Deep Tides

"Wake her up." A kick to my thigh is given and I wake up my head, and now thigh, pounding like a girl's heart when she sees that special boy. Except this pounding is slower, more painful. Like a drum being hit with force. I awake to see Sam in front of me and a crew surrounding me, looking down like vultures. "What shall we do with her?" I hear one say. "We kill her. Throw her overboard; protocol." Another one spits. Wait. I recognize it. Raspy. Will. I get up slowly on my knees at the same time Will slowly makes his way to me. I hear whispering, more than likely about what Will will do to me. Will he let me go? Will he stuff me under the ship? Will he do the unthinkable; overboard.
He gently takes my arm and stands me up, merely inches away from my face. He whispers, so low, so no one else can hear.
"I love you, Little Lottie."
"I know. I know." I hush against his lips.
"But you know I cannot keep you on this ship." I stand back and look at his face. What used to be so beautiful and relaxed was now empty and hard. I stand there for a second in shock, not believing what I had just heard. Did I hear him right? Of course, I did. There's no mistaking it.
"But why do you have to? Why not just throw me back under the ship, or... or keep me in your room, or..." I scrambled for words. Not knowing what is happening and not knowing what to say is the worst possible combination for this situation.
"I have a duty and men that expect me to uphold it."
"But I don't understand."
"I don't expect you to understand, Little Lottie."
"Don't call me that." I say in a lower whisper than previously.
"I love you. If anything, understand that."
"I don't understand anything you have ever said to me."