Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 19: Can't ask the captain anymore

As the crew kept clapping and cheering, my distress increased. Don't get me wrong, there's no higher honor than being elected captain, but I didn't trust myself very much. My entire life I'd heard from dad that I was just a silly dreamer. Hendrika told me often that my only skill was messing things up. Uncle Ruben waited eight years to allow me to participate in my first pirate attack. From where did those people take the idea that I could be their captain? God, I'd barely survived my duel with Captain Monster! How the hell would I take care of an entire ship? Although I celebrated outside, I freaked out inside. I hoped no one had seen my trembling legs or my shaky smile. Captain Van Acker... so beautiful and yet so scary. Laurens also appeared to be insecure about succeeding as the new quartermaster. He pressed his lips together when no one was looking. I frowned, feeling weird with that cocked hat on my head. It felt wrong and right at the same time. Now I could no longer say "What should we do?" or "Could you please help me?" to the captain because... Guess what? I was the captain! Besides being plagued by self-doubt, my entire body ached due to my wounds. To summarize, I was a mess.

Kenneth raised his brows, "What should we do about the bodies of Knight and Fletcher, Captain Storm?"

I bit my lower lip and crossed my arms as I thought of a solution. That would be my first official decision as captain. My nausea increased as I remembered that seventy-five people depended on me. Even though Laurens would have almost as much authority as me, I'd never had so much responsibility before.

I sighed, "Keep their weapons and throw them overboard."

The crew members shouted "Hurray!" after hearing my idea, appearing to be satisfied with my choice. A group of six people took a step forward. Three of them tossed Fletcher out of the vessel while the others did the same with Knight. A massive amount of people clapped and I gulped as the former leaders' lifeless bodies fell into the sea.

Great job, Eva! You didn't ruin everything on your first decision!

Trevor analyzed me as if he searched for signs of weakness. Although he ended up voting for me, I wasn't sure he liked that I was the new captain. Francis barked as if he approved my choice and wouldn't leave my side. I caressed his head briefly, wondering what I should do next.

"I'm looking forward to our next adventures together!" Laurens whispered to me, grinning widely.

"Me too!" I returned the smile as my sweating increased. "It's going to be one hell of an experience."

My real wish was to hug Laurens and do a victory dance, but I couldn't. The crew had just elected me and I needed to show them I was worth their vote. Besides, I was twenty-one years old, so I had to start acting like an adult. Was that even possible? Being mature sounded so boring...

The crew members looked at me expectantly. Ashton was the only one working since he needed to do it full time. Some people tilted their heads, seemingly interested in hearing me speak. Others had their arms crossed. God, I hated pressure!

I took a step forward for everyone to hear me, "Unfortunately, the boatswain and master gunner decided to join the sharks instead of staying with us."

A significant amount of people laughed. Some yelled "Such cowards!" and seemed to be supportive. Francis cocked his head as if he paid attention to me.

"I'll now choose people for both positions before anything else," I walked to the right while raising my brows. "Organization is the key to our success."

Excellent job, Captain Van Acker! You managed to make a fancy phrase!

The crew nodded in agreement and I bit my lower lip. To show that I was not insecure, I straightened up and looked as many people in the eye as possible.