[A/N: I just can't get enough of writing this fic! This is my second
chapter today. I hope you like it! R/R!]
"Wake up Michael!" Will yelled, hitting her in the head with a pillow. Michelle groaned and said, "Two more minutes." It had been almost three weeks since Michelle had joined the crew. They had plundered another merchant ship, but she didn't get to fight because the ship was surrendered. During the time she was on the ship, her relationship with Will formed into a brother and sister relationship, or really older and younger brother because Will didn't know her true identity. No one knew except for her. It got troublesome because all the men would make fun of her for not taking her shirt off. She usually just ignored their taunting. Will or Jack always stood up for her, though.
"Come on Michael. If you're late for work, Jack won't be happy with you, and you don't want to do more work do you." Jack. The thought of him made her heart do a back flip in her chest, though she didn't know why. He was just her captain after all. At first she thought it was coincidence and that it was the moving of the boat that caused this, but after three weeks of being on the ship, she was used to the movement and couldn't believe that excuse anymore. Whatever the cause, she wanted it to stop. But she kind of liked it at the same time. Piracy was more complicated than she thought.
"I'm getting up," Michelle mumbled to Will as she got up. She turned around to make her bed when she saw something on the sheets and gasped. There were bloodstains scattered across the white cotton. She quickly counted in her head. She was supposed to have her period this week! And she forgot! She couldn't believe that she forgot. Being on this pirate ship and acting like a man was getting her out of focus. Will, hearing her gasp, turned around to look at her and said, "What's wrong?"
Michelle quickly turned around so he couldn't see where she had bled through her pants and said, "It's nothing," but wasn't quick enough. Will had saw and said, "What are you talking about? You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing," Michelle stammered. But, because Will had become so close to her, he wouldn't take "nothing" for an answer.
"Michael, be reasonable. You're bleeding for crying out loud! At least let me look to see what's wrong."
"No!" Michelle screamed, taking Will by surprise. She took a breath to calm down and said, "It's nothing."
"Michael, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll be forced to tell the captain."
Jack! The last thing she needed was for Jack to find out she was a girl! If he found out, he'd maroon her for sure. She knew there was no way out of it. She sighed in defeat and said, "Will I need to tell you something. You should sit down."
Confused, Will sat down on his bed. Michelle didn't know what to say, so she just decided to tell him. "Will," she began, "I'm not who you think I am. I'm a woman."
Whatever Will thought he was going to hear, it definitely wasn't that. The color in his face drained out and he sat there with a shocked expression on his face. "What? You're a woman? But you can't be!"
"And why can't I?"
"Because. because you don't have women. parts!"
"If you're referring to breasts, I most certainly have them, I just bind them to my chest." She unbuttoned her shirt just enough so that he could see the corset underneath.
If Will was having a hard time finding words before, it wasn't anything compared to now. He started trying to form sentences, and finally came out with, "You lied to all of us."
"Will I'm so sorry!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "I had no money! I was practically starving! You saw how skinny I was when I first came. I needed the money so I wouldn't die out on the streets from lack of food, and Jack said he only let men onto the ship." The tears started to come out of her eyes and trail down her cheeks. "Please Will, I'm really sorry. Don't tell anyone."
Will walked up to her and offered her a handkerchief to dry her eyes and blow her nose. He sat down next to her on her bed, making sure he didn't sit in a stain, and said, "It's alright," and hugged her. When she stopped crying, he said, "I'll tell Jack that you are sick so you can rest all day."
A new wave of tears formed in her eyes. Not because she thought he was mad at her, but because he was being so kind to her after she had lied to him all this time. More than ever, she felt like he was a big brother. "Thank you Will. Please don't tell Jack."
"I won't," he promised.
"You don't know how much this means to me."
"Just rest. I'll check on you later."
He stood up and left the room. Michelle wiped her eyes again and fell asleep.
******************
Around noon, Michelle heard a tap at her door. After she had slept some, she felt better and had started cleaning up her bed. She figured the sheets were ruined and was taking them off so she could form them into scraps so she wouldn't stain her clothes. "Come in," she said, hiding the sheet under the bed and quickly laying down on the bed. The door opened and Will entered. "Hey," he said. "I brought you some food."
"Thanks," Michelle replied, taking the bowl. She made a grossed out face. "You know I don't like the stew."
Will laughed. "It's the only thing we have. We're going to be in Port Royal in two weeks. We're going to get more provisions then."
"So, will I be able to meet Elizabeth then."
"Yeah. I can't wait until I get to see her again."
"How are we going to not get arrested when we go to Port Royal? The Black Pearl is a famous pirate ship after all."
"Jack is the master of disguises. We're going to pretend to be a British merchant ship. British flag, gentlemen on board, everything."
At that Michelle grunted. These pirates being gentlemen! She started picturing these pirates in English finery. The thought of it made her laugh. A silence followed, and Michelle could see Will feeling a little uneasy. She said, "Will, you don't know how much this means to me, keeping my secret and helping me."
"Your welcome Michael. I mean."
"Michelle. And you better get back on deck. Those pirates need someone to tell them what to do. I just hope they're not lagging off that much without me."
This made Will laugh again. "It's hard, but they're getting it done."
He turned around and left. Michelle poked at her stew with the spoon. She took a spoonful, closed her eyes, and ate it. If there's one thing she's learned it's that food tastes better when she did this. Once she had finished, she took the sheet out from under the bed and started tearing it into pieces. She then changed into a different pair of pants (she decided to take some clothes on their last looting since she only had the clothes on her back) and washed her other ones in the basin. Once she had done all that, she was bored and decided to walk on deck because the room was starting to get stuffy. As the air flowed into her, it brought calmness and assurance, and made the worrying and tense feelings disappear into the swirling ocean below.
******************
Two weeks passed and Will still hadn't given her away. The tension that had formed when she told him who she was slowly disintegrated until they were back to their sibling like relationship. The crew was working harder than ever scrubbing the boat to make it look like men from proper English society inhabited it, and not a bunch of scallywags. After vigorously scrubbing the deck off, Michelle was looking outward and saw a small, bumpy speck on the horizon. She went up to Jack who was steering the ship and asked, "What is that over there? Is it a ship?"
"No," said Jack, the sound of his voice making her heart flip. "That is Port Royal," he said, pointing at the speck on the horizon. "We're going to be there in a couple of days."
Michelle leaned on the edge of the boat and stared over the ocean. It would be her first time in society dressed as a man. The thought didn't give her much reassurance. Pretending to be a pirate is one thing, but a gentleman is a totally other story. She needed to think of a plan quickly before they reach their destination. She looked back at the speck and sighed. This was going to be difficult.
[A/N: Well, they're going to Port Royal, but does Michelle have what it takes to pull off being a man??? Review and I'll have the next chapter out faster!]
"Wake up Michael!" Will yelled, hitting her in the head with a pillow. Michelle groaned and said, "Two more minutes." It had been almost three weeks since Michelle had joined the crew. They had plundered another merchant ship, but she didn't get to fight because the ship was surrendered. During the time she was on the ship, her relationship with Will formed into a brother and sister relationship, or really older and younger brother because Will didn't know her true identity. No one knew except for her. It got troublesome because all the men would make fun of her for not taking her shirt off. She usually just ignored their taunting. Will or Jack always stood up for her, though.
"Come on Michael. If you're late for work, Jack won't be happy with you, and you don't want to do more work do you." Jack. The thought of him made her heart do a back flip in her chest, though she didn't know why. He was just her captain after all. At first she thought it was coincidence and that it was the moving of the boat that caused this, but after three weeks of being on the ship, she was used to the movement and couldn't believe that excuse anymore. Whatever the cause, she wanted it to stop. But she kind of liked it at the same time. Piracy was more complicated than she thought.
"I'm getting up," Michelle mumbled to Will as she got up. She turned around to make her bed when she saw something on the sheets and gasped. There were bloodstains scattered across the white cotton. She quickly counted in her head. She was supposed to have her period this week! And she forgot! She couldn't believe that she forgot. Being on this pirate ship and acting like a man was getting her out of focus. Will, hearing her gasp, turned around to look at her and said, "What's wrong?"
Michelle quickly turned around so he couldn't see where she had bled through her pants and said, "It's nothing," but wasn't quick enough. Will had saw and said, "What are you talking about? You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing," Michelle stammered. But, because Will had become so close to her, he wouldn't take "nothing" for an answer.
"Michael, be reasonable. You're bleeding for crying out loud! At least let me look to see what's wrong."
"No!" Michelle screamed, taking Will by surprise. She took a breath to calm down and said, "It's nothing."
"Michael, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll be forced to tell the captain."
Jack! The last thing she needed was for Jack to find out she was a girl! If he found out, he'd maroon her for sure. She knew there was no way out of it. She sighed in defeat and said, "Will I need to tell you something. You should sit down."
Confused, Will sat down on his bed. Michelle didn't know what to say, so she just decided to tell him. "Will," she began, "I'm not who you think I am. I'm a woman."
Whatever Will thought he was going to hear, it definitely wasn't that. The color in his face drained out and he sat there with a shocked expression on his face. "What? You're a woman? But you can't be!"
"And why can't I?"
"Because. because you don't have women. parts!"
"If you're referring to breasts, I most certainly have them, I just bind them to my chest." She unbuttoned her shirt just enough so that he could see the corset underneath.
If Will was having a hard time finding words before, it wasn't anything compared to now. He started trying to form sentences, and finally came out with, "You lied to all of us."
"Will I'm so sorry!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "I had no money! I was practically starving! You saw how skinny I was when I first came. I needed the money so I wouldn't die out on the streets from lack of food, and Jack said he only let men onto the ship." The tears started to come out of her eyes and trail down her cheeks. "Please Will, I'm really sorry. Don't tell anyone."
Will walked up to her and offered her a handkerchief to dry her eyes and blow her nose. He sat down next to her on her bed, making sure he didn't sit in a stain, and said, "It's alright," and hugged her. When she stopped crying, he said, "I'll tell Jack that you are sick so you can rest all day."
A new wave of tears formed in her eyes. Not because she thought he was mad at her, but because he was being so kind to her after she had lied to him all this time. More than ever, she felt like he was a big brother. "Thank you Will. Please don't tell Jack."
"I won't," he promised.
"You don't know how much this means to me."
"Just rest. I'll check on you later."
He stood up and left the room. Michelle wiped her eyes again and fell asleep.
******************
Around noon, Michelle heard a tap at her door. After she had slept some, she felt better and had started cleaning up her bed. She figured the sheets were ruined and was taking them off so she could form them into scraps so she wouldn't stain her clothes. "Come in," she said, hiding the sheet under the bed and quickly laying down on the bed. The door opened and Will entered. "Hey," he said. "I brought you some food."
"Thanks," Michelle replied, taking the bowl. She made a grossed out face. "You know I don't like the stew."
Will laughed. "It's the only thing we have. We're going to be in Port Royal in two weeks. We're going to get more provisions then."
"So, will I be able to meet Elizabeth then."
"Yeah. I can't wait until I get to see her again."
"How are we going to not get arrested when we go to Port Royal? The Black Pearl is a famous pirate ship after all."
"Jack is the master of disguises. We're going to pretend to be a British merchant ship. British flag, gentlemen on board, everything."
At that Michelle grunted. These pirates being gentlemen! She started picturing these pirates in English finery. The thought of it made her laugh. A silence followed, and Michelle could see Will feeling a little uneasy. She said, "Will, you don't know how much this means to me, keeping my secret and helping me."
"Your welcome Michael. I mean."
"Michelle. And you better get back on deck. Those pirates need someone to tell them what to do. I just hope they're not lagging off that much without me."
This made Will laugh again. "It's hard, but they're getting it done."
He turned around and left. Michelle poked at her stew with the spoon. She took a spoonful, closed her eyes, and ate it. If there's one thing she's learned it's that food tastes better when she did this. Once she had finished, she took the sheet out from under the bed and started tearing it into pieces. She then changed into a different pair of pants (she decided to take some clothes on their last looting since she only had the clothes on her back) and washed her other ones in the basin. Once she had done all that, she was bored and decided to walk on deck because the room was starting to get stuffy. As the air flowed into her, it brought calmness and assurance, and made the worrying and tense feelings disappear into the swirling ocean below.
******************
Two weeks passed and Will still hadn't given her away. The tension that had formed when she told him who she was slowly disintegrated until they were back to their sibling like relationship. The crew was working harder than ever scrubbing the boat to make it look like men from proper English society inhabited it, and not a bunch of scallywags. After vigorously scrubbing the deck off, Michelle was looking outward and saw a small, bumpy speck on the horizon. She went up to Jack who was steering the ship and asked, "What is that over there? Is it a ship?"
"No," said Jack, the sound of his voice making her heart flip. "That is Port Royal," he said, pointing at the speck on the horizon. "We're going to be there in a couple of days."
Michelle leaned on the edge of the boat and stared over the ocean. It would be her first time in society dressed as a man. The thought didn't give her much reassurance. Pretending to be a pirate is one thing, but a gentleman is a totally other story. She needed to think of a plan quickly before they reach their destination. She looked back at the speck and sighed. This was going to be difficult.
[A/N: Well, they're going to Port Royal, but does Michelle have what it takes to pull off being a man??? Review and I'll have the next chapter out faster!]
