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Her maid awoke her that morning. Her ebony covers soaked up the sun that her lightly curtained windows let through.
"Miss Alexandra, please miss, wake up, your father is in desperate need of your help." She urged, pushing Alexandra to awake her. Alexandra murmured something that sounded like 'Wake me up when Jack comes', but none the less, she got up and slipped on a burgundy dress, with the help of her maid, of course.
"Thank you, Mary. Please go fetch us some breakfast now, if you would." She ordered. Mary smiled slightly and curtsied, exiting the room silently. Alexandra looked at herself in the mirror, her hair in a bun, her flowing dress covering most of the square rug that stood before her mirror. She turned that she could see the profile of herself, her skinny stomach leading up to her conservative neckline. She had wanted something that went a bit lower, the color of the dress was simply divine, but her father insisted that it was too skimpy. Her body could barley feel the press of the corset, she was so used to it. She turned back to face the mirror. Her eyes traveled down to the desk, where a dagger sat. Her father had given it to her just in case someone had entered the room without permission and attempted her, as he said. She obviously knew what this meant, and kept it with her at all times. Her eyes moved from the dagger to the reflection of her hair in the mirror. How would it look shortened to above her shoulders? What would she look like with men's clothes on? Jack's clothes? With this last thought she smiled and opened the door to the hallway and was greeted with the smell of breakfast. Fruits sat on the table and toast next to it. She delicately plucked a piece of toast from the pile, and selected a pear which she placed on her porcelain plate. She nibbled on the toast as her dad sat down at the head of the table.
"Alexandra…." He began. She turned to look at her father. His eyes were puffy and his hair was messy and slightly knotted. He was not a Governor or anything of the like, but he was friends with Governors and the King of England. For this reason they had much money and influence. They were in the highest of social classes and dined with royalty. They were considered royalty. They could not be seen with anyone lower than middle class, or their reputation would be irreparably tarnished.
"What is, father?" Alexandra asked, looking up at him, her eyes begging to water. She knew what was coming, she'd known it for months.
"Your…. Your mother and I are separating." He said slowly, stammering. Alexandra let her head hang and the tears fall. She knew that this would be happening, and she had prepared herself for it. Still, the tears streamed down, and her body shook with sobs. "You will be staying with me. Your mother is moving back to Ireland, where she grew up. You, Alexandra shall remain here." He said. His voice had an emotionless tone. He must have known this for quite a bit as well. Alexandra looked up at her dear father and tried to hold her tears back. She had to be strong for him. She was the only one he had now. She choked back her sobs. She had prepared herself, she could not let the hours of getting ready for this moment fall before her.
"It will be alright father. We don't need her, our friends remain strong in our sorrow." She assured him. A comforting hand rested on his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. "We'll get through this, I promise. It'll seem like normal, she wasn't around much as it was." She said, smiling at her father. She finally coaxed a return of the gesture out of him.
Later that night Alexandra lay in bed, finishing up her Captain Kidd book. She was ready to start on her new one, about the infamous Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard. However she did not eagerly dive into the text. She searched her bookcase for any book or mention of this Jack Sparrow. Every index of every book she searched, rushing to the letters 'J' and 'S'. However she came up with nothing. Her tireless efforts left her exhausted and still awake at 4:00 AM. Her eyesight was blurred from looking at the small print in each book. Her hands were tired from flipping through the endless pages. Her maid knocked on her door, telling her it was time to wake up and get ready for the day. Alexandra today had a plan. She put on her father's favorite dress and intricately wove her hair into a bun. Her makeup was applied evenly and perfectly. The most glamorous shoes she could find were slipped onto her feet. She quickly corrected her posture and glided weightlessly down the steps to the dining area. Her father was already at the head of the table, munching large holes in a red apple.
"Good morning, father." She greeted, curtsying before him. His smile widened at her manners.
"Good morning, Alexandra." He replied, smiling wider. She daintily sat beside him, reaching for a perfect peach.
"Father, I have a request." She said quietly, looking at him but quickly averting her gaze to the floor. Her father rolled his eyes. He knew this was coming.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Oh father, may I go to the bookstore this morning to buy a few books?" She pleaded, practically begging. He considered this, taking into account the weather and the time of day.
"Yes, alright, you may go, but be back before 3, alright?" He asked. She nodded furiously.
"Oh yes, thank you so much father!" Alexandra gushed, kissing him on the check as she grabbed a purse and headed out the elaborately carved doors. Her heeled shoes brought her down the well worn path to town. Voices rang out, advertising the merchants' various trades, calling for business. A few drunken men sat around outside the pubs. Alexandra inched away from them, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Oh dear…" She murmured as she was out of their earshot. Her face brightened as she saw the flamboyant sign that signaled the entrance to the bookshop. She pushed through the door, sending various bells clinking through the store. A kind old man stood at the counter on the other side of the cramped store, waiting for customers to bring their purchases to him. She hurried to the far end of the store, where she knew the writings on pirates would be. Her fingers ran along the rows of books which were barley ever touched, searching for 'Jack' or 'Sparrow'. Her heart leaped as the first popped up. She gleefully tore the book from the shelf, ripping it open. Her heart sank violently as she read the title page. 'Calico Jack' was sprawled across it in a fancy script. She pouted and replaced the book on the shelf, searching with considerably less vigor. There were few books on Sparrow. She knew there were tons out there, but this store seemed to carry a considerably small amount. She chose the two largest ones, eager to return home and read them both. The sky was darkening as she left, she knew that rain had been predicted. She could not help but hear others' conversations as she passed by them, and no matter how hard she tried to respect their privacy, her efforts were futile and her only choice was to return home as fast as she could. However, one conversation stopped her completely.
"You see that ship in the harbor?" A woman asked behind the shelter over her hand.
"Yeah, I heard it was the Black Pearl." Another woman whispered hurriedly.
"Jack Sparrow's ship, no?" The first asked. The latter nodded grimly.
"It's said that he might attack the town tonight…" One said warily, glancing worriedly in the direction of the harbor. "And we know where they'll be heading…" The first nodded grimly.
"For the governors and anyone who could have valuables…" The second said regrettably. After that last sentence Alexandra decided to head off toward home, her mood considerably lighter. Jack Sparrow was in her town! And he was expected to enter her house! She could finally go off with the man of her dreams.
a/n- This chapter was a bit longer… Thank you all so much for the encouraging reviews, they truly do help. Please review again!
