Chapter 14
"I'd rather not ask Jones for anything. Not for the reason mom and I have this, or even what the time of day is." Jewel said, walking around the desk to stand in front of it. She put her stone in her pocket.
"I understand the feeling." Jack said, "There's something more." Jewel paused. He wouldn't push her to know about her secret, would he?
"What?" Jewel asked
"You're hiding something from me." he said
Bugger you dad! Don't make me wish Jones gets you! Jewel thought
"And what if I am? You kept your secret of your deal with Jones until he came to collect." Jewel said. Jack stood and walked around the other side of his desk.
"Am I to assume that you will do the same with your demons, luv?" he asked as he walked.
"It's not a demon. It's not anything!" Jewel said. The two faced each other, standing on opposite sides of the desk.
Please let it go! she thought
"Than what's the bother of not telling me about it? We are family. We should trust each other." Jack said. A smirk was playing on his lips. He shouldn't enjoy this! He shouldn't be allowed to enjoy this! Using her words against her, how wrong! Jewel groaned and rubbed her brow. She was not going to tell him, not even if Jones was forcing her himself.
"Dad, please, I feel it doesn't require us discussing the matter." Jewel said
"You're lying luv, I can tell." Jack said, crossing his arms.
"Why can't you leave it alone?" Jewel asked, both hands on the desk, leaning forward.
"Why can't we discuss this as a family?" Jack asked, doing the same.
Leave me alone man! she thought angrily
"It's complicated and you wouldn't understand." Jewel replied
"What makes you say that? After all, the past will hang over you like a dead goose unless you tell it to move on, or even if you get whatever secret you have off your chest." Jack said. Some of what he said didn't make sense.
"No." Jewel looked away. This whole conversation was frustrating her. Her anger was rising.
"Look at me Jewel. Tell me what's wrong." Jack said sternly. Jewel slammed her fists on the table, eyes clenched shut.
"I LOVE NORRINGTON!" she yelled. Both sets of eyes in the cabin grew wide. Jewel slapped her hands over her mouth and staggered backwards, sitting down on Jack's cot. The pirate captain in question seemed to sway in sheer shock of this news.
"Are you telling the truth?" he asked
No! Jewel thought
"Yes." she said
"Really?" Jack asked
NO! Jewel thought
"I'm sure." she said
Well, maybe. I don't know anymore! Jewel thought. Jack sat down at his chair, taking in this news. This strange and sudden development could change everything. Unless... After a moment of silence, Jack stood.
"I'm going to talk to Norrington." he said. Jewel quickly stood to block his path to the door.
"No dad!" she said, quickly.
"It will be a friendly conversation." he said, sounding as if he was whining.
"A friendly conversation is like the one you had with Barbossa on the Isla de Muerta before he was killed!" Jewel said, still moving in front of him. He looked down at her.
"Move luv." he said
"No." she replied, rebellion clear in her eyes. Jack reached out to pull her away, grabbing her arms. She struggled to get free and managed to punch him in the jaw. He reeled back and rubbed the spot where her fist made contact. In that moment, Jewel grabbed a rum bottle and smashed it over his head, making him collapse on the ground.
It was a matter of seconds before the effect of the moment kicked in. She knocked out Captain Jack Sparrow. She knocked out her father! He was not going to be happy when he wakes up. Jewel dropped the remains of the bottle and stared down at her unconscious dad.
"Bugger." she said. She grabbed onto his arm and lifted him up as best she could. He was heavy, but she managed to drag him from the ground up onto his cot. Maybe when he wakes up, he'll consider this night to be only a dream. No, he'd know. There would have been more rum in his dream. Jewel pulled her stone out and appeared in her cabin.
She felt as though she couldn't stay here. She needed to talk to somebody. She put on her coat and closed her eyes with her stone in hand.
"Will, I could use your help." she whispered. She focused on the Dutchman, although it was the last place she would ever want to go.
The black starless sky stood high above the Flying Dutchman. The sound of an organ being played echoed in every hole, in every part of the ship. Jewel appeared on one of the lower decks. She noticed Will standing near a post watching something. He was surprised when she touched his shoulder.
"I thought you appearing here last night... It wasn't real." he said
"It is, but it's a rather complicated story." Jewel said, "I still can't understand it myself." She noticed what Will was watching. She had seen this game before.
"Liars dice." she said
"Jewel." came a warm voice. Jewel looked over her shoulder and smiled at the friendly face of Bootstrap Bill. She turned around and gave the man who was almost like a second father to her a large hug, and he hugged back.
"You shouldn't be here." he said, breaking the hug.
"Probably." Jewel shrugged with a smirk. With a hand around her shoulder, Bootstrap walked with Jewel back to Will.
"Wondering how it's played?" Bootstrap asked
"I understand." Will said. "It's a game of deception. Your bet includes all the dice, not just your own. What are they wagering?
"Well, the only thing we have: years of service." Bootstrap said
"You can earn complete freedom or eternal damnation with a single roll of the dice." Jewel said to herself
"So any crewman can be challenged?" Will asked
"Aye. Anyone." Boostrap responded
"I challenge Davy Jones." Will said, looking at the players of the game. The crewmen looked at him as the organ music stopped. Jewel and Bootstrap stared at Will in shock at his statement.
"Don't do this!" Jewel whispered, before came a rhythmic clunking sound above them. Jewel moved behind the post, Bootstrap helping block her from Davy. Soon he was standing in front of the crew, staring only at the challenging Turner.
"I accept Mate-uh." Jones said. Some crewmen set down three barrels, putting some wood on the middle one as a makeshift table. One brought a cup and put it and the dice on the table.
"The stakes?" Jones asked
"My soul. An eternity of servitude." Will replied
"No!" Bootstrap and Jewel said at the same time.
"Against?" Jones asked, amused at Will's gamble.
"I want this." Will said, holding out the folded cloth before putting it on the table. Davy looked at it and saw the key to his chest on it. He threw it back on the table, outraged.
"How do you know of the key?" he asked, his voice sounding deadly.
"That's not part of the game, is it? You can still walk away." Will said, sitting down. Davy Jones sat down and brought out a tentacle that had his key on a ring. He then tucked it back away. The two picked up their cups, shook them around, then brought back down, the top on the table. But there was a third cup that came in.
"What's this?" Davy said, surprised at Bootstrap Bill.
"I'm in. Matching his wager." Bootstrap said
"No! Don't do this." Will said
"The die is cast." Bootstrap said to Will before looking back at Davy. Jewel clasped her hands together, staring at the scene before her and glancing above.
"Please, please, don't let them lose." she whispered
"I bid three twos. It's your bid, Captain." Bootstrap said. Davy chuckled as he lifted his cup up slightly before lowering it again. Jewel studied every face, every expression, watching carefully.
"Four fours." he said
"Four fives." Will said
"Six threes." Bootstrap said
"Seven fives-uh." Davy said. There was a moment of silence as the players looked at their dice.
"Eight fives." Will said. Davy started to chuckle and the rest of the crew started to join in.
"Welcome to the crew." he said
"He wasn't lying. He wasn't lying!" Jewel whispered, ready to stop Jones.
"Twelve fives." Bootstrap said, making everyone look at him. "Twelve fives. Call me a liar. Or up the bid."
"And be called a liar myself for my trouble?" Davy said, sounding outraged. He picked up Bill's cup to show his dice and saw none of them being fives. He threw it down and looked squarely at Bootstrap.
"Bootstrap Bill, you're a liar and you will spend an eternity on this ship!" he said, standing, turning his gaze to Will. "Master Turner, feel free to go ashore... the very next time we make port!" He broke out into laughter and his crew joined him. The crewmen returned to their duties, leaving only Jewel, Bootstrap and Will behind. Jewel hugged Bootstrap again.
"You're a good man Bootstrap, but a bit mad." she said
"Don't worry about me Jewel." Bootstrap replied. "I've lived with worse."
"Fool. Why did you do that?" Will asked Bootstrap
"I couldn't let you lose." Bootstrap said
"It was never about winning, or losing." Will said
"The key." Bootstrap said, getting the idea. "You just wanted to know where it was." Jewel stared at Will in surprise, a smile growing.
"Am I to assume there is a plan of sorts to retrieve the key?" Jewel asked, "And is there a chance I may be a part it?"
"Aye." Will nodded