Secrets from the Deep

Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly on the tombstones in the graveyard as Caden Glicker walked towards one in particular, which was the grave of Bella Catalani, the mother of his good friend, Meg. Sure enough, there was Meg, who was shedding tears on the rose she had brought.

"Hi, Meg. I'm sorry about your loss. Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked his mourning friend. Meg turned to look at him, her blue eyes still misty-eyed and her caramel-toned brown hair in a messy bun that was falling out.

"I guess we could go back to my mother's house and start cleaning it out," Meg suggested as she stood up once again. Meg placed the rose on the grave before she and Caden headed to where her mom used to live to begin decluttering, a medium-sized house with a Victorian design.

"Nice house," Caden commented as he entered the chestnut brown doors and followed Meg up the winding staircase to the main bedroom.

"Thank you. How about you go through the vanity while I look in the closet? If you find anything, let me look at it so I can figure out whether to keep or sell it," Meg explained as she opened the doors to her mother's old bedroom.

"Sounds good to me," Caden replied. So while Meg made her way to the closet to examine her mother's clothes, Caden walked up to the rosewood vanity. He began to look through the drawers one by one, and at first, he only found old makeup that probably could be thrown away. However, when he opened the top right drawer, he found something he didn't expect to see. "Hey, Meg. I found a diary in the vanity," Caden explained as he held up a small book that he discovered.

"Really? Let me have a look," Meg said as she walked over to her friend. She took the book that Caden found and opened it up.

"Wait, this isn't a diary," Meg realized after getting a good look at the contents. She began to read the words on the paper, which she could tell was quite old:

"September 15, 1807

Dear Miss Catalani,

I will never forget the first time we met near the docks a few weeks ago. Your hair the color of the sand, your eyes shaming the bluest of skies. You were the daughter of a rich man, but I couldn't help myself when I made my way to you. As for you, you didn't care that I was an orphan with no money or name to myself, and you smiled when I introduced myself while your father wasn't present. We talked for what felt like hours before your father caught us and sent me away. Even though he most likely wants you to marry a duke or wealthy businessman, if you truly care about me, please meet me near where we first met after the sunsets.

Dominic Paat"

"What is it?" Caden asked after Meg read the first letter.

"It looks like a letter from my father to my mother many years ago," Meg replied.

"What happened to him, and why have I never met him?"

"Mother told me that he died at sea before they were married or I was born," Meg explained before pulling out another letter to read.

"April 21, 1811

Dearest Bella,

I am sorry to tell you that my mentor, Stefan White, has decided that he and I will have to go on a very long trip many miles from America. I don't know how long this will take or when we'll see each other again if that happens. I promise that I will keep you updated on what is happening as long as you continue to write to me. For as long as I live and you care about me, I will love you with all my heart.

Love,

Dominic"

"Seems as though Father traveled the world when he was about nineteen," Meg said as she took notice of the date on the letter before pulling out a piece of paper near the back of the journal.

"December 20, 1815

My Dearest, Bella,

I am so happy to tell you that I will be returning to Maryland very soon! I never thought this day would come ever since we left. While I'm still low on money, I would like to ask you to marry me once I am rich enough to take care of the two of us. I can't wait to see you again after all these years.

All my love,

Dominic"

"Ahh! Somebody help me! I'm being kidnapped!" a voice from the street below cried after Meg read the letter where her Father asked her Mother to marry him.

"Oh, my gosh! It seems as though Robert is being kidnapped by a gang of pirates led by Captain Modi! I have to help him!" Caden exclaimed as he realized what was happening to his friend.

"I'll come with you," Meg added, wanting to do something that could take her mind off of her mother's death while watching Captain Modi's ship, the Air Mando, sail off.

"No, Meg. Captain Modi is one of the most feared pirates in recent years, and I don't want you to get hurt," Caden replied.

"Excuse me, I am perfectly capable of defending myself, a fast learner, and have studied the art of sword fighting," Meg argued.

"Really?"

"My father was a swordsman, and my mother kept his swords as a way to remember him. My cousin's uncle, who was the closest I ever had to a father figure, taught me."

"Prove it," Caden said as he gave her one of the swords that Meg had talked about and walked outside to the back of the house. Sure enough, despite wearing a gown and high-heeled boots, Meg was able to disarm her opponent in only five minutes.

"Okay, you win. But I'm not much of a sword fighter myself, so it was easy to disarm me," Caden admitted.

"Well, then. If I'm not coming along, who are you going to take with you when you try to save Robert?" Meg challenged.

"I'll bring along my brother Charles who knows the sea well, and his friends who are brave enough to face Captain Modi. I'll see you after Robert is safe back on land," Caden explained as he left the elegant home.

"If he won't bring me along, I'll just have to follow him and learn the ways of the sea on my own," Meg decided before leaving her mother's house.