Disclaimer- I do not own anything

Once the average girl, now the "it" girl

We finally tied up our ship at the dock of Tortuga, and it was nightfall completely. I would not have known it was so by walking into Tortuga. So many fires were lit in all directions, and drunken yell pressed in on me, so that I covered then in agony.

"What's up?" asked Will, looking concerned and appalled at the scene before us.

"Too…loud…too loud…voices…gunshots…"I moaned. Will patted my back sympathetically. After about three seconds, I let go of my ears, and felt more accustomed to the crowd. Jack lumbered off in some other direction. We followed quickly.

"You know," said Will to me, as we walked through the village, "This is the most disgusting, loud old ditch I have ever had the misfortune to enter."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Bloody cutlass. I'll have yer hide for this…"

"Rum, rum, need rum!"

"I'm inclined to agree," I said grimly. This is the most disgusting place I have ever been to. All this noise is killing me, and it smells like rum, cow, and heavy perfume.

I looked over and saw Jack smiling. I stared at him.

"Don't tell me you enjoy this," I said loudly over all the noise.

"Well, yes," said Jack. "More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"

"It'll linger," said Will, looking at a man who was drinking two cups of rum at a time.

Jack waited for my answer.

"Sweet, proliferous bouquet, my ass," I said coolly. I was revolted to see most of the ladies with their revealing dresses and drunken swagger. "I see not one lady here has any dignity! The shame!"

"I tell you two," said Jack matter-of-factly, "If every town were like this one, no man would ever go unwanted."

He moved away from us to run to a red-haired prostitute, yelling, "Scarlet!"

She didn't answer, just smacked him hard across the face, and stalked away.

The force of the blow had turned Jack's head around at us. We looked back at him. Will seemed fighting not to laugh. I was just plain cool. He looked dumfounded before he answered, "Not sure I deserved that one."

Unless you didn't pay the slut for her work, I thought savagely.

He had just turned his head back around when a second harlot walked up to him with her dress hanging off her shoulders and a fake smile on her face. I grabbed Will's arm gently and pulled him backwards a little; this hit was going to turn Jack's head around even farther, and it was too much to hope that Will would not get pushed back by it.

"Giselle," said Jack, slightly nervously.

She smirked and said, "Who was she?"

"What?" asked Jack guiltily. Will and I flinched in sympathy again as she slapped him hard and stomped off, leaving him looking a little dazed.

Will and I stared at him, waiting for him to say something.

"I may have deserved that," he came out with.

"If every town were like this," I said. "You would be the most unwanted man in the world."

Will nodded in agreement. Jack frowned at him. "Thought you were on my side with this. Anyway, we need to get to a certain friend of mine to round up a good crew."

"Gibbs?" I asked slyly. Jack didn't even look surprised at my intelligence, he just nodded.

"Gibbs."

We passed more harlots and drunks and dead bodies and fiddler players and fighting people and couples doing romantic stuff, if you get what I'm talking about. We entered a dark and damp house, where at the very end of the room was none other than Mr. Gibbs, sleeping with the pigs, covered in mud. The closer we got to him, the more pronounced was this horrible smell Gibbs was giving off. Will wrinkled his nose, but I held my nose, turning both blue at lack of oxygen, and green at the smell.

Jack picked up two barrels of water, gave one to Will, and threw his own at Gibbs, who was woken up immediately.

"Curse ya fer breathin', ya slack-jawed idiot!" he shouted, pulling out a dagger, before he realized who it was.

Will and I looked at each other in amusement, then looked back at Gibbs, whose expression of fury was replaced by a shocked smile.

"Mother's love, Jack!" he said, putting his dagger away. "You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'. It's bad luck…"

"Ah, well," Jack said. "I know how to counter it: the man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping listens to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

Gibbs thought about it for a minute. Then he said, "Aye, that'll about do it."

I couldn't breath anymore. After Jack helped Gibbs up and he was standing, I grabbed Will's bucket out of his hands, saying, "Gimme that thing," and threw it at Gibbs.

Once more, Gibbs was drenched in water.

"Blast, I'm already awake!" he shouted.

"That," I gasped, breathing again, "Was for the goddamn smell."

Gibbs stared at me, then shrugged in slight agreement. Jack seemed to understand where I was coming from. Will was covering his mouth to hide his laughter.

"Well, let's go," I said bossily, strutting back outside.

I really didn't want to. But I had to. And that was the only place we could give our proposition to Gibbs. I tried to calm myself as we entered the village pub, complete with punches, rum, and armies of "lasses." I held Will's arm, in case I got lost in the crowd, and he smiled at me, saying something that I never thought he'd say.

"You know, I don't know you well, but you're almost like the little sister I have never had."

I stared up at him in awe. Finally, I smiled, and said, "And you, my little brother."

"Little?" He said, looking falsely affronted.

I smirked, but did not answer.

Gibbs went to a table in the corner to sit down, waiting for Jack, who had gone to get him some rum. Will stood on one of the wooden stands, in front of the Gibbs, looking like a bodyguard. No one was to hear of what Jack had in mind.

I stood by Will with my hands on my hips, feeling oddly superior and cool. I mean, I'm the first thirteen year old African American pirate from the 21st century! I have made history-man can go back in time! Well, at least in their dreams. But enough of all this crap.

After what seemed two minutes, Jack suddenly appeared with two cups of rum in his hand. He paused at Will, who was looking nervously around at all the ruckus, and said, "Keep a sharp eye." Then he held my arm lightly and lead me over to the table.

"Before we get to the proposition," Jack said to Gibbs. "I'd like you to meet my first mate, Rema Emor."

Gibbs looked at me. He seemed to doubt my eligibility. So I crossed my arms, pursed my ruby-red lips, and said breathily, "You need to throw away that rum bottle you keep smuggling into your mouth, or you'll end up one of these losers," I pointed to the crowd of fighting men.

That was enough for Gibbs, he shook my hand and said in a sincerely polite voice, "Pleased to meet ya, Miss Emor."

"My pleasure," I answered, just as kindly. We all sat down, and I watched as Jack and Gibbs drank their mugs of rum.

"So," said Gibbs, "What's the nature of this venture of yourn?"

He was about to take another swig, when I put down his arm, just as Jack said, "I'm going after the Black Pearl."

Gibbs eyes widened and he gaped at Jack for a minute. I said, still holding his arm, "If I let you drink that rum while jack spoke, you'd choke."

Gibbs nodded impatiently in my direction before saying to jack. "It's a fool's errand. You know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."

Jack looked to me for a little support.

"We've seen it," I said in a business-like tone, so that this man understood I'm not all joking teen material. "We know where it's heading…and we're going to take it!"

"I've heard Barbossa don't have time fer strikin' bargains with fool, nor have any time fer one."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a fool, then isn't it?" said Jack cheerfully.

"And how do you know he will listen to ya, eh?" Gibbs said disbelievingly.

Jack paused for a minute. "Let's say it's a matter of leverage," he said slowly.

I coughed. Gibbs and Jack looked at me. I jerked my head to Will. Gibbs seemed confused. Jack did the same, grunting a little. Gibbs shook his head, looking bewildered.

After three seconds I called out, "Hey, little brother!"

Will turned around sharply. He saw it was me, and smiled sheepishly. I waved before pointing to the crowd. He nodded and looked away.

Gibbs turned to me. "The kid?" he said. When he spoke to me, I felt as if I were a grown-up. I knew he trusted me as well as Jack.

I nodded. "That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner." Gibbs's eyes widened.

"His only child," Jack said leering. "Savvy?"

Gibbs leered back. "Ya don't say…leverage says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I."

Yes! We have broken his resolve. He shall give us a crew.

"I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be a few sailors around here as crazy as you…"

"We can only hope," said Jack, raising his mug. "Take what ya can."

"Give nothin' back," Gibbs replied, and they clashed mugs and drank deeply, setting them down on the table with a loud CLUNK.

Will heard, and drew his sword, and kicked a table. The whole pub went silent, watching him as he pointed it threateningly at everyone. Gibbs, and Jack and I watched him, shocked. He looked around at us, turning red.

Poor fellow.

The pub had gone loud again. They were too drunk to care what Will just did.

"The kid's a bit of a stick, ain't he?" said Gibbs.

"You have no idea," Jack and I said together. I was suddenly overcome with the strongest fit of giggles and snorts, that I had to cover my mouth, shaking. Jack smiled widely, trying not to snigger, and Gibbs laughed openly.

Will got even more embarrassed, putting away his sword. I was giggling even harder. Jack's smile was trembling, and Gibbs held his ribs, paralyzed with guffaws. Will shifted his weight from foot to other foot, rubbing his nose, and blushing.

I was able to calm down a bit and said, "Well…let's and go to-tee-hee-hee-hee…get some shut-eye or-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm…something…"

"Shut-eye?" said Jack through clenched teeth, still trying not to laugh. "Who said anything about shut-eye? How can you sleep in a town like this?"

"Good-point," Gibbs gasped. "Good…ha ha haaaa…point…"

Two minutes later, we were all calm, and Will had stopped blushing. We were walking out of the pub, and we were all smiling. But our problems? Far from over.

This dude came up to a few minutes ago and said, "My lassie," and then tried to hug me. I tried to push away, but he held on tight.

"This is a disgrace!" I said angrily, stepping on his foot and trying to push away at the same time. "What an intrusion upon my person…do you have any idea who you're dealing with, you ugly old idiot? Don't you acknowledge the laws set down by others for sexual harassment to underage women? GET OFF ME!"

Will came to the rescue, kicking the dude in the shins and knocking him out with the hilt of his sword.

"Thanks," I said shakily.

Will nodded. "You shouldn't have put that lipstick on."

"Like lipstick has something to do with this," I snapped. "it's my body and face, and I'll do what I like with it!"

But to be honest, after six more attacks by men for similar reasons as the first, I was wishing I wore a potato sack with mud on my face. Will probably feels the same way, while he keeps having to block them.

We've finally made it to the Interceptor, Jack and Gibbs suffering bruises from the men who pushed past them to get to me, and Will looking sleepier than I have ever seen him. I myself slumped into my bed in the cabin at once, and fell into a deep sleep.

I dreamed my way back to Elizabeth's point of view. This time, I was in her head. The walls were dark, and I was getting hot. I screamed.

Ouch! Rema, be quiet!

"Elizabeth? This is your head?"

You're my conscience! You have been fur the past two days!

"No kidding, I didn't realize that. So where are we?"

See for yourself! She sounded terrified.

I was transported to her eyes, and saw that she was surrounded by skeleton pirates. Elizabeth was screaming in fright. I held my mouth to stifle the scream. She-no, we- were being chased by a certain pirate. We stood on opposite sides of the wheel. Elizabeth turned it hard and broke his neck.

Alas! The pirate could not die, so he just massaged it and put it back into place, sneering, "Yeah…"

"Kid," I said to Liz, "I have some advice for you."

What?

"RUN!"

And so she did, hiding under the stairs looking out at the crew.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6," I counted back to the time that the monkey would show up.

What are you doing? Get out of it!

"5, 4, 3,-…"

Get out of my head!

"2, 1!"

The monkey shrieked and Liz yelled in horror. She ducked out from under the stairs and made for the cabin, was stopped and held by Barbossa.

"Look at us!' he shouted. "The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the living, so we cannot die, but nor are we dead." He spun her around and advanced on her. "For too long I have begged for death and have not died. Too long I have been parched of thirst and not able to quench it. I feel nothing…not the spray of the sea or the wind on my face…or the warmth of a woman's flesh," his hand was in the moonlight, and it turned skeletal.

"That is gross!" I wailed.

Shut up!! And you're right.

Then his face loomed from the cabin light into the moon, and we saw-

"Ya best start belivin' yer ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one."

The skeleton Barbossa drank a bottle of wine, and it just slipped past him into his ribs, and staining the bones.

Me and Elizabeth screamed just as I heard Will's voice saying, "Rema! Rema! Wake up, Rema! Rema…"

A/N-Cliffhanger! I guess I shalt never get bored of all this…Like what's gonna happen next? Read the next chapter, goddarn it!