Author's note: Whew! Sorry this one took such a long time. I hope it's worth it. I hope you're all having a great summer. Keep reviewing!
Chapter 7
"New Faces"
Lucy felt her sword being pulled out of her belt. She heard the clank as it was thrown to the ground, and scolded herself for not trying to fight when she had the chance. Now, she was unarmed.
"Turn around." the voice instructed.
Lucy had no choice. She did as she was told. She turned around and faced her captor.
She was more than surprised to see that it was not a man that she come face to face with, but a boy. He didn't look to be much older than she. He was possibly shorter, and wore clothes that were baggy and a bit too big for him as though he were trying to compensate for his small stature.
He seemed to share in his surprise as he looked her head on. He straightened his cap and scoffed as he lowered the gun. "You're only a girl."
"Yes." Lucy breathed with some relief. "I...I think I'm in the wrong room." Lucy nodded politely and hurried to the door.
The boy beat her to it. He closed the door and held tightly to the knob. He just stood there, staring at her.
"Eh...excuse me..." Lucy stammered.
The boy only stared at her with a blank look on his face.
Lucy looked past him nervously. "Could you open the door, please?" she asked. "I need to find my room."
"What were you pokin' around here for?" the boy asked her accusingly.
"I...I wasn't." Lucy stuttered. "I told you, I thought this was my room."
"Then what were you doin' on the floor?"
By this time Lucy was so nervous that she had completely forgotten about the red book. "I...I was looking for a place to sleep." Hadn't that what she'd been doing? She came up here because she was tired, didn't she?
"More like lookin' for the cash box."
"I was not!" Lucy was still a bit nervous, but she was getting rather irritated too. She had been scolded for many things in her life, but never for lying or stealing. How dare this boy accuse her falsely. He was just like Briony and Josephine back in Port Royal. "Now, open the door at once!" she heard herself order the boy.
She didn't know what she had expected him to do, but one thing was certain. He did the exact opposite of what she had wanted him to do. He took what Lucy discerned as a key out of his pocket. He put it in the lock, turned it to the left, and took it out again. She was locked in a strange room with a strange boy.
Lucy stared at the boy. He stared back, regarding her with the same blank stare. After what seemed like silent ages, he took a step towards her.
Immediately, Lucy backed away from him. "You leave me alone." she tried to make her voice low and threatening, so that he would not detect her fear.
The boy seemed to see right past that. He laughed. "Look, I'm not gonna murder you or anything. I'm just gonna see if you took anything."
"I told you I didn't...!"
"Didn't take anything." the boy cut her off, mocking her by raising his low voice a few octaves. "Yeah, I heard you the first time. You expect me to believe you? What would you think if you saw somebody pokin' around in your place?"
Lucy thought for a minute. "Well, look around the room then. Look in your cash box." she advised softly.
"Can't do that."
"Why not?!"
"'Cause, then you'd know where it is." the boy said in a blandly logical tone, which Lucy was beginning to find exasperating.
"If I took your money," Lucy snarled through clenched teeth. "Then I'd already know where it is."
"So you admit it."
"Admit what?!" she was shouting at him now.
"That you took something!" He shouted back.
"I did not!"
They went back to staring at each other. Lucy's face felt hot from all of the anger that she felt. His expression, of course, remained blank.
"Look," the boy said, breaking the silence. "I'll let you go after I frisk ya'."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm...going...to...frisk...you." the boy said dragging each word. It was the first time Lucy had detected annoyance in his voice. He took a step towards her. Lucy backed away
What did 'frisk' mean? She had never heard or used the word. Whatever it was she didn't like the sound of it. "You'll do no such thing."
"Listen, I want you outta' here just as much as you do." the boy sighed taking more steps toward her. "But that ain't gonna happen til' I'm sure ya' didn't take anything." He came even closer.
By that time, Lucy was nearly backed against the wall. As he moved closer she stepped to the side. The boy lunged after her, nearly running into the wall.
In a second, she realized that since the boy was pursuing her, she could easily get to the door. She turned and sprinted to it. She pounded on the door and shouted. "Help! Help!!"
She felt the boy grab her arm. She howled as he dragged her back towards the middle of the floor. "Spread out your arms 'n legs, and turn out your pockets!" he grunted trying to keep a hold of her.
Lucy did not spread out or turn out her pockets. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
The boy let go of her immediately. His mouth hung open in surprise. "You...you hit me." he stuttered in astonishment.
"I'll hit you again if you don't let me out!" Lucy shouted.
Suddenly a loud knocking came from the other side of the door. "Joe, what's going on in there?"
"Nothin,' we just got a thief in here. Come in an' help!" the boy barked. He grabbed her arm again. "You stay here." he ordered
Lucy knew that she couldn't fight against two people who wanted to 'frisk' her. Her only hope was to run through the door as soon as the stranger opened it, but she had to get away from the boy first.
Lucy heard the lock break and the handle turn. At that instant, she made her hand into a fist and slammed it hard into the boy's stomach. The boy let out a surprised and pained groan. He let go of her arm doubled over in pain. Lucy heard the swish of the door opening and ran towards it.
"Lucy?!"
Lucy screeched to a halt as she stared into the faces of the last people she had been expecting. There were Will, Jack, and Mr. Gibbs! Relief took place of all the fear and anger she had previously felt.
"You okay Lu'?" Will asked.
Lucy sighed and smiled up at her brother. "I'm fine. I just"
"What's the matter with you, boy?" Gibbs cut her off as he walked over to the boy, who was making an effort to stand up straight after Lucy's blow. "Fightin' with a gal!" Gibbs puffed, giving the boy a smack on the head. "Ain't yer' got any manners?"
"Thought she was a thief." muttered the boy. Lucy realized that she could see a lot of pink in his cheeks, in fact, she could see everything much better. Her eyes searched for the source of the light and she realized that Jack had lit the candle.
"I wouldn't be to hard on the boy, Gibbs." Jack drawled as he strolled up to Gibbs and the boy. "Take one look at im' an' you can see that little Turner won the fight."
Gibbs chuckled dryly. "Aye, I can see tha'."
"It wasn't a fight." the boy muttered bitterly. He raised his hand to a particularly red part of his cheek. He kept his eyes on his shoes and muttered. "Goin' for a stroll." He pushed past them and out the door.
Lucy looked after him, quite relieved that he had gone. What a horrid boy!
Gibbs sighed and closed the door after him. He went to the cabinet and pulled out some pillows and blankets. "I s'pose we'd best be gettin' ter' sleep." he said laying them on the floor. "We're leavin' early tomorrow."
Will and Lucy hurried over to the blankets and pillows and began to make their cots. Jack began to pace and muttering as though he were trying to remember something.
"Do you have an able-bodied crew for me Gibbs?" he finally asked.
"Aye." said Gibbs. "And the best assembled one we've ever had. These men are top notch, they are..."
"How many?" Jack interrupted.
"Includin' me 'n Joe there was thirteen of us," Gibbs answered proudly. Awf'ly unlucky number, but now that we've got you 'n..."
"Oh Gibbs," Jack groaned, and clutched his braided head. " You're not bringin' the kid again?"
"Why not?" Gibbs asked. "Joe's been our cabin boy fer' years."
"But he's..." Jack's voice was very close to the whine of a ten year old. "He's such a wet blanket...and he's violent. He...uh..he practic'ly tried to kill smallish Turner. Besides, we have two new cabin boys." he exclaimed, turning excitedly towards Will and Lucy.
"I'm not interested in being your cabin boy, Jack." Will told him, looking up from his cot. "I'm only interested in finding Elizabeth."
"What about you, Smallish Turner?" Jack asked.
"Well..I...um...I don't think..." Lucy stammered.
"Perfect!" Jack interrupted, giving her a painful slap on the back. "You see Gibbs, problem solved. Be reasonable, overloading the ship would be unlucky, anyway."
"What's unlucky is havin' a woman on board." Gibbs replied, looking warily at Lucy. Particularly a mini...Miss Turner! What are you doing?!"
Lucy had begun to lay down on her cot, but sat up straight in fright. "I...I'm going to sleep."
"Not on the floor. 'S bad luck for a lady to sleep on the floor." Gibbs told her. "You'll sleep on the bed tonight."
Lucy blushed. She had never been called a lady before. She was glad to be sleeping on a bed, after sleeping on the hard bunks of a ship every night. "Thank you." Lucy said as she got up off the floor and went over to the lumpy large bed.
She pulled off her boots and slipped into bed. Immediately, she began to drift off. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Will lying on his cot already sound asleep. Jack was continuing to argue with Gibbs. Lucy knew it was wicked of her, but she secretly hoped that Jack would get his way. In fact, Lucy hoped that she never saw that boy, Joe again. She really didn't like him.
Much to her dismay, Lucy saw Joe as soon as she opened her eyes early the next morning. He, Gibbs, Jack, and Will were all already awake and packing.
Lucy yawned at sat up. As soon as she did so, she felt something hard rub against her hip bone. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the red book.
Immediately she panicked. Joe had accused her of stealing last night and that was exactly what she had done. This book probably belonged to Mr. Gibbs or even Joe. Lucy searched for the stack of books where she had found it, but she couldn't see any books anywhere. Someone must have packed them away already. Lucy stuffed it back into her pocket. She would give it back after she had some time to think. How would she explain this?
She got out of bed and put her boots on. Soon after Gibbs and Joe had all of their things, they went downstairs for some breakfast. All through the meal Gibbs kept talking about the marvelous crew waiting for them at the harbor. Jack seemed unimpressed by this, obviously he had been unable to talk Gibbs into leaving Joe behind. Lucy wondered if Joe was aware of Jack's dislike. It was hard to tell what Joe felt at all. He ate silently and did not seem at all phased by her presence at the table.
After breakfast they walked down to the harbor. Lucy kept close to Will. She was a bit nervous about meeting the crew and she could tell Will was too. What if they were horrid like Joe or strange like Jack?
Soon they approached a group of men. Gibbs ordered them to stand straight in a line. Jack walked down it studying each member of the crew. Will and Lucy followed behind.
"Feast your eyes, Captain." Gibbs broadcasted to Jack. "All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt...And crazy to boot."
Lucy and Will shot each other nervous glances as they followed behind Jack. Lucy looked shyly at each of the men, who only stared back at her. Most of them looked like Jack; long hair and strange clothes. Though they were silent and standing in a straight line, they looked nothing like the soldiers in Norrington's regiment or any other army of men. They were hardly fearless looking, as Lucy had imagined them.
"This is your able bodied crew?" Will asked. Lucy could tell that he was disappointed, for not one of them looked terribly big or strong. One man was barely three feet tall and another man with a parrot perched on his shoulder was balding and had a great white beard.
Jack stopped in front of the old man with the parrot. "You, sailor!"
Gibbs hurried over to Jack and the old sailor. "Cotton, sir." he clarified.
"Mr. Cotton," Jack said turning back to the old sailor. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"
Cotton simply stared at him.
"Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!"
Joe, who Lucy had forgotten about, stepped out of line and spoke to Jack. "Sir, he's..."
"Mute." finished Gibbs, shaking his head at Joe.
Joe sighed with frustration and stepped back in line.
"Poor devil had his tongue cut out." continued Gibbs. Lucy watched with shock as Cotton opened his mouth to reveal no signs of their ever being a tongue at all. "So he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how."
"Mr. Cotton's parrot..." Jack said looking at the bird perched on Cotton's shoulder. "Same question."
"Ready the sails! Ready the sails!" the bird squawked.
"Mostly, we figure, that means 'yes'." Gibbs explained.
"And what's the benefit for us?" a man with a big straw hat at the end of the line barked the question.
Knitting his eyebrows quizzically, Jack abruptly turned and walked over to the man. He removed the straw hat. As he did so, long coarse black hair fell down the shoulders of the stranger. Lucy gasped, realizing she was looking into the face of a woman.
Jack grinned and spread out his arms for her. "Anamaria!"
Anamaria gave him a hearty slap across the face.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either?" Will asked, raising his eyebrows.
"No," moaned Jack. "That one I deserved.
"You stole my boat!" Anamaria spat fiercely.
Jack raised one finger. "Actually"
She slapped him again.
"Borrowed." Jack corrected himself. "Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you."
"But you didn't!" Anamaria bellowed.
"You..you'll get another one." stammered Jack.
"A better one." Will added.
"A better one." Jack repeated grandly.
"That one." Will said pointing to The Interceptor, the very ship they had been sailing on and were about to board.
"What one?" Jack asked turning to look where Will was pointing. "That one?!" Jack growled when he realized what Will was making him give up. He sighed and turned back to Anamaria. "Aye, that one." he planted a fake grin on his face and gestured to the whole crew. "What say you?!"
After a pause the crew let out loud 'aye's' all over the place. Before Lucy knew what was happening the crew was boarding The Interceptor. Will was already on board. Only she, Jack, Gibbs, and Joe were still on land. Jack and Gibbs were standing very close together whispering. Joe stood a little ways behind Jack, as though he were waiting for something.
There was no reason to stick around. Lucy was very glad to be leaving this place. Even though she was grateful to spend some time on land again, this was a crude and frightening place. She began to walk towards the ship.
"Wait up, smallish Turner!"
Lucy turned around to see Gibbs walking towards the ship and Jack waving wildly at her. While he was waving, he accidentally smacked Joe, who had inched a bit closer, on the head.
"Can I help you?" Lucy heard Jack ask the boy irritably as she walked back to them.
Joe fastened his face in resolute scowl and stared straight at him. "Just waitin' for orders." he muttered bitterly.
Joe looked down at him and waved his hand in Joe's stern face, as though he were trying to get rid of an annoying fly. "Here's one for ya'...shoo."
Joe took a few steps back, but did not leave his side. "Accordin' to the code, the cabin boy waits for specific orders from the captain before the voyage. Elsewise' I wouldn't be standin' here."
"Well you don't have to worry about waitin' any longer." Joe replied. He swiftly turned to Lucy and wrapped his arm around her. "How's my new cabin boy?"
"Your...what?" Joe barked before Lucy could say word.
"Cabin boy, kid. Take it as a graduation." Jack groaned an explanation. "You're a full fledged pirate."
"But..." Lucy began. "I...I don't know the first thing about sailing."
"Then why did you agree to it last night?" Jack asked as though she had deeply wounded him.
"I..I didn't agree. You"
"No matter." Jack interrupted removing his arm and strolling backwards towards the ship. "Strike that, Joseph. You haven't graduated yet, not until you teach Miss Turner ev'rything there is to know about sailing. See you on board." With that he turned an hurried onto the ship.
"Wait! Jack!" Lucy shouted after him. It was no use. She knew Jack would not take back his word. She sighed and turned towards her new teacher. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so eager to leave Tortuga.
