A Pirate's Life For Me

Betrayal Is A Common Breed

The sun has dipped lower in the sky, painting the water orange, reflecting on the tin roof of Hugh's shack and glinting across the deck, highlighting the flecks of red decorating the wood.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The wind is forced from my lungs in one, giant rush, all of the quiet bustle of the waves lapsing into white noise before sharpening.

I croak, cough out, something wet dripping from my lips.

"I'll ask again," Annie preaches, leaning over me with her stupid dress, stupid gloves folded over her stupid arms. "Where is Wylie Ripper?"

"I d-don't know," I rasp for the thousandth time, spitting whatever was in my mouth at Hazelton's spotless cloak. "Where's your humanity?"

Already, I've learned what the cost of sarcasm is, but at this point I'm almost past the point of caring. Every glance at her face has the bitterness rising inside of me—if I don't spit it out somehow I'll choke.

How dare you speak to me that way?

I always was good at disrespect.

With a grunt, Hazelton moves behind me, crouching down to untie my hands from where they are now, wrapped around the mast. Maybe they want to move me. Maybe he wants to flip me onto my back.

"That's why you work for h-her now, huh," I manage to grind out, leaning my head against the mast as he struggles with his knots. "F-Fell hard, didn't you?"

I get a snarl in response; a knot becomes untied. I roll my head to the other side, shifting my shoulders. Testing. It's looser.

"But then again, not—not very surprising." I have to stop to cough, but it only adds to his suspense. "All u-us Jewells are m-more or less th-the s-same."

His head shoots upright and he glares at me, daring me to say my next words. The ropes are even looser than before.

I crack a smirk. "After you f-fall for one, the other i-isn't too far b-behind."

As his eyes darken with hate at the meaning behind my words, I spin away, pushing off of the mast, aiming for somewhere, anywhere, that isn't sandwiched between the two of them. But Hazelton's smarter than I give him credit for.

He's always been smarter than I gave him credit for.

He'd never let go of my arm.

Using my one good foot, I'd already thrown myself sideways, but my left arm stayed wrapped around the mast. The force of my jump, and his surprise, has Hazelton's forehead smashing into the wood, but his fingers only tighten on my wrist. Pain sparks through my arm, so I twist it, forcing my elbow to bend around the wood, so maybe the best that happens is I fall around onto the floor. I step forward to push myself back towards Hazelton—

Snap.

I fall to the deck in a heap, teeth gritted to keep the tears in my eyes, strangling noises before they can do more than whimper.

My ankle...my arm...everything hurts...

Hazelton chuckles, stands. "Guess we don't have to worry much about rope any more."

Annie gives him a frustrated sigh; her shadow moves into my blurred line of sight. "You're causing yourself more pain. Just tell me where he is."

I glare up at her through my squinted eyes. Pain makes things fuzzy. It blurs lines. Pain makes me forget the difference between good ideas and bad ones.