A Twist of the Curse
By Gwaina Baggins
O_O........you guys spoiled me rotten last chapter! I went to go see how many reviews I had and I had about five (more than I expected) and then the number just kept climbing. Thank you so much, *sniffles* I feel really loved. Here's the next chapter, as promised! : )
I apologize for making Will seem a bit weak last chapter, and not really showing his true devotion and love for Elizabeth. I'm not much of romantic which unfortunately makes me a terrible romance writer. However, I tried a bit harder this chapter : )
Um, yes, I understand *scratches head rather sheepishly* that logically Bill probably would not have sat under water for all that time. After all, he isn't stupid and yes, his shoes probably would have rotted off and the chains probably would have broken long before now. But *pitiful eyes* if I do it that way, where am I story wise? I'd just like to think of it as, the steel was exceptionally strong and well made, and that Captain Barbosa tied the chain around his ankles as well, so when his shoes rotted off, he'd still be stuck down there.
Well, read on : ) and enjoy!
Will groaned, another coughing spasm wracking him painfully. His entire body ached terribly though the pain was worst in his head. It felt as though someone was pressing a heated sword into his head, and skewering his brain with it. Silently, he wished that he had simply stayed unconscious for it was more bearable than lying here in such awful pain. In a halfhearted way, he tried to remember what had happened to him.
Memories trickled through the agony in his head, and events slowly replayed themselves on his closed eyelids. He had left Jack back in the cave, and they had set sail; being attacked; trying to fight but not being strong enough; getting trapped below deck with more and more water flowing in by the second; nearly drowning and then a terrible pain. The pounding in his head grew and doubled over, leaving him feeling drained and sick.
Then it struck him. Elizabeth! She had been taken by the pirates! Even as sick as he was, he could not leave her there to suffer at their merciless hands! With the little bit of strength that still dwelled in his body, he pushed his eyelids open and bit his lip as the sun's light made his headache worse. He had to get to Elizabeth, he simply had to. Struggling, he tried to move his arms and prop himself up but they refused to respond.
"Easy, lad, don't try to move, you've taken a pretty bad blow to the head, and you nearly drowned," someone said from next to him. A person leaned over him, blocking the sun a bit and allowing Will's eyes to focus more easily.
A man was hovering over him, long, dark hair hanging around his face. He had a bearded face, and dark friendly eyes. At the moment, he seemed quite worried and he lightly touched Will's forehead.
"And," he said, a frown marring his features. "You got the startings of a fever. Whoa there, don't try to sit up too fast." The man gently put a hand on Will's back, helping the young man into an upright position.
"Elizabeth," Will murmured, looking around for the Black Pearl.
The ship wasn't in sight however, and all around him there was only water and lingering debris. A few birds flew by, squawking loudly, obviously heading towards land. Will frowned, watching them fly by, wondering if he was seeing things. Birds were never this far out at sea, and from what he could remember, there wasn't any land close by.
"Who lad?" the man asked, slowly lowering Will back.
"Elizabeth," Will repeated, too exhausted to explain anything or protest as he lay back down. His eyes were starting to drift close again on their own accord, only his determination keeping them open now.
The man shook his head, clearly not understanding what Will was talking about. He obviously wasn't a part of the crew from the Pearl or he would know who Elizabeth was. Letting out a sigh of pain and anger, Will let his eyes drift shut again.
"I must find her," he whispered as darkness started to pull at his mind again.
There was no answer from the man for a moment. "Once you have the strength, lad, for now you need to relax and rest."
Will didn't answer, not wanting to agree with the man and yet, not wanting to disagree. In truth, he did not have the strength to do either of them. He barely had the energy to stay conscious now, though he wished he could. Elizabeth needed him. He could not rest when she was in danger. His tired and injured body had other ideas however, and before he could protest, his mind drifted into oblivion once more.
Bootstrap Bill Turner sighed sadly and continued to use one of the pieces of wood to move the drifting chunk of ship through the water. It saddened him to see his boy so weak. Now, he was positive that this young man he had dragged from the depths of the ocean was his son, and no one would ever convince him otherwise. He wished that the boy had been a bit more coherent when he had awakened; he wanted to speak with him so badly.
There wasn't much he could do though. Will was injured and becoming ill by the looks of it, so he would simply have to let the boy rest. The last thing he needed was for his son to die out in the middle of the ocean because he wasn't allowed a proper amount of time to recover. Bootstrap could ask questions later when Will was both mentally and physically prepared to answer them.
He frowned as he saw the boy shiver a bit. A bit of guilt bit into him, and he scratched the back of his neck in an uneasy manner. The boy was missing his shirt at the moment do to the fact that his father was in need of it. Well, a pair of pants, a shirt, some boots and a load of other things would have been better, but the shirt will have to do, Bill thought as he continued to move the boat. After ten years underwater, the pirate's clothes had rotted right off his body, leaving him feeling, well, exposed. Yanking the shirt down again, he prayed that no one would be on the island when they arrived.
The island itself was well known to Bootstrap. It had been the island that he and the rest of the crew had left Jack on all those years ago. Now, how he wished he had protested against Jack's being left behind. Then, he probably would have been tossed overboard with Sparrow and been stuck on an island with him but hell, it would have been better than getting cursed.
"Elizabeth," Will whispered again, his head turning slightly. "M-must......s-save....." His faint voice trailed off, leaving the air silent once more.
Elizabeth. This girl intrigued Bill as well as his son's eagerness to save her. What on earth had happened to her? Then again, what had happened to the ship? Had he missed her somewhere in the debris? He shuddered at the thought. Will seemed completely devoted to her and it would probably break the young man's heart if the girl was dead. Ah, love is so strange, Bill thought, remembering how he had loved Will's mother. It was hard to believe that his son was already old enough to love someone.
The island had been a speck on the horizon at first but now it had grown in size and was clearly very close. Bootstrap started paddling harder, hoping to get to the island soon so he could get Will out of the sun and so he could find something to cover the boy in. Hang on a bit longer, my boy, we'll be on shore soon.......
Elizabeth stood proudly on the gangplank, refusing to walk it. Behind her, the crew jeered and hissed, calling her all sorts of names and being as disrespectful as possible, but she didn't care. She was going to be irritating until the bitter end when one of them came out, and shoved her off. It was the least she could do to them after what they had done to Will. Behind her, Captain Barbosa waited, amused by her simple act of defiance.
Stepping back from the railing, he walked jauntily over to Jack, who was standing on deck, bound and guarded. Stepping in front of Sparrows, he smiled in a teasing sort of way at the man. Jack smiled back mockingly and rolled his eyes, finding the situation more depressing by the minute.
"Recognize that island?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "I do believe that was the island we made you governor of on our last voyage."
"Heh," Jack laughed shortly. "I was really hoping we had put aside these differences. You know, I was thinking after I told you about Bootstrap's son we'd be over this little disagreement."
Barbosa tipped his head to one side, his eyes flashing. "That's the trouble, Jack," he said, draping an arm around the man's shoulders. "He's dead which means I'm at some odd little problem. Bootstrap is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, and his only living child has gone down to join him. Do you see what I'm aiming at?"
"Well," Jack began. "No, no, I don't." He smiled innocently. "I don't see what that has to do with me being stuck on that island again."
Barbosa took his arm from around Sparrow's shoulders and grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Well," he growled. "From the way I see it, I'll be stuck this way forever. For some, odd, awkward reason, that makes me a little angry. And since I need most of my crew, and I have other plans for yours, I thought I ought to, vent my anger."
"Oh....I see," Jack said, staring out at Elizabeth who was still standing and refusing to jump. "So you want to toss me and Elizabeth over because you have issues. I understand now. But really, I think it would be such a terrible thing to destroy something so lovely."
Barbosa's face twitched and for a moment, Jack thought that the captain would simply ram his sword through his throat and be done with it. But instead, Barbosa smirked, and turned towards the crew and Elizabeth, slowly releasing his grip on Jack's shirt. "You know what," he shouted loudly, over the noise the rest of the men were making. They quieted immediately. "I think Jack is right. It would be a shame to ruin something so lovely."
Jack rolled his eyes again and muttered, "I was talking about myself, you idiot."
Whether Barbosa heard him or not was uncertain but he gave no show of it affecting him if he did. He walked towards the gangplank, and the crew parted, letting him meet eyes with Elizabeth.
"I'd like my dress back girl," he said, holding out his hand.
For a moment it almost looked like Elizabeth would agree to the request, but instead, she stuck her tongue out at the man and jumped. The captain let out a yell of rage, and rushed to the side just to see the girl swimming towards the island.
The crew members who were watching over Jack dragged him over towards the plank and shoved him onto it. Barbosa glared at the man, warning him with his eyes that he would not give as much leniency to the pirate as he had to the girl. Jack looked down at the water and pursed his lips in displeasure. How many times could he be stuck on the same little island in one life time? He winced as one of the crew stuck a sword into his back, prodding him out.
It was then that he remembered he was lacking his gun and he turned, batting away the offending sword. "Last time you deserted me on that sandbar, you gave me a gun, remember?" He was hoping that Elizabeth hadn't made Barbosa so mad that the captain wouldn't give him a gun.
"Oh yes," Barbosa said darkly. "Someone go get Jack his gun!" His command was swiftly fulfilled and one of the crew members handed Barbosa Jack's sword and his gun. "Oh, and Jack?"
"Yes?" Jack asked with fake sweetness.
"Be a gentleman, and shoot the girl," Barbosa said. "And then starve to death yourself." With those last words, he tossed the gun and sword overboard. Jack watched this with horror, and throwing one last glare at Barbosa, he jumped off the plank after his gun.
Barbosa rolled his eyes and walked away from the railing, heading towards the boat wheel. One of his crew members followed after him, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
"What are we going to do now?" he asked the captain, as the other crew members prepared the ship to sail.
"We're sailing to the cave to return the medallion," the captain replied testily.
The crew member looked startled. "But sir, we don't have Bootstrap's son! What are we going to do?"
Barbosa fixed the crew member with a glare that would have melted a hole in a gold bar. "Who told us that he wasn't among the crew?"
"Um, Jack?"
"Yes, Jack, and since when do we trust Jack?"
"Um, we don't trust Jack."
"My point exactly."
And Barbosa stood there with a stoic face, but inside he was hoping desperately that he was right. The crew wouldn't take too many more failures.
Elizabeth struggled to shore, the dress weighting her down heavily. She smirked wickedly as she looked at the wet and torn dress. While she had been swimming, she had gotten it caught on a coral reef and had purposely ripped it to get it free. Though the dress was lovely and some part in her lamented seeing it ruined, the more dominant part felt happy that she had been able to defy the captain one last time.
Just a few steps behind her, Jack was walking, sawing away at the ropes with his sword. The ropes snapped easily and he quickly unwound and discarded them. He was terribly irritated and upset, considering how wet his gun had gotten. He wasn't sure if it would work, but then again, he didn't have enough shots to really figure that out, now did he? Grumbling about water in his ears, he walked down shore and did his best to ignore the girl as she tried to grab his attention.
"So, what are we going to do?" she asked, as he looked at the different trees, trying to find the right one. It was right around here somewhere.....
"About what?" he asked, knocking on a nearby tree and frowning.
"About the Pearl; about your crew; about getting off the island?" she said, listing off the first few that came into her head.
"From what I can see, missy," Jack said, knocking on the next tree and finding it unsatisfactory again. "The Pearl is gone, my crew is trapped, and unless you have some sails and a rudder down that bodice of yours." He wrinkled his nose. "Which I doubt you do, I think we are rather stuck here."
"But you are Captain Jack Sparrow! You escaped from under the noses of the entire English military! You sunk a ship without firing a shot! You escaped this island last time! Am I talking to the same man?!" Elizabeth shouted, her eyes filled with question, upset and furry.
Jack took a minute to think out his answer and slowly jumped up and down about seven paces away from the tree. A hollow sound met his ears and he smiled.
"Well?!" Elizabeth demanded.
Jack sighed and began feeling the ground. "Listen, last time," how on earth was he going to put this? "I was on this island for a grand total of three days."
"Three days?" Elizabeth said incredulously.
"Yes, three days," Jack replied, his fingers finding the edge of the trap door. Yanking hard, he managed to pull it up. "Some local rum traders used this as cache and when they came to restock I managed to barter my way onboard. By the looks of it though, they've been out of business for quite some time. You can probably thank your friend the Commodore for that." He walked down the ladder and grabbed two bottles of rum, offering one to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was in shock. "So that's it is it?" she snapped. "That's the adventure of the famous Captain Jack Sparrow. He spent three days on the beach drinking rum?!"
Jack shrugged. "That about sums it up."
Elizabeth was prepared to take one of the bottles in his hand and smash it over his head. How could this infamous pirate turn out to be such a- a fraud? She fumed as she watched him uncork one of the bottles and take a swig of it. Glowering she turned away, and stared out into the ocean. However, it was not an ocean view she saw but something completely different.
"Who is that?" she whispered, watching as a raft with two people on it came closer and closer.
Jack heard her question and turned to look at what she was seeing. With a great deal of grace, he choked on his rum and dropped the bottle. After spending several seconds wheezing and coughing, he looked up again, to see if his eyes were deceiving him.
"Oh my God," he said in amazement. "It's Bootstrap Bill."
TBC.....
To my lovely reviewers:
Guardian: It's updated my friend : ) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^ Thank you for the review.
TC: Mellon nin! *laughs* I'm glad you liked it. I'm gonna get it all up as fast as I can so I can finish writing my other things. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Cheers!
Melanie: Yup, so many questions without answers : ) *grins* And we'll just have to wait to figure them out, eh? *blushes* I'm glad you like my writing style, and I do apologize if there are any errors. I'm trying to get this up as quickly as possible so I haven't sent it through my beta. Just read through it quickly to make sure there was nothing obnoxious. Thanks for the review : ) Hope you liked the chapter!
Nikki: *looks at pleadingly* Did I do better this time? I tried to make the fact that Will loves Elizabeth dearly and that he will not give up easily. I'm trying to get as many chapters up as fast as possible. ^^ I'm really glad you liked everything and I hope I improved the romance part a bit. *scratches head sheepishly* As I said, not much of a romantic. Thank you very much for the review : ) Ta til the next chapter!
ElvenRanger13: Glad you liked it. : ) I've updated about as fast as I can and I'll keep updating as soon as I have the chapters written! Thanks for the review.
Lirenel: Isn't it amazing how many stories are here? I was pretty surprised when I saw it myself. There are some groups that take AGES to actually get somewhere, and this one takes a month! : ) Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you liked the chapter!
esteledhel: Thanks! : ) I tried to make it good! : ) The plot bunny bit me when I was in the theatres seeing it for the second time. 'Whatever happened to Bootstrap Bill?' Of course, the person I saw it with still insists that he died but : ) we all know the truth, now don't we? Thanks for the review!
Roseblade22: Well, if it's with pirates on top I guess I just have to update, now don't I *winks and laughs*. Now you kind of know what happened to Will and his Daddy and Jack and Elizabeth but there still so much that has to happen and Jack's poor crew......Thanks for the review : )
Emma: Of course Will/Elizabeth romance. : ) I'm staying cannon 'cept I'm throwing good old Bootstrap in for some fun. I'm not saying it will be a very GOOD romance story but hey, I'll try! : ) Thanks so much for the review!
shazzablue: It is rather odd that Will simply popped up just fine. After all, he was right next to all that gun powder or what ever it was. : ) Kinda illogical that he didn't get his head blown off. I'm glad you like the story so far, and I hope you continue to like it. Many thanks for the review, mate!
Arwen007: *laughs* Here's your update and I hope it's great! Yes, I have written other things, though nothing on this name. I write under the name tHe InSaNe OnE but most of it is simply Lord of the Rings fiction. If you like that sort of thing, : ) then by all means, go read it. Thanks for the review, my friend!
Krissa: :) You seemed to really enjoy the story! I'm so happy! Well, of course we all immediately loved Will! That's because we all love Orlando Bloom, right? *laughs* Personally, I think he's becoming a better actor all the time and this is his best role yet! : ) The ending of the last chapter was sweet and I'm hoping to develop some sort of relationship between Will and his dad. Well, or I might just kill Will off from lung sickness and call it a day. ^_~ But you never know! Thanks for the review!
nonniemous: LoL. Well, when I first thought up this story, it actually started with a thought of him sitting there underwater. Made me laugh. Nope, no mary sues this time. I must admit I have written mary sues and sadly enough, enjoyed it. : ) After all, it's so much fun to be flamed for it. ^^ But, I think I've hopped off that boat! : ) Thanks for the review! Love reviews......
Carol Stevenson: Ehehe, exciting? *feels loved* Thank you! Compliments! I like compliments! lol! : ) Thank you very much for the review! Hope you liked the chapter!
feckless: Have updated. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review. Hope you liked this chapter too. ^_~ : )
ChelseaBloom: It has been continued and I hope you liked the continuation just as much! Thank you very much for the review!
Lady-Willowish: : ) Hope you liked the chapter! I'll try to update as much as possible and as fast as possible! Thanks for the review!
anonymous: To my lovely flamer..... *laughs* Just kidding. Actually, I'm really glad you reviewed and said those things cause it got me thinking! :) So, lets set forth to answering your questions and replying to your comments. And before hand, I must thank you for saying that this fic looks like it has potential. I try. : )
1) When I was sitting in the theatre with my friend, we were having a slight argument whether Bill was still alive. After I managed to convince him that Bill was cursed and therefore would not drown, he said that Bill would still be dead because he drowned when the curse was lifted. It was then I made the same point you did. Why on earth would he stay at the bottom of the ocean for all that time? Of course, in this story, I countered myself. As I put at the top, I'm making the excuse that the steel was strong and that Captain Barbosa wrapped it around his legs as well as his boots so when the shoes rotted away, he was still trapped. : ) A feeble excuse but hey, it gives me a plot.
2) I probably should have made this clearer. Will had not quite sunk all the way down yet, so dear old Bootstrap had to swim up and over. If Will had already drifted all the way down, then, yes, he could have walked. : ) Sorry for the lack of clarity.
3) Hhmmm, you do have a point there. I probably should not have put that. What I was trying to convey was how happy Bill was to be out of the water.....did a bad job of that though. Many apologies.
*laughs* Well, I like your criticism. You're a good critic, unlike many of my other 'I'm not a flamer but' reviewers. Thank you, really. You get my mind going and you compliment me! What more do I need in a reviewer. *looks up at her response* Jeez that's long. *salutes* Thank you very much for the review! You're an angel!
holycitygirl: I don't see why you need an EXCUSE to go see the movie again ^_~. I'd just go out and see it, lol. I think Bootstrap would have found a way to free himself after eight years : ) and I'm glad you like that idea. ^^ Thank you for the review!
Sierra Sparrow: *laughs* Willy does have a Daddy : ) lucky for him *pats him on the head*. : ) I tried to make Jack funny; after all, he was hilarious in the movie! Lovable AND hilarious! Go Jack! Thank you for the review!
melodie: Glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
Nanashinigami: Well, that's a mouthful of a name.....my spell checker had a heyday with that...... *winks* Thanks for the compliments : ) And thanks very much for the review! ^^ Hope you liked the chapter!
Goma-Ryu Immortal Vampire: Glad you enjoyed it and I hope the update was soon enough for you! Thanks for the review!
szhismine: Well, I'm not sure if its better than the movie, but thank you for the compliment! : ) Many thanks for the review as well mate!
PhsychoPoet: Don't plan on giving up anytime soon : ) I'll update as often as possible, promise! Thanks for the review!
bountyhunter: Keeping the story coming as fast as I can, my friend! Thank you for the review and for putting me on your favorites list!
Crazyswimmer27: *smiles* Thanks for the compliments. I try my best to make it amusing! Love the review! : )
Pirate-chicha: Ah! Evil cousin! I'm sorry about that! *keeps the evil cousin away with a sword* Mwahahahaha. ^^ Thank you for the lovely review! :) I'm really glad you like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Laheara: Ah! Post it on a *gulp* mailing list.... *shuffles feet uncertainly* I suppose.... but can I finish it first *begs* I wanna make sure its perfect before I go and make a fool of myself! : ) Would that be okay? Thanks so much for the invitation for that and for the review!
Readingfreak742: He sat at the bottom of the ocean, twiddling his thumbs, watching the fishies float by! LoL! Thanks for the review!
SoNiCmAn: All I have to say is, I know where you live. AND, you are lucky I love you. There's a carving knife in the kitchen you know...........
The-Serious-Padfoot: *laughs* It took me two rounds of the movie to realize it for myself! : ) It's okay, don't feel stupid. My friend is still insisting to this very moment (he's IMing me) that Bootstrap is dead. : ) Thank you very much for the review! Love you much! *looks at the name and starts to bawl* Sirius........
Lina Skye: Dear, where's Eomer? WHERE IN NINE HELLS IS THE NEXT CHAPTER TO YOUR STORY?! *grins sheepishly and rubs her head* Sorry, had to get that out. Believe it or not, I am one of your *coughs* rabid reviewers and I am currently muzzled and impounded. Not to mention waiting for your next chapter. : P LoL. Give you three guesses as to who I am. ^^ Keep up the good work on your stories! Mwahaha, I started this story cause I could see dear Bill sitting at the bottom of the ocean twiddling his thumbs. *laughs* Thanks for the review : )
MoonbeamDancer: As soon as I finish it, you are more than welcome to put it on your site. However, I'd really like to finish it first, k? : ) Just make sure you put my name under the title. ^^ Thanks for the review!
Becca: Thanks! I tried to write it well, though I end up writing it a bit quickly! Hope you liked this chapter just as much! Many thanks for the review!
Spicey-Muffin: EWY! Keep the dead hand away! *locks it in a drawer like the governor did* Icky! Icky! Icky! : ) LOL! Thanks for the....three thumbs up though. Personally, I think Jack is really out for his own motives in anything and wouldn't be terribly traumatized other than for the fact that all his plans are ruined. As for Elizabeth, *bows* I sorry......I probably should have done more screaming.... *thinks* Ehehehe *scratches head* Hope you liked the 'I'm gonna be defiant 'cause I hate you' part. Thanks for the review!
ms. halley bom-bally: : ) Really glad you liked it. After the second time of seeing it through, I figured he had probably long since escaped but, then again, : ) where would I be story wise? *laughs* Thanks for the review.
Astarael: : ) Glad you like it. I hope you liked this chapter just as much! Thanks for the review!
Lady Lenna: *laughs* Well he'd have to be, wouldn't he? After all, he is cursed. *grins happily* Glad it made you laugh so much. ^^ I tried to make it amusing *smiles* I've updated about as quickly as I can! Thanks so much for the review!
Shehanine-Moonbow: Chapter's up : )! Hmm brownish? Yes, perhaps in the eyes of the beholder..... Whenever I look at Orlando Bloom I automatically see black hair, and dark brown eyes. *shrugs* : ) But hey, I'm half-blind, so who knows?
Illaona: Thanks for the compliments! : ) I'm trying my best! Here's more for you and I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!
Lady Shinimegami: Jack? Fall in love! Never! He's too free spirited for that! *laughs* We all know he's had a fling or two, right? *random lady smacks Jack* "I don't think I deserved that." *smirks* Stupid Jack! But we love him right? *scratches head* I was thinking someone else might have come up with it already! I'm glad it's original! Thanks for the compliments and the review!
mika: *laughs* Well, for the truth of the matter, it took me two showings of the movie to actually pick up on the fact that he didn't die. By the end of the second showing, I had the first chapter of this story written out in my head! Dear old Bootstrap! *salutes him* : ) Mwahahahahaha! Thanks for the review!
LilSparrow327: Cliffies are fun.....for me at least, not for you all! Thankfully, you guys won't have to be waiting too long. I write the chapter, post the chapter, write the next chapter and then answer reviews (that actually takes the most time). : ) Thanks for the review! Hope you liked this chapter!
Firnsarnien: I don't want Bootstrap to die! I LIKE BOOTSTRAP! Poor guy, stuck underwater watching the fish swim by year after year, just waiting for his shoes rot off and when they finally do, he realizes that they are wrapped to tightly around his ankles and he has to wait for the iron to rust! lol! Thanks for the review!
ginblossom: Kill Elizabeth? Uh uh, nope, sorry : ) Can't kill Elizabeth! She's important even if she is a bit of a ditz. I personally don't have a problem with her. : ) No death on HER part. ^^ Thanks for the compliments and the review.
Thank you all, : ) yes, that means all 46 of you for your lovely reviews! You guys are so great! *is still in shocked* I can't believe I got so many reviews..... *scratches head and looks at* Do you mind reviewing this chapter too? Just so I feel special?