According to Legend (30 page)

With rapid breath, I stood in the center of the cabin, searching for a place to hide. The blast of cannon fire made me jump, but the wood-shattering sound that vibrated to the core of the ship made the knot in my stomach rise to my throat. The numbing silence that followed hummed in my ears. There was no more cannon fire and no subsequent gunshots, only the sound of my heart hammering as I listened for some clue of what was going on above, but the only sound was that of the waves lapping against the side of the ship and the muted voices in conversation rumbling above me. The hair rose on the back of my neck at the frightening realization that we had indeed been captured by pirates. And for the first time since my mother’s death, I fell to my knees and with tears streaming down my cheeks, I prayed.