He's a Pirate
Chapter 4- The Black Pearl
Jack swaggered down the docks with Karie behind him. He had burned the message after he had read it, like the man had asked. Jack knew from experience that you didn't want to mess with people who were probably stronger and smarter than you. It sounded as though the competition was going to stop at nothing to get the artifact. Neither would Jack.
Jack stopped beside a small dingy. He pointed to a ship several hundred meters out to sea. The ship was large, and it had black sails. He looked up at it with pride. He saw every little minute detail as a work of art. Apparently, Karie didn't agree with him.
"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Jack said, stretching his arms as though he had the world in his hands.
"If you say so," Karie said. She wrinkled her nose. "But, shouldn't it be a little cleaner?"
"Nah," Jack said, climbing into the dingy. "It's supposed to look like that from afar. You wait and see. There'll be a ton of gorgeous things to see once we've reached her." Jack cast off the boat, and began to row towards the Pearl.
Once they reached The Black Pearl, Jack climbed up and Karie followed suit. She had changed into a loose tunic and some breeches. Apparently, she had come prepared. That was just fine with Jack. It meant that he didn't have to find some clothes for her to change into.
As soon as they stood on deck, everyone on the ship stopped and looked at Karie suspiciously. Karie observed the architecture of the ship. She turned to Jack. "It still looks filthy," she said.
"You're looking at it from a landlubber's point of view," Jack insisted. Then he turned to face her fully. "Now, exactly where are we going?" He asked.
Karie shrugged. "Not sure exactly," she said. "Why don't you use that special little compass of yours?"
Jack eyed her suspiciously. Then he pulled out his compass and looked at it. It had a bearing of North, Northeast. Jack quickly snapped it shut when he saw Karie peering over his shoulder. He beckoned to a young woman with dark skin and black. He whispered something in her ear that Karie couldn't hear, then he waved his hands in an erratic manner and said loudly, "All hands, back to your posts. Prepare to cast off."
Just then, Mr. Gibbs came up to Jack. But before he could say anything, Jack pulled the little water skin from around Gibbs' neck and took a long swallow.
"Sorry, mate," he said as soon as he had finished drinking. "What was it you were going to say?" He handed Gibbs the water skin back and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Then he belched loudly.
Gibbs turned the little flask upside down and shook it. A single drop dripped onto the wooden deck. He shook his head. "Never mind, Jack," he said. "I was going to ask if ye were sober, but it seems that ye've already taken care of that."
Karie put her hands on her hips. "I thought I had made it clear when I gave you the remedy that it is an unwise thing to be constantly drunk," she said.
Mr. Gibbs took her by the arm and led her a little ways away. "That's just the way the Captain is, Missy," he said. "Sometimes, it's better if he's drunk. He seems to be much easier to get along with then."
"Well, I still say it's unwise," Karie replied, folding her arms across her chest. She glanced in Jack's direction. He was looking around and swaying drunkenly. He had drunken the entire flask, and it had been almost completely alcoholic. He swaggered his way to the helm and took it from a young woman with black hair and brown skin. She let him take the helm as though there wasn't a thing wrong with him.
"That may be," Gibbs replied. "But he's better off drunk then he is sober." Then Gibbs left her to attend to his duties.
Karie just stood there with her eyes narrowed at Jack. She didn't trust him. He was a scoundrel, and a drunkard. And he was also a pirate. She shook her head. She would never understand her uncle. He always seemed to take to the strangest people.
She knew that her uncle had instructed her not to mention who he really was, but it was a little difficult considering she disliked her uncle immensely. He was rotten, and only did things if he saw that he would get some personal gain out of it. The only reason he had sent her was because he was tired of her whining and he thought that maybe she might find something that enticed her in Tortuga.
But, of course, she would never have been enticed by anything in Tortuga. It was a place full of scoundrels and people with no discretion whatsoever. Over half the time the majority of the inhabitants were drunk.
If only Karie had known of her uncle's past, then she would have known why he was the way he was, and why he always took to the worst scoundrels of them all. If only she had known the truth, she probably would have stayed in Tortuga.
Just then, Karie felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the young woman with dark hair and brown skin standing in front of her. She was wearing breeches and a white tunic. Of course, the tunic wasn't very white anymore, but it was obvious that it had been white at one point. The young woman didn't waste time on a greeting, other than her name.
"I'm Anna Maria," she said. "Seeing as you're a girl, it would be wise to bunk with me while you're here. The crew can get a bit antsy sometimes."
Karie nodded. "Thank you," she said. Anna Maria nodded her acknowledgment and left to continue her duties as a member of the crew. Karie grabbed hold of a railing as she felt the deck underneath her sway with cast-off. A nearby crewmember chuckled when she nearly lost her balance and had to hold onto the railing with both hands. She turned around to glare at him, but he had already moved on to get a hold of the rigging.
Seeing she was in the way, Karie wove her way out of the crowd of men and went up to the helm where Jack was standing, compass in hand, and turning the wheel occasionally. She stood a few feet behind him for several long moments.
"Are you going to just stand there and watch me steer?" Jack asked after a moment.
"I was waiting until you were less busy so I might speak to you," Karie replied.
Much too polite for a servant girl, Jack thought. Out loud he said, "Well, then you're going to have to stand there for several hours. My shift doesn't end until mealtime."
"Well, then," Karie replied, "perhaps I could ask you the question now?"
"You know," Jack said, turning the wheel slightly, "you don't need to ask to speak. You're not among royalty or noble-born people." He turned his head slightly to hear her reply better.
"I didn't realize that my being polite was making you uncomfortable," she said politely. "But it's just the way I was raised. I can't help it."
Jack didn't reply to that. Instead, he asked, "So what exactly is this artifact?" He glanced down at the compass in his hands. The beads in his dreadlocks clinked together faintly.
"I don't know," Karie replied, coming to stand a foot closer so she could better hear him. She was now standing close to the rail, but she was no longer behind him. She was almost directly across from him. She leaned against the railing, facing Jack. "Uncle Tim didn't say what it was. He only said that it was important that you get it, and no one else."
"I thought his name was Barnabas Rigby," Jack commented, turning his head slightly towards her. He raised an eyebrow.
"Who told you that?" She asked, looking across at the waves as they rolled underneath the ship's hull.
"The letter said his name was Barnabas Rigby," Jack replied, turning his attention back to the helm.
"Oh, uh," Karie stuttered. She tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Um, well his middle name is Timothy," She said, nervously brushing some imaginary dust from her trousers. "I call him uncle Tim because it's easier than calling him uncle Barnabas. And because the name Barnabas sounds respectable and, well, educated." She leaned her arms against the railing. "Uncle Tim isn't exactly the most educated guy. I mean, sure he can read and write, but he's not exactly a scholar or anything like that."
"Sounds as though he likes, to pretend that he's something he's not," Jack commented.
"I don't know if he does or not," Karie replied. "Uncle Tim is a bit of a recluse. He doesn't really have much contact with the outside world, aside from selling some wares." Then she changed the subject. "What's going to be for supper anyway?" She asked.
"Whatever's available," Jack replied generally. "Sometimes someone makes something really elaborate, like a roast, but usually we get our meals whenever we have the time."
"You think a roast is elaborate?" Karie asked disbelievingly. "You're kidding, right? I mean, a roast has to be one of the easiest things to make. The hard part is the gravy."
"You can make gravy?" Jack asked. He turned his head to her and smacked his lips.
"Of course," Karie replied, as thought it were obvious. "Can't anyone on you're ship?"
"Nope," Jack said bluntly.
Karie rubbed her temples. "Where's the galley?" She asked, sighing heavily in annoyance.
"Ask Anna Maria to show you where," Jack said, and he turned the wheel slightly. Karie shrugged her shoulders and turned away from the helm. She headed for where she could just spot Anna Maria among the crew.
Jack shook his head. Her uncle's middle name was Timothy, eh? Well, that was just a little too obvious. She had definitely been lying. The question was, who was her uncle really?
A/N: I hope you liked that. I know what you're thinking, but please keep all questions to yourselves. They will all be answered in due time. In the meantime, review please and let me know what you think.