For a brief moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. However, the sailor smirked coldly and held up his phone as he pointed at the screen. "You almost fooled me, your lying bitch!"
On the screen, it was clearly shown that my TikStar account was being broadcast live. Seeing this, my mind went blank for a while. How could this be? I was here! Who is the person who is live streaming in my place?
“It’s a hacker!” I said earnestly. “Someone must’ve stolen my account and is replaying my old songs for profit!”
I purposely said it without hiding anything because I hoped they would believe me. However, the sailors had lost their patience.
The man who had hesitated earlier now frowned. His face turned gloomy and he grabbed a thick tree branch. Then without any warning, he struck me hard across my back.
The coarse wood tore into my skin and sent searing pain through my body. Then he said, "You’re clever, I’ll give you that. If it weren’t for Miss Shepard conveniently going live, I might’ve actually believed you.
"See, Jacob … didn’t I tell you? Women are all liars. Don’t get soft again, okay?"
"If the island's owner knows about this matter and knows that we don't know his future wife. I don't know how the island's owner will punish us."
Amidst the snickering of the other sailors, the man known as Jacob became a bit annoyed. He angrily grabbed my injured side arm, yanked me forward and dragged me into a room filled with the smell of blood.
I screamed as a sharp pain shot through my arm and it became numb completely.
One of them became annoyed, grabbed a wooden rod and swung it at me while yelling, “What are you yelling for? You almost got me in trouble!”
Each blow landed with brutal force. It felt like my spine would snap in two. I writhed on the ground as I tried to dodge the blow, but every move only worsened my injuries.
“I’m telling the truth! I don’t know who’s framing me, but I am Quilla!” I cried out.
The man wielding the rod smiled coldly and brought the rod down on me again while shouting, “Are you still not done with your nonsense? I’ll beat the truth into you! Do you think anybody can claim to be Miss Shepard? I dare you to say it one more time, I'll beat you up."
My head throbbed and I could feel warm blood trailing from my ears. I curled my body and shielded my head because I did not want to be beaten anymore. I whispered, “I won’t say it anymore. I won’t say anything,”
One of the sailors threw a garment at me and ordered, "Put this on!"
The outfit wasn’t a normal uniform. My hands froze as I realized what it was.
When he saw I hesitated and was about to refuse, the man who had beaten me waved the stick in his hand threateningly.
To preserve my life, I turned around, gritted my teeth and changed.
When they saw my obedience, several of them nodded approvingly.
“See? A little discipline does wonders. Keep behaving well, or you’ll regret it.”
Ad I listened to their discussion of how to do with me, their crude suggestions making me curl up. My adoptive parents were likely facing the same fate. This island was in international waters, beyond anyone’s jurisdiction, so who could possibly save me now?
Just as they were dragging me toward the door, someone burst in.
“The Island Master is here! Hurry up! Get ready!” he yelled.
The other sailors scrambled out and left me behind with only Jacob to guard me.
My heart brightened, feeling finally I found my chance. I figured as long I managed to get Travis to see, I would be saved.
Unfortunately, it seemed Jacob saw what I was planning to do because he narrowed his eyes and asked, “What’re you plotting to do?”
I looked down and shook my head vigorously then muttered, "Nothing."
Too bad, I did not manage to fool Jacob. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me to the corner of the room. “Are you still hoping to meet the Island Master? Well, too bad. It's impossible!"
I struggled desperately as my heart pounded in panic. My hand flailed and suddenly I grabbed something solid, so I swung it with all my strength to Jacob's head.
It smashed Jacob's head. The hit was hard enough that it drew blood.
He froze in shock. This gave me just enough time to dart toward the door. While at it, I snatched the wooden stick as I fled.
