Chapter 9: The Call of a Siren

The Black Pearl had sailed as far as Devil's Anvil when a violent storm arose. The wind roared and the sea rocked and tossed the ship as if it were merely a toy. Throughout the storm all hands were on deck. Violetta was left alone in Jack's cabin, scared out of her mind. The only thing she could do was hold on to something and try to stay in her chair. Outside, a bright light flashed and dimmed, but left an unearthly glow outside the door. A beautiful song filled the air. The men on deck ceased to move, though the ship still pitched violently with the waves. Violetta stood and opened the cabin door to see what was going on.

A beautiful woman stood on the deck of the ship singing to the crew. The men were mesmerized by the song. Jack, however, was sitting under the stairs with his eyes closed and his ears covered. Violetta boldly approached the entity; the moment if saw her, it became angry and dove back into the sea. The spell on the crew was broken and they seemed to have no recollection of what had happened. Gibbs quickly ordered them back to their stations in order to keep the ship afloat until the storm passed. Violetta went immediately to Jack and removed his hands from his ears. He opened his eyes and clung to the girl he cared so much for.

"Jack, what was that?"

"A siren, Violetta, and it'll come back sooner or later."

"Why?"

"Sirens prey on sailors and lure them to their deaths. Your appearance on deck must have driven it away."

"Why your ship? Why now, Jack?"

"It's easier to lure sailors off their charted course during storms such as this one."

"And it doesn't like me?"

"Not in the least. You're the only thing keeping us safe. If we survive this night I will meet with the crew. You will be there with us."

"Why would I need to be there?"

"What I'm going to say involves you, Violetta."

Though the storm still raged, Violetta was kept on deck. The siren did not appear again that night. Eventually the sky and sea calmed. The soaked men gathered on deck to hear what their captain had to say.

"Gentlemen, there is something that I wish to say in the presence of you all so that there will be no doubt about the way I feel. You all remember how I was when I captured this girl. She has healed my heart. I love her."

He pulled her close to him and looked down into her emerald eyes.

"Stay with us, Violetta. Stay with me and sail with us forever."

"I never intended to leave, Jack. I will always be by your side no matter what." She replied, grinning.

The crew began to shout joyously. The uproar grew louder when Jack softly kissed Violetta. When jack released her, she looked around. She did not see Gibbs and began to wonder what he could be. After the crew had dispersed and gone back to their tasks, Violetta slipped below decks to look for her friend. She found him in the ship's hold looking around. He didn't seem to have a purpose in doing so.

"Joshamee?"

He didn't respond; she approached him and placed her hand on his arm.

"What's wrong, Joshamee?"

"It still hurts to see someone I love with someone else. Violetta, this is almost a repeat of what happened to me all those years ago."

"What happened to you?"

"For a time, I was married to Cleo. Then Barbossa came back and she immediately went to him. She left me for him. Violetta, you love me, but you're choosing Jack.

"At least I didn't leave you for him. You're right, Joshamee, I do love you. But I have to listen to what my heart says."

I understand, Violetta. If having me as naught but a friend will make you happy then I will respect your wish."

"Thank you, Joshamee." She said, raising herself up to kiss his cheek. The two went up on deck to join the rest of the crew.

-That night a thick fog blanketed the ship. It was hard to see anything beyond the figurehead. The seas grew still and calm; there was hardly any wind. Jack feared the siren's return. He stood at the helm while Violetta slept in his cabin. At every whisper and soft sound he would look around for the deadly creature. As time passed, Jack became more and more aware of the sound of soft singing. The sound was beautiful. The sound was more beautiful than anything he had ever heard. A glowing light emanated from behind him.

"Hello, Jack." said a voice that tinkled like the daintiest of silver bells.

"Who are you?" he asked, refusing to turn around.

"You may call me Mariana." The voice answered.

Jack felt a pair of frigid arms wrap around his waist. Though the voice was beautiful and the arms around him were cold and inviting, he still tried to resist the siren's spell.

"Why are you here?"

"I came for you, Jack."

"What use am I to you?"

"You will make a fine mate for me."

"Sorry, love, I'm spoken for." He replied, trying to tear himself away from the creature. She held him fast and waited until he stopped struggling to turn him to face her. When his eyes met hers it was as if he could see and hear nothing else. Jack began to follow him towards the edge of the ship; he was going to follow her into the dark water. Luckily, the scuffle on deck had woken up Violetta. She made her way to the bridge after making everyone stay below. The sight she observed greatly displeased her.

"Why don't you mess with someone your own size?" she growled menacingly.

The creature stopped and glared in her direction. The beautiful voice that Jack had heard turned into a cruel hiss.

"Would you rather me mess with you?"

"You could try. Jack is not yours; he is mine. You will never take my Jack." She said, taking a medallion she had found among Jack's things.

The evil creature shied away from the blessed trinket. It knew that as long as Violetta held it, she could not get near her. The clever young woman moved to Jack's side and placed he medallion around his neck. The siren became angry and disappeared into the water. The creature knew that it could not touch the pirate captain as long as he wore the medallion around his neck. Violetta led Jack to his cabin and got him into bed.

"I almost lost you there, Jack."

"You saved me again. I owe you my life."

"No, Jack, you owe me nothing. There is one thing I need you to do for me."

"Anything…"

"Keep that medallion 'round your neck. The siren can't come back and can't touch you as long as you wear it."

"I can do that."

"Good. Now get some rest, Jack."

-The next morning, Violetta took charge of the ship, acting in Jack's stead. She had made him stay in the cabin and rest; he had only agreed to calm her. He knew that she was trying to help and he would not condemn her for that. By this time they were far out to sea and were well on their way to the Island that Jack had spoken of. Looking at the maps, Violetta and Gibbs determined that he must have been talking about the Isla de Espiritus. Jack had said that it was mysterious and beautiful. He forgot to mention that it was infested with ghosts.

While Jack slept below, Gibbs taught Violetta how to run the ship and read charts. While consulting the charts, the two spotted something that could cause trouble later on: A large reef around the island with only one way to get through it. Still, they allowed Jack to rest, knowing that they would be able to handle it themselves. All hands were needed to safely maneuver the ship through the winding waterway, but they did it without incident. The anchors were lowered and the men doused canvas. Violetta went into Jack's cabin and found him sitting at the table with a bottle of rum in his hand.

"Well, hello, Jack."

"Hello, love. Did you have fun playing captain?"

"I wasn't the one in charge. Gibbs was the one ordering the crew around. He taught me how to work the ship and read charts, but that's about all."

"It sounded like he was doing a fine job."

"He was, yes."

Jack rose from his seat and pulled her into his arms. She relaxed there comfortably, not wanting him to let her go.

"Do you want to go ashore with me? We can explore this place together. I can't do it on my own."

"Yes, of course, Jack. I'll help you any way I can."

The crew lowered a longboat for them. Jack helped Violetta into the boat and pushed off from the ship. Violetta watched him row to shore; she watched the muscles in his arms flex with each stroke he made with the oars. The display of his strength made her tingle with excitement. Jack had noticed how intently she was watching him and smiled.

"Like what you see, love?"

"You're very strong, Jack…"

"You didn't answer me question."

"I do like what I see."

"How much?"

"Very much."

He grinned and kept rowing until the boat hit the sand. He pulled it up on shore after helping Violetta out of it. The cool water in which she waded felt good against her skin. She watched the little fish dart away from her as she waded closer to the shore. She looked over at Jack and found him looking back at her. He began to walk out to her, a mischievous air about him.

"Does the water feel good to you, love?" he asked as soon as he stopped in front of her.

"Yes, Jack…" she replied, wondering what he was up to.

He pressed himself against her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Does having me this close feel good to you?"

"Yes, Jack…" she replied, a bit breathless.

He lifted her face and gave her a gentle kiss. He noticed how red her face had become and chuckled softly.

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit…"

He backed away from her and held her face in his hands.

"I will never hurt you, Violetta. I promise."