Chapter 10 Eerie Island

How on earth did I end up here? Amèlie couldn't say how many times she had asked herself this already. The sun was beaming down through the bars of wood and bones. Not far away and under them, too, was the beautiful sea, shining almost blindingly in the yellow brightness. Amèlie stared at the smooth waves longingly, ignoring the others in the cage she was trapped in.

After a time, that seemed to have been very long, they all saw some of the Pelegostos walking across the bridge above them with a bamboo pole. And no one else was tied up on it than Will Turner. Amèlie stared at his unconscious form over her along with the five others in her cage. Cannibal drums could be heard by them, the only sign that showed Jack was alive. Yet.

Right now the son of Bootstraps Bill was locked up with them there. He couldn't tell anyone exactly what happened since the Pelegostos spoke a totally other language. As the brown-haired girl expected. But she knew what to do...well, not really. After the Pelegostos had captured Amèlie, and some other people she had the feeling they were picked only randomly out of the crew, they were held until the next morning, never being allowed to see all the others ever again. Though the dark-eyed girl thought she heard some screams, more horrible than death itself. Judging by the statement of the bones around her, Amèlie could tell they were definitely dead now.

She was looking at the cliff with all the vines, plants and possibilities of climbing it up to the safe green ground as Will raised his voice behind her.

"Why would he do this to us?" he asked out loud, mostly talking to Jack's first mate, Gibbs. "If Jack is their chief..."

"Aye" Gibbs agreed with a part. "The Pelegostos made Jack their chief. But he only remains chief as long as he acts like a chief." And if he hasn't acted like a chief, we would all be dead... It seemed to hung in the air.

"So he had no choice" the blacksmith/pirate understood. "He's a captive as much as we are."

"Worse...as it seems" Amèlie spoke out for the first time, turning around. She had a blank look although she was quite worried. Quite. "The Pelegostos believe that Jack is a 'god' in human form" she declared to their new companion. "And they intend to do him the honor of releasing him from his fleshy prison" As if to show what she meant Cotton, one of the crew who was caged with them, grabbed Gibbs finger and bit in them, hard.

Gibbs 'arrghed' and yanked his hand back. "They'll roast and eat him" Amèlie looked pointedly at the hand, which was steadily getting redder. Finally Will seemed to understand while he looked around.

"Where is the rest of the crew?" he asked confused at the few persons present. Gibbs rested a hand on the cage wall.

"These cages we're in...weren't built 'til after we got here" Will jumped as he pulled his hand away from the bones he had rested on. Amèlie faced her back to them again, listening intently for something in the distance.

"The feast is beginning" she said softly, more to herself than to the others.

"Aye" Gibbs retorted anyway. "Jack's life will end...when the drums stop." Drums were played from the Pelegostos, in a certain rhythm. They couldn't watch the feast however, Amèlie had tried already. But that also meant nobody else could watch them. While they were trying to escape. But how?

"Well" Will spoke again. "We can't just sit here and wait then, can we?"

"What are you intending to do, William?" the dark-haired girl asked him. The asked moved up behind her, gazing at the cliff as well now.

"We have to get to the cliff wall" he replied in a strong yet soflty low voice as if some enemies could eavesdrop.

"I have been thinking that already" Amèlie said, fitting his tone. "But there is quite a distance if you haven't noticed yet."

"I have..."

It was impossible, but after a while his plan was put into action. The two cages swung in wide, wide arches, each arm sticking out in one side of the cages hard, trying to grab on something on the cliff. Still it needed some time until they were near enough to hold on the vines Amèlie had been staring onto not a while ago.

As soon as she recognized they would be close enough, she stretched out, the bars denting into her small body. She grabbed one of the vines, scratching her palms in process yet barely noticing it. The others, too, managed to get one of the plants into their hands.

"Put your legs through" Gibbs shouted. "Start to climb!"

Both cages obeyed, getting slowly but steadily up the cliff. It, for sure, looked funny from the outside. Amèlie didn't believe she was helping much, she hadn't much strength. Her tactic was more to be agile and light-footed, but now it was definitely not light-footed. Maybe that was one of the reason why Will thought it was needed to motivate the crew.

"Come on!" he yelled loud enough for the other cage some feet away from them to hear. "It'll take all of us to crew the Black Pearl!"

"Actually we wouldn't need everyone" Leech spoke, the dark-skinned one from the other cage. "'Bout six would do!"

Amelie froze.

Right at the moment she was jailed in this cage, she was used to the sound of the drums playing distantly in her ears. At least used enough to notice it wasn't there anymore. Everybody stopped at her sudden stiffness due to the fact she was above all them. They had noticed too. As well as they noticed what that meant. And as well as they noticed what Leech's words just meant.

"Ohhh...dear" he mumbled as the other cage had stopped too. Amèlie looked back up, trying almost desperately to see something, something, from her father. "Papà..." she said too low for anybody but the nearest person to her to hear. She caught Will's gaze on her and with a quick glance at each other...

"Hurry!" he shouted, more to the ones in his cage than to the other. They began to race up the cliff more faster if possible, and against each other. Though Amèlie's reason was rather to look after her father than to win. Since when did it start to be a daughter-look-over-the-father? Shouldn't it be otherwise? Amèlie sighed, getting exasperated with the thought. But she wouldn't forget what he did for her. He had gave her freedom. Freedom on a ship.

While trying to outdo each other, nobody noticed the native pass on the bridge over them. At least Amèlie didn't until Will suddenly hissed, "Stop!"

Amèlie snapped her head down to him, squinting her eyes to see him despite the sun, which was shining at one side of her face, leaving the other in shadows. "Stop. Stop!" he continued to hiss until the other cage halted in their movements.

"What is it?" Amèlie asked in a hush tone. Will pointed up to the bridge. The native was already halfway over the bridge, not realizing what was happening just under him. They just needed to be quite until he passed...but noo.

"Shh" Amèlie's ears picked up as she saw the other cage move again from the corner of her eyes. "Stop!" Will shouted again as loud as he dared, but the 'leader' Leech just chuckled. It, however, turned into a scream of pure horror as he grabbed on a poisonous snake instead of a vine.

"Snake! Aaah!" he yelled, letting it drop along with the hold of the vine in his other hand. The others inside the cage, startled by the outburst, jerked away from their holds on the cliff as well, unfortunately. They fell back down. Amèlie immediately realized the rope holding the cage over the ravine under them would tear apart under the weight of the men together with the force of the fall. But there was nothing she could do.

So they all only could watch and listen to the screams of the six crew members, who were damned to die due to their stupidity. Unluckily to the rest all the noise drew the attention of the native to them.

"Move!" Amèlie shouted. Nobody objected as they saw the Cannibal ran back the way he came from. Quickly, if not quicker than before, they raced up the cliff. And although they were getting tired slowly, the crew got the cage up on top of the cliff. As soon as Amèlie felt the rich green grass under her, she searched for something sharp, a rock, to break the cage so they could make a run.

"Pull it loose!" Will commanded. "Find a rock!"

"A sharp one if possible!" Amèlie added almost unconsciously as she found one. It wasn't helping much, she was only starting with the second rope to slice as the Cannibals reached them. The cage wasn't pulled loose enough to break through even with the six together. The sharp rock cut into her palm, but she barely noticed in her adrenaline rush.

"Roll the cage!" Will yelled over the shouts of the coming natives.

"Oh hell" the young girl muttered to herself as the others threw their stones and whatever away and pushed themselves against one side of the cage. She got unwillingly bounced against them as with a jerk the jail of theirs started to roll.

Amèlie looked behind her, her thick hair finding its way into her mouth and all over her face. Again she wished it wouldn't fall down until almost her waist. But that didn't matter right now. The Cannibals came closer and closer due to the lame speed the six had.

The sudden screams of her fellows made her head snap back to them. And she noticed why they were so terrified. The cage was about to fall over the hill. Amèlie stopped running and backed to the other side of the cage as if she could stop their pace, which seemed to be so slow just a minute ago. Now she would have given anything to make it stop. Who knew how high they were right now? And how low the stunt would go?

But behind her and the others their chaser were even nearer than before and she couldn't tell which was better. Being caught by Cannibals? Or falling down a cliff?

She wasn't allowed to make up her mind and decide anyway; they were already falling. Her outcry drowned down with the ones of the five others. A small impact and they were rolling down the hill, this time uncontrollably though. They just got thrown against each other and Amèlie barely could hold onto the cage wall.

Her mind was getting dizzy after a while and she really felt like she would vomit anytime. If she would have something in her stomach. It would be only saliva then.

Oddly enough she felt like they were rolling upwards for a moment. Did they reach the end already? No, it was only a palm tree. The cage bowled up the trunk, before back down again, crashing onto the ground.

Unfortunately it didn't broke. Amèlie couldn't collect herself fully before she heard Will's voice over the grunts and pained exclamations.

"Lift the cage! Hurry!" Are those Cannibals still after us?

"Come on! Lift it like a lady's skirt" Gibbs agreed.

"That was uncalled for!" the only girl in the cage glared at him. To her satisfaction he shrunk back and they lifted the ball of wood and bones together without any other word.

With their legs through the space between the bars, they ran for their lives and Amèlie was glad, she didn't have to bear the cage on her own. Running as fast as they could, she scraped her thighs here and there, the foreign language of the Cannibals right behind them all, carried by the soft wind to their ears. She clenched her teeth at the sharp pain of the grazes, but the gasps, which left her mouth sometimes, couldn't be helped.

They kept running and running, getting uncomfortable by now, until-

Amèlie felt no ground under her feet. Again. Oh no

They fell. Into a chasm. With a river. Well, what a nice end she thought dryly as she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact. And it came.

Cold water clashed on her skin so sudden, it left her breathless for a moment. Not that she could have breathed in the water anyway. To her luck, and to the others as well, the cage broke with the force of their weight and the collision.

Amèlie hastily tangled her feet from the wood of the cage, which held her down, away from the surface. Lucky again. Spears and arrows cut into the water, narrowly missing her.

She decided it would be better to be down here than up there. But the lack of oxygen was making it a little hard. And again she didn't have much choice to make up her mind. Someone grabbed her arms and pulled her with an enormous strength up.

Amèlie broke through the surface. Swallowing air as soon as she could she wondered for a moment, why everything before her eyes were dark. Were was the light? But it turned out to only be her sticky hair, which clung around her face.

Brushing them behind, she noticed Gibbs and Will beside her, both one arm on both of hers.

"Thanks" she said quietly, but nobody could answer as the next spear flew down to them and almost cut into the shoulder of Mr. Cotton.

"This way, lads" Gibbs shouted, pointing at a small passage behind Amèlie, which would thankfully move them away from the natives.

They ran again, even slower, with the foaming water as a pressure on their legs.

Amèlie reached the beach with the others behind her, her only goal leaving the island instantly. No way, she was staying here with those Cannibals in one place ever.

To her surprise she spotted two pirates, looking suspiciously close to Pintel and Ragetti, Barbossa's crew members, at the ship. How they were alive, was a miracle for her, but she didn't care at the moment.

"Excellent work! Work is half done" Gibbs exclaimed while he passed by Pintel, the fat one, as he climbed up the Black Pearl, which was already half in the water.

Amèlie narrowed her eyes, but passed him anyway, getting wet as she jumped into the water to get to the ship.

"We done it for you!" Pintel replied with a nervous smile as he saw the young girl, which looked so much like Jack Sparrow. "Knowing you'd be comin' back for us!"

"Yeah, right" Amèlie muttered to herself as she reached for a rope to climb up.

"Make ready to sail, boys!" Gibbs' shout reached her ears and she froze in the middle of her climbing. Jack...Papà...

Will seemed to think the same at the moment.

"What about Jack?" he yelled, panting quietly. He stared mostly at the girl, whom he noticed, she had stopped moving. "I won't leave without him" They couldn't. She couldn't. Of course not. But what should they do? Wait? Till when? Till they reached them?

"OI!" Amèlie winced at the sudden noise, shoving her back to reality. Her head snapped at the direction of the sound, just in time to see him, Jack, rounding the corner of the island, running as if hell was after him.

She sighed in relief.

But it didn't last for too long. Behind her father was a horde of Cannibals following him, spears and arrows ready in their hands, shouting for him.

"Never mind. Time to go" Will said, running to the ship. Amèlie casted him a disbelieved look, before squinting her eyes back to Jack. There was no way he could reach the ship and make them sail away without some natives coming with them.

"Cast off those lines!" Gibbs yelled.

"Make ready to cast off!" Amèlie looked up and saw Ragetti, the one with only one eye, at the railing. He tugged together with Gibbs on the rope she was hanging on, pulling her up to the ship.

"Com' on, Amèlie!" the first mate clamoured down to her. Unwillingly she let herself get pulled up, silently praying Jack would be fast enough to make it. If the ship was sailing already and he was good in time, they could make it. But if not...he would be food.

"OI!" She heard his voice again, closer to her small relief. Climbing rather heavily onto the railing, she sat upon it, her eyes watching her father struggle to keep away from those Cannibals. He said something to a dog (...odd), before he ran into the water. So he won't stop till the end...

"Slow down!" Amèlie shouted over her shoulder, not noticing Gibbs was right behind her, cringing at the loudness of her voice. Tensed she stared at her father, willing him to run faster...

and he did it. He half swam half ran to the ship, clinging onto a net beside the ship. As much as Amèlie sighed in relief, she rolled her eyes in annoyance, as he stopped midway, looking back to the Cannibals. They had stopped at the water, obviously not wanting to leave the island, not even for their meal.

"Alas, my children" he started importantly. "This is the day you shall always remember as the day that you almost -" Unfortunately, or fortunately for Amèlie's amusement, a water wave splashed him wet from head to toe, smearing his 'make-up' all over his face. Rather unenthusiastically he carried on nonetheless. "- Caprain Jack Sparrow"

And back I am! So sorry for the late update, but I got a little bored with the story. Still, after so many favorites and alerts, I couldn't help but continue this story. Thanks most of all to the readers...

Nizuna Fujieda (Thank you so much for the regular reviews. Love you :D)

esinger (Seems like this story caught your attention...COOL)

JoJo1812 (yep, sadly enough I'm not getting much review :P. Well, I take what I get, so thanks for your reviews!)

And to all the others, who reviewed for this story. I love you so! Lets see how many reviews this one will get...:)

Anime-GaGa