Later that night, after I had finished scrubbing the galley floor, Lance led me to the crew’s quarters so I could get some rest. Pop had given the clothes back and allowed me to change in privacy. The pants were too big and I had to use the make-shift belt Lance had given me. The shirt was oversized, especially at the shoulders, but I was surprised to find that it was very comfortable. When Lance brought me to the crew’s quarters, I looked around in an effort to see. It was too dark and I had to stay close behind Lance.

“You can take this bunk. I’ll come and get you for the first shift of the morning,” he whispered before turning to leave.

“Thank you,” I whispered almost inaudibly.

I climbed into the hammock, using my clothes as a pillow, and curled up into a ball. I wept, allowing my silent tears to fall down my cheeks. The shirt beneath my head soaked up my tears and I could feel my lower lip quivering. I refused to utter a sound, though, for fear of disturbing the crew members. I was sure they’d kill me if I made a single wrong move, despite what any code they had said. I shivered once before closing my eyes and allowing sleep to take me.

I was roused the next morning by a hand shaking my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes to see Lance standing over me. His expression showed slight annoyance as I sat up lazily.

“Get up and go down to the galley,” he told me.

“What time is it,” I asked, stretching.

“We’re on a ship. How do you expect me to know that? The bells rang a couple minutes ago and you need to get down to the galley to start working.”

I stood up and groggily made my way to the deck, running my fingers through my hair. By the time I was in the galley, I had gotten most of the knots out. Pop was in the main part of the galley, chopping vegetables for a meal.

“Morning, lass,” he called happily.

“Good morning, sir,” I answered as I neared him. Pop chuckled before setting down his knife. He turned towards me, a smile still on his face.

“Drop the ‘sir’, lass. Just call me Pop. Come here, now. You can help me make the morning meal.”

“What do you need me to do, si- um, Pop?” He moved out of the way and motioned towards the knife he’d been using.

“You can start by chopping the peppers. Just don’t cut yourself.”

I nodded and picked up the knife. It felt heavy for something so thin. I sliced the peppers the same way Pop had, only much slower. As I neared the end of the third one, Pop grabbed my hand that was holding the knife. I looked up at him questioningly and he shook his head.

“You’ll lose a finger that way, Em,” he told me and then held up his left hand. He curled his fingers so only the knuckles showed. “Hold your hand like this on anything you cut. Then you can’t hurt yourself.”

“Yes, sir,” I answered with a nod and then covered my mouth.

Pop just laughed again before turning back to his work. I placed my left hand on the peppers a Pop had instructed and continued chopping them. Once I had finished, I brought the vegetables to the mixture the cook was making and added them as he instructed me to. Once the meal was prepared, Pop slapped some in a bowl and handed it to me. It looked something like stew with two biscuits on the side.

“Eat up, lass. You’ll need the energy,” he said, pouring a bowl for himself.

I dipped one of the biscuits into the strange concoction and took a bite. I nearly gagged on it and struggled to force it down my throat. The food was the most disgusting thing I’d ever tasted, having an unfamiliar mixture of various flavors. I cleared my throat and Pop started laughing.

“Not quite what you’re used to, eh,” He asked and I shook my head. “It’s an acquired taste. You’ll learn to like it.”

I grimaced and stared down at my bowl. I disdainfully took another bite and forced myself to eat it. All the while, I could hear Pop chuckling quietly. Once I had finished the meal, Pop had me pour the rest into bowls for the crew. The men came down soon after to eat and talk before work. The conversations I heard made my eyes widen and brought a blush to my cheeks. I turned away to hide my reaction and Pop laughed out loud.

“I’ve never heard such… vulgarity used in so common a way,” I mumbled.

“You’ll never find filthier minds and mouths than those of a pirate,” the cook answered. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

“Trust me, lass, you will. Now, once the crew’s done, I’ll be needing you to scrub the dishes.”

“Yes, sir,” I answered and bit my lip.

I knew Pop didn’t want me to call him that, but I still wanted to retain the part of me that belonged where my parents were. I took a step back, resting my hands on the counter. The crew continued talking and I struggled to tune out their conversations. Soon after, they had all finished and Pop helped me collect the dishes.

“Alright, lass, you get cleaning. I’ll be working on deck,” Pop said.

I nodded and filled an old metal tub with soapy water. Pop went up the stairs as I found a scrub brush and began scraping the scraps of food off the bowls. I soon heard a set of footsteps and looked up to see Lance on the stairs.

“What are you doing down here,” I asked.

“I came to see how you’re doing. Pop wanted me to check on you,” he answered.

“He left only five minutes ago.”

“Uh, he also wanted me to make sure you were washing the dishes right.”

“Am I,” I asked, setting another bowl in the cleaned pile. Lance picked it up and examined it.

“Looks like it,” he answered with a smile.

“Is there another reason you came to visit?” Lance glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. He appeared to be unsure or nervous about something. I looked back up at him with questioning eyes.

“Just, uh, be careful around the crew. Rick and Tim are pretty hard-headed. If anyone tries to rough you up, let me know.”

I blinked a couple times in surprise. It sounded as if Lance was worried about me. I found that difficult to believe; I was always told that pirates were heartless killers. It was so odd to have two people on the ship who actually cared about me. I gave Lance a small smile before returning to my work.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

Lance left the galley, heading back up to the deck, and I grabbed another bowl. As I washed the dishes, I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to get back to my parents. As much as I was relieve to have found a friend on the Predator, I couldn’t allow myself to become too attached. After all, he was a pirate. As I was scrubbing the dishes, I thought more and more of my current situation. I knew I had to scrub away any tainting I might gather from those pirates, just like I had to scrub the food and grime from what should have been a pure, white bowl.