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As the waves chilled the air, Delilah was the first to shiver from the frosty air. The brothers instantly took notice of her chills. Jason offered his coat, but before he could take it off, Jackson dragged her into the cabin. While they walked hand in hand, Elizabeth hid a laugh and put her hand on Jason's shoulder. "It's okay bud", she tried to hid her snickering, but even the fish heard.
A flushed Jason swatted her comforting hand off his shoulder and snapped, " I dont know what you're talking about". Instead of reacting angrily to his retort, she playfully pushed his side. With a sinister smirk, she teased, "awe, is someone in love with his brother's girlfriend?". Instead of casting aside the tease, like she planned, he stopped in his tracks. His lips hung suspended in the air, his eyes popped open, and he swallowed down his guilt. Similarly, Elizabeth shared a look of disappointment, but she remained silent.
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The only person who had the guts to speak was Creed, but he used his guts to laugh aloud. Tristan and Sam flashed a glare at him, but that did nothing to soothe his laughter. Fortunately, that did matter. Jason and Elizabeth remained suspended in their own bubbles of time, no one dared disturbed them. The remaining crew could only observe the two freeze. Tristan and Sam held a grim look of pity, while Creed laughed all the louder.
Suddenly, a loud crash stole everyone's focus. As Jackson and Delilah ran out of the room, everyone turned their heads in the direction of the crash. In its place, the fully rigged schooner that was off in the distance had pierced the hull. The group below flooded the deck. As a mob, they screamed, " there's waters flooding the ship!". It's ironic really, they typically act like they want to die, but the moment they're faced with death, they beg for life.
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It was barely a day ago that they were desperate to kill the crew, but now they were begging at their feet. In the first row, the orphaned children cried. In the second, the drunken fathers that knew they failed their families. Lastly, the mothers carrying their crying children. In reality, there were only five families, and four orphans a part of the group, but to the crew, this was no different than the entire world. Sam, Creed, Jackson, and Elizabeth, they were speechless. They were all so angry that after all they did for them, they tried to kill them, but now watching them in such a pitiful state, they didn't know how to feel. The gentler of the crew, Jason, Delilah, and Tristan, rushed to fix the issue at hand.
It was a rare moment for Jason to bark orders at his brother, but at the moment it was a necessity. Jason barked, "Elizabeth, Tristan and Sam, you come with me". He glanced at Delilah and without words, she threw a spear at the ghost ship. It was only by a stroke of luck that she was able to throw it across, but that didn't matter, she dragged Jackson and Creed aboard the ghost ship. While she did that, Jason and his team assessed the damage below deck. The moment they fell below, they were knee-deep in salty water. The sound of water rushing into the room and their feet splashing about filled the air.
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When they finally reached the source, Tristan used his body to cover the hole, but it did nothing to stop the rushing water. Through the bustling waves, he gargled, " now what?". The two turned their heads to Elizabeth, but she was still lost in thought. To snap her out of her trance, Jason grabbed Elizabeth's hands, offered her puppy dog eyes, then whimpered, "please we need you".
Maybe it was because of the desperation in his eyes, or because the water had reached her hip, either way, she snapped back into reality. With a single glance across the room, she barked, " Jason, gather every blanket you can find and put it over the hole. Tristan, get the spare wood from upstairs and hammer it over the hole. While they did that, Delilah and her team climbed aboard the other boat.
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It was a grueling crime but by the skin of their teeth, they made it. One by one, they jumped aboard the ship. Once aboard, Jackson whispered into Delilah's ear, "stay behind me". Then, he signaled for Creed and Sam to get down and follow him. The only one who had an issue following Jackson was Delilah, everyone else was strangely accustomed to stealth. Due to the fog, the team could only see two feet in front of them, perfect for hiding. Deep within the fog, a silhouette watched the horizon.
Delilah was shaking with fear, but everyone else was unnaturally calm. With a single nod, the team knew exactly what to do. Sam snuck behind the silhouette, while Jackson and Creed flanked him into tripping back. While pressing a knife against his throat, Jackson studied the man's face. By a stroke of fate, Jackson recognized the bushy beard and listless brown eyes. Ecstatic, he screamed " Captain!".
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