Upon arriving, Jack had made arrangements for several of the men to come into the longboat with him and Rose to make the journey within the bayou, including Barbossa.
Rose marched across the deck, head high, as though all the men's eyes were on her. Ben grabbed her shoulder as she passed by him.
"Rose!" he whispered. "I didn't mean to—"
"It's Miss Hexfury," Rose spat. "Not Rose, not Miss Teague, Miss Hexfury. I've picked my side, and you've picked yours!"
Ben looked hurt. "Rose, I—"
"I don't believe I asked you to come along, Master McHenry," Jack said, stepping between the two. He gave a questioning glance to Rose to see if this was the right action to take, and though she was inwardly grateful, she kept her eyes forward and kept moving.
She did stop upon seeing Bootstrap, however. He smiled sadly at her, saying only, "Chin up, lass. You'll go far!" She smiled with gratitude, and he and Jack helped her climb over the railing and down into the longboat. Barbossa and the three other men Jack had picked to come along waited below, and once they had taken their seats, oars were dipped into the sea and they began their journey towards land. As they departed, Rose took one final look at the ship she might never see again. She had thought the Black Pearl would be her home for far longer than it was, and choked back her emotion when she saw Ben appear over the railing, staring sorrowfully down at her. She returned his stare until she his image was but a speck, then turned in time to catch one glimpse of the bayou before her world was enveloped in darkness.
The bayou's atmosphere was warm and humid, and the air was fairly stagnant. Dense plant life invaded the land, growing upwards when it no longer could grow outwards, and therefore blocking out all sunlight. Rose was plunged into eternal night, and therefore total blindness. She jumped when she heard a large splash on her left, but felt Jack's hand on her knee.
"Alligator," he murmured.
"Alligator?" she said hoarsely. "Is it nearby?"
"It's no threat to us," he assured her.
A faint laugh informed Rose that there were several bayou dwellers that lived here, but the voyage was taking far longer than she expected it to. Where was this Tia Dalma, and just how far into the bayou did she dwell?
Finally, Rose heard the lapping of waves against what was presumably a dock, and felt the boat come to a halt next to it. Jack helped her up, and taking her hands, led her out of the boat and up several stairs, guiding her inside Tia Dalma's shack.
When the door opened, Rose's sight gradually was restored, though she wished it hadn't. The shack was really just one large room that had a large banyan tree growing in through one of its walls. The room had a somewhat vaulted ceiling, though it was nearly impossible to tell what with the hundreds of jars, bottles, and various trinkets suspended from it. The whole room was a menagerie of hoarded goods, preserved body parts, herbs, spices, plants, books, furniture, jewelry, and a large boa constrictor snake that nearly made Rose jump out of her skin.
"Tia Dalma!" Jack called.
That's when Rose first saw her, though the woman could have easily blended in to her home like a chameleon. She appeared from a side room that Rose hadn't even noticed she was so distracted. She had long, twisted hair like Jack's, dark skin, large, piercing eyes, elaborate amounts of jewelry and a dress that resembled more of a tangled fisherman's net than a gown.
"Jack!" she cooed in a thick accent. "Ye 'ave returned so soon!"
Jack instantly turned in his charms, grinning and saying gallantly, "Who could stay away from a place like this and a lady such as yourself?"
"Ye 'ave yer beloved Pearl?" she asked.
"Couldn't have done it without you, love!" he replied.
She suddenly grew very serious. "And da souls?"
Jack waved her off, "All in good time! We've come here on another errand!"
Barbossa had entered behind Jack and Rose. "Tia Dalma!" he greeted her.
The soothsayer did not greet him as warmly as she had Jack. She gave a slight nod and said softly, "Barbossa."
Barbossa continued his speech one two of the three other sailors had entered, leaving one to watch over the longboat. "We come to inquire as to the acquiring of yer trinket ye promised Jack."
Tia Dalma narrowed her eyes. "Not withoud payment," she croaked.
Barbossa swept dramatical around Jack to Rose, placing both of his black-nailed hands on her shoulders. "Feast yer eyes!" he said.
Tia began murmuring something to herself something that was not in English or French, as Rose could not understand it. She drew her face quite close to Rose's, looking straight into her eyes. She finally said to the men, "Dis not be da girl."
Barbossa stomped to Tia, leering over her threateningly. "Surely there must be some mistake," he growled.
Tia Dalma only glared up at him, saying with a level voice. "No. Dis be da wrong girl."
"Splendid!" Jack cried, clapping a hand on Rose's shoulder. "We'll just be on our way then and bother you no further! Rose, shall we go then?"
"Yes, let's!" Rose said, all to eager to be rid of the creepy place.
"Just a moment!" Barbossa called out before the siblings left the room. They turned back to him, and Rose saw that he now held between his dirty fingers a silver crab-shaped pendant. He looked over to Tia Dalma, who stood looking furiously at him. "Don't you wish to know which girl the priestess speaks of?"
Jack narrowed his eyes, watching the unspoken rivalry between Barbossa and Tia Dalma unfold wordlessly before them, and wisely saying, "Oh now, let's not disturb the spooky obeah woman! She must have much blood sacrificing to get to!"
Barbossa ignored Jack, saying in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Tia Dalma, could you possibly use your powers to give us some sort of clue?"
Tia Dalma only stared at the ground, voice dark as she muttered, "Da girl who I speak be searchin' for ye. She is guided by love, but burns with hate. She be a woman scorned, and wishes ye ill."
Rose looked to Jack, who was considering her riddle. Suddenly, he said, "I know it. I know who she means!"
"Where is she?" Rose asked.
"Not certain," he replied. "She could be any number of places."
"Where is she, Tia Dalma?" Barbossa asked, examining the necklace closer.
"She be near," the woman said through gritted teeth, keeping her gaze fixated on the necklace he held. "Head west. She travelin' by sea."
"Thank you so very much, Tia Dalma," Jack said. "Now gents and lady? Shall we—"
He was interrupted again by a new noise. A soft melody echoed from the necklace that Barbossa held. He had opened it, revealing it to be a music box. When the locket clicked shut, Barbossa looked out of the corner of his eyes back to Tia Dalma, who then spoke the words that spelled out Rose's doom:
I be needin' yer sister, Jack.
Jack laughed. "Sister? What sister?"
She turned and looked at him. "Rose Hexfury."
Rose was floored. How did this woman possibly know about her newly adopted name change?
Jack stammered, "Come now, Tia. You said she's the wrong girl! What good could possibly come of keeping her here?"
"Da girl stays he-ere."
Barbossa flung the locket at Tia, who struggled to catch it as it flew through the air. "I think this is wisest, Jack," he said. "Tia Dalma gets her payment, the men get their wish. I would take her generous offer."
Rose looked up to Jack, pleading with him nonverbally to deny them and let her stay. Jack looked back down at her, and she could see the uncertainty he felt. "Just a moment," he said, pulling Rose into the side room.
Under her breath, she whispered to Jack, "Do you see? He has blackmailed her, you can tell!"
Jack pulled her close and stooped down so that his eyes were level with hers. "Listen to me," he whispered. "I will not abandon you."
Rose's eyes went wide when she realized that he was telling her that he was indeed going to leave her there. "Jack, no! You can't let him control you like this!"
"I do see Barbossa's act, I assure you," he said. "Let me go retrieve the girl. When I do, I'll reap the reward, which supposedly will give me immense power. Together, we'll overpower him."
"He's already overpowered you!"
"So he thinks!" Jack whispered, smiling. "We'll show him otherwise!"
"How many years this time, Jack? How many years will you leave me on your promise?"
Jack pursed his lips at this, muttering sadly, "I don't know. All I can promise is that I will track her down right away, and when I do we will return immediately."
Rose look down, exasperated. For too long she had waited for Jack to set things right, and not even after three years was he able to right his wrongs. She had no choice but to stay here, this much she had surrendered to. But she wondered just how much more of Jack's "promises" she could stand before she lost hope in him altogether.
"Hey," Jack said, slightly louder, getting her attention. "I've brought along a few more things to add to your effects." He produced a pistol and holster, looping it around her belt. "To shoot, pull back this trigger and press that one back," he instructed.
"But you'll need this!" she protested.
He patted his cutlass on the other side of his own belt. "I improvise, remember?" He then handed her a pouch which clinked when it fell into her palm. "It's not much," he said, "But a few shillings will get you at least somewhere."
Finally, he untied something from the front of his belt, tying it to hers. "And this," he said. Rose examined what he had fastened to her, seeing that it was one half of the mother of pearl pendant set of two that their father had indirectly passed on to them. Rose had thrown hers the day before at Jack in frustration, and now he was returning it to her.
She examined it closer. "But," she said. "This is your pendant."
He grabbed the other from her, which had formally belonged to her and now currently hung on his belt. "I'll have to come back then," he said with a smile.
Rose smiled, choking back her emotions as they welled up inside her. Jack wrapped his arm around her and led her back out into the main room where the others were waiting.
She bid her brother a final farewell, though he promised again of his return shortly. She held tight to her brother's pendant as the door closed behind him. She was left alone with the soothsayer, and never before did she feel so alone.
