The Prior

POV: Belle Watson

The smell of pine reeks around me. I sit up and look around. Cass is awake and leaned against the tree. She looks a little better than she did yesterday. Elliot immediately goes to her. They’re really close. Closer than anyone else. They joke and talk. It’s like they’ve got this bond. I wish Max was less annoying so I could have a friend.

He helps her stand up as Max is just waking.

“So, Belle, what is happening here?” Elliot asks. He treats me like a 10 year old. It’s sweet, but I already feel useless alone. I don’t need someone not even old enough to be my parent to treat me like an infant.

“Uh, it says that the ship, Essex, is leaving port tomorrow morning. It’ll end up sunken by a whale and some people get involved in cannibalism. We’re supposed to stop it. Oh, and we’re in Nantucket, Massachusetts and it’s 1820,” I read.

“Okay, so the first step is to find it,” Cass reasons.

After Max rises, we walk through the town. I look at my dress. It’s almost identical to the one from 1817, but this one is green. The shoes, however, are much different and much more uncomfortable. Before we even get to the town, I can feel blisters forming. The sounds of the harbour lead us to the ship. Our plan to keep it from sailing? Vandalize it. It’s currently 2:00 pm, so that means we have about 18 hours to do the work. Specifically, the plan is to stab holes in the ship, so it won’t sail.

It’s difficult for us to do this without getting caught. One person will distract while the other three vandalize. Cass volunteers to distract. Max and Elliot wanted to vandalize and I’m useless either way, so I decided to tag along on the vandalization project. The harbor is busy, which is better because the guards are already distracted, regardless of Cass’s efforts.

“So, now? Or...”

“Maybe wait until it gets dark out?” One of the boys says. Cass nods in agreement.

“What should we do now then?” I ask.

“Probably need some supplies. Maybe a solid knife or baseball bat. Something we can use,” Max says.

We find a store that sells weaponry, but it appears that we have no money. So, our new task was money. Max suggests armed robbery, but both Cass and Elliot are strongly against it.

I don’t know why I’m here. It doesn’t make sense. I have no purpose. I’m too young. I have no experience. I’m a person of color and that’s not good for the majority of American history. Cass suggests pocket-picking. Less dangerous and she’s done it before, “Don’t ask,” she commented at the end. Cass walks away to find someone to pick-pocket. Elliot stands next to me, while Max sits on the curb a few feet away. Elliot watches her intensely.

“What’s up with you and her?” I blurt. I didn’t actually plan to say it out loud, but it was too late. He looks at me and sighs.

“I don’t know, Belle. I don’t know,” he says.

“She’s pretty,” I say. I can’t help but really, really want to be her. Or friends with her. It’s almost like I have the tiniest crush on her, but I’m not gay or anything. Because Elliot’s really hot too.

“She is pretty,” he says with a sigh. Cass reappears from the street. Max walks back over towards us as she approaches. She hands the collection to Elliot who checks it out.

“I have no idea how much this is worth, but we have money!” he says.

“High-five, Cass!” Max says. She giggles and high-fives him. I wonder if she’s falling for him. She’s been avoiding Elliot like the plague today, but has no issues standing next to Max. They both obviously like her. Max makes it a little more obvious than Elliot, but still.

Elliot goes alone into the shop to purchase the weaponry. He comes out with two hammer-like devices, in a bag. Cass gives her approval. We wander the streets, waiting for it to get dark. There’s a piano audible on the street. Cass stops in her tracks.

“Who wants to dance?” she says.

Max catches her eye and extends his arm, “May I have this dance, ma’dam?” she giggles and twirls with him.

“C’mon, Belle, Elliot. Dance with us!” Cass says. Elliot raises an eyebrow and offers his hand. I’ve never danced this close before. Quite frankly, I’ve never danced with a guy in my life. My boyfriend isn’t really into all that. I’m honestly not even sure he’s really all into me. Elliot smiles wide and looks down at me, as if I’m his little sister or something. I know he sees me as his niece 2.0. He’s a sweet guy and all, but I hate being babied like this. When the next song or section starts, Cass and Max stop, so Elliot and I do too.

“Elliot? Dance with me?” she says. He smiles and nods. I watch their hands touch. He pulls her in close. Closer than we were. They glare into each other’s eyes.

Max grabs my hand without warning and I dance with him too. He leaves a lot more space between us than Elliot did. And a lot more space than he left with Cass. Eventually, it’s sunset and we walk back to the harbor. Cass eyes for the police while Max, Elliot and I walk onto the ship.

The harbor is empty, but we hurry up the stairs anyway. Elliot and Max have the hammers, so I’m told to use a pocket knife to cut up the sails and ropes. We learn quickly that hammering holes in the ship does little and cutting up ropes and sails proved most successful. Max used his hammer to pound down one of the poles. It’s monotonous. My hands are starting to burn, but thankfully we’re making good progress.

“Get down!” Cass screams. Elliot grabs me by my shoulders and throws me violently over the ship’s edge.

I fall into the water. My back hits the surface of the water, knocking my breath out. I try to gasp for air but only inhale water. More cold water rushes around me. I try not to breathe it in, anymore. My head it starting to hurt; I need oxygen. Is this what drowning feels like? Someone yanks my arm and pulls me somewhere. My head is still underwater. I push my head up for air, but I only get in one gulp before I go back under. I’m still being dragged along. I don’t know who’s pulling me. Max? Elliot? Cass? Whoever was trying to stop us?

As I’m going up for air a second time, I hear a gunshot go off. I flinch, almost kicking the person dragging me. I hit the edge of the harbor. Rocks. My leg throbs after getting cut by one. The saltwater stings on my open wound. I can’t help but flinch in pain. I can’t tell if it’s the tiniest cut in the world or if a giant chunk of flesh was ripped out of my leg.

Max is next to me, also drenched, pulling me up further. Cass stands along the wall of the harbor. Her hands reach down as I’m trying to run up the slippery rocks. She pulls me up by my leg. I scream in pain, her fingers digging right into the injured muscle. I flop onto the solid ground. Max’s wet hands pull me into my feet.

“Run!” Cass shouts, “Max! Keep her safe.” he keeps my hand locked into his. He starts to run. I then hear the sound of her plunging into the water. Max doesn’t stop.

We run and run. I follow Max into a wooded area, each step makes my leg throb in pain. No one follows us. The wind of night pushes us along, simultaneously irritating my wound. I can’t think of anything except for how much my leg hurts.

“Can...we...stop?” I say between pants. He nods. We stand there, breathing heavily for a moment.

“What happened?” I ask him.

“Some police caught us and Cass tried to stop them, but she couldn’t. Elliot threw you overboard and then the two of us jumped into the water. You were struggling to swim and they had a gun pointed. Elliot said something to make them focus on him so we could get out and run. They shot. I heard maybe four gunshots. At least one had to have hit him. Cass told me to take you and run. That she’d try to save Elliot,” he says, still panting a bit.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” I ask. He just shakes his head.

“I don’t. I’m not even sure Cass was able to pull him out of the water. And if he didn’t drown, it’s unlikely Cass will be able to save him. There’s no way that she’ll be able to treat a bullet wound. I just hope Cass doesn’t drown trying to save him. I can’t just be you and me. It can’t. We can’t do this without them,” Max says, his voice cracking a little. I nod.