"Welcome to the Black Pearl, lass." Jack said with a proud grin. He
loved his ship. Scarlet nodded. It felt good to be back on the ship she
had practically grown up on.
"Hasn't changed much." She said, forgetting that nobody remembered her or knew who she was.
"Eh? Come again?" Jack asked, looking puzzled.
"This ship, it hasn't changed much in thirteen, fourteen years. Ye'd've thought it've changed a lot by now, 'specially after Barbosa'd had it a few years."
Jack stopped and turned to face Scarlet. "Where do ye know all this from. Was yer pa a pirate on me ship some years back or sommat?"
"Yeh, an' me as well." Scarlet replied, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, what happened to 'im? He die?"
Scarlet nodded. "Was tied by 'is bootstraps to a cannon, sent to Davie Jones' locker, he was."
Comprehension dawned on Jack's face. "Bootstrap Bill." He said. When he was Captain of the Pearl before Barbosa's mutiny, there'd been a little cabin boy of nine or ten, who always had been hanging around with Bootstrap Bill. Scarlet was the boy, he realized, whom the crew had called Sam. But Sam was a boy. Scarlet was obviously a girl (not that she had a large chest or anything like that, but it was enough to definitely tell). So she had probably disguised herself as a boy. But how had she kept it a secret from a ship full of men? Well, she had had her dad's help, at least until he'd died.
Jack shook his head.
"Suit yerself, Cap'n." Gibbs said, turning to go.
"No wait! What?" Jack spun around, nearly hitting Gibbs.
"D'ye want to put out o'port or not?" Gibbs asked exasperatedly.
"What?" Jack was confused. Scarlet was a girl, though she'd been a boy, and now his crew was asking him questions that caught him off his guard. "Why does it seem that every single person is out to get me?" Jack thought out loud.
Gibbs smiled. "They are. Took ye long enough to realize that."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Now, Gibbs, what were ye sayin'?"
"D'ye wants to put out o'port now or in th'morinin'?"
"Now. The tide and wind are good, no tellin' when they'll coincide so nicely next."
"Aye, Cap'n. A'right, ye scurvy knaves of pirates, listen up!" Gibbs called, and all the pirates within earshot looked up.
Jack smiled. He always felt good when his ship was about to leave the harbor. He turned to say something to Scarlet, and found her to be gone. He looked about, and spotted her sitting on some ropes near the top of the mainmast. Damn, she's fast, he thought. It took most pirates a minute or so to get up there that fast. Then again, she'd been on the ship before.
"Oy, Scarlet, come down 'ere fer a second." He called.
Scarlet pulled herself up and began scurrying dow the rigging faster than any person Jack had ever seen.
"Cap'n?" She asked, smiling, her hazel eyes shining.
"Happy to be back?" Jack asked.
"More than ye'll ver know."
"Well, lass, ye'll need to pick out a spot in the crew's quarters afore too long."
Scarlet nodded and turned to go.
"Oh lass, one last thing."
Scarlet turned back around.
"Don't let 'em get to ye. They gave Annamaria a run fer her money when she first joined on, tough as she is."
"Heh," Scarlet laughed, "I'd like to see 'em try."
* * *
*
"Cap'n, th'new girl's doin' sommat odd." Jib Jim (Short for Jibbering Jimmy) came up to Jack, a worried look on his face.
Jack folded the spyglass he'd been looking through and turned to Jim, "What d'ye mean, "sommat odd"?"
"C'mon, Cap'n ye gotta see fer yerself."
Upon arriving in the crew's quarters, Jack looked around and spotted Scarlet on the top hammock-bunk on a corner tugging at something inside the small wooden locker attached to the wall. With a puff of dust and a sound of splintering wood, Scarlet fell back into the hammock, a small board in her hand. She tossed it aside, and began grouping in the locker again. She obviously found what she was looking for, because she began to tug again. After a minute or so of fruitless tugging, she put a foot on the wall beside the locker and tugged some more. When that failed, she put her other booted foot against the wall and tugged again, and with another puff of dust and a ripping sound, Scarlet fell back into the hammock with such a force that she flipped out, landed in the hammock below that (which happened to be empty) and fell out of that hammock, landing with a thud on the floor.
She quickly hopped to her feet, examining her prize. Looking up, she saw the whole room staring at her.
"That was me da's bunk, once. Told me this'd be there, if'n I ever needed or wanted it."
Everyone still stared at her blankly.
Jack cleared his throat. "Well, what a way to make an entrance. Boys," He said, addressing the crew that had gathered to watch. "This here be Scarlet Turner, daughter to our own Bootstrap Bill." A few men nodded at the mention of Scarlet's father. "She'll be workin' with us, from now on."
A few of the men closest to Scarlet either shook her hand or gave her a slap on the back. Scarlet mumbled a thanks, a little embarrassed. The little bag was still clutched in her hand.
"Hasn't changed much." She said, forgetting that nobody remembered her or knew who she was.
"Eh? Come again?" Jack asked, looking puzzled.
"This ship, it hasn't changed much in thirteen, fourteen years. Ye'd've thought it've changed a lot by now, 'specially after Barbosa'd had it a few years."
Jack stopped and turned to face Scarlet. "Where do ye know all this from. Was yer pa a pirate on me ship some years back or sommat?"
"Yeh, an' me as well." Scarlet replied, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, what happened to 'im? He die?"
Scarlet nodded. "Was tied by 'is bootstraps to a cannon, sent to Davie Jones' locker, he was."
Comprehension dawned on Jack's face. "Bootstrap Bill." He said. When he was Captain of the Pearl before Barbosa's mutiny, there'd been a little cabin boy of nine or ten, who always had been hanging around with Bootstrap Bill. Scarlet was the boy, he realized, whom the crew had called Sam. But Sam was a boy. Scarlet was obviously a girl (not that she had a large chest or anything like that, but it was enough to definitely tell). So she had probably disguised herself as a boy. But how had she kept it a secret from a ship full of men? Well, she had had her dad's help, at least until he'd died.
Jack shook his head.
"Suit yerself, Cap'n." Gibbs said, turning to go.
"No wait! What?" Jack spun around, nearly hitting Gibbs.
"D'ye want to put out o'port or not?" Gibbs asked exasperatedly.
"What?" Jack was confused. Scarlet was a girl, though she'd been a boy, and now his crew was asking him questions that caught him off his guard. "Why does it seem that every single person is out to get me?" Jack thought out loud.
Gibbs smiled. "They are. Took ye long enough to realize that."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Now, Gibbs, what were ye sayin'?"
"D'ye wants to put out o'port now or in th'morinin'?"
"Now. The tide and wind are good, no tellin' when they'll coincide so nicely next."
"Aye, Cap'n. A'right, ye scurvy knaves of pirates, listen up!" Gibbs called, and all the pirates within earshot looked up.
Jack smiled. He always felt good when his ship was about to leave the harbor. He turned to say something to Scarlet, and found her to be gone. He looked about, and spotted her sitting on some ropes near the top of the mainmast. Damn, she's fast, he thought. It took most pirates a minute or so to get up there that fast. Then again, she'd been on the ship before.
"Oy, Scarlet, come down 'ere fer a second." He called.
Scarlet pulled herself up and began scurrying dow the rigging faster than any person Jack had ever seen.
"Cap'n?" She asked, smiling, her hazel eyes shining.
"Happy to be back?" Jack asked.
"More than ye'll ver know."
"Well, lass, ye'll need to pick out a spot in the crew's quarters afore too long."
Scarlet nodded and turned to go.
"Oh lass, one last thing."
Scarlet turned back around.
"Don't let 'em get to ye. They gave Annamaria a run fer her money when she first joined on, tough as she is."
"Heh," Scarlet laughed, "I'd like to see 'em try."
* * *
*
"Cap'n, th'new girl's doin' sommat odd." Jib Jim (Short for Jibbering Jimmy) came up to Jack, a worried look on his face.
Jack folded the spyglass he'd been looking through and turned to Jim, "What d'ye mean, "sommat odd"?"
"C'mon, Cap'n ye gotta see fer yerself."
Upon arriving in the crew's quarters, Jack looked around and spotted Scarlet on the top hammock-bunk on a corner tugging at something inside the small wooden locker attached to the wall. With a puff of dust and a sound of splintering wood, Scarlet fell back into the hammock, a small board in her hand. She tossed it aside, and began grouping in the locker again. She obviously found what she was looking for, because she began to tug again. After a minute or so of fruitless tugging, she put a foot on the wall beside the locker and tugged some more. When that failed, she put her other booted foot against the wall and tugged again, and with another puff of dust and a ripping sound, Scarlet fell back into the hammock with such a force that she flipped out, landed in the hammock below that (which happened to be empty) and fell out of that hammock, landing with a thud on the floor.
She quickly hopped to her feet, examining her prize. Looking up, she saw the whole room staring at her.
"That was me da's bunk, once. Told me this'd be there, if'n I ever needed or wanted it."
Everyone still stared at her blankly.
Jack cleared his throat. "Well, what a way to make an entrance. Boys," He said, addressing the crew that had gathered to watch. "This here be Scarlet Turner, daughter to our own Bootstrap Bill." A few men nodded at the mention of Scarlet's father. "She'll be workin' with us, from now on."
A few of the men closest to Scarlet either shook her hand or gave her a slap on the back. Scarlet mumbled a thanks, a little embarrassed. The little bag was still clutched in her hand.