Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 1: A new adventure

People call me many things: smart, lucky, mischievous... even mean sometimes. Although my parents weren't pretty fond of that aspect of my personality, I had been an adventurer my entire life. I didn't know all the girls in Willemstad, but I was sure none of them were like me. You must be wondering what I mean. Well, I'm saying that I broke every rule that I could. I believed I was a rule breaker since 1708, the year I was born. Besides, I had much more maturity than the rest... I'm kidding! In fact, it was quite the opposite. On that day, like many others, I ran towards the port. I was wearing a loose blue dress with long sleeves, which had some white lace till my wrist. Since the outfit was too long and kept me from running, I tore its petticoat until half of my calves. Feeling free as a seagull, I couldn't resist the temptation to perform my favorite activity: stealing. Yes, that's right, stealing. When I reached a fruit vendor, I hid behind a wall nearby and waited for one of the salesmen to start talking to the other. My eyes gleamed and couldn't stop laughing, excited for a new adventure. I had stolen before, so I wasn't precisely venturing. For the thirteen-year-old me, that simple experience was enough to make my day happier... I loved feeling like I was in danger.

I smiled widely, "Let's do this!" 

It's just you and yourself now, Eva.

I got closer to the vendor, grabbed an orange and left running. My hair fluttered and I clenched my teeth. Luckily no one saw me, so I hid behind another wall and struggled to put the fruit in my tight dress. After getting away from that robbery, I smiled widely and puffed out my chest. Confident I would be able to steal something more expensive; I went to another street. Since my mom didn't give a damn about me, perhaps she would finally care if I gave her a beautiful pearl bracelet.

"She will smile at me when she sees what I got for her!" I approached the jewelry store with the orange on my lower back, breathing heavily. "My mom will finally stop despising me..."

I waited across the street for the shop to get more crowded so that I would leave unnoticed. My eyes widened and sweat ran down my forehead. While the salesman got some earrings to a woman, I walked towards a beautiful pearl necklace. It was next to a pearl bracelet and over a wooden table.

I shrugged, "I'll get one for mom, but it doesn't hurt to get one for me."

Looking from side to side, I put both jewels inside my dress. I walked away slowly to not call attention. Although I preferred to run, the conditions were not favorable.

The salesman bared his teeth, "Hey, blondie! Give these two back to me!"

He pointed his finger at my face, seemingly about to burst out in anger. Many people looked at me at that moment, appearing to be confused and scared. I didn't think twice and ran like crazy.

I pushed everyone who was in my way and ran two almost blocks. The jeweler and his friend kept chasing me. My eyes bulged as the pearls moved up and down on my belly. Despite the danger, I was having a great time. The risk of tripping, the two furious men, the sweat dripping from my forehead... it all made me feel alive. My legs burned, my heart was almost jumping off my chest and yet I kept going. When I thought that everything was lost, I saw an opportunity. I grabbed a bunch of fruits from a fruit vendor and threw them in front of the guys who chased me. They tripped. After that, I hid in an alley.

"Where is that damn girl?" the merchant's friend asked, gazing from side to side with his brows knit together.

Please go away and leave me alone...

Both went to a different street. I sighed in relief and walked back home. If I didn't know Willemstad like the palm of my hand, I would've never found my house since I had run a lot that day. The street where I lived had medium-sized houses of many different colors: green, blue, orange, red... there was even a pink one! The presence of Dutch architecture and its colorfulness was of my favorite things about my city. I wanted to visit countries other than Curaçao to see if they also had as many colorful constructions.