Here's a shiny new chapter to distract you. Enjoy. I think I'll personally liked this one a bit more.
As a side note, I did go back and change some of the pervious chapters. I do plan to doctor it up further soon. Reviews, thank you for being honest with me, it's the best way for me personally to grow as a writer.
Disclaimer: nope!
Hopes are high early in the morning. We're returning back to the Caribbean. The flash of green I learned about before will occur at sunset and bring us back to the world of the living.
As the day continues on, we drift along. There hasn't been any trace of wind all day. To make matters worse, we've run out of water, and rum. I turn to my side and see Elizabeth sitting not to far away. I want to apologize, but I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is talk to me.
"If we cannot escape these doldrums before night, I fear we will sail on trackless seas, doomed to roam the reach between worlds, forever," Tia Dalma says. That sounds too be quite a horrible fate. But no one seems to know how to get us back.
"With no water forever looks to be arriving a mite too soon," Gibbs points out. Yet another morbid outlook on our fate. I look over at Barbossa. Even though he stands at the helm, he shows no intention of giving any direction to us.
"Why doesn't he do something?" I ask. He should at least be trying.
"There's no sense to it," Gibbs complains. He's right. The sun is beginning to dip into the horizon.
"And the green flash happens at sunset, not sunrise," I say thinking back to the charts.
"Over the edge," Gibbs says. He's trying to come up with an idea how to get us to the green flash. "Oh, that's drivin' me over the bloomin' edge. Sunrises don't set." Little of what that map says forms a comprehensible idea. Why couldn't this be easier?
One of the few people that seems to be helping is Jack. He sits with the chart and pours over it. "Up is down," I hear him mutter. As if we need more confusing information. Leaning on the rail nearby and I can't help but to feel a bit defeated. It's disgustingly hot and humid out.
Jack suddenly jumps up and runs to the side of the ship. "What's that?" he asks. Maybe it's a sign that will get us out of here. I jog over to where Jack is. As soon as I am there though, Jack runs over to the opposite side, making strange sounds the whole time. Maybe he's just gotten even more crazed because of the sun. Our actions have attracted the attention of much of the rest of the crew. They join us in rushing back and forth. Everyone's clinging on to the hope that Jack really did see something.
"He's rocking the ship," Pintel says a bit confused.
"We're rocking the ship," Gibbs confirms. Is that good? What would be the purpose of rocking the ship? Barbossa glances down at the chart Jack had been working on.
"Aye, he's on to it!" Barbossa rushes down to the lower deck to order that everything should be loosed to help us flip the ship. We continue running back and forth.
What is flipping the ship going to do for us? Sunrise set, sunrises don't set. But the sun does go down. And with sundown comes the flash of green. But flipping the ship? 'Up is down' I hear in my head. If the ship is upside down, then it's up?
With one last run to the other side, the ship begins to capsize. "Now up, is down," explains Jack. The ship finally flips over.
We're all hanging from the railing submerges. For some reason, on impact my grip on the wood slips. I fall off the railing and begin sink into the dark waters below us. Elizabeth desperately reaches out to me. I miss her hand a few times. The water and deprivation of air makes my movements sluggish.
Around me, several other crewmembers have fallen also. I reach out all around me to grab something. I grab a line close to me and hang on tightly.
The water begins to rush all around me, dragging me back onto the deck. The Pearl seems to be bobbing up and resurfacing. Looking past the masts on the ships, the surface has switched its position. We rise quickly to the surface.
With the Pearl back on the surface, I fall down onto the deck, sputtering out the water I had swallowed. Getting on my feet soon as I can, I look around. The breeze flutters across my face.
"Blessed sweet Westerlies!" Gibbs proclaimed. "We're back!" We are back. This is incredible. I look over at Elizabeth to make sure she's okay. She's looking out to the east.
"It's sunrise," she says. It's actually quite a stunning sight. I pull myself to my feet slowly.
As soon as we're all standing up, Barbossa pulls out his pistol and aims it at Jack. After all I just went through, I'm not letting him die… again. Besides, I need Jack so I can give him into Sao Feng. I pull out one of my own pistols and point it right back at Barbossa. Elizabeth and Gibbs seem to be thinking along the same lines as I am; they each pull out a gun and aim it at Barbossa.
In response to this loyalty, Jack pulls out one of his very own guns and aims it directly at me. Thankfully I have another pistol on me and I aim it at Jack. Elizabeth also defends me. Jack pulls out his own second pistol and puts it to Elizabeth. This is very weird and seems somewhat unnecessary.
Barbossa begins laughing at our sudden distrust. I can't help but grin and chuckle at this too. Our nerves are just a bit too high after the switch of worlds. We slowly lower the pistols we have trained on each other.
Just as suddenly as the laughter began, it ended. Barbossa readies his pistols again and the rest of us follow in defense.
"Alright then," Barbossa says in a strong, commanding voice. "The Brethren Court is a-gathering at Shipwreck cover, and Jack, you and I are a-going and there'll be no arguing that point."
"I is arguing the point," Jack replies. He's going to try and weasel his way out of this. "If there's pirates a-gathering, I'm pointing my ship the other way." He has yet to realize that he'll be going one way or another. Elizabeth turns both her pistols at Jack.
"The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett and you're a pirates," she reasons. Jack points both pistols on Elizabeth once again. Turning to defend her, I point both of my guns at Jack. In turn he points one back at me. He has to go regardless of his actions.
"Fight or not, you're not running Jack," I say. I know that Jack would rather not go at all, but he has to. It's his duty. It's also why we risked our lives to go and get him.
"If we don't stand together they'll hunt us down, one by one, until there be none left, but you," Barbossa says. Obviously, he's trying to scare Jack into committing to go to the Court. Jack gives us a sly smile before he replies.
"I quite like the sound of that," he says. "Captain Jack Sparrow, last pirate." And here I thought he's a good man that would come to the aid of his fellow man.
"Aye, and you'll be fightin' Jones alone," Barbossa counters. "How does that figure into your plan?" He has a point. From what I've seen, Jack is terrified of Davy Jones and wouldn't want to face him again. Really, I don't blame him for this; Jones is not someone that anyone would want to cross.
"I'm still working on that," Jack says honestly. "But I'll not be going to the Locker, mate, count on that." He adjusts his shot to Barbossa, cocks the gun and fires.
But nothing happens. Barbossa shoots next and has the same exact outcome. Everyone else gathered fires their own guns. None of them shoot.
"Wet powder," Gibbs tells us. Really, we should have expected that. It's really quite funny. Here we all were ready to kill each other for what we wanted only to have it back fire.
Immediately there after, we decide that we cannot continue without first finding water. Barbossa shoves the charts at me and instructs me to locate a water source near us. Grudgingly, I take the chart to find them.
Moving the map ever so slightly, I locate a freshwater spring on an island not far from here. Gathering the crew together, I pull out the map once more.
"There's a freshwater spring on this island," I say pointing it out. "We can resupply there, get back to shooting each other later," I finish referring to the animosity still on the ship. Jack looks up at Barbossa.
"You lead the shore party, I'll stay with my ship," he says.
"I'll not be leaving my ship in your command," Barbossa spits back. This is my chance. I can grab the Pearl right now and then hand Jack over to Sao Feng when I can.
"Why don't you both go ashore, and leave the ship in my command," I interrupt. Looking to both of them, I see their unwillingness to give the ship up. "Temporarily," I add quickly. While neither of them want to leave the ship, they seem to trust me enough to mind the ship. Somehow, I think I would feel better if they didn't put so much trust in me. Lying to a pirate like this, or to anyone really, makes me feel uncomfortable.
When we get to the island I pointed out, two of the long boats are readied for the shore party. Both Barbossa and Jack go with the party. As they leave the ship, Barbossa glares at me sternly. Jack walks right up to me.
"Try not to do anything to stupid with my ship," he says. Even though we haven't had a drop of rum on the ship for days, Jack's drunken swagger remains. I somewhat wish I didn't have such a straight face when lying.
As soon as the boats are on the islands shore, someone calls out that they see a boat on the horizon. Not having a telescope to observe the ship from here, I hold off any action.
The ship sails closer and closer to us. Soon, I'm able to distinguish the ship as one of Sao Feng's junks. The ship pulls up alongside the Pearl and the pirates aboard look ready for a fight.
"Cap'n," Gibbs says to me. "Orders?" I feign a look of thought. I know that Sao Feng will do nothing if he sees that I am now the Captain. Gibbs asks me again.
"Nothing, allow the captain to come on board," I tell him.
"Cap'n? Is that really wise?" he asks confused.
"Absolutely Gibbs." We run up a truce flag and allow Sao Feng and a few of his men on board.
Sao Feng comes up to me. We converse in low tones.
"You have retrieved jack Sparrow from the Locker?" he inquires.
"Yes, both he and Barbossa are on the shore with a small party to get water," I explain. My crew looks over at me. Uncertainly is etched on all of their faces.
"And my men?"
"Are on shore with Sparrow," I tell him.
"Good, they know to take charge once my ship is seen," Sao Feng says. "Once we get Sparrow, the Pearl will be yours. I nod in agreement. Peering over towards the island, I can see the party is returning. About half of the men have their pistols out and ready.
Finally, I'll have the Pearl. Of course I feel horrible that the only way I can control it is by betraying the trust of so many people. I made a promise to my father though.
A/N: Alright. That's it for today. It's a weird place to end, but I think that if I were to continue, it would be a bit to long and would delay putting it out. So check in tomorrow probably and I should have the next chappy up.
So tell me how I did this time. And don't be afraid of being honest. I love honesty. ;)
Cheers!