CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Will assumed his place at steering the wheel. As we rode along in silence, the cut of Elizabeth's panicked voice ended it.
"Look!" she cried, pointing out into the sea.
We all ran to the side of the ship and saw a large ship heading straight for us. I recognized the ship: the Black Pearl.
"What now?" Donald said.
"I wonder what Jack would do?" Sora said.
"I'm not sure." Will said. "I suppose... he'd run for it."
"Sounds good to me-" Sora said.
The ship lurched to the side. We jumped away from the edge, but Will tumbled over into the water.
"Will!" Elizabeth cried.
"Everyone hit the deck!" Goofy cried.
We clung to the ship as it rumbled and jerked, like something repeatedly slammed into it. A medallion rolled away from Elizabeth's dress pocket. No one noticed as I looked around. I reached out and quickly snatched it up.
"Maybe Jack would run from this, but not us!" I said, standing up. "We fight back!"
"Right!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said.
As everyone scurried around to prepare, I snuck a peek at the medallion in my hand. I clipped it around my neck hid it underneath my shirt, right below my charm. I ran down with the others and summoned Chaos Ripper. Pirates jumped from the Black Pearl to the Interceptor. It was tricky to fight them while cannonballs were slamming into the side of the ship and causing it to swerve. When the pirates stopped coming, we ran to the cannons and sent a barrage of cannonballs at the other ship. It sunk into the ocean.
"We did it!" Sora cried.
"Well, did you now, laddie?" a voice said. We turned to see Barbossa standing with some of his crew. Elizabeth and Jack stood next to him, tied with rope.
"Jack!" Sora said.
"Elizabeth!" I called.
We looked around to see nasty undead pirates surrounding us.
"Now then, I'll be having back that medallion." Barbossa said.
The boys didn't know I had it. They looked at each other for a moment, then struck their battle stances. Barbossa stepped forward.
"Unless it's more important than their lives?" he said.
"Barbossa!" Will stood on the edge of the ship, gripping one of the ropes. He cocked a gun and pointed it at Barbossa. "She goes free!"
"Go ahead boy- shoot! We can't die!" Barbossa said.
"You can't..." Will lowered the gun. "But I can. My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner! His blood runs in my veins!"
Barbossa flinched in surprise.
"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker!" Will said, hopping down from the edge.
"Name your terms... Mr. Turner." Barbossa said.
"Release Elizabeth... and Sora, and Hallie, and Donald, and Goofy, too!"
"Anything else?"
Behind Barbossa, Jack jumped up and down in an attempt to get Will's attention.
"Leave- now!" Will said. Jack slumped down.
Barbossa bowed. "Agreed. Leave we shall..." Barbossa lifted his head and smiled. "...but the Heartless stay!"
We heard a low and boisterous chuckle. Pete hopped into the boat and knocked Will out. He picked him up and ran over next to Barbossa. Air Pirates floated on the sides of the ship.
"No fair!" Sora said.
The pirate crew grabbed us. They tied us up and threw us into the lower deck.
"Good work, Barbossa!" Pete said. "Who knew it'd be this easy?"
"Barbossa, you coward!" Elizabeth said.
"That's the last time I trust a pirate!" Sora said.
"Says the boy who wanted to become one." I said.
"Captain, we've searched the entire ship! We can't find the medallion!" a crew member called.
Barbossa growled. "They must've hid it back on Isla de Muerta! We sail there!"
"The powder kegs are ready, Captain!"
"Then I bid ye farewell!"
The door closed.
"What are we gonna do?!" Donald cried.
"We'll be blown to smithereens!" Goofy said.
"Why struggle, mate?" Jack said. "A pirate knows when to surrender."
"Are you serious, Jack?" Sora said.
"...Your average pirate, anyway."
The ropes around Jack fell off and he stood, holding a knife. He sheathed it away.
"First, we've got to see to the gunpowder." Jack said. "I'm not about to lose this ship!"
"I still don't plan to trust pirates again." Sora said.
"Wise policy, lad."
Jack cut us free and we climbed up to the deck. There were five powder kegs set around the ship, and Air Pirates and Cannon Guns prepared to light them. One by one, we launched the powder kegs into the ocean while fighting off the Heartless.
"All clear!" Sora said.
Jack ran over to the steering wheel.
"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." he said. "But I'll be havin' her back soon enough."
We docked at the Isla de Muerta. As we left the ship, everyone turned to Elizabeth.
"You stay with the ship, lass!" Jack said.
"I'll do no such thing! Will could die in there." Elizabeth protested.
"Dear William is fine. Trust me."
"I am not a fool, Jack."
"Then trust us instead!" Sora said.
Elizabeth turned to us. "Sora, Hallie, Donald, Goofy- bring Will back safely!"
"You can count on us!" I said, giving her a little salute.
"Where is that blasted medallion, Turner?!" Barbossa said. He held a knife up to his neck.
"I have no idea." Will said, crossing his arms.
Barbossa growled.
"Ahoy, mateys!" Sora called as we ran in.
"Not possible!" Barbossa said.
"Not probable! We're alive and we're pirates!" Donald said.
"Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Sora!"
"Donald!"
"Goofy!"
"And Hallie!" We stepped forward with our weapons as we said our name. "And... I believe you are looking for this!"
I reached up to my neck and snapped the medallion off. Everyone looked at me and the dangling medallion in shock.
"Hallie, YOU have the medallion?!" Sora said.
"Yeah, and it sure fooled this poor excuse of a pirate crew!" I said.
"So you want to play pirate? Best save the playacting for the nursery." Barbossa said. "After them! Get the girl and bring me the medallion!"
I gripped Chaos Ripper. One pirate lunged at me with his sword while another staggered towards me and swung the 50-pound anchor in his hands. I jumped up in the air and the first pirate plunged his sword into the other pirates stomach. He groaned and dissolved into rotted gauze. I came down and landed on the man's sword. I back-flipped, driving my foot into the pirate's chin. His head snapped back with a sickening crack and he staggered away. My hands crackled with electricity.
"Thunder!" I cried, raising my Keyblade to the air.
Bolts of lightning rained down with a deafening BOOM! and electrocuted half of the undead pirate crew. The other half charged towards me.
"Sora!" I threw the medallion over to him. He looked over and caught it with his free hand before slashing at an electrocuted pirate. The crew surged towards him.
"Goofy!" he cried, chucking the medallion to him. We played a game of "Monkey in the Middle" with the medallion, luring the frustrated pirates around the room while the others finished them off. When the last pirate disintegrated into dust, Will ran to us.
"Thank you, Sora and Hallie." he said.
"Uh, where's Jack?" Goofy said.
We heard metal clinking together. Barbossa and Jack were clashed in a sword fight.
"Jack! Get him!" Sora called.
Jack glanced over at us, which was a fatal mistake. Barbossa lunged and plunged his sword into Jack's stomach.
"Jack!" I gasped.
"You're a fool, Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa said.
Jack stumbled back into the light. His skin faded away, his clothes became more moldy and loose on his body. He had turned into one of the undead. He looked at his bony hands. He reached up with one hand and rolled the medallion between his skeletal fingers. I glanced at my friends, who smiled knowingly and shot me three pairs of thumbs up.
Barbossa clenched his fists. "Show yourself, Pete! The tide has changed."
Pete stood at the opposite end of the room. He placed his fists on his hips. "See? I told ya you'd be needin' ol' Pete!" he said.
Pete raised two fingers to his mouth and a sharp whistle escaped his lips. Suction cups slurped around the room, like a group of people scrambled across the stony walls with plungers attached to their feet. An Illuminator appeared in the light. It looked at us and its yellow eyes flashed. It leaped off the walls and crawled next to Barbossa. Its eyes flashed again and the room went dark. Barbossa jumped into the shadows.
"Get that Heartless!" Donald cried.
We found the Illuminator through its glowing yellow eyes. We attacked it and it scrambled away. Light returned to the room.
"Enjoy a piece of this!" Barbossa cried.
He slashed his sword at me, but I jumped in the air and landed on the blade. I saw Barbossa reach down and grab his gun. The scene turned into slow motion as he pulled it out and pointed it at me. I shoved his arm to the side as he pulled the trigger and the bullet hit the ground. I took the butt of my Keyblade and slammed it into his chin. Barbossa staggered back. Jack stood in front of Barbossa, and as he jumped to lunge at him, Sora jumped forward. Jack grabbed his hand, spun him around, and Sora slammed into Barbossa, causing him to fly up into the air. Sora jumped onto Jack's back and jumped into the air. He slammed his Keyblade into Barbossa's chest. Barbossa fell to the ground. We turned to Pete. He began to back away.
"This ain't over!" he cried. He turned around and ran away.
"Right! Care to surrender, Barbossa?" Jack said as Barbossa was standing up. He drew his sword. "Well, enough of this, then..."
Jack threw his sword to the ground and pulled out his gun.
"What say you we call it- a draw?"
"Jack, how many times do I have to tell ya-"
Jack threw the medallion and shot at Barbossa. Barbossa cackled.
"Laugh while you can, Barbossa!" Will cried.
He stood over the treasure chest, a knife in one hand and the medallions hovering over the treasure chest in the other. He opened his hand and the medallion fell into the chest, damp and half red with his blood. As realization caught up with him, Barbossa doubled over and clenched his chest.
"I feel... cold." Barbossa said.
Barbossa fell to the ground.
We walked along the path back to the ship.
"What now, Jack?" Will said.
"Whatever I want, now that the Pearl is mine again." Jack said.
He looked at the ship and smiled.
"That she is." Will said. "Thank you, Jack."
Will held out his hand and Jack cowered back. Will looked at him confused and Jack slowly straightened.
"I didn't want ye hittin' me again, mate." Jack said.
"Hey, Jack- good luck." Sora said.
"And remember to be good!"
"Don't do anything to get your ship taken away again." I said.
"I'm off." Jack said.
Jack turned around to see Elizabeth running towards us.
"Will!" she cried with her arms wide open.
Jack opened his arms, but Elizabeth ran past him and hugged Will. Jack scowled and walked away. Sora put his hands behind his head.
"Good for them." he said.
"Uh-huh!" Goofy said. He looked at Sora. "Hey, Sora- How come your face is all red?"
"What? It is not red!" Sora said, covering his cheek with his hand.
"Aw, I know who you're thinking about." Donald said.
"Sora, are you telling me that you have a crush on someone?" I said.
"No!" Sora said.
Donald, Goofy, and I laughed while Sora covered his face in embarrassment. Suddenly, Jack stopped and cried out. His compass shimmered. He opened it, and while he examined, it lifted from his hand and floated up into the air. Sora and I looked at each other and nodded. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.
"You know... for a minute there... I was afraid we were gonna lose Donald to the curse of the treasure!" Sora said, putting a hand on his hip.
"Yup! Me, too." Goofy said.
"What?!" Donald squawked.
"Really? Because when those pirates came charging at us, I recall a certain someone quaking in his shoes so badly, he was one "arg" away from running away and screaming like a little girl!" I said.
"Me?!" Sora said. "I-I did NOT do that!"
I giggled. "Don't worry, Sora. It'll be our little secret!" Sora blushed and I doubled over in laughter.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hallie and the others are led into a trap set by Barbossa, Pete, and the Heartless, but they escape. They set sail back to the Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa has taken Will to complete their ritual and break their curse. Hallie and her friends interrupt the ceremony, save Will, and defeat Barbossa. Jack has the Black Pearl back in his possession, and Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!