Compass (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 7 (Nic)

Nic groaned, trying to unearth his last memory. Oh, right! He was about to duel with Anthony when the sun goes down. But when he looked at his surroundings, he realized that this didn't add up. It was in the evening and he was on the deck somehow. He must have slept through the time he was supposed to duel? Then why did his head hurt so much?

"Hey Anthony!" Nic turned to a short woman with black curls, "the guy is awake!" Nic turned to see Anthony running towards them.

"Um, hi?" Anthony stopped and looked around awkwardly.

"Hi, did I miss the duel? I must have fallen asleep!" Nic yawned, while Anthony stared at him, confused.

"No, we fought! Do you remember?" he asked, glancing at Dea to see her reaction. Nic shook his head slowly.

"The last thing I remember is after you left the room when we agreed to duel at sunset. Did I win the duel?" Dea looked at Anthony then smiled at Nic.

"You must have lost your short term memory due to the head injury you recieved. Anthony-" she stared before Anthony interupted her.

"I won, you lost. I struck you in the head which is probably why you don't remember." he replied, straight faced. Dea stared at him, dumbstruck while Anthony looked away. Nic titlted his head, curiously.

"You must be really strong. Good duel then." he bowed his head with respect. This guy must be on a whole different level to beat him. Well, his ego deserved the blow this time. Then, Nic winced, remembering his part of the deal. He had to become a pirate.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Dea hissed at Anthony, pulling him over to the forecastle deck. Nic couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell they were getting pretty heated over an argument. Nic really didn't know what to think in the situation. He approached Dea and Anthony who quickly quieted down when they noticed him.

"Am I supposed to be a pirate? Or is my memory wrong?" Nic smiled hopefully at the second question. But he knew his memory was correct. He wasn't going to back off a deal, only a coward does that.

"You're right. But being a pirate isn't as bad as you think!" Anthony smiled sadly. Nic noticed Dea's glare, but he couldn't imagine what might be wrong. From what he has seen of Dea so far, she seems to be a really chill person.

"Well, first things first. We have no clue where the hell we are. Can you help with that?" Anthony scanned the horizon. The sun seemed to be practically touching the water, it was so low in the sky. The sunset cast golden hues flowing from the pink and indigo sky. Anthony noticed Nic watching the sun inch down slowly.

"Second best part of voyaging on the ocean. Seeing the sunset. But the first best part is the sunrise. I'll show you sometime!" Anthony grinned, excited. Nic's face turned red, and he turned away, hiding his face. Damn, Anthony's puppy eyes were no joke. Regaining his posture, Nic nodded at him, then turned back to the sunset.

"This is perfect timing. To know where to go, I have to measure the stars. I have a tool for the along with a compass in my boot, so I can tell you as soon as the stars come out which direction we are going and where we are."