I hate living in Road Town, on Tortola. I had been born and raised in
London, but when I was twelve, my father was transferred by the Royal Navy
to train recruits in swordplay in the British Virgin Islands. My father is
one of the top swordsman in the Navy, and due to the abundance of pirates
in the Caribbean, a master swordsman was needed.
My mother went along without hesitation. She thought London wasn't an 'appropriate place for an upstanding young lady to be raised,' as she put it.
Yes, Mother, and Tortola is just so much better. I've been so bored out of my mind here that I've taken up a life of petty crime.
Of course, I only do it for entertainment. Part of me wishes I would get caught stealing. But no one would think that the daughter of Lieutenant Black would be a pickpocket. And most of the time, I return what I stole, later. It's not as if I really need the money, anyway.
That's what I was doing today. I was strolling around town, deciding who would be my next target. I usually try to pick people who look like thieves themselves, hoping that someone would notice me, giving me something to work on. Still, I have yet to be noticed. Either that, or people don't figure that they've been robbed by a twenty year old girl with a parasol and skirts.
Anyway, I was in a section of town usually infested with thieves. I saw a few people who I recognized from other trips as pickpockets who had previously tried to steal from me. Scanning the walk, I saw a man who looked to be an expert thief. Probably a pirate.
He either had a drunken sway, or just had very poor balance. He tipped his leather hat at a passing lady and grinned, revealing several gold teeth. Walking toward him, trying to look absentminded, I jostled his shoulder as I passed, while making the lift from his pocket.
"Sorry about that, love," he mumbled huskily, slurring his words slightly. He smelled like rum.
"Entirely my fault, sir," I replied sweetly, slipping his coin purse into my pocket, only to realize--
That son of a bitch stole my money!
He was hurrying away as quickly as possible, trying to flee the crime scene. "Hey you! Rummy! Get back here, you bastard!" Several passerby gave me dirty looks at hearing me curse. "He stole my money," I explained hastily, sprinting after the thief.
I saw his large hat disappear in a large crowd, and immediately followed. The hat looked closer and closer- I was gaining! He ducked into an alley, trying harder to lose me. "I don't think so," I muttered to no one in particular.
Sadly for him, the alleyway had a dead end, and the only way for him to go was up, which wasn't likely. It was ten feet straight up. I stopped about forty feet away from him, drew the dagger I kept hidden in my skirts, and brandished it at the man.
"Nowhere for you to go now, so you may as well just give me back my money."
"You'd best put that knife down, love, before you get hurt." He grinned, resting his hand on the sword hanging from his belt.
I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't worry about my safety, Mr..."
"Captain Jack Sparrow. What's a pretty little thing like you doing with a knife like that?"
"Well, Captain, I keep a dagger with me to help deal with the poor sods who think they can take advantage of a woman such as myself. Now why don't you just give me my purse back, and we can avoid any unpleasantries, such as the loss of one of your appendages. Or-" my eyes flashed down slightly, "- any of your other body parts."
He laughed outright at that. "I doubt you could do me much harm with that little thing, love. Or to anyone else, for that matter."
"I'll have you know that from this distance, I could easily hit your heart, your stomach, or any other vital organ I choose. Just hope it's not a reproductive one."
He drew his pistol. "And from this distance, I could just as easily get your face before that dagger got halfway over here. And it would just be a shame to destroy a pretty little thing such as yourself."
I hadn't really anticipated that. I immediately changed my expression from surly to friendly. "Tell you what! You give me my purse back, I'll give you yours, and I'll just go on my merry little way."
"You don't have my purse. It's right here--" he reached into his pocket and produced... nothing. "You stole my money!" He thought for a moment, cocked his eyebrow, then said, "Nice lift."
"I wish I could say the same for you. So, if you'd like to return my money, I'd be much obliged."
He opened his mouth to speak again, and his eyes widened as he slowly lowered his pistol. "What can I do for you, Officers?"
I turned around to see my father and two other Naval officers pointing their rifles at Captain Sparrow. "Arrest him," my father nodded to one of the officers, who approached Sparrow with a pair of handcuffs, pulling back his sleeve to reveal a P burned into his flesh, the symbol of a pirate.
I proceeded to slowly and subtly return my dagger to my pocket. I didn't need to be in any more trouble. As the officer and the captain passed by, Jack, in one swift movement, broke loose of the officer, drew his dagger, dashed behind me and pressed the cold steel to my throat.
I immediately began to mutter obscenities under my breath, unsheathing my knife for the second time that day. Jack was saying something to my father along the lines of "Don't move or I'll slit her throat!"
'Slit my throat' my ass, I thought to myself, bringing my dagger up quickly, and slashing the hand he held his dagger in, causing him to drop it and shout in pain. I kicked his blade away, and held mine to his throat.
"Not such a delicate lady anymore, am I?" I muttered quietly in his ear, to his great annoyance.
"Katherine! What in blazes do you think you're doing?" my father shouted, incredibly confused as to how I was the one now holding Sparrow hostage.
I rolled my eyes. "You didn't expect me to take that lying down, did you, Father?" I asked sweetly as I released Sparrow to one of the officers. Sparrow tripped, rolled, picked up his dagger, and threw it at one of the soldiers, and embedded itself in his chest.
Before the other officer could recover, Sparrow was already darting through the crowd. "Get him!" my father roared, sending the officer darting after Sparrow. I was asked to return home.
Muttering incoherent curses under my breath, I obliged. I walked back to the manor, mulling over my piratical encounter. For a pirate, he's not half bad, I thought, then, giving myself a mental slap in the face, set my thoughts elsewhere. Like on my swordplay lesson in half an hour.
My mother went along without hesitation. She thought London wasn't an 'appropriate place for an upstanding young lady to be raised,' as she put it.
Yes, Mother, and Tortola is just so much better. I've been so bored out of my mind here that I've taken up a life of petty crime.
Of course, I only do it for entertainment. Part of me wishes I would get caught stealing. But no one would think that the daughter of Lieutenant Black would be a pickpocket. And most of the time, I return what I stole, later. It's not as if I really need the money, anyway.
That's what I was doing today. I was strolling around town, deciding who would be my next target. I usually try to pick people who look like thieves themselves, hoping that someone would notice me, giving me something to work on. Still, I have yet to be noticed. Either that, or people don't figure that they've been robbed by a twenty year old girl with a parasol and skirts.
Anyway, I was in a section of town usually infested with thieves. I saw a few people who I recognized from other trips as pickpockets who had previously tried to steal from me. Scanning the walk, I saw a man who looked to be an expert thief. Probably a pirate.
He either had a drunken sway, or just had very poor balance. He tipped his leather hat at a passing lady and grinned, revealing several gold teeth. Walking toward him, trying to look absentminded, I jostled his shoulder as I passed, while making the lift from his pocket.
"Sorry about that, love," he mumbled huskily, slurring his words slightly. He smelled like rum.
"Entirely my fault, sir," I replied sweetly, slipping his coin purse into my pocket, only to realize--
That son of a bitch stole my money!
He was hurrying away as quickly as possible, trying to flee the crime scene. "Hey you! Rummy! Get back here, you bastard!" Several passerby gave me dirty looks at hearing me curse. "He stole my money," I explained hastily, sprinting after the thief.
I saw his large hat disappear in a large crowd, and immediately followed. The hat looked closer and closer- I was gaining! He ducked into an alley, trying harder to lose me. "I don't think so," I muttered to no one in particular.
Sadly for him, the alleyway had a dead end, and the only way for him to go was up, which wasn't likely. It was ten feet straight up. I stopped about forty feet away from him, drew the dagger I kept hidden in my skirts, and brandished it at the man.
"Nowhere for you to go now, so you may as well just give me back my money."
"You'd best put that knife down, love, before you get hurt." He grinned, resting his hand on the sword hanging from his belt.
I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't worry about my safety, Mr..."
"Captain Jack Sparrow. What's a pretty little thing like you doing with a knife like that?"
"Well, Captain, I keep a dagger with me to help deal with the poor sods who think they can take advantage of a woman such as myself. Now why don't you just give me my purse back, and we can avoid any unpleasantries, such as the loss of one of your appendages. Or-" my eyes flashed down slightly, "- any of your other body parts."
He laughed outright at that. "I doubt you could do me much harm with that little thing, love. Or to anyone else, for that matter."
"I'll have you know that from this distance, I could easily hit your heart, your stomach, or any other vital organ I choose. Just hope it's not a reproductive one."
He drew his pistol. "And from this distance, I could just as easily get your face before that dagger got halfway over here. And it would just be a shame to destroy a pretty little thing such as yourself."
I hadn't really anticipated that. I immediately changed my expression from surly to friendly. "Tell you what! You give me my purse back, I'll give you yours, and I'll just go on my merry little way."
"You don't have my purse. It's right here--" he reached into his pocket and produced... nothing. "You stole my money!" He thought for a moment, cocked his eyebrow, then said, "Nice lift."
"I wish I could say the same for you. So, if you'd like to return my money, I'd be much obliged."
He opened his mouth to speak again, and his eyes widened as he slowly lowered his pistol. "What can I do for you, Officers?"
I turned around to see my father and two other Naval officers pointing their rifles at Captain Sparrow. "Arrest him," my father nodded to one of the officers, who approached Sparrow with a pair of handcuffs, pulling back his sleeve to reveal a P burned into his flesh, the symbol of a pirate.
I proceeded to slowly and subtly return my dagger to my pocket. I didn't need to be in any more trouble. As the officer and the captain passed by, Jack, in one swift movement, broke loose of the officer, drew his dagger, dashed behind me and pressed the cold steel to my throat.
I immediately began to mutter obscenities under my breath, unsheathing my knife for the second time that day. Jack was saying something to my father along the lines of "Don't move or I'll slit her throat!"
'Slit my throat' my ass, I thought to myself, bringing my dagger up quickly, and slashing the hand he held his dagger in, causing him to drop it and shout in pain. I kicked his blade away, and held mine to his throat.
"Not such a delicate lady anymore, am I?" I muttered quietly in his ear, to his great annoyance.
"Katherine! What in blazes do you think you're doing?" my father shouted, incredibly confused as to how I was the one now holding Sparrow hostage.
I rolled my eyes. "You didn't expect me to take that lying down, did you, Father?" I asked sweetly as I released Sparrow to one of the officers. Sparrow tripped, rolled, picked up his dagger, and threw it at one of the soldiers, and embedded itself in his chest.
Before the other officer could recover, Sparrow was already darting through the crowd. "Get him!" my father roared, sending the officer darting after Sparrow. I was asked to return home.
Muttering incoherent curses under my breath, I obliged. I walked back to the manor, mulling over my piratical encounter. For a pirate, he's not half bad, I thought, then, giving myself a mental slap in the face, set my thoughts elsewhere. Like on my swordplay lesson in half an hour.