Prompt: Dark. Use in the title that expresses the theme.
Cpt. Leita's POV
The last few rays of sunshine disppeared as the massive clouds thundered into the way, darkening the entire world. Or, thats what it seemed like to me. The waters around me shouldered into my ship, rocking it back and forth dangerously. The powerful winds tore at the tightly-pressed sails, which screamed in protest to the howling winds. I ran quickly, shouldering past panicing ship members. I reached high above my own head, standing on my toes, and ripped sails' ropes down, the sails retreating to their original posts, at the top of the thick, wooden pole.
Rain poured down in buckets, seemingly seconds after I pulled the sails up.
"Capt'n! The ship's not going to stand all night in this weather," my first mate yelled, cowering into his leather coat, water dripping from his nose. The stinging rain soaked my face as I made no movement of retreating from the storm that had settled upon the vast and open sea.
"Retreat to your cabins Mattew, I haven't got any need for you out here to die," I shouted past the rain, settling my silver eyes on his face. He shived, probably not from just the rain either, and jogged into his cabin. The other ship members followed without such as a glance in my direction. Even past the pouring rain and thundering rain, I could hear the crew in their dicussions.
"She seems a bit strange, does she not?" Mattew, my first mate, whispered. I could imagine him looking over his shoulder, to make sure I wasn't there, but also expecting me to walk in at any moment.
"Aye, but she's stuck with us for this long, hasn't she? She hasn't let us die, we always have enough food to eat, enough to drink, even rum whenever we want," countered Christopher, the cook.
"Yes, but we barely make it through any trips, and how does she get all the food and rum? Where does she keep it? She has no where to put it." Mattew argued.
"Shhh! You know how she is. She seems to know everything we say, whether it be good or bad," remarked Ryan, a new guy we had recruited from Salem Heights, a little town in the New Land. We had gotten him just a month ago, and he was already catching on to what I was like. I smiled. The crew would tell him soon enough.
"Shut up Ryan, it's not like you know much. How long have you been with us? Like a month?" Mattew shouted at the young boy. Though he was nearly to manhood, he was but a boy to me.
I blocked out the rest of the conversation. As they argued below my feet, I concentrated on the raging sea. The waters calmed and the winds died, as though killed by the gods themselves.
I swept my eyes to the sky and the clouds lightened slightly, but I didn't banish them away completely. The rain slowed to a soft patter, but the raindrops still fell in large, bubbling drops.
I walked to the cabins and the men stopped what they were doing as I stepped inside.
"Get back to work you dogs," I shouted good naturally, but my eyes were cold towards Mattew. He didn't notice though, because his eyes were on the wood below his feet. Everyone shuffled past, but my hand flew out to stop Mattew. He took the sign and stepped back into the cabin. Shudders passed through the ones who knew what I was and who I was.
Mattew had only been part of my crew for three months, and was only my first mate because of his skill with a sword and a pistol. The rest of the crew, except for Ryan for now, knew what I was, who I was, and I protected them from others like me, but Mattew always questions me, and I was getting tired of it. He had no idea what I had to do to live, and to keep them safe. He was about to find out.
Rain poured down in buckets, seemingly seconds after I pulled the sails up.
"Capt'n! The ship's not going to stand all night in this weather," my first mate yelled, cowering into his leather coat, water dripping from his nose. The stinging rain soaked my face as I made no movement of retreating from the storm that had settled upon the vast and open sea.
"Retreat to your cabins Mattew, I haven't got any need for you out here to die," I shouted past the rain, settling my silver eyes on his face. He shived, probably not from just the rain either, and jogged into his cabin. The other ship members followed without such as a glance in my direction. Even past the pouring rain and thundering rain, I could hear the crew in their dicussions.
"She seems a bit strange, does she not?" Mattew, my first mate, whispered. I could imagine him looking over his shoulder, to make sure I wasn't there, but also expecting me to walk in at any moment.
"Aye, but she's stuck with us for this long, hasn't she? She hasn't let us die, we always have enough food to eat, enough to drink, even rum whenever we want," countered Christopher, the cook.
"Yes, but we barely make it through any trips, and how does she get all the food and rum? Where does she keep it? She has no where to put it." Mattew argued.
"Shhh! You know how she is. She seems to know everything we say, whether it be good or bad," remarked Ryan, a new guy we had recruited from Salem Heights, a little town in the New Land. We had gotten him just a month ago, and he was already catching on to what I was like. I smiled. The crew would tell him soon enough.
"Shut up Ryan, it's not like you know much. How long have you been with us? Like a month?" Mattew shouted at the young boy. Though he was nearly to manhood, he was but a boy to me.
I blocked out the rest of the conversation. As they argued below my feet, I concentrated on the raging sea. The waters calmed and the winds died, as though killed by the gods themselves.
I swept my eyes to the sky and the clouds lightened slightly, but I didn't banish them away completely. The rain slowed to a soft patter, but the raindrops still fell in large, bubbling drops.
I walked to the cabins and the men stopped what they were doing as I stepped inside.
"Get back to work you dogs," I shouted good naturally, but my eyes were cold towards Mattew. He didn't notice though, because his eyes were on the wood below his feet. Everyone shuffled past, but my hand flew out to stop Mattew. He took the sign and stepped back into the cabin. Shudders passed through the ones who knew what I was and who I was.
Mattew had only been part of my crew for three months, and was only my first mate because of his skill with a sword and a pistol. The rest of the crew, except for Ryan for now, knew what I was, who I was, and I protected them from others like me, but Mattew always questions me, and I was getting tired of it. He had no idea what I had to do to live, and to keep them safe. He was about to find out.
THE CREW
They worked feverishly. They all knew, Mattew couldn't be trusted. That's why they hadn't told him about the Captain, or else he would've killed her on the spot. They did random things around the ship, trying to keep themselves busy, so they didn't hear the pained and frightened screams of Mattew in his last few moments alive in the cabin.
Then, there was blissful silence. Captain Leita came out, wiping her lips of left over blood. Her cheeks were now flushed, her lips wine red, and her once silver eyes now a delightful, crystal blue.
She held onto a blood-drained body of Mattew, then walked past the crew, whose eyes were trained on the vicious bite marks Mattew's neck, which looked like an animal had ripped up his throat. She dumped the body into the churning waters, not a drop of red seeping from the body.
Everyone now wondered who would be the next to leave the crew of the ship with darkened sails like storm clouds and no name. Who's corpse would be thrown into the dark, churning waters after beind Captain Leita's meal of the month.
Then, there was blissful silence. Captain Leita came out, wiping her lips of left over blood. Her cheeks were now flushed, her lips wine red, and her once silver eyes now a delightful, crystal blue.
She held onto a blood-drained body of Mattew, then walked past the crew, whose eyes were trained on the vicious bite marks Mattew's neck, which looked like an animal had ripped up his throat. She dumped the body into the churning waters, not a drop of red seeping from the body.
Everyone now wondered who would be the next to leave the crew of the ship with darkened sails like storm clouds and no name. Who's corpse would be thrown into the dark, churning waters after beind Captain Leita's meal of the month.