~ Chapter Two ~
I looked around. Then I spotted her. Melissa Weston. Little sprat for the most part, but she was a good woman. I had her working with Anamarie. Women work good together, don't they?
We had just arrived at Tortuga, and I just met up with someone, some old friend, can't even remember their name, dammit. But what was important was that I had received a very special item from this person. A map. A map leading to the largest ruby in the world. The Ruby Ortaga. I had to get me hands on that ruby. I also remember them saying something about dangerous waters, but I had been too absorbed at looking at the map. In fact, I was now taking it so Melissa and Anamarie could have a look.
"Loves, loves, come look what I've found now," I said, walking toward them with my usual swagger. I don't remember how I got it, but it comes in handy when you want people to think you're drunk or crazy. Wait, I am crazy..
But back to the story. Melissa and Anamarie took the paper from my hands and looked it over.
"What's the matter, love?" I asked Melissa, when a look of horror glued itself to her face.
"You can't go there!"
"And why the bloody 'ell not?" I asked.
"Because," she said, tears starting to come to her eyes, "the last I heard, that's where me parents died. Lookin' for that there ruby ye be wantin'."
Melissa stormed off, and Anamarie gave me a disapproving look.
"What?! How was I 'sposed to know that?" I said reproachfully.
Anamarie just shook her head, handed me back the paper, and told me I should go talk to Melissa.
"But I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" I said, prideful, "I don't go help women with their emotions, they're too complicated."
"Just do it!"
"Okay, okay," I said, putting my hands up, "Don't rip me head off!"
I found Melissa down the street, sitting on a porch of an abandoned building. When she saw me walking toward her, she looked away. I sat down next to her.
"What's the matter, love?" I asked again.
All of a sudden she grabbed me in a death grip of a hug, and started sobbing on my chest. I didn't know what to make of it, so I tried to pull her off, but like I said, she had me in a death grip.
"Ye can't go there, Jack, we can't go there, you'll kill us all!"
My jacket muffled her voice. And since I couldn't get her off, I gave a sigh, and hesitantly put my arms around her. I was getting mighty uncomfortable.
Finally, she stopped crying, and pulled away from me. Suddenly I felt cold without her. I put my hand on her back.
"Listen, Melissa," I said, "No worries. We'll go get that ruby, no harm no foul. Savvy?'
Suddenly, she stood up. She looked at me with daggers in her eyes. She pulled up her shirt, but not enough to show me something inappropriate. What I saw took my breath away. There was a scar, very big, about the length between the upper part of her torso, and it continued down her side, hiding the rest of it beneath her pants.
"What in 'eaven and hell did that to you?"
"There be monsters there, Jack. Here's your proof."
I looked at the scar closer. It appeared to be teeth marks of some animal. A very big animal.
"So, you were there, at the Ortaga?"
"Before me parents decided they didn't want a child anymore," she said, finally letting her shirt fall, and sitting back down by Jack, "They took me there, trying to search for the Ruby the first time. I remember it clear as day.."
~Flashback~
Melissa was leaning over the rail, looking at the ice in the water. They had gone far north, because that's where the map said Rupert Ortaga, the original finder of the jewel, had placed it. Far north, in an ice cave.
Well, that's where they were now, about to enter an ice cave. Perhaps the very one that Ortaga had placed his beloved jewel. Her father was ordering his men around, and mother was down below, probably helping with dinner. Melissa was enjoying her twenty-minute break from helping around the boat. She was eight. Her mousy brown hair, and hazel eyes were one of the reasons her parents used to be so protective of her. She might catch the eye of some sort of sicko. But after today, she didn't need to worry about that.
Little Melissa was still looking over the starboard side of the boat, when there was a splash and a roar from the port side. She whirled around and screamed. There was a large reptilian creature, leaning its scaly head over the rail, looking for a victim. One of the crew, an older man in his forties, tried to run past it to the lower decks. It snatched him up in its jaws and ripped him to shreds. Melissa screamed again. This time it turned it's attention on to her. It snapped its head forward, and grabbed her by her side, lifting her up into the air. All she remembered after that was pain, extremely agonizing pain. The pain was so unbearable, it knocked her out. But even in her unconsciousness, she could hear the thing roaring, and her parents screaming her name. Later on she awoke in her cabin, still in pain, so much pain.
~ End Flashback ~
"My parents told me that it had spit me back out into the water after it had tasted of my blood. I still have no idea why it did. When I healed, they left me at Port Royal, saying no one would harm a child with a limp."
"But you don't have a limp."
"I did back then, but I've walked out of it."
I just sat there, stunned. I had never heard of such a beast. I listened and made a mental picture in my head of the creature as Melissa continued to describe it to me. It was huge. It had no arms or legs, but fins. It was a strange color, she remarked, it was tipping between blood red, and scarlet pink. It had four eyes, and that was what was strange about it. Its eyes were nothing but black. No iris, no pupil, just black, with a deep hatred in them. I shuddered at the thought of such a creature.
"Don't worry, love, I wouldn't let nothing happen to you or to anyone on board," I said, putting my arm around her shoulder, "but we need that ruby."
"But why?"
"Have you seen the condition the Pearl's in?" I said, shaking my head like it was obvious, "We need the ruby, or else we'll be pirates without a boat."
Melissa laughed at that, and I smiled too. So with some more persuasion, she finally said she would come with us, but that if that thing comes for us, to kill it on first sight. I agreed, and we headed back to the ship.
I looked around. Then I spotted her. Melissa Weston. Little sprat for the most part, but she was a good woman. I had her working with Anamarie. Women work good together, don't they?
We had just arrived at Tortuga, and I just met up with someone, some old friend, can't even remember their name, dammit. But what was important was that I had received a very special item from this person. A map. A map leading to the largest ruby in the world. The Ruby Ortaga. I had to get me hands on that ruby. I also remember them saying something about dangerous waters, but I had been too absorbed at looking at the map. In fact, I was now taking it so Melissa and Anamarie could have a look.
"Loves, loves, come look what I've found now," I said, walking toward them with my usual swagger. I don't remember how I got it, but it comes in handy when you want people to think you're drunk or crazy. Wait, I am crazy..
But back to the story. Melissa and Anamarie took the paper from my hands and looked it over.
"What's the matter, love?" I asked Melissa, when a look of horror glued itself to her face.
"You can't go there!"
"And why the bloody 'ell not?" I asked.
"Because," she said, tears starting to come to her eyes, "the last I heard, that's where me parents died. Lookin' for that there ruby ye be wantin'."
Melissa stormed off, and Anamarie gave me a disapproving look.
"What?! How was I 'sposed to know that?" I said reproachfully.
Anamarie just shook her head, handed me back the paper, and told me I should go talk to Melissa.
"But I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" I said, prideful, "I don't go help women with their emotions, they're too complicated."
"Just do it!"
"Okay, okay," I said, putting my hands up, "Don't rip me head off!"
I found Melissa down the street, sitting on a porch of an abandoned building. When she saw me walking toward her, she looked away. I sat down next to her.
"What's the matter, love?" I asked again.
All of a sudden she grabbed me in a death grip of a hug, and started sobbing on my chest. I didn't know what to make of it, so I tried to pull her off, but like I said, she had me in a death grip.
"Ye can't go there, Jack, we can't go there, you'll kill us all!"
My jacket muffled her voice. And since I couldn't get her off, I gave a sigh, and hesitantly put my arms around her. I was getting mighty uncomfortable.
Finally, she stopped crying, and pulled away from me. Suddenly I felt cold without her. I put my hand on her back.
"Listen, Melissa," I said, "No worries. We'll go get that ruby, no harm no foul. Savvy?'
Suddenly, she stood up. She looked at me with daggers in her eyes. She pulled up her shirt, but not enough to show me something inappropriate. What I saw took my breath away. There was a scar, very big, about the length between the upper part of her torso, and it continued down her side, hiding the rest of it beneath her pants.
"What in 'eaven and hell did that to you?"
"There be monsters there, Jack. Here's your proof."
I looked at the scar closer. It appeared to be teeth marks of some animal. A very big animal.
"So, you were there, at the Ortaga?"
"Before me parents decided they didn't want a child anymore," she said, finally letting her shirt fall, and sitting back down by Jack, "They took me there, trying to search for the Ruby the first time. I remember it clear as day.."
~Flashback~
Melissa was leaning over the rail, looking at the ice in the water. They had gone far north, because that's where the map said Rupert Ortaga, the original finder of the jewel, had placed it. Far north, in an ice cave.
Well, that's where they were now, about to enter an ice cave. Perhaps the very one that Ortaga had placed his beloved jewel. Her father was ordering his men around, and mother was down below, probably helping with dinner. Melissa was enjoying her twenty-minute break from helping around the boat. She was eight. Her mousy brown hair, and hazel eyes were one of the reasons her parents used to be so protective of her. She might catch the eye of some sort of sicko. But after today, she didn't need to worry about that.
Little Melissa was still looking over the starboard side of the boat, when there was a splash and a roar from the port side. She whirled around and screamed. There was a large reptilian creature, leaning its scaly head over the rail, looking for a victim. One of the crew, an older man in his forties, tried to run past it to the lower decks. It snatched him up in its jaws and ripped him to shreds. Melissa screamed again. This time it turned it's attention on to her. It snapped its head forward, and grabbed her by her side, lifting her up into the air. All she remembered after that was pain, extremely agonizing pain. The pain was so unbearable, it knocked her out. But even in her unconsciousness, she could hear the thing roaring, and her parents screaming her name. Later on she awoke in her cabin, still in pain, so much pain.
~ End Flashback ~
"My parents told me that it had spit me back out into the water after it had tasted of my blood. I still have no idea why it did. When I healed, they left me at Port Royal, saying no one would harm a child with a limp."
"But you don't have a limp."
"I did back then, but I've walked out of it."
I just sat there, stunned. I had never heard of such a beast. I listened and made a mental picture in my head of the creature as Melissa continued to describe it to me. It was huge. It had no arms or legs, but fins. It was a strange color, she remarked, it was tipping between blood red, and scarlet pink. It had four eyes, and that was what was strange about it. Its eyes were nothing but black. No iris, no pupil, just black, with a deep hatred in them. I shuddered at the thought of such a creature.
"Don't worry, love, I wouldn't let nothing happen to you or to anyone on board," I said, putting my arm around her shoulder, "but we need that ruby."
"But why?"
"Have you seen the condition the Pearl's in?" I said, shaking my head like it was obvious, "We need the ruby, or else we'll be pirates without a boat."
Melissa laughed at that, and I smiled too. So with some more persuasion, she finally said she would come with us, but that if that thing comes for us, to kill it on first sight. I agreed, and we headed back to the ship.
