Serene Sky - The call of Void

I was born twenty years ago today, right at sunset as the ocean peaked its height.

 I never met my father but my mother’s stories portrayed vividly the most powerful man on the seven seas.

 He promised to marry my mother after they found out she was pregnant, but the trip that was meant to end with a wedding ended with imprisonment.

We were abandoned here on this island with some supplies and a little boy I used to call “Sky” as a kid because he had beautiful blue eyes

 Peter “Sky” helped the mother with the baby, me, and survival.

 When I was ten years old, Peter decided to try and swim until he’ll manage to get someone’s help and get us out of there.

 I gave him the gold necklace that belonged to my mother in case he’ll have to pay for the help, he kissed my forehead gently with a promise to come back for us.

The 16th-year-old boy swims away from the shore as I waited for him to come back with hope, but soon enough we ran out of supply.

 I tried to find us something to feed on with the skills Peter managed to teach me before leaving us but in vain.

Four years after Peter left, my mother got sick.

 Without a Doctor in hand, her death came shortly after.

 I wasn’t sad about living my entire life on this Island.

 Sure, I would love to learn how to read my mother’s favorite books, wear the most beautiful dresses like the one my mother kept as a reminder of her old life, and even sleep on anything that isn’t made of nature.

 But I managed on my own.

Soon enough, I was used to being alone and hunting my meals.

 From time to time, boxes filled with warm and scorching liquid drifted to shore.

 It tasted bad at first, but after a while, I got used to it and I realized it kept me warm.

 The last bottle that survived the cold nights was saved for my 20th birthday - Today.

 I set a fire and found a good-looking fish close to shore, I picked some blueberries from inside of the Island and set for my last dinner.

After my 15th birthday, I searched the Island for people or different sources of food and came across a cliff high enough for me to escape.

 I thought I could handle being alone, but without Peter or mom, I started to lose any reason to live.

 The spicy liquid drifted to shore that night for the first time and I decided I was going to find a way out myself.

Over the years I managed to build a rhapsody but it sank about three feet away from the shore, so I decided to go to the cliff on my 20th birthday and jump to freedom.

 With the final drop, I fell asleep.

 I dreamed of reuniting with my mother, as I woke up from the tears that ran down my face.

The sun was already up and I knew my time has arrived.

 Wearing my mother’s dress, I stood at the top of the cliff, taking my time breathing my last breaths.

 I closed my eyes and took one final breath, ready to reunite with my mother, ready to dive into the ocean and allowing it to consume me.

 As I decided to let go, a loud explosive sound was heard all over the Island, echoing with defending noise.

On my way down I noticed the black pirate ship docking in front of the cliff for the first time, and soon after I met with the surface of the sea.

 Everything went dark even before I drowned.

 The black pirate ship was the last image on my mind before thinking of my mother.

 She never wanted this for me, but she’s gone and Peter left, I was sure that was my only chance at true freedom.

“She’s waking up, Captain”, a rusty voice was yelling on top of me.

 I was laying on a wooden surface, coughing seawater, gasping for air.

 “Serena”, a gentle voice suddenly interrupted the chaos around me.

 A hand caressed my face unhurriedly as the ship crew went silent.

 I was aboard the pirate ship I noticed earlier, that much I figured, but who the hell was that blurry handsome man, and did he know my name?

 “Serena, can you hear me?”, the captain of the ship came closer to me that his ocean blue eyes suddenly became clear to me.

 “Sky?”, I was hesitant.

My voice sounded suffocated, I could still feel the seawater in my lungs

 “I came back, Love”, he smiled at me.

 But that smile disappeared fast.

 “What were you thinking, jumping off the cliff like that?”, he carried me in his arms to his bedroom while his crew stared at us disappearing into the ship.

“Mama dies six years ago”, he helped me out the robe, “I waited for you but you never showed up”.

 His fingers lingered a little on the small of my back, he drew his attention back to me when I let the dress fall to the floor and he turned away.

 “There’s a dress on the bed for you, food will be sent to you soon”, his voice sounded rougher than I remembered, but the last time we saw each other I was ten and he was sixteen, it made sense he’d be different after all those years.

 “You look good”, I whispered.

 “Thanks, love”, I could hear a bitter smile in his voice.

 “How did you end up here, as a pirate?”, I lifted the dress.

 “That’s a long story”, he mumbled, “I needed a boat to rescue you and Laura, and life got me here”.

“Can you help me with the threads?”, I asked, not understanding why his touch was missing from my body that much.

Peter was handsome as a kid, but now as I am a grown woman standing in front of a handsome man I couldn’t help but plead for his closeness.

 “You should rest”, he tied my dress, “I’ll check on you at sundown”.

 As he left the room I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

I ate the most delicious food I’ve had ever and drank some of that spicy drink I learned is called Rum, later I laid in bed for a little while and thought of what today was meant to be like if Peter hadn't been there to rescue me.

As promised, Peter came back at sundown holding a bottle of rum.

 “I see you already discovered the wonders of the rum”, he laughed at the empty glass on the table.

 “Believe it or not, it was my source of warmness for years”, I smiled feeling slightly lighter than usual, or maybe I was finally feeling free.

 He sat next to me on his bed, allowing comfortable silence to fill the room for a while.

 “Sorry for being late, love”, he looked at me with a glimpse of pain in his eyes, “I could’ve saved your mother”-

 “Sky, you’ve done more than anyone else could ever do for us”, I got up to sit next to him.

 “It’s captain Sky for you”, he smirked and sat his hat on the desk beside the bed.

“I think this belongs to you”, he reached under his shirt and took off the necklace I gave him years ago to buy our freedom.

 “What”, I gasped, “then how did you manage to become the captain of this ship if you didn’t sell this necklace?”, I stared into his ocean eyes.

 “I couldn’t sell the only valuable thing that should’ve been yours”, his hand caressed my face in a soothing rhythm, “Besides, it helped me not lose sight of my goal”.

I felt overwhelmed by it all.

 The necklace, Peter becoming a pirate to save me, him not leaving me behind after all.

 I believed for years that the moment I’ll live to be free I’ll seek revenge on the man that betrayed my mother, but at that moment, deep into his eyes, All I needed was to be safe with him.

 I knew mother would want that for us as well, but I had no idea what a pirate would want, or what a woman that has no experience in the real world should want.

“You should get some sleep too, Captain”, I leaned a little towards his stumbled jaw.

 “I will, love”, his eyes drifted to my lips, “I have more than one bed on this ship”, he said as he got up.

I didn’t know any better, or why am I doing that, but I felt an undeniable need to keep him close as if he’ll disappear if I let him out of my sight again.

 “Stay”, I grabbed his arm and sat on my knees to be closer to his face.

 “Serena”, he whispered.

The look in his eyes seemed like a stormy sea, fighting an urge I had no idea of its depth.

 Mother told me of how the world works, about love and pleasure, and chivalry and so many stories about the pirate’s legacy.

Peter was the kid that helped my mother bring me into a caged world on that Island, but "Captain Sky" was the man that saved me from drowning in the sea of despair.

 Peter got into bed next to me, allowing me to hold on to him while he kept some distance between us.

 When he believed I was asleep he kissed my forehead gently with a promise to never leave me behind and left the room.

It has been about a month ever since Peter rescued me from the lone Island, every breakfast was better than the last, but I couldn't help hearing all the cheers on deck.

That must have been nice, living with so many people that make you feel this happy and serene.

 Mother named me after her hope for serenity, but that is the one thing I have yet to feel.

I left the captain's room to find all the men working hard and eager to get the ship to this foreign land.

 As I walked through the deck to the captain standing at the steering wheel, I felt the eyes of all the men at me.

 I wasn't used to so many people around me, it made me aware of myself in ways I have never done before, uncomfortable yet amusing at once.

"You should've called for me, I would've kept your company", Peter reached out to assist me up the stairs.

 "I think I know how to walk on my own, Captain Sky", I smirked at him, feeling so much better now, more than ever.

 I looked around and saw a land getting closer to the horizon, not caring for one second for the marvelous ocean around us.

 I was terrified of new unknown land, but as long as I could stay with Peter, I knew I'd be alright.

"Spain", he followed my eyes.

 "Is that where you were from?", I remembered stories he used to tell me on days I felt sad.

 "Where you are from, too, love", his smile looked somewhat sad.

 "Have you been there ever since you left the Island?", I focused on him.

 "Once", he looked away, "When I tried to find help".

He said nothing more of that.

 "He's dead now", he walked closer to me, "your father".

 I felt like he was staring into my soul, trying to get a glimpse of what I was truly made of.

 "good", I help my head up high and made sure he knew exactly how I felt about it.

 "and I was the one who killed him", he continued to examine me.

 "then I hope you weren't hurt in the process, otherwise, I approve", I leaned closer to him, realizing for the first time the amount of anger that was caged inside of me.

 He smiled.

Moments later he walked around the deck, yelled to the men about the sails and anchor, and once we were free to leave the ship onto the new land we have arrived to, we were all alone.

"You should go get dressed so I could take you to all the places I had dreamed of showing you all this time", he rested his hands on my hips.

 "It has been over a month that you still leave me to sleep alone, and now you ask for my company, Captain?", I leaned a little closer to him.

 "You deserve better than a dirty pirate", he let go of me.

I gently held his face between my hands, getting closer than I have ever been to him, staring into the soul of the man I never knew I needed inside the bed I never had until he came back.

 "Didn't you once told me I deserve everything I wanted?", I caressed his dark stubble.

 "I did terrible things to get to where I am today, Serena".

 "for me", I laid my finger on his lips.

 "that's no excuse for piracy", he put his hands on mine and stirred them away from his face.

 "I love you, Peter", I tried to reason with him.

 "You know nothing of love", his voice started to sound impatient.

 "Do you?", I lashed back.

His face froze to the sound of my question, unable to detach his eyes from mine, almost tearing up.

 "You", he chocked, "I love you, Serena".

Even though his confession was heartfelt, he seemed angry about it.

 I reached for his hand and led him to the Captain's room, where I slowly untied my dress.

 His eyes drifted to the floor, and every time he's done so, I grabbed his chin and forced him to meet my eyes.

 "I am not afraid", I whispered into his ear while leaving a trail of kisses on his neck as I undid his shirt.

 "I am", he confessed.

Surprised by his words, I removed myself from him just enough to look into his eyes.

 "Why?", I asked.

 He tried to look at me back but genuinely seemed to struggle with it.

 My hand found his beating heart over his bare hairy chest, closed my eyes, and allowed him to have a moment.

"As a pirate, I need to have a reputation", he started, "but I was never able to be with a woman, not until I knew you were safe".

 His breathing accelerated with more words coming out of his mouth, making his heartbeat strong and chest move faster.

 "and now that I have you hear I find it absurd that I am not interested in the closeness of any other woman", I opened my eyes slowly to find him a breath away from my lips.

"And I was not interested in anyone's closeness until I was reunited with you, Sky", our noses touched gently, and as fast as lightning our lips were mixed as if they were never meant to be apart.

Years later, together we have discovered every piece of land available to us.

 The Captain of a pirate ship and the woman that lived her entire life on a lone island, exploring the world, the sea, and the love they have always shared.