Innocence's Shadow

Chapter One

Hidden

She kissed her sisters goodbye, before she slung the bag over her shoulder and she sneaked out of window, out of her house, it was no longer her home.

She looked at Port Cedric and kissed her child hood memories goodbye, she stole some men's clothes and some bandages to hide her chest.

Selestia went into an alley where she changed clothes and pt the bandages on, she dumped her dress on the steps of a young girl she knew who would look stunning in the dress. She hid her hair in a hat and headed out of Port Cedric.

"Sir, would I be able to catch a lift to the next stop?"

"Of course lad, that will be three silver pieces." The merchant said, holding out a grubby hand. Selestia paid the correct amount and board the ship.

"So where is this sip headed?"

"Tortuga to drop of some rum."

Tortuga… Tortuga…why is that name so familiar? She questioned herself.

Selestia sat upper deck as she watched the sunset and the glittery sky fill with stars, to the far left was Sirius, the dog star, she watched the star twinkle, o her right was a full moon, enlighten its silver glow upon the ship.

Her crystal blue eyes became heavy and slowly she drifted off to sleep in a huddled position, away from sight.

When the first ray of sunlight hit Selestia, she awoke, sleepily she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around to see that she was not in her bed, but on a ship, slowly remembering she calmed down and stood up.

Looking around she saw that everyone was on deck, hoisting sails, being on look out and steering the ship, it was normal day on a merchant ship, she hoped she would not come across any pirate ships.

Selestia made sure all of her hair was still in her hat before she went down to see the man who she talked to the day before. "Excuse me sir, but when will we be at Tortuga?"

"By nightfall at the least." He said, not moving his eyes from the horizon in front of him. The waves crashed against the ship, rocking it gently, it soothed Selestia into a light slumber.

When she opened her eyes again, she realised that night had fallen and the waves weren't as fierce as before.

Standing up she looked out and saw that they had docked at Tortuga.

Gun shoots echoed the night and as she watched her surroundings, she realised what Tortuga was and gasped, she was at a Pirates Island.

But she needed to escape; swallowing her fear she stepped onto land, where there was a sturdy ground.

She walked around, but as she did, she knew she had no place among these people, she was weapon-less and female, it wouldn't take long until someone realised this.

The young girl walked into a shop where she bought a cutlass and a gun. She felt safe with these weapons at hand and so the young girl continued her tread.

She walked past 'women of the nigh' and men throwing them selves at these women, she walked past pirates and gun shoots.

Although she felt unsafe, she felt free, felt as if someone oped the cage and the phoenix could fly again, her soul could fly.

Eventually she came to a tavern, and she realised how thirsty and hungry she was. So Selestia entered the bar and placed herself on a stool, before she ordered a drink and some food.

When the barmaid came back with her food, she studied Selestia before she whispered to her, "Honey, you ain't no man, and I would be careful if I were you." Before she went back to serving drinks.

Selestia dug into her food, not wasting anytime, and chugged down the rum, forgetting how it burned and scratched her throat, but she was use to it.

A man sat next to her, he was an average height, fat, had blonde hair and beady eyes, on his left eyebrow was a clear scar, probably from a swordfight. She thought.

She tried not to stare but he caught her eye and said in a deep, gruff voice, "Ye look familiar, 'ave I seen ye 'efore?"

"Unlikely." She said before returning her stare to her rum and sipping it so the liquid would last.

"I know ye, ye be that girl."

"I'm sorry, I don't-" She was cut off by him knocking her hat of and pulling her by her hair, lifting her up from the stool.

"William has a bounty on ye." He said grinning a horrid grin.

"Get…you're… bloody… hands… off… of… me."

"Or you will do what, kick me?" Then he laughed a laugh that made his belly shake violently.

Her hand travelled to the gun that was in her pants, waistband, she pulled it out and clicked it against his head, warning him she would pull the trigger if her moved.

"No, I'll shoot."

His laughing stopped immediately, before he said in a husked voice, "You wouldn't, you can't kill me." He sounded extremely confident, and he was right, she wouldn't kill him.

"True." She said before she pointed the gun as his foot and pulled the trigger, "But I would shoot." He dropped her, making her crashed into the stool then onto the floor, with a painful movement she picked her self up and ran out of the tavern looking for somewhere else to run.

She ran as far away from the man as possible, hoping he wouldn't catch her, but as luck found its way, he had men, and they ran after her.

Putting the gun back where she had placed it before and pulling out her cutlass as she ran, she swerved around a corner.

Dodging men and women as she went, hearing the heavy footsteps behind her, she climbed up a tree and jumped off it onto a wall, running on top of the wall she saw the men in hot pursuit after her, all had their cutlass' and guns drawn.

Seeing one-man aim at her with his gun, she jumped of the wall ad around the corner; she needed a place to hide.

Her black hair blew in the wind as she ran past buildings and people; she came to the docks and ran behind the closet thing possible, which was in her case, barrels. The barrels were large and wooden, they hid her from the dirt road in front o her.

Heart still racing she caught her breath and waited for the men to pass, when she heard the footsteps leave, she checked to see if the coast was clear, but apparently on of the men hadn't came around as quickly as the others and saw her, he then shouted, "Men, I found 'er." And they all came running back, cutlass' drawn and ready to attack.

She pulled out her own and looked around to see her odds.

Twenty experienced pirates against one unexperienced girl, no way in Hades would she survive, but she would die fighting, as she thought this she then wondered why such a melodramatic thought? But it didn't matter; she waited for the pirates to attack her.

When one came she blocked his strike and deflected it with her own, as soon as she did so, on grabbed her by the neck and held her, another grabbed her arms and others grabbed her legs.

"Let me go you sons of a-" One of the pirates then put a hand over her mouth to stop her screaming, a dirty, grubby, disgusting hand. Mentally sighing, she bit down on his hand, making him pull away.

Sharply and quickly drawing in a breath, she screamed, as loud and high as possible, hoping someone would come to her rescue, screw prince charming, I'll take anyone. She thought as she screamed, before another hand was placed over her mouth.

A click was heard, telling them that someone had a gun raised and ready to shoot. Then a voice spoke, "Mate, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Her eyes darted to the right to see another pirate, and she gasped, it was Captain Jack Sparrow.