This is my first fanfic, so I would be EXTREMELY happy if I recieved reviews...
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own POTC, or any characters, places, things, etc. related. Oh well.
Okay, so I was re-reading this chapter, and realized how long it dragged...so I've re-written it! Enjoy.
To this day, I still can't understand how we became friends. She was loud and outgoing, I was quiet and tended to be shy. She was emotional and dramatic, I was reserved and private. She wanted to do the impossible, I remembered the practical. She was the doer, I was the dreamer. I suppose the saying "opposites attract" held some truth to our relationship. Where she was weak, I was strong. Where I was afraid, she was fearless.
Her name was Eleonora Bronte. I just called her Ella. Standing at about five two with medium brown hair and big brown eyes, she was a little ball of energy running around, laughing, screaming, and in general making known to the public exactly what she felt inside. But despite her forward behavior, she was a very caring and sweet person.
And then there was me: Winifred Delaney. I absolutely hated my name, so I just went by Winnie, or Finn. At my height of five seven and a half, I towered over my friend, feeling more or less like the friendly giant every time I was with her. My dark brown hair contrasted with my light complexion, which was sprinkled with fading freckles and set with two deep, dark blue eyes. As said, I was quiet, but observant, taking everything and revealing nothing. I preferred it this way; you learned more. I was usually happy, and loved to laugh, but would hide my anger or sadness, mostly because I hate being pitied.
We lived in a small town, the type where your math teacher is friends with your mom and the surgeon is your next door neighbor. I loved the place like none other. After moving from a big city where the smog was so heavy you couldn't tell the sky was blue, the mountains and the endless crystal blue above me set me free. I could never dream of living anywhere that would confine me to a small space, like an island. The thought scared me like none other.
Of course, living in a small town did have its downfalls, such as nothing to do except run around a play tag. Frankly, that game became old by the time I was out of elementary school, and at seventeen, the second best thing was to walk around town. So that's where we were on one Saturday morning, strolling down main street, people watching, and in general having a good time.
"I don't know what to do about him. I mean, he's sweet and everything to me, but he's almost…possessive."
"If he's following you around like that, I'd say he's leaning more toward stalker," I replied vaguely. Ella was giving up her latest sob-story, the boy that wouldn't leave. She had a gift for attracting boys, much like flies to honey. Ella saw it more as a curse. She didn't ask for any of them to come to her, they just did. It was a common conversation to have her try and figure out a way to avoid the onslaught of young men that threw themselves at her feet. Throughout her life, she always made sure people knew exactly what she thought about something, but when it came to letting a guy down easy, Ella could never bring herself to do it. I found it amusing…to an extent. Every now and then I wished that some guy would pay attention to me, but hey, you can't have everything.
"I guess your right. At least school is out now…and we're officially college students! What are the chances of him following me to college?"
"Depends," I said thoughtfully, causing her eyes to bug out slightly. "I'm kidding. He's going to Stanford. I overhead him talking to one of his friends."
"Oh good. At least I know which college not to go to," breathed Ella.
"You still haven't decided?"
"Sorry I don't have my life planned out already," she answered, rolling her eyes at me. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle. I had known exactly what I was going to do;archaeology. Once again, our opposite sides shown out; I wanted to know exactly what was going on around me and what would happen to me. Ella could have cared less.
"Let's take a look at the antique store," I suggested as we walked up to it.
"You love old things way to much," teased Ella.
"I love history, which happens to include old things," I defended.
The store was small, placed inside an abandoned movie theatre. Knick-knacks and junk littered the floor and the hallway. Some might call it a chaotic mess, but I called it paradise. Who knew what treasures could be found here.
"Why, hello Winnie!" greeted Connie, the owner of the shop. We were on very good speaking terms, seeing as I visited the place quite often, and the fact she lived two houses down from me. She was an old lady, around her seventies, but still as spry as ever, despite her failing body. She had injured her knee a few years back when tripping over a vase, and it had never quite recovered, causing her to walk with a definite limp.
"Hey, Connie, how you doing?" I greeted.
"Good, good. And hello Ella. My, you two are looking lovely today."
"Thank you," we said, blushing a little. "Do you have anything new in?" I inquired hopefully.
"Actually, yes," answered Connie. She traveled to her desk and opened the drawer to reveal the strangest looking necklace I had ever beheld. Strung on it was two items, a key and what looked like a gigantic pocket watch. "Here take a look."
I took it gingerly. It was about the diameter of a tennis ball and plated with gold. Along the edge it had a crease, so it was some type of pocket watch, but when I tried to open it, it wouldn't budge. In the front there was a large ruby, encircled by topazes. "That looks rather strange," noted Ella.
"Maybe you should try getting it appraised at the Antiques Road Show," I teased. "I'd bet they'd have a hey-day with this artifact."
Connie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I'd probably find out it was a fake. People don't make stuff like that, and if they did, it would probably be costume jewelry."
"This doesn't feel like costume jewelry," I said. "It's heavy. Definitely real."
Connie smiled. "Well, I certainly would like to know what that key goes to. That is not an everyday key."
The key was large as well, maybe the length of my middle finger. It too was gold, and embedded all along it was emeralds. "Most certainly not an everyday key," I mumbled.
"It's beautiful," said Ella brightly. "Where did you find it?"
"Yes, where did you find this? These type of things don't just turn up on your doorstep," I asked casually.
"Actually, this one did," she began, frowning. I raised my eyebrow, not entirely believing her. "It was a few days ago, at my house. Around ten at night, I hear a knock at my door. So I open it, and guess who I see?"
"Who?" inquired Ella excitedly.
"A complete stranger! He's torn up and looks like he's about to collapse from exhaustion, so I carry him in and go to the kitchen to get him a drink of water. I come back, and he's laying down and breathing heavy, clutching this necklace in his hand. I make my husband go and call 911 and I try and talk to the man. Well, he comes back into consciousness, and gasps 'Don't let them get it! They can't have the key!', then he goes into a coma. The hospital called yesterday and said he died. No idea who he is or where he came from. Dressed oddly too, like he was from the Revolutionary War. Had the redcoat and everything."
I glanced at Ella, who was wide-eyed and fascinated. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the man, and a little worried about what type of crowd that necklace would attract. "So he never specified who was coming after this…key."
Connie shook her head. "I think it was nothing but a bunch of mumbo jumbo. The man was dieing, probably crazed by heat exhaustion. I'll give it to you for five bucks." She smiled knowingly as she placed it back in my had. "And don't tell me you don't want it. I can see it in your eyes. Your not going to pass up something with that type of story behind it."
Unfortunately, Connie was right, and she knew it. Something like that was too good to pass up, the type of buy I could never resist. I paid the five dollars and bought the greatest adventure of my life.
It had been a month since I had bought the necklace, and no creepy serial killer or ax murderer had shown up on my door step asking for it yet. I couldn't seem to make the pocket watch open, however. It didn't look that hard, just pull between the cracks like you would a locket, but it just wouldn't budge. Patience was not one of my virtues, and I quickly gave up in frustration, only to have Ella give her money's worth, which of course was not successful.
So I carried it around on the chain with me. I kept the key in my pocket, hoping that I might be able to find whatever it unlocked, though it was highly unlikely.
It was a few days before my eighteenth birthday, a day I had been waiting for with more excitement than I could contain. Finally, I could be legally independent and free. A new movie had just come out, something to do with western train robberies, and looked rather good. I had always loved action/adventure movies, and this one would hopefully live up to my expectations. So I decided to treat myself for my birthday and go see it, of course bring my best friend along. Ella and I were walking along main street again toward the movie theatre, talking and laughing. She had finally confronted the guy who had been, quite frankly, stalking her, and he was no longer an issue. Just another member of her fan-club of rejects.
We passed the antique store, and as Ella started talking about how she was thinking about going into film-making for a major, my mind slipped back to the pocket-watch and key I had acquired, and the mystery shrouding it. A sudden wave of unease swept through me and my breath caught in my throat. Something about these two objects was very strange…
"You okay?" asked Ella worriedly. So she had noticed my temporary loss of breath.
"Yeah, I'm okay," I dismissed casually, searching quickly for something to talk about. Ella wasn't easy to shake off when it came to instances like these.
"It's about that key, isn't it?" she pried. "Maybe you shouldn't have bought it, even if it was five bucks."
"Nonsense. The guy had gone mad, the one who had it. These are utterly harmless," I covered. I believed most of what I said; who really cared about a defective pocket-watch and a key without a lock. Stuff like that didn't happen here in this small town.
But I could feel the uneasiness creeping to the surface again. My gut told me something was going to happen. My intuition was rarely wrong.
We had come to a billboard, now filled with fliers from all the different colleges. I glanced up and saw one praising from England. "I wish I could go to England, especially the early 18th century," I said. "By the coast or somewhere like that."
Ella gave me a confused look. "And if that wasn't random…"
"No, you don't understand. Times were changing then, everywhere really. People were becoming less rural and more urban. Technology was popping up, mercantilism was growing, education growing. Imagine what a time it would be like to live in. A lot more exciting than now."
"Why England?"
I smiled. "I don't know. I've always loved England, even if I've never been there."
"Then I wish I could go there with you," responded Ella quietly. "I don't know what I would do without you." I locked eyes with her and felt a rush of emotion and love for her, like one would feel for a close family member. We turned away, both smiling.
"Me too," was my answer.
And that's when I saw them, out of the corner of my eye, advancing steadily in our direction. Three of them, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses. They appeared absolutely villainous.
"Who are those men?" asked Ella, who had obviously noticed them as well. "Why are they coming toward us?"
"I don't know. Lets walk," I answered calmly. But inside fear was gripping me, making my thoughts swim. Something was happening, and I knew that it was because of the two items.
We kept up a quick pace as we hurried toward the movie theatre, the men never faltering as they followed. It was when we had almost reached the parking lot that two more appeared twenty feet in front of us both, making a beeline toward where we were. I grabbed Ella's arm and turned her toward the left, and heading in to residential area. "Where are we going?" asked Ella.
"I don't know," I said, my voice shaking like a leaf. "But we need to get to a telephone."
Ella glanced behind us. "They're following. I think we need to just run."
"You're right," I agreed, but just as we were about to sprint off (we had both been in track and were rather fast), four men showed up in front. My mouth went dry and I froze to the spot. "We're trapped."
Simultaneously, all nine men drew pistols and pointed them at us. I could feel my face paling as I gripped harder to Ella's arm. Something was most definitely happening. I glanced down at her, her face masking my fear, yet looking like she would fight if they tried to lay a hand on her. I couldn't say that much for me; I was stuck to the spot with glue, and couldn't move a muscle.
"Finn, something is glowing," whispered Ella softly.
The men were advancing quickly, only about twenty feet away.
I glanced down at my red striped shirt and saw the glowing. It was that cursed pocket-watch again. I pulled it out, and looked back toward some of the men. They were getting ready to run at us, panic written on their faces, along with anger.
I stared at Ella with terror, she stared back, equally horrified. I had to do something.
So I rubbed the ruby that was glowing.
Everything went black. I could hear Ella's gasp of surprise.
We were tumbling…
Falling…
Spinning…
Suddenly, we hit wet. With a splash, we both fell into a pool of water. My sense of direction was skewed, I floundered and struggled against the pressure as I tried to find the sun. My head was spinning, confusion gripping my thoughts. What the heck had just happened?
I broke the surface, a ragged breath coming from my mouth as I drank the precious air. Ella popped up next to me, five feet away. "What happened?" she yelled.
I never got to answer. I heard thunder. Clouds were pouring rain, and a huge wave ripped us apart. "Ella!" I screamed. I couldn't hear her. I couldn't see her, praying, wishing I could.
It was cold, miserable. I couldn't focus.
Another wave, another sheet of rain. Darkness everywhere. Thunder.
No Ella.
"Sir, she's waking up."
"Quickly, fetch a blanket."
I moaned and tried to sit up. Instead, a strong hand pushed me back down. I opened my eyes groggily, only to see an aging man in a tri-cornered hat frowning worriedly at me. "Easy there, miss. You've had quite a trial."
I opened my mouth to ask who exactly he was, but instead clamped my hands over it, shivering and trying to control my gag reflex. The man's eye's widened, realizing what I was trying to prevent, and quickly offered me a bucket. I heaved a few times before I could raise my head, shaking hard. I hated vomiting.
"Feel better?" he asked kindly. I nodded weakly.
"Where am I?" I asked. My voice was raspy and quiet.
"Questions another time." He stood up regally before bowing to me. "You need rest, and lots of it."
"No, I need to know," I continued frantically. "Please!"
He studied me with surprise. "You, miss, are on the Liberator, ship of the Royal Navy."
"What?" I asked, aghast. "Royal Navy?"
"Yes. We are just off the coast of Selsy, England."
"England?" My conversation with Ella came flooding back to me. I wish I could go to England, especially the early 18th century…By the coast or somewhere like that. The clothes the man was wear certainly were not 21st C. I nearly fainted at the thought, but managed to keep consciousness long enough to ask one more question. "Did you find Ella?"
"There was no one with you, miss. You were all alone."
