Hey guys! I haven't written in years, thought I'd give it another shot! So thanks for reading, I really appreciate reviews, suggestions, anything. Hope you enjoy and thanks again!
The girls clutched each other's hands tightly, while both sat locked in a damp cell. One whimpered when she noticed a figure walking down the stairs. The sloshing of footsteps through shallow water grew closer and closer, and the girl's grasp tightened further. The blonde girl turned her head down; the brunette picked hers up.
The figure came to a halt a few feet from the bars of their cell. It was silent, and did not move. More people came down the stairs, these ones louder and rowdy. Finally about fifteen men crowded around them, and a man stepped forward to address the two girls.
"Ladies," He began, a cruel smile on his face, "we have decided we're through with you."
The two had no visible response, but their hearts raced.
"Won't you come with me?" The man asked, opening the door. He extended his hand toward the brunette. She glared at him and stood up under her own power. He moved it toward the blonde, who took it.
"You were always more agreeable, Annabelle," He said, pulling her up. As he walked them through the crowd of men, hands brushed all over them. Neither of them jerked away anymore.
When they reached the deck of the ship they were introduced to the first sunlight they had seen for days. The air was less humid and it was easier to breathe.
The man brought them to the edge of the ship, where a rowboat sat undulating in the water.
"I can assure you that we've enjoyed your company, but it's best you be on your way," He told them. The girls didn't move, but both looked down at the small boat. It didn't look like it could take the weight of the both of them, and some of the planks seemed to be rotting.
"Go on," The man encouraged. They looked at each other, and the brunette stepped off the ship, climbing down to the small boat. Annabelle followed after her, taking one last look at the faces of the men aboard the ship.
"I've got you," The brunette said, grabbing hold of the back of her pale green dress.
They pushed off from the ship, each of them taking an oar. Their movements were hesitant; they both thought this would turn out to be some kind of joke. When they were about fifty feet from the ship the man called out to them, "Don't forget about old Charles!" He shouted, and the crew of the ship erupted in laughter, and began jeering after them. Soon they were all throughout the masts, lowering the sails and speeding away.
The girls breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't have long to relax. "What in the world are we going to do?" Annabelle asked, her voice stiff with tension.
"I don't know, we'll figure it out," The brunette answered, rubbing her temples.
"Sarah, I know nothing about sailing!" Annabelle protested.
"Neither do I!" Sarah responded, her voice taking on more of an edge. She surveyed their surroundings, and found absolutely nothing. There was no sail in the boat, no food, no water, no blankets, just the two oars they had in their hands. She didn't even know where they were, didn't know which way to row to.
"Okay," She began, calmer now, "We're going to sit until the sun starts to set. Then we'll know which direction is which. Last I knew, we were right off the coast of Florida. So hopefully we can just go south and reach land."
Annabelle nodded in silent agreement.
Sarah reached out and grabbed her hand.
"We've made it this far, we're going to get all the way through this," She promised her. Annabelle put her head down; tears were forming in her eyes. When they finally broke free, they left trails of clear skin on her grime-covered face.
"Wash yourself," Sarah instructed, splashing her face and arms with seawater. She glanced down at her dress and saw how ripped and stained it was. She looked over at Annabelle's, and saw the same thing. A sad smile crossed her face. Just a few days earlier they had decided to break out their favorite new dresses, instead of saving them for their arrival in Spanish Town. It seemed they had made the right decision; although these were dirty and ragged, they still had them. The others were totally gone.
A few hours after they were set adrift, Annabelle could swear she saw something in the distance. After watching it for ten minutes or so, she felt confident enough to bring it up.
"Sarah, do you see that?" She asked, pointing at a black smudge near the horizon.
"Yeah…yeah I do," She replied. "We should try for it," She decided.
"What if it's them again though?" Annabelle asked.
Sarah looked at her, her large blue eyes wide and scared, her golden blonde hair a tangled mess. She didn't want to admit it, but there was a scared little Annabelle inside her too.
"I don't think it is…they left in the opposite direction," She said, "Besides, we can always row away, right?" She added, trying to conjure a smile. Annabelle nodded, smiling back. They both picked up their oars and started rowing.
As they approached the ship they were relieved to see that it was not, in fact, the ship that they had just left. They heard shouting on board, and a rope was thrown down to them.
"Come aboard!" A voice called.
Annabelle and Sarah looked at each other, each judging the situation. With no word between the two they scrambled onto the ship.
They both stopped in their tracks when they saw the situation on the deck. A group of raggedy men all stood, staring at them. Their clothes were mismatched and none looked less than a year old. One man in particular stood out, with large dreadlocks, beads throughout his hair, and a seemingly random assortment of items amongst his person. He stood the closest to them, next to a man with a kind face who was dressed far more conservatively than him.
"Are you okay?" the kind-faced man asked. They must have looked worse than they thought.
"Yes...yes," Sarah answered.
The strange man staggered up closer to them. He didn't seem to be able to walk properly.
"What are ye doing out here?" he asked.
Sarah grasped for words, but couldn't find any. "We need help," She said instead.
"Well what happened?" The man pressed.
Annabelle took a half step back.
"Pirates," Sarah responded breathlessly.
"Are there any others?" The kind-faced man asked.
"I don't know, I don't know…maybe," Sarah said.
"Well we'll take care of you," He said, "Won't we, Jack?"
The strange man nodded. "Mister Gibbs, get these two to a cabin, give them whatever they need," He ordered, a little absentmindedly.
An older man stepped forward and motioned for Annabelle and Sarah to follow him. Through two double doors they went, into a large, but dark, cabin. Through more doors and into a smaller, albeit just as dark, room. Gibbs motioned to a small bed, and they both collapsed onto it.
"I'll get ye some water," he said, and left the room.
Annabelle and Sarah looked at each other, but didn't know what to say.
"Are we safe?" Annabelle asked.
"I don't know…it's certainly going better than last time," Sarah responded.
Gibbs returned with two cups of water and some bread.
"Here, get some of this in ye," He said.
Annabelle and Sarah murmured their thanks while gulping down water and chewing bread.
The door opened, and the strange man entered with the other man following behind him.
"Ladies," The strange man began, "I realized I had been rude by not introducing myself earlier. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, " He said.
"I'm Sarah," Sarah said.
"And I'm Annabelle," Annabelle said softly.
"And I'm Will Turner," the kind-faced man added. Sarah smiled at him.
"Thank you for taking us," Sarah said to Jack. He nodded.
"Of course. Now, the two of you get some rest. I'm sure you two can share the same bed?" He asked.
They both nodded.
"Good. Now, get yourselves better and we'll talk in the morning,"
They nodded again, and the three men left the room. Annabelle and Sarah didn't say a word to each other, they both collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
Now, the boring getting-to-know-everyone part is over, we can get into some better stuff! Thanks for reading! :)