Chapter Five
After the whole French thing, Lizzy, Lia, and I really made Horatio blush. I had my CD player on me, so I turned up the volume so loud that you could hear every word perfectly from across the room. Then, we literally had a Moulin Rouge songfest! The first song we did was 'Sparkling Diamonds', and at that point, Archie popped his head in and raised an eyebrow as we were singing:
"Men grow cold as
Girls grow old
And we all loose our charms in the end
But square cut
Or pear shaped, these rocks don't loose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend."
His jaw kind of dropped, and I paused the CD player. "Something you needed, Archie?" Slowly, he approached the CD player. "What is that contraption?" I really could have gone on and on about it. "It plays music; the doorway to the soul you could call it. Music is my life at least; without it, I couldn't really function. We were only singing songs from the future." For a while now, I'd had him wrapped around my little finger, so he was willing to believe anything I said. "Fascinating as it is, I must be going... maybe you could sing more quietly?" With a shrug, I turned the music back on and continued.
"Tippany
Cartier
'Cause we are living
In a material world
And I am a material girl."
Archie shook his head and left. "Women." He muttered, and I once again paused the music and giggled. "He has no idea what he is dealing with." Lia nodded. "Change it to 'Rhythm of the Night', Lizzy told me you're really good at it." I obliged her and began.
"When it feels like
The world is on your shoulders
And all of the madness
Has got you going crazy
It's time to get out
Jump out into the street
Where all of the action
Is right there at your feet
Well
I know a place where we can dance the whole night away
And it's called the Moulin Rouge
Oh
Just come with me
And we can shake your blues right away..."
And so on, but when I got to the Spanish, I stopped and listened. "Tell them to stop it, Archie, or I will." I hurriedly skipped to 'Lady Marmelade', and Lizzy shook her head. "What are you doing, Natalie?" With a grin, I explained. "Just showing Horatio that this really is a popular song." When Horatio entered, we were just idly staring at the ceiling singing the dreaded words that had caused him to act like a girl earlier (you know the ones). "Ladies, a bit of tact, if you please!" Archie was standing behind him. "Is that French?" Horatio nodded. "Yes, and they aren't using it tactfully either!" Lizzy flushed and Lia didn't pay attention at all. "What does it mean?" I burst out laughing, and after screwing the smile off my face, explained. "It means: 'Won't you... mph!'" Lizzy covered my mouth, and I continued to giggle until I ran out of air, at which point she let go of me, and I gasped. "I don't see what is so funny." Still laughing, I replied: "Lighten up Horatio, we're very open about this stuff in the twenty-first century, but it's still incredibly funny. Okay, Archie, you have to swear not to tell a soul about the song or anything else that is about to happen." Horatio rubbed his temple, and Archie raised an eyebrow at him. "Rather she than I." Archie nodded. "Everyone in the twenty-first century knows that it means: 'Won't you come and lie with me tonight?'." Oh, if only you, the reader, had seen his face just then: it was a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and scandal. "Why would they know that?" The three of us girls glanced at each other. "'Moulin Rouge'." Both of them looked confused. "It is a movie, guys: a movie is like a book, only done by actors just like it is really happening. 'Moulin Rouge' is about a Bohemian writer that falls in love with a whore that has consumption. Only a duke buys her, and they are forced to hide their love as he, the writer for a play, and she, the lead actress in it. It's a classic!" Both of them seemed skeptical. "Well... I suppose we should be going now, can you sing something else?" Hmm... what to pick? I quickly switched the CD and played 'Nature Boy'.
"There was a boy
A very strange
Enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far
Over land and see
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise, was he
And then one day
One magic day
He passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me:
The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return..."
I soloed it since the other two only knew the movie version, and this one was by Celine Dion. Archie's eyes locked with mine, and I colored a bit. Tonight, I would ask him about Simpson, since I really wanted to know, and was too curious for my own good.
My opportunity came after dinner when Horatio was on watch, and my friends were occupied. I hesitantly stopped him and sat him down. "Archie, there's something I have been meaning to ask you." He nodded. "Yes, my lady?" Oh, he was making this difficult! "Is... is Simpson... what I mean to say is... is he molesting you?" Slowly, he stood. "Where did you get an idea like that?" I really hate it when people get mad at me, but I hate it more when they are suspicious of me, so one can imagine my discomfort. There was much that I could have told him, but I had the urge to tell him the truth. "In the future, there is a lot of... speculation, and I wanted to know if it was ill-founded." For a long time, he didn't reply, just kind of stared at me. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my place to ask." I apologized, but he walked up to me and took my hand. "Your place? Anyone would want to know with my fits. You must swear not to repeat it, but yes, he did when I was younger." I felt like an idiot for asking, and I had really been hoping that he would say I was mistaken. "Is that when they started, your fits I mean?" For his benefit and my own, I asked quietly and with sympathy. He nodded after a moment and I pulled the back of his hand to my heart. "Your secret is safe with me, I won't tell a soul." Archie brushed his lips against my knuckles. "Your confidence is greatly appreciated, madam." I shook my head. "I told you, it's Natalie, especially since I'm calling you by your first name." Lizzy suddenly walked in with Lia and Horatio not far behind, so I snatched my hand backward and sent Archie an apologetic glance, which he only nodded and smiled faintly at. "Captain Pellew has asked me to inform you ladies that we will be stopping at a port tomorrow, and you should pick up a few alternate outfits... Especially you, Elizabeth." And so I turned to Lia and Lizzy and asked them: "You know what this means, right?" They shook their heads no and I tsked. "Shopping spree!" Lia and I took each others hands and jumped up and down. "Are people in the twenty-first century prone to such antics?" Lizzy shrugged. "It depends if they are fan girls like Natalie and Lia." We stopped jumping and I shook my head. "I am not a fan girl: I don't know very much at all about anime." Lia didn't say anything at all. "Okay, okay, Natalie isn't really a fan girl, but she does act like one sometimes." That was true enough. "What's a fan girl?" Horatio asked, and I laughed. "You wouldn't really understand, but it's someone who obsesses over a specific book or TV show, or even a movie. A TV show is like a movie, only shorter." I added, and both Horatio and Archie seemed to understand. "And you are a fan girl of what exactly?" Archie asked, and I glared at Lizzy. "Well, books for the most part, and shows drawn by the Japanese called anime." Lia shrugged. "Sore wa himitsu desu." Horatio raised an eyebrow, and I explained. "It means: that is a secret, in Japanese... what, at least she isn't running around saying she has an axe stuck in her head!" This confused everyone, except for Lia. "Pardon?" Archie questioned, and I laughed again. "I have a friend who sometimes says that she has an axe stuck in her head in Japanese... she's not normal."
With that, I left before confusing them more, but Lizzy and Lia immediately caught up with me, and we ran to our rooms. Lizzy closed the door behind us and plopped down on her hammock. "What were you and Archie talking about before we came in?" I shook my head. "Can't tell, I promised." Lizzy smirked. "He seems to like you a bit more than Lia and I: he rarely even talks to us, but he always talks to you." One of my eyebrows arched upward. "And just what are you implying?" Lia then said something that actually made sense. "He likes you Natalie: even you have to admit it." Wait, he liked me? "Wait, are you saying that he likes me, or that he likes me likes me?" Lizzy then said something that I would say. "She means that he head-over-heels, can't see past the fog, might be love, likes you." Oy, and there it was, but we had only known each other for little more than a week. "You're hallucinating, Archie doesn't like me, and besides, something happens to him, I just can't put my finger on it for the life of me." Lizzy furrowed her brow. "Nor can I, actually: I can only remember..."
"Up to Mariette's death? Same." She nodded. "I'll have to sleep on that... but I was wondering, do you like him?" My jaw dropped. "Lizzy! I have only known him a week! Lordy, I'm actually speaking properly." Something weird was happening, and not just to me. "That is weird! Be truthful, I told you that I love Horatio." I giggled. "Yeah, but it was so obvious! Anywho, maybe I like him just a little, but he is really too old for me. What am I saying? Love will find a way if that is what fate has in store." Lizzy laughed. "How do you figure that?"
"No one ever said that love was gonna be easy
Gotta take the ups and downs, the in-betweens
If you take this journey, gotta give yourself completely
Never let nobody ever step on a dream
You better stop
Listen to these words I say
You better stop
Don't you throw a good dream away no no
Put your trust in me
And I'll make you see
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
Somebody tried to tell me love doesn't last forever
Said it only happens in your wildest dreams
After all is said and done were still here together
Never listen to the lies and jealousy
You better stop
Don't you let them turn you around
You better stop
Hang onto this love that weave found
Nothing ever say
Can stand in our way
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it."
Lizzy kept on giggling, and I paused and laughed with her. "But you remember Christian's words to Satine in 'Moulin Rouge'; 'Love is a many splendid thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love. Anyway, I know that love rarely ever happens, but I know that I'll fall in love one day, and I'll never fall out of love because...
"I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
You better stop
Listen to these words I say
You better stop
Don't you throw a good dream away no no
Put your trust in me
And I'll make you see
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
No the rain won't last forever."
Lizzy and I laughed again, and Lia was asleep, but little was I to know that Archie had come down to shut me up, and had instead watched me tell Lizzy about love.
After our shopping spree, Lizzy and I sulked about our corsets, and Lia showed some discomfort at the new clothing item. "Dude, these things could kill! No wonder Elisabeth in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' passed out and almost drowned!" Lia laughed. "Pailae." For a moment, I forgot the pain and began a mini dialogue. "Damn the man that came up with Pailae!" She continued the role-play as we left the store with our new make up and outfits. "That would be the French." We cracked up, and Lizzy shook her head. "My God, Johnny Depp was the best pirate!" I said as I attempted to breathe. "Definitely; he made the ever talented Orlando Bloom look awful!" With a smirk, I shook my head. "Not physically." Orlando was definitely a better blonde, but that was all fine and well. I gasped for air, and stomped my foot in annoyance. "Damned corset!" Then, Archie appeared, as he was our escort since Horatio was in a meeting with Captain Pellew and some other lieutenants. Lizzy wore green, Lia wore red, and I wore silver with gold highlights, since I absolutely love those two colors. My blonde hair with red tips was in a half-crown where it had recently been hidden in my barrette, which I received in Australia, but made me look a bit French. "I wouldn't have recognized you ladies were it not for Natalie's foul language." Lia rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, real smooth Archie." It was difficult for me to talk to him right now, because I could only remember up to the beginning of the third episode, and that meant that I knew Simpson was going to send his boat out to sea, but not that he would be found in the Spanish prison, and that anguished me more than I would care to admit. Perhaps that was due to the fact that he had told me what he hadn't even told Horatio, and Horatio was his best friend! "You and Elizabeth look lovely Lia, but you, Natalie, you look stunning." He took my hand and kissed the back of it, causing me to blush the same color as Lia's gown. Yeah, so I really was attracted to him, but what was a girl to do? I have always had a thing for guys with accents, and he was exceptionally kind to me where no other guy had been. "Thank you, Archie." I seriously felt like a princess, and I was certainly dressed like one in my flared eighteenth century gown. Let me tell you, when you're fourteen, you live for the romance of historical men in shining armor and the like. After we had gotten back to the Indy, I was sitting with Lizzy and Lia when I blurted; "I miss Sammy." Archie turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Who's Sammy?" There was something in his voice that puzzled me a bit. "My cat, are you okay, Archie?" He nodded. "Yes, of course, you have a cat?" I nodded happily. "Yeah, he's a sweetheart; he was born under the steps to my mom's office along with his siblings, so she took he and his sister Rainbow home and gave them to us as pets. Rainbow ran away though, so now all I have is Sam pet-wise." I then realized that we had forgotten to tell Horatio and Archie that we weren't really orphans! "Oh Lordy, I completely forgot; we're not orphans. I have parents and a brother, and Elaine had the same set-up. Lia is an only child, and she is definitely not an orphan." Now, he seemed to understand my previous statement. I felt such an emotional pull toward him; what would happen when he was sent out to sea?
One week later, Papillon was sighted, and I did not remember anything of Archie's disappearance, though I knew that I had better or else someone was going to get hurt. Horatio and Archie were sent out, and naturally, Lizzy, Lia and I bullied our way into going with them. We dressed in men's naval uniforms, and sat in the boat with them, swords in our sheaths and pistols in our belts. Suddenly, Archie had a fit, and warning bells went off in my head as I quickly pulled his head into my lap and whispered into his ear. "Calm down, Archie, Simpson is not here right now." I gently brushed his bangs out of his face, and overheard Captain Pellew telling Horatio to stop the racket. "Shh, Archie, it's okay, I'm here." My murmuring ceased when Horatio's desperate gaze caught mine, and Lizzy sighed as he pulled out a bar and knocked Archie unconscious. He became limp, and I bit my lip. "There's something important about this, Lizzy, and I have a feeling I'm going to regret not remembering." I whispered while still holding on to Archie's upper body. "I know, but I don't remember Natalie; I'm sorry." Heaving a great sigh, I abandoned Archie in the boat, but not before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, which did not escape Lizzy's or Horatio's attention, but the acting lieutenant had no time to ponder the reasoning behind a young girl brushing her lips against his best friend's forehead. "Lizzy, something is going to happen to him, but I know that I can't stop it, and that I shouldn't try to, but I want to." She nodded with sympathy, and climbed on to the boat when she heard the alarm from Horatio's discovery. Soon, we were engaged in combat, and like before, we hurt a lot of people, but we did not kill them. At one particular point, I saw Simpson looking down into the boat that held Archie's unconscious body, and then I saw him shoot the rope to the boat and then Horatio. I ran to him and slapped him. "You bastard! I saw what you did, and I won't have any qualms about testifying!" After I said that, I prepared to jump in and pull the boat back, but Simpson pulled me backward and struck me with the butt end of his sword, rendering me unconscious very near Horatio, who was bleeding from the forehead.
After the whole French thing, Lizzy, Lia, and I really made Horatio blush. I had my CD player on me, so I turned up the volume so loud that you could hear every word perfectly from across the room. Then, we literally had a Moulin Rouge songfest! The first song we did was 'Sparkling Diamonds', and at that point, Archie popped his head in and raised an eyebrow as we were singing:
"Men grow cold as
Girls grow old
And we all loose our charms in the end
But square cut
Or pear shaped, these rocks don't loose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend."
His jaw kind of dropped, and I paused the CD player. "Something you needed, Archie?" Slowly, he approached the CD player. "What is that contraption?" I really could have gone on and on about it. "It plays music; the doorway to the soul you could call it. Music is my life at least; without it, I couldn't really function. We were only singing songs from the future." For a while now, I'd had him wrapped around my little finger, so he was willing to believe anything I said. "Fascinating as it is, I must be going... maybe you could sing more quietly?" With a shrug, I turned the music back on and continued.
"Tippany
Cartier
'Cause we are living
In a material world
And I am a material girl."
Archie shook his head and left. "Women." He muttered, and I once again paused the music and giggled. "He has no idea what he is dealing with." Lia nodded. "Change it to 'Rhythm of the Night', Lizzy told me you're really good at it." I obliged her and began.
"When it feels like
The world is on your shoulders
And all of the madness
Has got you going crazy
It's time to get out
Jump out into the street
Where all of the action
Is right there at your feet
Well
I know a place where we can dance the whole night away
And it's called the Moulin Rouge
Oh
Just come with me
And we can shake your blues right away..."
And so on, but when I got to the Spanish, I stopped and listened. "Tell them to stop it, Archie, or I will." I hurriedly skipped to 'Lady Marmelade', and Lizzy shook her head. "What are you doing, Natalie?" With a grin, I explained. "Just showing Horatio that this really is a popular song." When Horatio entered, we were just idly staring at the ceiling singing the dreaded words that had caused him to act like a girl earlier (you know the ones). "Ladies, a bit of tact, if you please!" Archie was standing behind him. "Is that French?" Horatio nodded. "Yes, and they aren't using it tactfully either!" Lizzy flushed and Lia didn't pay attention at all. "What does it mean?" I burst out laughing, and after screwing the smile off my face, explained. "It means: 'Won't you... mph!'" Lizzy covered my mouth, and I continued to giggle until I ran out of air, at which point she let go of me, and I gasped. "I don't see what is so funny." Still laughing, I replied: "Lighten up Horatio, we're very open about this stuff in the twenty-first century, but it's still incredibly funny. Okay, Archie, you have to swear not to tell a soul about the song or anything else that is about to happen." Horatio rubbed his temple, and Archie raised an eyebrow at him. "Rather she than I." Archie nodded. "Everyone in the twenty-first century knows that it means: 'Won't you come and lie with me tonight?'." Oh, if only you, the reader, had seen his face just then: it was a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and scandal. "Why would they know that?" The three of us girls glanced at each other. "'Moulin Rouge'." Both of them looked confused. "It is a movie, guys: a movie is like a book, only done by actors just like it is really happening. 'Moulin Rouge' is about a Bohemian writer that falls in love with a whore that has consumption. Only a duke buys her, and they are forced to hide their love as he, the writer for a play, and she, the lead actress in it. It's a classic!" Both of them seemed skeptical. "Well... I suppose we should be going now, can you sing something else?" Hmm... what to pick? I quickly switched the CD and played 'Nature Boy'.
"There was a boy
A very strange
Enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far
Over land and see
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise, was he
And then one day
One magic day
He passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me:
The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return..."
I soloed it since the other two only knew the movie version, and this one was by Celine Dion. Archie's eyes locked with mine, and I colored a bit. Tonight, I would ask him about Simpson, since I really wanted to know, and was too curious for my own good.
My opportunity came after dinner when Horatio was on watch, and my friends were occupied. I hesitantly stopped him and sat him down. "Archie, there's something I have been meaning to ask you." He nodded. "Yes, my lady?" Oh, he was making this difficult! "Is... is Simpson... what I mean to say is... is he molesting you?" Slowly, he stood. "Where did you get an idea like that?" I really hate it when people get mad at me, but I hate it more when they are suspicious of me, so one can imagine my discomfort. There was much that I could have told him, but I had the urge to tell him the truth. "In the future, there is a lot of... speculation, and I wanted to know if it was ill-founded." For a long time, he didn't reply, just kind of stared at me. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my place to ask." I apologized, but he walked up to me and took my hand. "Your place? Anyone would want to know with my fits. You must swear not to repeat it, but yes, he did when I was younger." I felt like an idiot for asking, and I had really been hoping that he would say I was mistaken. "Is that when they started, your fits I mean?" For his benefit and my own, I asked quietly and with sympathy. He nodded after a moment and I pulled the back of his hand to my heart. "Your secret is safe with me, I won't tell a soul." Archie brushed his lips against my knuckles. "Your confidence is greatly appreciated, madam." I shook my head. "I told you, it's Natalie, especially since I'm calling you by your first name." Lizzy suddenly walked in with Lia and Horatio not far behind, so I snatched my hand backward and sent Archie an apologetic glance, which he only nodded and smiled faintly at. "Captain Pellew has asked me to inform you ladies that we will be stopping at a port tomorrow, and you should pick up a few alternate outfits... Especially you, Elizabeth." And so I turned to Lia and Lizzy and asked them: "You know what this means, right?" They shook their heads no and I tsked. "Shopping spree!" Lia and I took each others hands and jumped up and down. "Are people in the twenty-first century prone to such antics?" Lizzy shrugged. "It depends if they are fan girls like Natalie and Lia." We stopped jumping and I shook my head. "I am not a fan girl: I don't know very much at all about anime." Lia didn't say anything at all. "Okay, okay, Natalie isn't really a fan girl, but she does act like one sometimes." That was true enough. "What's a fan girl?" Horatio asked, and I laughed. "You wouldn't really understand, but it's someone who obsesses over a specific book or TV show, or even a movie. A TV show is like a movie, only shorter." I added, and both Horatio and Archie seemed to understand. "And you are a fan girl of what exactly?" Archie asked, and I glared at Lizzy. "Well, books for the most part, and shows drawn by the Japanese called anime." Lia shrugged. "Sore wa himitsu desu." Horatio raised an eyebrow, and I explained. "It means: that is a secret, in Japanese... what, at least she isn't running around saying she has an axe stuck in her head!" This confused everyone, except for Lia. "Pardon?" Archie questioned, and I laughed again. "I have a friend who sometimes says that she has an axe stuck in her head in Japanese... she's not normal."
With that, I left before confusing them more, but Lizzy and Lia immediately caught up with me, and we ran to our rooms. Lizzy closed the door behind us and plopped down on her hammock. "What were you and Archie talking about before we came in?" I shook my head. "Can't tell, I promised." Lizzy smirked. "He seems to like you a bit more than Lia and I: he rarely even talks to us, but he always talks to you." One of my eyebrows arched upward. "And just what are you implying?" Lia then said something that actually made sense. "He likes you Natalie: even you have to admit it." Wait, he liked me? "Wait, are you saying that he likes me, or that he likes me likes me?" Lizzy then said something that I would say. "She means that he head-over-heels, can't see past the fog, might be love, likes you." Oy, and there it was, but we had only known each other for little more than a week. "You're hallucinating, Archie doesn't like me, and besides, something happens to him, I just can't put my finger on it for the life of me." Lizzy furrowed her brow. "Nor can I, actually: I can only remember..."
"Up to Mariette's death? Same." She nodded. "I'll have to sleep on that... but I was wondering, do you like him?" My jaw dropped. "Lizzy! I have only known him a week! Lordy, I'm actually speaking properly." Something weird was happening, and not just to me. "That is weird! Be truthful, I told you that I love Horatio." I giggled. "Yeah, but it was so obvious! Anywho, maybe I like him just a little, but he is really too old for me. What am I saying? Love will find a way if that is what fate has in store." Lizzy laughed. "How do you figure that?"
"No one ever said that love was gonna be easy
Gotta take the ups and downs, the in-betweens
If you take this journey, gotta give yourself completely
Never let nobody ever step on a dream
You better stop
Listen to these words I say
You better stop
Don't you throw a good dream away no no
Put your trust in me
And I'll make you see
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
Somebody tried to tell me love doesn't last forever
Said it only happens in your wildest dreams
After all is said and done were still here together
Never listen to the lies and jealousy
You better stop
Don't you let them turn you around
You better stop
Hang onto this love that weave found
Nothing ever say
Can stand in our way
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it."
Lizzy kept on giggling, and I paused and laughed with her. "But you remember Christian's words to Satine in 'Moulin Rouge'; 'Love is a many splendid thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love. Anyway, I know that love rarely ever happens, but I know that I'll fall in love one day, and I'll never fall out of love because...
"I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
You better stop
Listen to these words I say
You better stop
Don't you throw a good dream away no no
Put your trust in me
And I'll make you see
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
No the rain won't last forever
Find a way to make it better
Long as we can stand together
Love will find a way
Gonna make a new tomorrow
Say good-bye to tears and sorrow
Better listen when I say
Love will find a way
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
I want it
I need it
You know that I believe in it
I'll get it
I know it
And if it's real he'll show it
No the rain won't last forever."
Lizzy and I laughed again, and Lia was asleep, but little was I to know that Archie had come down to shut me up, and had instead watched me tell Lizzy about love.
After our shopping spree, Lizzy and I sulked about our corsets, and Lia showed some discomfort at the new clothing item. "Dude, these things could kill! No wonder Elisabeth in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' passed out and almost drowned!" Lia laughed. "Pailae." For a moment, I forgot the pain and began a mini dialogue. "Damn the man that came up with Pailae!" She continued the role-play as we left the store with our new make up and outfits. "That would be the French." We cracked up, and Lizzy shook her head. "My God, Johnny Depp was the best pirate!" I said as I attempted to breathe. "Definitely; he made the ever talented Orlando Bloom look awful!" With a smirk, I shook my head. "Not physically." Orlando was definitely a better blonde, but that was all fine and well. I gasped for air, and stomped my foot in annoyance. "Damned corset!" Then, Archie appeared, as he was our escort since Horatio was in a meeting with Captain Pellew and some other lieutenants. Lizzy wore green, Lia wore red, and I wore silver with gold highlights, since I absolutely love those two colors. My blonde hair with red tips was in a half-crown where it had recently been hidden in my barrette, which I received in Australia, but made me look a bit French. "I wouldn't have recognized you ladies were it not for Natalie's foul language." Lia rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, real smooth Archie." It was difficult for me to talk to him right now, because I could only remember up to the beginning of the third episode, and that meant that I knew Simpson was going to send his boat out to sea, but not that he would be found in the Spanish prison, and that anguished me more than I would care to admit. Perhaps that was due to the fact that he had told me what he hadn't even told Horatio, and Horatio was his best friend! "You and Elizabeth look lovely Lia, but you, Natalie, you look stunning." He took my hand and kissed the back of it, causing me to blush the same color as Lia's gown. Yeah, so I really was attracted to him, but what was a girl to do? I have always had a thing for guys with accents, and he was exceptionally kind to me where no other guy had been. "Thank you, Archie." I seriously felt like a princess, and I was certainly dressed like one in my flared eighteenth century gown. Let me tell you, when you're fourteen, you live for the romance of historical men in shining armor and the like. After we had gotten back to the Indy, I was sitting with Lizzy and Lia when I blurted; "I miss Sammy." Archie turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Who's Sammy?" There was something in his voice that puzzled me a bit. "My cat, are you okay, Archie?" He nodded. "Yes, of course, you have a cat?" I nodded happily. "Yeah, he's a sweetheart; he was born under the steps to my mom's office along with his siblings, so she took he and his sister Rainbow home and gave them to us as pets. Rainbow ran away though, so now all I have is Sam pet-wise." I then realized that we had forgotten to tell Horatio and Archie that we weren't really orphans! "Oh Lordy, I completely forgot; we're not orphans. I have parents and a brother, and Elaine had the same set-up. Lia is an only child, and she is definitely not an orphan." Now, he seemed to understand my previous statement. I felt such an emotional pull toward him; what would happen when he was sent out to sea?
One week later, Papillon was sighted, and I did not remember anything of Archie's disappearance, though I knew that I had better or else someone was going to get hurt. Horatio and Archie were sent out, and naturally, Lizzy, Lia and I bullied our way into going with them. We dressed in men's naval uniforms, and sat in the boat with them, swords in our sheaths and pistols in our belts. Suddenly, Archie had a fit, and warning bells went off in my head as I quickly pulled his head into my lap and whispered into his ear. "Calm down, Archie, Simpson is not here right now." I gently brushed his bangs out of his face, and overheard Captain Pellew telling Horatio to stop the racket. "Shh, Archie, it's okay, I'm here." My murmuring ceased when Horatio's desperate gaze caught mine, and Lizzy sighed as he pulled out a bar and knocked Archie unconscious. He became limp, and I bit my lip. "There's something important about this, Lizzy, and I have a feeling I'm going to regret not remembering." I whispered while still holding on to Archie's upper body. "I know, but I don't remember Natalie; I'm sorry." Heaving a great sigh, I abandoned Archie in the boat, but not before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, which did not escape Lizzy's or Horatio's attention, but the acting lieutenant had no time to ponder the reasoning behind a young girl brushing her lips against his best friend's forehead. "Lizzy, something is going to happen to him, but I know that I can't stop it, and that I shouldn't try to, but I want to." She nodded with sympathy, and climbed on to the boat when she heard the alarm from Horatio's discovery. Soon, we were engaged in combat, and like before, we hurt a lot of people, but we did not kill them. At one particular point, I saw Simpson looking down into the boat that held Archie's unconscious body, and then I saw him shoot the rope to the boat and then Horatio. I ran to him and slapped him. "You bastard! I saw what you did, and I won't have any qualms about testifying!" After I said that, I prepared to jump in and pull the boat back, but Simpson pulled me backward and struck me with the butt end of his sword, rendering me unconscious very near Horatio, who was bleeding from the forehead.