Hello everyone, here is chapter 9. Thanks to all the readers who have been favourite-ing and following this story. To all the new comers, please let me know what you think!
Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Because I haven't done one in a while and I still don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or Disney.
Chapter 9: Friends
When we walked downstairs, I looked around and spotted six of my friends sitting at a table eating their breakfast. I guess I don't have to look for them after all. I did want to see all of my friends, but I didn't think that will be possible because we have to go to meet the crew before midday.
I walked over to them, smiling, with Jack following close behind. Sitting at the table were Gemma, Chelsie, Destiny, Elanor, Indiana and Zuri. That means that Tamsyn and Victoria were missing.
Gemma is the oldest of the group, which has nine members including me. This was my main group of friends in Tortuga. She is 25 years old and she is from Spain. She has two little sisters, Chelsie, who is 18, and Destiny, who is 21. Both of their parents died when Chelsie was 9, and I was visiting some relatives in Spain with Jack at the time, and Jack found them one night and brought them to the inn that we were staying at, and I immediately became friends with them. We took them back to Shipwreck Cove and they lived with us until Gemma was old enough to get a good job, and we took them to Tortuga and she got a job as a bar tender in the biggest tavern on the island with a good enough pay to live there. This was the first time that I had seen them in 6 years, because they weren't here last time I came by with Jack.
Elanor and Indiana were both born and raised on this island, and have each only left Tortuga a maximum of three times each. Elanor is 19 and Indiana is 20. They have been best friends since they were little, and have known each other all their lives. I met them the first time I came here, when I was 8, just after the Pearl was stolen. I last saw them 3 years ago.
Tamsyn and Victoria were twins, both of them 19. They lost their parents in a fight when the East India Trading Company attacked off the coast of China four years ago. They were nice people. I met Tamsyn and Tori the day after I met Elanor and Indiana. I don't know where they would be right now, maybe working in the inn on the other side of the island.
As for Zuri, she has a very different story to the rest of us. She used to live in England, under the protection of the King. She was a native Jamaican, and she was abandoned only mere days after she was born. She was found by some of the guards that patrolled the area, and they took her with them when they went to England. They showed her to the King and he said that he would happily look after her until she was able to take care of herself.
When she was 13, she went into a rebellious stage and did the opposite of everything that she was told to do. No one could control her. She wouldn't wear dresses anymore. She wouldn't go to bed when she was told, and she was rude to everyone. It went so far that the King ordered her to be locked up, but she was taught many types of martial arts when she was younger, and she was able to escape and ran to a pub called the Captain's Daughter to hide from the guards. In there, she went to the closest empty table, and sat there, not looking at anyone, not even making eye contact with all of the people that were staring at her. No one went up to her or talked to her, and she just sat there for hours, just thinking about her life and what she wanted to be.
It just so happened that Jack and I had escaped from the King's guards about 2 hours after Zuri fled to the pub, and we met her in there and snuck her out of there. She travelled with me and Jack for about 2 years and met Tamsyn, Victoria, Elanor and Indiana when we took her to Tortuga. Zuri hasn't left Tortuga since we took her there, and she has become close to Chelsie, because they are both 18 and the youngest of our group.
I gave everyone at the table a huge grin and a hug as I sat down and started talking. Jack had wandered to the bar to get some food for us.
"How have all you guys been?" I asked them.
"Oh, just peachy. Tammy and Tori moved to the other side of Tortuga. Better pay at the tavern," Elanor said, flipping her dirty, long blonde braid over her shoulder as she took another mouthful of food.
"Well, they better not expect a visit from me any time soon," I joked. "I'm not exactly the favourite person on the other side of the island and would rather keep my head where it is," I commented, making everyone laugh.
"Me and Zuri got jobs," Chelsie piped up.
"We are both cleaners of this tavern and the one down the road," Zuri said, her Jamaican accent slightly showing, as usual.
"Cool. Well me and Jack are looking for a crew to go and get the Pearl back," I said. "If any of you want to join us, you're all welcome."
Everyone's faces brightened. "But what about our jobs? We need money to pay for food and rent," Gemma said.
"We'll be heading to Shipwreck Cove when we have the Pearl, so we can get some extra money from Dad to pay for your food and rent. Or you could just stay on the Pearl," I said. From the looks on some of their faces, they were actually contemplating it.
"I'm in," Zuri said, putting her hand down on the table. I placed mine on top of hers.
"We're in," Indiana agreed. Elanor and Indiana's hands went on top of the pile.
Gemma was looking at her sisters, still thinking. "C'mon Gem, Valley said she'd give us more money," Destiny told Gemma, who nodded, confirming that they were going, too.
Gemma, Destiny and Chelsie put their hands on the pile, and we all said our little creed.
"Take what you can, give nothing back, and best friends forever!" we all chanted and threw our hands in the air. Then Jack walked over with our food.
I screamed. "Yay! Food! Thanks, Jackie." I kissed him on the cheek and dug in.