Everest Bounds; Upon The Shore| Book One

Chapter Two

The next few weeks were pretty much normal ones. See Jackson and make sure to not get caught by the upper class. Kasper's daily routine was basically set into stone. To him, it was as simple as breathing. The black haired boy was sitting on the same roof that he and his friend usually sat at, just to talk about the day, and the way their former beautiful, lively country had turned gloomy in what seemed like over night. The eighteen year old sighed as he looked at the ocean, there was the faint sound of the waves crashing against the shore and rocks that was blending in the with sound of the bustling town beneath him. He may be middle class but that didn't mean he got a free pass from the drafting. Only the upper class got that lovely privilege. 

Kasper looked up at the clear blue sky and closed his eyes, wishing there was some kind of way to get the freedom he craved so much. Of course that was all just false hope he was giving himself, the only way he would achieve such a wonderful thing was to go to another country, and though the Everest Bounds weren't real, other pirate crews existed and everyone knows, pirates are not friendly people.

He sometimes wondered if his dad really did travel with a pirate group. It made somewhat sense, his father had known sea shanties that not even the local sailors knew. And when he was a younger boy, back when his parents ran a tavern, he would often sneak out of bed just to watch his father start singing a fun shanty and get other people to join in with the song and start dancing, it was something that he truly loved to see. Kasper always wished that one day, he could sing these songs with his father and bring more people to the fun. Unfortunately, that wish never came true. When Kasper was eleven years old, his father had mysteriously disappeared one day, leaving him and his mother alone. Emily had tried to keep the local and happy tavern open but it lost business very quickly so she was forced to shut it down. Sometimes, when he and Jackson were alone, they would sing the songs that Kasper had learned by themselves. Then again, while singing with your best friend was entertaining, it wasn't as fun as having multiple people joining in the song with you. Kasper didn't need to participate in those moments to know how fun it was, he could just tell by the laughter that the local towns folk and his parents were giving. 

He climbed down the roof and walked towards the harbor, he often visited the old sailors when he was bored. He smiled when he saw most of them sitting down, drinking and smoking their cigars. One looked up, he had scraggly grey hair and dark eyes, he smiled a crooked smile, that showed his missing teeth. "Well, look who it is. Kasper, I haven't seen ya in a while boy. How are you and your mother?" Kasper's smile grew as he sat next to the man. He was known as Old Man Tanner. "We've been pushing through Tanner. Trying to steer clear of the upper class the best we can you know?" The old man scoffed "screw the upper class and those damn laws of their's. Where you really wanna be, is out on the sea. Oh the freedom and adrenaline rush you get out there is amazing as hell. Makes an old man like me feel young again." Kasper laughed. He loved hearing the stories that the sailor would tell him, many people said he was crazy but, what's a town without someone gaining that title?

They talked for a little bit before Kasper gave a goodbye and began began heading back to his home. When he reached it, he saw his mother making dinner. She was humming a song that Kasper remembered as one of the shanties that her and his father had sang together. He couldn't remember the name or words, but he remembered the beat to it. "Hey, mom," Emily gave a startled jump and turned around with a smile "hey honey, I didn't even hear you come in. Where have you been off to?" Kasper smiled and leaned against the wall "I was visiting Old Man Tanner, you know I like to hang out with the sailors sometimes." Emily frowned and continued what she was doing "and you know I don't like you hanging out with those drunken men." Kasper rolled his eyes, his mother tended to be so over protective sometimes.

Their day carried out as normal and Kasper did his usual at night. Sit on the edge of his window and stare at the ocean. There was just something about the vast body of water that made him so mesmerized. He smiled softly has he heard the faint sound of the old sailors singing a shanty called 'Captain Kidd'. Kasper quietly sang along to it. It was a shanty that he was familiar with. He heard heavy footsteps running through the town and Kasper closed his mouth. It was the soldiers hunting down men for the drafting. Kasper crawled back into his room and lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. There was just something that made him lose sleep that night.

He tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position but everything he did didn't work. Sighing and accepting the fact that he just couldn't bring himself to sleep he pulled himself out of bed and crept out to the kitchen, grabbed his cloak and put it on, then quietly opened the door and walked outside, being greeted by the chilly air.

It was silent. The only thing Kasper could hear was the ocean waves. He sighed to himself and went to the cliff on the edge of town, climbing it to the top and sat down, staring at the vast horizon in front of him. He thought it was his imagination but he saw what seemed like a pirate ship in the distance. It wasn't uncommon for pirates to appear in Herdstra from time to time so Kasper merely shrugged it off.

Kasper stayed there for a couple hours before deciding to go back home when he saw that the ship was getting a little to close for his comfort.

Little did Kasper Hirasen know, that this ship was going to change his life forever.