"Blind Eyes"
Disclaimer: I don't own "Pirates" or its characters. There are a few original characters in this story. I make no profit off of this story. Disney owns it, those lucky rich bums.
Thanks to all my reviewers. Some questions answered here for those who asked!
Chapter 2 - The Sister Ship
Revenge, they say, is a dangerous thing. It can consume the whole of one's life. Every thought of every day can be controlled by the desire for revenge. And, once revenge is accomplished, is one ever really satisfied? Ah, but satisfaction was not currently on the mind of Captain Volais. He only wanted the opportunity to commit his act of revenge. To hell with satisfaction! One could do without such niceties as happiness. These were the thoughts of Volais as he stalked up and down his cabin aboard the Golden Phoenix. Soon his men would return with Jack Sparrow. Soon he would have his revenge. He had his blade out of its scabbard and was swinging it recklessly in the air at an imaginary target (you can image who). A knock at his door gave him pause. He placed the blade back in its home on his left hip.
"Enter."
The door creaked open to reveal a rather nervous looking crew member. Volais knew this wasn't going to be good news.
"You let 'im get away, didn't you?"
The crew member shifted nervously at the door. "Well Captain Volais, sir, 'e turned out to be a bit harder ta catch than we thought."
Volais did not answer. He pulled his sword out and walked up to the crew man. He placed the blade under the man's chin and said, "Well you jus better go and git him."
The man gulped and opened his mouth to deliver one more piece of bad news. "Captain, sir, it wasn't my fault. It was the girl. She helped 'im. An we lost 'er too."
Volais' eyes narrowed into slits. She had betrayed him!
"Find um both."
"But sir!"
"FIND THEM NOW!!"
So, Jack Sparrow had gotten away. It wouldn't be for long. Soon he and that mendacious bitch would both be dead. Volais' haggard face meshed itself into a smile (or as close as it could come to one).
**
It is amazing how adapted the other four senses can become when one of the five is lost. With the loss of sight, for example, one discovered a new world of sounds and smells, almost unknown to a person of "normal" vision. There were levels of sound and levels of smell. When you are blind, apple pie smells different than it does if you can see. Not only can you smell the baked crust and the fresh apples, but you can smell beyond the pie, if you will follow for just a moment. If you imagine hard enough, you can smell the golden brown of the crust, or the sweet redness of the apples. You can smell the effort put into the baking of the pie. You can smell the apples on the tree of some orchard in the early fall basking in the rays of the sun. You could smell the soul of the thing.
Lily had made an art of the sense of smell. At the current moment, her other four senses were in overdrive as she observed her new surroundings in Jack Sparrow's cabin aboard the Black Pearl. Jack himself was not yet in the cabin. He had brought her aboard the ship and left her to sit on his bed. He had quickly disappeared in order to steer the ship out of the port of Tortuga. Lily knew this without having to ask. She just knew.
She was still shaking from the events of the previous hour. Had she really managed to escape from the crew of the Phoenix? She had betrayed Volais, that much she did know. She had good enough sense to be very afraid for herself. To distract herself, Lily ran her hands over the coverlet of the bed. It was coarse, but not altogether uncomfortable. It was something that she would expect to find as the cover on the bed of a pirate. It did not scream of luxury, nor did it indicate a life of great hardship. Lily imagined that it was the color of the Caribbean sand she remembered from her childhood.
The smell of the room was a combination of things. First and most predominant was the smell of the burning candle (or was it candles?) somewhere on the other side of the room. The second smell was more like a memory on the air of the room. It was rum, a smell that she recognized from living in the bar. The third smell was that of Jack Sparrow himself. It was a combination of sea air, man and a hint of some exotic spice? She wasn't sure exactly what it was that Jack Sparrow smelled of. Whatever it was, it was good. It was very good.
Lily was daydreaming about her noble savior when he walked into the room and closed the door. His boots tread softly against the floor boards. He stopped somewhere by the candle. Lily heard the clinking of glasses as Jack poured them both drinks of rum. The exotic Jack Sparrow smell had not followed him in the room; rather there was another smell that accompanied him. It was a metallic smell. A smell that usually made Lily's stomach churn.
"You are bleeding Mr. Sparrow." Jack looked over at Lily with surprise on his face. "Your friends took a little nick outta my shoulder. Nothing that a little rum won't cure. And the name is Jack."
He walked over to Lily and placed a cup in her hands. It was cool and ceramic: glazed but not with great care. There was a chip in the side as well. She smiled appreciatively and took a sip of the rum.
"So, you got a name?" Jack asked as he walked back to the table to refill his own cup.
"Yes, it's Lily. Lily Rose." He was staring at her, she could feel his eyes.
"Well Lily Rose, do you mind telling me how you knew?"
"I could smell the blood."
"Not that. How you knew who I was."
Lily didn't answer because she didn't know what to say or where to begin. She took a deep breath and said, "I see things."
"I thought you were blind."
"No, I mean that I can see the future. I have . visions." Lily then launched into her tale, trying to explain to Jack how the visions worked, how she met Volais, how she had been forced to work for him and how Volais had forced her to find Jack Sparrow. ".so when I found out that you would be at my mother's old bar, I knew it was my chance to escape."
Lily finished her story there, leaving Jack's head spinning from the information. Jack had been standing on the other side of the room during the telling of the tale, but he crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Lily.
"Some questions, if you will love. Where was your mother if that was her bar?"
"She is dead. I said it was her old bar, not hers now. She died shortly after I was taken. I saw it."
"I'm sorry." Jack paused, seemly struggling with the wording of his next question. "Uhh, why is it that you warned me when you could 'ave saved yourself?"
This was a question that Lily had been asking herself since she first crashed into Jack Sparrow only an hour ago. She felt her face redden.
"I don't really know why I did it. It just felt like the right thing to do. Now it's my turn to ask a question. Why does Volais want you?"
Jack laughed and took another drink of rum. "Well, that is a short story albeit not very interesting. You are currently aboard my ship the Black Pearl, one of the most feared pirate vessels in the world. What most people don't know is that the Pearl had a sister ship, the White Oyster. Your friend the utterly charming Volais was the captain of that ship. I may have had a hand in the commandeering of that ship and its treasures. The ship is currently in Tortuga. Well, the ship is in the harbor of Tortuga at the bottom of the water to be more accurate. Volais likes to hold his grudges."
Lily felt that there was probably more to the story than what Jack had told her. After all, Volais had a new ship now, one that was probably larger and more opulent than the Oyster. Yes, Jack had definitely lied to her on some of the details. The only problem was that her second sight was not divulging any details either. She would just have to rely on Jack's version for now.
"Yes, Volais likes to hold his grudges." Lily shuddered at the thought of what would happen to her if Volais ever caught up with her again. She would not make it out of that encounter alive, she was sure. She started shaking again and the events of the night had finally caught up to her. Lily started to cry silently. Jack took the cup of rum out of her hands and drew Lily into his arms.
"Hush now, love. Don't you worry about Volais. You'll be safe with me on the Black Pearl. I won't let anything happen to you, savvy?" Jack ran his hands in soothing circles on Lily's back until she stopped crying.
"All better now?" Jack asked as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from Lily's face. Lily nodded and sniffed.
"I . . ."
"What is it, love?"
"I was just wondering what you look like. That was all."
Jack took Lily's hands and placed them on his face. Her touch was tentative at first, as if she were afraid of what she might discover. She started at the top of Jack's face, where his bandana covered his hair. She worked her way over his forehead and eyes. His face was strong and sun tanned, of that she was sure. The skin felt as if it had been bronzed in the sun, but not leathered. His cheeks were sharp and defined, unlike any man she had ever touched. He had a moustache and a beard which outlined his jaw and chin. She felt a scar on the right side of his beard. She imagined that he had gotten it in some daring adventure. Her mind buzzed with the possibilities. Her fingers rested on his soft lips and lingered there for perhaps a second longer than they should have.
Jack noticed. Lily dropped her hands and scooted away from Jack. The silence was getting to be unbearable for both of them. Finally Jack stood up and said, "I think it's time for you to get some sleep. My bed may not be much, but I suspect that it's better than a cell in the brig."
"Thank you." Lily murmured as Jack walked toward the door.
"No problem, love."
***
In the next edition of our exciting adventure: Lily has a frightening vision! Plus: is Volais hot on the trail of the Pearl? This and much more when our story continues. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own "Pirates" or its characters. There are a few original characters in this story. I make no profit off of this story. Disney owns it, those lucky rich bums.
Thanks to all my reviewers. Some questions answered here for those who asked!
Chapter 2 - The Sister Ship
Revenge, they say, is a dangerous thing. It can consume the whole of one's life. Every thought of every day can be controlled by the desire for revenge. And, once revenge is accomplished, is one ever really satisfied? Ah, but satisfaction was not currently on the mind of Captain Volais. He only wanted the opportunity to commit his act of revenge. To hell with satisfaction! One could do without such niceties as happiness. These were the thoughts of Volais as he stalked up and down his cabin aboard the Golden Phoenix. Soon his men would return with Jack Sparrow. Soon he would have his revenge. He had his blade out of its scabbard and was swinging it recklessly in the air at an imaginary target (you can image who). A knock at his door gave him pause. He placed the blade back in its home on his left hip.
"Enter."
The door creaked open to reveal a rather nervous looking crew member. Volais knew this wasn't going to be good news.
"You let 'im get away, didn't you?"
The crew member shifted nervously at the door. "Well Captain Volais, sir, 'e turned out to be a bit harder ta catch than we thought."
Volais did not answer. He pulled his sword out and walked up to the crew man. He placed the blade under the man's chin and said, "Well you jus better go and git him."
The man gulped and opened his mouth to deliver one more piece of bad news. "Captain, sir, it wasn't my fault. It was the girl. She helped 'im. An we lost 'er too."
Volais' eyes narrowed into slits. She had betrayed him!
"Find um both."
"But sir!"
"FIND THEM NOW!!"
So, Jack Sparrow had gotten away. It wouldn't be for long. Soon he and that mendacious bitch would both be dead. Volais' haggard face meshed itself into a smile (or as close as it could come to one).
**
It is amazing how adapted the other four senses can become when one of the five is lost. With the loss of sight, for example, one discovered a new world of sounds and smells, almost unknown to a person of "normal" vision. There were levels of sound and levels of smell. When you are blind, apple pie smells different than it does if you can see. Not only can you smell the baked crust and the fresh apples, but you can smell beyond the pie, if you will follow for just a moment. If you imagine hard enough, you can smell the golden brown of the crust, or the sweet redness of the apples. You can smell the effort put into the baking of the pie. You can smell the apples on the tree of some orchard in the early fall basking in the rays of the sun. You could smell the soul of the thing.
Lily had made an art of the sense of smell. At the current moment, her other four senses were in overdrive as she observed her new surroundings in Jack Sparrow's cabin aboard the Black Pearl. Jack himself was not yet in the cabin. He had brought her aboard the ship and left her to sit on his bed. He had quickly disappeared in order to steer the ship out of the port of Tortuga. Lily knew this without having to ask. She just knew.
She was still shaking from the events of the previous hour. Had she really managed to escape from the crew of the Phoenix? She had betrayed Volais, that much she did know. She had good enough sense to be very afraid for herself. To distract herself, Lily ran her hands over the coverlet of the bed. It was coarse, but not altogether uncomfortable. It was something that she would expect to find as the cover on the bed of a pirate. It did not scream of luxury, nor did it indicate a life of great hardship. Lily imagined that it was the color of the Caribbean sand she remembered from her childhood.
The smell of the room was a combination of things. First and most predominant was the smell of the burning candle (or was it candles?) somewhere on the other side of the room. The second smell was more like a memory on the air of the room. It was rum, a smell that she recognized from living in the bar. The third smell was that of Jack Sparrow himself. It was a combination of sea air, man and a hint of some exotic spice? She wasn't sure exactly what it was that Jack Sparrow smelled of. Whatever it was, it was good. It was very good.
Lily was daydreaming about her noble savior when he walked into the room and closed the door. His boots tread softly against the floor boards. He stopped somewhere by the candle. Lily heard the clinking of glasses as Jack poured them both drinks of rum. The exotic Jack Sparrow smell had not followed him in the room; rather there was another smell that accompanied him. It was a metallic smell. A smell that usually made Lily's stomach churn.
"You are bleeding Mr. Sparrow." Jack looked over at Lily with surprise on his face. "Your friends took a little nick outta my shoulder. Nothing that a little rum won't cure. And the name is Jack."
He walked over to Lily and placed a cup in her hands. It was cool and ceramic: glazed but not with great care. There was a chip in the side as well. She smiled appreciatively and took a sip of the rum.
"So, you got a name?" Jack asked as he walked back to the table to refill his own cup.
"Yes, it's Lily. Lily Rose." He was staring at her, she could feel his eyes.
"Well Lily Rose, do you mind telling me how you knew?"
"I could smell the blood."
"Not that. How you knew who I was."
Lily didn't answer because she didn't know what to say or where to begin. She took a deep breath and said, "I see things."
"I thought you were blind."
"No, I mean that I can see the future. I have . visions." Lily then launched into her tale, trying to explain to Jack how the visions worked, how she met Volais, how she had been forced to work for him and how Volais had forced her to find Jack Sparrow. ".so when I found out that you would be at my mother's old bar, I knew it was my chance to escape."
Lily finished her story there, leaving Jack's head spinning from the information. Jack had been standing on the other side of the room during the telling of the tale, but he crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Lily.
"Some questions, if you will love. Where was your mother if that was her bar?"
"She is dead. I said it was her old bar, not hers now. She died shortly after I was taken. I saw it."
"I'm sorry." Jack paused, seemly struggling with the wording of his next question. "Uhh, why is it that you warned me when you could 'ave saved yourself?"
This was a question that Lily had been asking herself since she first crashed into Jack Sparrow only an hour ago. She felt her face redden.
"I don't really know why I did it. It just felt like the right thing to do. Now it's my turn to ask a question. Why does Volais want you?"
Jack laughed and took another drink of rum. "Well, that is a short story albeit not very interesting. You are currently aboard my ship the Black Pearl, one of the most feared pirate vessels in the world. What most people don't know is that the Pearl had a sister ship, the White Oyster. Your friend the utterly charming Volais was the captain of that ship. I may have had a hand in the commandeering of that ship and its treasures. The ship is currently in Tortuga. Well, the ship is in the harbor of Tortuga at the bottom of the water to be more accurate. Volais likes to hold his grudges."
Lily felt that there was probably more to the story than what Jack had told her. After all, Volais had a new ship now, one that was probably larger and more opulent than the Oyster. Yes, Jack had definitely lied to her on some of the details. The only problem was that her second sight was not divulging any details either. She would just have to rely on Jack's version for now.
"Yes, Volais likes to hold his grudges." Lily shuddered at the thought of what would happen to her if Volais ever caught up with her again. She would not make it out of that encounter alive, she was sure. She started shaking again and the events of the night had finally caught up to her. Lily started to cry silently. Jack took the cup of rum out of her hands and drew Lily into his arms.
"Hush now, love. Don't you worry about Volais. You'll be safe with me on the Black Pearl. I won't let anything happen to you, savvy?" Jack ran his hands in soothing circles on Lily's back until she stopped crying.
"All better now?" Jack asked as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from Lily's face. Lily nodded and sniffed.
"I . . ."
"What is it, love?"
"I was just wondering what you look like. That was all."
Jack took Lily's hands and placed them on his face. Her touch was tentative at first, as if she were afraid of what she might discover. She started at the top of Jack's face, where his bandana covered his hair. She worked her way over his forehead and eyes. His face was strong and sun tanned, of that she was sure. The skin felt as if it had been bronzed in the sun, but not leathered. His cheeks were sharp and defined, unlike any man she had ever touched. He had a moustache and a beard which outlined his jaw and chin. She felt a scar on the right side of his beard. She imagined that he had gotten it in some daring adventure. Her mind buzzed with the possibilities. Her fingers rested on his soft lips and lingered there for perhaps a second longer than they should have.
Jack noticed. Lily dropped her hands and scooted away from Jack. The silence was getting to be unbearable for both of them. Finally Jack stood up and said, "I think it's time for you to get some sleep. My bed may not be much, but I suspect that it's better than a cell in the brig."
"Thank you." Lily murmured as Jack walked toward the door.
"No problem, love."
***
In the next edition of our exciting adventure: Lily has a frightening vision! Plus: is Volais hot on the trail of the Pearl? This and much more when our story continues. Please R&R!