A Pirate's Song

Chapter Four.

I groaned when someone grabbed hold of my foot. I stirred in my sleep and tried to blink to get my eyes to adjust to the sunlight that poured into the room. When I could finally see, I found Caleb at the foot of the bed, untying my boots before slipping them off my feet. I grouched and turned onto my side, tearing my foot out of his grasp as I buried my face into the pillow.

“Five more minutes" I mumbled, sleepily to which Caleb roughly gripped my foot and slipped my final boot off. He then shoved my foot aside which caused my body to jolt and a heaving sound to escape my lips as the contents of my stomach swished around in sync with the motion.

“I need a course" he announced and I turned my head to look at him through a curtain of pearl white hair. I huffed, blowing some strands out of my face so that I could see him from where I was lying on my stomach.

“North, head North" I grumbled, trying to close my eyes and hoping to fall back asleep but Caleb wouldn't have it. He tore the covers off me and left me exposed, in nothing but one of his old shirts. I huffed in annoyance and pushed myself up onto my hands and knees.

“What?" I demanded as I looked back at him from over my shoulder. He shot me a glare at my tone but I ignored it and sat back on my knees, stretching my arms out high above my head and causing the shirt to slip off my shoulders slightly.

“What exactly are we looking for?" he questioned and I scratched at the back of my head. I yawned into my sleeve and smacked my lips at the end of it.

“We are looking for a ship" I stated, blinking tiredly up at Caleb as he stepped around the side of the bed so that he could look at me and not my back.

“Pirates?" he questioned, his eyes filling with worry at the thought of the second treasure being in the grasp of other pirates. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I don't know" I muttered, falling onto my back and straightening out my legs as I blinked up at the floorboards above. Caleb slammed his fist down onto the nightstand.

“What do ye mean, ye don't know?" he demanded and I yelped at the sudden, loud noise. I shot him a glare, pushing myself up onto my elbows as I tried my best to make him understand "The book does not give specific descriptions of what awaits us, only a few detailed words to guide us" Caleb looked down at the book on the bed side table and then back to me as I rolled over onto my side so that my back was to him. I curled in on myself, closing my eyes as I snuggled into the bed sheets.

“Set course for North!" Caleb yelled at the top of his lungs then thudded his way back above deck. I groaned at the loud sound of his voice and tried falling back to sleep. After an hour of rolling around, trying to get to sleep, I gave up.

I threw the covers off me and huffed as I looked up at the floorboards above. There was movement as someone walked into the room above Caleb's chambers and I watched as the figure moved across the floor. I heard him speaking to himself and stood up on the bed, trying to get as close to the ceiling as possible to try and decipher what he was mumbling on about.

“Sea folk" he muttered under his breath while pacing the length of the room, back and forth "Sea folk are coming" I peeked through the c***k in the boards to find one of the crewmen, his eyes wide and sweat forming on his brow. He looked nervous and paranoid. I reached up, placing my hands on the floor boards just as the ship jerked and sent me tumbling off the side of the bed and onto the floor.

I hit my head on the nightstand and blacked out for a few seconds before coming too. I blinked my eyes and turned my head this way and that to take in my surroundings. Everything was blurry at first and a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. I reached back, placing my fingers to my head and felt something wet and warm coating my fingertips. I looked at my fingers and found blood coating them.

Groaning, I pushed myself up onto all fours and eventually onto my own two legs. The ship rocked again and I stumbled, having to catch myself on the nearest furniture. I blinked to try and clear my vision enough to find the stairs that lead to the upper deck.

My feet dragged as I climbed them, hands gripping the walls in desperation until I reached the deck. There were dark clouds hovering overhead and the crew was yelling, running around the ship as a bit to try and get us out of harm's way. Rain was pouring down and lightning sounded overhead. I shrunk back below deck and gasped to try and catch my breath. I glanced down at my body, at the necklace dangling around my neck and my bear legs.

“Hoist the sails!" Caleb's voice pierced through the storm and I looked up to find a few crew members climbing up to the sails with little to no fear.

“Someone, tie down those boats!" the rest of the crew, ran to the boats that were on board but one nearby the doors that lead below deck was starting to lift off the ground and threatening to fly overboard. I glanced around at the crew but everyone was too busy to notice the boat so I made a split-second decision and ran out on deck. I grabbed the ropes that were flailing around the boat and tugged them down, trying to tie them around the hoops on the deck.

“Prepare yeselves!" Caleb's voice called just as a wave struck us from the side. I tightened my grip on the ropes as water poured on deck and pooled around me. I gasped as the water poured onto me and kept my head down, falling to one knee in the water. My legs were starting to shimmer silver as I looked down at them and held onto the side of the boat.

“No, no, no" I repeated to myself just as another wave hit us, drenching me, once again. I glanced up to where Caleb was, near the wheel of the ship and noticed that he wasn't paying any attention to me which was a good thing. I looked to the rest of the crew and found that they were too busy, trying to save the ship to notice me.

A wave struck the back of the ship and Caleb fell into the railing from the force, causing the red gem to tumble out of the pocket of his coat pocket. The gem fell onto the deck "Get me that gem!" I glanced from the boat to the jewel and then to my legs before diving for the gem. I slid across the deck, hand reaching out to snatch it just as a huge wave nearly capsized the entire ship, sending me overboard.

“Evangeline!" Caleb's voice pierced the air and was soon drowned out by the sound of swirling sea water. I swallowed some of the water and tried reaching for my necklace but it was tangled in my hair. I dangled beneath the water, unable to let go of the gem and unable to tear the necklace from my throat, leaving me oxygen deprived and struggling to reach the surface. I looked up at what I assumed was the direction of the ship and then down to the jewel in my hand.

I stuffed the gem into my mouth and began to swim in an upward direction as fast as I could. Near the surface, I felt something in front of me and latched onto it, allowing the crew to pull me out of the water and back on board the ship. The object was a net and as soon as my body struck the deck, I spat out the gem and started coughing violently. Caleb ran for the jewel, picking it up and stuffing it back into the pocket of his coat as Ben dropped to his knees beside me.

“Are you alright?" he yelled above the storm as I vomited up salt water and tried to push myself up onto all fours. I raised my head and looked at Caleb who wasn't paying any attention to me and was trying to get the crew to attend to the ship. It was then that I realized that I was nothing to him, only a way to retrieve the treasures and nothing more.

“I-I'm fine" I assured Ben as another wave struck the boat and soaked us in cold water. I looked back at my legs and felt bile rise in my throat at the sight of faint scales starting to form on my skin. I grabbed onto Ben's shoulder and met his gaze with a pleading stare "I need to get below deck" I said, my body becoming weaker the longer I stayed on all fours.

My figure started leaning towards the deck and Ben had to catch me, scoop me up into his arms and carry me below deck. Halfway down the steps he paused when his eyes locked onto my legs. They caught the light from a nearby lamp and allowed them to start shimmering silver. I reached for a nearby chair.

“Please" I breathed and Ben snapped out of it. He walked me over to the chair and gently placed me on it. I tugged at the shirt that I was wearing and motioned to the dresser. Ben caught on quickly and hurried over to the dresser, retrieving a random cream-colored shirt before returning back to my side. I coughed, reaching for the hem of my soaked shirt and tugging it upward but I was too weak to lift it over my head.

“Let me help" Ben whispered as a c***k of lightning sounded and the ship continued to rock from side to side. I fell back against the chair and looked at him, eyes pleading for him to help me. He reached for the hem of the navy shirt and slowly started lifting it over my head until I was left naked in front of him. My breasts and torso were covered in silver scales, giving me some form of dignity as he pulled the dry shirt over my head.

I closed my eyes, leaning back into the chair as Ben knelt beside it. I felt fingers running along my leg and opened my eyes to find Ben staring at the scales that were slowly starting to disappear. I shivered and moaned at the sensitive sensation his touch sent trailing through my skin and up my spine.

The sound caught Ben's attention and he looked up at me with curiosity and desire in his chocolate brown depths.

“You're a mermaid" the word sent a fear coursing through my vanes as I tried sitting up straighter and reached for Ben.

“Please" I repeated, hand snaking up to grip the anchor pendant that dangled from my neck.

“Don't tell anyone" I begged and Ben glanced towards above deck as if contemplating telling Caleb but then he met my tired gaze and nodded. He stood up, scooped me back into his arms and carried me over to the bed to lie me down between the sheets. He then sat down beside me on the edge of the bed and reached for my hand.

“Your secret's safe with me" he assured me, giving my hand a small squeeze as I dozed off to sleep. He sat there long after I fell asleep, running his thumb over the back of my hand and making sure that I was safe during the remainder of the storm. It was then that I realized that the only person I could trust on board the Sunken Soul was Ben and that if Caleb was to ever find out about my secret, that he'd have them cut off my tail and sell it to the highest bidder.

Mermaid scales were said to possess incredible healing abilities which made them very valuable throughout the seven seas.