A look of pure hatred glared at the captain, sea green eyes holding a deep sense of anger and… yes, slight fear peering from beneath a curtain of matted crimson hair, "Damn you, Jack Sparrow." The girl's voice came in a cold hoarse tone, passing her pale lips in a manner of true despise for the smirking man who stood before her, the man she had once considered closer than any brother.
"Damn you to pass the bloody gates of Hell and ne'er return…" she continued, a small tear dropped, rolling down her cheek, the charcoal that lined her foggy optics smearing, a line of gray following the tear.
"Rachel, love, you mustn't hold a grudge now… we may meet again some day." Jack said in a mocking way.
"We will, mark me." The 15-year-old wiped her face with a bound hand, "And
when we do, I swear… I will kill you."
The captain straightened in sarcastic surprise, "You will, now?"
"Don't be so doubtful, Jack… I've been on the Pearl for three years, now."
"Yes, love, you have, and now it's time to turn and walk." He moved his hand in a circular motion to indicate just how she was to turn.
Rachel turned her head and looked off the ship, into the clear water below.
"Off the plank missy!" a voice cried from the crew.
She sighed and took a breath in, walking to the end of the board, then turning back once more to the crew, "Nice working with you, Jack." Rachel said, saluting, then jumped three times, the board no longer under her feet.
Falling with nothing to hold, then a splash and Rachel plunged into the sea, swimming back to the surface as best she could with her hands bound.
"Goodbye love!" Jack yelled from the ship, waving his hat in farewell, "Goodbye…" he sighed, placing the hat back onto his head.
The crew scurried about the ship, returning to their original stations, Jack the only one not moving, but staring out at the island.
"What wind to catch, Jack?" a man asked from the main deck, looking at the captain.
"Huh? Oh, uh… that way…" he said, waving a hand out to sea, then looking back at the island, watching as Rachel staggered onto the beach, "I'm sorry… Barbossa, mate." He whispered, eyes becoming downcast.
...o.O.0.O.o...Rachel stumbled onto the shore, pulling a knife from the belt at her waist and clumsily cutting the ropes off of her hands.
"I hate that man…" she mumbled, looking around the almost nothing of an island.
...o.O.0.O.o..."Jack..?"
The man, after a few seconds, looked up, "Yea?"
"Are you alright?" the pirate nodded in reply.
"Uh, I'm fine… never been better." He said, nodding again, "On your way." Jack walked past the man and into his cabin, closing the door behind him. He sat in a wooden chair, putting his feet on the desk in front of him and leaning back on the back to legs of the chair.
"Bloody 'ell, she… did she deserve that?" Jack asked himself over and over again, shaking his head.
"She did. The brat handed over the navigations… Not too good with redheads, eh?" he took a bottle of rum from the desk and took a swig of the alcohol.
...o.O.0.O.o...Rachel sighed and sat on the sandy beach, against a palm tree, pulling a stone on a piece of cord from her left pocket, "Why?" she asked of no one, putting the clear blue jewel around her neck and tucking it under the man's button down shirt she wore.
She stood up, beginning to walk down the shoreline, bare feet making small splashes of water with each step.
Again, Rachel took the gem out, her eyes almost reflecting in its clarity What is so special about it? she wondered, trying to imagine the possibilities, the only thing coming to mind being it's worth. After all, they had traded it for barely nothing, a map. A map to nowhere… nothing.
She sighed and looked out to sea, a storm forming on the horizon, but looking at just the right, time, she spotted a ship, not too far from the island.
Sudden hope brought to the girl's face, she waved and jumped, yelling and trying to catch the eye of anyone who might see her there.
Fortunately… or fortunately for the moment, someone spotted her and the ship bean to turn slowly, sails catching a gust of pre-storm wind.
"What are you doing here, Miss?" a surprised voice called from the ship.
"Miss?" another man came to the railing, a look of fear coming over him.
The man walked backwards and turned to the rest of his crew, "We can't have this woman aboard the Voyage." He muttered, looking back out at her, someone already having gotten a longboat out and into the water.
"Why not? You afraid she's bad luck?" a man laughed.
"No… idiot, that's one of Jack's."
"Well, then why would she be here?"
He sighed, "Because of the map."
"Hello." Rachel muttered as the longboat approached the island, her eyes widened as she realized the ship was flying no colors. Pirates?
"'ello Miss." The young man in the longboat gave her a half smile, his ice blue eyes meeting hers.
She walked farther out into the water, rejecting the hand he held out to help her in the boat, but jumping in with ease.
Sitting as far as possible from him, Rachel clutched the cuff of her right sleeve in a fist and put a protective hand over her tattooed arm.
"So, would I have the honor of an introduction?" he asked, the half smile still on his face.
"Uh… Rachel, I'm Rachel." She said, offering her left hand.
He took it and kissed it, a disgusted look coming over Rachel's face as she yanked the hand away.
"Sorry." He said, them nearly to the ship, "Are you hurt?"
Rachel shook her head, confused, then nodded, realizing that he was referring to her pulling away.
His half smile returned, "We'll get you to a medic when you get to… wherever you are going. By the way, I'm Adrian."
"Nice to meet you, look… I don't mean to be a bother, but where is this ship going?"
Adrian shrugged, "I suppose where you belong, first."
Belong… that got a smile out of her I belong on the Pearl…
"Actually… I think… can you take me somewhere… on the water?"
"The... water?" Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Eh... never mind."
As the longboat was pulled out of the water, the two sat in silence, Adrian again being refused the helping hand out of the boat.
"Hello there, Miss." the captain stepped foreword.
"He-hey..." she looked down, knowing now who this was, and knowing that he would recognize her.
He smiled, "May I ask what you were doing on that island?"
"What are you talking about? I live there..."
He nodded slowly, "Except for the fact that that is an uncharted island. No one lives there."
"I live there." Rachel rolled her eyes, "Now, if you'll let me go, I have to make sure my stew doesn't burn..." she attempted to walk past him, grabbed by her right arm. She winced, hoping he didn't look.
The captain glared at her, pulling up the sleeve, the blue inked vines intertwined with an anchor running up her forearm now revealed, just below it, a calligraphic name, "Barbossa?" he gave her a questioning look, gripping her arm tighter as she tried to pull away.
"Yes." she muttered, looking down and still tugging at his grasp.
Turning her hand over, another brand was shown, a tiny sparrow and a dark red "P".
"Very nice, Miss Barbossa. Have you been stranded by ol' Captain Jack?"
"No..." she lied, pulling her hand away, this time succeeding.
"Then why were you on that island?"
"I told you.. I live there."
He raised an eyebrow, "And that would explain why I gave you this three days ago?" he took the sapphire and raised to her eye level.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." she said, crossing her arms and looking the other way.
"Look, Miss Barbossa... don't get into these types of situations.. Your captain is gonna find you dead on the main deck before either of you knows what happens if you're not careful." he glared.
"Why is this such a huge deal?" she asked, looking back with one eye.
He laughed, "Do you know what this is?"
"Of course not." Rachel said, closing his hand over the gem and taking it off her neck.
"I thought not."
"So we both were correct." She laughed, "Now may I go?"
"No."
Rachel sighed, "I don't see what good I'm doing here..." she said in an annoyed tone, "What do you want?"
"The map."
"You have the bloody map."
He nodded, then his brown eyes narrowed, "And I need the last piece of this puzzle."
"Piece? That really does.. not sound too pleasant." Rachel said with a fearful look on her face.
"Silas, take her below."
"Below?" Rachel struggled as this man and another dragged her below deck, Adrian following, "I don't like below! THERE'S RATS!"