Bait

"Whitecap Bay!" roared the watcher from the crow's nest. Jack grimaced and turned to Angelica.

"How is it we're going to catch a mermaid?" he asked.

Angelica smirked. "With bait," she said.

Jack stared at her. "What?"

Angelica sighed. "They'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Not in mermaid-infested waters." said Jack.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Relax, you won't be bait."

Jack was slightly relieved, but he was still a bit concerned for the other crewmen. "Where be that King? I want her in the longboat with the others." said Blackbeard.

The Quartermaster led Elizabeth, whose wrists were chained in front of her, toward the longboat. Jack stared at her before wheeling on Blackbeard. "Mate, you said you weren't going to kill her!" Jack snapped.

"I won't be doin' the killing, Mr. Sparrow. The mermaids will." said Blackbeard calmly.

Jack looked at Elizabeth in concern. "But…"

"Jack," snapped Angelica. He looked at her. Angelica's eyes reflected a similar anxious look. "Don't argue," she muttered. She turned to Elizabeth. "I… I am sorry."

Elizabeth pursed her lips. "I hope you see now what Jack has said about your father." she muttered.

Angelica held up her chin and stalked away. Jack frowned at the exchange. It seemed Angelica and Elizabeth had become acquainted with one another. He turned to Elizabeth, beginning to feel panicked. "Lizzie… I'm sorry." he murmured.

Elizabeth braved a smile. "It's not your fault. I'll make sure Will doesn't come after you."

Jack shook his head, his eyebrows pinched together in worry. "You're not dead yet, love."

Elizabeth met his gaze. "I've been dead since I stepped foot on this ship."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He wanted to tell her something. Goodbye? No, that wasn't sufficient enough. He wanted to say something meaningful, but he didn't know what to say. Before he could decide, Elizabeth was gone.

…

Elizabeth didn't blame Jack. She just wished he had said whatever he had tried to say. But the words didn't seem to come to him. Disappointment settled in Elizabeth's stomach. She was really curious now. What had Jack struggled to say?

"What's going on, exactly?" Phillip's quiet and nervous voice pulled Elizabeth from her thoughts.

"Mermaids" was all Elizabeth could manage to say.

A bright light from the lighthouse spotlighted them in the sea. "Oh bugger, they be drawn to manmade light." muttered a man called Ezekiel.

"Sharks?" squeaked the cabin boy.

"Worse," said Ezekiel. "Mermaids, and we're the bait!"

Phillip looked at Elizabeth with wide eyes. Elizabeth nodded grimly to confirm his fears. "Sing," said Gunner.

"Wha'?" said Scrum.

"They like to 'ear singin'." said Gunner.

Elizabeth frowned. Yo ho yo ho, a pirate's life for me… Yo ho, haul together, hoist the colors high… "M-my heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me…" Scrum waved for the others to join him.

"But my jolly sailor bold!" everyone sang. Elizabeth glanced at Phillip and shrugged. Neither of them knew this song. The others continued to sing, until twenty minutes had passed, and most everyone had fallen asleep. Scrum continued to mumble through the lyrics. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was staring at the water. She could've sworn she'd something flicker in the depths, but she didn't want to raise a false alarm. Phillip suddenly jerked and looked over the side of the longboat by Elizabeth. Curious, Elizabeth's eyes met the swiveling tail of a mermaid. Her eyes followed the mermaid's path.

"Men, look!" said Phillip, shaking the others awake. Elizabeth gawked at the woman hanging on the side of the boat.

The woman looked normal, with wide blue eyes and a sweet smile. Her long blonde hair was slicked back from being wet. She looked like a woman, but Elizabeth knew the woman's bottom half was a tail. "Are you the one who sings?" she asked. Her voice was musical.

"Aye, that be me." said Scrum proudly.

"Ah, Scrum!" barked Ezekiel.

Elizabeth missed Scrum's argument because she and Phillip were having a silent conversation: this wasn't good. The mermaid began to sing, entrancing all the men except for Phillip. Elizabeth wasn't bothered, either. She noticed more mermaids surrounding the dinghy until they were outnumbered. Elizabeth let out a string of curses in her mind that would've made Jack proud. How, exactly, were they going to catch a mermaid without being attacked by the rest of the clan?

"Sea witch!" spat Ezekiel. He stabbed the first mermaid with a harpoon.

Immediately, the mermaids started attacking. They plunged their hands into the boat, leaped over and snatched sailors right out of the dinghy, dragging them to the depths. Elizabeth stood, feeling the boat rock beneath her. Phillip stood with her, looking quite panicked. Elizabeth was flung out of the dinghy when it rocked violently. She plunged into the dark sea.

A mermaid grabbed her, but didn't attack. The mermaid dragged Elizabeth to shore. Elizabeth coughed and spluttered and dragged herself onto the beach. A mermaid had just saved her life, but why? Elizabeth felt hands grab her. She struggled to get free.

"Lizzie, stop fighting, you lunatic!" cried Jack. Elizabeth turned to face Jack.

"What the hell, Jack?" Elizabeth cried.

Jack shoved a pistol and his sword into Elizabeth's hands. "Get out of here," he muttered.

Elizabeth frowned. "What?"

"Go, get out!" Jack urged.

"Where would I possibly go, Jack?" Elizabeth countered.

"Find a way home, I dunno. Just go. Live." said Jack.

Elizabeth softened. "Jack… What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Jack assured her. "Now go!"

Without a second look at Jack, Elizabeth took off for the jungle, the screams of mermaids wailing behind her.

...

Thank you to Maddz2 for your faithful reviews, and to the guest! Keep it up, please!