Hey, finally got the next chapter to upload! Special thanks to AgentStarbuck for the notebook idea; it worked! Here's a muffin! *hands AgentStarbuck a muffin*
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!! Yay! Happy birthday me! Um, yeah, well, just wanted to let you know, so… back to the story!! ^_^ Enjoy!
Chapter Four- "Stowaway"
Captain Fellis's ship, the White Lightning, was steadily getting closer, despite both ships' lack of sail. Rain still came down at a steady rate as Jack maneuvered the Pearl to have her cannons facing the approaching ship. His brow furrowed as he saw two of his crew emerging from down below.
"What're you doing back up here?" he cried agitatedly. "Get-"
Then he noticed what was between them.
They brought her before him and thrust her to her knees, though she hadn't really had to strength to be very far off them during the whole ascent. She seemed to be a sickly pale and very shaken-looking. Her hair was askew and her dress soiled with he-wasn't-sure-he-wanted-to-know-what. And now she was being soaked in the rain, making her about the most wretched creature he had ever seen. After looking at her in surprise he raised an eyebrow at his men.
"This be what's brought on our misfortunes," one man said.
"Must've come on at Tortuga somehow," the other alleged angrily. "And she made an awful mess down by the cannons!"
"What shall we do with 'er, Cap'n?" the first asked menacingly.
Jack looked closely at the girl who had the gall to stowaway on his ship. Her dark brown eyes looked pleadingly up at him. She looked familiar somehow, those eyes… Then it clicked. It was that very anomalous girl from the tavern! Now what was her name? For a moment or two it just wouldn't come to him; it was on the tip of his tongue. Lela, Laura, Lindsey… Lydia! That's it, Lydia! he recalled with triumph.
He looked down at her sternly, rather proud of the obvious impression he was making. However, he still wasn't exactly sure what to do with her, nor did he have any time just then to figure it out.
"Just… just take her to my cabin," he told his men, vaguely gesturing toward the general area of his quarters. She could just wait there until he had Fellis turn-tail and retreating, then he could have time to decide what to do.
He saw her brow furrow at his command, not sure if it was bad or good, then his men took her roughly off to his room aboard the ship. Unfortunately, Fellis's ship had gotten drastically closer during this little 'conversation' and Jack had to shout the command to fire almost immediately, thrusting the ship into battle.
The pirates dragged Lydia, who was too tired to do more than barely move her feet, to a room she assumed was Captain Sparrow's. They then tossed her roughly inside and closed the door. She fell to her knees almost immediately, then just sat there a moment. She wasn't quite sure what to think right now. Captain Sparrow hadn't done anything to punish her for stowing away… yet.
Out of nowhere, the ship gave a violent shudder, accompanied by an ear-splitting BOOM! Lydia was flung backwards against the door by the jolt, her head knocking loudly against the wood. She grimaced and rubbed her sore skull tenderly, inwardly cursing herself for ever deciding to run off and hide in a pirate ship. But I had to! She thought, I just couldn't stay there any longer. And besides that, what if he came back? The cannons continued firing, increasing the new piercing pain in her head, distracting her from her ominous thoughts.
Then another shudder-crash came, but this time it was different. A cannon of the opposing ship had struck home on the ship's starboard side, creating a colossal din of splintering wood! Obviously this other ship is a foe, Lydia thought wryly as she crawled across the wooden planks. The ship continued to rock violently, and this was now accompanied by the ever-present racket of cannon-fire.
Being battered about brutally, she finally made her way to the opposite side of the small room, where there was a window. She could see the opposing ship, almost even with the Pearl, the captain's room fortunately located on the starboard side of the ship. Now she could hear shouts over the din of cannons, but couldn't make out any coherent words. Then a fresh wave of cannon blasts from the other ship came, knocking Lydia from her kneeling position, peering out the window.
Now the Pearl's guns started firing anew. Lydia sat down in the corner of the room under the window, drawing her knees up to her chin. This was the best place and position she could find that kept her from being flung about the cabin. There she sat, her head throbbing, wishing that she was more courageous, that she hadn't gotten caught, that she wasn't sick, and that that blasted racket would stop, all at once, even though she knew that all this wishing was hopeless.
At least I'm not throwing up anymore, she thought slightly sardonically.