica was preparing herself to leap back onto the roof of the café until her attention was brought back to the Mayor's conversation with the Navy Captain. She smirked deviously to herself after hearing what had been shared and jumped off the balcony and back onto the roof of the café. Jessica landed as gracefully as a cat.

"It's rude to eavesdrop."

Caught off guard, Jessica misplaced her foot and slipped on a loose tile and started her long descent to the ground below. A hand shot out and grabbed her, dragging her back onto the roof.

"You almost killed me." Her heart raced, and she scowled at the smirking mayor.

The mayor laughed with a broad grin, having caught Jessica in a the midst of a rather mischievous act. She should have known that eventually she would get caught. The mayor was a cursed soul; his ability was that he could turn into any living animal he liked. He probably used his ability to sense that she was listening in on him and made it to the roof of the cafe before she did.

Jessica found the mayor to be an attractive man. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was the youngest mayor the island had ever had at twenty years of age; he'd taken control from his deceased father only last month. Jessica had been good friends with him ever since the day she washed up on the coast after her shipwreck. He had been warm and welcoming to her, helping her to get back on her feet once again, and he made her feel at home on the island.

Jessica sat down on the roof, her feet kicking out playfully, and he sat down next to her.

"Why do you listen in on my conversations every day?" he asked, stroking a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Mr Mayor." She bowed her head, feeling embarrassed. "You always get the news from the navy about approaching ships days before they arrive. There is this man that I would like to stay hidden from. By listening to you, I get a heads up to run away if his vessel is spotted."

"Jessica." He grabbed her hand. "I don't know who you're hiding from, but you know I will always protect you."

Jessica's breaths turned shallow.

"I know, Mr Mayor."

"Good."

He leaned forward and hugged her. Jessica felt shocked; he had never hugged her before, but it was a friendly hug, and she couldn't help smiling from the kind gesture. After a couple of minutes, the two parted, the mayor smirked, and a red blush graced Jessica's cheeks.

"Mr Mayor..."

"Stop calling me Mr Mayor. It's Dom."

The mayor stood up and took Jessica's hand, helping her up.

"I have to get back to work. Next time you come to eavesdrop, knock on the window, and I can tell you personally what's happening." He stroked her hair once again. "You're my friend, remember? I'll always be here to look out for you."

Jessica smiled and nodded, and he leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. She felt like she was going to melt from his touch and watched as he jumped back down to his balcony and waved up at her with his charming smile before disappearing into his office.

Jessica squirmed happily like a little girl on her birthday, the happiest she had ever felt. She liked the mayor.