Hello, all. Not sure where to put this author's note thing, seeing as this is my first fanfiction. So, yeah… It's a bit confusing, I know, but it will make more sense. I've written down all 89 pages of it, and I've typed three chapters, so more is on the way. I will give you all my rum if you review (not that I wanted it, anyway.)
Disclaimer: PotC owns me. Not the other way around.
The names scrolling down the television screen provided the only lighting in the dark room. Six friends had just finished watching "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" for the tenth time in two months. On one of the room's two couches, a pair of teenage girls did what appeared to be an unusual interpretive dance to the soundtrack that accompanied the credits.
Haley, the shorter of the two, had rather bouncy shoulder-length black hair that turned up at the end, wide emerald eyes, unlimited energy, and a voice that made her sound, even at fifteen, like a stubborn eight-year-old. "I. Am. In love with Orli! He. Is. Majorly hot!" she sang to the music. Her friend winced. Haley was not exactly Broadway material.
Emma wasn't the smartest of the six, but she made up for it by being, according to people who didn't know her very well, absolutely perfect in every way. And, in fact, it was partially true. Tall with a head of long, thick, wavy , auburn hair, she had a model-like beauty to her that fit with her daring and friendly nature to make her one of the most popular girls in school. It didn't hurt that she was the best at every sport she tried. So far, the list included volleyball, softball, basketball, tennis, surfing, and swimming. Emma also had a voice that could sweep up any audience. Her close friends and family knew all this, and they weren't any less impressed by her than anyone else, but they'd also seen her wild temper, complete ineptitude in everything she'd chosen not to try, tendency to form and hold grudges, and recklessness. It was also hard to be in awe of somebody who you'd seen eat worms in second grade.
She grabbed Haley by the double-pierced ear, and glared at her until she stopped her fangirl-ish song. "Heh…" the dark-haired girl mumbled, then brightened. "I have an absolutely brilliant idea!" she announced, loudly. Everyone looked at her apprehensively. Haley's ideas often involved makeovers, shopping, or soccer. "Ice cream!" she squealed, not even noticing the awkward silence. Haley's obliviousness was the stuff of legends. The other five sighed in relief. They were safe from being guinea pigs for their friend's glitter lip gloss, if only for a few hours. Without waiting for a further response, Haley scampered off to the kitchen, followed by Emma.
Meanwhile, still on the other, larger couch, three teenagers were discussing the movie. The fourth person, a teenage boy, had his face completely covered by a history textbook, and was trying very hard to pretend the movie and viewers did not exist. Jordan Potter was Haley's twin brother, but nobody would ever have guessed it. Though she was fourteen minutes older, he was at least three inches taller, and his voice was incredibly low. Even the rough black hair they shared looked neater and shinier on Haley, and their light olive skin tone looked better with her freckles. Jordan had dark brown eyes reminiscent of beetles, covered by contacts for his poor vision. The twins differed even more in personality. Jordan was quiet, cynical, and rather grounded in the real world. He craved order and simplicity, and sucked up knowledge like a vacuum cleaner. Though they were both smart, Jordan was the one who actually showed it in school. He resented people less intelligent than him, which was basically everyone, and loved the Beatles. He had liked the "Pirates" movie the first time he'd seen it, since they got the historical details mostly right, but he'd quickly lost interest. At this point, it was unlikely he even remembered more than the names of the main characters. When he noticed the other three had no intention of stopping their chatter, he got up and walked down the stairs into the basement, his almond-shaped eyes never leaving the pages of his textbook.
"Does he own anything that isn't black?" wondered the only girl left in the room, noting the color of Jordan's outfit. She didn't say it in a mean way; she was merely curious.
"Actually," answered the abnormally tall boy sitting next to her, "I think I've seen him wear navy blue a few times." The dark-skinned boy on his other side mimed fainting in surprise. "Elizabeth does that better," commented the other boy, getting back to the movie, "Speaking of which, did anyone notice there's a full moon every night in that movie?" He cringed after he said it.
"Glad you weren't in it?" asked the girl, understanding. Ted nodded. He was extremely tall for his age, and relatively worn-looking. His skin was only the tiniest bit lighter than the strands of light brown hair falling across his forehead. The latest model of digital camera hung around his neck, and his watery blue eyes gleamed, laughing and crying at the same time. Ted was a werewolf, bitten two years ago when he had jumped in front of Haley to protect her from what had seemed at the time to be a rabid wolf. Only his friends and their families knew about his monthly transformations. Although he could take a potion to keep his mind partially human, the change was incredibly painful. While human, Ted was observant and kind, with a knack for learning things to do with history and science. No matter what happened, Ted was the perpetual optimist. He was an amazing photographer, and a friend to anyone unless they hurt those he cared about. Particularly the fragile girl next to him…
Ivy Vernon looked up at her best friend, a rare smile on her lips. Her pale, almost translucent skin took on a milky color in the dim light. The grey-eyed girl was clever and creative, but quiet, sensitive, and terribly shy. From the time she'd met the others, in seventh grade, Ted had been her friend and protector. She'd come with a horrifying past, a mother gone missing, a rich, perfect father revealed to be a twisted murderer, an abusive, drug dealing older brother as a caretaker, that had turned her into a timid creature who only felt comfortable around animals, and who could only express her feelings through drawing and poetry. At first, Emma and Haley had despised her, their parents almost victims of Ivy's cold-blooded father, but now they were good friends. Ted and Ivy, however, retained a special bond.
Around that time, the credits stopped rolling. The last boy, handsome and dark-skinned, with exotic features, reached for the remote, pausing the movie. "Emma! Haley! Jordan! You're going to miss the monkey scene!" Glancing over at Ivy and Ted, he stood up, and walked around to the back of the couch. Ivy had sunk into the depths of the couch, and was leaning against Ted, and Ted was sitting forward thoughtfully. Neither of them appeared to notice this.
Tyrone was loud, obnoxious, egotistical, cocky, and generally well-liked by everyone, whether they admit it or not. He was champion of the school fencing team, and enjoyed bothering teachers and trying to impress Emma. 'Trying' being the operative word. He'd joined their little group after moving to Virginia in sixth grade and befriending Ted. Tyrone looked suspiciously like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, with a mixture of his African-American and Indian parents' features. His short, black hair was a field of tight curls, and fencing gave him a healthy set of muscles. At least half of the girls in school believed themselves in love with him, a fact which only served to help inflate his already colossal ego.
"Monkey scene!" peeped Haley, running out of the kitchen so quickly, she might as well have teleported. From the prominent chocolate smudges on her hands and mouth, the rest of them doubted they'd be getting the promised ice cream. Emma was only a few beats behind her.
"Begun by blood, by blood undone," quoted the redhead, continuing a debate she and Haley had been having in the kitchen. Her Barbossa imitation was unconvincing. It was Ivy who had the gift of voices. As she said the words, the television screen glowed bright white, then returned to normal. The friends chalked it off as a malfunctioning TV. Tyrone restarted the movie, winking at Emma, who rolled her eyes. Emma and Haley flopped down on the floor in front of the TV.
The silence from the room as all five of them watched Jack the monkey swim up to the chest and steal a cursed medallion, was enough to convince Jordan that everyone was gone. Trudging up the stairs, he sighed when he saw them, but sat down on the vacant back couch anyway, now reading a TIME magazine.
When the skeletal monkey jumped at the screen, however, something strange happened. The TV screen actually shattered, leaving a huge vortex behind. Ted, Emma, and Haley were pulled into the gaping hole. "No," whispered Ivy, trying to grab Ted's feet. Her hands closed on empty air, and she was caught by the current herself. Jordan and Tyrone ran to help her, but were dragged in themselves. Each of them felt a hard impact, like a blow to the side of their heads, and then… nothing.
There, it is! Chapter one! Review, review, review. It is my first fic, so please don't kill me, but I really don't care if I get critique. Critique is good. It helps you improve.
Yep, so… Snap to! Clicky the button! You know how this works!