Cloaked takes place after the fourth movie. There's no need to see the fourth to understand this fanfic, although I highly recommend seeing it because it's amazing. J
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A figure in a black cloak boarded a British owned merchant ship. The night was clouded to the point of lacking moonlight and the sea was a black as the sky. The figure crept through the ship on bare feet through sleeping crew members in their cots towards the storage room. It opened the door, careful to match the door creaks with the creaking of the ship. Once inside, it gathered up merchandise and gold, gathered and tied the booty with a rope and tossed the bundle out the circular window to the waves below.
The figure grabbed onto the rope and slid down it, following its catch into the sea. It used a dagger to saw through the rope, still keeping the booty in a bundle. It dragged the bundle through the water to where a small boat was waiting. The figure climbed aboard and heaved its bounty aboard, one barrel at a time. When all was loaded, the figure pulled up the anchor and sailed off into the darkness.
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"He's givin' us a bad name, he is," a drunken dirty man holding a pint complained. A group of pirates sat about a table drinking their ale and rum, complaining about the latest gossip.
"How do we know it's even true?" another chimed in. The only man not riled up, was one sitting back from the group with a hat over his face, his black boots kicked up on another chair.
A waitress in a long black skirt and a white blouse that hung about her slender shoulders walked over. "What's the news boys?" she said in a friendly tone, you got more tips when if you flirt. Not that she needed to, looks alone gave her more tips than any other waitress in the pub. She had pale skin, a result from a mostly nocturnal lifestyle, thick lips and large eyes as green as an emerald. That, along with a thin figure and bountiful womanly assets, made her a customer favorite. She tucked a long wavy strand of raven hair behind her ear and leaned over the table to grab an empty mug.
"This so called 'poltergeist pirate'," one pirate happily answered the woman.
"O that tale again," she played along.
"He's takin' all th' goods and no ones seem 'em."
"Who says it's a him?" the woman shrugged as she walked off to get a refill. This perked the 'sleeping' man's interest. The woman leaned her elbows on the bar. "I need two more pints and a bottle of rum, Jimmy." Jimmy, a plump man with a hearty red beard and a shining dome retrieved these items.
"There you are, doll," he said kindly rather than flirtatiously in a rumbling voice.
"Busy night," she commented, gather the glasses and bottle,
"There's a rumor going around that this ghost thief is in town." Jimmy shrugged. "Don't believe it but it's good fer business." The woman laughed. The sleeping man had swaggered up and ordered some rum. He had long dreads that were intermixed with coins, bead, and other do-dads. He had on a black trench coat and white pirate blouse with the sleeves rolled up just above the wrist. An arm rested on the counter as he waited. The woman noticed his hand were scared and rough, the fingernails blacked.
"Got a name?" he asked with a crocked smile that showed flashes of a few gold and silver teeth. He had deep brown eyes rimmed in charcoal and a dark beard that ended in two dread strands intertwined with beads.
"Sijn. And you?" she answered.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," he answered grandly with a tip of his hat.
"Well well, the infamous Jack Sparrow. What brings you to Tortuga?"
"Captain," he corrected. "My associate and I are looking to pad our ranks, as it were. We have a ship. But as you can see," he gestured with his hand at the small group of pirates around the table she had just come from. "Not much of a crew."
"Well, what better place to look?" she said politely before leaving to deliver her drinks. Sparrow followed her. "There are plenty of men around her looking for work," Sijn said, trying to brush him off.
"What about women? Females?" he asked. Sijn wove her way through the dense crowd, trying to loose him.
"I don't think you'd want women on your ship, Captain Sparrow." She was now heading towards the back of the bar, which was less populated but she could escape into the cellar for a bit.
"I've know a few good female pirates in my time," he said, not giving up. He stepped in front of the door that led down to the cellar and folded his arms. "You're really quite good."
"What are you talking about?" He just raised a knowing brow and waited. Sijn rolled her eyes and shoved him aside to open the door and shove him in. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her. It was pitch black inside. Sijn lit a match and lit a wrought iron lantern hanging from the wall. They were standing on a worn wooden stairway with stone walls that led down to a dark cellar. "So how'd you know?" she asked, her voice changing from bubbly and flirty to a deeper serious tone that was inadvertently seductive.
"Drunk man's intuition."
"I haven't seen you drink more than one drink tonight."
"I've started carryin' me own supply," he smirked and pulled out a flask from his trench coat.
She folded her arms. "Alright then. How come all the other drunks don't realize?"
"I'm just the right kind of drunk, love. Just enough to think of things a sober man wouldn't, not enough to be shtupid."
"So what do you want from me?" she asked suspiciously.
"Join me crew. I could use a woman of your…talents," he spoke with his hands and that lopsided smile. The glare she was giving Jack told him she was going to say no. "And no one needs to know who little Miss Sijn is after dark."
"Pirate," she snarled.
"Thief," he teased.
"Fine."
"We have ourselves a deal," Jack smiled, holding out a ringed hand. The woman accepted, placing her slender hand in his.
"When do we leave?" she asked.
"Dawn."
"Well then, Captain Sparrow," she said giving a two fingered salute. "I've got something to show you."
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Sijn lead Jack up the stairs towards the front of the bar that led to the rooms, earning the pair more than a few cat calls. She was living in the room furthest from the top of the stairs. It was fairly small with nothing more than a mattress stuffed with hay, a wooden chair, and a wardrobe for furniture. Jack hesitated in the doorway. Sijn rolled her eyes, grabbed a fistful of his vest and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him.
She walked over to the wardrobe, stood by its side, and shoved it with both palms and a knee. The wardrobe moved to reveal a pale outline on the wall. She hiked up her skirt to pull a dagger out of her boot and stabbed the wall on the outline. Sijn wedged open the outline, a small door only about four and a half feet high. She summoned Jack with a single finger and ducked into the mini door. He followed her into a short, yard-long, passageway that opened into a room that was six foot by six foot and housed eleven crates if gold, jewels and silver.
"Where'd y' get all this?" he asked, hungrily eyeing the money.
Sijn shrugged. "It's what I've stocked up over the years. I usually don't spend much. I helped Jimmy start up this tavern."
"Wif all this y'could be living the good life," Jack said, looking her over.
"I never wanted the good life. Just…"
"Adventure," Jack finished.
She smiled. "Exactly."
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With nine of the crates loaded onto the Pearl, two left behind for Jimmy, Sijn boarded and looked around the deck. The ship was made of a dark wood that had seen its share of years and fights. "Oy, what ye doin' on here, lass?" a man asked.
"I'm one of the crew," she stated. The man looked her over. Black pants tucked into black leather knee-high boots, a large white blouse hanging off one shoulder, and a black corset adorned her.
"Ye don't look like much of a pirate," he snarled.
"You got a problem? Take it up with Captain Sparrow," Sijn said, walking passed him towards the helm of the ship where she found Jack standing behind the wheel. "What's our heading, Captain?"
He checked his compass. "East."
"What's east?"
He pointed over the sea. "That general direction."
Sijn looked at him as if to say 'really?'. "I meant what's out East?"
"The Aegean, love."
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With a day's sailing behind them, they had reached open water and lost sight of all land by nightfall. Sijn lay in a hammock at the back of the room in which everyone slept. She had nearly found sleep when someone violently shook her hammock. Sijn nearly spilled to the floor. "The hell?" she snarled, opening her eyes and looking about. Two men stood before her. One tall and built, the other slightly shorter and lanky. When she looked around further, she noticed that all the men were watching curiously.
"The boys and I have been making bets as to why a pretty little thing like you is on a pirate ship," the taller man boomed.
"Taking a vacation," she said with sarcasm.
"You're a bar wench, not a sailor," the scrawny one piped.
Sijn slid off the hammock to her feet. She was significantly shorter than the two men. "It's not nice to speak to your friend in such a way," Sijn taunted. The men watching laughed.
"I think you need to learn some manners, girl," the large man snarled. He drew his sword and held it out to Sijn's chest. He slit the top few strings of her corset and blouse, exposing a large amount of cleavage. She placed her palm on the broad side of the sword and calmly moved it aside.
"You need to watch yourself, boy," she warned. The man growled and swung his sword. Sijn sidestepped the blow and turned into the man, sliding a dagger from her sleeve and into his chest with one swift move. He looked down in shock before crumpling to the ground with a thud.
"What's all this then?" Came Jack's voice from the stairs. He made his way down and looked about at the scene. He saw the corpse on the floor, the bloody dagger in Sijn's hand, and her slashed shirt. He stared at the last the longest. "Throw… that overboard," he said gesturing to the corpse. "And you come wif me," he gestured to Sijn.
She followed him up the stairs and across the deck to his quarters. There was a large wooden table with maps laid across it. A globe sat on a wood desk in front of the windows. A four post bed stood against one wall, it was draped in various mismatched bedding of navy blue and maroon. Sijn looked about. "Quite the room," she commented.
"You'll be staying here tonight," Jack said, walking over to his chair at the maps.
"Look, Sparrow," she started angrily.
He waved his hand. "It's not like that, love. Though it could be," he said with a lopsided smile.
"Then why?" she asked, getting back on topic.
"It's not safe for you t'be sleeping wif me crew," he said, bending over the maps.
"I was doing fine" she said coolly.
"I know, love. I meant for them," he looked up with a smirk. She tilted her head down and smiled behind a curtain of hair. This wasn't unnoticed by Jack. "Make yerself comfortable," he nodded to the bed. She eyed him suspiciously. "I swear to you, no funny business."
Sijn pulled back a few layers of blankets and climbed in. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. She rolled her back to the flickering candlelight at Jack's table and was quickly rocked to sleep by the sea.
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Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I apologize for the slow pace, I promise it will pick up.
