• They landed on an air pirate ship. It was large but not too large that it slows down because of its size. Its rudder was big and looked like the fin of a sea dragon. The main sail had a painting of a giant red star.
    Maruru stood on the wooden deck, saying nothing. No one was on the ship except for them.
    “I’ll tie her” the girl started to take off a long rope that she wore wrapped around her shoulder to her waist.
    “No” the guy that was holding Maruru on the way here said. “There’s no point in doing it”
    “How come? Boss, she’s a hostage!” she growled. “She might try to run away, try to kill herself, or try to kill us”
    “Yeah, but look at her” he points. Maruru was gazing around, eyes wide with awe.
    “She’s enjoying this!” the girl shouts. “The more reason to tie her!”
    “How strange” the flame haired guy walks up to Maruru and studies her closely.
    Maruru had to tilt her head back to look at him because he was a whole head taller than her.
    “You’re a princess? So plain!” he fakes gag.
    “Your right” Maruru says. “Maybe you can take my place. You sure do have the looks for it and hey, maybe no one would tell the difference whether I left or not”
    His eyes narrowed. “I’m a dude, not a sugar cookie princess living it up in her fairy tale castle”
    “Yeah? Maybe you got the wrong girl then because I’m not a sugar cookie princess living it up in a castle”
    The girl cackled. “As if! That is the stupidest lie you can ever make!”
    You don’t know anything about me, Maruru thought. “Whatever” she turned around.
    The girl stopped laughing. “Your turning your back on us?” she stomps her feet. “I’ve had it with you royalties acting all superior to everyone! I am going to—”
    The boss put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t”
    “Why should I? We’ve always done the same thing when we kidnapped someone for ransom money and now you choose to do something different with her? Come on, she’s telling unbelievable lies and now she’s—”
    “What makes you think they’re lies?” his voice was steady but fierce, the opposite of the girl’s.
    “Didn’t you see her palace?!”
    “Yeah, of course, it was nice”
    “I told you! And the gold, it was covered in gold! Did you see it?”
    “Yes. I also saw those bars on all the windows. Did you see that?” he lets out a tired breath when she didn’t answer. “You” he says to Maruru. “You’re the king’s daughter, right? Not a maid or cousin or anything?”
    Maruru didn’t answer.
    “Hey”
    No movement.
    “Get over here. Your name’s Maruru, right? How old are you? What’s up with the palace? Hey, answer me!”
    Maruru crossed her arms. “I have no obligation to answer your petty questions” she paused. “But if you tell me something about you guys, I’ll tell you about me”
    “Stubborn” he lets out another breath. “Okay, fine, have it your way”
    “But—” the girl starts to protest but the boss cuts her off.
    “My name’s Ayn. This girl’s name is Keller. The flame head is Roe and the other guy is Fen”
    “I’m Maruru”
    The boss, Ayn, grinned slightly. “We’re all seventeen”
    “Sixteen”
    “Our fathers are all unknown”
    She hesitates before answering. “Mines the king”
    “Our fathers abandoned us so none of them would pay a penny to get us back if we were kidnapped”
    Maruru hesitates again. “Mine would pay millions”
    Fen and Roe whooped, giving each other high fives.
    “Well that settles it then” Keller was more than angry but she didn’t say anything to Ayn. He was their boss, of course. She’d be lucky to get out unpunished for yelling and back talking him earlier.
    Maruru slightly turns to study each them. Fen had black spiky hair and gem like eyes. Two swords slung across his back to form an X. Roe’s hair was even spikier, this time she noticed a golden streak that ran on the left side of his temple. What was strapped to his back weren’t swords but a big gun, no, a rocket launcher. Ayn had black hair, just like Fen but darker and a bit shorter. He had a scar that starts at the bottom of his right eye and runs straight down. Thick leather gloves were fastened to his belt. The knuckles of the gloves were hard metal with four spikes. Keller had hip length hair, autumn colored. Other than the rope, there was a case strapped across her back. Thin leather wrapped around her mid thigh, a knife inside its sheath was clipped to the side for easy withdrawal.
    “Did you have a nice long look at us? Got our faces etched into your mind?” Keller sneers.
    “Yeah I do actually. Hate to say it but your image with dumb my mind forever” Maruru stuck her tongue out and drooped her eyes, making them flutter. That made the guys laugh but they tried to keep it in.
    Keller growled. “I’d say the same about you! Your blotchy purple hair and your dull blue eyes are revolting”
    “Actually, my hairs light lavender and my eyes a deep ocean color, but I don’t expect you to know anything about colors. Cant you insult anything else?”
    “If you weren’t a hostage I’d throw you over the ledge right now”
    “Rawr, bite me”
    Keller was fuming mad. She didn’t say anything because she was gritting her teeth, hard. Her hands were clenched so tight it trembled. Then she turns and leaves to the forecastle.
    Roe and Fen flinched as she slammed the door shut. “Scaryyyy” they both said. Maruru flinched too, but not because of the door, because of what she saw on the back of Keller’s neck.
    “You got her too angry” Ayn said, combing a hand through his hair.
    Maruru gaped. “You…you have…you guys…”
    “What?”
    I can’t believe I never really noticed, Maruru thought. It was even painted in a bigger picture on the main sail.
    “You people…” she says. “Who are you? That, and that, and that!” she points to Ayn’s shoulder, then to Fen's right ear lobe, and Roe’s left temple, right under his golden streak. If Keller was here she would’ve pointed to her neck. “Red stars! Just like the one on Non’s cheek!”
    “Non? You know Non?!” Ayn, Fen, and Roe said at the same time.

    click to read the next part