Rose's dreams haunted her again. Though the only visual present were two large eyes, they soon revealed themselves to be the harsh eyes of her father. Rose's body began to shake as they burned with hatred. Rose, their fearsome voices cried out. She shook again. Rose!
"Rose!" Jack said, shaking her shoulder gently. She awoke, catching her breath. "You alright?"
She nodded quickly, trying to behave in a normal fashion once again and rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"We're here," continued Jack, grabbing his provisions and extending a hand Rose's way to help her up from the makeshift bed she had fashioned.
"Tortuga?" she asked.
"Aye!" he grinned. "And if ye don't mind, I'd rather be rid of this place sooner than later, so if we could just hop-to. I've already seen the other children off. It's our turn now!"
It took a moment for Rose's eyes to adjust to the glaring sunlight on deck, but she continued to keep pace with her half-brother as he made his way toward the gangplank, occasionally bidding a gallant farewell to certain members of the disgruntled crew. Suddenly, Rose felt an urge to look behind her. Towards the helm stood Teague, watching his children descend, expression unreadable. Rose slowed her pace to a stop, swallowing the disapproval she felt radiating from him.
"Rose?" said Jack, stirring her from her thoughts. "Keep up please."
She nodded and looked back at Teague once more, but he had turned away. She found herself wishing that he had tried to stop them from leaving. It was Rose's last chance to have a family and a home. No matter how dysfunctional, she ached for permanence.
Tortuga was unlike any place Rose had ever seen. For the next hour, Jack was her tour guide, leading her from the docks to the town. Jack loved this place, and Rose could tell by his enthusiasm. He gave her helpful tips of which places to avoid, some basics of the Pirate Code, and general life advice:
"Never trust a pirate, Rose. Always assume he is out to swindle and otherwise cheat you of something in the long run."
"If you ever hear of a bloke named Fitch looking for me, the answer is 'Never heard of him,' 'He's settled his debt with your lawyer,' or 'I heard he went to Singapore and died of the measles,' understood?"
They came upon a square full of competing taverns as day began its transition into night, and thirsty pirates from the docks began to assemble into these facilities looking for mischief and plenty of rum. Jack first led Rose up to the steps of a tavern named The Faithful Bride. Jack stopped, looking at the wooden sign swinging in the evening breeze, smiling thoughtfully. He then continued on to the next building, leaving Rose confused as to why Jack wouldn't enter the first.
She quickly forgot her bewilderment upon entering McHenry's. The tavern had just barely opened, and yet already it was filled with upwards of fifty men, hollering, singing, brawling, and generally bringing the surrounding noise to a crescendo of cacophonous mayhem. Rose narrowly avoided a bottle of whiskey that was thrown from some unknown area of the bar, and Jack hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her in front of him, keeping her close. They came to a crashing halt as Rose nearly collided with a torso directly in her face. Looking up, she saw a bearded man swaying, already a bit tipsy from the evening's festivities.
"Oi!" the man cried, slurring his speech. "Donniknow ye?"
Jack smiled amicably, patting the man on the shoulder. "'Fraid not, mate! Must have me confused with someone else." He then directed Rose out of the way of the drunk fellow.
But the man was relentless. "No, yer Cap'n Jack! Inevaferget a face!" he cried after them.
Jack turned back to him. "The name's Smith, lad." He leaned over to Rose, muttering, "When in doubt, your last name is always 'Smith.'"
"Smith my left foot!" the man continued to holler, causing several pirates to take notice. "Yer name's—"
Jack didn't let him finish that thought, for he pulled his pistol on the fellow, saying calmly, "I'm going to give you one last chance to walk away, mate."
The fellow was wise enough in his stupor to take heed, teetering off to bother some other unfortunate soul. As Jack and Rose continued to make their way through the bar, Jack explained, "I have quite the reputation, and we don't want any trouble now."
He stopped her when they got to the bar. Jack pulled a stool and hoisted Rose up so that she could see over the tall wooden structure. He then whistled for the barmaid to come over toward him. Upon seeing him, her face lit up, and she rushed over to greet him.
"I knew you'd be back for me!" she cried, her blonde hair bobbing in its elaborate up-do. "You promised that you'd take me on your ship months ago!"
Jack grinned deviously. "And only a few more months yet, lass! But I come here on another errand altogether."
She bit her lip seductively. "Oh," said she. "What sort of errand? Does it involve my room or yours?"
"Actually, it involves the room of your employer."
The girl looked taken aback at this. "That's a little unorthodox, but we could make it work…"
Jack pursed his lips. "As flattered as I am by your tenacity, I'm afraid I mean a different sort of errand entirely. This," he said, motioning to Rose, "Is a petite friend of mine. Say hello!"
Rose politely nodded. "Hello!"
The girl leaned across the bar, smiling at Rose. "How adorable you are! And what's your name? Mine's Veronica!"
"Rose Teague," Rose instinctively replied, then stopped once she heard Jack wince.
He leaned over to her, saying under his breath, "When in doubt, your name is Smith. SMITH!"
Veronica shot a warning look back at Jack. "She's not…yours, is she?"
"Hardly," Jack replied. "A gypsy orphan I rescued. Her mother tragically died in a shipwreck, her father of a broken heart. She has not a friend in the world… But I wonder…"
"What?" Veronica asked, gripped by Jack's lies.
"No no," he said with a dramatic flair, "It's too much of me to ask."
"No, what is it?"
"Well, perhaps… Perhaps she could work here?"
"Here?" Veronica scoffed. "This is no place for a child, Jack."
"Nor is it a place for a lovely lass like yourself," Jack said charmingly.
She blushed, waving him off. "Oh now! I simply couldn't ask the master to take her on!"
"You told me at our last rendezvous that you and Marie were stretched too thin here! I'm offering you another hand! All she needs is a roof over her head, Veronica! Look at the poor child!"
Veronica did look at Rose, and gave a pitying glance her way. "Alright," she said. "I'll speak to McHenry now. But I make no promises!"
After she had walked a safe distance away, Rose finally had the chance to ask Jack all of the many questions she had on her mind due to this encounter.
"You want to get rid of me?" she began.
"No no! Not at all! I'll explain soon."
"I don't want to work here, Jack. I don't know the first thing about serving anyone!"
"It's fine! You'll learn quickly!"
"Jack!"
"Shhh!"
Veronica had returned. She said happily, "Well, lucky for the both of you, McHenry's had a bit too much to drink this afternoon. I can simply tell him he accepted your proposal in the morning, and he'll have no choice but to comply!"
"You're certain?" Jack asked with concern.
"Of course!" she replied. "This happens all the time. How else do you think we got that bloody chandelier that's always drippin' wax on everybody?"
Jack put his hand atop hers. "How can I ever thank you?"
She grinned. "I think I know a way… What are you doing tonight?"
Jack looked at Rose. "I'm a little busy tonight, but I promise you the first ride aboard the Black Pearl once it is finally mine! A few months at most, I promise!"
She looked slightly disappointed, but nodded anyways. "That's fine I suppose…" she said. Looking to Rose, she added, "Don't you worry, lass. Marie and me will get you all caught up on all you have to know! Come by late tonight and we'll get your bed ready."
Rose tried her best to look appreciative, but she was too wrought with worry to completely pull it off. What was Jack doing, and why all of a sudden was she a prisoner to people she didn't even know? She had just escaped a slave ship to become someone else's slave.
After leaving the tavern, Jack had led Rose to a secluded beach just outside the town. Only a few crabs skittered here and there, and there were no other signs of life to disturb them. Jack built a fire on the beach so that Rose could see in the dark, and once it had grown to considerably strong, she finally found it in her to ask Jack once and for all what had just transpired. "You must explain to me why you are leaving me here with those…people."
Jack looked over at her. "I need to retrieve the Black Pearl," he began.
"Then take me with you!" she pleaded. "We've only just met and already you're leaving me alone on a strange place with people I don't know."
"You'll be safe here!"
"I can be safe with you!" she protested.
"No, you can't," he insisted. "Rose, you have no idea what awaits me. I have to make a deal with Davy Jones himself to raise my old ship from the depths of the sea. I'm to rename her the Black Pearl. Jones is not to be trifled with!"
"I won't get in the way, I promise!"
"He's immortal! His face is all…slimy and…tentacly. He's been cursed because he is so evil!"
Rose looked down at her lap ruefully. "I don't believe you," she said. "You're making it all up to scare me."
"I'm not, I promise! Rose, I haven't lied to you at all since—"
"You just did lie!" she cried. "You promised that you would stay with me! I've lost everyone I ever knew!"
Seeing how upset she was, Jack lowered his tone and inched closer to his young sister. "I know none of this has been easy for you, nor will it be easy. But I promise, on my honor, on my life even, that I will return for you. And when I do we will sail the seas…for an eternity if that's what you wish!"
Rose laughed in spite of her anxiety. "We can't live forever," she reasoned.
"Don't count that out, love. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! Nothing is impossible for me!"
Rose smiled, then grew pensive. "Why did you bother, Jack? When you learned that our father was unfaithful and I am his daughter, you could have just left me with the other children. But you didn't. Why?"
He smiled. "You didn't ask for any of this. And methinks you and me inherited all the good bits of Teague, if there even is such a thing."
Rose's chest felt heavy, for she already felt how much she was going to miss Jack even though he sat right at her side. "For how long will you be gone?" she asked.
Jack did some calculations in his mind, then stated, "One year at most. Be polite to your employers, do as your told and no harm will come to you! On my word, one year, and you're sure to see black sails in that harbor!"
Rose nodded. She supposed that she could wait a year for Jack to get his ship and a crew. Once he had secured his position as captain of a formidable ship, he would retrieve her and fulfill his promise. Then she would be with her family once more. "Alright," she agreed.
"That's a good girl," Jack said. "One last thing while it's on me mind," he continued, holding up his half of their matching pendant. "Never ever tell anyone how we're related," he said. "Every pirate worth his weight in gold comes through Tortuga, and many of them aren't all too fond of me. Knowing that we're brother and sister can be used against us, and the last thing I want is for you to fall into danger, savvy?"
She nodded understandingly, then stared back into the fire, taking in her final moments with her brother before he would inevitably have to walk her back to McHenry's, leave her with Veronica who would ultimately show her around her new home, and then leave her with the words, "Look for black sails in that harbor…"
Rose blinked awake, peering out the shades of the window next to her. Dawn. She grinned, slipping on her flat shoes and grabbing her day gown, tip-toeing lightly as not to wake Marie and Veronica, the other barmaids who were asleep in their cots around her.
She successfully made it out to the hallway without having stirred either of them, for which she celebrated silently. There was no time to lose, however, and she quickly had to pull the light green dress she had grabbed over her head and secure it in place, giving no concern for the state of her wild dark hair.
Though the old door outside the kitchen creaked loudly on its hinges when she put weight on it, she was able to still move stealthily enough that she was swiftly outside the tavern and on her way to the cliffside without anyone having noticed her. She broke into a run, racing upwards. Today could be the day...
As she grew closer to the cliff which overlooked the busy docks, she began to see encounter more people. The docks were always busy no matter what time of day it was, but the areas surrounding the town were deserted in the morning. As she began to see familiar faces of various townspeople she had come to know, she slowed her pace for the sake of maintaining decency, though her heart still raced with excitement. Finally, once she continued up a steep part of the hill that in moments would overlook the harbor completely, she sprinted, feeling the sea air whip her hair straight back. She suddenly stopped once she reached the spot.
Black sails, black sails... She scanned the harbor looking for the ship with black sails...to no avail. The slightest twinge of disappointment creeped into her, but she quickly suppressed it as soon as she felt it. She'd be back at sunset, as was her daily habit.
She hadn't missed a day looking for the Black Pearl in three years, ever since the day Jack had left her here with his promise to come back to her.
Rose was fifteen...and Jack was two years late.
