Shipwrecked Hearts

Navigare 20

"Hoist the colors!" Sigaw ko sa aking troupe, sumunod naman silang lahat, tumungo ako sa taas, sa harap ng stirring wheel, saktong iyon ay gumalaw ang barko. The nostalgic feeling of the wind as we move in opposite direction was comforting. Perhaps my feelings are the only thing that are keeping me human at this point.

We sailed past the other ships owned by Maximo, shared by me. I smiled. Pirates were waving at me, so I waved back at them. When we passed by the ocean of ships, we were greeted by the clear blue water, it was too calm and clear that it looked like we were sailing through the sky.

As usual, Treasure Trove, manned by Marco, was already far. That ship is really fast, meanwhile, Siren Steel moved in an average pace.

"Kira, here's a chicken sandwich. I already gave some to the other crew members." Tumingin ako sa pagkain na binibigay ni Eli sa akin, I smiled at him.

"You can eat it. I'm full."

"But I made this for you. We can't have our captain hungry."

"Okay, I'll take it. But I will eat it later." Sagot ko naman, kinuha ko na ang sandwich, good thing it was wrapped, tinago ko ito sa likod ng aking tuxedo. Umalis na si Eli at tumulong sa iba.

Nick was beside me since he was the navigator, I gave him the routed map as well, on the other hand. Charles was at the crow's nest, having a bird's eye view to see if there are incoming enemies or what. The other members of the crew whom I haven't been familiarized with were inanimately doing what they were doing.

I inhaled the stench of the salt air, I looked up and saw the movements of the clouds. Circular. It feels like the ocean water is going up. The humidity. The pressure. I felt it. My senses heightened. "There will be a storm an hour from now." I announced. Sinabi ko na rin iyon kay Marco gamit ang walkie-talkie. He thanked me. Seems like he doesn't question my assumptions now, as it was proven how accurate it was.

Binigyan ako ni Nick ng telescope, ginamit ko iyon para tignan ang Treasure Trove which seems like a kilometer away from us. I saw Marco at the abaft. "Nakakaantok ang panahon." Nick yawned.

"What? It's humid." Sagot ko naman.

"Oh, really?" Nick answered, mapupungay na ang kan'yang mga mata.

"Did you sleep last night or what?"

"I did, sleep is part of our preparation, y'know." Sagot niya.

"Maybe you're seasick." Which is ironic. I didn't add that. Tumingin ako sa taas para tignan ang gawi ni Charles, he seems to be taking his time looking behind us while sitting on the wooden chair of his connected to the nest.

Something was wrong. I gulped and slowly looked behind me. I gasped when I saw my crew, they were all lying down on the cold floor of the Siren Steel deck, what the? Nanlaki ang mga mata ko, the sandwich! "Kira, hindi mo pa kinain ang sandwich?"

Bumaling ang tingin ko kay Eli, his arms were crossed.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Ano ba sa tingin mo?" He huffed. "Pirates will always be pirates regardless of who their captain is." Eli chuckled.

Nilabas ko ang aking walkie-talkie, "Marco, do you copy? This an emergency."

No answer.

Nanginig ang mga kamay ko, "Marco?!" I asked over the walkie.

"No use, princess. You should have eaten the sandwich to save me from the trouble and save you from the trouble, too. That should have been easier."

"Ano ang gusto mo?"

"Justice."

"What?"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. As that famous saying goes, your father has ruined a lot of lives, now we will ruin his." Eli chuckled lowly. "I never thought you'd be Mikhael Kara's daughter. Tough luck. Small world."

I looked around me frantically, I should have taken a weapon with me. I was too complacent, not thinking of the possible worst-case scenarios. Naglakad si Eli palapit sa akin, I remained rooted on my spot, I held the stirring wheel as if my life depended on it and turned it 90 degrees. Lumiko agad ang barko. I held the wheels to stop myself from getting thrown because of the force of oppositional gravity.

Eli was thrown to the wall. "Bitch." Sinamaan niya ako ng tingin. Nagulat ako nang tutukan niya ako ng baril. I hid myself with the railing. I heard gunshots afterwards. My entire crew is fast asleep and there is this man who wanted me dead. How cool is my life?

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. But someone will."

"Good job, Eli." Boses ito ng isang lalaki. Bumilis ang tibok ng aking puso. Please, tell me I heard wrong. That voice... no, it cannot be.

"No problem. You know, may atraso rin ang tatay niya sa akin." Eli answered. I can hear them speak from where I was hiding.

"I know." He laughed.

Tumingin ako sa aking gilid at nakita ang Treasure Trove, both ships were connected with rope and a wooden bridge. I didn't notice as I was engrossed with the current situation. How foolish of me.

"So, where is the queen?"

"There." I can feel Eli pointing to where I was.

"Kira," no, please, you aren't who I think you are, "Kira, there's no use hiding, this ship has been overran."

I can feel my knees weakening, I struggled to stand up, to face the man. He looked at me with a sickening gaze, he has shown his true colors.

I furnished him a noxious glare. "Marco."