For who, to dumb Forgetfullness a prey,

This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned

Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day

Nor cast one longing ling'ring look behind?

Immortal

Chapter One

For What We Really Are

"…And the musicians were exquisite, except for the fellow on the trombone. He belted notes out on that poor instruments so loudly I daresay I feared for my ears. Other than that, I found the party pleasant. What's your opinion, my dear?"

            Dr. Kravitz paused in his evaluation to address the woman on his arm. She was absolutely stunning. Defiant profile, dark eyes and smooth skin. Her ash-blonde hair was swept back into an elegant bun, with wavy ringlets framing her intelligent face. The scarf draped over her shoulders complimented her classy red dress. Most importantly, she was at least fifteen years Dr. Kravitz's junior.

            "Oh, the party was lovely," she said.

            The woman had a darling British accent. Dr. Kravitz did love British accents. They came to the elevator hall of the St. Regis.

            "I'm curious, Maria," he conversed, "how you, a student of psychology, became so interested in marine biology."

            The woman shrugged.

            "Occasionally I try something new. I've invested so much effort into psychology, thus I'd like to remember that it's not the only science in the world."

            The elevator doors opened. Dr. Kravitz ushered her in.

            "Very true," he pontificated. The elevator doors closed. Dr. Kravitz hit a pearl button for level fourteen. There was a silence.

            "I, also, must remember that my work is not the only thing in the world to occupy me. Oh, no, far from it."

            Then, he looked at the woman rather too fondly. She favored him with a pleasant smile. However, as soon as he wasn't looking, her face dissolved into disgust. The elevator doors chimed and opened.

            "So, tell me about your work," she asked.

            Dr. Kravitz readily complied.

            "Oh, I analyze various microscopic marine wildlife from all over the ocean. I seek to discover their purpose in their respective ecosystems. Most of my time is spent in a laboratory but however I am…"

            He escorted her down the hall. It was wonderful; a beautiful woman who took an interest in his work. Perhaps, she would take an interest in more than his work?

            "…also, I sometimes go down in a deep sea sub to the bottom floor of the deepest oceans. There the water pressure is so great it would crush any humans."

            "You travel on those subs? It must be wonderful," she commented.

            Dr. Kravitz smiled.

            "Oh, yes. It is positively glorious."

            "Do you think," she began, turning her head and looking into his face, "do you think I could go on one of those submarines?"

            Dr. Kravitz gazed down on her. Such enthusiasm was touching.

            "Well, it is unorthodox but perhaps I could arrange something."

            A delicate smile played upon her lips.

            "Oh, well, here's my room. Let me thank you for escorting me, doctor."

            Dr. Kravitz's favored her with a smile, "Please, you can call me Michael, Maria. Oh, how about you give me your phone number, so I can get back to you on the submarine outing."

            "Right," she said, digging through her purse for her room key, "I don't have a pen right now, just wait for me to retrieve one…"

            She pulled out her key and opened the door. Dr. Kravitz followed her into the darkened room and flipped on a light.

            The room was tidy, beds were made, and curtains drawn shut. Dr. Kravitz watched her write a phone number down on a slip of paper.

            "There," she said as she handed it to him, "it is nice to have met you."

            "Nice to have met you too, Maria."

            Dr. Kravitz responded, with clear tone. She waited for him to go, but he just stood and gazed at her.

            "Well?" she finally said.

            "Aren't you going to kiss me good-bye?" Dr. Kravitz smiled wolfishly. She narrowed her eyes.

            "I only just met you, Doctor," the woman stated firmly. 

            Dr. Kravitz grew irritated. Who did she think she was, practically flirting with him then brushing him off like that?

            "Oh, why are we so cold, Maria? Here, let me dim the lights a little…" and he did.

            "Doctor, what do you think you are doing? I told you to get out," she uttered with authority. Dr. Kravitz approached the shade that was the woman. She stepped back from him.

            "You are a beautiful woman, Maria," he reached out to touch her shiny hair. She was now up against the window curtains.

            "Stop it! Get control of yourself," she ordered, anger creeping into her voice. Kravitz sighed.

            "I am in control. Why do you back away?"

            He was now very close to her.

            "You are behaving monstrously. I demand that you stop."

            "Don't be afraid, Maria. I shall not harm you," he lashed out to grab her. The woman ducked under his arms and twisted from his embrace. Dr. Kravitz only grabbed curtains. In a rage, he flung them aside. Moonlight spilled into the room.

            "Maria!" he whirled.

            Then his blood ran cold in his veins.

            Standing in the moonlight, between him and the door, was a skeleton.

            No just a skeleton…it was her. The beautiful hair was replaced with stringy threads like cobwebs or oiled twine. Tattered red velvet clung to the frame like dried blood. The smell of decaying flesh overwhelmed the doctor.

            But the skeleton was alive. The chest heaved, the bones trembled. It moved like the woman. And the bright, dark eyes rolled around in the sockets.

            Kravitz had to get away from her. He fumbled with the glass window to reach the balcony. He got on the balcony. But there was nowhere to go. The ghastly skeleton was still less than ten feet away. And it was talking.  

            "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. My name is Elizabeth Swann. I promise I'll not hurt you. Just be calm, sir."

            The hideous tongue wagged in the skull. Everything inside the doctor violently shook. He was seized with repulsion and fear like he had never known. Dr. Kravitz was going to vomit, he was going to faint, he was going to die.

            "Doctor!" said the skeleton with the voice of a woman.

            Was it stepping towards him? Was it coming closer?!

            Dr. Kravitz finally screamed; it was more of a superhuman howl. He took a violent step backwards. But the railing was in the way. With a flip the Dr. Kravitz flew over the railing and plummeted fourteen stories to the pavement.

            Elizabeth watched in horror as the doctor tipped and flipped and fell. His scream followed him, and then stopped. She had tried to get into the shadows, tried to stop his panic, but it was too late. She lunged at the curtains and pulled them shut. Shouts rose from the street below. Someone screamed bloody murder. Before anything else happened, Elizabeth had to escape.

            She grabbed a long, dark coat from the closet. If the police arrived and started asking questions… She pulled open the door and took a determined step in the hallway-only to come face to face with the cleaning lady.

            "What was that scream?" asked the concerned maid in a foreign accent, "Is everything all right?" 

            "No- yes. Yes. I heard the scream but I have no idea where it came from. Excuse me," she brushed passed the maid and her cleaning carriage. The cleaning-lady, however, caught the frightened gleam in Elizabeth's eye. She skeptically entered the room.

            Elizabeth tried to maintain a dignified walk. The cleaning lady let out a cry. Elizabeth forgot the dignified walk and ran to the elevator.

            I doubt that woman will keep silent about this, she thought.

            By the time Elizabeth arrived in the lobby, flashing fire trucks and wining ambulances chocked the street before the St. Regis. A gaggle had gathered around a portion of the pavement. Elizabeth's blood might've run cold, or her stomach might've churned with nausea at the thought of the body splattered on the street. Yet only dread could fill her.

            Elizabeth put on elegant elbow-length gloves, and pulled her hood far over her head. They, hopefully, would eclipse the moonlight. She joined the flow of people heading out the revolving doors. A horrible sense of curiosity wanted to look at the scene but Elizabeth fought it down. She studied the ground and fled down the boulevard. Somewhere there should be an alley. A dark, quiet place where she could collect her thoughts and…belatedly, Elizabeth remembered her cell phone. She whipped it out. The buttons were pressed slyly in the shyness of her dark cloak.

            It rang softly.

            "Come on, Will, pick up," it just kept ringing. Only the operator answered.

            "I'm sorry, but the person you are trying to call is not responding…"

            Elizabeth hung up and shoved it back into its pocket. That wasn't doing any good whatsoever. Picking up her pace, Elizabeth hid deeper into her hood, hoping she could just get to safety without…

            A strong hand grasped her arm. Elizabeth gasped and pulled away.

            "Wait! Elizabeth, it's me," the voice pulled her into the shadowed alley.

            "Oh, Will!" Elizabeth sighed, shaken but fighting through it, "I tried to call you, but you didn't respond. Is your phone on?"

            Will was silent for a heartbeat

            "Oh. I'm truly sorry, Elizabeth. I swear it won't ever happen again."

            "It's all right. Just let's go home, now. Something awful has happened."

            Will placed a comforting arm on Elizabeth's shoulders. How badly she wanted to feel it!

            "I take it the plan to find a sub didn't work out so well," he said gently.

            "No, it did not," she confirmed, thinking back to the doctor's face before he fell. It had been consumed with loathing and disgust and terror, all directed at her. Thankfully, Will sensed she really did not wish to speak of it.

            "Come on," he said, leading her farther back into the alley, "the car should be behind this fence. At least, it should be if Jack understood my direct-"

            Elizabeth blinked, "Jack? Jack Sparrow?"

            She saw the shadow of Will's head twitch, "Ah, yes, that's another thing I forgot to tell you just now. He turned up about an hour after you went to the party. He said he'd found something or learned something rather important."

            Elizabeth shook her head, "So he finally decides to reappear. Where has he been all these years?"

            Will smiled, and began to climb the fence.

             "I thought it better not to ask."

            He straddled the fence and pulled Elizabeth up. Her read dress kept getting in the way. The twosome hopped down to the other side, where the alley was even darker. And quite empty.

            "I could've guessed," Elizabeth began saying when red tail-lights flashed out of nowhere. They sped like the eyes of some beast, and Elizabeth soon saw they belonged to a little blue Toyota. It made a fast, valiant effort to turn around in the alley, knocking over the fence as it did so. It came down in a tremendous crash over the vehicle. After a pause, it drove out from under the debris. The dust settled and the window rolled down.

            Will yelled at the driver, "Some 'professional ability,' you have just destroyed the fence!"

            Jack pocked his head out the window.

            "My apologies. Next time I'll be sure not to attempt avoiding the pair of you. All right, get in." He waved a ringed hand.

            Will and Elizabeth entered the vehicle, neither entirely confident in the driver.

            "I take it your plan for acquiring a sub didn't go down too well," Jack said, driving out of the alley. Elizabeth noticed he gripped the wheel like he would grip a helm. One-handed, but oddly steady for his semi-drunk carriage.

            "No, it did not," she said, letting her hair out of the bun, "I talked to Dr. Kravitz, he wasn't adverse to the idea of giving me access to the sub-then, then he fell out a window."

            "Just like that did he?" Jack commented.

            Will looked very concerned, dear soul, "what happened, Elizabeth?"

            She shook her head.

            "He saw me."

            The weight of the tone defied any further explanation.

            "So the blighter took a quick trip out a window and made his escape. I doubt anyone will seriously believe him when he says his date suddenly transformed into an undead, skeletal, freakish thing of nightmares. You've not much to worry about, love." Jack concluded.

             The car was now driving past the St. Regis.

            "You misunderstand me. He fell from a fourteen story window, and the cleaning lady who saw me most likely believes that I pushed him."

            Police cars littered the 'crime scene.'

            Will was silent for a moment.

            "Elizabeth, we can disappear. I don't care how many security cameras and cleaning ladies saw you. We can just disappear again."

            Elizabeth fell back against the seat.

            "I'm tired of disappearing, Will."

            Will didn't say anything, but Elizabeth could see the hurt on his eyes. Maybe she was being too bitter. Poor Will was just trying to help her, in any case. It was time to kill this awkward silence.

            "What is it, Jack, that you need to tell us?" she asked.

            "Do you have satellite or cable?"

            He responded, completely serious.

            "This is not a time for jokes," Elizabeth informed him.

            "Oh, I was being serious," Jack took his eyes off the road to look at Elizabeth much longer than she preferred.

            "We don't have either of those,' Will finally answered, perplexed.

            "And I take it you don't look at the papers too often…" Jack continued but Elizabeth stopped him.

            "So what did you see in the papers?"

            "Oh, I saw nothing. However, I did read something that certainly wasn't nothing. But that be best saved for when we get to your place, you know."

            The car traveled down the neon-lit street, leaving the sound of sirens behind.