:P

I was sick again today so i have n o interesting tale to tell.
I raced through the rain slick street, skidding to a stop in front of The One Eyed Sailor, the local tavern. I wasn’t left waiting long. Ky stumbled out singing out the top of lungs, with a tankard in his hand. He tripped and fell. I had to laugh at his expression as he sat in the mud looking completely bewildered. I eased my arm around his waist, lifting him up. He tossed an arm around my shoulders and we staggered back home, the rain pelting us.
“Lorn is going to throw you this time for sure,” I said. Ky was my step brother He, Jordan, Nathan, and Kaytala were from Lorn’s first marriage. There were eight children younger me with another on the way.
“And this time you had better not stop him. I’m sick of him” he said. I helped him up and supporting him we walked toward
“I wish you would stay. Why do you drink so much anyway? It’s like it does you any good,”
“You can tell me that tomorrow, when I have the world’s worst hangover,”
“Believe me, I will, and I’ll be laughing as I say it. Anyway, wasn’t that one last week the worst hangover?”
“The worst was the day after that,” he said, wincing at the memory, “I drank double that much tonight,” We were almost home. I kicked open the door and walked into the kitchen. Lorn looked Ky up and down, a disgusted sneer on his face. Why was he in the kitchen? I had hoped I could clean Ky up a little before we had to deal with this
“Kyler,” Lorn said slowly, using my brother’s full name. “I have warned you next time you staggered into my house completely drunk I would throw you out,”
“I’m on way out anyway,” Ky said
“He’s not leaving Lorn,” I said.
“You stay out of this, Katara,” Lorn said.
“You can’t throw him out! He provides half of our income!”
“Yes, but he drinks away more then he gives us!”
“I’m leaving! I was getting tired of this island. I bought tickets on a ferry to Aras, I’m going now,” Ky said. “Katara, you can keep my boat, your better at sailing it then I am.” I nodded, fighting tears. I walked to the loft, climbed the ladder. I stepped over my siblings to the hammock Ky had set up for himself. I emptied the contents of Ky’s battered sea chest into a satchel, and carried it down to Ky.
“Goodbye sister. Anytime you feel like it sails on over Aras, you’re welcome with me,” he kissed my cheek, and nodded to Lorn, he kissed mama’s check and left.
“Katara, tomorrow morning you will take The Lucky Starr, and sell it to the highest bidder. We aren’t going to continue our fishing business any longer,” Lorn said.
“I can’t the sell Starr! We need the fishing business! It’s our main income! Think how much we can make now without Ky!” It killed me to say it, but it was true, “We could even send Jordan and Nathan to school, to become scholars like you want with the extra money!”
“The sale of the Starr should give enough money to put the boys in school, and without the extra three mouths to feed, and you on weaving with your sisters, that should feed us all very well,”
“I can’t weave! I can’t do anything in the shop!”
“You can learn, right Serra?”
“Katara,” my mother said, “don’t fight, do as Lorn tells you,” she looked at her hands, ashamed. I knew why. She was only trying to protect me, but I fought it anyway.
“Even if I could learn, I wouldn’t! I don’t weave! I will not,” I said. Lorn looked at me.
“Excuse me?” he said softly, dangerously.
“You heard me!” I said, and immediately regretted it. Mama threw herself in front of me, protecting me. I pushed her aside. She wouldn’t suffer my stupidity. Lorn hit me. It was the worst beating he had ever given me, without Ky here to protect me. I went to bed sore, bleeding, and angry. He could hit me all he liked; I wouldn’t let my family starve. I wasn’t going to let him scare me. I provide him with the money he needed, and wouldn’t sell the Starr. I tended to my wounds and slid silently out the window. The rain came down still, but I wouldn’t let that stop me.
I moved silently through the dark, wet, streets of Kalypso. I worked my way to the inn where I climbed into the best suite, walking silently so not to disturb the occupants of the bed. Quickly I searched the room, I found what looked like a strongbox, for traveling. I examined the lock. A young man in town was apprenticed to a locksmith. He had been pursuing me for over two years, and in that time I had learned out the way locks worked, therefore making it easy for me to learn how to open locks, without keys. I couldn’t explain my obsession with things like this. There was an old pickpocket in town who occasionally gave me lessons, if I would buy him a beer. Using a few of my sister’s hairpins, I opened the lock.
After quickly transferring the contents of the strongbox into my messenger bag, I slipped out the window again, and went back to my house. The entire house was asleep. I checked the position of the moon. I would be waking at this time anyway. I dropped the money bag on the table, and quickly forged a note of sales for the Starr. Then I walked to the small jetty Ky had built for us, where the Starr was tied. I sailed out. I checked Ky’s lobster pots, and cast out my nets. I lay down in the sun, smiling, and drifted to sleep.
When I arrived at home the shouting between my other stepbrothers, Jordan and Nathan, and Lorn, had already started.
“I refuse to become a scholar! Dad, I hate reading! I want to work outdoors!” Nathan yelled.
“Ky had the right idea! We should all take off,”
“I swear dad, if you force me into school like you did Ky, and I will do what he did!
“Shut up you two!” This was my stepsister, Kaytala.
“Boys, you will go to school, and you will become scholars,” Lorn said, his voice settling into the dangerous tone. My brothers, infintely wiser then I, backed off.
I walked in, and seated myself at the kitchen table. Lorn would ship them to school, but they would not become scholars. I knew them well, and I knew they were more stubborn then they let on.
“Katara, you have decided to grace us with your presence,” Lorn said, his voice turning to ice. Already angry? What had I done? “Were we not in the agreement that you would take up occupation in the weaver’s shop?” he said.
“No, however, I did as you said, I sold the Starr,” I said.
“You what?” Jordan said “Ky will kill you Katara! How could you? The Starr means everything him!”
“He gave it to me Jordan!” Jordan’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He was right, The Lucky Starr meant the world to Ky, I had been shocked when he abandoned it. “Anyway, after selling the Starr, I realized that I should choose my own career. I’ve been job hunting all day.”
“As if anyone would hire you; you’re a woman, a girl really,” Lorn laughed. “Give it up Katara, you will work in the shop. No questions asked.”
“You can’t tell me how to live my life, Lorn” I said, turning and walking back out. I went into town. As I walked past the inn I noticed a wealthy, spoiled looking, couple lecturing the innkeeper about their stolen money. The reason I had chosen that inn was because I disliked the innkeeper. He was quite successful, and he made a point of rubbing it in everyone’s face. Not only that, he cheated his customers. I smiled slightly.
“ ‘ello there Katara,” said Quickfingers, the local pickpocket. “already got to them two?” he asked, gesturing towards the couple. I winked. I walked into the weaver’s shop.
I am constantly surprised at my mother, when around Lorn she was afraid, and never stood up to him, here in the shop, she managed her workers, customers and everything else with a practice hand. She was directing a new young weaver at a small loom, while sitting at her own loom creating a beautiful new red fabric. She smiled at me. The weaving would soon grow awkward, as she got further into her pregnancy. I sat next to her, and watched.
“Ma,” I said, carefully not sure how to phrase my question, “who was my father?” I asked.
“Oh, Katara,” she said sadly. “I want him to be the one to tell you,” I nodded. This was the answer I always had gotten. She finished her work and said, “Close up the shop the up before you go home, will you?” I nodded. After closing the shop late at night, I walked home, and fell asleep.
My days fell into a pattern as time began to pass. Jordan and Nathan were sent the university. The money from the shop and Lorn’s bookkeeping was more enough to sustain our family. I spent all my days out at sea, and then I would come home late at night, and successfully avoid everyone. As such I didn’t hear the news about Nathan, until the same thing happened to Jordan, and Ma stayed up so she could tell me. I had a long day on the ocean, swimming, and constantly repairing the Starr. As much as Ky loved her, she was often falling apart, with many leaks and such. I was also fishing very well, every Saturday I took a weekend long trip to the Market Island, where I would sell the weeks catch. I avoided questions about my whereabouts, by satying out late and getting up early. I got most of my sleep on the Starr.
It was late at night on Sunsday when I returned from the Market Island. I walked in the door and began to assemble myself a diner of leftovers. Ma came out of her bedroom.
“Katara, Nathan and Jordan have both left school,”
“Why does that not surprise me? Let me guess, Nathan attempted to kill himself?” I said. Nathan loved theatrics. Ma blinked, surprised. “And Jordan, was thrown out for an act of violence to another student?” Jordan had a temper. Ma sat down.
“You are just like your father, always predicting people. And usually right, too. They ran off and joined a crew of pirates,” Oh, Lorn would love that. “I’m going back to sleep,” She walked into bed. I ate quickly and decided to go for a walk down to the harbor.
It was a clear night, the moon was new, and so I was guided by the light of the stars. A ship was coming into the harbor. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It was very late. A mysterious figure the ship would have made, in the fog, it was slightly intimidating too see a dark wooded ship with blue-black sails looming out of the fog. Here it looked normal there was always fog and light rain on the island of Kalypso, as the ship bumped the wharf a young man jumped off the ship and because of the lack of light, landed right on top of me, knocking me to the ground.
I have move if your interested in reading more, email me @ dabanana7@gmail.com