Chapter 8: Pirates!!!
Kat awoke with her door nearly being knocked down and a yelling crewmember's head popping into her cabin. He was looking around the cabin frantically and his eyes finally landed upon Kat in her bed with her dress from the night before still on. She looked at his groggily, but still paid attention to what he had to say. The crewmembers knew better than to bust into her room unannounced, she made that a great point at her second month on board when a younger crewmember tried to walk in on her. He was not able to walk for a while after that without a slight limp.
"The Harbinger is off the port side! Everyone up and load the cannons!" he screamed into her room and ran to the next cabin down from hers.
Kat sat up and changed into her work clothes in a hurry. Her dress was thrown off onto her bedpost and her pants thrown on. She looked everywhere for her shirt, which she eventually found at the foot of her bed. As she changed she racked her brain trying to remember if there were any ships under the name Harbinger in the Royal Navy. After a few seconds she had given up trying to find the Harbinger in her memory bank pertaining to ships and concentrated fully on the pants since they were not cooperating. At last, after a few more minutes she tied her pants tight, grabbed her blue bandana from the floor and ran out the door.
She went out on deck to see the rest of the crew running about and found Jack staring behind the ship over his shoulder. She climbed up to the helm, and looked behind the ship as well. A great ship as big as the Pearl herself was right behind them. Wind full in its sails, the Harbinger was gaining on them, and it would only be a matter of time before they would overcome them.
"I thought they were just off port side," Kat said standing next to the captain at the wheel, "How did we get ahead of it?"
"The Pearl ain't called the fastest ship in the Caribbean for nothin', luv," Jack turned back to the wheel and tried some maneuvers to try outrun the Harbinger, "But the Harbinger is a very hard ship to outrun, no matter how fast the ship be."
He looked at her and his eyes bulged, "Kat get yer hair under yer bandana righ' now."
"Why?" she stuffed her hair underneath the bandana, not in the mood to argue with the captain at the moment.
"Ye ever see wha' ungentlemanly pirates do with women such as yerself?" he turned the ship fast and nearly crashed into some shallow rocks in the waters.
Kat tied the rest of her hair back, "How's this captain?" trying to model her hair under the bandana.
He looked at her and then turned away, "It'll hide yer hair, but I don' know what to do about yer face."
"What's wrong with my face, may I ask?" she put her hands on her hips and scowled.
"It's too beautiful to be a man's, darlin'," she blushed at his comment and looked toward the other ship. The Harbinger was right beside the Pearl and Kat knew that they would not be able to outrun them. They were not going to escape.
The pirates on the other ship yelled and cursed at the crew of the Pearl. They were close enough to shoot off the cannons and make good-sized holes in the ship. The Pearl's crew set their hands on their blades and pistols, just in the case that the captain declares war on the next ship over.
"What now?" Kat asked.
"Wait for the captain to board," Jack said calmly walking toward the boarding plank being lowered on his ship with his hands clasped behind his back.
Kat followed close behind, "What do you mean that he is going to board?"
"I mean board as in comin' on board the Pearl," Jack stopped before the plank and put kept his hands behind his back. Kat stepped next to him and did the same, "And ye may wan' to disguise yer voice, too."
"Aye captain," Kat said trying a deeper voice.
"Better yet, don' talk at all," Jack stayed serious and still looking patiently up at the board.
Men big and small began pilling on the ship all brandishing swords and pistols. One or two of the other ship restrained each crewmember of the Pearl. Kat was held by a big man with a bigger than usual arms. He held her head up. A member tried to put a hand on Jack's shoulder, but he just slapped it off and stood in wait for the other captain.
After waiting a couple of minutes another man began to walk across the boarding plank. He was an older man with graying hair underneath his huge, black captain's hat. His medium sized beard was also sprinkled with the gray and white received with age. His nearly black eyes could barely be seen from the shading of his hat. His dark clothes seemed even heavier looking than Jack's overcoat and probably made to hide his obvious weight problem.
The other captain stepped onto the deck and looked straight into Jack's eyes, "So Sparrow . . . I was wonderin' where ye went to," the captain smiled showing gruesome teeth.
"I don' see how tha's any of yer business Catterine," Jack snarled at the man standing over him by only a few inches.
"It's always me business when ye sail in me waters!" the other captain roared and stepped forward.
"Funny, I always though' these be free waters," Jack said looking over the water horizon.
"I'm warnin' ye, Jack," the pirate captain held a dagger like sword up to Jack's neck in one swift motion.
Kat made a gasp and tried to lean forward only succeeding in her captive's grip ripping off her bandana. The pirate holding her- plus a few more around her- gasped and watched her black hair fall a little past her shoulders. The two captains hadn't noticed as of yet and Kat wanted to keep it that way. Although the pirate that held her before had other plans. He grabbed her up from the ground and pushed her toward the two captains.
She passed by Anamaria who immediately coughed, "Nice going, luv."
"Cap'n!" the big pirate's voice boomed from his chest, "Look at wha' I 'ave discovered."
Captain Catterine turned his yes toward Kat and settled upon her hair. He smiled and quickly turned back to Jack, "So wha's this then?"
He pushed back Jack and grabbed Kat by the hair. Kat yelped and tried to get the pain off of her scalp. Jack touched his side for his sword, but stopped when Catterine put the dagger like sword up to her throat.
"Ye know who this be Sparrow?" the pirate smelled her hair, "Ye 'ave aboard yer ship the very expensive and may I say beautiful, young Ms. Katerina Benikins."
Kat closed her eyes once hearing her full name and then opened them slowly a few seconds later. She saw Jack's face and nodded, "It is true . . . I am Katerina Benikins."
"Ye 'ave a great reward fer ye," the captain said leaning next to her, "An' I set on claimin' it."
"My father would never set a reward for my safe return," Kat struggled with the captain's grasp, "He would rather see me dead!"
Captain Catterine laughed and looked at Jack, "Ye know Jack, I jus' though' o' somethin'."
"Wha' tha' be?" Jack asked watching Kat more closely than the other captain.
"I make a deal with ye," he took his grip away from her hair and grabbed her arms, "Ye give up Miss Benikins here an' I don' take any o' yer booty or kill or blow this ship out o' the water."
This time Jack did pull his sword out of his belt and began to step forward, "No deal Catterine. She stays on board."
Kat watched as some pirates began to walk up behind Jack, both with pistols and swords. She jumped out of Catterine's grasp and into Jack's path. She glared at the other captain and the other pirates.
"Stop," she said as calmly as she could, "Since this is about me and were I should be going, I would think that I should have some say in this."
"Kat-" Jack started to speak.
"I will go with Captain Catterine," Kat started, "but under some conditions," she said turning to Catterine.
"State 'em, Miss."
"If I am to go with you right now, aboard the Harbinger, then you and your crew must give your word that not a single or multiple cause of damage or injury shall come to the Black Pearl, her crew or her captain at any place time or under any circumstances. No matter what circumstances. Do we have an accord Captain Catterine?"
The other captain smiled and bowed, "Agreed."
"Kat, wha' are ye doin'?" Jack grabbed her arm, "Ye know wha' they'll do to ye?"
"I know what they will do to you and the crew and the Pearl if I do not go with them," Kat looked straight into his eyes, "I have to go now captain."
He made a sad face and with great difficulty nodded his head, "Take care of yerself."
"I have to now," Kat whispered, "You won't be there to help me or be there for me anymore."
"Miss Benikins!" Captain Catterine started to get impatient, "We are boarding!"
"Please captain, may I have at least a few moments?" Kat asked.
"Make 'em short."
"I guess this is good-by Captain Sparrow," she looked away from him, not daring to face him now. Not now.
Jack didn't say anything to her, but he stepped closer to her and took her in his arms. Her eyes opened with the shock of the hug. She looked up at Jack and already knew that tears were not far off. He couldn't bring himself to even give a reassuring, small smile when he looked at her. Instead, he took her face in his hands and gave her a passionate kiss. Kat touched both sides of his face bringing him closer and more into her lips.
The kiss ended too soon for both of them, but Jack was the first to speak, "I wanted ye to know wha' a true kiss felt like comin' from Jack Sparrow."
"I thought that that would be wasting it," she tried to stay smart.
"Never waste," he said back in such a velvet voice she couldn't help but fall into his eyes.
"As soon as I see you again, be prepared for me to prove that I can kiss just as well, or possibly even better," she smiled and then looked away again. She put some of her hair behind her ear and walked away from Jack and toward the Harbinger. Away from his warmth, his touch . . . away from him.
No longer could she hold back the tears she felt gathering in her eyes. She was leaving behind yet another family. More people that cared for her were being left behind only to wonder about her. Where she was, if she was ok, if she was even still alive. All they could do is stay aboard the Pearl and watch her leave into the horizon.
As the Harbinger began to sail away from the Pearl Kat sat right by the railing, looking upon the deck of the ship she loved. She found Mr., Gibbs by the helm, looking the other way, Mr. Cotton petting his parrot on its back, Anamaria surprisingly was looking quite confused on how to feel and Jack . . . Jack could not be found out on the deck. HE wasn't at the held, or barking orders . . . he wasn't seen anywhere. Kat searched the whole length of the ship with her eyes until she noticed the huge doors leading to the captain's cabin were open.
Kat squeezed her eyes tight letting the streams flow down her face. She was not going to heal from these wounds anytime soon. The separation by itself was a great wound that would be with her until the day that she would be reunited with the crew and captain. But she would have to dry her tears fast. Even if she needed to go with the Harbinger and its captain she would never need to show her tears or sadness. She was soon led down to the bottom hold of the ship with her head held high and her face free of tears.
A/N: Sorry for the short Chapter. I promise the next one will be up to par and will be filled with better detail. I hope this is to your liking and I'll try to update faster. I'm sorry this one took so long. I've been busy with my calculus and physics, so . . . yeah, I know that isn't an excuse… sorry. Until laters!