Unscripted Adventures

I set foot on the lush, green island, which was much more beautiful than the dull, old caverns beneath it that I had to explore. I was there to find the rarest metals on Earth—Francium, Tantalum, and Iridium—to fulfill a payment. These metals were difficult to find, and scientists were willing to pay a fortune for them. Legend has it that every metal in the periodic table was discovered on this island, Hassium Island.

The island was surrounded by tall, dark, leafy trees with rough bark and berry bushes, ferns, and large rocks always damp from the tide. Tourists roamed about, some lounging on pool chairs in colorful outfits. The large forest blocked the sunlight from coming in and those who were brave enough walked into it, and seemed like a different world altogether when compared to the sweet, blue sky. Tourists usually went with a tour guide and sometimes went alone for the thrill – but I went in for another reason: to get to the caverns. I glanced behind me, taking in the beauty of the birds, the trees, the colorful flowers, and the roaring ocean. Despite my fear, I pushed myself to gaze ahead, into the obscurity, at the ancient, rugged caverns. I would do it for my sister, my parents, and everyone else. Without looking back, I jogged towards my destination. 

I found myself walking, lost in time and space, with no sense of how long it had been. Every step led me deeper into the unknown, the weight of the world on my shoulders. I stopped to catch my breath and resumed walking. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of my sister. I started to pick up my pace when suddenly crossbows came out of nowhere. I looked around and then saw a wire near my feet. I realized it was a tripwire and muttered a curse. 

As I cautiously examined the crossbows, I couldn’t help but notice their intricate mechanical parts and the eerie presence of a camera. It was as if they were not just crossbows, but rather menacing entities monitoring my every move, ready to strike at the slightest misstep. The way they seemed to detect my every movement filled me with a sense of dread as if they held the power to unleash a terrifying fate. The air was thick with a palpable sense of danger, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched by something malevolent. 

I looked around in panic, searching for a place to hide when I saw it – a cave, with a rounded top – the perfect hiding place. I ran like the wind and just prayed that no more arrows would come whooshing past me. I leaned my back to the burnt sienna rocks, catching my breath, when I fell to the ground. I pushed myself up and was surprised to see that there wasn’t any backrest for me, but rather something greater – piles of metals were placed there, everything I needed. I whipped out an expandable bag and ran towards it in excitement. I started to fill up my bag, not caring about the weight, but was only focused on the thought of rescuing my sister. Once it was filled to the brim, I lugged it around, searching for a way to get back to the beach. I scanned the area and then saw a few rusted, metal rungs attached to the wall. I started climbing them and reached the top, gasping for air, and threw the bag over my head. 

The tunnel had come behind a bush, so I wouldn’t be seen. Kudos to the person who made this. I needed a way to get to the mainland – and fast. People were starting to leave, as the tour’s time was getting over. I crept stealthily, searching for a boat, or possibly a jet ski. Ah ha! I found one, hopped on it, and prayed nobody had seen me, but they probably had. 

I was a few meters away from the beach and thought I was safe when people started pointing at me. I cursed again, louder this time, and increased my speed. After a while, the sounds died down, but then he saw a boat with ‘POLICE’ labeled on it. I muttered, “Oh crap!” and tried to dodge him, but other boats had started to form a wide circle around me, making a milky froth in the water. I sighed and lifted my hands, showing that I was surrendering. With my tattered clothes and uncombed hair, they must’ve thought I was some lunatic. But of course, I am! It’s my specialty! I tried to say, “I mean no harm”, but it came out as, “No quiero hacer daño” instead. 

The police looked at each other and narrowed their eyes at me. I smacked my hand on my forehead, forgetting that I only spoke Spanish whenever I was nervous, so my English probably wouldn’t be heard until I was out of jail. Bad luck for the people who tried to talk to me, and right now it was the police. They got exasperated while trying to talk to me and told the policemen nearby to tie me up and take away my loot. Once they did that, I was put on the stern of the ship, and I watched the island become a faint line in the distance. 

After what had seemed like forever, I was led out of the boat with a new addition – a blindfold. By the sounds of the area, it sounded like I was in a prison. Then I heard a woman’s cry – a sound so familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I could hear screaming, felt pushing, and cries of anger. The blindfold was whipped off roughly, and I found myself staring into the eyes of a woman, who looked around the same age as me. 

She had piercing blue eyes, a dark skin tone, and frizzy hair, which was a light shade of brown, just like mine. She was shorter than me and wearing a sunset orange jumpsuit with a number printed on it—7, my lucky number. The woman reached up, caressed his cheek, and said, “Mi hermano, my brother.”

With a shock, I realized I was staring at my long-lost sister! My face was a flurry of emotions, and I was unable to say anything. The entire moment was ruined when the policeman who had been standing next to us with a bruised hand, started crying, with fat tears rolling down his cheeks. We glared at him, looking the same. 

The policeman, whose name tag read ‘Larry’, had tears spilling down his cheeks and said with a trembling and sad voice, “What a moment! What a moment! I’m so sorry, but I can’t keep you two together!”

Still sniffling, he pushed me to get moving. My sister, Rose, took my hands in hers and pressed them tightly. I felt a piece of paper and a metal piece being placed into my palms, and lucky for me, I was wearing sleeves. My sister looked at me and understood where I had hidden them after a few seconds. Larry pushed me again, and this time he took hold of my wrist and saw my tattoo, which was a black pearl with arrows crossing it. 

Stuttering and sweating, he asked in a terrified tone, “The Seaborn Reaper?”. I looked around, checking if anybody was there besides my sister, so I backhanded Larry with a knife concealed in my deepest pockets. He crashed into the wall with a satisfying thud and landed unconscious. My shoulders relaxed and I took in my surroundings – I was in a large, grey, dull room with no lights, except a small lamp. Wooden chairs were scattered about randomly, and there was a tiny desk present, on it a worn-out file with my name written on it in the finest handwriting. It looked familiar, and I tried to rattle my brain for ideas on who it might be, but right now I had bigger problems. 

Rose was inching towards the wall, her eyes so wide open that I thought her eyeballs would come out. “You – You’re the Seaborn Reaper?” I spread my hands. “Why yes I am! Would you like an autograph?” She blinked once and then put her hands on her hips. “Stop Arsenic! What type of a name is that anyway Ja-” I had stopped her with my knife on her neck, and replied coldly, “Don’t dare mutter that cursed name to anybody – otherwise I’ll reveal you, Blackhearted Mara!”

Breathing heavily, she gasped and whispered, “I won’t say that again – but you better not say my other name, you fool!” And with that, she yanked my hand down, snatched the knife, and aimed it at my head. I saw the jerk of her hand just as she threw it, and I ran faster than Usain Bolt to the pond I had seen through the window. 

I sat there, breathless, hidden under some bushes, wondering about my sister. Was she a threat to me? I mean, I didn’t do any damage to her, right? I stood up, sighing loudly as I took out the note, which was a picture of our parents, and the metal piece, which was now a key for her dorm room. I slipped them into my pockets when I found a knife with intricate details on the bronze hilt beside me. Were the vigils here blind? There could be more of these here! I picked up the knife gently and put it in my belt. Soon, an idea formed in my mind on how to escape. 

I walked toward the room I had been in before and realized it was an interrogation room, so nobody bothered us. The sign on the door read ‘Occupied’, but I knew my sister was in there. I pushed the heavy door open, and my sister was sprawled on the floor in a heap of limbs, just like Larry was. I thought something had happened to her, but instead, she turned her head towards me and lifted her head off the floor. She grabbed the knife she had thrown at me and looked at me with a new sense of respect and fury. “How’d you know it was me?”

 I replied with sarcasm oozing in my voice, “I knew by the heavy breathing.” 

“Really?”. Her voice dripped with apathy. I sighed and told her, “Listen, I have a plan to escape this horrible place – we just need to get a boat.”

“Oh sure, I can do that, SEABORN REAPER!” she replied with steely eyes. 

“It’s a good plan! Head to the shore – there aren’t any vigils around. I’ll come soon after.” She huffed and walked away, thankfully, to the beach. After she reached halfway, I started after her. I wanted her to do it alone – because she would demand some credit. As I reached, I saw her busy with a guard, talking to him in the sweetest tones, and he looked at her with dreamy eyes. I rolled my eyes, as my sister had a talent for that.

I saw the vigil there press a key into her palm, and my sister smiled with forced cheer. She saw me hiding, started talking to the vigil again, and looked at me to understand that I had to come. She started leading the vigil away from the boats and left the key on the railing. I ran over, picked it up, and got on the boat. I started the engine, which was a mistake. It made a loud sound, and vigils perked their heads up and started heading towards me. My sister was letting go of her ‘lover’ and sprinted over to me. She got inside, and I started running the boat. We were going so fast that we couldn’t even see what was beside us. The shouts of the police echoed behind us but soon stopped. 

I was at peace, and I hope my sister was. We had escaped and I wished to retire from a pirate life. There were still more questions to be answered – why was my sister in jail? Do we have any more enemies left? Where are our parents? Are they somehow alive? We still had to figure them out, but in the meantime, we could relax for the first time in many years.