Chapter 15: Hook

                                    

                                          

I get up early like every morning. The vents of the previous day still fresh in my mind, but the knowledge that there isn't much I can do about it right now also sits heavy on my shoulders. I sigh heavily and prepare for the day. I can't leave my little brother on watch forever, he needs sleep too. 
I step out of my cabin once I'm fully dressed, pulling on my coat and hat while I exit. I go to join my brother at the helm. "Everything ship shape?" I don't bother to look at him, he knows I'm addressing him. Instead my eyes look over the horizon in front of us. The sea in the early morning is really a beautiful sight. 
He nods. "It was a quiet night." He steps aside from the wheel, giving me the space I need to take the helm myself. 
I acknowledge his words and dismiss him to get some rest. One by one the rest of the crew wanders onto the deck. One of them brings me some food for breakfast. The gesture is appreciated and goes to show me just how well they know me and my habits. Slowly the ship comes alive with activity and noise as each of the crew members comes above deck and begin their chores. The sights and sounds creating a familiar atmosphere. 
I smile in comfort at the feeling of being a part of something, watching my crew go about their duties. It is a bitter sweet reminder of my life before I came to Neverland. I pass off the helm to one of my older crew members and focus on supervising everything. Everything is going smoothly. I'm actually considering planning a little trip with my crew, we could use it. It would be a welcome escape from all the troubles that have been stirring up lately. And we just like to sail. What's the point in having such a lovely ship if we don't use it to explore the waters? 
Suddenly there's an impact on the side of the ship. Every time a sound like that echoes all the possibilities rush through my head and a vise of anxiety grips my stomach. I rush to the side to try to see what happened while my crew member at the helm tries to right our course. If whatever it was that hit up was strong enough to alter our course, it was strong. And it could have done some damage. 
What I see when I lean over the railing sends a chill down my spine. I growl in frustration. The mermaids are here and, if they stick to their past patterns, they're not going to leave until they've gotten their claws into a few of us. And dragged those unlucky few far beneath the waves. We might already be dead to the mainland, but we can still be killed here on Neverland. And that is not a death I wish to see any of my crew suffer. 
Not this time. They're not taking any of my crew on my watch. They're not going to win. Not again. Never again. 
I dash back to the helm and take it back from the crew member. I start shouting orders to everyone. The most important of which is that everyone of them must fasten their safety lines. This way, if any of them lose their footing or tumble over the edge they aren't lost. They can be saved. The few crew members who were below decks come up top and start following my orders as well. It is only a reminder to me at how well I have taught them. That whenever something like this happens, we need all hands on deck.
They work in perfect harmony, adjusting the sails and prepping the cannons. I strain with the wheel as we are rammed again. I know from previous experience that are working in teams to push us around in the waters. 
"Hurry up you lazy lugs! We have to hit them before they knock anyone overboard or push us into the rocks!" I shout my orders over the noise of everything going on. Falling into old habits and letting my authority shine through and take over. 
We can't outrun them. And we have to do everything possible to stay out of the water. To keep them from scuttling our home. They've shoved the Jolly Roger onto sandbars and into rocks in the past. But I'm not going to be run aground or lose my ship on the rocks this time. 
I grit my teeth and use their next shove to help turn the ship away from the incoming rocks by continuing in the direction they shove us. The extra power in the turn giving us the clearance we need to avoid the rocks. 
The sails are let out and I hear and feel the winds pick up. Finally, maybe we have a little luck. I turn us so the sails catch the wind and take us further out to open waters. Of course this won't keep us safe from then trying to capsize us or drown us, but at least there will be less dangerous obstacles that they can use against us there. I need to take advantage of everything that might give us an edge. 
The waves get higher and choppier the further out we get. I hear them chasing after us. They're no longer trying to keep their presence a secret. Then I hear another sound that makes my heart stop for a moment. The sound of the conch rings across the waters. I know who blew the conch, and I silently curse her for her cruel ways. 
As soon as the sound of the conch dies down the skies darken and the wind picks up. In an instant we find ourselves caught in a raging storm. It's like the sea itself is trying to attack us. And the skies open up, the amount of water falling down on us trying to push up into the waters. 
"Secure those sails!" I shout at my crew. 
This is not going to be like any other storm we can ride out or maneuver out of to safety. But I'm still not going to surrender to those fish harpies. 
"Are those cannons ready?!" 
"Aye, Cap'n!" My brother's voice calls out back to me. 
"Then what're you waiting for?! An invitation?! Get those scaly she devils off us!" 
The resounding booms of cannon fire is my reply. There's mostly just loud splashes and explosions. But occasionally I hear the screams and shrieks of the vindictive watery creatures who are attacking us. 
"Aquata! Give it a rest! You're not getting my ship or my crew today!" I shout to the water. 
The storm settles down a little and the leader of the mermaids pops above the surface of the water. "We must teach you that it is us who rule the waters here, Vitoria." 
I roll my eyes at her arrogant attitude. "We've lived in mutual respect for decades. Why now?" A tiny voice in my head whispers that I already know the answer. But confirmation would still be good. 
"I heard you had grown arrogant since our last visit to your ship." 
"And who told you that?" She doesn't have to answer, I know. She doesn't answer. I narrow my eyes at her. "You've been fooled. We both have. But it's not too late to let bygones be bygones. You go back to the lagoon now, and we'll go back to sailing. And we don't have to continue this. No one has to get hurt." 
"You fired on us." 
"And you tried to sink us!" I take a deep breath to try to recollect my composure. Diplomacy is not my strength. "Let's just go our separate ways and agree not to retaliate against each other." 
We stare each other down for a few tense minutes. I'm beginning to lose my patience and am considering ordering my crew to fire another few cannonballs but she finally answers. "Agreed." 
The rest of the mermaids fall back and start to move back in the direction of the lagoon. But the leader is still there, watching me. 
"And the storm," I remind her. 
She rolls her eyes but calls off the storm. "Until next time, Captain." She leaves and I breath a sigh of relief. 
I pass the helm back off and go to my cabin. I'm so caught up in my thoughts I don't hear my brother enter my cabin. "What're you thinking, sis?" 
"I'm thinking Wendy Darling is overstaying her welcome on this island. And we need to be ready for her next move." I sit at my desk and sigh. I look at my brother. His look of determination only solidifies my own. Next time, we won't be caught off guard.