***
“Smee!” Hook’s voice shook the rigging as he stormed across the deck. “Are
those imbeciles back yet?”
“Just arrived, Cap’n.” Smee ducked behind a nearby barrel as the tall figure
strode past. Captain Hook faced the sorry bunch before him and barked at
them.
“Well?” he demanded. “Where is it?”
They dropped the still struggling Riio onto the hard wood floor, and she
shook
her golden-brown fringe out of her eyes to stare back at the pirates
surrounding her.
“Gadzukes! It’s a girl!”
“Good heavens! I thought it was a boy!”
Riio glared at him. “I’m NOT a bloody boy!”
Hook, however, looked a little more shocked than surprised. “A woman,”
he
muttered. “In trousers? Never such a thing in my day…it’s a joke, that’s
what it
is! Females do not. Wear. Trousers.”
He glanced briefly below her neckline.
“It’s a girl. There’s no doubt about it.”
Riio stood up, brushing herself off, taking her eyes off them for a split
second,
but in that second, Starkey was beside her. “And rather a fetching specimen
at
that, Captain.” His hand barely had time to rest on her hip before she
stepped
neatly away from him and put up her fists.
“Don’t touch me.” She whispered. “Please don’t touch me.” Starkey seriously
misjudged her and advanced once again.
“Come now, Madam…”
Before he knew what had happened, Riio had jabbed straight into his mouth
and followed it with a cross to the jaw line. Starkey spat blood bemusedly
onto
the planks where he lay, while Hook squinted at her in curiosity.
“My lady, where exactly are you from?”
Fists still up, she answered. “England, the year 2002.”
“Ah! Britain. Put your fists down, medear – I’m not like these shallow
sea lilies,
as you may already know. Not with a Lady, anyhow.”
Riio looked in the direction of the other pirates and saw that they had
not
backed off but looked slightly more on the defence. She hadn’t bargained
for
that.
“I take it, dear girl,” Hook continued. “That you know some of the arts
of hand
to hand combat, do you not?”
Riio nodded.
“You may want to join up with us then – I trust you will be a valuable
addition
to the crew.” He smiled dangerously. “Your other option is the plank.”
“Mullins chipped in. “A female on deck Cap’n…bad luck…”
“Shut up ya limpet-tongued squid.”
Riio considered it. She could agree to join them, and then escape in the
middle
of the night, or she could make a run for it now since she knew it was
possible
to jump overboard behind where she was standing this moment.
She chose the second idea.
Riio whirled around on the spot and lurched for the side of the boat, but
instead of the clear path she had imagined, she hit a chest. Taking an
unfortunate split second to look up she gazed into two big brown eyes,
before
slipping round the body for her intended destination.
“STOP HER!” Roared Hook, and the brown arms belonging to the chest and
brown eyes circled her waist, lifting her half a foot off the ground where
she
wriggled persistently. She was swung round to face the Captain and his
eyes
bore into her as he spoke in a soft, wicked voice.
“I’m afraid you have to stay here, dear child. Either way if you won’t
join us,
Peter Pan will come for you. Have you anything to say, girl?”
She refused to look at his face but still spoke her thoughts as best she
could.
“My family raised strong women, Hook. I am from a year far from your own
and
there is no way you can understand how a woman is treated in my time. There
is not an ounce of respect left for the female in any living man, or at
least there
aren’t many who would admit it. Where I’m from, a woman is an object to
look
right and to be used wrongly. I don’t expect any different from you, as
I don’t
know any different. I will treat you as I would treat any man that tries
to keep
me and control me. If Peter doesn’t come…”
Riio paused, then looked him in the eye and smiled sweetly.
“…I’m sure I’ll survive.”
“Tie her to the mast!” Hook spat.
He stormed away, cloak billowing as he reached his cabin.
What to do with the girl, what to do with the girl…can’t leave her out
there in
the night. She’ll freeze to death and then she’ll be of no use to me at
all…can’t
leave her to wander the ship, she’ll escape…the men, men, I know these
men –
they’ll take her in the night and ravage her, can’t leave her with them…no
way
for a Lady to be treated…I’ll prove her wrong, then she may be a little
more
co-operative…a Lady deserves better…what did she mean…Where to put her
where to put…the girl…where she’ll not have men after her…where she’ll
not be
treated like dirt…where she won’t die…where she’ll be scared of the pirates’
presence…
…Jukes.
Hook had her by the back of her vest top as he threw her into the small
supplies cabin. She fell to the floor and scuttled into the farthest corner
to get
as far away as possible from the menacing figure that filled the doorway
as he
bellowed, making her cower childishly.
“You’ll stay here until I decide what to do with you. Don’t try and escape,
girl.
The windows are boarded up and the door is bolted. The men are wandering
the ship freely at night, and if they catch you…I’ll leave that little
gem in your
thoughts. Should give you compunction about leaving your designated spot…”
He slammed the door and Riio heard the bolt shoot into place. Outside,
one of
the shipmates started a shanty up whilst others banged in time on the floor.
There was a thud and she lit a lantern she had found with shaking hands
to see
a glittering knifepoint poking through the thick wood door. Curling up,
she
began to cry silently.
***
“Where’s she gone, Peter?”
“Riio-Mother said she would be back in a few minutes…”
“How long is a few minutes?”
“Not long, Tootles – I’ll go and look for her. Nibs, Slightly, stay here
in case she
comes back. The rest of you, comb the island. We can’t have our new Mother
leave us within a week!”
“Maybe she’s…”
“…Left.” Synchronised the twins, forgetting the order they were supposed
to
come in in their worry.
“She wouldn’t leave!” Snorted Peter, but inside he thought about the pirates.
Could they have captured her? What was he thinking! Of course they would
have! Where else would she be?
Peter headed for the ship.
***
“Look! It’s Pan!” Mullins jabbed a finger at the silhouette crouching above
the
sail in front of the moon.
Damn, he thought, Riio said to avoid skylines and having light behind me…
He darted off and headed back for the cavern, only just hearing Cookson
shout.
“Wesa gotchurr lady-friend, Pan! Wesa gonna – OWCHA! What wasa dat for,
Starrrkey?”
“Wait a few days,” Peter said to himself. “Riio said that’s what the Army
do –
they catch the enemy when they least expect it. She’s our Mother, so she’s
always right – she must know they won’t hurt her. Yeah, that’s it…”