I could see the hull above me, the only thing that wasn't glimmering in the moonlight. I swam up to it, letting my hand run over the wood. This was a good ship. It would get me home, and for that, I was glad.

I let my hand wrap around the edge of the boat. It was low, clinging to the surface as though afraid to rise above. This boat wouldn't be able to handle choppy waves. With any luck, it wouldn't have to.

I wasn't on a lucky spree. It was never too late to start on a string of lucky happenings. I closed my eyes. My father had taught me to never rely on luck. I didn't have a choice, I reassured myself.

I pulled myself up, curling my tail so it was all out of the water. There it was, transforming back into legs, my trousers clinging to my skin. I pulled myself up, sliding under the railing. The two men didn't notice me. They were looking at something else.

I allowed myself a glance. There was Juniper's brilliant red tail, glowing with a sort of silver under the moon. She was distracting them. I could take the two men. I could've taken them if they were prepared for me.

But it was a nice thought. I drew my knife, letting my hand wrap around it. It felt like as much a part of me as my tail. I looked down at it.

It'd been a birthday present from my father. It was made of a whale's bone. The cloth handle was what rested in my hand. It'd been white when I'd opened it, just seven years old. It wasn't so white anymore.

I was on my feet, walking toward the men, their backs turned. Could they swim? It depended on the town they hailed from. Some places thought it was bad luck for a sailor to swim, like being prepared for disaster was the same as inviting it. Some places treated the ability to swim as a passport for the sea.

I'd throw them into the water. That'd be a way to see what they knew. I was still undecided whether I'd put them on the shore. I knew deep down I'd take them to shore. But it made me feel tough to pretend I didn't.

I pressed the white knife against the man's neck. He put his hands up. His companion spun, facing me.

Hi, boys.

They both looked surprised by the quality of my voice. That didn't much matter to me.

"You're Deaf, right?" The one man said.

I nodded.

"My little sister is Deaf."

I wanted to issue some sarcastic response, but I couldn't let go of my knife or the man with his hands in the air.

"Just let us go. You can have all our cargo."

I don't care about your cargo. I need a ship.

"We'll take you wherever you need to go."

I shook my head. I needed the ship, no strings attached.

I moved the man I had toward the railing.

Can he swim?

The man looked at me, his eyes widening as he seemed to realize what I intended to do. He nodded. I pulled the knife away, shoving him to the railing, pushing him hard enough that the piece of wood didn't matter.

The other man raised his hands over his head. I used my other hand, signing quickly.

"Go home to your sister."

He looked at the ocean below him. I prepared to push him, but he held his hand up, telling me to stop.

"Can I take some supplies home?"

I shrugged. I didn't care what they were doing, and I didn't care to keep his products away from him. He made eye contact with me as he loaded something into a bag. When nothing else could fit, he pushed it over his shoulder. He climbed over the railing, clinging on. I could see his chest rising and falling quickly. I watched as he jumped into the ocean.

The men were swimming. They'd make landfall. After that, they'd figure it out. They were creatures of the land. I looked around.

This was my boat. I'd stolen it. I was a pirate, after all.

Juniper's face was looking up at me in an instant. She watched the men make their way to the shore. I grabbed Castor's hand, pulling him up. He stood next to me. The trip had taken its toll. It wasn't over yet, but we were closer. That had to count for something.

I made eye contact with Juniper. The air was calm. It felt unnatural. There wouldn't be any point in using the sails. I looked at the oars fastened to the railing of the boat. They would have to do. I tilted my head. Castor nodded, grabbing the other oar.

He held up his fingers.

"One, two, three."

We both pulled our oars through the water. I looked over at him, then back to Juniper, who was swimming beside us. I watched, feeling strangely at home.

The moon watched over us, racing toward the horizon. I hoped we'd be able to see the Red Revenge against the dawn. I loved the way it looked with the light just starting to shine on it. I looked ahead, as though it would appear over the horizon the second I looked behind.

I looked over at Castor. He seemed lost in thought. I was tempted to ask what he was thinking about, but I couldn't take my hands off the wood.

I let my own mind wander. Somehow it came back to Ryan, and the boat I'd taken out to the sea. I pulled the oar back to myself. Would I ever get back? I hoped I would.

What did I want my future to be? I'd always imagined myself as a captain, like my father. I'd never taken a crew into my considerations. I looked over at Castor again. He wasn't a pirate, however much I would've liked him to be. Maybe that was why Juniper had loved him.

Would I be a pirate off the coast of Kiser, just hoping for a sight of the witch I'd fallen in love with? I pushed the oar away from me.

I didn't know. That was the thing. Neither of my parents were people that looked to the future. I barely planned for anything. I pulled the oar.

The future was a mystery. If the stars could've told me what was ahead, just given a gesture, I would've found the future. That ship would've told me. The reason it didn't wasn't because I wasn't looking for it.

If the waves had any clue, they didn't share it with me. I wanted to see Ryan in the waves, but Juniper was the face that looked back at me.

It was about an hour to dawn when we made landfall. I would see the Red Revenge at dawn. I looked at Castor, climbing onto the shore. I would see the Redd Revenge, but I would see it alone.

I felt the breeze blowing, as though welcoming me back to South Hellendun. I stood, tugging at the sail.

The breeze blew behind me. I was going home.