Disclaimer: I don't own any POTC characters, only my OCs-Joe, Jared, Lady Errol, Seadog and other random people that were never in the movies.
I would also like to apologize for an error in the previous chapters. Accidentally, I called Joey's and Jared's brother Jackie!!!! I'm so sorry! Just to reconfirm, Joey and Jared's brother is called JOHNNY, not Jackie! So….yeah…so sorry!
Anyway, please enjoy!
Chapter 10
Saving Princess Leia
I chugged down the last of my beer, the golden liquid gliding down my throat.
Sigh.
Pure bliss.
The 'Virgin Lady' was still crowded, even though the night had already aged into the twinkling hours of predawn; it was only four hours till sunrise. A fiddler played a chirpy tune in the corner, his bow bent like the whiskers of the grey-coated cat that sat by his feet. The crowd of before, the one of merry singing and drunken follies, had mild down to a mere lull; most of the pirates lay on the floor, drunk-dead. Almost all the hookers had already disappeared for the night, many now leaving for the rooms upstairs with their wasted customers. The fire-lighted chandelier still burned brightly above, accompanying the other hundred fire lamps that surrounded the inn. The place smelled as bad as before, only now there was a hint of the smell of vomit as well.
"That's enough for tonight," Jared reached forward and pulled the now-empty mug out of my hands. I let him take it away. He was right. It was enough. My head was already spinning from all the alcohol and the dry meat that I had eaten with the beer made me want to puke. Besides, I was already feeling a little too happy and knowing me, that's never a good thing.
Still…the beer was sooo good….
"Here ye go," Mr. Gibbs approached the table, hands full with spilling mugs of beer. His ponytail hung loose behind his head, shaking as he walked quickly towards us. He banged the multiple mugs of beer down onto the flat surface of the wooden table, spilling some of its contents.
"More?!" Jared gaped incredulously as Mr. Gibbs took the seat opposite me. His sweaty arm brushed my elbow as he sat down and I did my best not to recoil in disgust. The fiddler began to play even louder.
"Aye, lad," Mr. Gibbs grinned in reply and reached out a pudgy hand to take a glass of beer, "We'll need the strength for the trip. It's a long way we're taking, and me guess is that ye're going to need ye're strength. So drink up, lad." He brought the mug to his lips and gulped down a generous amount of beer. His eyes closed in pleasure and his ruddy cheeks became even redder. A cockroach scurried across the table.
"Right," Jared screwed his face at the older man and pushed the glasses of beer away from his side of the table, "Alcohol is definitely going to give us all the strength we need. At the same time, it'll also help corrode our liver."
"Oh, why does it matter, Jared?" I yawned in reply, sinking my head onto the table top despite the presence of the cockroach, "We're going die anyway. Even if the beer doesn't kill us, this insane adventure will." I breathed out a sigh as I said this and my chest burned, as if on fire. Opposite me, Mr. Gibbs arched a thin eyebrow. The fiddler had changed his tune.
"I wished you stopped being so pessimistic," Jared replied coolly. His voice had once again adopted that disgusting calm tone that he often used to seem like adult, to seem older and more mature. To be honest, this trait only began 2 weeks ago. Before, Jared didn't care about the world. He was the top footballer in school, the most popular jock in campus. He dated hot girls after hot girls, partying away each night and coming home completely wasted in the wee hours of the morning. Dad always had a problem with him, just as he had a problem with me but unlike Jared, my wild antics could never be forgiven.
Maybe it was because of the fact that I was always doing something illegal.
Jared and I had never gotten along and if you have been paying attention to anything that I have been saying over the past three days, you'll know that it is true. Jared is part of the in-crowd; I am not. Jared's friends consists of other jocks and pretty cheerleaders; my best friend, Reed, works part-time at Carl's Junior to pay his house's rent and my other friend, Stevie, had just recently been released from Juvy. Jared loved football; I street-raced for the thrills. Jared had completely changed after Dad's and Jackie's death, becoming more mature and grown-up; I was still me.
We were from parallel universe, each living in co-existence of one another but never really depending on each other. Our lives were separate entities, different beings. We never talked in school, only a respectable nod once and again when we were in the mood. Other then that, nothing. He had his life. I had mine. It was simple.
Yet here we were, depending on each other in a whole different dimension, in a different time zone that was never our own.
Strangers trapped in another world.
"Why on earth do we have to sail off so early in the morning?" Jared broke through my thoughts as he turned to Mr. Gibbs with that whine. The fiddler in the corner had picked up a folksy tune, a sort of jig. Mr. Gibbs had already dried his glass and was heading for another one. He wiped his sweaty mouth with one hand and reached for another mug of beer with the other. I raised my head from the table top and smooth my hair back.
"We can't afford to waste anymore time," Mr. Gibbs explained, bringing the mug of beer to his lips, "The longer we wait, the farther Barbossa gets. We must leave the moment Seadog gets the ship ready."
"To get back Captain Sparrow's ship, right? Jewel of something-…"
"Pearl, lad. Black Pearl. Aye, that is the plan. Honestly, lad, I have no idea where Barbossa has taken de ship. All we have-"
"What's so bloody important about this ship anyway?" I snapped suddenly, interrupting Mr. Gibbs, "It's just a ship!"
Mr. Gibbs' eyes widened and as he opened his mouth to retort when all of a sudden, a sleek voice answered me instead.
"The Pearl ain't just a ship, love."
Jared, Mr. Gibbs and I wheeled in our seats to see Captain Sparrow trudging down the stairs, down from the rooms above. He wore a lazy grin on his face as he sauntered down, the firelight making his dark eyes twinkle. He carried his hat in his hand, his long dreadlocks falling out of a dirty-looking, red bandana. His other hand busied itself with buttoning up his pants. His golden rings gleamed brightly in the firelight, reflecting dully the images surrounding him. He stepped over the sleeping men on the floor and walked towards us, still grinning. The fiddler had begun to play even more loudly.
Captain Sparrow approached me and placed his large hand on my head.
"Ye see lass," he grinned his yellow teeth down at me, "The Black Pearl ain't just a ship. She's the ocean altogether. Her very being-.."
"Ya, ya. Save it," I interrupted him, swatting away his hand from my head, "Are we ready to go now? Is the ship ready?" At this, Captain Sparrow gave me the same annoyed look as before. I have a feeling he wasn't my biggest fan.
Then again, no one was.
With the same irrated scowl, Captain Sparrow took the seat opposite Jared and placed his hat down on the table top. He reached forward with his long arm and pulled a mug of beer to him, dragging it across the table top and pushing the oblivious cockroach towards him. The ugly brown critter seemed to squeal as it was unintentionally pushed to the edge of the table, tumbling over and down to the floor. Captain Sparrow said nothing. He brought the mug of beer to his lips and drank a mouthful, gulping down with a sigh.
"Captain?" Mr. Gibbs said, putting his mug back down on the table. Across the room, a drunken fool had begun to sing along to the fiddler's music, slurring each word. Sparrow chugged down the last of his drink and cleared his throat.
"Well?!?" I wanted to scream.
"Seadog had just sent his man," Sparrow finally spoke, licking his lips in contentment, "The ship's almost ready."
"Fan-fucking-tastic!" I clenched my fist in triumph as Jared breathed a sigh and grinned a little. It wouldn't be long now before I got a nice little bed to catch some wink-eye on; Sparrow was too much of a cheapo to get me room at the inn. Opposite me, Mr. Gibbs grinned as well.
"Then we're ready to go!" Mr. Gibbs smiled at his captain, his dimples set deep into this face, "Aye, Captain. Now it won't be long before we get back the Pearl and then-…"
"The Fountain," Captain Sparrow answered him, eyes glinting like jewels.
"Aye, the fountain," his first mate grinned, cheeks trembling.
"Seriously, dudes!" I yelled, flinging my arms in annoyance. These pirates were the most bloody irritating people I had ever met! As I made to strangle Captain Sparrow, Jared reached over and pushed me back down.
"You have a temper, love. Has anyone told ye?" Captain Sparrow grinned his stained teeth at me, obviously amused once again. This time, I was on my feet. I really wanted to kill him. I have had no sleep since the night before and every muscle in my body was screaming out in weariness. I just wanted to murder something right about now and Sparrow was pretty much in my way. As I reached over to him, Jared stood up as well and grabbed me back by my arm.
"Ignore her," he glared at me, clenching my arm with brute strength as he spoke to the pirates, "She had a little too much to drink."
"But, Ja-…"
He forced me back down to my seat with a hard push and I stumbled down, rather unglamorously. My butt hit the stool and once again, I cursed the day Jared was born. I shrugged my hand out of his grip and turned to glare at Sparrow, jabbing two fingers before my eyes and spinning them around to jab in Sparrow's direction; the 'I'm-watching-you' sign. Sparrow just grinned at me.
"Alright, alright," Jared frowned, still on his feet, "Enough. Can we go now?" He smoothed down his shirt and backed away his chair, all-ready to walk off and leave for the ship. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his biceps, yawning a little. On the other side of the room, the drunkard had started doing a little dance as he sang, quite horribly, to the fiddler's tune. The door to the inn shuffled open and a pair of pirates dragged themselves in, a cold draft sweeping into the pub.
"No," Sparrow looked up at Jared slightly and then reached for another mug of beer. Jared's eyebrows shot up to his hairline but he said nothing. Without so much as a wince, he sank back down to his seat, a look of slight irritation playing on his handsome face.
"Why the fuck not?" I gritted through my teeth, clenching my fist as I glared at the pirate. Opposite me, Mr. Gibbs wore a look of confusion.
Captain Sparrow paused here and took a long drag of his drink. He chugged, chugged and chugged until finally, his beer was gone. With a sigh and a lick of his lips, he placed the mug back down on the table.
"Cause, love," He finally spoke, grinning slightly at me, "Ye and ye brother over here have something ye need to do for me."
"And what might that be?" I growled, forcing myself to calm down and not kill him. Mr. Gibbs scrunched up his brow in complete confusion. Jared's eyebrows remained raised. Here, Sparrow let go of his mug and reached forth to my hand. He patted it sweetly and smirked most evilly at me.
"All I want, love, is me Verdad back."
Silence.
Then…
"WHAT?!?" I screamed, withdrawing my hand from his and widening my eyes in disbelief. Jared screwed up his face.
"Ye heard me," Sparrow simply stated, pulling a new mug to his lips. Opposite me, Mr. Gibbs said nothing.
"B-b-but…."
"But Seadog has the Verdad," Jared interrupted, slamming a hand over my mouth to shut me up; "You sold it to him!"
Captain Sparrow sighed. He licked his lips and gazed calmly at Jared, somehow ignoring me. Across the room, the fiddler had taken his little violin and smashed it on his drunken singer's head.
"Let's put it this way, aight?" he looked at us coolly, "Get me the Verdad and ye both get to come onto Betty. Otherwise…"
"Ye get left behind," Mr. Gibbs finished for him, looking solemnly at us. He was obviously on Sparrow's side. I scrunched my nose at him in disgust and almost stuck my tongue out. Beside me, Sparrow had leaned back, obviously content.
Biting my lips in anger, I growled, "Do you pirates do anything out of the good of heart?!?"
"Nay, not really," Sparrow answered me, smirking away. I resisted an urge to lung at him and murder him with my bare hands.
"You want us to steal the Verdad back from Seadog's den?" Jared scrunched in brows as he glared at the captain. His fingers fidgeted nervously. I swallowed back my saliva and shouted again.
"You've been planning this from the start, you fucking bastard! All this time, you planned to use us-…"
Jared cut me off by grabbing my shoulder and squeezing gently. His grip was firm yet warm. I spun my head around and glare at him.
"What?!?"
Jared looked at Sparrow, then Mr. Gibbs and finally me. He licked his lips and his blue eyes sparkled in the daunting firelight.
"Damnit, Joe! Does it look like we have a choice?!"
I officially hate pirates.
"Doesn't Seadog remind you of Jabba the Hut?" I asked my brother as we shuffled down the dark alley together, our footsteps the only sound in the quiet of the night. Above, a crow swept past, calling out in its shrill voice like a banshee on the wings of the wind.
"Who?" Jared raised an eyebrow at me as he looked up from his shoes, his feet kicking a stray pebble. All doors and shutters were shut on either side of us, the chimneys above us quiet and dark. A silver cat trailed behind us, its bright hazel eyes watching us like a predator watches its prey. The skies were churning, bright orange clouds shredding the dark skies with the promise of rain and thunder. The smell of rain tainted the air, more then it had a few hours ago, and the wind howled, rushing back my bronze hair and chilling my bones.
It wouldn't be long before the skies gave way and the little filthy island of Tortuga was swept in a fiery battle storm.
"You know," I rolled my eyes at him, voice dragged down in a whine "The dude from Star Wars? The fat, slug-looking guy…you know! The one that captured Princess Leia in Star Wars; Return of the Jedi! C'mon, Jared! You remember!" Jared's eyes did an orbital roll as he stuffed his hands into his pant's pockets. A shiver of mist escaped his lips as he breathed out softly, in a long, tired sigh. The icy cold wind slapped against his face, paling his skin until he looked like a ghost against the bleak night.
"Of course I know," Jared moaned in reply, gazing at me with a slight scowl, "You made us all watch the whole entire series of Star Wars last summer remember? I almost died that day."
"Please, don't exaggerate;" I snapped at him, wrapping my arms across my chest to warm myself, "I'm not that bad." Behind us, the stray cat meowed, moaning out in its dreadful lament.
"Live it up, sis," Jared merely replied, coyly twiddling his thumbs his pant's pocket and casting me a grim expression, "You're obsessed with Star Wars." Above us, a flash of light crackled across the sky, rolling over the thunderous clouds and arching out in branches. A filthy-looking rat scurried by us, against the alley's wall, running with its little pink feet peeking at us through the dark of the road. The wind stirred again.
When will the rain come?
"Well," I tilted my chin slightly skyward, my voice cracking from the icy wind, "Ain't n-nothing wrong with being obsessed with Star Wars. It's an epic, after all….at the very least, I'm not obsessed with something stupid as…Aha! Football!" I said the last bit with a triumphant grin; sassing my brother's love for American football was one of the few joys life offered.
"Wow, Joe," Jared yawned in reply, looking at me dully, "Insulting my game. Again. Very impressive use of the brain, might I add." He scrunched up his eyebrows slightly as another breeze pulled.
"I'm sleepy alright?! I can't think straight!" I nearly screamed, throwing my arms above my head, "I'm fucking exhausted! I've been up all day, all of 24 hours-…"
"So have I."
"Yeah, but you didn't have to deal with that-that Sparrow all day! God, he drives me mad!!" My last cry was especially loud, exploding upwards to the dark clouds and sideways down the dank alley. A crow called once again and a silver of moonlight peeked through the clouds, casting a dim gleam of pale down upon us. Jared's footsteps slowed as he gave out a deep sigh.
"The problem with you, Joe," he breathed, gazing sidelong at me with a twitch of amusement, " Is that you always seem to forget that I have gone through pretty much everything you have for the past few days-seeing as we've been stuck together so far. The only reason you're acting like you're dying is, well….you're over-dramatic, Joe." A thin, wary smile played on his lips as he gazed at me silently, hands still hidden in his pockets. My heart jolted slightly as his steady walking pace moved him out of the shadow of a house and into the frail moonlight; he looked older then his 17 years.
In fact, he looked a little like Dad.
"Over-dramatic, huh?" I murmured in reply, turning away from my brother. He did not answer. The silver cat had caught up with us now, purring softly at our feet and gazing up at us with its honey-brown eyes. Its bony-tail coiled around my leg in an attempt of friendliness. The shadow of another dark bird swept over the top of houses once again, sailing smoothly by as the last glimmer of moonlight was finally snuffed out by the rolling rain clouds. A gale blew and my blood chilled to ice.
Once again, silence drowned us.
For a next five minutes, we walked in silence, our footsteps the only sound in the quiet night. My thoughts wandered as we walked of course, jumping from the topic of never seeing my home again to how hot Milo Ventimiglia actually was. I was spell-bounded in the midst of a thought of the shirtless actor when I suddenly hit Jared right smack in his back.
"OI!" I yelled out as I almost fell back, tripping slightly over my large feet, "Watch where you're going!" My brother stared back at me with a look of annoyance and said nothing. Instead, he pointed to his right. It was only then that I realized that we had stopped walking. On my right, plastered against the wall of a big, cobbled house was the same old wooden door, the little opening shut tight. No sound came from behind it, no soft whisper; not even the heat of before.
Seadog's den.
"Oh damnit, Jared!" I yelled, stomping my feet in frustration, "Must we really do this?!" Jared rolled his eyes at me again in reply.
"Like I said, Joe," He sighed softly, breathing gently, "We don't have a choice."
"B-but…I mean, c'mon!" I cried at him, flinging my hands to explain my point, "We could pretty much get our heads blown off here! Let me tell you, dude, I'm too young to lose my head!"
"It's either risking this or staying in this shit-hole forever," he merely replied, studying the wooden door coolly, "Besides, it's not that dangerous. Sparrow did say that Seadog and most of his men are at the port, preparing the ship. The den should be pretty much empty-easy enough to sneak in and steal the Verdad." He said as if it was the simplest thing ever, his blue eyes blinking away sleep.
"Please. I don't trust Sparrow."
"Not my problem," he murmured and with that, he turned away and carried down the alley without a moment's hesitation. I stared after him and after a second or so, when I realized he was really going, I called after him.
"Yo, Jared!" I cried, running after my twin, "Where're you're going?! What about the Verdad?! Wh-…"
"Shut up Joe," he grumbled in reply, turning a scowl at me over his hunched shoulders, "Keep making noise and we will really get our heads blown off. Just follow me, alright?" I opened my mouth to argue but Jared's dark scowl made my jaw snap right back up. He was in a foul mood and it was best to be silent at times like this. So, I followed silently behind him, still having no idea what he was doing. The silver cat had quit following us; instead, it sat right in front of the wooden door, staring after us with its dark eyes. A thunder rumbled above us, like an angry beast, grinding and gnashing its teeth. I twiddled my thumbs as we continued down the alleyway, until at last, we reached the corner of the house; it turned sharply to the right into another alley of dark houses.
"Jared…"
"Look," my brother offered, pointing down to the ground, "Side door." Nestled at the side of Seadog's den, at the corner of the big house, was a small door, but 1 and a half meter high. It laid in a muddy trench a foot down, stone steps covered with grime leading down towards it. Like the door before, it was wooden and old, though much smaller and dirtier. A rat foraged for food near the corner of the first step, its dark eyes twinkling in the dark. Another thunder moaned.
"Oh great," I sulked, biting my lower lip as I glared at the little door, "Side door."
"C'mon," my brother nudged me forward with his shoulder, gazing upwards a little. With a sigh, I walked onwards towards the muddy steps. My boots slugged into the mud as I stepped onto the brick steps and I couldn't help but grimaced at it; there was more then mud on the ground. Balancing carefully, I wobbled my way down the few steps and towards the small door, darkness closing in at every step. There was no light at the door, none at all, and it probably didn't help that the moon was missing in action again. The air was chilly and the muddy trench reeked terribly of something dead.
"Yuk," I turned back to Jared who was balancing his way down the trench, "Do you smell that?"
"Yeah, yeah," he nodded his head, cheeks flushed, "Just open the door, would ya?" He jumped the last step into the sludgy mud behind me, sloshing thick muck everywhere. I nodded in reply and in turn, wheeled to face the small door. Lighting flashed across the sky as the wind howled away in agony. It was frightfully cold, the perfect Halloween weather. I leaned forward and with a shudder, pushed my weight against the door.
It didn't budge.
I tried again, this time putting all my strength to it.
It did not even creak.
"Alright, then!" I beamed, spinning around to face my brother, "It's locked. We can't get in. Let's go!" I made for the stairs but Jared grabbed me back by my arm, pushing me back to face him once again. He looked at me stonily.
"How 'bout trying the doorknob, Joe?" He grinned without humour at me, eyes glaring. With a gulp, I merely grinned back.
"Right. Doorknob."
With a whine in my throat, I turned back to the small door and gazed down waist-length; a rusty, little doorknob peeked at me through the darkness. A sigh settled in my throat as I grabbed the doorknob, and with a hard yank, pushed the door open.
Hell yeah, I'm going lose my head tonight.
Truth be told, Sparrow was right.
Seadog's den was empty.
Jared and I paced down the sullen corridor, ears alert and hearts racing. Doors littered the left side of the corridor wall, most shut tight and locked. Fire-lamps dangled from the ceiling, the small flames crackling softly as the silence of the den engulfed us tightly in a net. My throat was tight and my chest burned. Hot air swirled around us, the stink of opium present, yet faded, as if it had sunk into the wooden boards permanently. Above us, the ceiling moaned and creaked as raindrops smashed down on the wood like metal bullets of cold. Wooden boards creaked under our feet, each step a painful squeak.
I dared not breathe any louder.
"You reckon we check these rooms, Joe?" my brother whispered behind me, his voice hoarse and crackled, "Just in case?" I turned back slightly to face him. His blue eyes were pale as they darted around in their sockets, eyebrows raised in alertness. Both of us had agreed earlier on at the inn that he would be the look-out as I stole the Verdad; he was obviously the more alert one.
"Nah," I shook my head slightly and turned back to my front, "Don't want to waste time, now do we? Sparrow said that Seadog always kept his treasures in his room, away from the other pirates. That's our best bet right now."
"I thought you said you didn't trust Sparrow."
"Awww shut it, Jared!"
Above the rooftop, a thunder rumbled out again, louder then before. The sound of the wind howling through the gaps in the house wailed out down the corridor, echoing all around us. Despite the heat of Seadog's den, I found myself shivering. Something nagged inside of me, something I just couldn't quick make out. My throat pulled tighter as we neared the end of the corridor and my stomach lurched; God, I really wanted to get out of here!
"Do you get this feeling…?"
"Like we're being watched? Tell me about it." My brother gingerly answered, nodding his head slightly. He bit his lower lip nervously as he stuffed his hands in his pockets once again, his footsteps soft behind me. I looked at him for a while and then, shook my head.
"Nah. Must be nerves."
Jared nodded slowly after a second or so.
"Yeah, must be."
We carried down the corridor, still slow as ever. Rats as big as skunks ran at the corner, by the wall, chattering away in their little voices. The floor was blotched with spittle and blood, staining the dark wood and stinking the air. I found myself stuffing my hands into my pockets, just like my brother. Behind us, the door that led to Seadog's main room-the room we had been in earlier in the night-swung on its hinges slowly, somehow moving by itself in the still of the silence. Another thunder rumbled above our heads and the rats squeaked
All of a sudden, Jared grabbed my right elbow, jerking me to a standstill. My entire body froze. My eyes widened. I held my breath, daring not even a whisper.
"What?"
Jared's lips barely moved.
"Listen."
Then I heard it. A soft sound, barely audible, whispered in the silence. It was muffled, as if someone was holding it back; a faint murmur that sighed throughout the corridor. It was short yet deep, staccato at every few seconds and dull at long breath. It was like the clanging of a brass bell, like the sounds one would hear when beneath the water's surface; a sound so weak I could barely make out what it was.
The sobbing of a woman.
"It's coming from there," my brother whispered at me as he pointed to the door two steps away from me, his finger trembling as he lifted it. I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say. I took my first breath and let it out with a sigh. The sobbing continued.
Without a word, we both moved forward, our heart's thumping loud and clear in our ears. The wooden boards creaked under our two steps as we inched forward, my blood freezing in my arms. The hairs on my body began to stand up, a sudden cold washing over me. Goosebumps raced up and down my skin and my heart did a little jig.
My legs had never been so heavy in my life.
Without a moment's breath, I stepped in front of the door that the sobbing came from and with a sidelong glance at my brother, I pushed it open.
The wooden door swung back to reveal a large room. A rumbling fire spewed in the stone fireplace at the right wall, its orange flames crackling against the trashing of the storm outside. The room was fairly furnished; a giant rough-sheeted bed sat in the middle of the room, its twin arches made of fine, dark wood. A set of embroidered chairs stood in front of the fire-place, each designed as if for someone of high ranking. Jewels of fair sat on the mantel above the fire, their smooth faces reflecting the angry flame beneath them. Above them, set on a rack in the wall, was a sword of old; its hilt was jeweled and gold, the reflection of the flames gleaming against its silver end. Dark engravings glowed gently in the cool metal, near the hilt.
"For a pirate, he did pretty good!" I found myself smirking, throwing aside my wariness and my panic. Warmth re-embraced my heart. Somehow, all my fears had dissipated immediately. I turned around to Jared to say something quirky but my mouth paused in motion the moment I saw his face.
He wasn't looking at me.
I turned and it was then that I saw her.
Sitting against the bed, cold on the floor was Lady Errol herself. Her pale face peeked at us among the dark background, her red hair a fiery halo upon her head. Tears streamed down her milky skin, her green eyes glaring up at us in a mixture of fear and anger. Her faded pink dress was wrapped around her like a blanket, her knees drawn up to her chin and her thighs, to her chest. Her ghostly hands were straddled to her dress, her long, weary fingers kneading the cloth in anxiety.
As her eyes met mine, she shrank away a little, creeping farther away to the wall. She licked her ruby red lips and breathed out shortly, letting more tears roll down her face. She looked like a mouse, trapped and cornered by a cat, about to face its death. Her dark eyelashes shivered and she gave out a sob of fear, a sob of horror.
"Girl, you need a tan," I smirked down at her, resisting the urge to jump onto the big bed. Beside me, Jared said nothing. Lady Errol looked up at me in surprise and for a second, I saw what looked like relief sparkle in her eyes. Then, she shrank back.
"P-Please don't do a-anything to me!" she sobbed, her chest heaving in and out at every word, "Please don't hurt me!" She pushed herself against the wall, shaking her head at us as she trembled. She was no longer wet, as she had been when we first saw her several hours ago. Yet, she still shivered; I had a feeling fear had more to do with it then anything.
Drawing in a deep breath, Jared took a step forward. He walked slowly towards her, holding up a hand.
"It's okay," he said softly, his voice husky and deep, "We're not here to hurt you." Lady Errol said nothing but continued to sob, pushing herself against the wall even more. She mouthed the word 'please', pulling her legs to her as tightly as she could. More tears ran down her cheeks.
"Listen, please," Jared went on again, walking slowly towards her, "Trust us. Trust me. We would never hurt you."
I got bored.
Striding past my brother and ignoring the both of them, I walked towards the fireplace. The sword gleamed attractively above the roaring fire, its edge sharp still. Its hilt, as mentioned before, was priceless; red jewels studded the gold hilt, glowing warm in the radiance of the fire. Without a second thought, I tip-toed and pulled it of the rack. The blade came down easily, surprisingly light in my hand. Its silver edge beamed brightly in the fire's light, reflecting my face in its clear surface. I grasped its gold hilt fiercely, the sword fitting snugly into the palm of my hand.
"Hey," I turned back to my brother, looking at the engravings that were written in the blade, near the hilt, "What does 'wiggly line, wiggly line, dot, wiggly, more wiggly line' mean?"
I looked up from the sword when Jared didn't answer; he was busying himself with wiping away Lady Errol's tears with the edge of his sleeve. The red head's sobbing had quieted. With an orbital roll of my eyes, I turned away from them. I swished the sword around a couple of time and then threw it into the air to test it out; I caught it perfectly.
With a contented grin, I then turned back to the fireplace, swinging the sword to my side. Upon the mantel sat numerous jewels, each beautiful and fine. Gold coins sat between them, all glittering like fire in the orange light. A goblet of gold sat at the edge of the bounty, like the Holy Grail in stories.
"I think this is Seadog's room!" I announced to the other two as I picked at the treasures, but no one paid me any heed. Lady Errol had stopped her sniffling but now spoke more calmly, her voice a strange melodic lull. Jared's voice was still hoarse.
"Bet everything in the room's stolen," I mumbled to myself, running my fingers over the jewels. They were all of different colours; amber, ruby, emerald and sapphire winked up at me as I swished the priceless sword by my side. The heat of the fire danced against my legs, bringing warmth into my body. Above us, a thunder rumbled once again. The wind howled.
It was then that I saw it. Sitting at the corner of the mantel, resting against the gold goblet, was the Verdad itself, in all its glory. The golden threads in the clear amber ball still glowed its brilliant golden light, still moving about like handful of worms. With a cry of triumph, I grabbed it.
It was then that Lady Errol screamed.
A pirate stood at the room's door, glaring at us with an opium pipe stuck out over his lips. He was a short fellow, with a head full of copper hair and a filthy face streaked with mud. His eyes widened at the sight of us and for a hear beat, all went still. Then, with a cry, the pirate reached down to his holster.
He wasn't quick enough though. Without a word, my brother slammed himself against the little pirate, knocking the dirty fellow off his feet and out of the room. The pirate screamed as he fell but before he could recover from the shock, Jared socked him square in the face. His head snapped back, slammed into wooden floor and without another cry, went out like a light.
"And he scores!" I yelled triumphantly, punching the air with the hand that clenched the Verdad.
"C'mon, Joe!" Jared yelled, grabbing Lady Errol's hand and pulling her out of the room. The red head did not argue.
So shouldn't I.
Without a moment's pause, I made for the door. Then, I stopped. I turned around and ran back to the fireplace. Stuffing the Verdad into my oversized pants pocket, I grabbed all the jewels I could and push them into my pocket, gold coins falling to the floor with clinks.
"JOE!!"
"Coming!" I answered and with the sword still in hand and a pocket full of jewels, I jumped over the little pirate's unconscious body and ran out of the room.
"How many are after us?!" I screamed at my brother as he, Lady Errol and I ran down the streets of Tortuga. My loose white shirt flapped in the wind, revealing my scarred tummy below. Above us, the sky moaned and churned as it lashed down upon us, the icy raindrops cutting into my skin like a cold dagger.
"I 'm not counting, Joe!!" Jared screamed back, his blue eyes glaring at me as he panted steadily. Beside him, Lady Errol held up her long dress as she ran, her pale, bare feet turning black with muck. Her red hair flew limply in the cold wind, soaked with rain. Her small chest heaved in and out frantically, the pink cloth becoming slightly translucent in the rain.
"HOW MANY?!" I screamed even more loudly, catching my breath as much as I could. My legs were already beginning to burn and all that I had with me-the jewels, the sword and of course, the Verdad-seemed to be pulling me down. My heavy boots sloshed in the dirty puddles, my entire body cold and wet to the bone.
"I-DON'T-KNOW!!" my brother yelled over the howl of the wind, not bothering to turn back to me. His copper brown hair was flat to his skull, the raindrops streaming down the bridge of his nose. He ran professionally, of course, channeling his strength and moderating his pace. His chest moved up and down slowly as his long legs took gigantic steps ahead of us girls.
Bullets whizzed past us as we neared a bend and the three of us instinctively ducked as we ran, the rain slashing into us harshly. The road was barely proper to even walk. Puddles the size of car tyres took up most of the space and the mud that covered the road seemed to drag us down even more, its leeching arms draping itself all over my boots and slowing my pace. Beside me, the sword dangled in my hand limply, the sharp edge creating a define line in the mud behind us.
"IT'S A MOB!" I screamed to my companions as I shied a look over shoulder whilst I ran for my life. Seadog's pirates were at least 10 meters behind us, in numbers that far outmatched ours. In the blinding rain and the moonless sky, it was hard to see anything. Yet, somehow, I could just make out a group of men chasing after us, pistols firing and swords slashing. Up in the sky, a bright lightning zigzagged over us, followed by an insanely loud thunder. Lady Errol, Jared and I rounded a bend, still running for our lives. Beside me, I heard Jared give out a muffled cry but he kept on running. I had to ask him what happened later on.
If we made it, that is.
"Hey, Jared!" I yelled over the chaos as the three of us ran in sync down the muddy street.
"WHAT?!" Jared cried in reply, somehow his voice sounding much more tight and wet. Beside him, Lady Errol gave out a squeal as she nearly slipped. Jared's breathing had become inconsistent beside me.
"Doesn't this…remind you…of Star Wars, Return of the Jedi?" I couldn't help but ask, yelling in between breaths. A thunder bellowed again. Jared turned his head and stared back in disbelief.
"WHAT?!"
"You know…when L-Luke Skywalker….saved Princess Leia….Red head over t-there….Princess Leia…us…Luke…. Luke Skywalker...you know…"
"As much as I wouldn't like to interrupt," Princess Leia shouted over another thunder as she jumped expertly over a discarded barrel, "Do you two even have a plan?"
Jared turned away from me and in the misty rain, I saw him lift his right arm and clutch his left shoulder. He panted even more. He answered Lady Errol in a tight, painful voice.
"The dock…head to the dock."
Another bullet whizzed right past my ear.
It wasn't long before we finally reached the sea. Bullets still flew at us and behind us, the sounds of the charging mob vibrated throughout the ground. My sword was becoming very, very heavy. The sea churned ahead, its waves lashing and grinding against the dark masses of ships that lay uncertainly upon it. At the dock, but a few meters away, oil lamps hung at every wood post, lighting a path for us. There were men there, fishermen and pirates alike preparing for an earlier sail-off despite the weather; something told me that pirates never had their heads screwed on right. In the distance, in the horizon of the wailing sea, light peeked out gently, a warm glow that greatly contrasted with the trashing of the storm.
Dawn had arrived.
Lady's Errol, Jared and I hit our feet against the wooden floor of the dock at the same time, the familiar ding a welcome to my ears. The wood was slippery and the rain harsh but somehow, we managed. In a single row, with me leading, we dashed through the crowd of sleepy fishermen and pirates, abuses hurtling at us from all directions. Behind us, the mob of yelling pirates still followed. We ran our way to the crowd and past the fish market; I wanted to buy some fish for our journey but Jared had pulled me away with an arm.
Somehow, through all chaos, we finally saw it.
In the distant, a majestic ship loomed in the waking dawn, the rain blinding its details. Lighted oil lamps littered the entire sun deck, faceless silhouettes striding about. In the rain, it was all hardly perceptible but somehow, in the little light some oil lamps gave, the name of the ship jumped out of the darkness at us.
Betty.
"Sparrow!!" I screamed, striding ahead of my brother and Lady Errol and onto the wooden plank that led to the ships, "We've got it! We've got the Verdad!!!"
Now, I must apologize for the next bit for things are still a little foggy with me. I guess it must have been something to do with the horrid cold and the lashing rain for the next thing I knew, I was slipping down on my knees and crashing into the dark, cold sea.
Thanks for all the reviews!!!
This chapter was a bit long and I really have to apologize for taking so long to write… you see, I had major exams that past few months and had to concentrate on my studies. Thus, I could only write when it was all over. So sorry!
Anyway, that's it for chapter 10! I'm sure to put up the next chapter really soon….maybe in a few days. Don't worry; Will Turner will be debuting in Chapter 12 or Chapter 13….most likely 12. So…please review and thanks!
XOXO