A Pirate's Life For Me

Chapter 27 - See Ya

BAILEY

My throat and mouth ached as I walked down the hall. Luckily, all my screaming had paid off.

Bill had set me free. He wasn't so bad. True, he had scary muscles and came off a bit rude, but he was the one who helped when all the rest ignored me. Nice, I'd thought. Don't look at the lady in the cage shrieking her lungs out at you, yeah, just keep walking.

Amid the general chaos of the moment, though, it was hardly surprising that I'd been left to rot. The flood of men being swept below deck had been overwhelming; suddenly, the whole place was permeated by the stifling heat of bodies packed together and stank like a zoo.

Well, supposed that I owed Bill now. Not only had he let me out of the cell that Robin had shoved me into, he'd pointed me in the right direction to find my sister so I could slap her in the face. I certainly appreciated it.

I'd already tried Liv's room, to no avail. Bill had suggested that I might try Robin's room, too.

The ship rocked beneath my feet, giving me an uneasy sense of disbelonging. I felt like an outsider. I was not a pirate, I would never be one of them, and they all knew it. Any man I passed in the hall shot me a look of skeptical resentment. I couldn't tell if they knew I was Olivia's sister. Either way, they were anything but welcoming. I wanted to go home.

Three, four, five, I counted the doors on the left. They all wore the same monotonous uniform of drab brown wood with a faded brass knob. Six . . . seven.

I paused in front of the board of wood. To knock, or not to knock. That was the question. Then again, when had Olivia ever knocked before coming into my room? As I recalled, last time she'd been in my house, she picked the lock. I smirked at the thought and without another moment's hesitation, opened the door.

To my credit, at least I didn't laugh.

Yup, through all adversity, human emotion prevails. But then again, had pirates not caught on to the common practice of oh, I don't know, locking their doors?

"Well I guess I'll just be leaving--"

"Bailey!"

"Howya doin?"

"Um..."

Oh, good. Awkwardness. My favorite.

"Like I said," I smirked. "I'll just be leaving."

Olivia scowled at me. "What do you want?" She pulled the sheets up around her, trying to act as though she wasn't embarrassed. Good try, sis.

"Just wanted to talk to you. But," I glanced at Robin, who was, oddly enough, suppressing laughter. "I can wait."

"Bailey!" She whined again. I just shook my head, backing out the door.

"I'll just . . . leave you guys to it," I smirked. "See ya."