Hunting for Sparrows
Kenna stared at the flower arrangements, a dull ache in her chest. Her hair was piled atop her head in an arrangement of elegant curls. Diamond burettes held her curls in place. Her face was coated with makeup. She wasn't wearing her wedding gown just yet. The wedding wasn't for another few hours, giving her time to procrastinate. She walked outside, where the venue had been set up. Kenna trekked away from the house. A maid tried to stop her, but Kenna completely ignored the maid and kept walking. She walked all the way to the docks, where a ship was being loaded. She approached the captain.
"Where are you headed?" she asked.
The man looked at her with a scowl. "London," he snapped.
Kenna frowned, disappointed. "Not Tortuga?"
The man cackled. "Tortuga? That's a pirate port!" He laughed again, talking to himself about women's ignorance. He walked away, still chortling.
Kenna was stung with annoyance. "I know it is," she muttered. She turned around, only to be confronted by Marcus. She opened her mouth to explain herself.
"Come on. Let's go." Marcus barked. He gripped Kenna by the arm and hauled her away. He dragged her to her bedroom. "Get dressed!" he snarled, shoving Kenna to the floor. He stormed out angrily. Kenna shivered on the floor, stunned by Marcus's violence.
"Oh, Lady Kenna! Are you all right?" asked her maid, Estella.
Kenna nodded, feeling numb. "I-I'm fine," she whispered. Estella crouched beside Kenna.
"You shouldn't have to live like this," said Estella. "He's a terrible man."
"He wasn't always so awful," Kenna replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Lady Kenna… If I may… You mustn't marry him." said Estella.
Kenna looked at her. "I don't have a choice."
"There's always a choice," argued Estella. "That Jack Sparrow… He would protect you, I'm sure."
Kenna's eyes filled with tears. "How am I supposed to get to him? I have no way of getting there… Besides, he's probably moved on by now."
"I doubt it," said Estella. "I saw the way he looked at you. He'd do anything for you. What would you do for him?"
"Anything," Kenna said immediately.
"I bet he's brokenhearted." said Estella, helping Kenna to her feet.
Kenna flinched. "Well, so am I."
"I'm just saying, what would he do for you, and what would you do for him? Because it needs to be done." said Estella.
Kenna nodded. "Yes, it does."
…
Kenna held her bouquet. She looked at the roses in disgust. She set them down. She scribbled a note and laid it beside her flowers. She grabbed her pouch of money. Estella snuck back into the room. "Good luck." she whispered, embracing Kenna.
"You need to leave as well, or they'll punish you since you're my maid." Kenna warned.
Estella nodded. "I will. Now go!"
Kenna beamed at Estella and snuck out the window. She climbed down a little and then jumped off the house. She landed on her feet and took off. She sprinted to the docks, laughing giddily. She called out to the captain from earlier. He turned, eyeing Kenna with bewilderment. "Take me to Tortuga," Kenna said, panting. She dumped some money into his palm. "It's on the way to London, isn't it?"
The captain handed some of her money back. "I'll take you to Cuba."
"That's in the opposite direction!" Kenna wailed.
"Well, aren't you a learned one?" sneered the captain. "It'll be easier for you to find someone to take you to Tortuga there. It's a pirate port."
"Please, take me to Tortuga. I can give you all I have," said Kenna, dumping all the contents of her pouch into the man's hand. He stared at it greedily and then eyed her.
"What's in Tortuga?" he asked.
Kenna looked back, wondering if Marcus and her uncle had noticed her absence yet. She turned back to the captain. "A friend in need of my help. I need to get there as soon as possible. Please sir, I'll do anything."
The man sighed. "Come aboard, then."
"Thank you," Kenna breathed in relief. She boarded the ship.
"Take my cabin," said the captain. "Don't want the crew to be all over you."
Kenna looked at him in gratitude. "Thank you."
The captain waved his hand dismissively. Kenna scurried into the cabin. She looked around. She couldn't help but feel excited. This was her first journey alone, her first adventure! She was going to find Jack and then… She didn't know. That part unnerved her, but she figured Jack might come up with a plan. She turned to look at herself in the mirror. She frowned. She didn't look like a sailor at all. Estella had dressed Kenna in her easiest-to-maneuver clothes. Kenna wore her emerald riding dress. Her hair was no longer pinned up, but braided down her back. Her face was still coated with makeup. She wore riding boots, but she still looked like a lady. She crossed her arms, scowling at herself. No wonder the captain hadn't taken her seriously. She bit her lip. Should she had given away all her money? What if Jack wasn't in Tortuga? She plopped down on the bed. What if Jack was on an adventure with one of his doxies?
