Chapter 2
Kelly took a deep breath before knocking loudly on the front door. A stiff- looking man in uniform opened the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw the sixteen-ear-old girl waiting on the front stoop.
"I have a package for the Turners," Kelly told him in a perfect English accent, gesturing at the long, slender box in her arms.
"May I inquire as to your name, young miss?" the butler asked.
"My name is Kelly S – Smith," she replied, thinking of a random surname last second.
"Kelly Smith?" the butler repeated, looking as if he might not fully believe her.
"Kelly Smith," the piratess confirmed.
"Very well, Miss Smith," the butler said, nodding and opening the door in invitation. Kelly stepped into the entrance hall and immediately her jaw dropped. She had never seen a house so magnificent as this. When the butler turned to her after closing the door, she snapped her mouth shut and conjured up a smile in order to hide her awe.
"One moment, please, Miss Smith," he remarked. He turned and trotted up the stairs, disappearing through a doorway at the top.
"Bloody 'ell!" Kelly whispered, slipping out of the accent momentarily. She stared around in amazement at the decorations in front of her. She glanced at a little table near her and stepped over to it. She placed the box full of presents on a bare space on the table and turned to examine the other trinkets. She ran her hand over a gorgeous ceramic plate inlaid with precious jewels. She was admiring a beautiful candleholder when a masculine voice broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
Kelly whirled around and saw a boy about her age striding across the hall to come to a stop in front of her. He had deep, sapphire blue eyes and smooth, tanned skin. His dark brown hair was tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck with a thin strip of cloth. He was wearing a loose, long-sleeved with black trousers.
"Who are you?" he repeated. "What are you doing in my father's house?"
Kelly smiled wryly.
"My name is Kelly Smith," she introduced herself with a flourish and a curtsy.
"Daniel Turner," he responded, offering his hand to Kelly.
"Lovely to meet you," she said, shaking his hand and nodding slightly.
"Likewise. Not to be rude or anything . . . but why are you here?"
"An old friend of your father's asked me to come and give your parents and you anniversary and birthday gifts. Respectively, of course."
Daniel's eyes widened in realization and he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another voice rang through the hall.
"Miss Smith?"
Kelly's eyes flicked past the boy in front of her to a man descending the staircase with a puzzled look on his face. Kelly smiled.
"Ah, Mr. Turner! I come bearing gifts," Kelly told him. She turned back to the box of gifts she had placed on the table beside her and opened it. She pulled out a pirate medallion on a chain closely resembling one of the eight hundred eighty-two pieces of cursed Aztec gold. Kelly turned and faced Will, holding out the medallion. Will slowly backed away, an alarmed look on his face.
"I don't mean to be rude, but –" he began.
"It's not Aztec gold," Kelly assured him with a laugh. "Here. Look on the back."
She flipped the medallion over and held it up so the words inscribed on the back were visible to all.
'To Will Turner: You're more like Bootstrap every day. Captain Jack Sparrow.'
Will laughed and took hold of the chain attached to the medallion. He looked at it again before hanging it around his neck. Kelly smiled, pulled a thin sword and sheath out of the box, and handed them to Will.
"It was your father's. Jack thought you might want to have it," Kelly supplied as Will examined it carefully.
"Thank you," he said finally, sheathing the sword and looking at her gratefully. She grinned in response before turning and pulling a gorgeous necklace out of the gift box.
"Um . . . Where is Mrs. Turner?" Kelly asked curiously, glancing around as though the young woman might pop out from a concealed doorway and shout "Surprise". Her gaze froze on Will and Daniel. The teen boy looked at his father in surprise for a moment before staring determinedly at the floor. Will sighed as he looked back at Kelly.
"Elizabeth passed away two years ago," Will told her. Kelly's hands flew to her mouth.
"Oh . . . my goodness. I had no idea," she whispered, completely blown away. "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right; you didn't know," Will reassured her, placing a hand on the distressed girl's shoulder. Kelly glanced at him, then down at the sparkling necklace in her hands. She looked back up at Will, speechless for the first time in her life. She was surprised to see him smiling. "Keep it. Or give it back to Jack."
She nodded mutely and tucked the precious necklace into a hidden pocket in her dress. She glanced back up at Will and saw him smile at her warmly. She smiled back at him and turned to pull a sword and sheath from the box. She faced Daniel as she regained her composure and pulled the sword from the sheath. She looked it up and down admiringly.
"It's a fine sword," she noted with a smile. "Perfectly balanced and very presentable at that."
She flipped the sword up into the air and caught it by the blade. She glanced from the sword to the surprised young man before her and offered it to him, hilt first.
"Jack thinks every young man should have an adequate sword," Kelly told Daniel as he examined it.
"I like how he thinks," Daniel replied, grinning as he resheathed the sword.
Kelly handed Will the last item from the box, a letter from Jack before turning to leave.
"Thank you, Miss Smith," Will called, a twinkle in his eye as he and Daniel read the letter.
"You're welcome, Mr. Turner," Kelly replied from the front door. "And, please, call me Kelly."
"Then we're Will and Daniel," Will told her. Kelly smiled and, almost as if she had forgotten about it, pulled a small black box from a fold in her dress.
"Just in case," Kelly said with a wink. She tossed it through the air to Will. He caught it and grinned. She nodded in farewell to Will, then Daniel, before leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Finally, I can drop that bloody accent," Kelly muttered as she hurried down the walk, her voice returning to normal. As she walked, she unclipped her hair and let it fall free in waves around her face. She hated wearing her hair up. She grinned as the memories of the Turners receiving their gifts floated through her mind. However, her blood chilled, then began racing when a single word was shouted.
"Pirate!"
Kelly wheeled around at the would-be terrifying word. She saw five men marching coldly towards her, the leader bearing the mark of a commodore.
"Pirate," he repeated, disgusted, as they stopped in front of her. Kelly struggled to keep her surprise hidden.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked innocently, applying the accent to her voice again.
"You heard me . . . pirate," the leader accused. "When I shouted, immediately you turned around."
"Commodore, when that word is shouted, everyone in the vicinity turns around," Kelly informed him sweetly.
"You were the only one that turned," he told her as he snapped his fingers. Two of his men roughly grabbed her arms and forced her to her knees, ripping her borrowed dress in the process.
"I am the only person in the vicinity!" she exclaimed as he hands were tied behind her back.
"Commodore Norrington!"
Will and Daniel had just stepped outside onto the drive and saw the girl on the ground, her hands bound and the commodore pointing her sword at her throat.
"Commodore, what are you doing?" Will asked, his eyes roving alarmed over the small group as he and his son ran to them.
"Mr. Turner, this young lady is a pirate," Norrington told him scathingly. Kelly rolled her eyes. Bloody 'ell, 'e's persistent! she thought.
"Oh, fer 'eaven's sake. Tess. Piratess," she cried.
"See?! She just admitted it!" one of Norrington's men cried gleefully. Norrington turned to glare at the man for a moment before turning back to Kelly. He stooped down to be eye level with her.
"Are you part of the murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl?"
Kelly pretended to think it over for a moment.
"Now, are you talkin' about the old murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl, or the new murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl?" she asked.
"At any time!" Norrington roared, grabbing Kelly' hair and yanking her head back so her throat was exposed. Will's and Daniel's faces darkened in fury. They both drew their new swords from their sheaths only to be stopped by every sword of Norrington's men pointing at Kelly's throat.
"Take another step with those swords drawn, gentlemen, and she won't even get a proper hanging," Norrington threatened, releasing Kelly's hair. Looking positively livid, the two Turner men reluctantly sheathed their swords.
"Relax, lads, I'll be fine," Kelly reassured them with a wink. She turned back to Norrington. "In response t' yer question, yes, I'm on the crew of the Black Pearl. The new crew," she added cheekily.
"Whom is she captained by?" Norrington demanded. Kelly smirked.
"Well, yeh've caught the bloke before, Commodore," Kelly replied sarcastically. "But, apparently, yeh weren't really guardin' him very well, as he escaped."
"I don't allow any pirates t' escape when they are under high security as every pirate is, and I never have," the commodore retorted stiffly as he straightened, glaring at her. Kelly's eyes wandered briefly to Will's, her grin widening. His eyes grew in realization.
"Then ye've forgotten one thing, mate," Kelly told Norrington, her eyes glittering. "He's Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Will burst out laughing as Norrington grew red and his men pulled Kelly to her feet. Grinning, she looked at Will and Daniel and winked as she was hauled away.
"Oh, if yeh see Jack, tell him t' tell Anamaria sorry about the dress!" she called back.
Kelly took a deep breath before knocking loudly on the front door. A stiff- looking man in uniform opened the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw the sixteen-ear-old girl waiting on the front stoop.
"I have a package for the Turners," Kelly told him in a perfect English accent, gesturing at the long, slender box in her arms.
"May I inquire as to your name, young miss?" the butler asked.
"My name is Kelly S – Smith," she replied, thinking of a random surname last second.
"Kelly Smith?" the butler repeated, looking as if he might not fully believe her.
"Kelly Smith," the piratess confirmed.
"Very well, Miss Smith," the butler said, nodding and opening the door in invitation. Kelly stepped into the entrance hall and immediately her jaw dropped. She had never seen a house so magnificent as this. When the butler turned to her after closing the door, she snapped her mouth shut and conjured up a smile in order to hide her awe.
"One moment, please, Miss Smith," he remarked. He turned and trotted up the stairs, disappearing through a doorway at the top.
"Bloody 'ell!" Kelly whispered, slipping out of the accent momentarily. She stared around in amazement at the decorations in front of her. She glanced at a little table near her and stepped over to it. She placed the box full of presents on a bare space on the table and turned to examine the other trinkets. She ran her hand over a gorgeous ceramic plate inlaid with precious jewels. She was admiring a beautiful candleholder when a masculine voice broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
Kelly whirled around and saw a boy about her age striding across the hall to come to a stop in front of her. He had deep, sapphire blue eyes and smooth, tanned skin. His dark brown hair was tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck with a thin strip of cloth. He was wearing a loose, long-sleeved with black trousers.
"Who are you?" he repeated. "What are you doing in my father's house?"
Kelly smiled wryly.
"My name is Kelly Smith," she introduced herself with a flourish and a curtsy.
"Daniel Turner," he responded, offering his hand to Kelly.
"Lovely to meet you," she said, shaking his hand and nodding slightly.
"Likewise. Not to be rude or anything . . . but why are you here?"
"An old friend of your father's asked me to come and give your parents and you anniversary and birthday gifts. Respectively, of course."
Daniel's eyes widened in realization and he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another voice rang through the hall.
"Miss Smith?"
Kelly's eyes flicked past the boy in front of her to a man descending the staircase with a puzzled look on his face. Kelly smiled.
"Ah, Mr. Turner! I come bearing gifts," Kelly told him. She turned back to the box of gifts she had placed on the table beside her and opened it. She pulled out a pirate medallion on a chain closely resembling one of the eight hundred eighty-two pieces of cursed Aztec gold. Kelly turned and faced Will, holding out the medallion. Will slowly backed away, an alarmed look on his face.
"I don't mean to be rude, but –" he began.
"It's not Aztec gold," Kelly assured him with a laugh. "Here. Look on the back."
She flipped the medallion over and held it up so the words inscribed on the back were visible to all.
'To Will Turner: You're more like Bootstrap every day. Captain Jack Sparrow.'
Will laughed and took hold of the chain attached to the medallion. He looked at it again before hanging it around his neck. Kelly smiled, pulled a thin sword and sheath out of the box, and handed them to Will.
"It was your father's. Jack thought you might want to have it," Kelly supplied as Will examined it carefully.
"Thank you," he said finally, sheathing the sword and looking at her gratefully. She grinned in response before turning and pulling a gorgeous necklace out of the gift box.
"Um . . . Where is Mrs. Turner?" Kelly asked curiously, glancing around as though the young woman might pop out from a concealed doorway and shout "Surprise". Her gaze froze on Will and Daniel. The teen boy looked at his father in surprise for a moment before staring determinedly at the floor. Will sighed as he looked back at Kelly.
"Elizabeth passed away two years ago," Will told her. Kelly's hands flew to her mouth.
"Oh . . . my goodness. I had no idea," she whispered, completely blown away. "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right; you didn't know," Will reassured her, placing a hand on the distressed girl's shoulder. Kelly glanced at him, then down at the sparkling necklace in her hands. She looked back up at Will, speechless for the first time in her life. She was surprised to see him smiling. "Keep it. Or give it back to Jack."
She nodded mutely and tucked the precious necklace into a hidden pocket in her dress. She glanced back up at Will and saw him smile at her warmly. She smiled back at him and turned to pull a sword and sheath from the box. She faced Daniel as she regained her composure and pulled the sword from the sheath. She looked it up and down admiringly.
"It's a fine sword," she noted with a smile. "Perfectly balanced and very presentable at that."
She flipped the sword up into the air and caught it by the blade. She glanced from the sword to the surprised young man before her and offered it to him, hilt first.
"Jack thinks every young man should have an adequate sword," Kelly told Daniel as he examined it.
"I like how he thinks," Daniel replied, grinning as he resheathed the sword.
Kelly handed Will the last item from the box, a letter from Jack before turning to leave.
"Thank you, Miss Smith," Will called, a twinkle in his eye as he and Daniel read the letter.
"You're welcome, Mr. Turner," Kelly replied from the front door. "And, please, call me Kelly."
"Then we're Will and Daniel," Will told her. Kelly smiled and, almost as if she had forgotten about it, pulled a small black box from a fold in her dress.
"Just in case," Kelly said with a wink. She tossed it through the air to Will. He caught it and grinned. She nodded in farewell to Will, then Daniel, before leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Finally, I can drop that bloody accent," Kelly muttered as she hurried down the walk, her voice returning to normal. As she walked, she unclipped her hair and let it fall free in waves around her face. She hated wearing her hair up. She grinned as the memories of the Turners receiving their gifts floated through her mind. However, her blood chilled, then began racing when a single word was shouted.
"Pirate!"
Kelly wheeled around at the would-be terrifying word. She saw five men marching coldly towards her, the leader bearing the mark of a commodore.
"Pirate," he repeated, disgusted, as they stopped in front of her. Kelly struggled to keep her surprise hidden.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked innocently, applying the accent to her voice again.
"You heard me . . . pirate," the leader accused. "When I shouted, immediately you turned around."
"Commodore, when that word is shouted, everyone in the vicinity turns around," Kelly informed him sweetly.
"You were the only one that turned," he told her as he snapped his fingers. Two of his men roughly grabbed her arms and forced her to her knees, ripping her borrowed dress in the process.
"I am the only person in the vicinity!" she exclaimed as he hands were tied behind her back.
"Commodore Norrington!"
Will and Daniel had just stepped outside onto the drive and saw the girl on the ground, her hands bound and the commodore pointing her sword at her throat.
"Commodore, what are you doing?" Will asked, his eyes roving alarmed over the small group as he and his son ran to them.
"Mr. Turner, this young lady is a pirate," Norrington told him scathingly. Kelly rolled her eyes. Bloody 'ell, 'e's persistent! she thought.
"Oh, fer 'eaven's sake. Tess. Piratess," she cried.
"See?! She just admitted it!" one of Norrington's men cried gleefully. Norrington turned to glare at the man for a moment before turning back to Kelly. He stooped down to be eye level with her.
"Are you part of the murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl?"
Kelly pretended to think it over for a moment.
"Now, are you talkin' about the old murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl, or the new murderous crew of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl?" she asked.
"At any time!" Norrington roared, grabbing Kelly' hair and yanking her head back so her throat was exposed. Will's and Daniel's faces darkened in fury. They both drew their new swords from their sheaths only to be stopped by every sword of Norrington's men pointing at Kelly's throat.
"Take another step with those swords drawn, gentlemen, and she won't even get a proper hanging," Norrington threatened, releasing Kelly's hair. Looking positively livid, the two Turner men reluctantly sheathed their swords.
"Relax, lads, I'll be fine," Kelly reassured them with a wink. She turned back to Norrington. "In response t' yer question, yes, I'm on the crew of the Black Pearl. The new crew," she added cheekily.
"Whom is she captained by?" Norrington demanded. Kelly smirked.
"Well, yeh've caught the bloke before, Commodore," Kelly replied sarcastically. "But, apparently, yeh weren't really guardin' him very well, as he escaped."
"I don't allow any pirates t' escape when they are under high security as every pirate is, and I never have," the commodore retorted stiffly as he straightened, glaring at her. Kelly's eyes wandered briefly to Will's, her grin widening. His eyes grew in realization.
"Then ye've forgotten one thing, mate," Kelly told Norrington, her eyes glittering. "He's Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Will burst out laughing as Norrington grew red and his men pulled Kelly to her feet. Grinning, she looked at Will and Daniel and winked as she was hauled away.
"Oh, if yeh see Jack, tell him t' tell Anamaria sorry about the dress!" she called back.
