I looked around for a moment and tried to say somethign but couldn't pu my words together. "What- What's happening?" "She cut the back of your head wide open. We have to sew it shut so you don't bleed out."  I felt the vomit sliding up my throat, I forced it back down and shut my eyes for a moment to concentrate. I shook my head violently and felt the puke comign again, this time, it was too late to force it back down. I puked on the deck and Posey  wiped my mouth off, I didn't understand how he didn't just set me down and leave me, being grossed out by me puking all overhis arm.

I saw my father running up with a huge needle and thing of thread. I screamed and wrappe my arms around Posey's neck. "Posey! Don't let them hurt me!" I screamed in fright as he tried to un-wrap my arms and calm me down. "Valentine, Valentine! Please! Listen, you will die if I do not let them do this! Look in my eyes, and forget everything else." He grabbed the sides of my face and looked straight into my eyes. Time froze, I never realized how pretty his eyes were. I felt a sharp pinch in the back of my head but I didn't move. Posey's eyes shifted to look at who ever was sewing my head shut but quickly glanced back down at me. He had puke on his arm, and acted like it wasn't there.

I saw a flash of panic go on Posey's face and then everything was white. I screamed but I could hear everyone around me. "Posey! What happened!" "What? Nothing! Don't look back here!" "I can't see!" He paused and got close to my face, "What?" I felt a tear run down my face from fear and then repeated myself, "I can't see anything. It's all white." I felt his body move as he sighed and mutter something about God under his breath. "Posey. Are you crying?" His arm moved up to his face and quickly came back down, "Yeah right." For the first time in my life, my mental pain tuned to physical. I felt soemone kiss my forehead and then asked who had doen it. "I did..." I heard Posey's voice say. "Posey...Am I going to die?" Even though I could not see, I could sense and hear. He was crying without sound. He gave me to another man and listened to him walk away.

"Posey! Come back!" I screamed. I finally, hard the sound of crying far away on the boat. I looked in one direction, not knowing where the person that was holding me face was. "Put me down. Take me to Posey." He didn't put me down, but he carried me over to Posey. I felt my feet hit the deck and my hands gripped onto the side of the boat. I felt someone's arm go over my shoulder and smelled Posey's hair next to my face. My shoulder was warm and was turning wet. I looked around trying to see, even though I knew I couldn't. "Posey? Are you crying? On my shoulder?" "Yes." His voice sounded whimpy and afraid. I could hear crying behind me as well. I laughed for a second and then smiled, "Posey! I'm fine! Why is eryone crying!" I didn't hear any one laugh back, just greater sobs then before.

I thought for a moment and then put his head ontop of Posey's. I finally understood, I was going to die that night. I took a deep breath and too, began to cry. I heard my father weep in the background some where with the rest of the crew, "I have already lost her mother! Why must I loose her too!" He sobbed to the other mates. I lifted my arm to whipe away the tears running down my face. "Posey. I have to tell you something..." I felt his head lift up to my face and his breath hit my face, "I love you Posey. Remember that, don't evr forget about me okay?" He pressed his face up against mine and took a deep breath. "Valentine. I would never forget you. I love you, always have." He wrapped me in his arms and held me. I could feel tears run donw my back from Posey.

I let one last tear run down my face before Posey kissed me. At that moment, I realized it was my last. I closed my eyes and let Posey hold me. If I was going to die, I wanted to be with Posey when it happened. I felt the pain in the back of my head getting closer and closer, more painful shocks each time it came closer, surrounding my head. There was one spot that was not filled with pain, and it was coming next. I felt it hit that last spot as I fell to the deck. I heard Posey yell and crash to the floor with me. And that. Was my last memory.

"Val! Valentine...Are you awake dear?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw my mother. "Mom?" She smiled and put her hand to my fore-head. "Good. She's okay." She looked behind her like people where there but everything was white. She got up and began to walk away. "What? Mom. Mom! Come back!" She turned back around and covered her smile while she laughed, "I'll be right back Vanlentine." She began to walk further and further away, then she disapeared. I tried to open my mouth to say something but no words would come out. I reached out for her and tried to call her name. I felt a warm hand touch my shoulder, but no one was there. I opened my eyes real wide to see if I could see. Then, I shut my eyes tight and rubbed them until I felt the wetness of my tears run down my cheeks.

I looked up and saw all the men infront of me. Posey was just walking up and shoving people aside to get to me. He had a wet wash cloth in his hand. He smiled at me and sat down with me to wipe my fore-head with the cold water from the barrels in hull. I could feel the cold water run down my face as I closed my eyes, hoping to see my mother again. Wen the crew made sure I was alright they left to get some rest. Posey picked me up under my knees and carried me to my room. He sat me down on my bed and got out one of my night gowns. He cleared his throught and held up the gown. "Here, change into this." I smiled, a small smile, but enough of one for someone to be able to tell I was happy. I grabbed the dress and walked behind my dressing screen and began taking off my dress, that I quickly noticed had blood on it. My head began to throb with pain. I held the sides of my head and closed my eyes, trying to make the pain go away.

I began to yell in pain, I heard Posey run to the other side of my dressing screen, he almost ran straight to me, but stopped first. "Valentine? Are you alright? May I come back?" I tried to make out the words yes but couldn't. I grunted and fell to the floor in pain. I saw his feet infront of my face as he bent down to look at me. "Are you alright Valentine?" I opened my mouth, but said nothing. My head began to throb even harder then before, this made me scream. He looked back somewhere on my head and quickly looked back down to me with a paniced look on his face. He stuttered to say something and then chose to pick me up. I was in my under wear at the moment, which was not a fun time for me. I felt something wet running down the back of my neck and tried to feel what it was but, my arm would not move.

"Posey...I can't move." I muttered with all the straingth I had. He swallowed and began to say something, but stopped. He began to yell something to the crew as I was them rush out of the lower deck. I looked up at Posey, who had tears in his eyes. My father ran up and began to cover his mouth with the most worried expression. "Oh God. What happened?" He said to Posey, Posey shrugged and again, stuttered for words. "She- she must have hit her head when she fell. I- I- I didn't see anything!" My father turned to the crew and started yelling a list of supplies he needed. Out of everything he needed, the only word I heard was "needle."

I tried to jerk away and out of Posey's arms but he gripped me tighter the more I squirmed. "Posey. Posey! Don't let them hurt me." I said with my eyes beginning to fill with tears. Posey looked down at me, tears were gushing all down his face at this point. "I'm sorry Valentine. I have to let them hurt you, that's the only way you'll live."

I looked behind me on the floor up at her, she swung the sword and hit my bed. "You stole him!" Sh screamed as I got up to my feet and stuttered to explain. "No! No! I don't want him he's all yours!" I screamed as she swung the sword my way again. "Why would you take away my husband! I l9oved him and now he loves you!" She had tears in her eyes and she looked confused. "Dear! Please listen!" She shook her head violently and then said, "My name isn't dear!" "Okay! Okay! What is it?" She raised the sword and got ready to strike me, I was trapped in a corner and I shut my eyes tight. I waited for her to strike me but opened my eyes to find her putting down the sword. She whiped away her tears and sniffled, and stared at the ground. "It's Penie." I noddedmy head and held my hands out infront of me for defense while I walked twords her to comfort her. "Okay. Penie. Why don't we go sit down on my bed and we can talk about this okay?" "NO!" She screamed and lifted the sword at me again. I fell to the ground and looked up the sword swinging twords my face.

"Stop!" I heard a voice yell, I looked over and it was Posey. "Posey..." I said under my breath as he walked twords Penie and took away the sword. He threw it across the room and held out his hand to help me up. I smiled and took his hand. When I got up I stared at  Penie in anger. She had tried to kill me and I was NOT, very happy about it. "Penie. Why, would you try t hurt me." She clenched her teeth and then spat at me. "You stole my Alex. He's MINE!" She screamed in rage as she ran for me. Posey  grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. She continued to kick and scream about how she would kill me for stealing "him."
"Valentine. Lay down, get some rest. I will take care of her." I nodded, still terrified from earlier and watched them leave the room.

Instead of laying down like he had told me I opened back up my door and watched him carry her out to the deck. I saw hm put her down and start yelling at her, he yelled once more, picked her up, and threw her over board. I covered my mouth so I wouldn't scream while tears ran down my face. I could hear her cries of help, she was being attacked by the sharks. I sat on my bed and closed my eyes and plugged my ears, trying to block out her screams. Finally, they had ended. She was dead. I kept my eyes closed, it was peaceful. I heard a loud tap on my door. I screamed and jumped up in fear, it was just Posey. I laughed and walked over to the door to open it.

I opened the door and noticied his hands, they were covered in blood. He reconized me looking at them and hid them behind his back. I stuttered and pointed at him, "Why-...Why is there blood all over your hands?" He shrugged and faked a laugh. He began to enter my room but I stopped him. "Posey. Explain." He sighed and looked at the ground. "I threw her over board. When I was carrying her down she had cut her hands open on the sword I guess. She got blood on me when she gripped my hands when I was throwing her over. She's dead. The sharks ate her." I began to feel sick and then fell down, everything turned black.

I thought for a moment and ran to catch back up with Posey(sorry for the name spelling mess up!) "What do you mean by that!" He took my hand of his shoulder and looked me right in the eyes. "I love you Valentine." I crinkled my nose and shook my head. "But you're old!" I said in the funniest possible way I could. "No. I'm your age. I hid my age so I could work on your father's boat." I took a deep breath and then let it out, "So that's why you've always looked so young huh." He nodded his head and let go of my wrist.

"Why hadn't you told me before Posey?" He closed his eyes and let the wind hit his face, "Because, you could have told someone." I shook my head and touched his shoulder, "No, I would never do that to you." Then, something odd struck me. "Wait. Posey, if you were there when I was born...How are we the same age?" He froze and looked away from me. "I wasn't." "But, you said you had been working for my father long before I was born! Did you lie to me?" "Yes. But my brother was there. My brother brought me to the boat after you were born. He kept me in his room. When my brother died I was found, and they took me in as him." "Oh..." I said.

I wipped the tear from my cheek that the wind had caused and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and pictured Posey and Alex fighting for me. I didn't know who to trust. Posey? Or Alex. Alex, had lied to me many times and cheated on me. Posey, has always protected me and never hurt me. I looked over and Posey was no where in sight. I headed back to my room and saw Alex and his wife sitting on the bed. I opened the doors and asked her to kindly leave while Alex and I talked. She left the room without another word. "Alex. I'm breaking up with you." Alex jumped up off the bed and gripped my lower shoulders, "Valentine! Think about this! About us! Please don't do this." I removed his hands and looked at the ground, "There is no us." Alex exhailed and got the worried look in his eyes, then left the room.

I shut the doors after him, and didn't look back to see where he was going. I sat down with my back against the doors and began to cry. I wrapped my hands over my knees and shoved my face in my knees to silence my crying. When I saw the sun rise coming up I jumped into bed and wipped away my tears. I closed my eyes and slept for the remainder of the morning. When it was time to wake up I heard my doors open, but no one said. "Wake up dearie!" Or anything. I kept my eyes shut tight and waited for my waking call. Someone took five steps and the knocked something off my dresser. I heard foot steps walk around to the back side of my bed. I squinted my eyes opened but it was of no use because they were on the other side.

I felt a hand touch my head very slowly, very softly. I shut my eyes again and listened to the person breathing. I heard the sound of a blade being drawn. I began to shake with fear and opened my eyes and saw their shadow, the blade was raised above them and they were ready to hit. I screamed and rolled off the bed.