Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 5: A surprise and a goodbye

On the next day, it was late afternoon and I decided to observe people walking on the street. I sat on the first step that gave access to my house. At that moment, I was devastated and happy at the same time... Could that be even possible? I guess so because that's exactly how I felt. I wanted to smile and cry, laugh and scream, celebrate and curse... all at once. You must be wondering why I'm saying all these things, so I'll not stall any longer: Laurens' departure. He was my best... well, actually, my only friend. I knew my heart would shatter after I set him free, but how could I break my promise? I loved Laurens too much to watch him suffer like that just because of my loneliness. Also, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to Laurens once I let him go. Would his new boss be worse than mom? Was he going die from starvation on the streets? How would his future look like? I had no idea how I'd get the answers to these questions... who am I kidding? I could never find out. After that day, Laurens would be gone forever and the only thing left for me would be memories.

When I stood up, two people waved while walking towards me. I waved back and smiled once I saw my uncle and Maartje. Both were dressed in the exact same clothes from the previous night. My cousin smiled widely once she got closer to me. She hugged me tightly. Neither my parents nor Johannes ever hugged me, so I had to enjoy the moment while it still lasted. Smiling broadly, I returned the embrace. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed every second of that tender moment. Although uncle Ruben also gave me a hug, it was much faster than Maartje's.

He took a step forward, "Hello, Eva. I came to drop off Maartje so that you two can talk more. One dinner is far from enough to truly get to know someone."

My eyes gleamed. I was glad I'd have the chance to know my cousin better. She grinned, also appearing to be happy with the idea.

"I'm leaving now, but I'll be back in a couple of hours," my uncle winked and smiled playfully. "Don't get in too much trouble!"

Maartje nodded and laughed. I chuckled. Even though I didn't know uncle Ruben well yet, he seemed to be a fun person. He had a mischievous look that reminded me of myself.

"Will do!" my cousin waved him goodbye. "See you later, dad."

"Wait!" I ran to uncle Ruben. "Can I ask you something before you go, uncle?"

He turned at me, frowning slightly. Although I wasn't sure, I had a feeling my uncle hadn't been completely honest on the previous night.

My uncle approached me, "Of course! I like your questions."

I took a deep breath and pressed my lips together. I feared I would upset him. One of the things I hated the most was when people kept secrets from me and I thought that was exactly what my uncle had done. We only knew each other for a day, but I had a feeling he had lied to me.

"I think you weren't honest yesterday about your job. You're not a privateer, are you?" I whispered, afraid that Maartje would listen.

I know, I had made a serious accusation. Breathing faster, I was sure my uncle was going to get angry at me. If I were him, I would've gotten furious. To my surprise, he just laughed. I gawked and sighed in relief.

Great! He still doesn't hate me... at least apparently.

"Really?" his lips curled into a lopsided grin. "What made you think that?"

I sighed, wondering if I had made a big mistake. I had no idea how uncle Ruben would react once I spoke my mind. He was my mom's brother after all, so what if he hit me? I needed to take that risk because my curiosity was more significant than my fear at that moment.

"When you said I'd be both a good pirate and privateer... and that I could thrive especially in the 'more rule-breaking' one of the two... I had a feeling that you know what it's like to be a pirate," I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. "Also, you mentioned that you're an adventurer... I'm not very familiar with pirates, but if there's one thing I know about them is that they love adventure."