I suddenly woke up in the middle of a thunderstorm. The ship wouldn't stop rolling. My clothes were partially torn and full of seawater. I chased my cocked hat as it was taken by the wind. I frowned, not understanding how the day was skipped to that moment. I looked from side to side as my breathing accelerated. Maartje led the crew to the lower floor as Laurens talked to Ashton. I could barely listen to what people were saying since something seemed to obstruct my hearing. Lighting struck against the sails, poking a hole in all of them. I screamed in desperation. Francis ran towards me but couldn't get close enough because the rain made him slide to the right. The vessel pitched and I held on to the mainmast not to fall. Some crewmembers shouted as they strived to do their jobs. Ashton was having trouble steering our vessel away from the ocean storm. It appeared that something stopped him from moving the helm smoothly. My eyes bulged as the wind intensified. God, that was such a terrifying scene! I felt so lost that I couldn't talk... A group of ten people walked towards me, seemingly angry. I reached for my cutlass, but it wasn't there. They kept glaring at me as the ship swayed.

A man crossed his arms, "What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to be our captain!"

I gulped. Some unknown force stopped me from moving and talking.

Another crewmember pointed at me while frowning, "That's not our leader. It's just that stupid woman who thought she could be good enough for us!"

The other men burst out in laughter. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth, ready to attack the guys if necessary. Rage and fear burned me inside. I squeezed the mainmast more strongly, wondering what I'd done to deserve such a humiliation. I wasn't sure if my biggest fear was sinking with that ship or being hated by my own crew.

Francis barked desperately as the ship surged. The foremast suddenly fell, shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Can't you handle some bad weather?" another man smirked as he took a step closer. "Come on! Tell us what to do!"

When I started thinking, the wooden floor shattered and the Sea Urchin was destroyed. I fell into the ocean, along with all the others. The waves dragged me away as I struggled to reach the surface.

I woke up in my room, breathing heavily and with my eyes widened in desperation. I frowned, wondering why the ship wasn't doing any sudden movements. The floor was dry and I didn't hear people panicking. Everything was just fine.

I put a hand on my chest, "It was just a bad dream. Thank God!"

After leaving my bed, I fixed my messy hair as I looked at myself in the mirror. I put on Fletcher's dark blue coat, the same black cocked hat, and my boots. I needed some new boots since his were too large for me. I went upstairs to the quarterdeck, which was directly above where I was. Once I arrived at the main deck, a watchstander rang the vessel's bell. He always did that when Captain Monster woke up as a signal for everyone else to do the same. Since I was the new captain, it only made sense that he did that when he saw me. I raised my brows as some crew members arrived.

I took a deep breath, "Alright, mates. It's a new day. Time to work!"

They nodded and soon went to their respective workplaces. I sighed in relief.

"Good morning, Captain!" a cheery female voice said from behind.

I grinned once I saw who it was, "Good morning, Maartje. Go supervise Kenneth as he's working on some repairs in the gun deck."

She took some steps backwards, "Of course!"

My cousin's lips curled into a face-wide smile as she got farther. Maartje mouthed, "I'm so proud of you!" while going down the stairs. I laughed softly and rolled my eyes. She'd always been one of my main supporters. The way Maartje believed in me warmed my heart, making me feel a little less insecure.

God, I'll never have the guts to tell her what uncle Ruben did to my father...

A few seconds later, Laurens showed up at the main deck. He held a brown bag that appeared to be heavy. I frowned, curious to find out what was inside. Francis ran to me as if he felt the same.

"Kenneth grabbed those from Fletcher's belt," Laurens opened the bag, revealing a variety of blades and guns. "I got Knight's weapons for myself, so I thought you'd want Fletcher's."

I gawked as I observed the number of effective weapons Captain Monster had kept. He had a cutlass, two blunderbusses, a dagger, and a broadsword. I managed to fit them all in my weapon belt. Despite having a good knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, I could use some extra resources. Besides, how would I be a competent captain without a little arsenal? The answer was simple: I wouldn't.

"Thank you, Laurens," I smirked while admiring my new toys. "These weapons just gave me some ideas about attacks once we plunder a ship."

He nodded as if he tried to encourage me. At that same instant, I squinted. An opportunity had just arisen in front of me. Looking through my spyglass, I saw my next potential target. That vessel was perfect. I grinned widely as I gave my spyglass to Laurens.

My eyes gleamed, "Take a look and tell me if you're thinking the same as me."

My quartermaster gaped and grinned once he saw what I did. His chin trembled in excitement. Once Laurens gave me back the instrument, we looked at each other as if we tried to communicate without words.

"Let's loot that ship!" we both said in unison.

"I'm going to call the crew," Laurens climbed the shrouds and rang the bell as he laughed excitedly. "I can't believe we're finally leading our first plunder together!"

Once everybody assembled on the main deck, Laurens and I stood next to the mainmast, ready to address our people. Sven's lips were partially open as he tilted his head to the side. My forehead was full of sweat and I couldn't tell if it was due to happiness or fear. I chewed on my lip, wondering if I'd destroy my chance of showing I could be a good captain. Was I going to ruin everything? Would I manage to successfully plunder a ship as uncle Ruben did? A headache tortured me as I kept doubting myself.

"Listen closely, everyone. I've got good news for you," I smiled mischievously while pointing at the relatively distant vessel in front of Sea Urchin. "We're plundering that galleon!"

A massive number of crew members clapped and celebrated, appearing to be excited. Laurens took a step to the right, getting closer to me. I pressed my lips together since I feared we wouldn't succeed.

I sighed and raised my brows, "This schooner brings too many unpleasant memories, so the quartermaster and I intend to move to the target ship after we take it. A new beginning could be great for all of us."

"I'm in favor," Trevor wrinkled his nose as he looked around. "I hate this vessel anyway."

"Since we want to make sure everyone agrees with our idea, a vote will now take place," I put both hands behind my back while gazing at Laurens. "Care to do the honors, Laurens?"

"With pleasure, Captain Storm," he smiled broadly and looked at the crew. "May the vote begin!"

My heartbeat accelerated as I heard my crew's votes. My anxiety was so enormous that I couldn't blink. Laurens chewed on his lip, appearing to share my sentiment. As more people voted in favor of our idea, I clenched my teeth. Although I'd observed uncle Ruben leading attacks numerous times, I was uncertain whether my knowledge was enough.

Laurens' eyes gleamed, "It's been decided then. The galleon will be our new home!"

A large number of people clapped.

"Perfect. It's time to have some fun!" my lips curled into a broad smile. "Ashton, steer port. Sven and Trevor, fire the cannon as a warning."

The crew cheered as they went to their positions. Sweat flooded my neck as the time to invade the galleon approached. Sea Urchin quickly got closer to the target. I hoped my plan would work. The last thing I needed was for my nightmare to come true.

I fixed my coat as I observed the galleon, "Adjust our sails and raise our flag."

Fortunately, the crew members quickly followed my orders. I crossed my arms as I waited for our target's surrender. Since they wouldn't lower their flag and opened fire, I'd have to loot them the hard way. My eyes widened and I bit my lower lip as I went to Sven.

I can do this! I have to!

"I guess they don't want to be our friends. Time to show who's the boss!" I took a deep breath while knitting my brows together. "Fire the grenades and swivel cannons. Make sure the vessel isn't too damaged since we're keeping it."

Sven quickly ran to the gunners, "Aye, Captain!"

After I was sure Sven had followed my orders, I walked away. I wouldn't stop grinding my teeth due to my massive fright of failing. I had to conquer that galleon, whatever it took. How could I ever forgive myself if I disappointed my crew on our first adventure?

"Take down the navigator with your blunderbusses!" I smirked when I saw Ashton's bulging eyes. "Relax, Ashton, I'm not talking about you."

He laughed and shook his head in denial. What could I do? I liked teasing my crew members sometimes!

"Grab your boarding axes, throw the grappling hooks onto the galleon's gunwales and into its rigging. Let's pull this beauty closer to us," I continued as my sweating increased. "Laurens, lead the attack whenever you're ready. Give me the signal once the ship is taken over."

My quartermaster nodded and took a deep breath. We'd talked about two signals on the previous day: one for victory and another for defeat. Laurens would need to make one for me every time we looted a vessel. I bit my lower lip. My distress increased as the crew decreased the distance between the galleon and our schooner. The target ship kept firing at us, nearly tearing the sails more than once. I hoped Sven wouldn't harm the galleon in a way that would prevent us from living in it. Different from other pirate attacks, that one required the enemy vessel to be as intact as possible... who am I kidding? Captains could never damage target ships too much! If that happened, the vessel sank and the booty was lost.

"We're boarding now. Come on!" Laurens shouted.

A few seconds later, he boarded the ship with some of our buccaneers. I clenched my jaw and tightened my neck as I watched them fight through the spyglass. A part of me wanted to be there since I loved facing danger... I know you think I was supposed to be excited instead of nervous, but how could I? Everything that went wrong would be my responsibility! Although leading my first attack made me smile, my hands trembled as I feared my bad dream would come true. Besides, we'd take over the ship and stay in it instead of only taking cargo and crew. It wasn't a regular robbery and that increased my jitters.

"I'm leading an attack. It's not a dream, I really am the captain of this vessel... This is insane!" I whispered to myself, laughing softly as I observed our pirate flag.

God, I love that black background with the crossbones!

"You have to clean the mainmast as well, Lenny. That fight spilled a lot of blood." Maartje said to one of our swabbies.

Lenny quickly grabbed some cleaning equipment, "Yes, ma'am. Right away."

I'm so proud of Maartje! She's been doing a great job so far.

I huffed and turned to the galleon, angry with myself for getting distracted by my cousin. Focusing on the conflict between my crew and the target ship, I pressed my lips together. Laurens fought with two men at the same time with his cutlass. I rubbed an eyebrow. My optimism grew more at each second that went by... who am I trying to fool? I was freaking out! I couldn't watch my people fighting without wondering whether I'd made the right decision in targeting that galleon. Although I wasn't religious, I prayed to God like I'd never done before.

I rubbed my chin, "Come on, Laurens..."

Some crew members approached me, appearing to be nervous about the attack as well. Hopefully, they didn't notice my distress. I walked from one side to another with my arms crossed. The clock was ticking and all I heard from the galleon were screams. I felt as if my heart was smashed every time I thought of the possibility of Laurens dying. In fact, losing any crew member would've devastated me. I knew losses were part of the job, but I happened to have this stupid sensitive heart... Damn it!

Maartje grinned as she looked through a spyglass, "I think we won!"

I grabbed the instrument from her and put a hand on my chest. Laurens was lifting his broadsword victoriously.

He gave the signal!

I smiled widely, "Gather everyone, Maartje. Tell them to bring everything they can, including heavy weaponry. It's time for our move."

Maartje, Sven and the gunners transported the heavy weapons. After every crew member had boarded the galleon and brought their belongings, I took a deep breath and did the same. My heartbeat increased as I walked on our conquered ship. I gawked as I put Francis on the floor. Even though that attack was fast, it appeared that it took forever to end... I couldn't believe I'd succeeded!

I gave my crew a nod of encouragement, "Well done, mates!"

My people shouted "Hurray!", appearing to be as excited as me. Laurens smiled broadly. Sven and Maartje grinned as they looked around. I sighed while admiring my new vessel.

Galleons are unbelievably better than schooners...

"She's the captain? I won't take orders from a woman!" a man from the captured ship's crew cried out, crossing his arms.

I shrugged and raised my brows, "It's either me or the sharks, my friend."

A massive number of my people laughed, appearing to like what I'd said. Francis jumped in front of me, growling in anger as if he wanted to protect me. Deep down, I wanted to punch the guy in the face. God, I hated it when someone questioned me just because of my gender! I wasn't a man, so what? I could never understand that silly thought that wouldn't leave people's minds...

"You tell him, Storm!" a woman said, seemingly encouraging me.

"There's also a third option: a bullet in your head!" Trevor pointed his blunderbuss at the guy while shooting him an icy glare. "Don't you dare disrespect our captain!"

At that instant, the man ran and jumped overboard. Both my crew and the men who joined after the capture seemed to be puzzled. I frowned, frustrated that a sailor preferred to die than to obey a female leader. Were men really that afraid of being overcome by a woman? Jesus, something was really wrong...

The man was sinking little by little, "I don't want to die! I hate sharks!"

The sailor's eyes bulged as he hit his arms against the water repeatedly. I shook my head in denial while returning to the main deck. Some of my crew members chuckled and whispered. I couldn't believe that after choosing death over me, the guy was crying for help... Crazy, right? I won't lie, a part of me wanted to save him, but I had to show I wasn't a weak captain. There was no way I wouldn't look soft if I rescued a guy who had disrespected me like that.

I lifted a brow, "Anyone else wants to dive?"

My crew laughed, seemingly pleased with what I'd said. Some of the surrendered men chuckled while others seemed scared. I sighed and bit my lower lip, still annoyed with what my objector had done.

"Great!" I took a step forward and my lips curled into a closed-lip smile. "Let's move on then."

The people looked at me expectantly. Laurens grinned, appearing to be proud. Francis licked my boots and barked excitedly. I know this sounds crazy, but even the captured crew seemed happy.

"Welcome aboard, my wonderful crew. I promise we're going to experience countless adventures together on this ship," I smiled widely and raised my broadsword towards the sky. "This is just the beginning!"

Everyone lifted their swords as well and celebrated. A large group shouted "Storm!" repeatedly, apparently cheering for me. I closed my eyes to feel the moment as the number of people saying my name increased. My heart warmed up with both the victory and my crew's support. God, I was feeling like the queen of the ocean! For a moment, it seemed like I was flying. After having such a terrible dream, I never thought the first plunder led by me would end in a triumph. My joy increased once I tried to imagine what my future adventures as a pirate captain would look like. I was determined to make history.

****

Author's note: