Cameron and the Second Captain

He'd been a pirate since he was fourteen years old. His face was round and baby-like, not a hair grew in any place on his body except his head. There was plenty of it up there, black locks that he dared not cut. Every day he would carefully tie them back with a thick black band.

Five years had passed by in a dream. His first Captain was dead, drowned in the sea, and his current Captain never spoke. In fact, Cameron Lozier had never seen the face of his second Captain. It had been an entire year, and the two had never met. Cameron had been bought almost two years ago by his second Captain. He'd been stolen in the night by the vicious crew, and brought aboard.

He missed Walter and Ralph. It was his only worry when he'd been taken, would they find him? The two were like parents to him. Walter provided to reasoning, the common sense of how to survive in the world. Ralph showed him strength. There was no way to get by on the streets if you didn't know how to fight. The day after they'd all safely made it to shore after their Captain drowned, it was the Haert brothers that kept him safe. They cared for the gleaming scar Cameron had received, and helped feed him. God how he wanted to find them.

The ship had been in port for a week now. Their crew hadn't eaten for days, Cameron included. The wind had a faint breeze to it, and the seas barely moved. Just staring at the water made Cameron's throat feel dry. Cameron had no idea what the Captain was thinking, docking in the port without re-supplying. At high noon he decided to talk to him for the first time.

Cameron knocked lightly on the cabin door. "Captain? I-it's Cameron Lozier."

There was a sound, shuffling, and a groan, then the door creaked open. A man had his back turned. He wore a rich purple coat, embroidered with gold lace and what looked like rubies to the young boy. He had hair, it was gray and falling over his shoulders in greasy clumps, but he had hair.

He spoke. "I know who you are. You just don't know me, do ya?" His voice screeched like nails on a steel, and it croaked whenever he finished a sentence. He coughed.

"No I don't, Captain." Cameron said nervously.

"Boy. You've been bought." He said bluntly, in the scratchy voice of his. "I've been waiting for your new Captain to show, I'd like to leave the port."

"I've only been here for two years!" Cameron argued. He wasn't a piece of meat to be tossed around.

"Boy, get off of my ship." The man grumbled. He still wouldn't turn around to face the boy. He never would. "I don't want to see your face around here, got it?"

"Is this because of what happened to me before? The ship I was on?" Cameron asked, a fury in his heart, and a burning scar on his face. "I'm not going to curse your ship, or murder anyone."

"I know." The Captain said.

"And I'm a good mate! I've never messed up, everything is always secure, and we've never been blown off course!" Cameron listed off the only things he could think of.

"Again, I know." The Captain repeated. "But you're new Captain is waiting. Check the second dock, two streets over."

"Captain..." Cameron pleaded.

"I bought you onto this ship, and I can sell you as I please. Now git." The Captain spat and walked away, concluding the conversation.

Cameron still never saw his face.

He never got to see the Captain again after that. The ground felt all too real under his small black boots. Solid as a rock, as if to remind him it was where everyone belonged. It was a stable foundation for which people should live, the sea was dangerous and unstable. One never knew where it would take you, but the ground never shifted. The earth was always constant.

Cameron waited with everything he owned at the second dock. That included the clothes on his back, and the pistol lodged in his belt. There wasn't a piece of gold to his name, but there was a large bounty on his head. He was broke.

The only ship was a small fishing boat. It had been there for hours already. How long would he have to wait?

People passed by. Hookers paraded the streets in their revealing clothes and heavy makeup. One girl ventured so close to Cameron, but seeing the frustrated gleam, and the angry scar that marked his face sent her flying. Either way, he would've scared her off had she started talking to him. They all looked the same, prostitutes, and they all reminded him of his mother.

Who would pay to have sex with someone that looked like their mother?

The sun burned bright on Cameron's neck. He sweated through his poorly fitted rags called clothes. There was nothing worse than a hot day on solid earth. At least when Cameron was in the middle of the ocean, there was a waving sea to cool him down. Clear waters would shoot into the ship and pool on the deck before spilling off the sides again.

"Hey, Walter..." A large man, boring brown eyes and boring brown hair, stood next to an older looking man. His hair was brown, but also showed signs of gray. They had the same nose, and the same rough chin.

"Yeah Ralph, I think it's him. He looks different, but I think so." The other man, Walter replied. He looked down to a piece of paper in his hands and back up to the boy sitting on the edge of the dock.

Cameron turned his head their way, but didn't see them. He didn't recognize the two he'd once called fathers. He wasn't looking for them, so even if he turned, he wouldn't notice them standing there. They could see it though, the fresh scar carved around his eye. There wasn't another scar on the earth like it.

"Cameron!" They both shouted. Cameron whipped his head to acknowledge the voices.

Their feet carried them, too fast, towards the boy. Walter was the first to pick the boy up and squeeze him tight. Cameron thought he smelled like too much liquor. Ralph patted Cameron on the back and grabbed his shoulder. "You've grown up." Ralph said, proud.

"What the hell?" Cameron yelled, he sounded scared, but the ways his mouth hung open out of joy proved to tell a different tale.

"What the hell? Really. That's the first thing you say to us?" Walter sighed. He too was smiling.

"Sorry Walter, but really. What the hell are you doing here?" Cameron asked as the two fathers smothered him with a manly pride. Cameron had grown at least a foot.

"We bought you." Ralph said. "Well, our Captain did. We've been looking for you for years! What happened to you? Do you even realize how lucky you are?"

"What do you mean 'lucky'?" Cameron asked. Behind him, his former Captain was setting sail. They raised their flag and set off, cheers from the crew echoed from the first dock.

"That ship, that ship right there. You don't even know who you were working for?" Walter's face grew pale just looking at the ship. Ralph swallowed hard, Cameron heard it.

"No I really don't. I just met my Captain for the first time today." Cameron said. The brothers stared.

"Oh my god." Ralph said.

"Cameron you lucky bastard." Walter said, he embraced him again, and didn't let go.

"Ever heard of the Banditos?" Ralph asked, eyebrows raised.

"The Spanish crew? Yeah. They're murderous." Cameron stated, textbook pirate knowledge to know which ships were dangerous and who was anchored to land. "No one's seen the Captain for years, he's rumored to be dead. He kills everyone he meets, real superstitious guy."

"Cameron, I know you aren't stupid, think for a few more seconds." Walter chided.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds passed.

Cameron's skin paled. The dark hairs on his arm stood up in line, like a British army at the ready. His beautiful sea blue eyes bulged out of his head. He wanted to vomit. Walter smiled sadly. Ralph distracted himself by staring at a passing couple.

"I've been on their ship?!" Cameron yelled. "Oh god."

The boy fell backwards, almost into the sea. Had Walter not been holding on to him, Cameron would've fallen into the sea. Ralph's attention turned back to the two.

"How could he not know?" Ralph asked.

"You know, I'm not sure." Walter said. "Let's just take him back with us."

Ever the classic pirates, Walter handed off the boy to Ralph. He tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. They were shaking their heads.

"I'm too old for this." Walter laughed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Move aside! Move aside." An old gentleman yelled aboard the ship. He walked with a limp, and his eyes darted from each person standing around the crew's quarters. Each member was curious as to who the knew man was on board.

"He's my best mate, let me through." Walter pushed aside the crew with Ralph guarding his back.

He followed the old man into the cabin and shut the door behind them. Cameron was lying in a swinging hammock, humming to himself as he nibbled on a hard piece of bread. In the harbor, he looked fine, but after taking him aboard his new ship Walter could see what he'd been through.

His ribs were outlined on his skin. Currently he wasn't wearing a shirt, but was covered with a thick striped blanket. The ship's doctor had washed him up and discovered how malnourished he was after spending time with the Banditos.

Cameron stared, wide eyed at the new arrival of the shifty eyed man. The piece of bread in his hand dropped casually as he nervously held a hand to greet him.

"It's okay boy, you don't have to act special just because I'm your Captain now." The shifty eyed man said.

"I'm just greeting you." Cameron mumbled. "Just give me a steak and I'll be full, I can start working." The man suddenly laughed.

"Cameron, boy, I can't do that." He said. "Here. Let's start simple. My name is Jonas. Walter here saw your name listed for sale, so I bought you. You're now aboard the The Ciao Bella. Lovely girl, Bella... she hates the ship." He mumbled some afterthought.

"So why's everyone staring? I'm just another crew mate." Cameron said. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to work. He would rather do anything than sit around and eat the brick hard bread.

"Just another- ha!" Jonas blurted. "There's a long list behind your name, you're already a legend boy!"

"What are you talking about old man?" To this, Walter flinched. It was as if he was worried the Captain would say something, but he didn't. Jonas just laughed again, he was amused with his new member.

"Well for one, you're a bastard!" Jonas pointed out, Cameron grimaced. He hated being reminded. "Father is a politician, isn't he? Works as a lawyer or something for the Duke of Spain, something or another. I can see the Spanish in you. Mother's a whore! Father wants you gone, even if only the pirates know of ya."

"Don't talk about my mother. Or my father." Cameron warned him. Jonas raised his hands in apology.

"For two, you lived on the Banditos for two whole years. You aren't even in that bada' shape." Jonas said. Cameron went back to chewing on his bread. "That scar makes you look like the devil himself, spawned as a handsome young man."

There was more.

"People also think you're cursed." The Captain said flatly, as if it didn't matter.

"Do you think I'm cursed?" When neither replied, he turned to Walter. "Walter?"

"Not cursed, definitely not." Walter said slowly, as if trying to convince himself at the same time. Cameron saw right through him. "I just don't know what happened to you."

"You think I'm bad luck or something?" Cameron asked.

"Either way. I want you on my crew, bad luck or not." Jonas said plainly.

"But Cameron, if I may ask. Where did you go?" Walter said shyly. It was odd for him to be so withdrawn.

"After I got this, you remember Walter," Cameron traced his scar. "Walter and Ralph here, they watched over me for a good solid month. I remember hearing that we were going to get hired to move aboard some ship."

"This one actually." Walter interrupted.

"Sure. Then, the next thing I knew, I was stumbling down an alley being chased by three men. I thought it was from..." Cameron paused.

"It's fine. The first Captain, everyone knows what happened. He died." Walter said.

"I thought they were from the first crew, thought I would die." Cameron explained. "Next thing I knew, hello mystery ship for two years. Here I am. That's that."

"That's it?" Jonas asked.

"Sure is." Cameron said.

"Hmph." Jonas huffed, disappointed in some way. He stood and casually left.

"I think he wanted to know about the first Captain." Walter shrugged. "Hell, I want to know."

"He's dead." Cameron said cooly.

Walter left without question. That was the first day aboard the The Ciao Bella. Resting, laying, and eating hard bread. It was boring. No one talked to Cameron at first, after all, people believed he was cursed. People feared for the Captain's safety. Especially after they heard rumors of the dead first Captain. It was okay though, Cameron was fine.

He was a pirate after all.