Promise

Chapter 6

I awoke the next morning to the sound and feeling of movement, forgetting where I was or what had happened before this morning, just waking up. But all my questions were answered when my eyes found Plume , across the room, getting dressed in his outfit I'd always seen him in- the outfit he'd taken off the night before. I debated whether to say something to him, or to just stay quiet and pretend I'm asleep. I decided to go with the second, as I layed there, tangled in some kind of blanket, staring at everything about him through squinted eyes. Whenever I thought he'd turn around and look at me I'd shut them really quick so he wouldn't think I was just silently watching him... even though... I kind of was. I suddenly heard men's voices outside our tent and knew that it must be time to get up and get going. How did Plume  know it was time to get up? I would normally assume he got everyone up, but judging by the fact he was hardly dressed, I doubted it. Did someone wake him up? If so, they would have seen me. Then what?

Half of me wished he'd "wake me up" already, so I could ease my thoughts by getting answers or talking to him, but at the same time I felt lazy and wouldn't mind continuing lying there. Getting up meant responsibility. It meant heat, scorching sun, rowdy men, and danger. But it also meant being one with Plume  once more.

I watched as Plume  finished getting dressed, fastened his sword in his belt, and put on his boots. With a run of hands through his messy, yet attractive golden hair, he left without a word to me. Suddenly another obnoxious question decided to merge its way into my brain. An irrelevant and stupid one, but still I was curious: didn't his makeup wear off overnight? Did he not reapply it? Was it somehow tattooed? Did pirates do that? That's when my conscious kicked in, almost yelling at me, Get up already, and stop asking questions, Promise!

To myself, I was still Promise. That was what my father called me. I couldn't let that go. But to Plume  and his crew, I was Oath. I'd respond or stand up for either.

I sleepily sat up, rubbing my eyes, and running my fingers through my long dark hair just as Plume  had. I was sure I looked nowhere near as effortlessly attractive as he did. I got dressed in my outfit I'd worn the day before, that smelled like a mixture of sweat from the previous day in the hot sun and campfire smoke from the campfire the night before. Nothing pleasant like the clothes I used to have that never had a smell while sailing all my life, but I definitely wasn't going to complain about it. I was a pirate now. I could take a stab in the chest and be fine... right?

I put on my boots, stepping outside of the tent. I caught a few curious looks and a few smirks but ignored them. Except for Bopp's... I'm sure he could guess a few things just by looking into my eyes. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

All of the voices and questions in my head temporarily vanished when I felt a hand on my shoulder. A familiar hand.

I turned to see Plume 's face very close to mine, almost so close to me I could see the patterns in his ocean eyes.

He wears a slight smile, half welcoming, half hauntingly.

"Well, you're finally awake now, aren't you. We have to hurry so help with anything you can, darling."

His smile grows a little wider.

I look around, trying to search for something I could help with. I didn't mean to be sexist to myself, but he had to understand.

"Plume , I'm a girl... I'm weak. I can't help much with things like this... I mean, I could, but..."

I could tell Plume  was about to say something to ease my worries when one of the men from his crew with a bald head and long black beard, and eyebrows that looked like fluffy caterpillars that had made themselves at home oh his face, walked past, a box in his hand, and mumbled, "Maybe you could help more if all that hair wasn't in the way."