You Wouldn't Believe Me **Private**

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

(( -.- This post is probably going to be incredibly sucky, for I had it ALMOST finished-I was about half way through Carter- when I clicked backspace and it went back...a whole page. It deleted my whole post. *sigh* Here it goes...again. ))

Charlotte bit the inside of her cheek gently at the boy's question. So, he was curious. She couldn't blame him, really; she would be curious, too if what had happened to these two had happened to her. Charlotte knew that she would not have been able to stop the flow of questions from coming out of her mouth and that her head would have been buzzing with the hundreds of questions. Slowly letting her gaze slide over to the two boys, Charlotte blinked slowly, thoughtfully, as if she were contemplating how exactly she wanted to asnwer. Suddenly, the one boy spoke up once more, giving Charlotte his name. William, she repeated the name in her mind. She liked the way it sounded.
Slowly, but surely, Charlotte stepped away from the counter and began to walk over towards the boys. She stopped when she was still a few feet away from them. She noticed, with slight amusment, that when the boy-William-looked up at her, he seemed to be shocked by her wings. Both of them did. She had to stifle a soft chuckle before she spoke. When she finally did speak, her voice was soft. "You two have been kept alive because our Captain told us to spare your lives. He made us do so because of reasons only known to him; although, I have a faint feeling that I know what his reason is." Charlotte stopped for a moment, unsure if she should continue. She had heard, when she had first come onto the Phantom, that all winged-beings had to come into contact with humans at least once in a while. It kept them alive. This had to be the Captain's reasoning behind doing something like this-why else would he? Glancing swiftly towards the door, Charlotte stretched her wings out for a moment before turning back towards the two. "I believe he did it to keep us alive." Charlotte said it as if it would be the end of the discussion-she would say no more about it. She didn't want to be the one who got punished for telling the two humans anything. Heck, she still didn't know if she would get into trouble for revealing her wings to them. They would have found out eventually, anyway, she reminded herself once again.

Charlotte felt her lips tug upward and play into a faint smile-something she rarely did, these days-as she noticed William staring at her wings. She could only imagine what was going through his head at the moment. When he looked back down at his food, Charlotte noticed the faint blush that was touching his cheeks and she couldn't help but feel faint amusment at this. "My name is Charlotte, by the way," she said, her voice soft. It felt odd, telling them her name. As if, in a way, they were stepping over a line that had seperated them. Although, there were still many other lines that could never be crossed over.
Folding her arms loosely across her chest, Charlotte tilted her head slightly to one side. "It must be weird, being here...having no idea why. And, what with us being..." she hesitated, unsure of how to word it. "Different," she finally said, "It must be even stranger for you two."
She, faintly, felt sympathy for them; after losing all of their family and friends that had been on their ship, they now were forced onto a ship as prisoners, in a way. With all of that on their shoulders, they weren't even on a regular ship, either. The Phantom was a long way from being a normal ship.

---

Carter stood there silently, trying to turn his gaze away from her wings. Finally, but slowly, he did. His mind was buzzing with questions begging to be answered. When the boy-who a few moments later revealed his name to be William-asked why they hadn't been killed, why they were still alive, Carter sighed softly. Well, that was one of the tons of questions threatening to burn a whole in his mind.
As she explained that they had been kept alive on her Captain's orders, Carter faintly wondered what was wrong with the Captain. What use could two boys have to these people-these strange, winged people. Then, she said that they had been kept alive so that they, the pirates, the winged-ones, could stay alive. Carter frowned slightly. "But..." he was quickly cut short when he recieved a look from the girl, obviously telling him to ask no questions. Sighing softly, Carter held his tongue against the questions prickling on it. "I'm Carter," he said when she spoke up about a minute later, saying that her name was Charlotte. It was odd; Carter couldn't help but think that a girl as strange as this, a person with wings, would not have such an ordinary name. That she would have an odd name, or maybe not even a name at all. However, as soon as he thought that, he thought of himself as foolish. Of course they have names! Why wouldn't they? The answer to his question was simple, though; because she's different. Because they're all different.

(( Fail post for Carter; I was unimaginative with him, sorry. D: ))

[anonymouse]

William had mixed feelings about what Charlotte had said thus far. The pirates were using them? That didn't sound right. And William never liked being used. It was just low to use another living soul for your own selfish reasons. William thought about what the pirate had told him as he finished his meal, the orange peels finding their way into the rubbish bin. He may be a prisoner but he wasn't a slob. But William was struggling for something to say. What would he say now that would actually make sense? He wasn't in control of his life anymore. It all depended on what the captain wanted to do with them. Besides keeping them alive. With pirates, death could be welcome. Aboard a ship, there was always horror stories to keep the cabin boys awake at night. Stories of pirate captains who drank the blood of their enemies. Legends of ships that just disappeared, never to return. The list was endless. And, almost unfortunately, William knew quite a lot of those stories. He doubted the crew of the Phantom often dined on blood, but they did look cruel. Not one of the crew - save for the captain who looked nonchallant - looked happy that him and Carter were stolen from their own ship to join theirs. William couldn't even imagine this sort of situation happening to him and if he had been asked he would have said no. So clearly it was the crew's fault. And that was how William was going to look at the event on hand.

He had been about to say something about the weather perhaps when there was a pair of loud yells and then silence. He took that as he should just stay quiet. I'll probably just say something idiotic anyway. I am, after all, not a pirate. I don't even think I'm pirate matieral. I hope they don't want me to be part of the crew forever... It would keep them alive but I could look forward to an early death. William's thoughts turned to his little sister, who was hopefully eating a large breakfast and ready to have a fun day even if her big brother was missing in action. It scared William. What if he was to stay aboard this ship for his whole life? Until he died? William stared off into space, the thought of never seeing his home town filling his heart with dread. He was valuable to the pirates. But they were also much more advanced than him. He would never get away. With his happiness quickly vanishing, William looked at his hands and let the familiar rhythm of the waves lull him, if only for a while.

~~~

Rosetta kept her wings out, running her fingers through the feathers to straighten them and keep them well-groomed. Rosetta's wings were rarely unkept. They were neatly styled, every single feather she paid attention to. Since she had so much time on her hands, why not? With jobs like the crow's nest there was nothing to do but wait. Ro tightened the leather strap she used to hold her dark locks back. Rosetta preferred her hair down and free but on a ship there was always another task to attend to and with her hair falling into her eyes, that would be quite unhelpful. But Rosetta was looking forward to docking, even if it was for a few hours at minimum. What wasn't to like about a world that you rarely got to see? Rosetta loved the hustle and bustle of the markets; the sweet taste of fresh food that hadn't been stored for days; and it was quite amusing to see young girls, all dressed up in frills and gems, giggly like hyenas at every attractive young man that walked by. Rosetta had never been a run-of-the-mill girl. Some dresses were just too silly and entirely too heavy. The manner that girls - every single girl - were expected to have was proposturous. Rosetta had good manners but she couldn't imagine just sitting around looking pretty. The 'fact' that girls were only for being wives and suppling children was highly unlikely for Rosetta's future. She could never just sit around idle all the time. And the thought of having a great abundance of children didn't strike her fancy either. Maybe a girl and a boy at most. Rosetta flicked those thoughts away. She thought she heard her name being called.
"Get your head out of the clouds, Ro!" The Captain. Diligent at being annoying as always.
"What?" She growled back, peering through the wind to see the slightly scarred face of the Captain.
"Change of plans. There's a bit of a storm cloud ahead, which you clearly seemed to miss whilst day dreaming, and I need you to get Charlotte. I know she's with the humans, but she's needed above. Maybe the humans can even lend a hand. It'll be a bit of a rough patch, nothing we's can't handle of course. Now get!" Pleased with another, action-packed, job, Rosetta unfurled her wings and dropped down into a steep dive. Her soft soled boots landed lightly on the worn wood but she didn't stay long. She hurried to the kitchen, the scent of a storm quickly approaching.
"Charlotte, there's a small storm ahead. We need all hands on deck. Including the wingless if they can pull their own weight. I don't fancy watching their backs as well as my own." Rosetta said in her soft voice. She rarely raised that voice unless the need to be heard or to make her meaning crystal clear. Rosetta glanced over at the humans for she hadn't had a good look at them. Her wings were pointed to the ground, slightly folded so only the tips of her wings brushed the ground. The boys were slightly shaken looking, that made sense, but they seemed... young. They were probably Rosetta's age but she felt as if they were mere boys compared to her. The life of a pirate aged you. Rosetta gave the boys one last look over, noting to herself that the one with the dark hair happened to be partially attractive, before spinning on her heel and exited onto the deck. The thick of the storm was calling her.

After only a few minutes, the ship was slick with chilling rain. Luckily, Rosetta had grabbed her black cloak in the morning. Now she placed the hood up and launched herself into action. Some of the sails needed to be trimmed, some of the sails needed to be completely tied up. All hands were hurriedly working to beat the storm. Which was a storm mightier than they had all thought. Rosetta felt a small smile touch her lips. She did enjoy the sense of danger that came with almost every day. The rain dripped down her feathers, the wind sending her cloak flying around her body. It was a small price to pay for the adventure. Ro stepped back from the action for a moment, checking to see where she was needed. She opened her wings so the wind filled them and she landed on the cross bar of the closest mast. A small rope had snapped, letting a sail pile down. Within minutes, Rosetta and a few other crew members had the sail back up and the rope regained. She breathed a sigh of relief and hung from the rigging for a moment to gaze at the view. The sky was dark and clouded but there was light skies ahead. A streak of lightning ran across the sky, lighting up the ship even more. The rain was pelting with fury but it was cooling the ship through and through. Rosetta shook her wings and turned her back on the dark storm. Her crew needed her.

(( Sooooorrrryyyy!! I'm so sorry </3 *lateness* ))

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

(( D: Lateness for me as well. I don't know why, but for some reason I have a hard time replying to RPs I'm in at the moment. Writers block, I suppose, but it seems...different, for some reason. :c Love your new username, by the way! <33 ))

Charlotte studied the two for a few moments., saying nothing. She noted their expressions, the slightest of movements that they made. She tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowed into slits while she thought.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what must be going through their heads right now. Not only had they been taken away from their families, who might have been killed when the crew of the Phantom had attacked that ship, but now all of this was being dumped onto their shoulders. It was probably more than any one person would care to handle. She opened her mouth to say something to them, anything, when the door to the kitchens suddenly were thrown open.

The smell of rain and damp feathers, a smell that was quite familiar to the crew of the Phantom, flooded into the kitchen. Charlotte breathed in, enjoying the smell of the rain for a moment. Charlotte looked up to see Rosetta standing there. She listened silently to the other girls words, then nodded once. "Aye, I'll get right on it. Thanks Ro." Charlotte rolled her shoulders slightly, wishing that the storm could have came at another time. Any other time, really. But not now, when she had enough to deal with with the humans. She turned to the two boys, a small sigh escaping her. She would try to stay patient and not get angry with them, for she knew they had no idea what they were to act like or what to do.
"All right, you guys are going to go up there and help out as much as you can; got it? Don't get caught standing around or the Captain'll have both of you tossed overboard." And me as well, probably, for not watching them properly.
"I know you can't do much but at least try. I'm not going to be watching your back the entire time, so just...be careful and stay out of anyone who looks angry's way." Charlotte paused for only a second before quickly adding; "Actually, you should probably just stay out of everyone's way, on second thought, unless they directly ask for your help."

The brown-haired girl flexed her wings, spreading them out for a moment. When they were fully spread, they were quite magnificant. She stood there for a moment, her lips pursed. She just hoped that the two wingless boys would at least be a bit helpful to the crew. If not, they probably wouldn't be getting to see the sun much.
Turning, Charlotte Rosetta out of the kitchen. The second she stepped out into the open, she was met by a hard gust of wind. With her lips turning down into a scowl, Charlotte shook some of the water from her wings, which had already begun to be plastered down with water, the feathers were sticking together. She now wished she had grabbed some sort of coat, or anything, to protect herself from the cold rain. Too late, now, she thought, slightly bitterly.
Dark eyes looked around, searching the ship for a place where she was needed.

---

Carter now knew what the phrase 'feeling as if you were carrying the world on your shoulders' meant. How could two humans keep a crewful of people with wings alive? Two average, regular, not-extrodinary(sp?)-in-the-least human boys were keeping these amazingly special, possibly-magical, magnificant beings alive. Well, you didn't hear that everyday.
As the news sunk in, Carter slowly began to think it through. He didn't really understand how it could be true, but it must be. Why else would this girl, Charlotte, have told them that? What reason did she have for lying to them? Carter couldn't come up with any, so for now he had to assume all of this was true. That all of the was shockingly real.

When the doors to the kitchen were thrust open, Carter jumped slightly. He couldn't help it; he had nerves building up inside of him, a jittery feeling that he just couldn't shake. He felt as if, at any moment, he could or would be killed. Carter shivered at the thought and quickly pushed it away; sure, there was a lot of hostility that was directed towards him and William on the ship, but none had made any gestured to kill him. Yet.
A girl with dark hair and very pretty features stepped into the kitchen. She began to explain to Charlotte that a storm was coming. Carter held back another shiver at the thought. Great, that was just what they needed. The two girls didn't seem to scared at the thought, though, so Carter did his best to keep a straight, calm face. If they were fine with it, he would be, too, even if the thought of a storm on a ship like this scared him out of his witts.
Suddenly, Charlotte was telling them that they would be helping the crew out up above. She explained to them to basically help where they could and stay out of most people's way unless directed. Carter swallowed quickly. They were dead for sure.

When he had followed the two girls out onto the deck, Carter had no idea how bad the storm would really be. He had thought it would just be a drizzle, or something of the sort. Boy, had he been wrong. The rain hit him like rocks, causing him to cringe and shut his eyes momentarily. When he opened his dark eyes back up, he looked around the ship. Everywhere, there were winged-beings running and drifting about, fixing things where needed and just trying to keep the ship together. Carter bit the inside of his cheek. This was not going to be fun for him, he could already tell.

(( Fail post is fail. D: ))

[anonymouse]

(( Thanks! I figured if I end up not liking it I'll just find something better. But, with this user name everyone needs me! Literally! :DD ))

The rain chilled William to the bone. Being abducted and all, he hadn't had the time to grab a coat nor cloak to shield him from unforgiving weather. The lightning struck the sky and for a moment it seemed as if time freezed. When his hearing seemed to return and time seemed to restart, William held onto the railing tightly. Falling into the dark waves was almost as good as dead. It would be hard for anyone else of the crew to find you among the white and black waves. The rain was enough to hinder your vision. And, William figured the water would be very, very cold. A crew member called him over to help with the tying down of the heavy water barrels. If the barrels got loose, they could roll aboard the deck, causing the ship to become unbalanced. The crew member glanced at William as his fingers fumbled with the slippery ropes.
"Eh, boys! We have a Wingless." Their grins were mocking and course laughter could be heard. His face burning with embarrassment, William put down his head and did the work as he ignored the jests and taunts. Arguing would get them nowhere. The entire crew sputtered in reply when a few salty waves roared over the side. Luckily William had had his hands on a sturdy post to keep him upright, while his taunters were not as lucky.
"Get your bums moving! We're almost out of this temptest!" The Captain laughed, a sound of insanity. William shivered, from the rain and the predicament he had gotten himself into.

There was quick glimpses of feathers and wings all about the ship. The crew worked like a well oiled machine, almost doing things without a single word. Everyone of the gifted knew what to do and how to do it. They all had something to offer to make the ship the finest on the seas. It was amazing to just watch and William found himself doing just that more than once. Without noticing, William's deep blue eyes were focused on Charlotte. She moved so easily through the wind and the rigging. It looked almost effortless from a human's eyes. And truthfully, William had found Charlotte quite... attractive. But why would she even bother to look at someone like him? He had no strong wings across his back and he wasn't anything special to look at. He was... average.

Turning his back on Charlotte reluctantly, William helped wherever he was needed. Sort of. Sometimes the crew would growl in annoyance just because he still felt groggy and it was hard to concentrate when he was being splattered with rain. There was so much pressure to perform. William gave a small sigh. Would he ever fit in anywhere? Never on the streets, never in buildings. He had felt like he might on the first ship until he had been taken away from that kind crew. William felt frustrated and like he need to go back to sleep. But that wasn't going to happen. He worked at what was in front of him, trying to ignore the fact that he could be judged on his every move.

~~~

Rosetta hurried to tighten the sail when the wind was blowing against her. She barely glanced away from her work for she was afraid that if she didn't do it right it could be a life or death situation. The rain was chillingly cold but it felt nice to Rosetta after more days of uneventfulness than she would like. Rosetta preferred to always have something to focus on. Being busy didn't allow her time for emotional thoughts. She couldn't let herself think about her father nor the life that she could have had without the wings across her back. Which she did love and all, but what about being a normal person? She could have friends that didn't race each other a hundred feet off the ground. She could have... a lover. That was always something Rosetta went back to. Yes she could fall in love with someone on the ship but none of them were... enough for her. And she didn't plan on falling in love any time soon. There was still plenty of adventures to be had.

"Rosetta, watch yourself!" The Captain called, noting how the ropes were becoming quite slick and dangerous. The wind didn't help by throwing your balance off. Rosetta barely heard the Captain for suddenly her feet weren't on solid wood anymore. Her wings had caught a powerful gust and carried her off the boat. It wasn't something that happened often, but sometimes there was always accidents. The water was icy-cold. Rosetta almost blacked out from shock. She kicked her way to the surface and tried to see where the ship was, partly so she wouldn't get hit by it, and partly because she needed to get back aboard. Almost choking on the swelling waves, Rosetta struggled to stay afloat. Her feathers seemed to way as much as two cinder blocks. "Man overboard!" She heard faintly through the water. Some of the crew, those that could be spared while the rest needed to keep the ship running, hurried to figure out which would be the best way to save her. Rosetta felt her heart rate quicken. It was one of those few times that Rosetta felt... scared.

She kept towards the boat, afraid to drift too far, but the crew was trying hard enough as it was to just keep the ship above the water level. Rosetta silently gasped in surprise when a wave crashed over her, sending her down, down, down. "Someone has to go and get her, then we'll throw a line down." The Captain yelled over the noise. "I'm thinking one of the humans. That way we won't have to worry about losing another crew member." His smile was mischievious {sp}. "You," The Captain's finger clearly pointed to the dark headed human. "Carter, is it? In you go!" Rosetta barely heard any of it for her wings kept dragging her down. Her lungs were ready to burst but she didn't want to breathe in some of the dangerous water. I shall probably die. But underneath the waves everything was so calm. It was like a dream. Gentle currents pushed her further away from the boat. Consciousness was slowly slipping from her grasp.

((I know, fail romance-activation. I just wanted someone to fall in the water... xD ))

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

(( That was actually a good romance-activation. x3 I was hoping someone would fall over; it's always so exciting haha. xD ))

Calls from the Captain, shouts from the crew, the crack of thunder and the crash of waves crashing around the ship. Those were the only sounds that met Charlotte's ears as she worked her way around the ship. She could be found tying barrels down, tightening sails back up and basically darting from place to place. The rain was slick under her feet and she found herself slipping more than once; thankfully, each time she had found herself falling towards the deck, she had caught herself on the railing or anything that was around at the time. Charlotte wished she could just lift off into the air and get from place to place using her wings, but she knew that would not be a very wise choice on her part. Even without taking off, she found the wind pushing against her wings and threatening to send her falling every which way. Charlotte soon became best friends with the railings, having her hand on one most of the time.

Charlotte's dark eyes searched the deck, eyes darting from place to place. Her eyes caught Carter as he was working alongside two men, pulling barrels right-side-up after they had fallen and spread around the deck. She couldn't help but look for the two boys; if anything happened to either one of them, she would, in a way, feel responsible. So, she would discreetly keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't do anything too stupid, or get hurt. Her eyes broke away from Carter as she looked for William. For a few moments, she couldn't seem to find him and she began to get a worried feeling bubbling in her stomach. Then, she saw him. He was tying down some barrels with a couple crewmembers. Suddenly, he looked up and her eyes met his. Charlotte felt her heart skip slightly in surprise and she swiftly looked away, pretending to be very busy with some rope that was beside her. The dark-haired girl quickly told herself that, so what, their eyes had locked. That is was no big deal. But, for some reason, it had been...odd. Different. Charlotte shook her head, told herself that she was being silly, and began to help one of the female crew-members.

Suddenly, something happened. Charlotte wasn't too sure what it was, at first. All she knew was that everyone who wasn't very busy at the time began rushing to one side of the ship. Shouts could be heard and everyone began to look over the side of the ship, towards the waves. Charlotte found herself swallow against a lump that had formed in her throat before running over to the side of the ship and looking down into the black waves. The first thing she saw was a wave come crashing over Rosetta's head, sending her under the water.
When the Captain spoke, Charlotte couldn't believe what he had said at first. He was going to send Carter under the water after Rosetta? Carter, the human? Was he crazy? She could see his reasoning, but there was no way he could survive against those waves! She looked over to see Carter standing there with wide, shocked eyes. When he opened his mouth to reply and it seemed as if he was about to protest, Charlotte prodded him in the back. "Go," she whispered into his ear. "The Captain will kill you if you disobey him; hurry!" She pushed him towards the edge of the ship, her eyes widened. He was dead, for sure.

---

Carter's hand slipped as he tried to right the barrels and put them on their correct sides. He kept losing his grip on them and they kept slipping away and falling back to their sides. "Hey, human, get it together! If you can't do it right then get!" Carter held his tongue against the remark that threatened to fall off of his tongue. His mouth was something that could get him killed on this ship; he was expendable(sp?), they could lose him. They still had William. So, since he didn't want to die just yet, he swallowed the remark and continued working- a little harder and swifter than before, it seemed. When he had righted the barrels, Carter began helping an older-looking man with brown and white wings tie them down with a thick rope. They wouldn't be going anywhere, now.

Suddenly, he heard a yell and a splash that didn't sound the same as the other waves crashing. Carter stood straight with the other men, his brow furrowed. He saw many people on the crew running towards the ship and followed them over, his curiosity taking hold on him and overpowering anything else that he felt. His eyes widened as he looked over the side of the ship. The girl from before, 'Ro', as Charlotte had called her, was in the water. The crew was frantically trying to get her back onto the ship. However, just then, a wave came crashing down over her and she went under. Carter swallowed, his eyes wide. Suddenly, he looked up. The Captain had begun to speak. A human? He was going to send one of them down there, after the girl, who was apparently named Rosetta. When the Captain pointed at him and smiled at him, Carter's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. "I-" he began. He cut short, however, when he felt someone prod his back and whisper in his ear to just go, or else he would be killed there, anyway. Carter turned slightly to see Charlotte looking at him, her own eyes wide with shock. If she looked like that, Carter could only imagine what he looked like. He swallowed, then looked over towards the water. It was either die here or die in the water, so Carter took a deep breath and jumped.

The first thing Carter thought as he went under was that was definitely going to die. The second thing was that if he somehow didn't die, and he somehow managed to find this girl, that she would surely be dead. He peered through the dark water, feeling it toss him around as waves crashed above him, which only pushed him farther down every time they did so. Carter felt as if his lungs were going to burst when he saw her. Her hair was floating around her and her wings were tilted downward; they seemed as if they were pulling her downward, further towards the bottom. For a second, Carter noted how attractive she looked in this state. He quickly pushed that thought away and began to swim towards her, with every second seeming like an eternity to him. Every second could be one of their deaths.
When he reached her, Carter put his arm around her waist, then began to swim up. Or, what he thought was up. When he was under the dark water, everything seemed so different. Almost like another world. Suddenly, he broke through the water and gasped. His lungs were burning, as were his eyes. His whole body ached. He looked next to him, at Rosetta, making sure she was still there. Carter then looked around, his eyes catching the ship immidiately. He swam closer, then waited for someone to send a line down for them.

[anonymouse]

(( Haha thanks! Tis a tad corny but that's what makes it fun! ))

It all happened so fast. William heard worried, desperate shouts and most of the crew left their posts just to look out over the water. Curious, William moved his way through the small crowd to see a pale hand disappear below the water. Someone had fallen in? Anxiety cluched William's heart. The water was bone-chilling, whipping and lashing like a wild animal, and much too powerful for a thin rope. But then, luckily, the head of one of the pirates who looked familiar, surfaced. Her eyes were large with disbelief and she was clearly fighting for a few breathes of air. She kept drifting down and away, the waves sucking and pulling at her wings. It was hard to watch but no harder than watching an accident unfold. Impossible to look away though your mind was screaming to. William faintly heard the rumble of the thunder as the situation was looking bleaker and bleaker. There was an very slim chance of her survival it seemed. But then, acting swiftly and smartly, the Captain made a plan. Send Carter? But he'll surely drown! William looked over at the other human. He looked very shaken. It reflected how everyone else on the ship was feeling, but if it was possible, Carter looked even more so. Everything was going against their intentions but they had no choice. It was cruel and unwise in William's eyes but he had no say. Concerned for a boy he barely knew, William held his breath as he leapt into the waters that had claimed so many lives.

William watched anxiously as Carter gasped at the cold water before diving below their sight to find where Rosetta, the girl that had swept into the kitchen, had disappeared. The ship silenced. Everyone was leaning towards the water to see if the human could pull this feat off. Come on Carter, come on. William heard his own blood pumping even if the storm refused to lessen. Then someone pointed excitedly, "There they are!" The cheers were strangely silent. No one wanted to be the first to cheer before the rescue was complete. Much less for a human. Carter and the girl, who was unfortunately unconscious, were both drenched and soaked to the bone. William felt the hint of a smile touch his lips. Carter did it. Now the crew would most likely gladly accept Carter into their tight-knit family. A board had been tied at both ends with ropes for Carter and Rosetta. A easier option than a rope with a loop tied at the end. William helped heave the two up, heavier than normal they were being weighed down with sea water. But the fact that Rosetta was dreadfully pale and unresponsive was a problem. Breathes were still being held.

"Well done," The Captain nodded his head slowly to Carter. "Maybe we will keep both of these lads." But would Rosetta survive? William almost gave up hope. It didn't look good for the poor girl. "But since you be her rescuer, ye must give her mouth to mouth." The Captain's eyes twinkled with young boyish excitement. William shook his head slightly to himself. The Captain was a nutcase. But Rosetta did need help... William kept to the edge of the crowd, wondering if Carter would reluctantly accept or refuse. His blue eyes found Charlotte's pretty face. He watched for her reaction, remembering how moments before her and his eyes had linked. It had been the strangest sensation. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable but it was hard to explain, even to himself. William tried to wonder what it would be like if Charlotte had fallen instead of Rosetta. Would he have been more worried or less? More. But why?

~~~

Rosetta had - not on purpose - given up. The dim light from the streaks of lightning were too far away now. Her mouth fell open in slow motion and briny water rushed in her throat. Still faintly in control, Rosetta snapped her mouth shut to stop the dangerous water from filling her. But she was so terribly weak. And everything was so calm below the waves... Rosetta! Keep it together! You have to get back on that ship. But without oxygen it was a worthless struggle. Yet, strangely enough, before she had closed her eyes for what she assumed was the last time, Rosetta noticed a humanly shape. Didn't she know that person? More water filled her lungs as she lost her grip on consciousness.

Her hair tie had been lost to the tides, her dark cloak wrapping around her slightly, and eerie silence filled her ears. That is, if she had been conscious enough to hear it. Her body was limp and almost lifeless as the last few bubbles of air left her mouth. But then, as Carter securely grabbed her and moved towards the surface, Rosetta's hair covered her face with the sudden change of velocity.
"Is she alive?"
"I doubt it. Do you think you could survive being under so long?" The pirates whispered among themselves as the still form of Rosetta was laid on the deck's worn wood. But there was snickers and amused phrases passed between most of the crew as the Captain ordered the shivering lad. They all knew how... rough Rosetta could be and none of them wanted to be the reason behind whatever she deemed unfit.

"Are you going to give 'er the kiss of life, or naught?" The Captain crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Carter. If not he would simply ask another crew member but he was genuinely interested in seeing the boy try. Besides, mouth to mouth was a valuable tool when you lived on the sea. Anything could happen and that had been the case. Luckily, the Captain mused to himself, I didn't have to lose anyone. But the day was still young, was it not?

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

(( Very true. x3 ))

Carter had never thought that anything could be more precious to him than air at that moment. He gulped it down quickly, literally breathless. Every breath, however, burned fiercely in his lungs, which were threatening to explode from how long he had been under. He vowed he would never go swimming again, after this. Ever.
At least he had found her, which was what he kept telling himself as he was pulled back aboard the ship. But, then again, he reminded himself, [/i] she still might not live.[/i] Carted hated and didn't even want to think of that possibility, but he knew that it was one-one that was still very likely, judging by the girl's appearance.

Carter lowered Rosetta to the deck as slowly and gently he could. He was shivering and soaking wet and his hair was plastered to his face, blocking his vision temporarily. He pushed it out of his face, just in time to see the Captain nod to him and tell him that he had done well. Or, at least that was what he thought the man had said-lots of water had gotten in Carter's ears and they desperately needed popped. Everything sounded slightly odd and distorted to him.
Just as he thought it was over, that he was done with his services, the Captain told Carter that he would be the one who had to give her mouth to mouth. "W-what?" he asked, clearly shocked at the proposal. Well, it was more of an hidden order, actually. Carter immidiately realized that this man was absolutely crazy. He could feel his cheeks burning, despite being freezing cold everywhere else, and knew quickly that he must be blushing. He inwardly cursed at the man before him.
Carter stood there, shivering and wide-eyed, unsure of what he should do. The Captain repeated the question, obvious growing impatient with the wingless being before him. "I..." he began, still unsure. He knew that it was now or never and that she would be dead within a matter of moments if he didn't act now. So, he swallowed against the lump in his throat and bent down over the equally wet girl. Just before he let his lips touch hers, he prayed to whatever being was watching over him that if this did indeed work, and Rosetta did wake up, that she didn't kill him for doing this.

When Carter's lips touched hers, he felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. He didn't put a lot of thought into it, though, and began to breath whatever air was left in his lungs into Rosetta's. He made sure he was holding her nose, making sure no air got out, then waited a few moments, pressed her chest in the pattern he had learned when he was younger, then repeated this several times. This has to work...I didn't just jump into that water for nothing. That was one of the hundreds of thoughts that rang through Carter's head as he did this.

---

Charlotte found her hands shaking slightly as she watched Carter take in a deep breath of air, then plunge down over the side of the boat and into the water. When he got to the water, Charlotte found herself flinching. The water had to be so cold, she didn't know how either Rosetta or Carter would survive this. Seconds turned to hours, it seemed, as Charlotte and the rest of the crew waited for a head to pop up. After almost a minute, when none did, she felt her heart sink. Could they really both be dead, already?

Charlotte knew that the human's lung probably wasn't as strong and sturdy as a winged-person's lungs but being down as long as she had been, Charlotte didn't know how Rosetta could still have any air left. She turned away, her eyes downcast for a few moments. Just then, she heard a few gasps and sighs from the people nearest to her, and quickly spun back to look down at the water. There, Carter had just popped his head above the water. Beside him, he was holding Rosetta close.
When the crew had gotten the two back onto the ship, Charlotte was far from happy. Looking at Rosetta, she didn't look too good. She was pale and didn't appear to even be breathing. Charlotte wanted to look away and yet, she found herself watching silently as the Captain instructed Carter to give Rosetta mouth to mouth. She glanced momentarily towards Carter, watching his cheeks light up and his eyes widen. The Captain was crazy, she had learned that long ago, and now he seemed to be taking that crazy attitude out on Carter.

Moving silently through the crowd as Carter began to try and revive Rosetta, Charlotte soon found herself beside William. She looked up at the human, her eyes nearly as wide as Carter's had been. "I bet you're glad you didn't have to go down there. Seems to me that Captain is focusing more on Carter at the moment-you're probably next," she mused, trying to keep her mind off of the fact that Rosetta might not make it. Her voice was soft and quiet, and it shook ever-so-slightly, although she hoped William didn't notice the fear she felt inside of her.

[anonymouse]

Minutes ticked by. Nothing was changing. It seemed that Rosetta was... gone. Then, the winged girl sat up adruptly, spitting the salty water from her lungs and stomach. That was the moment that the cheers were heard. But, as soon as Rosetta finished of emptying her stomach of the foul water, she proceeded to smack the boy who had saved her right across the cheek. Silence fell over the ship once more. But Rosetta did indeed have reasoning behind her furious action.
"If you ever kiss me again, I will personally throw you off this ship with pounds of lead tied around your ankles." Her whisper was low, only loud enough for almost everyone to hear. But those large eyes were a deep shade of gray, a sure sign that she was not pleased with the turn of events. Without further ado, Rosetta stood up and strode into the ship to rid herself of her drenched clothes. And the too-many eyes staring at her had caused her to become skittish. Well, and the fact that was creating her thoughts to become turmoil.

As Rosetta heaved deep breathes, she tried to figure out what had happened after she had lost consciousness. She had awoken to someone's lips on hers - that was the thought that was bothering her the most. Rosetta didn't have the most experience with kisses, but the few she had were unwelcome. This, this kiss was different. She knew it was merely meant to save her life but... What had been the warm tingle in her stomach? Surely not the sea water? The feeling had urged her to keep her eyes closed and- and wrap her arms around the owner of the lips's neck. It had been simply pleasant. That had scared Rosetta the most. All she could see when she closed her eyes was the dark eyes of her rescuer. Was this was it felt like to be falling in love? It was the only possible explaination (sp). Maybe not love but she was certainly liking the boy more than just what he was, true? Rosetta tried to rid herself of the wet clothes and water that clung to her feathers. It was uncomfortable and she longed for a warm cup of something while she sat beside a fire, wrapped in a blanket. Sighing, Rosetta pieced together the rest of the story.

She had been saved from the waves then when she had not awoken, they had decided to give her the kiss of life. But why the Wingless? Why him? Rosetta tried to dry her hair with a towel, but it was hard when she couldn't focus on the task at hand. The feeling of the boy's lips on hers still lingered. Terrified, - not that she had died, but that she might be interested more than she should in the Wingless boy - Rosetta lay in the hammock that she had claimed as her own. She was in no mood to face the crew and the storm any longer. Besides, her body felt as if it had been sapped of all its energy. Her body wouldn't stop shaking, whether from the cold or something else entirely she could not say, and sleep seemed as if it would never come. Not that she could sleep anyway. There was still a whole day ahead of her but maybe a small nap would be in order? Rosetta knew it would be no such thing. There was always work to do on a ship. Wishing the past few minutes had never happened, Ro searched inside of her pillow's case for the one thing she had brought for sentimental reasons: A book. It was a fictional book of humans with wings upon their backs, angels. It was a book Rosetta's mother and father had often read to her as a child. Just the sight of it brought a sense of calm over her. But that calm was not unlike the calm right before a storm...

~~~

Well. This day keeps getting worse and worse for Carter. William thought as he looked on from the crowd. He barely even noticed when Charlotte appeared by his side until she spoke quietly to him. Her bravado from before was completely gone, vanished with the air of danger that came with every accident. He couldn't help but note as how scared she looked for her crew member. Especially at the hands of someone not of their kind. It reminded William of his younger sister when she was sad, defeated. The kind thing to have done was to give Charlotte a strong, comforting hug but that seemed to out of line aboard the Phantom. The crew seemed very prone to being offended. So William gave her a small reassuring gaze.
"Quite. I hope my situation isn't quite as drastic. At least Carter has definitely proved himself." William gave a feeble smile to the girl.

His attention was diverted when there came the sounds of a quick intake of breathe before the sounds of coughing. The crew roared with approval. Carter had done it. Relief for the boy and Rosetta's life, William breathed a sigh. But just as his elation was setting in, a sharp smack! rang out. Confused, William looked to where Carter and Rosetta were sitting to see such a deathly glare on Rosetta's face. Her words weren't fake. They were real and true, something William realized with a puzzled expression on his face. His brow furrowed in misunderstanding. Wasn't Rosetta suppose to be thanking Carter? But that didn't happen. Without another glance at the boy who had saved her life, Rosetta turned and disappeared into the bowels of the ship. William glanced over at Charlotte. "You people are crazy..." He breathed, running a hand through his hair.

But then, of all things, harty laughter rang out. The Captain and most of the male crew members were laughing, some even clapped Carter on the back, a sign of merriment.
"Ah, my dear boy you've picked a fiesty one to tousle with." The Captain chuckled, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "She isn't tamed easy, no not Rosetta." Then the Captain motioned for the crew to get back to work for they were just about out of the storm. William held out a hand to pull Carter to his feet, the least he could do. "You alright? She hit you pretty hard..." But it was almost a struggle to keep his laughter down himself. It just struck him as funny as the crew jested like old pals with the new pup on the ship. "I guess girls thank you in different ways?"

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Jerking back quickly when he felt Rosetta stir, Carter moved back just in time for her to cough about a gallon of water in his direction. He moved out of the way, but not far enough away, it seemed. When the skin of Rosetta's hand met the skin on Carter's cheek, the dark-haired boy found himself swearing under his breath. He lifted his hand to his cheek in pain, clearly shocked at the girl's reaction. At her words, his eyes widened slightly. It hadn't even been a real kiss! Why on earth would she take it as that?!
Carter found himself glaring at her retreating back through narrowed eyes, muttering something that sounded like 'you're welcome' under his breath, followed by some more swearing. He took William's hand, pulling himself up with a scowl on his face and his hand still pressed to his cheek with his other hand. What was wrong with the people on this ship? Not only were they...abnormal, what with their wings, but they were completely crazy as well! Especially that girl, Rosetta. Carter still couldn't wrap his head around it. He had just saved her life! And this was how she repayed him? Well, wasn't that just peachy.

Carter, trying his best to ignore the other men's words, turned to William, his expresson dark. "Yeah, I'm fine...but it hurts like hell," he muttered, finally lowering his hand from his cheek. There, a red mark shone brightly and fiercly-it even looked painful. He shook his head, obviously still peeved. "I guess so-I always thought women were crazy, but this whole ship is absolutely crazy!" He shot a swift glance towards Charlotte, a frown on his face. "Er, no offense. I just don't know how much longer I can take it...perhaps I should have just stayed under the water, and left her down there." Carter immidiately regretted saying that, and that was obvious for he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Okay, maybe not left her down there. But staying down there might have been a better option than coming back up here." The day had gone from bad to worse as it spanned on for Carter, and he couldn't help but wonder if it could get any worse. He was aching everywhere, especially in his head, where he had been hit earlier. He reached up, touching it gingerly, then sighed and shook his head.

One thing was still picking at the back of Carter's mind, however. Had Rosetta really thought of that as a real kiss? No, he thought. How could she? She was probably just embarrassed and mad...but then why did she say that? Carter hadn't really considered it a kiss, but now, he was seeing it in a different light. In different circumstances, Carter didn't think he would mind kissing Rosetta-that was, if she didn't hit him for it. After all, she was very pretty. But he knew that that would never happen; after what she had said-or, rather, threatened-Carter had a feeling that he was going to be keeping his distance from the winged-beauty.

---

Charlotte found herself letting out a lot of air in relief when she hear Rosetta coughing and spitting out the water from her lungs and stomach. She expected the other girl to thank Carter or something of the sort-certainly not hug him or anything that drastic, because after it all, it was Rosetta. But at least thank him for saving her life.
Nope. When she slapped him, Charlotte's eyes widened and she cringed. That looked like it had hurt. Why on earth had she done that? Whispering her threat to the clearly shocked human loud enough for everyone to hear, Charlotte found herself feeling more and more sorry for Carter. His day just kept getting worse and worse, didn't it?
As Rosetta walked away, Charlotte longed to go ask her why she had acted in such a way. She should have been thanking him, not hurting him! He was probably already in pain from fighting the waves while in the water; plus, his head didn't look too good. It had dried blood in it and it seemed as if the wound had opened again while in the water. Charlotte would have to make sure that they both got checked out, later. This brought a faint smile onto her face.

It seemed to her as if she had taken the two humans under her wing...metaforically(sp?) speaking, of course. She found that if anything happened to the two, that she would feel partly responsible. Although they were humans, and very different in many ways from Charlotte and the rest of the crew of the Phantom, she still found that she cared about both of them. She looked over at the two boys, Carter looking very angry and basically like a watered-down cat, and William looking...well, handsome.
She couldn't help but think that way-not many men on the ship Charlotte found attractive, and the ones she did were often very rude. So, these two were quite a breath of fresh air. Charlotte found herself smiling at this, but she quickly looked away. She didn't want to be caught staring.

(( Poor Carter; he's having such a bad day. xD Ah, and I'm sorry for the post with Charlotte. Tiny. D: ))

[anonymouse]

Just as William was trying to figure everything out, the sky suddenly cleared and the rain stopped. They had made it out of the storm. Maybe not exactly safely but close to it. That counted somewhat. The water began to drain out from the ship's deck and hull but there would still be some work to do. Shaking his wet hair, William turned his attention back to the miserable-Carter. He was having quite the day. But when William noticed the angry red mark on the lad's cheek. William winced. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hopefully it would fade but William wasn't keeping his hopes up. Maybe the rest of the ship would say it was just a battle wound, something to be proud of?
"Land ho!" The latest look out called, pointed straight ahead to where William knew was London. Why would they want to go around so many people? But he knew that even being so different from humans, they longed for solid land under their feet. Which William could relate to. He hadn't been on the sea long but he was ready to get off the ship from the crazy crew, whether only for a few minutes.

The crew hurried to unfurl the sails, shaking the water from their feathers and clothes as they went. In William's mind, it was quite rude of them, the water droplets landing on the deck where they happened to be standing. But it was no big deal. At least he hadn't gotten slapped.
"You know you wouldn't have done that. Besides, I'm sure she's just a little shaken up. Maybe she thank you tomorrow." He hoped. If not, William was afraid that Carter might hold a grudge against the pirate. And more conflict and drama was the last thing they needed aboard this ship. "Look at the bright side. Maybe we'll be able to go on land. And the sun's out. That always cheers me up..." William rambled. He wasn't very good at perking people up - only his little sister and he had a feeling Carter wouldn't appreciate being talked to that way - so he doubted he was much help. Carter would probably just have to relax and try not to let it get to him. William glanced over at Charlotte for some help. Since she was a girl, maybe she'd had more practice or skill at it?

But William couldn't cap the excitement of land. His home. It was a little more than a speck on the horizon but it was better than nothing. And thus far the Phantom was proving to be a swift ship, so they would be there in no time. But there was still the problem of how he was actually suppose to be allowed freedom. Would the Captain really just let his two 'prized' possesions walk away? William didn't exactly want to leave this adventure. Not quite yet. But he would have to check up on Melody if he could slip away long enough. The thought that she (could be) was wandering the streets wasn't a comfort. And yet, when William would have originally thought his eyes would be on his every-growing-closer home, they were on Charlotte. Her hair was soaked and the tips of her wings peeked out from over her slim shoulders. William didn't know why, but it was hard to look away from. Possibly because he was still trying to get over the fact that he was aboard a pirate ship with humans who had wings. Sadly, it isn't a dream.

~~~

The shout of the look out was heard by Rosetta, her eyes closed. I almost died. It kept running through her head. Of all things, of all times, she fell and had to be saved by a lowly human. It was humiliating but there was nothing she could do about it now. And, Rosetta realized, being almost drowned sapped all your energy right out of you. She felt like she needed to take a long cat nap. But, her throat was burning from the salt water. So she reluctantly stood up and went to the kitchen for some water, water that was not salty. She stayed below deck for the sake of her humility left. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that the boy had saved her when she was usually so independent. If it hadn't been for the late reaction of the crew and her own cursed wings there wouldn't even been a need for her to be saved by someone lower than the cabin boy.

The water cooled her through and made her feel at least a little better. Yet, there was still another minor problem. Her eyes stung as if she was still underwater. Thinking quickly, Ro rinsed her eyes gently with some of the pure water and that helped more than she thought possible. Closing her eyes once more, Rosetta leaned against the water barrel. She had to admit, it had been such a damsel in distress + prince in shining armor moment. It had been so surreal; being underwater for longer than possible, and seeing a dark silloette coming to her rescue. Rosetta's eyes flicked open. No. I am not that young girl anymore. I've grown. I need to act it. A smile refused to come in anyway or form. She just couldn't get him off her mind. Why? Why now? Why her?

((SAMSIES!! *spazz*
But I figured action shall be coming soon. ^^ ))