Beauty Queens
As if summoned, Taylor walked past, a finger pressed to her lips like a preschool teacher motioning for quiet. Her hair was a symphony of snarls and she wore what appeared to be a man’s oversize black shirt.
“Is that the girl you told us about? The one who went mad?” George asked.
“Yeah,” Petra said sadly.
“Where’d she get that shirt?” Ahmed asked. He sounded worried.
“Don’t know. Taylor, where’d you get the shirt?” Adina asked.
Taylor didn’t answer the question. “I just need a few things. A lady has to be prepared,” she said before disappearing into Tiara’s hut and coming out with a strange collection of beauty products. Then she crouched low like a soldier and broke for the jungle.
A loud shriek came from somewhere on the ship, breaking the spell Taylor’s appearance had cast. The girls and pirates raced on board to find Miss Ohio racing out of Captain Sinjin’s cabin. He stood behind her with his hands up.
“I swear I didn’t touch her.” His brow furrowed. “Blimey, maybe that’s why she’s upset. Sorry, luv. D’you want me to ravish you in proper teen-pirate rock-star fashion? A little lovin’ followed by a sensitive emo ballad in which I tell you why I can’t be your boyfriend? I know you fancy that Fabio Testosterone bloke. Fair enough. Not bad-looking. Mind, he’s not a pirate. But you can’t have everything.”
“Are you okay?” Shanti asked. She gave Sinjin a dirty look and he blew her a kiss.
“Totally fine!”
“Why did you scream?”
“Look what I found!” Miss Ohio pushed past Sinjin and came back brandishing a bottle of expensive rum. “There’s two whole cases in here!”
Adina took a small sip and coughed till Mary Lou had to hit her on the back. “Whoa. Lethal,” she choked out.
Sinjin sagged against the doorframe. “That’s me bloody private stock.”
“Not anymore, Cap’n,” Petra said, swiping a bottle. “This here’s a rum mutiny.”
Sinjin smiled slowly as he looked Petra up and down. He stepped closer. “And, um, what if I tried to reestablish my command?”
“That depends. Are you a black belt?”
“No.” Sinjin played with the tassels on Petra’s scarf.
“Because I am.”
“Right.” Sinjin wagged a playful finger as he took a solid step back. “You I like. Give us a kiss, luv.”
Petra stopped him with a hand. “Does that work?”
“Does what work?”
“That bullshit charm, luv,” Petra mimicked perfectly.
Sinjin considered it. “Like a charm.”
“Not for me.”
“Is that a challenge?” Sinjin smirked.
“No. Statement of fact.”
“No likee the charm?”
“Lovee the charm — as long as there’s some real behind it. Gotta keep it real, girl, to keep wit me” Petra sang.
“Real like nature, real like a tree. …” Sinjin twirled and shot his arms upward like branches in perfect imitation of the “Keep It Real, Girl” video.
Petra’s mouth opened in astonishment. “You know that song?”
“By heart! Boyz Will B Boyz? Fantastic!”
“Oh. My. God. But you’re not a nine-year-old girl.”
“I’m offended. Way to put me in a box. I loved Boyz Will B Boyz. Copied all their moves in m’ bedroom. Made m’ mum buy me one of those godawful outfits with the skinny black leggings and the oversize jackets —”
“Bandanna?”
“Cor blimey! Not complete without the bandanna, was it? And the hair.” Sinjin pantomimed a long fall of bangs over one eye. “That hair said ‘Shag me, I’m too depressed to own a comb.’”
Petra laughed. “There wasn’t any shagging. We were eleven.”
“What?”
“Nothing. So, Boyz Will B Boyz fan,” Petra recovered quickly, “did you spend fifth grade getting pummeled?”
“Me? Sinjin St. Sinjin?” The captain waved off the suggestion. “Oh, shit yeah. But I stuck to me musical guns. Complete with dance moves. By the way, I hope you note that I am man enough to tell you this. Question is,” he purred, “are you woman enough to take it?”
Petra’s grin faded. She liked Sinjin, liked his silly humor and the way he didn’t take himself too seriously. She wondered what would happen when he knew the truth. Would he be able to see past what was and see what could be?