I know that I left off at a bad time. I went back and changed Paloma's age to 8 (thanks OtterMoon)
The light streamed through the treetops. They had been walking the whole day to reach Tortuga.
Her feet were sore from walking non-stop. Her ankles and her wrists hurt form the chains that she wore.
10 years ago she was sold to a slave company. It could of been worse if Bill Turner hadn't gotten her off that ship. Paloma sighed, she knew that she would be sold in Tortuga, they were that kind of people.
Paloma was weak from lack of sleep and almost no food or water. She was feeling a bit light headed at the point, it was the afternoon with the sun beating down on them.
"Hurry up!" someone cried, lashing her with a whip.
She whimpered and hurried on.
It was a month after Jack got the pearl back.
His crew was all there, working on deck, but some how he felt alone.
He ran his hands over the smooth wood of the ship.
'Why do I feel so alone? I've got the Pearl and my crew right here. I'm free and loving it. I feel so alone' he thought staring out at the ocean.
"Something wrong Capt'n?" Mr Gibbs asked coming up behind him.
"No, take the helm for awhile." Jack said walking back to his cabin.
Jack stretched out on the bed.
"I miss her" he said aloud. "but I don't know where she is, or if she made off the ship alive."
For the first time since he left home, Jack cried.
The sun was setting on the slave camp, giving Paloma and the other slaves, some shade for the first time that day. Paloma felt so alone. She missed him but he was gone. She saw him go. She had given up on crying, she had cried herself out the night Jack was left to die on that island. Paloma didn't cry when she was sold for the first time, or the second or any of the other times. Some how she would always find her way back into the slave trade, no matter how good or bad her master was.
She sat against a pole that she was attached to. 3 slaves were attached to the same pole by a chain that looped through a ring attached to the ankle chain.
People came up to look at her. Whenever one of them looked at her she would look away and scowled. If they liked her than they would buy her and take her away. That was something that she learned early on, 8 years ago when she was ten, Paloma inflicted damage to her face. The scar ran from her right eye to her chin. People tended to not give her that much attention after that.
A shadow was cast on her pole, the slave master had came up to her pole. Paloma was tense and scared that she was going to dragged away again, but another girl was going to be taken away. Paloma noticed that the chain passed through her ring freeing her.
Using the little energy that she had left from the day's trudge, Paloma ran for it.
Jack stepped onto the dock and headed for his favorite pub, the faithful bride. Maybe he could drown himself in rum. His stash of rum on the 'Pearl' was used to drown those sad thoughts.
Jack was too lost in thought that he didn't see a girl running towards him. The girl wasn't watching where she was going. She was too concerned about getting away from the people she was running away from. With a thud they ran into each, knocking each other down.
"Sorry, luv" Jack said, startled out of his thoughts.
People ran towards her.
"There you are!" one said, clearly angry.
Another grabbed the metal collar around her neck and dragged her back.
"Please help me!" she cried out to Jack.
Jack hated to see young women being dragged away helpless, especially away from him.
He drew his sword.
"Let her go" he said.
They stopped and turned around.
"Why should we?" The larger one growled.
"Because I said so, that's why" he growled back.
They laughed.
Jack hated being laughed at. In one motion he lunged at the closest man killing him.
They were getting mad. The two of them attacked Jack. Jack blocked their attacks. One came at he from the front and the other from behind. He was able to knock one of them to the ground and the other he was able to kill.
"There 'e go." He said turning to Paloma who was staring past him.
Not answering, Paloma got to her feet then ran towards Jack and pushed him to the ground.
BANG
Both looked up at where the noise came from. A man stood there with his pistol pointed at where Jack was standing a few seconds before. Paloma lunged up at the man, taking him by surprise, knocking him to the ground.
She held him down. "Now!" she cried. Jack got his sword and killed the man.
Paloma let out a sigh of relief, standing up she turned to the man who saved her from punishment.
"Thank you" she said.
"Ye be welcome" he said picking up his hat that had been knocked off by the assault."Why were they after you?"
"They are slave drivers."
Giving his hat a inspection and dusting it off he looked up at Paloma. "So that would make you a salve then."
Paloma nodded, and quickly looked around to see if any of the other slave drivers come after her. "Any reason why you are staring at me?" she said not looking at him.
"It's just that ye remind me of someone"
Paloma turned to him and looked at him, "You remind me of someone too" she stated and turned away.
Jack noticed her arm was bleeding.
"Let me see your arm." He said gently reaching out.
She gave him a weird look, pulling her arm away.
"You're bleeding" stated Jack.
She frowned and looked at him then let him look at her arm.
Jack pushed up her shelve.
"Now where did you get that?" Running a finger over her tattoo.
She pulled away giving him a glare.
"A friend"
Jack looked her over.
"What's your name?"
She had to think about that since no one called her by her name.
After a minute she said.
"Paloma"
HA! Another cliffhanger!
Don't worry it won't be long till the next.
Please review!