A/N- Argh! Mucho busyness! Just a quick update, to keep you all up to speed!
Chapter 9
A shimmer of silver makes me focus warily on the surface of the water, peering hard through the waves being created from the Pearl's prow. The shape dodges in and out of existence, skimming to the surface before plunging away again… I prepare to back warily away from the side of the ship.
Then, a curved fin breaks through the surface of the water, and I laugh out loud in relief.
The dolphin, taking advantage of the unnatural speed of this ship, races playfully along side, diving in and out of the waves which makes me admire its grace and freedom, wishing I could be as free of troubles as that at this moment in time. Sighing, I lean against the darkened wood, cupping my chin in my hands while I watch the creature play.
As it is joined by the others of its pod, I lose all sense of the real world as I simply concentrate on their graceful shapes. As is becoming a worrying tradition, I do not hear Alex approaching until he is standing right to next to me.
As his shadow falls across me I start, looking up to see him looking down at me- with the worried expression he always seems to have now, whenever he looks at me. Trying to ignore his expression, I smile, hoping to get one in return, but his face does not change and I am forced to look away, disconcerted.
Looking back down at the water, I see that the dolphins have disappeared.
"Oh…" I lean back, disappointed.
"They do not want to follow us any longer, Sierra… They fear the place we are bearing, and with good reason… It has always been seen as evil." Alex explains from somewhere over my shoulder.
I look round at him, surprised.
"How is that possible? Yes, the people of Atlantis have done wrong before, but that was generations ago. How can we assume those alive today are the same?"
Alex shakes his head, blonde hair spilling over his eyes.
"You have seen them for yourself, Sierra- they are no longer people of this world, but have changed… Reduced to something feral, vicious… They feel no pity, for the majority."
"The majority…" I echo. I refuse to use such a strong word as evil to describe anything, without good reason.
"Sierra, there is no question about it. They are dangerous, more so than you realise…" He looks at me, frowning. However, to my surprise his expression changes as he bursts into laughter.
"You needn't have such a face of thunder… I was only stating what I have always been told." He chuckles as I continue to look serious. Then, as quickly as it did before, his face becomes straight again. I wonder what thoughts are flying through his mind.
Alex looks down at the water, focussing on the ripples which, flecked with silver from the sun overhead, stretch out to the horizon. He appears to be unable to look at my face.
"Sierra, there has been something I have been meaning to say to you. There just hasn't been a good time; you always seem to be followed everywhere by…"
He breaks off as there is a shout from behind. I whirl around, to see Jack striding towards us, dishing out orders in every direction. I take once glance at Alex before the captain reaches us, and am surprised to see the quiet fury in his eyes.
Jack whirls to a halt in front of us, hands suspended in mid-air as he eyes us quizzically. Then he turns to me.
"Sierra, we're nearing our destination. I'll need to see you in my cabin, to discuss just what is going to happen when we get there… Make sure there are no mistakes. Savvy?"
He points down towards the door leading towards his quarters. Sighing slightly, I move off the rail at the side of the ship and head in that direction, hearing Ale move to follow me. However, Jack must have stopped him- I hear him say in a low voice:
"As you were, sailor."
I can imagine Alex's face at the indignity of being referred to as a simple 'sailor'… I am sure he will have something to say to me about it later. For now however, I am preoccupied with what Jack needs to say.
Walking into his cabin, I fold myself into my usual chair and watch as Jack enters behind me, closing the door. From his purposeful stride, I can tell he is going to keep this purely businesslike, and a part of me sinks in disappointment- a part that I quickly push away.
Turning towards me, he flashes a quick smile.
"No need to fret, luv… I'll keep this simple."
I just nod in reply, leaving him to carry on."
"Here's what we're going to do. When we arrive at the site of Atlantis, we'll fetch out that conch shell of yours. Then you'll do your magic… Blow into it, or whatever… Summon the city, and then we'll shimmy over there and find out how best to lift this curse… thing… You've got going on… Savvy?"
It seems simple enough, so once again I just nod in reply. Jack looks satisfied.
"Glad that's covered now."
There is an awkward silence, as the pirate simply stares at me, chocolate-brown eyes roving across my face. For once, he seems unsure, which in turn leaves me at a loss for words. My own eyes are unable to stop following his as I swallow nervously. I shift position slightly, trying to break the mood in the cabin.
It seems to work. Sparrow's eyes snap up, and his face instantly splits into an open smile, gold teeth gleaming.
"Well, if that's all, I'd best be back to my crew… No questions? Good."
He turns tail, and starts to exit the cabin. I believe I hear him say something, but cannot quite catch the words.
"Sorry?" I lean quizzically to one side, trying to see his face.
He turns back around, confusion written in his features.
"Sorry for what?"
"You said something, and I didn't quite hear… Could you repeat it, please?"
His expression grows even more confused as he leans back ever so slightly, eyes looking from one side of the cabin to the other.
"I said nothing, Sierra."
Now it is my turn to look confused, staring down at my folded legs in front of me. I try and remember what I heard, to make sense of it but it is useless- the words escape me.
However, as I concentrate I hear the expression again, this time a little clearer. I manage to pick out my name, but apart from that the rest is still muffled. I am certain now that it was not Jack who spoke though, now that I have heard it once more- the tone is smooth and of a higher pitch than the pirate's own rough tones. Instead, I decide the sound is coming from the side of the ship and so stand and walk towards starboard, only half aware of the way Jack wheels slowly on one foot to follow my progress, the rest of his body held in the same position.
Leaning against the smooth blackened wood, I press my ear to the boards.
The voice grows louder, and is joined by others as I strain to pick up the meaning of what is being said. However, the understanding still flows away from me like water on sand, with my name being the only part I can make any sense at all from.
Jack appears by my side, curiosity on his face as he looks at the concentration on my own. With one hand, I motion for him to follow my actions which he does, joining me in leaning against the wood.
"Listen… What are they saying? I can't make out the words… Surely you, with your vast knowledge, can make out the words?"
I look towards Sparrow expectantly, hoping that the flattery I dropped in there will help him to comply. However, I am to be disappointed- the curiosity on his face contorts, changing to worry.
"I can't hear anything, Sierra… Only the sea against the side of the Pearl. To be sure, it sounds like voices sometimes… It's nothing unusual."
I wave his comments away impatiently.
"They are words… I heard my name." I reply.
Jack's eyes grow wide, accented by the dark kohl. He pulls me away from the side, despite my protests. The voices rise in volume.
"I'd thought you would have learnt this by now… Do not try and communicate with them, Sierra… You should have guessed who was talking. They are dangerous…"
I lose track of his words as, suddenly, my mind is filled with others.
"I can understand!" I draw a sharp intake of breath at the beauty of the words.
Jack grabs both my shoulders, looking into my eyes. I try to stare back, to concentrate on only him, but it is impossible- what is being said is too alluring.
"Sierra!" I see Jack's mouth open, as though in slow motion. The words do not quite follow the opening and closing of his lips, creating a disjointed feeling. I am unable to respond, my mind registering too slowly that my name is being called.
All around, the voices rise in volume. I slowly disentangle myself from Jack's arms, neatly avoiding any hold he tries to get on me once again. I feel as though I am drifting towards the door, my feet hardly touching the wooden floor…
Something brushes my arm, and I look down, confused, to see Jack's hand retreating. I pause for a moment, glancing towards his face.
I feel as though I should be more concerned with what he is saying, but somehow cannot manage it…
"Sierra, luv… If you can understand what is being said, then it is almost too late for you… You have to fight it. And trust me; it's a rare occasion when I decide fighting is the best option… Do you hear me?"
Dumbly, I nod. Jack manages to look slightly happier.
"I believe we're near enough there now. I'm just going out on deck to check… Do you care to join me, or would you prefer to stay here?"
I think of the open sea, alluring with its mystical and enchanting creatures, drawing me closer and closer to the edge of the ship… And shudder slightly.
"I will wait here, thank you, Jack." Returning to my chair, I shut my eyes and block my ears, trying to muffle any possible communication the Atlanteans are trying to make with me. I am so tempted to listen, to uncover my ears, but remembering that startling look of desperation on Sparrow's face, so uncharacteristic, compels me to keep my resolve.
I feel so incredibly stupid, sitting curled up on a chair with absolutely no way of knowing what is actually going on in my surroundings. All I can do is wait… Impatiently, I shift position.
However, I do not gauge where the arm of the chair is correctly, and bash my elbow against it, sending shocks ripping up my arm. I gasp, taking my hand away from my ear to nurse my painful limb… And soon realise the mistake I have made, as sound fully returns to me, tenfold stronger than before, it seems. Voices wash through my mind, with one message being repeated over and over until it takes over every inch of my being, and I am no longer in control of my body. I try to move to re-cover my ears, but it is too late.
Gripped by some force I am compelled to stand, and begin to walk towards the door, only half aware of what is actually going on. How I manage to pick up the conch shell at some point as I make my way out onto deck, I will never know, but it seems to appear in my hands, the smooth shell gleaming in the afternoon sun. I make my way to the side of the ship, no-one stopping me, or even seeming to notice my presence- they all seem too wrapped up in the orders Jack is issuing.
Suddenly, the world seems washed out and far away to me, with faces, sights and sounds draining out of my mind as fast as they enter. It is only the ocean which retains its original vibrancy as it glitters in the sun. Looking out over it, I am motionless for a moment as I listen to the beautiful words weaving through the air. Then, I slowly raise the conch shell to my mouth, without a second thought as to what I am doing. Taking a deep breath, I blow hard.
An eerie sound fills the air from the shell, resonating over the water and causing ripples on the otherwise still sea. I am vaguely aware that all movement aboard the Pearl has ceased as people turn to look in amazement at where the sound is coming from, but otherwise my mind is completely blank as I focus on what I am doing.
However, suddenly a pair of strong arms grip my own, wrenching the shell away from my mouth and abruptly cutting off the sound. It also breaks the spell that I had cast on me, as the voices of the Atlanteans rise in a keening screech before dropping away all together.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Alex hisses into my ear.
He pulls me bodily away from the side of the ship.
"You shouldn't be out here without someone knowing, not so close to our destination, Sierra! Especially with that shell… What did Jack tell you?! You could have been taken…"
Once I down my surprise at the anger in his voice, I look into his eyes and see the deeper, stronger emotion of fear. I understand his irrationality, and so try to explain.
"They told me… I couldn't stop it. They were in my head, controlling my body… I had no choice but to do what they said."
He shakes his head. Then, from behind me, another voice, coarser, speaks up.
"Well, you have single-handedly succeeded in ruining the plans that I so carefully laid out for you, Sierra… Surely they were not that hard to follow? Although, I don't think you've caused too much damage, just started everything moving rather sooner than I'd anticipated, that's all…"
I look out over the calm seas, seeing absolutely no change whatsoever.
"Too much damage, Jack? I cannot see any change at all, let alone damage…"
Jack smiles knowingly, gold glinting. I eye him warily.
"Just wait, Sierra."
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Captain Uschi- Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!
RumQueen- There isn't... Not really... It's all kinda the same thing. And how was Jack in this chapter?
ChocolatPirate- Thanks! I was rather proud of that bit meself :D. And goooood, glad you liked it too!
Tenth Dead Mouse- Thanks! I put it down to my overactive imagination haha... It does get in the way sometimes though!
