Chapter 5: Choices
1058 Words
Doubt settled in my head, buzzing around my ears like an annoying fly. It was a question I didn't know how to answer. Not only was I ridiculously far from where I should be, but they were telling me that my entire life and my upbringing had been a lie.
I clenched my fists, a mixture of helplessness and rage in my voice. I didn't know what to do at this point.
Or so I thought, until I remembered the words written in my grandmother's book: "The price of the star is the life of whoever claims it." If that's true—and I think I'm right—then the star is real, and my grandmother knew about it.
In other words, these pirates are walking into a trap.
I sighed and studied the map more closely, then looked back at Selene.
"What's your plan?" I asked.
"The plan is to pass through some of these islands. Some of them are supposed to hold clues to how to reach the end of the oceans," she said, pointing to archipelagos and areas full of islands. "If we pass through the right islands, we can get the information we need to reach the edge of the sea safely."
She explained it so naturally that I simply nodded. They had a pretty logical plan. "And then?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Ronan asked.
"When you achieve your goals, what are you going to do next?"
They all looked at each other for a moment, and then Draven smiled, a flirtatious look that chills you to the bone. "Then we live."
I was speechless, and my mouth opened, so I couldn't even stop myself; it was an involuntary impulse.
"Do you want to...?" Lucien began...
Before Lucien could continue, a loud crash was heard from the deck, and the ship shook slightly. Ronan ran onto the deck while Lucien grabbed his sword and took a defensive stance, following behind the others. Selene and Draven stayed with me, and Selene placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she asked, frowning.
"Yes," I replied, though I was still a little shocked.
Selene moved and pulled a dagger from under the table; it looked beautiful. I stood motionless for a moment before asking.
"Is... something happening?" I asked.
Selene sighed. "Probably not."
I didn't quite know what to say to her, because outside I was starting to hear noises of a fight, and I was beginning to worry, and my eyes immediately searched for the place where the hallway to the rooms was, thinking about recovering my grandmother's things.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of running water and then a whistling sound. Selene hid the dagger under the table again and looked at me, winking, which made me tilt my head almost automatically. "Was she implying that it was there?" I thought.
Draven and Selene left ahead of me, and I followed behind. Lucien was soaking wet, and Kael was looking serious as he wiped his arms.
I wanted to ask, but I didn't feel I had the right to offer an opinion in this situation, when I didn't even know what I wanted yet. They gathered together, and I went to the railing, placing my hands on the edge of the ship as my hair swayed along it.
I gazed at the sea, which seemed almost endless, when Lucien lay down beside me, looking at his crew, his arms crossed.
"Have you been through a lot?" was all he asked.
I looked ahead, and my eyes welled up against my will, while my throat stung, and I cursed myself for showing weakness at this point. In front of pirates.
"Aren't you like the other pirates?" I asked, and I felt his gaze on me, but I didn't turn to look at him.
"I don't know what the others are like, but we are just ourselves," he said, short and final.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, tousling it and pushing it back, though the wind wasn't helping at all.
"I'd like to go back to my city, even though it might not exist anymore. At least I'd like to find a place like it," I said, as honestly as possible.
Then I turned around and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lucien, looking at the boys in front of me. They all seemed to be around my age, full of life, and worse... they looked... trustworthy, as if they were the complete opposite of Brooke's pirates.
"Come with us," Lucien said, and I turned to look at him. He had a big smile on his face. "Come with us to the edge of the oceans. If we don't find the star, I promise I'll take you back to wherever you want to go."
I looked into his eyes, feeling something I hadn't felt in almost a year: hope, hope that there was something more, something that might work. I held his gaze and then, without fear, I asked.
"What's your dream?" I said.
He didn't look away. "I'm going to be the first pirate to reach the ends of the ocean."
I looked at him, and a flash of light passed before me, something I barely noticed, but my witch's instincts told me it wasn't just the light; it was something different. There was something about Lucien that was almost magnetic, making me feel I belonged here, that I was always meant to be here.
A gust of wind and a movement of the ship brought us a step closer, and he quickly looked away, but I will never forget the look I saw in his eyes. It was a pure look, a look of honesty I had never seen in anyone else in my life.
"I'll go with you," I said finally, "but only if I can eventually return to my city."
He flashed a wide smile in my direction and then moved toward the others, shouting, "We have a new crew member!"
I stood still, unsure what to say. He wasn't saying I was joining them; I'm not a pirate. It was simply me expressing my desire to follow my instincts, for once. Although, I'd better keep the fact that I'm a sea witch a secret.
Selene came running up to me. "That's it!" she exclaimed, celebrating.
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