Afternoon, everyone! This is my Pirate of the Caribbean Fan Fiction titled "Heart of Glass." I hope you enjoy it and stick around for the ride! I don't own Pirates (or Johnny for that matter) but it all gives me inspiration to write, so for that I can at least thank Gore and Disney.
"Tough, you think you've got the stuff, you're telling me and everyone you're hard enough."
U2 – Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
---
He
breathes heavily, angrily watching the blood trickle down her back.
The leather whip in his hand is halfway raised, aching to be snapped.
His knuckles are white around the handle of it, and his brain
pulsates in his fury.
"What did I tell you about going outside,
you wretched girl?" He seethes, flogging her again. She doesn't
utter a sound.
"Forgive me, father."
He drops the whip, reaching out and grabbing the small child by the length of her dirty blonde hair. He snaps her head back forcefully, but he receives not a whimper. Small tears fall from the corners of her large cerulean eyes. Disgusted, he lets her fall to the floor.
"You are worthless." Is all he says as he slams the door shut behind him. The little girl, no more than 10 years old, begins to cry. Naked in the cold room, she wraps her arms around herself, moving her body to lie stomach down on the floor. The pale moon shines through her window, casting a dim, cold light on the helpless figure.
Sore and dizzy, she awakes from a restless sleep; trying to remember what sinister beating she had received the night before. A timid knock makes her jump, but she knows she need not be afraid. In her small, insignificant voice she tells the person to enter. The sweet old maid comes into the room bearing a bucket of hot water and multiple bandages and cloths. She gives the child a little smile before setting everything down on the floor.
"Good
morning, Sattelle." She whispers secretively. The blonde haired
blue eyed girl, Sattelle, smiles at the maid.
"Good morning,
Nemie." Sattelle whispers. The maid dips the cloth in the water and
begins to wipe away the blood from the child's back. The old woman
looks at the child, deep sadness written in her eyes. It's almost
painful having to come to the child in the morning, knowing she has
to face some new horror bestowed upon the little girl. From welts to
bruises, Nemie was the one to call upon. The little girl draws her
hair over her shoulder for Nemie to wipe the whiplashes just below
her neck. A dark silence wraps around the room, when Sattelle
whispers,
"Nemie?"
The maid pauses, placing a caring hand on the child's unmarred shoulder.
"Yes,
Sattelle?"
There is a pause, and the little girl sniffles,
signifying that she had been crying throughout the ordeal.
"Could
you tell me another pirate story? I love those."
Nemie smiles. She begins to unravel some bandages as she begins.
"Once upon a time, there was a great man named Captain Black Beard…he was the most feared pirate ever to sail the seven seas…"
A
young man sighs; taking another swig of rum from the bottle the
runners gave him for the night. He moves his toes beneath the white
sand, relishing the heat of the bonfire at his back. The ocean
crashes melodically against the shoreline, her waters calling to him.
Or perhaps it's just the drink talking quizzically in his head. A
haggard man approaches him and takes a seat beside him, following his
line of gaze out to the pitch-black horizon.
"Miss yer ship,
kid?"
"The name's Jack, mate."
The man nods, the young pirate bringing the bottle to his lips.
"She's like the love a' me life. I don't know how long it'll be till I get her back."
The older man sets a heavy hand on Jack's shoulder encouragingly.
"Well, tell ye what. We'll give ye passage te England where ye can rest up and have some women. Then ye can go after yer ship."
Jack
nods agreeably.
"How long till we leave?" He asks gruffly,
despite being a meager 25 years of age.
"Tomorrow mornin' at the earliest. Maybe noon te sleeps off the drink, eh?" he says, laughing gutturally. Jack smirks, but doesn't laugh. His mind is with his ship, now being run by that cutthroat and that mutinous crew.
Jack helps the rumrunners load up their ship the next afternoon, a stolen flask hidden beneath his belt. They bring him on board, showing him to his duties and his cabin for the voyage. With the planks of wood beneath his feet again, the main mast looming high above him, Jack feels a little more at ease, and immediately clambers up to the crow's nest to take on the task of lookout. With the wind whipping through his straight hair, Jack leans his head on his arms, watching the horizon creep nearer. One day, that bastard Barbossa would pay. Jack touches the same pistol they gave him before making him walk. He'd use that one shot to kill him, without doubt.
---Sattelle rushes inside the room, Nemie on her heels. They close the
bedroom door shut behind them, Nemie taking out the key and locking
it. Sattelle's father hammers loudly on the door, screaming at the
child to come out. Sattelle hides in the skirts of the maid, burying
her face in her hands. Her father whacks incessantly at the weak
door, but both of them remain quiet. Nemie sneaks away from the
entrance of the room towards Sattelle's bed, wrapping the child in
a thick blanket and holding her in her arms, staring at the doorway,
desperate for the drunkard to leave. Soon, the thumping stops, and
his heavy footsteps die away. Sattelle wipes her eyes, and Nemie
looks at her sadly.
"I didn't do anything, Nemie…why must
he treat me so?"
Nemie takes the child into her arms again, rocking her back and forth. She kisses the top of the child's head, trying to sustain her own tears.
"I wish I knew, Sattelle."
They fall into silence, the sun outside shining in. Nemie jumps out of her skin when a gunshot rings out somewhere, close to the house. She gets up from the bed, Sattelle watching after her. Nemie looks out from the window down to the grounds. The master has a gun in his hand, pointing it at a young man, no older than 25.
"Get
off of my land!" he shouts, the gun wavering in his hand. The young
man stands there.
"I just need a place to stay for a few
nights, sir." He says, no fear in his voice. Nemie turns away,
going to Sattelle.
"You stay here, child. I will be back shortly."
Sattelle
nods, and Nemie unlocks and flies out the door. Gathering up her
skirts, she dashes down the stairs to the front entrance. The master
pays her no heed, but the young man looks relieved.
"Ma'am,"
he says, nodding his head. She walks past Sattelle's father to him,
and takes a good look. She doesn't see him to be a hassle, so she
beckons him inside, despite her master's threats. Once inside, she
turns and shuts the doors, breathing hard.
"He doesn't seem
in his right mind today." Says the young man. Nemie shakes her
head.
"He never is." She straightens herself, and leads the man upstairs to the guest room. He introduces himself as Jack, but says nothing more until they reach the room. He looks inside, nodding. He turns to thank her, when he notices another door over her shoulder, a small light peeking under it. Jack nods towards it.
"What's in there?" he asks. The maid turns and sees it. She pauses, brining her hands to her waist.
"Nothing."
He looks unconvinced, but he doesn't inquire further.
"There is a washtub and closet inside." She says. Jack thanks her, and she goes to leave. He catches her wrist, and she jumps.
"If that man keeps givin' ye trouble, I'll help." He says. Nemie notices the man's new brogue, and her hand flies to her chest.
"You're a-"
He holds a finger to his lips.
"Aye." Jack whispers, dropping her wrist. She looks up at the young man, bereft of any truly haggard appearances. No unkempt facial hair or knotted and tangled tresses. Somewhere in her mind, she knows she can somehow trust this one pirate.
"Thank you, Jack." She mutters, turning and leaving. Jack closes the door, leaning against it. The room is high class, well kept. Jack goes over to the small washroom, looking in the mirror. He touches his bare chin, removing his beloved hat and placing it on the peg. Whilst staring at himself in the mirror, he hears another door open and hushed voices. Jack, curious, goes back over and opens his entrance a sliver. The doorway across the room is open, and the maid is talking to someone on the bed. He closes the door, determined now to find out that is in there.
--
Sattelle, alone in her dark room, stares out the window to the moon, trying to count the stars around it. She takes up her silver comb and pulls it through her long hair. The house is mostly silent, save for her father's shouts beneath her. She knows he'll be coming up to her soon to hurt her again. Her mind wanders in her spare time, pondering over Nemie's pirate tales. Of Blackbeard and Long John Silver. Soon, she hears the heavy pounding of her father's footsteps, and Sattelle's shoulders slump. She'd give anything not to live in that house anymore.
Jack hears the man shouting again, and his slow, heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Rising from the bed, not bothering to replace his shirt or boots, Jack walks towards his door again, squatting down and looking through the keyhole. The same man from earlier in the day stands in front of the door where the maid had been, and Jack notices a whip in his hand. Fearing the worst, Jack watches as the man sends the door open, steps inside, and immediately begins shouting at someone. Jack watches as the man leans down and grabs something, pulling it across the floor. The pirate looks on, momentarily frozen in horror, as the man raises the whip and brings it down onto a little girl's back, already covered in scars. Jack stands up, taking the knob in his hands and opening the door wide. The man turns around, and Jack glares at him.
"What the bloody hell do you think yer doin'!" the pirate yells.
"I'm teaching my daughter a lesson!"
Jack's anger erupts, and he launches himself at the man. They grapple and yell at each other, eyes ablaze. The father pins Jack to the ground, but the hardy young man turns them, and begins to pummel the man's face. He doesn't notice him pull out a gun until it's pointing right at his chest. Two shots are fired, and a little voice screams in fear. Jack falls to the ground, blood pooling on the ground around him. The man gets up and runs out of the room. Jack looks around, but he doesn't see the little girl. He grunts, sitting up, holding a hand to his wounds. He hears a little whimper, and he slowly turns around. The little girl, fragile and weak, stares at him with large blue eyes. Jack smiles weakly.
"Lassy…c'mere." He says, waving his other hand. She gets on her hands and knees and crawls over to him, dragging along a blanket. Nervously, she hands it to him. "What's yer name, lass?" Jack asks, pain evident in his voice as he presses the cloth against his wounds.
"Sattelle."
Jack smirks. "Sadie, eh?"
The little girl watches in awe as Jack moves away the cloth to reveal the grotesque wounds. Nemie appears in the doorway.
"What happened!"
"Just a little intervention, ma'am. Could ye get me some towels, water, and some sort a' big pointy ended utensil te get these bullets outta me?"
Nemie nods and runs off, leaving Sattelle and Jack alone. Jack looks down at his wounds, wincing.
"Those are gonna last." He mutters. He glances over at the child, and tries to smile.
"Sorry ye have te see this, Sadie."
"It's alright, sir." She whispers. Jack chuckles.
"Call me Jack, Sadie. I've never been much for formalities."
She nods, and Jack takes a few deep breaths. Cursing under his breath, he presses the cloth harder against his chest. Had he a ship and a crew, Jack would be sailing the seas right now. But since all of that had changed, here he was, sitting next to a little girl with two gunshot wounds in him. Nemie returns, and hands everything to Jack.
"I trust you know what to do?" she asks. Jack nods.
"Aye. Just don't let Sadie see."
"Sadie?"
Sattelle looks up at Nemie, and the maid smiles. She takes the child's hand and turns her away to leave the room, but Sattelle stops.
"No, I want to stay here."
"Nah, lass. Ye really don't." Groans Jack, trying not to let himself lose consciousness as more blood spills from the wounds. Sattelle looks over her shoulder to see Jack holding a pair of large tweezers to his chest. Sattelle pulls out of Nemie's grasp and walks back over to Jack. Nemie watches, amazed, as the child sits in front of Jack, unfazed by the blood. Sattelle had never come in real contact with other people since her mother died. To see her sit there with a pirate she only just met seemed worthy of complete awe.
Jack looks at the little girl, breathing hard.
"Ye really shouldn't see this, lass."
Sattelle shakes her head. "I've seen blood before, Mr. Jack."
Jack stares at the brave child. He'd seen the gist of what happened to her, and he knew that she wasn't scared much at all. He adjusts his grip on the pliers, and takes a deep breath. Nemie watches as Sattelle soaks a cloth in the hot water, and Jack closes his eyes. With a silent count, he growls, and yanks out the bullet from the wound. He grabs a towel wildly and clenches it between his teeth. Sattelle hands him the wet cloth and he holds it against the wound, patting away the blood. Quickly, he retrieves the pliers and searches for the second bullet, wincing. He hands the bloody towel back to Sattelle, and takes another deep breath. With a tug, the second bullet comes out, and Jack drops the tool to the floor with a resounding clang. The towel falls from his open mouth, and Sattelle hands him a new soaked cloth. Jack takes slow, steady breaths, and opens his eyes. He looks at the little girl drenched in moonlight.
"Sadie?"
She looks at him.
"Yes?"
Jack
reaches for the needle and thread, and begins sewing himself up.
Calmly, he asks,
"How would ye like te run away from here?"
---
6 pages…woot!
Rachel
