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“Aye, Jared?”
“The wench is afraid of ladders…”
“I am not,” she hissed angrily, glancing up once more to see a strange looking rifle aimed over the side towards them.
“Ask her how she feels about swimming, Jared. I’ll punch a hole in the dinghy and save us both the headache.”
“Why you…” she snarled, glaring at the mysterious threat looming above her – and at the man beside her. Shooting to her feet, she felt the craft bob slightly and nearly lost her footing… grasping at the rickety ladder – that matched the equally rickety-looking ship.
“Stupid ship – with an even stupider name,” she muttered, making her way slowly up the ladder as she saw another rope thrown over, followed by the sound of a cranking pulley. The dinghy was being hoisted out of the water and Popeye/Jared was right behind her on the ladder… waiting.
As Calista got to the top, she saw several others waiting and hefted her leg over just like she’d seen Bo do. Ignoring the sharp stab of pain directly in her crotch at having to straddle the flat railing before sliding over it, she was finally on board, coming face to face with some man in a cheap-Jack Sparrow costume with a nasty-looking wig that covered half his face.
“Welcome aboard, scallywag.”
“You must be the captain…”
“Go, get in line, and pick you color.”
“Don’t you mean ‘hoist the colors’ if this is supposed to be a pirate ship and you’re the captain? So, who do you get in trouble with if you happen to go off-script?” she asked bluntly – only to see him glare at her.
“Move it,wench…” he growled.
There was such a blinding anger and ferocity in his bright blue eyes that she flinched, immediately moving closer to the other people standing in the distance.Whatever this farce was, he was taking it seriously and didn’t want anyone contradicting his orders.
“Now,” the captain began in a voice to commanded attention. “Listen up people and pay attention – because I will not be repeating myself. This isThe Happy Pappyand you have been Swashbuckled…”
Calista stood there, listening and absorbing every word as the man slowly paced the deck with his hands behind him.
“Why are weThe Happy Pappyyou might be asking? That’s easy - because when this ship was launched,The Jolly Rogerwas trademarked. Don’t analyze it, because it doesn’t matter to you. Whatdoesmatter is that you are going to spend a week disconnected from everything and everyone, learning about the ocean, the seas, each other, and yourselves.”
The captain stopped suddenly, looking at them.
“I am Captain William Kidd… no relation to the pirate except by birth name – and these are your team members or deckhands that will be helping out. Bo, Shepherd, and Jared. If you have a complaint? See me before bothering the pirate wench, Red Marie. She’s more likely to make you walk the plank than I am, and tolerates a lot less garbage from landlubbers or scallywags.”
He waited, unmoving.
“Am I clear?”
“Yes,” everyone said in unison – as the three men he’d named off suddenly saluted, holding their arm upwards in a tight formation, standing ramrod straight. This surprised her, because it was an obvious, practiced move.
“AM I CLEAR?”
“Yes, sir!” the three men began – and everyone echoed in understanding. This was his way of commanding orenforcing respect, she realized. He made them salute like he was important.
What a jerk…she mused silently.
“We are on a tightly run ship and I require complete obedience from my team – and from you. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t tolerate mutiny or mayhem for myself or any of my team. Orders are orders. If Shepherd tells you to climb the rigging… start climbing. If Bo tells you to swab the deck, get the mop. If Jared tells you to get the gunpowder and flints… you better move, because we are about to blow some stuff up.”
… And then he grinned at the three men – surprising her at how much nicer he looked in those three seconds before he was glaring at all of them again.
“Pick your colors, because it’s easier to remember than names. I don’t want to know if you have a ‘Y’ instead of an ‘I’ in your name – to me and my crew you are a color, a body, and a functioning member of the team for the next seven days – and that’s it.”
Calista had to bite her tongue to keep from making a smart comment.
