Katica raced to the bow of the ship as they neared Tortuga. Leaning out over the railing, she could almost see the infamous harbor itself through the low mist. The wind and sea spray struck her face like angry bees, but she was used to it. Glancing down into the surf, she saw the deepening blue of the sea. She could feel the storm approaching, almost as though it were a great beast flying towards her on a bright clear day. But surely it wouldn't hit before they had tied up in the shelter of harbor. She jumped back and shimmied up the mast to see farther.
"Katica! Get your feet on the deck 'afore you slip and fall!" She heard from below her. She laughed and caught a loose rope, flinging herself down towards the captain. She landed next to him in a cat-like stance before standing up.
"What makes you think I had any intention o' slippin' or fallin'? Don't you think I can handle me one self?" Katica snapped at him with a smile. Hanging off his arm she got a outrageous idea.
"Hey dad, can I drive?" She blinked wickedly up at him, her brilliant amber eyes lighting up with the fading sun.
"You're not old enough yet. And there be a bloody storm comin' up off the port side, you knew it was there 'afore I told you." He scoffed.
She snorted. "I'm old enough."
"No, you're not and you ain't commadeerin' no ship 'til you're a decent fourteen years old!"
"Come on! You said last year I had to be least twelve ones. I'm ten in a little week, what of it?"
"I said no already."
"I'll rig the anchor." Katica said warningly. Captain Sparrow spun around to face her.
"What's it gotta take with you? No is no is no. Got it?"
"No." He frowned at her. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, fine! I got it!"
"Good then." He stepped back from the wheel. "Drive."
"Sweet!" Katica practically jumped on the wheel and guided the Pearl into the harbor under the keen supervision of her father. Jack watched her like a hawk, almost more worried about the ship than her. She had a sea sense like no other, any ship would cringe under her feet.
They arrived safely in Tortuga and once assured of the excellent supervision of the docks, went off in search of an inn with enough room to house most of the crew. Jack practically kept Katica on a leash and would have tied a rope around her waist to have a better hold of her. But since he had no rope and didn't want to embarass any of them, he had to be satisfied with a firm grip on her shoulder. Still, every time something caught her attention, he wished she didn't spin around and yank his arm away from the rest of his body.
"Can't you just sit for one minute?" He finally scolded her. Katica stuck her tongue out at him but promised not to stray anymore.
"I should ship you to Port Royal, I really should. You'd like it there, can live with 'em Turners a bit." Jack said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Could I? I wanna see them again. They're daft, living on the land and like, but six years and old bucket boat is a long time not to see a person. And I wanna see where they're livin' now. They got a new home an' all, didn't they?" Katica frolicked about Jack's heels.
"Last I heard. But you ain't goin' nowhere without bells tied to your neck, wrists, and ankles."
"Very funny. What about that inn there? It looks quiet enough." Katica pointed to a building with darkened windows and an empty balcony on the second level. Jack grimaced and shook his head. Instead he steered his daughter towards a brightly lit inn a little farther down the street. It wasn't too quiet, but it didn't have drunks draped over the balcony like dirty rugs. It also had a friendly atmosphere.
"One room with a cot in it." Captain Sparrow told the man at the bar. He paid the man a few shillings and received a set of keys. He handed one to Katica. "Don't loose this."
She slipped it onto her necklace next to the pendant Elizabeth Turner had given her when she was four. It was actually a shilling that had fallen into the furnace at the blacksmith's shop. Will had fished it out with a poker, but it had already become disfigured from the heat. Since it was useless, Elizabeth had asked him to put a hole through it and she had put it on a leather cord for Jack's daughter.
"Now take yourself up to the room and go to sleep." He gave her a little nudge up the stairs as she yawned and tottered her way up to the second floor. She found the rooms and fell onto the cot, knowing it was for her, and promptly fell asleep.
"Katica! Get your feet on the deck 'afore you slip and fall!" She heard from below her. She laughed and caught a loose rope, flinging herself down towards the captain. She landed next to him in a cat-like stance before standing up.
"What makes you think I had any intention o' slippin' or fallin'? Don't you think I can handle me one self?" Katica snapped at him with a smile. Hanging off his arm she got a outrageous idea.
"Hey dad, can I drive?" She blinked wickedly up at him, her brilliant amber eyes lighting up with the fading sun.
"You're not old enough yet. And there be a bloody storm comin' up off the port side, you knew it was there 'afore I told you." He scoffed.
She snorted. "I'm old enough."
"No, you're not and you ain't commadeerin' no ship 'til you're a decent fourteen years old!"
"Come on! You said last year I had to be least twelve ones. I'm ten in a little week, what of it?"
"I said no already."
"I'll rig the anchor." Katica said warningly. Captain Sparrow spun around to face her.
"What's it gotta take with you? No is no is no. Got it?"
"No." He frowned at her. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, fine! I got it!"
"Good then." He stepped back from the wheel. "Drive."
"Sweet!" Katica practically jumped on the wheel and guided the Pearl into the harbor under the keen supervision of her father. Jack watched her like a hawk, almost more worried about the ship than her. She had a sea sense like no other, any ship would cringe under her feet.
They arrived safely in Tortuga and once assured of the excellent supervision of the docks, went off in search of an inn with enough room to house most of the crew. Jack practically kept Katica on a leash and would have tied a rope around her waist to have a better hold of her. But since he had no rope and didn't want to embarass any of them, he had to be satisfied with a firm grip on her shoulder. Still, every time something caught her attention, he wished she didn't spin around and yank his arm away from the rest of his body.
"Can't you just sit for one minute?" He finally scolded her. Katica stuck her tongue out at him but promised not to stray anymore.
"I should ship you to Port Royal, I really should. You'd like it there, can live with 'em Turners a bit." Jack said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Could I? I wanna see them again. They're daft, living on the land and like, but six years and old bucket boat is a long time not to see a person. And I wanna see where they're livin' now. They got a new home an' all, didn't they?" Katica frolicked about Jack's heels.
"Last I heard. But you ain't goin' nowhere without bells tied to your neck, wrists, and ankles."
"Very funny. What about that inn there? It looks quiet enough." Katica pointed to a building with darkened windows and an empty balcony on the second level. Jack grimaced and shook his head. Instead he steered his daughter towards a brightly lit inn a little farther down the street. It wasn't too quiet, but it didn't have drunks draped over the balcony like dirty rugs. It also had a friendly atmosphere.
"One room with a cot in it." Captain Sparrow told the man at the bar. He paid the man a few shillings and received a set of keys. He handed one to Katica. "Don't loose this."
She slipped it onto her necklace next to the pendant Elizabeth Turner had given her when she was four. It was actually a shilling that had fallen into the furnace at the blacksmith's shop. Will had fished it out with a poker, but it had already become disfigured from the heat. Since it was useless, Elizabeth had asked him to put a hole through it and she had put it on a leather cord for Jack's daughter.
"Now take yourself up to the room and go to sleep." He gave her a little nudge up the stairs as she yawned and tottered her way up to the second floor. She found the rooms and fell onto the cot, knowing it was for her, and promptly fell asleep.