Hello, everyone! I know this is short. Its not laziness, its intentional. But not to worry, chapter 12 will be up as soon as possible. Thanks so much to everyone who has added me to their story alerts and favorite lists! Please remember, I live on comments and reviews. But more than that, thank you for reading!
"I am your captain as well…Captain."
Beth stared up into the darkness, hot tears stinging her eyes. Her heartbeat drummed angrily in her ears and her jaw clenched.
They were all lies. Vicious Lies. The tears spilled, dampening her salt-crusted hair. Not that she suspected he knew any different. How could he know anything about it? About her? Her heart pinched, cutting through the anger, the niggling voice of her mild mannered conscience reminding her that betrayal was all he had ever known.
She blinked up at the blackness above her and tried to remember the Jack she used to know. Long before he was Captain Jack Sparrow. Back when her knees were knobby and covered in scrapes, when her dresses were stained with grass. But the look of contempt in his dark eyes, the sneer on his rum-chapped lips when he called her "Captain" came in its place, unbidden. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it out. More tears spilled down her cheeks, the memory of the savage black look he gave her making her shiver.
The hatch creaked open suddenly and Beth gave a start, scrambling for the darkest corner of her cell. She hid her tearstained face in her arms and huddled in her best mimicry of sleep. The uneven, staggering footfalls were unmistakable. As Jack descended into the hold, she found it harder and harder to breathe. She was glad to have stopped crying. His face was in shadow, the moonlight from the hatch illuminating his figure for a brief moment before he was swallowed up by the same darkness that hid her so well. She held herself perfectly still, waiting for him to come and spit upon her, rattle the iron bars of her cell, to kick dirt in her face as he one did. She would have felt his dark eyes on her, even in this blackness. But he didn't so much as glance her way.
After a tense moment, she peered out between her arms, squinting into the dark. She could no longer see him, but she felt Jack's presence like a hot, heavy hand on her shoulder. Breathing slowly, deliberately, she tried to calm the beating of her heart, already much too loud in her ears. She heard him stumble, the thud of heavy boot leather on something wooden, bottles clanking and rattling. He groaned with pain, deep voice terribly slurred. She cringed at that. Then strained her eyes as he came into the dim moonlight once more. He looked tired, already dark circles under his eyes exaggerated in the night. There was a stoop to his shoulders Beth had never seen before. He looked nothing like the blackhearted villain he'd been since he took command of the ship. He looked…
His blank eyes suddenly focused, and Beth held her breath. Dark eyes flickered once toward her, then stopped. His gaze faltered, and he stood motionless, scowling into the blackness. Then he turned on his heel and stomped up the steps, boots disappearing overhead. As the hatch slammed closed, Beth collapsed in on herself with a shuddering sob.