Before the Curse Chapter Two: Meetings

The morning sun shined brightly through the window on the south side of the room. My eyes lightly fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the immense amount of sunlight in the small room. Cautiously, I lifted the heavy blankets off of my legs, letting my feet lightly touch the cool wooden floors. A chill went down my body as I raised myself from my bed. I walked over to a quaint dresser in the corner of the room, opening the screeching drawer, I pulled out a white baggy shirt and some trousers, throwing them onto my slight body frame. I checked the mirror that hung above my dresser briefly before walking into the bar of the Inn.

My feet wafted their way over the dark wood floors until I was behind the counter. I started my usual morning routine. I grabbed a bucket from underneath the bar and walked into the alleyway that I had been discovered in. Walking up to a well, I started fishing water into a bucket, letting my thoughts wander while my body completed its natural routine.

It had been a year since I found a permanent residence in the small Inn. Now don't get me wrong, I was happy. For once in the past 6 years I was actually free. But after a while, the same routine gets old. I've never been one to keep a boring routine. I mean nowadays, it seems the only excitement in my life comes from an occasional bar fight. Even on the ship I had a different routine, some days the captain would have an actual whore to mess around with, and I was let off the hook. All I was looking for was a change in speed, something to quench my newly claimed sense of adventure.

My thoughts were unfortunately broken when I finally realized that I had zoned out and was currently standing in the middle of the bar, my heavy bucket lying next to me on the floor. Glancing down I saw my reflection in the clear water. My red hair was cut short, lightly brushing the sides of my face. My brown eyes harbored a sad glint to them as they flickered to the laceration down the center of my face. The scar I had received but year ago was still healing, it had turned a dull pink after a couple of months and was now at it's current color, a light brown. Being so much darker then the rest of my face, the scar stood out, leaving anyone who glanced at it freaked out, after all, women shouldn't have scars like mine.

Frustrated, I threw the old cloth I was holding into the water and harshly turned around walking to the counter. I grabbed the many flasks lying on the side of the counter and returned to the bucket, grabbing a bar of soap on my way. Carefully I put all of the flasks into the clear water and started scrubbing away.

"My, my, so early and already working. What a good servant girl you are." My face scrunched at the sound of one of the nightly whores coming down from upstairs. Her voice was very high pitched; it was surprising a window didn't break. Walking around me to the door, she gracefully opened it, and then let it slam harshly beside her. This usually happened around this time, the whores at Tortuga awoke early, so they could leave before their counterparts for the previous night could awaken. By doing this, it usually allowed them enough time to take the man's money, and make a clean getaway before he awoke and found hat he was missing. Why the men keep having them over was a mystery to me.

If not but ten minutes later, a man came rushing down the stairs cursing. "Damn wench, took all of me' bloody earnings." He followed out the door the same way, except with less grace and more volume.

Sighing, I leaned on the bar waiting for more costumers to come in. Business at the Inn had been considerably slow. Since the rooms were so luxurious, only the richer men could afford to bring their whores here. The bar had considerably less costumers because of it. Most men and pirates wanted a place, where they could drink and sleep around in the same building. Needless to stay, vast amounts of Tortuga wenches gathered around the doors of the Inn, waiting for a wealthy man to walk through the doors, all sitting there with hopes that they would be able to stay in the lavish rooms for one night.

Suddenly I felt my body shiver before the cool Caribbean air could even reach it. The door to the Inn had swung open revealing a young man, no older than 20. He walked gracefully into the bar and took a seat. Women flocked around him, hoping to get a bite, so they could sleep in their dream room…well maybe sleep wasn't the correct term. The man just held up his hand to the women, "Not tonight ladies, ol' Jacky is just in for a bottle of rum." The man winked his dark brown eye, giving an ever so slight grin to the wenches that were teetering around him. Angrily they all stormed off, walking back to the door, waiting for the next fool to walk in.

After watching the man briefly, I poured a flask of rum, and took it over to his table. After returning to the counter, I just sat behind it and watched the man from the corner of my eye. His dark hair was doused completely in dreads, some hanging loosely, some put into a high knot on his head, all the same length, resting lightly just below his jaw line. A dark red bandana was sported around his head, being interlocked with some of the dreads in a secure lock at the back of his head. He was wearing a thin, white, flowing shirt. Black boots covered his feet and most of his calf, leaving the only part of his pants to be seen. The man had a sword and a gun hilt- that was short one gun- hanging over the back of the chair. He had dark circles around his eyes and slight hair on his chin.

"Another."

That simple word broke me from my secretive glance at him. Sighing, I turned all my attention towards the man. I saw that he was holding up his flask, shaking slightly in the air.

"Another." He repeated the word, this time with s a slightly more harsh tone and more rambunctious shaking.

Sighing, I got up from my seat behind the bar and retrieved rum for this mysterious man. Slamming the mug down on the table, letting some of the rum rise and spill over the top, I walked back to the counter sitting on my pedestal. Allowing myself to drift into my thoughts.

This routine continued through out the night. We only spoke a total of three words to each other.

He would say, "Another."

I would reply with a, "'Course."

He would say, "Thanks."

Those were the only words I heard that night, and for some reason, when he was long gone and I was closing down the shop, I kept wondering if he was going to come back, and I would get to exchange the same awkward but kindly three words with him again.

As was expected, I carried on that same routine everyday. The mysterious man that had come in that one night, had come to visit at the same time ever since. After spending about 3 weeks in this same ritual, our words spoken to each other grew.

After a tiresome, boring, and not to mention uneventful three weeks we sought fit to add two new words to our conversation, 'Ello' and 'Welcome.' It seemed as if, no matter how content I was to leave our conversations like that, something in me wanted to talk to him. To get to know him, but I didn't know what.

"'Ey luv, how about ye get me another round." Slowly, I allowed my legs to leisurely guide my body to the table, and through the vast amount of whores gathered around the wealthy gentleman's table. I took the empty flask and walked back to the counter the exact same way, I placed the golden colored rum into the glass, and handed it back to the drunken man.

The customer from the previous weeks had yet to show up. Which was odd, for so far he came threw those doors at the same time, each night. Sighing I waited for the man to leave the Inn so I could close up for the night. "One Room." The man threw a sack of money onto the table and smirked at the two women hanging off of both his arms. With out standing I turned around and grabbed a key to one of the more expensive rooms in the lodge. Careful as to not brush the man's grimy skin with my own, I dropped the key on the table and waited for him to make his way up stairs. Just as the threesome reached the top step, I felt the cool Caribbean air reach me. I turned to find my frequent visitor in the door way. I already started filling a flask of rum, waiting for him to take a seat at the table he routinely sat at. I looked up from the rum to see the stranger's face right in front of mine.

I slight blush came to my cheeks as I realized that instead of the table he frequented, he was sitting at the bar directly across from me. He smirked at me, a slight twinkle in his eye that I hadn't noticed before, given the distance we usually had from each other.

" 'Ello Luv." His smirk, somehow, grew even larger than before.

"Hello." I returned his smile best I could, I was quite displeased he decided to show himself at closing time.

" The names' Jack." His spoke as he took his rum from my hand.

Taking a sip of the golden liquid, he looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for something. I searched my mind, thinking about what he would be wanting me to say, but I couldn't draw a conclusion.

"What's your name, luv?" It seemed he found that I was clueless as well.

"Oh. Mia, my name is Mia." I held my hand out for the man to shake, and looked at his face, waiting for our hands to make contact. He smirked at me, putting his flask down and taking my hand in his.

"So, Mia," he smirked as he said my name, as if it was some sweet toxin, "can I buy you a drink?"

I chuckled a bit, staring at the man, "I work here."

"So it's free?"

"I was about to respond to the man, when I heard a scurry of footsteps running down the stairs of the Inn.

"Mia, Why are all the lights still on? It's half past closing," Annabel was running down the stairs, about questioning me as to why we were still open, then she saw Jack sitting at the counter, and her face became red. "Oh no you don't! We are closed sir, and therefore I must insist that you leave!"

Annabel wasn't one known for kicking customers out, but when they stayed far past when they were allowed, she got very agitated, very quickly. And unfortunately for Jack, she wasn't one of great tolerance.

Finally Annabel was successful in convincing Jack to leave, (which involved pouring his rum flask in the alley and looming over him until he left). I finished my task of putting out all of the candles in the bar, and was preparing to retreat back to my room. But before I could fully retreat into the darkness of my room there was a knock on the in door.

Scurrying back into the bar portion of the Inn, I had to walk slowly to the door, making sure I wouldn't knock into anything amongst the dark objects. Once making it to the door I sighed, the person that was previously knocking was most likely long gone by now. I opened the door to find Jack leaning in the door way of the Inn, a smirk on his face.

"How 'bout that drink now, luv?" He smiled at me, the twinkle back in his eye.

I chuckled at the man; he was a very interesting individual. "I'd be honored." Walking into the Inn, I pocketed a key and turned around walking towards Jack and looking the door behind me.

Now, I know that it took me FOREVER to get this chapter out. But do realize that it's not because I have a problem writing, it's because I'm lazy, and most of the time I get too caught up reading other's stories and forget to up date my own.

Anyway I really hope you liked this chapter, the next one I probably going to be fairly short, but the one after that will be normal length. Once again, read and review! Tell me what you think, and what I need to improve on! :D

-Rinny-