A Strange Reality
~Artemis Quinn Morgenstern
*Author's Note: This story was originally posted July 24, 2004 under my old pen name of Depp's Girl. I finally retrieved my login for that account not long ago and I have taken everything down from that account and I am re-posting my stories one at a time as ArtemisQuinnMorgenstern. Just letting people know so that I'm not accused of stealing! I have made some MINOR edits to this story. Otherwise, it is being re-posted in its original form. Keep in mind, I wrote this when I was around 16 years old, so please be kind!*
Chapter 1
Beware of swearing. There is a bit in this story, so I hope ye can forgive me! ~Artemis
Well, I guess it all started a few months ago. I was enjoying a quiet vacation down in the Caribbean with a few of my girlfriends. I have a penthouse down in Jamaica, so seeing as we're all 16 and mature in our parents' eyes, we flew down alone and stayed in my penthouse. We had been there for about three weeks and sadly my friends had to return to our wonderful (that was sarcastic) home state of California. It really isn't all that bad, considering we live in Los Angeles but still…The Caribbean beats L.A. any day. So I drove them to the airport and bid them a fond farewell. Now I was alone. That didn't really bother me any, seeing as I go down to Jamaica a lot on my own to escape the harsh reality that is the life of an heiress. See, my father is James Diaz, real estate tycoon, and my mom is Alexis Diaz, a huge movie star, so I'm pretty much in the public eye 24/7, unless I'm in the Caribbean. Then the cameras and crazy people leave me alone.
Sorry, I got side-tracked. Now where was I...Oh yes. Now I was alone. The main reason I had gone down to the Caribbean was not to escape the cameras for once, but to escape my jack-ass for an ex-boyfriend. See, we had been together for almost two years, but then I went out of town to a premiere for one of my mom's movies, came home, and found him in the arms of another girl. And not just any girl. The girl whose arms he happened to be in belonged to my best friend Cassandra! I couldn't believe it! Needless to say, I broke it off with my Ryan and refused to speak to Cassandra.
Ever since I called it quits, Ryan has been following me - stalking is the better term - and keeps trying to talk to me. Well, I had had it with him, so I just got a group of friends together and we flew to Jamaica. With my girls gone, I had time to think and enjoy myself. Which I did with absolutely no trouble.
About three days after my friends left, I was out tanning on the beach, which was all but deserted at the time, and listening to Jimmy Buffett's latest album License to Chill when I heard what sounded like a cannon firing. I sat up and scanned the ocean that lay in front of me, trying to see what could have made the sound I had just heard. There was no way that I had really heard a cannon. I mean really, who uses cannons except for the military and they only use them for ceremonial reasons. That's when my eyes landed on something looming a bit offshore. It looked like a very large ship that was anchored and riding the swell. I waved it off as nothing, but then I saw what appeared to be three rowboats coming toward shore. I grabbed my shorts and threw them on over the bottom half of my sky-blue bikini, not taking my eyes off the approaching rowboats.
A few minutes later, the rowboats were close enough to shore so I could see the occupants. And what a sight they were! A bunch of people dressed in the strangest of clothing was coming toward me. They looked like they had just stepped out of the 18th century! The three rowboats landed on the sand just a few yards away and the occupants began walking towards me. Leading them was an old man, and a tanned woman with long black hair. My eyes scanned them over as they approached, and immediately froze on their swords and pistols. Then, it hit me. These people weren't your ordinary bunch of sailors. They fit the description of pirates! I was terrified and began to back away when the woman spoke.
"Don't move, lass." Sensing that any movement on my part could spell disaster, I stopped dead and continued to stare at them. The old man came up to me and began looking me up and down in the same fashion I had done to him.
"She looks just like 'im. She 'as his eyes and everything," the man said to the woman.
"Aye, she does." the woman responded. "Ya think he'll believe its her?"
"Without a doubt. He'll see 'er an' embrace her wit' open arms." the old man replied. I was really starting to freak out now. Were these strange people going to take me somewhere? I didn't wan to stick around and find out, so I turned and was about to start running when a hand grabbed my arm.
"Hey, hey. Settle down, girl." It was the woman, and boy did she have a grip. "You're comin' with us, missy."
"I will do no such thing! Who the hell are you? And why are you talking like you know me?" I screamed, terrified. I had absolutely no idea who these people were or where I was going, but I knew that there was no way they were getting me to go anywhere with them. I began struggling, trying to get myself loose of the woman's grip, but to no avail. She had me good and tight around the arm and wasn't about to let go, no matter how much I fought and struggled. It took almost all the men there along with the woman to tie my hands behind my back and to gag me, but they did, and once that was done, they dragged me (literally) back to their rowboats and tossed me (once again, literally) into one. The woman hopped in and the old man pushed the boat off the shore. I tried to get my hands free, but they were bound tight. I finally gave up and looked back to the shore. All that remained where I had been was my towel, suntan lotion, portable CD player, sunglasses, cell phone and water bottle. I then turned my attention forward, only to see that we were very close to the ship that was anchored. That's when I saw it, the black skull-and crossbones flag that was the symbol of pirates.
We pulled up next to the ship and I could hear more people on the deck above us. A rope ladder was lowered down and the woman grabbed me and hauled me up behind her. She basically carried me, seeing as my hands were still bound. Once aboard the ship, everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. Now, keep in mind, I stand 5'8" and have a very tan body. I was also in my bikini and shorts still as well as completely barefooted, and my long light brown hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun. I looked around, the woman holding me by the arm, and saw a man standing above me near to the helm of the ship, dressed as the others were. His long dark brown hair was entirely dreads and had tons of beads and other things dangling from them. His beard was braided and had beads on the end. He was around 5'10" or so, with a tan body and eyes that were hidden in the shadow cast by his hat. He looked down at me, the entire ship silent. Then, he spoke.
"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Angel."
Author's Note: Wow. What's Angel gonna do? Kidnapped by pirates and now face-to-face with a man who seems to know her pretty well. What's up with that? Reviews are welcome! ~Artemis