The Family Business

1

     Berkeley was a nice town. It was small, quiet, and perfect for a little get away. And that was exactly what I had come here for. Back home, everyone knows me and I have many responsibilities and expectations. Here, I'm a nobody, and I'm treated the same as everyone else. I liked that. I craved it. And, after months of begging, my parents had finally agreed to let me take this vacation by myself. One day, about a week into my three week trip, I decided to take a walk. It was nice to be able to walk around without being stopped every five minutes and dragged into boring conversations like back home. I dressed in a thin, green shirt that was too big for me, so the sleeves slipped down my shoulders on occasion. I liked it that way. It made me feel rebellious and free. I also put on my favorite pair of jeans, slipping my phone into the back pocket. I left my long, red hair down so the wind could catch it. It was unseasonably warm out, so I didn't bring a jacket. I wasn't planning on being out long anyway.

     I walked through the quiet streets, marveling at the beauty of the little town. The cobblestone streets were pretty much empty. Either side was lined with little shops that looked warm and inviting. Suddenly, I heard shouts disrupting the quiet atmosphere. I stopped, looking around to find the source of the commotion. A gun was fired, causing me to jump, and around the corner came a man, running full speed, followed closely by two police officers. I had no idea what this man had done, but from the looks of this chase, it wasn't good. As he came closer, I tried to get out of the way and hide myself so he didn't see me. Only trouble was, there was nowhere to hide. He stopped a few feet in front of me, turned around, and fired his gun in the direction of the police officers. He missed, and they kept coming. The man looked around him, and his gaze landed on me. I took a step backward, and he ran towards me. He grabbed me before I could move and turned me around, pressing my back to his chest and wrapping his arm around my body, pinning my arms to my sides. My heart was pounding. The cops stopped in their tracks, guns raised. I struggled, trying to get away, but it was no use. The man just tightened his grip and laughed. I felt the cold metal of a gun pressed to my head and stiffened instantly.
     "Any closer, and I shoot the girl," The man said. I was terrified.
     "Surrender now, and no harm will come to you," One of the police officers said, taking another step towards us. The man took a step backwards, dragging me with him. He laughed again.
     "Why on earth would I want to do that?" He asked, holding me tighter. "This nice young girl has just so kindly offered to assist in my escape." He lowered his voice, speaking almost directly into my ear. "Remind me to thank you later, Princess." My throat tightened. The word 'later' gave me a bad feeling, and I didn't like that he called me Princess. I struggled again, and he tightened his grip around my waist even more. "See you later, boys!" He called to the police. He let go of my waist, but quickly grabbed my arm. He turned and, pulling me with him, began to run. The police followed, taking a couple of shots aimed more to scare him than to hit him. The man, still running, turned and fired back. A minute later, he stopped, once again using me as a human shield.
     "Keep following us, and this lady gets a bullet in her," He warned the officers. "Drop your guns, turn around, and put your hands on your head, or I swear I'll shoot her!" He lowered his voice, speaking to me again. "I've always wanted to say that."
     "You're sick," I replied. I would have added a few more choice words, but I didn't trust myself to speak.
     "Oh I know, Princess. But I've gotten this far, and I'm not stopping now." The police officers obeyed, and turned their backs. "Come on," He said, grabbing my hand tightly. And just like that, we were running again.

     A short time later, we had arrived at the docks. I was confused as to why we were there, but still didn't trust myself enough to ask. I did not want this man to see me break down. He dragged me towards a large, old-looking ship, shoving me towards a gangplank leading up to the deck. "Walk," He instructed. I felt a sudden wave of courage, and turned around, facing him.
     "Why?" I demanded, tired of playing his game. "Why a boat?"
     "Let's just say it's our preferred method of transportation," He replied. "Now move." He pointed his gun at me, giving me no choice but to obey. I had planned to ask a few more questions, but I guess that would have to wait. I walked slowly up the gangplank to the ship. When we got on board, I stopped again. I had questions, and I wanted answers.
     "Why did you bring me here?" I asked. "Why not just let me go? You've escaped. You don't need me anymore." He signaled, and I suddenly felt two very strong hands grip my arms. I tried to turn around, tried to get away, but the hands were too strong. It felt like whoever was holding me was cutting off my circulation.
     "Oh I don't know about that, Princess," The man said, coming closer. He pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and slipped it into his own. "You could still be very useful to me. Right now, though, I must sail my ship, so if you'll excuse me..." He gave a little bow, and addressed the man holding me. "Take her down to the spare room. Make sure she doesn't try to escape." I was then dragged, not very gently, down a set of stairs and into a room with little more than a bed in it. The man shoved me inside. I stumbled, and turned around just in time to see the door swing shut. I heard a click, and ran to the door. It was locked. I pounded on it, yelling for someone to let me out.

     After a few minutes, I began to lose hope. I sat down on the bed and finally allowed myself to cry. There was no sound; only tears. Once I had started, it was hard to stop. A short time later, I heard another click, and the door was opened again. I backed against the wall and two men appeared in the room. One was considerably bigger than the other, but they were both bigger than me. They were muscular, and could easily overpower me. The bigger one had jet black hair that was cut short, and brown eyes seemed oddly kind. The shorter, less bulky, man had light brown hair that swept his forehead and fell over his ears. His eyes were a hazel color, and he had a scar running from his upper lip to his chin. They both looked to be in their early thirties. The shorter one came closer to me. I pressed my back against the wall.
     "The Captain has requested your presence on deck," He said. His voice was a little husky, and made him seem somehow younger than he appeared.
     "Well you can tell him I'm not coming," I answered. He came closer, grabbing my arm. I pulled back, trying desperately to get away. I threw a punch, hitting him in the stomach as hard as I could. The second, bigger man grabbed my other arm, and together they dragged me out of the room and up the stairs.

     Once on deck, we were joined by the first man. The 'Captain', I presumed. He had changed his clothes, and now wore dark pants, tall boots, and a long, heavy looking black coat. This was the first time I had gotten a good look at him. He had dark brown hair, bright green eyes, and his left ear was pierced, sporting a short silver earring. The two men were still holding me, and the Captain stopped in front of me.
    "Who are you?" I demanded.
    "Why, we're pirates, Princess," He answered, gesturing to the sword hanging from his belt. He seemed to have swapped it with his gun. "I thought that much was obvious."
     "Pirates," I repeated, incredulous.
     "Aye."
     "What, you even say 'aye'?"
     "Aye," He answered. "I do."
     "You can't be pirates," I replied, dumbfounded. "This is the 21st century, there are no pirates anymore." An amused look came onto his face as he answered.
     "And yet, here we are."
     "But what is your name?" I asked. He replaced the amused look with one of slight anger and annoyance.
     "I'll ask the questions here, Princess," He growled.
     "Don't call me that," I said.
     "Why not, Princess? Do you not like it? Tell me, what is your name?" I was growing very angry with him. I felt another rush of courage, or maybe it was stupidity. I find that most people can't tell the difference. Instinctively, I spat at him, and he was not happy. His men pushed me to my knees as he wiped his face. He came closer, and I leaned backward, looking down so I didn't have to see his face. He knelt in front of me, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at him. He leaned in. When his face was no more than six inches away from mine, he spoke again, slowly.
     "Don't ever disrespect me like that again, Princess. Or you'll find out just how strong and scary a pirate can be. Now I'm going to ask you again, and you're going to answer me. What. Is. Your. Name?"
     "Lana," I replied, my voice shaking in fear. "My name is Lana. Please, just let me go," I begged, a single tear falling from my eye. He let go of my face and stood up.
    "Not just yet, Princess. Lana, huh? What's your last name, Lana?"
    "I- I don't think I'm going to tell you," I said stupidly. His face darkened, and he slapped me, hard. I gasped.
    "Oh I think you'll tell me. That is, if you plan on leaving this ship alive." I knew I had to answer him, but I didn't want to give him my real last name, afraid he would threaten my family. So, I lied. Looking back, I don't know why I didn't just tell him the truth. It would have made things a lot simpler.
    "Monell," I answered. I could hear the hatred dripping from my voice, and I'm sure he did to.
     "Huh. And who are you, Lana Monell?" He asked. "Are you important?"
     "No," I replied, slightly confused by his question. He nodded, and signaled to his men. They let me go. The Captain walked over to me and held out his hand. I took it hesitantly, and he helped me to my feet.
     "You can stay up here for a while," He said, his voice softened. "We're far enough from shore that I think you'll agree jumping overboard is a stupid idea." And with that, he walked away. I stood there for a minute, not quite knowing what to do. Finally, I walked to the edge of the ship and looked out on the horizon. It had gotten dark, and I couldn't see anything but water for miles and miles. The temperature had dropped considerably. I rubbed my arms, trying to keep warm. A few minutes later, I felt something warm put over me. I turned, and saw the Captain, sans his coat, which was now draped over my shoulders, standing behind me.
     "Thank you," I said. He nodded and joined me at the railing. A flicker of fear ran through me, but quickly disappeared. We stood like that for a minute, just looking out at the water.
     "Jefferson," He said suddenly.
     "What?"
     "The answer to your question," He replied. "My name is Jefferson."
     "Oh." It was an unusual name, but then, he was an unusual man. A 21st century pirate.