The Unforeseen

Into Town

Chapter 28

I wasted no time getting to my quarters. I tore off my filthy clothes and dug out a new outfit from my chest. I pulled on a ruby, thin strapped blouse, a pair of midnight skinny jeans, and pair of ruby converse that had white laces. I ran a brush through my hair, watching is disbelief as soot and pieces of wood piled on the floor. I sighed, and simply pulled it back into a sleek side braid. Before leaving, I paused to examine myself in the mirror.

The outfit was definitely made from Kelly's clothing, as I would never have had a reason to dress up like this. Still, I looked great. Even more so for someone who had yet another near-death experience. Besides the bandages on my forehead and chin, covering small but deep cuts, and the few on my arms, I knew I could probably pass for normal. Still, to avoid any problems, I grabbed my black dress coat and slipped it on. Now, only those bandages on my face were viewable.

My brain reasoned that with the majority of my wounds covered, no one would second guess me walking around with a bunch of pirates. Because I couldn't find anything contrary to that, I started for the main deck.

The members of the landing party were securing the disembarking plank to the dock when I arrived. The party was small, consisting of only five men and myself. Ace, of course, was giving assignments to Rin, Luke, Phil, and Warren. I could find reasonable explanations for why most of them would want to come, all except for Rin. So I asked him.

"I have to." Rin explained. "Before you, I was the newest member. Well, since you aren't technically a crew member, I guess I am still the newest member. Anyways, because of that, I have to go with them in case they need something small. I'll be kind of like their errand boy for this trip into town." I nodded, unable to respond as Ace clapped his hands.

"What are we waiting for; lets go." He encouraged. We filed off the ship one by one, Ace taking the rear.
***
The town was bustling, which was unfortunate for me. Having grown up in a small, lowly populated town, I wasn't used to crowds. This place was the exact opposite of my home town; this was more like a city.

There were vendors on each side of the rode, each furiously trying to sell their goods. I watched one couple travel from booth to booth, buying large quantities at a time, and ignoring their children as they ran around chasing each other.

No one seemed to noticed the group of pirates walking among them, which was probably the only positive thing I could conclude about this place. Other than that, I came up empty handed. I had never thought of myself as one who didn't like crowds, but it was here and now I discovered I had thought wrong.
With the noise echoing in my ears, and so many activity occurring at the same time, I quickly fell behind my group.
Only too late did I realize I had lost them.

Panic struck and I whirled around in a circle looking for them. They were no where in sight.

"Ace?" I called. "Ace?!" I shoved my way through the crowds, scanning everywhere for them. My breathing became short and curt. My heart was beating so excessively I though it would come right out of my chest.

Get away from the crowd, my mind insisted. Slowly, I obliged and found myself walking into a clothing store. I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it for support for a moment to calm my breathing.

Two Marines were trying to bargain with the saleswoman at the counter. The moment I came in, though, the woman rushed to my side.

"My goodness, are you alright, ma'am?" She asked. She was a short woman, maybe five and a half feet tall, with short brown hair. She looked to be around the age of forty, and wore an orange apron over her white dress. Her wrinkling face showed concern for the strange girl before her.

The two men joined the woman, standing on either said. They both seemed concerned as well.

"Yeah. Yes, I think so." I stuttered through my breaths. I tried to stand, but I was wobbly. The men grabbed my arms and led me to a chair behind the counter.

"I think the opposite." The woman replied. "I'm going to fetch you a glass of water. Sit there and rest until I get back." She said and went into the back room.

That left me alone with the Marines. They were a new reason for me to be anxious. If Ace was looking for me and came in here, there would be a small problem.

Thankfully, the woman didn't take long and returned with the water. "Here you are." She said, handing the glass to me.

"Thank you, ma'am." I told her, accepting the glass. I took a few sips then set the glass down.

"My name is Renee Poli. My husband and I own this store." The woman said. "Who might you be?"

"My name is Alissa." I told her. Then looked to the men in uniform. "May I ask your names? I've never met anyone from the Navy before."

The men both smiled. The one with blonde hair and green eyes flexed his muscles, all of them. "The name's Sergeant Williams. This is my buddy, Captain Nova." He said, nodding to the smaller man with less of a build. He had red hair and dark classes that covered his eyes.

"What happened that caused you to get so worked up?" Captain Nova inquired.

"I've just recently begun to travel with my family, and this is the first big town we've stopped in. I though I could handle the crowds, but as it turns out, I can't. Then I was separated from my family, so things just got worse." I explained. I knew I had to be honest with these people, but not too honest. My story had to be believable, but they couldn't know all the specifics.

"What happened to your face?" Sergeant Williams questioned.

"Oh," I said, being my hand to the bandage over my chin, "I was messing around with my brother last night and we got a little too rough with each other."

He nodded, accepting my lie as truth. "Good thing it wasn't bad."

Mrs. Poli cleared her throat. "You are more than welcome to stay here until the crowds thin out a little. My husband and I would love the company."

I shook my head and rose from the chair. "No, I wouldn't want to disturb you any more than I already have. My family will be looking for me, and I think that I can give the crowd another shot. Thank you so much for your kindness, Mrs. Poli." I began walking to the door when the Marines appeared beside me.

"Would you like us to walk with you? The crowds will be easier to manage if you have someone with you." Sergeant Williams explained.

"And having two extra pairs of eyes will help you find your family faster." Captain Nova added.

I gave them a polite smile. "I would not want to burden you with my problems, sirs." I also don't want you find my family of pirates.

"Nonsense. As Marines, it's our duty to help the people." Sergeant Williams said.

I held back a curse. The two Marines I happen to run into just happen to have morals.

"Then I would very much appreciate your company." I lied.

The men returned my smile and we walked out into the street together. I knew this was a problematic situation, and I could only hope that we ran into a lesser known member of the crew.