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Jacqueline stood in the crow's nest, looking out over the ocean that she longed to claim as her own. The girl’s long auburn hair blew around her face in fiery red curls, and her amber eyes shone as they raked over the waves, searching for anything of value. The wake splashing against the hull was music; a rhythm she had grown accustomed to like a lullaby, and now the splashing of the ocean waves was the only thing that could sing her to sleep at night, more than any actual song ever could. Years at sea changed a person, and Jacqueline had developed a swagger that stuck whenever they stopped at port to restock- a side effect of a life on the ocean. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡByCijeEtg6 維尼
“Jack!” Her gaze was drawn below, where a man- tiny from her height- was slowly struggling to climb the rigging towards her. “Jackie!” The girl in question grabbed hold of a rope and jumped from her perch, landing with a front flip. Her knee-high black leather boots were almost soundless as they reached the wood paneling of the deck, and she turned to face the man who had called her down in the first place.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTk1nfgM9e 維尼
"Aye?" It was Nicholas, which usually meant a long, boring lecture about something no one would ever care about. Nick was a real old salt- but never too old for the seas, he always argued whenever the matter of his age was brought up- with short white hair that grew in patches on his head and chin. He was sunburned- a trait that I found I could never possess, and what part of his skin that wasn't red was an uneven mixture between different shades of brown. He was mainly a cabin boy, though due to his age you couldn't call him so to his face without his old rusty dagger being shoved into yours. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBEKKVU7mt 維尼
"Cap'n wants ya," he said, grinning crookedly at her. As the captain's daughter, she was respected, but the old timers of the Courage had learned she was practically his son with how she acted. Playing cards and fighting like any man. She nodded with a small grateful smile, turning on her heel and walking to the Captain's Quarters. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB2YiWMHaW 維尼
As soon as she walked into the cabin, she had to shield her eyes against the harsh sunlight flooding into the room, not discouraged by the large red curtains blocking the windows. Her father was standing behind his desk, looking at a large map of someplace, his back to her. Her boots thumped against the wood flooring as she entered, the sound stopping as she did, her hands on the back of one of the chairs. "Jackie," he said in greeting, still not turning to face his daughter. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq427XHLL2 維尼
"You called?" she asked. He turned then, a smile on his face.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PuVqUZIl0 維尼
Thomas Law was a respectable man- even on sea his chestnut hair was trimmed and his face was shaved with a barely perceptible four-o'clock shadow to mar his jaw. His hazel eyes were twinkling with excitement, something that Jacqueline hadn't seen as often as she liked since her mother had passed. "I've found it, Jackie." He said, gripping the sides of his desk with vigor. She felt her lips turn down in a frown. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5lHHORU4v 維尼
"Found what?" 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA0YdC1lXg 維尼
Her father opened his mouth, to respond, maybe to tell her something incredibly amazing, maybe to get her hopes up. She would never know. Because at that moment there came from outside the cabin a loud bang, as if from a pistol, and then a pain-filled scream that she was almost certain came from Samuel Duke, the helmsman. She tensed, reaching for the hidden knife in her boot before realizing she had left it in her cabin that morning. With a worried look to her father, she ran out of the door, Thomas right behind her.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJRIW4HUOB 維尼
What she found was chaos.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfEpvRwE8t 維尼
There were dozens of unfamiliar men on the Courage, brandishing pistols and cutlasses, and at once Jackie knew who they were. Pirates. She looked to her left and found their ship, attached with grappling hooks and planks, their Jolly Roger flag fluttering in the small breeze that had accompanied the day. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHVcEHVQy9 維尼
The crew- the Courage's crew- was being held at gunpoint, and one of the men, Duke, was lying on the deck, blood spilling from his no-longer-white shirt. Jacqueline clapped a hand to her mouth, not able to muffle the small gasp that left her lips at the sight. Her father was brandishing his rifle, the bayonet glimmering in the sun, behind her, and she was wishing again that she had remembered her knife. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0AM66u5n7 維尼
The man who was obviously the captain stepped forward, sweeping into a low bow and then slapping his large tricorn hat back on his mass of black curls. His cutlass shone, and Jackie's eyes were inadvertently drawn to it. He smirked, and a gold tooth caught the light. "Ahoy there," he said, walking a step closer to where they were, at the stern. Thomas stepped in front of her daughter, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pirate. "The Courage, eh?" He looked around the ship, as if inspecting it. "We're the Buccaneer's Rif'." He said, not pronouncing his 't's. Someone cheered. They ignored him, 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xjXKNzkJh 維尼
"I've go'a say, you've go' a nice ship, here," he said, whistling appreciatively and looking around again, letting his fingers longer on the mizzenmast as he went, before letting the hand return to his side. He walked closer, looking at Jacqueline from behind her father. He smirked again, and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the venom in his dark eyes. "You've go' a lass," he said. "Hey girlie." 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZhXVW40Ko 維尼
"Girlie," one of the men right behind him chuckled. The pirate next to him shoved his shoulder and he fell to the deck with a thud, jumping right back up with a small laugh. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7MytjA3Ei 維尼
"Your daugh'er?" The captain guessed, his golden teeth glittering as his smirk widened. Jackie's father nodded hesitantly. She could see his hands shaking as they gripped the rifle, and his eyes didn't leave the other man's as he moved closer. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKk8Q0xUCr 維尼
"Who are you?" Thomas asked, his voice wavering slightly. The others probably didn't hear it, but Jacqueline did. She had learned to pay attention to those little things, those things that no one would else would. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFUj5mRxK9 維尼
The pirate chuckled, taking another deep bow. "Ah. My mis'ake. Flin'. Nathaniel Flin'. Cap'ain of the Buccaneer's Rif'." Jackie sucked in a sharp breath as she recognized the name. "You've heard of me." She shrugged, afraid to break eye contact. "Righ'." He looked up at her father, who was obviously trying not to glare at the man. "Who are you?" 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EdQJADo7x 維尼
"Law." Was the answer.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfL89oHDsJ 維尼
"'homas Law?" The man nodded. "Riiiiigh'." The word was drawn out. "Merchan'." Flint's eyes flickered down to the hold, and Jackie's heart plummeted. His hand moved to the brace of pistols strapped to his chest, and the next thing Jackie knew, there was a pair of pistols pointed at her father.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbHoSMN2p8 維尼
She gasped, gripping his arm, looking with wide eyes at Flint, whose smirk had disappeared. Everyone on board had tensed, and the pirates had pulled out even more weapons, if it was possible. "Drop the gun, Law," Flint demanded. A second later, the rifle tumbled to the deck. "Grea'. Wha' d'ya have on board?"8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡykbci4rFv5 維尼
"Not much," Jackie's father replied, his voice surprisingly calm. "We were just going to restock as soon as we could find a port."8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxdjYwyNAk 維尼
Flint nodded towards the hold, and two or three of his men disappeared down the stairs and into the blackness. They returned half a second later with bags, full of exotic spices. And rum. Jackie's blood ran cold as one of the bags was torn open, and the goods that her and her father made a living off of were spilled over the deck, some falling between cracks in the wood boards. She stepped forwards, but her father outstretched his arm, effectively stopping her from doing something she might regret. She had a temper that was all her own- her father was, and her mother had been, very collected in a crisis. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7LuUeQOFW 維尼
"'hank ye," Flint said, his smirk back on his ugly face. "Hones'ly." He turned to his crew, so Jackie couldn't see his face. "Ge' it all." 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTkiTVBOcP 維尼
Never had Jacqueline heard of pirates acting so civilly. True, they had killed Duke, and they were raiding the Courage, but there had been no cannon fire. It was almost... civilized. Oh, she hated that word, but it seemed to fit. The pirates were acting civilly. Everything was going great until one of the pirates walked out of Jackie's cabin.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6Sw8xOVAw 維尼
Gripping in his pudgy fingers the gilded chest of her mother's jewelry.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSnip9hch5 維尼
It was small enough to carry in both hands, chestnut wood with golden paint in numerous designs. Jackie was standing with the rest of the Courage's crew, right next to her father, biting her bottom lip as the pirates from the Buccaneers Rift, when she saw him.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Vqy7YvfOg 維尼
And she pretty much lost it.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYOin1jWjo 維尼
She launched herself at the man, barely being held back by her father, screaming all sorts of curses and threats. Flint almost looked amused as he looked at the girl- barely eighteen- struggle in her father's grip. He marched up to her, smirking, ripping her from Thomas' arms and holding her at arm's length. He had a small knife- tiny but sharp- in one hand, which he used to trace her cheek. He smirked as she flinched at the feeling of the blade against her jaw. "Wha's in the box?"8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV4b537MA4 維尼
"My mother's.... please, don't.... it's all I have left of...." she hated the way she was begging, hated the feeling of being out of control. Of being at the mercy of someone else. Of being weak. He laughed, his chuckles causing someone else to do the same. He shoved her to the floor, pulling out his pistol.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgk2a63fWJ 維尼
"I's s'range, isn' i'?" he asked, his speech impediment making making everyone on deck strain to understand him. "I wasn' gonna kill anyone 'oday." He cocked the gun, pointing it at the girl, shrugging. "Oh well." He pulled the trigger. 8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaUkDnbpae 維尼
Jackie flinched, squeezing her eyes closed.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5hQolKitL 維尼
Her dad cried out.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwWUp3zNbW 維尼
She opened her eyes.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlabASchlA 維尼
And screamed.8964 copyright protection477ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQwQzBxtNg 維尼
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