Ocean Storm (Queen of Piracy Duology #1)

Chapter 20: Success or failure?

I suddenly woke up in the middle of a thunderstorm. The ship wouldn't stop rolling. My clothes were partially torn and full of seawater. I chased my cocked hat as it was taken by the wind. I frowned, not understanding how the day was skipped to that moment. I looked from side to side as my breathing accelerated. Maartje led the crew to the lower floor as Laurens talked to Ashton. I could barely listen to what people were saying since something seemed to obstruct my hearing. Lighting struck against the sails, poking a hole in all of them. I screamed in desperation. Francis ran towards me but couldn't get close enough because the rain made him slide to the right. The vessel pitched and I held on to the mainmast not to fall. Some crewmembers shouted as they strived to do their jobs. Ashton was having trouble steering our vessel away from the ocean storm. It appeared that something stopped him from moving the helm smoothly. My eyes bulged as the wind intensified. God, that was such a terrifying scene! I felt so lost that I couldn't talk... A group of ten people walked towards me, seemingly angry. I reached for my cutlass, but it wasn't there. They kept glaring at me as the ship swayed.

A man crossed his arms, "What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to be our captain!"

I gulped. Some unknown force stopped me from moving and talking.

Another crewmember pointed at me while frowning, "That's not our leader. It's just that stupid woman who thought she could be good enough for us!"

The other men burst out in laughter. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth, ready to attack the guys if necessary. Rage and fear burned me inside. I squeezed the mainmast more strongly, wondering what I'd done to deserve such a humiliation. I wasn't sure if my biggest fear was sinking with that ship or being hated by my own crew.

Francis barked desperately as the ship surged. The foremast suddenly fell, shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Can't you handle some bad weather?" another man smirked as he took a step closer. "Come on! Tell us what to do!"

When I started thinking, the wooden floor shattered and the Sea Urchin was destroyed. I fell into the ocean, along with all the others. The waves dragged me away as I struggled to reach the surface.

I woke up in my room, breathing heavily and with my eyes widened in desperation. I frowned, wondering why the ship wasn't doing any sudden movements. The floor was dry and I didn't hear people panicking. Everything was just fine.

I put a hand on my chest, "It was just a bad dream. Thank God!"

After leaving my bed, I fixed my messy hair as I looked at myself in the mirror. I put on Fletcher's dark blue coat, the same black cocked hat, and my boots. I needed some new boots since his were too large for me. I went upstairs to the quarterdeck, which was directly above where I was. Once I arrived at the main deck, a watchstander rang the vessel's bell. He always did that when Captain Monster woke up as a signal for everyone else to do the same. Since I was the new captain, it only made sense that he did that when he saw me. I raised my brows as some crew members arrived.

I took a deep breath, "Alright, mates. It's a new day. Time to work!"

They nodded and soon went to their respective workplaces. I sighed in relief.

"Good morning, Captain!" a cheery female voice said from behind.

I grinned once I saw who it was, "Good morning, Maartje. Go supervise Kenneth as he's working on some repairs in the gun deck."

She took some steps backwards, "Of course!"

My cousin's lips curled into a face-wide smile as she got farther. Maartje mouthed, "I'm so proud of you!" while going down the stairs. I laughed softly and rolled my eyes. She'd always been one of my main supporters. The way Maartje believed in me warmed my heart, making me feel a little less insecure.