I breathed in the sea air. I could see the Red Revenge, sails seeming to gleam in the sun. It was like they were made out of gold like the sun was trying to paint over the rough wood that showed it'd seen battle.

I stood, leaning against the wood that held my own sail up. Was it gold? I couldn't see. I didn't want to see anything but home.

People were on the deck of the ship. They'd seen me. I pulled next to the ship, looking up at my father's face.

They let down a rope ladder. I grabbed the second rope that came, wriggling like a snake suddenly thrust into a free fall. I looped it through a notch in the Red Revenge's hull. That would keep it until they decided they wanted to do with my boat.

I started to climb. I climbed until my father's face stared at me again.

"Did you find them?"

I nodded. I had. And I hadn't brought them back.

"And you're sure he's just a friend?"

I stared at him. Fear had been right. I needed to say it.

"No, I like girls."

He nodded.

"That makes two of us."

I smiled. That had always been how I'd imagined the conversation going. He wasn't one to care about things like that. My mother would, but I wasn't ready to tell her. It wasn't anything she needed to know. She didn't try to set me up, and likely never would. Even if she had, I wouldn't have been ready. This was mine, and now my father's.

He wrapped his arm around me, using his free hand to sign.

"What are you going to do with your boat?"

"Can I keep it here?"

He nodded. "It won't fare well during an attack if we keep it on deck."

"I'll find a place for it before then."

He nodded. "I know you will."

That was it, then. I'd done it. We went below, where I ate like I'd just discovered food. It was good, like a little taste of my childhood. The majority of the men were still asleep.

"Did you have your election?"

"It's today at noon."

"Do you need my vote?"

"Your vote and then some."

"You have my support." I looked him in the eye.

He was going to lose captain because of me. The least I could do was help him scrabble to keep hold of the power. Besides, I didn't want to vote for Jim. Not that I thought Jim would be a bad captain and not that I didn't want Jim to be the captain. It wasn't either of those things.

I didn't care about Jim. He just wasn't a father.

Not that the current captain would be any less my father because he wasn't captain. It just didn't feel right. I wanted to check in on Castor and Juniper, but I needed to be here first.

I finished my food, standing.

"I'm tired."

My father nodded. "Sleep in the cabin. I'll wake you for the vote."

I nodded my appreciation. A nod was all I could manage. Now that the excitement was wearing off, my limbs were solid and unwilling. I moved down the hall, falling into the softness of the bed, barely stopping to pull back the blankets. What use were blankets when I was already falling asleep?

Ψψψ

The vote was here, and I was on deck for it. I had one vote, and I knew it. Nigel was administering the vote. I suppose he was trusted to be the least likely to skew the results. Pirates weren't known for being good with numbers.

The whole crew was there, even the cook. My father and Jim didn't get votes. I suppose that made sense. We knew who the votes went to.

"All in favor for Captain Porter raise your left arms."

I raised my left hand, my palm facing Nigel. I looked around. It looked like pretty close to half of the men had raised their hands. Nigel raised his own hand.

"27 votes for Captain Porter. Lower your hands."

He was speaking and signing. He must have finished signing first because some of us lowered our hands, seconds before the rest. I watched the other men. Some always didn't vote or chose their own candidates. There had been two votes for the chef, Sam since I'd been old enough to vote.

I guess some people let their stomachs rule them.

"All in favor of Jim Costa, raise your left arms."

I kept my arm firmly at my side, about half seemed to raise their arms again.

"25 votes for Jim Costa."

"Anyone seeking to nominate their own candidate, raise your right arm."

Three men raised their right arm. I looked at Sam. He didn't move. He'd voted for Jim. Of course, he had, Jim was the biggest fan of his food, no matter how low on seasoning we'd been. Or maybe he was just a fan of Sam. Either way, it got him a vote.

"Who do you nominate?"

"Sam, the cook."

"All in favor of Sam Cook raise your left arm."

The three men all raised their hands. Sam's popularity was on the rise. I smiled to myself. My father had won. All was right with the world.

My father stood, clearly uncomfortable with the results.

"Thank you to all the men who voted for me. To all the men who didn't, I will try as hard as I can to earn your votes."

That was all he had to say. We all knew it. We began to stand, everyone, dispersing to make the ship run. It would run, my father overseeing it all.

I smiled, letting the corners of my mouth float up, as though they were soaring. My home would be what I'd left, and it would stay that way until there was a majority vote to hold another election. My father would have to be careful to maintain his crew's loyalty.

He could do it. I leaned against the railing. I knew he could do it. He'd been doing it my whole life, and he enjoyed doing it. He loved the crew, like his family. They were a family, in an odd sort of way.

I stared at the blue sky. I watched my ship, with a man standing in it. Ropes pulled it up, in all its glory. It was beautiful, despite, or maybe because of, its flatness. I grabbed it when it came in my reach, joining the crew of men who pulled it onto the deck.

I turned to my father when it was settled. "Where do you need me?"

"Right here."

He looked far away. The election really had bothered him.

"You know everyone still loves you."

"I'm going to make Jim first mate."

I looked at him.

"I'm getting too old for this, Arriana."

"What happened to going down with the ship?"

"I still will. But I need someone to run ideas by, and you're not always going to be here. I'm sorry it took what it did for me to realize that."

I shook my head.

"Why Jim?"

"The men trust him. I trust him. We disagree, which means he'll inevitably have some bright ideas that will save us all."

I looked at him. He had made up his mind long before the results came out. It was like he'd made a deal with himself that if he won, Jim had to be right there next to him.

"Have you told him yet?"

"No. I'm waiting until the victory wears off."

I looked at him. It wouldn't take long before whatever brief high the win had given him would be gone, like a feather on the breeze.

"Where do you think I'll go?"

"Wherever the tide takes you. That's how me and your mother were at your age."

"I'm not you. I'm not my mother."

"No, you're yourself, which is why I can't know where life will take you. I just hope it takes you back to me."

I nodded. He was sure that I was leaving him. And maybe I was. There was a world outside of the Red Revenge. I couldn't forget that now. I wouldn't forget that now.

I stood, smelling the sea air. "You should go tell Jim."

He nodded. "I think I will."

I watched the two men talk, a feeling sinking inside me. Home was changing after all. I hadn't been able to freeze it in time. It had kept moving without me, and I had moved without it.

I stood, frozen. It was like it had frozen me. I had wanted it to be static, but I was the one whose breath caught in my chest instead.

Jim turned. He'd accepted. Of course, he would. The first mate was a straight shot to being captain, and he knew that.

Why did he want power? Did he have a dream? Or did he want the benefits? Why did I care? I tried to tell myself I didn't, to stop my hands from clenching.

I liked the captain's quarters. I liked the freedom, the ability to go with no questions asked. I liked the way my dad was kept busy.

I was the selfish one. That struck me, like a sword through my chest.

Nigel tapped my shoulder.

"Help me man the masts?"

I nodded. That was something I could do. I could man the masts, and help the Red Revenge harness the winds of South Hellendun.

I stared at the town from my perch. I was a bird, and I'd find my friends. But now I wanted to rest, to rest in the change I'd hoped wouldn't come.

Then I would start trying to find my life in the new South Hellendun, the South Hellendun that had proven it could go on without me.

And I had proven that I could do without it.

A/N

So, Monday's chapter should be the last chapter. Unless it goes a bit long, this story should be over by then. At the most, it'll be over on Friday. Edits will probably start in April, so I have enough time to be Watty's ready. I'm still debating making a new book for edits. That might change depending on Watty's eligibility. I know I stated earlier edits will go up on Tapas, but I'm not feeling that anymore. Let me know if you'd prefer a new book or if you'd prefer edits replace the content posted here. (A new book would come with a title change.)

On a similar note, I'm going to be announcing more details for my next novel in the middle of March. What I can tell you know is that it's called Superheros Are Gay Now and it stars a bisexual lead. More on that will be available soon.

Until next time,
SurferJulz