Chapter 6: Punishment

Cold.

Danielle shivered from the lack of heat, huddling herself to retain whatever little warmth she still had within her. Locked in a semi-conscious state of mind, the event that played in her mind, were either a dream or reality which she simply could not tell apart. If she opened her eyes would she be greeted with the sight of her friends again, or would it be the nasty Captain who wanted to torture her to his heart content.

"Are you awake, woman?" Cale, the first mate who the Capt. left the well-being of the girl to, called out to her as he daps her forehead beaded with sweat.

When he carried her in, she was barely even breathing at least not until he purged the water out of her. He really did not want to be associating himself with a female who is known to bring bad luck to the ship or the crew for century, but he had a duty to fulfill. He sighed and look back down at the female who finally looks back at him with wide eyes in the shade of amber. He opened his mouth wanting to speak but was cut in by her demanding exclaim in pure terror.

"Stay away from me!" She inched backwards on the bed putting a distance between them.

He let out a sharp breath, "you are welcome, if that is the way you thank your savior."

Her eyes surveyed the room quickly and seeing Artty nowhere to be found, she lunges forward on the bed and reached for his collar. "Where have you taken my brother?"

"Brother?" He asked in gasping voice while his clenched fist worked its way to her midriff, knocking the air out of her. The heel of her unsteady foot slip on the sheets of the bed making her fell on her back. She watches the man stood up towering over her on the bed. Hands gripping the blanket or cloth of the bed from underneath her she yanks it out and threw it over his head, kicking him in the groin as she darts for the door.

"Stop her."

She heard the man call out from the room as she pushes past the crowded corridor to find her way up to the deck of the ship. Climbing to the top of the waist deck she bends over and rested the palm of her hand on her knees to catch her breath. This is when she took notice of the vast difference in condition of the ship before and now. Well-polished decks and railing paired with clean-shaven crews not dressed in rags, has she boarded some royal navy's ship?

"There she is!"

Danielle made a dash in between the two barrels in front of her separating the rest of the crew from her. She took the liberty to arm herself with a rifle which was carelessly left leaning against the side of the deck. As the crew crowd on deck looking at her, she pointed the rifle at the person who emerge from the parted sea of crews crowding. The man who she tried wrestling moments ago.

"You don't want to be touching that child."

Child, what an insult it was to her. "Where is Artty!"

"The same question I would like to ask you back." He stood there nonchalantly with both hands tuck in his pocket. Somehow that seems to anger her greatly, he was simply not taking her seriously.

"Bastard don't toy with me."

"I am not." He took one step forward. "If one of us should be interrogating, it would be us and not you because you were last seen with Artty by my Captain. So, how are you related to him?"

Distracted for a moment, she knew this was a trap. She was not blind to not notice he has close the distance between them by a bit and certainly not deaf to hear a crew creeping up on her from the side of the deck. Attempting to pounce on her, she glances at the crew from the side of her eye and swung the rifle to the side the crew came from, knock him overboard. The feeling of excitement having taken down her first victim set her adrenaline going.

"Don't you dare!" She was quick to swing the rifle back and pointed it at the man who attempted to cross the barrel separating them. In the back, bell rang with crews shouting at the top of their voice, Man overboard. It did not deter her from the man standing before her who insisted on going against everything she said. It was just her against a group of beasts, she had to put up a strong front though she was aware of how badly her hands were trembling.

"Don't I dare what?" He prompts her.

"You think this is a game, don't you?"

He took another step closer towards the barrel. "A rifle is not a toy. Unless you wield it only with the intention of not firing it but threatening others with empty words."

He saw right through her. Damn! How dare he embarrassed her in the eye of his army of crew. Whether or not she intends to open fire she aims it at his chest, looping one shaky finger around the trigger.

"WELL?" He yelled suddenly, shocking her to jerk on the trigger with eyes shut.

A deafening blast rang in her ear. She felt no recoil from the rifle she was holding only a click sound when she pulled the trigger, so where did she blast sound came from. Slowly, she tore her eyes open and locked her gaze on to a pair of grey eyes that was walking towards her. His side parted deep brown colored hair long on one side that falls loosely over his eyes making him look like a character out of a computer game. His face, so unreadable.

So, he was the one who opened fire at her. Her eye wandered to his hand holding tightly on to the pistol till it loses color. Her mouth opened, wanting to say something but instead let out a sharp breath when he snatched the rifle out of her hand and toss it to the side. Grabbing her outer shirt, he yields her close to him where he looks seething straight into her eyes with anger as he breathes deeply.

Turning over his shoulders, the first crew that he made eye-contact with he yelled out. "You fetch me some ropes."

The crew ran off in a dash while the rest watched him dragging the girl along by her collar to the ship's mast and when the crew came back with the rope, Damon had him tie the girl to the mast.

"Captain, you are not intending..." Cale's jaw dropped watching another crew coming back to him with a whip in hand.

"Capt, I beg to differ." He pleaded.

Cale's eyes wandering to the girl tied to the mast who seems to be in a state of shock as she tries to peer over her shoulders to understand why she was held in that manner.

"Captain!" Cale called out, but it was too late, the Captain had given his first strike the girl on her back, eliciting a sharp scream from the girl as her body crumbles against the mast from the pain that surged through her body. For a mere second, he looked away, the Captain strikes the second time. This time the whip had torn through the girl's shirt inflicting a greater pain on her bare skin.

Before he strikes the third, someone screams his name. To which he either heard it but chose to ignore or pretends not to hear. It would most probably be the latter as he doesn't flinch one bit nevertheless he still turns to see his nanny, Matilda scrambling up the stairs from the bottom deck to block the girl from him.

"Have you lost your mind Damon?"

"She assaulted my first mate and knock a crew overboard. So, I am punishing her for it." The words came out of his mouth as though it was nothing. "If you would kindly move."

"How can you lift a whip upon a helpless girl not made to withstand such torture?"

"She is still standing from two whips." Damon nod his head to his crews beside him and they went to seize Matilda and pulled her aside despite her struggles. He ignored her curses and swear and strike the third time and the fourth.

Danielle never having been humiliated or received such punishment in her life felt helpless. Each whip that lick her skin was killing her little by little. She heard someone coming to her defense, but it seems to have failed as she continued to be licked by the whip. Her body weakened, and leg giving in as she feels herself sliding down the mast. How long more will it be before death claims her.

Matilda breaking free from his crew stood in front of the girl with wide arms, "Damon, I beg you. I see it in your eyes, the way you look at her, she is not Althea!"

Damon froze staring at Matilda with wide eyes, clenching his fist tightly around the handle of the whip it was losing its color. Althea, the sound of that name cold yet sharp as knives stabbing into his heart. He said nothing, back tracking a few steps before hobbling off, disappearing down the deck.

Cale turned back and looked at Matilda with surprise for they have never seen him reacting this way before. The name of that woman that often drove Damon on the verge of insanity. His anger for her must have clouded his thoughts, causing him to punishment this girl as though she was her.

"Goodness child," Matilda she cups her face while pushing back those loose strands hair dripping with sweat over her eyes. Cale free her wrist from the rope binding her to the mast and before her limp body drops to the ground he catches her mid-way and accidentally brushing her wounded back, she gave out a soft wince.

"Can you hear me child?" Matilda ask the obvious.

Danielle stared back at her with a blank face before she pushes them aside and tries to stand on her own despite her back burning in pain. She mumbled a few words on her lips as she staggers forward with her vision blurring. It was as though she has lost the will to live when her legs gave in and she crumbles on the deck and into darkness.