Claudia stared out the window of what used to be at one time her cousin, Elizabeth's room. She sighed, thinking of how she was, in many ways trapped. She longed to be free, travel, but most of all, sail the seas. She was a five foot two black haired beauty, and with an exception of her hair and eyes, was a spitting image of Elizabeth, which made her happy, because she always looked up to her. She was nineteen, a few years younger than Elizabeth was, but they got along great when Claudia came to visit them. On this particular day, Elizabeth and her new husband, William, were off visiting some friends in a farther part of Britain, and would be back any day. Upon return, Elizabeth and William were going to move into a house that was close to the Governor's, but not as close as they'd like to. Elizabeth was always attached to her father, but she felt that she couldn't stay with him forever. Also, Elizabeth thought that it was a good thing for Claudia anyway, because then she would get her own room. Claudia's mother died about a week after Elizabeth and William were married and it was set that she would move in with the Governor and Elizabeth. Claudia had no problem with it because she always got along with her uncle and Elizabeth, and the maids. She loved the idea of living with them, and being closer to the ocean. Ships, sailors, and water. She thought as she began to sing "A Pirates Life For Me".
There was a sudden knock on the door just as Claudia finished the song.
"Madame Claudia? Your Uncle wishes to see you." She could hear Maria, one of the maids, call to her from behind the door.
"Tell him I will be right down." She said as she brushed her hair and quickly put on her floor length blue everyday gown. She tied her hair with a red black ribbon and then made her way, barefoot, to the bottom of the stairs where the Governor was waiting for her.
"Ah, Claudia, there you are!" He said, holding a box underneath his arm. "This just came in the mail for you from Elizabeth and Will." He handed her the box and motioned her to open it. She took the box and lifted the lid to reveal a black and white vertically striped day gown, including a matching hat, matching pair of shoes, a matching umbrella, and a matching scarf.
"Oh my gosh!" She gasped as her uncle helped her take everything out of the box.
"It's beautiful Uncle!" She looked at him and then back at the outfit.
"Claudia, put it on! Put it on and we will go sightseeing!" The Governor told her as he handed the umbrella, hat, shoes and scarf to Maria. "Maria," he said, "Help her with the corset."
"Yes sir." Maria responded as she followed Claudia up the stairs carrying her assets.
Once in the room, Maria shut the door as Claudia ran behind the big screen that was used to change behind. She took off her blue gown and started to put on the corset while Maria was occupied with the strings, trying to make it tight enough.
About a half an hour later, Claudia was walking down the stairs to meet her uncle for a sightseeing ride. She loved the new outfit, she felt beautiful in it. As she walked down the stairs, she thought to herself, Now all I need is for a pirate to kidnap me and take me away. She smiled to herself and then laughed. I wonder what Uncle would do if I fell in love with one? She imagined herself with some of the legendary Pirates and then was interrupted by her uncle's compliment.
"Claudia, you really look beautiful in that!" He said as he had the butler help her out the door and into the stagecoach as he followed. When they were settled in, the driver started up and they were off.
The Governor took Claudia down through the alleys, past Will's old blacksmith shop, and down along the paths that lead to the docks. As Claudia looked around at all the boats, she thought about the stories she heard about Elizabeth and Will's adventure alongside Captain Jack Sparrow.
"Uncle," She said, "Will you tell me the stories again?"
"Which ones?" He said, looking puzzled. Since she'd been there, he'd told her about a lot of things that had happened, but as he feared, she was like Elizabeth and fascinated with Pirates.
"The ones about Liz, Will and Captain Sparrow." She said, listening eagerly.
"I've already told you three times!" He said, with a dumbfounded look upon his face. He knew she was going to want to hear it again.
"I know, but I want to hear it again." She said, and then smiled.
"Ohkay." He replied and began to tell her the story about her cousins, Jack Sparrow, and the Black Pearl. When he was finished, she was once again satisfied, but wanted to know more.
"And which boat was it that they took? Is it still intact?" She asked, looking around the dock at all the ships.
"I don't know if it is still intact," He responded, "But I know that it was one similar to that." He pointed to a ship across the way from the regular docks. It was anchored over by the left mountain, further out, but not too much further. It was a rather large ship with a British flag waving at the top of the lookout. Hmm, she thought. Maybe I could do a bit of sailing. She turned to her uncle.
"Uncle, if I may, would you stop the coach and let me out? I want to wonder around myself for a while and I need time to think of things, and get a feel for this place." She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Alright, but be home before dark, alright? I got a telegram from Elizabeth and Will saying that they will be home tomorrow, and we are supposed to go to bed early to so that we will be able to meet them when they get here." He opened the door and let her out.
"Yes, Uncle, see you by nightfall." She hugged him and then stepped back and watched him ride off.
Finally, I am on my own and I get to explore. She sighed, trying to figure out where to start first. She looked around and found the main dock that lead out to the water. No one was around and there were no boats parked, so she took off her shoes, and set her hat and umbrella down. She walked out onto the dock and sat down, dangling her feet in the water. She thought for a bit, and then began to sing "A Pirates Life For Me" again. As she was singing, she caught sight of an approaching ship. Ah, She thought, someone coming home. She stood up, and waved, and then noticed that the flag wasn't a British flag, it was black with markings on it. She strained her eyes to see what it was, and then noticed it was a skull and crossbones. It was a Pirate ship. Hmmm. She thought. She ran to her accessories and put on her shoes and hat. She picked up her umbrella and walked to the end of the dock and stood there, watching the ship as it came closer, closer, and closer to the shore.
Finally, the ship was about ready to dock as Claudia edged away and hid behind a crate at the end of the dock. She watched intently as the ship's crew started off the ship. She expected to see at least twenty or so people, but instead, three got off. First was a rather short, stalky, old man with a graying hair and beard, second was a tough looking taller guy that had a parrot sitting on his shoulder. Claudia expected the Captain of the ship to follow, but instead it was a rather tall, black woman with long hair. Claudia looked puzzled and wondered where the Captain of the ship was.
The three crewmembers walked down the dock and towards town, talking about forming another crew. When they were gone Claudia, making no sound, left her umbrella behind the crate and ran to the ship. She looked for a way in, but the ladder wasn't open. I'll have to climb She thought. She took a deep breath and then looked around, making sure that no one was around to watch her. She took off her shoes and tied the strings together, slinging them over one shoulder and then, barefoot, grabbed onto the side of the boat and started to maneuver herself over the side, trying to be as silent as possible. She finally reached the railing, and flung herself over, and landing on the ship with a big thud that anyone within a mile could hear. So much for silent. She thought.
She layed on the deck of the boat for about five minutes, making sure that no one heard the sound. She felt the boat was empty, because there was no sound, no movement, no one aboard that she could see. Get up! She told herself. She quietly stood up, took her shoes and put them back on. She slowly walked around the deck, making sure that no one was there, and there was no one but her there, so it seemed. She walked onto the main deck and stood behind the wheel. I wonder what it feels like to be Captain, head of the ship. She wondered, and then looked ahead. The three were coming back. She gasped and ran onto the deck she was on when she first arrived and looked around for a place to hide. Right ahead of her was double French doors. Great! She said to herself as she ran to them. She tried the handle. Locked. She had but only a few minutes so she tried to jimmy the lock. Nothing. The voices were getting louder and louder, closer and closer. She looked around quickly and found a trap door in the floor of the deck. She went and opened the door and looked in. There was a ladder leading down to what looked like a bedroom. She looked over to the side of the boat where she could hear the voices coming from. The side ladder was being opened, so she quickly dove in and shut the door.
Once inside the room, she looked around. It was candle lit, very dim but she could see that this was the sleeping quarters for someone. She walked away from the ladder and into the middle of the room. She took mental notes of everything in the room. There was a king-sized bed, a closet full of clothes, a dresser, a desk and chair, and a coat rack all in front of her. She turned around. Behind her was a table with four chairs, a box of candles and matches, and a bunch of cabinets. She walked over to the table and noticed that there was a black overcoat hanging on it, along with a Pirate's hat. She turned back to the coatrack. Hanging there was a holster with a gun, and a sword. She thought for a moment, and then picked up the sword to take a closer look. It was heavy, but she could handle it. She examined it and swung it around a bit. She then examined the other side. She noticed that there were spots of dried blood on it. Gee, good thing I have a strong stomach. She swung it around some more, as if fighting off an invisible enemy. Suddenly, she stopped and held the sword close to her. Someone was watching her, in the room with her. She could feel eyes on her, but she didn't know where they were. She heard someone's heavy breathing somewhere behind her. Tap, tap, tap. She could hear someone walking around. She turned around and held the sword steady, being able to stab anyone at anytime.
"Where are you?" She asked the person she could not see. She could hear movement, but the lurker refused to speak.
"I have a sword aimed, I know you're in here." She called into the dimly lighted room, waiting for an answer. Still, no one else spoke. She turned and backed her way against the bed, her eyes darting from one end of the room to the other.
"Hello?" She called one last time, but again, no answer. She sat down on the bed holding the sword at the ready just in case. Finally, she put the sword down and let out a deep breath. Whoever was in here must have gone. She hoped as much, anyway. She sat listening to the crewmembers talk and go through some ship maintenance, while looking around the room wondering how long she was going to be stuck on the ship. She sighed as she scooted back against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. She sat there for what seemed like an hour or two before she began to doze off. She slept for a few minutes and then awoke abruptly in the dark with someone's hand covering her mouth.
"You should know better than to trespass." The voice was a man's, although it wasn't cold; it was enough to make Claudia shutter. She looked to her left and could see a figure, but she couldn't make out who it was. He must have put out the candle. She thought. She tried to scream, but she couldn't be heard. The man spoke again.
"If you promise not to scream, I will unhand you and light another candle, savvy?" She nodded in response and she was released. The man walked over to the table and re-lit the candle. He turned around and at once she knew who he was.
"I know who you are." She said, standing up and walking to the other end of the room. The man looked at her.
"Ah, so then, who am I?" He said, edging towards her. She got a good look at him this time. He wore a white shirt with a striped belt, and big black boots underneath rather largely flared pants. He smiled at her, waiting for a response.
"You're a pirate." She said and then turned, backing towards the ladder.
"Aye," He said, smiling to show his gold plated teeth. He walked over to Claudia and slowly started to circle her, one hand in his pocket. Oh lord, am I going to die? He's a pirate; oh this is fascinating…I bet he kills me… Thoughts were running through her head as he circled her, eyeing her up and down, looking for weapons. His eyes darted to the sword on the floor next to Claudia. He stopped for a moment, looked from it to her just as she spoke.
"Are you going to kill me?" She asked as he slowly started to circle her again.
"Aye, I might." He said, stopping in front of her again, hand still in his pocket. She looked afraid, and he knew she was shaken a little, the thought of getting killed by a pirate. She took a deep breath.
"Or?" She wanted to know an alternative. Was there one? She had to ask herself these questions, as in a split second she could be met with death. I won't go without a fight. She thought. She wouldn't.
He took a few steps closer to her, and stopped when they were face to face, or more literally speaking, nose to nose. He smiled a little as she took another deep breath and responded to her pondering.
"Or, or you will stay here with us." He looked at her, slowly starting to circle her again, but this time stopped behind her. He moved her hair away from her neck. She closed her eyes, debating whether or not to grab the sword and stab him to death. She took a deep breath; eyes still closed and spoke once more.
"For what? You? Or as your prisoner? To say that you finally captured someone?" She refused to open her eyes as his finger followed the bone structure of her neck, along her jaw, and back. He kissed her neck, raised his head and put her hair back.
"Bold words you speak, your Uncle taught you well." She turned around, startled at the remark.
"What do you, a pirate, know of my Uncle?" She backed towards the ladder, even line with the sword.
"I know a lot about your family," He said, "More than you think you know." He looked at her, standing in the candlelight and then whispered, "My god…you look just like her."
"Excuse me?" Claudia said, confused.
The pirate pulled up his right sleeve and showed her his tattoo, his marking. He took a few steps forward for her to see. She gasped.
"You're Sparrow, Captain Jack Sparrow."