Chapter Eighteen
Two days later, after Katie had gotten settled in with her aunt and uncle
and notified her siblings that she was back in town, she was still trying
to adjust to her new life. The previous night she'd had a dream about
Jack. He'd come back to her. She woke up in a sweat and deemed it a
torturous nightmare—something that teased her because she knew for sure
this time it would never ever happen.
Aunt Bea told her about her parents: the both got sick during an epidemic
and died. It was harsh news and only deepened Katie's pain, despite their
disowning of her. The house was willed to Daniel, who was now married and
had children of his own.
Now, she sat at the kitchen table with Uncle Fred as Aunt Bea and a grown
up Virginia and her daughter, Constance, baked cookies with Annie. She
smiled, trying to be happy about the other life she had missed so much.
Maybe things would work out for her here. Maybe she could finally move on
with her life.
"Mummy, look!" she looked up and instantly saw Jack's smile, his eyes,
reflected in her own daughter. That's when she knew the truth. There
would be no moving on.
"Yes, sweetie. I see," Katie replied quietly as she tried to go back to
reading. There was a knock against the front door and Katie slid up from
her chair, going to answer it. "I'll get it," she announced.
"Oh, thank you, dear," her Uncle Fred replied as he slowly sat back down.
She came to the front door and pulled it open, seeing someone she never
expected to see; Commodore Norrington, the man who took Jack away from
her for a second, heart-wrenching time.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily as she stepped outside,
gently shutting the door behind her so as not to disturb her family. "How
did you find me here?"
"Nice to see you too, Miss Preston," he replied, a cocky smirk on his
face.
"It's Mrs. Sparrow." She corrected him. "How did you fine me?" she
repeated again.
"There's a record of residency at my access in the Port Royal library,"
he told her. "It gives me the information of every member under the Royal
Crown. Your family is recorded." He told her. "Although, I must say, I
went through seventeen other Preston families before finding you."
"How fun," she spat. "Well, if you don't mind, I have things to do today.
And I'd say it was nice seeing you, but we both know that's a big lie."
"Don't be so harsh, pet," he told her, his mouth turning up in a cruel
grin. "I came here because I have news about your husband. He's alive and
has been granted clemency on the governor of Port Royal's command."
"He—he has?" Katie asked, her hand going up to her chest.
"Yes. He has," he replied acrimoniously. "But I'm afraid he isn't well."
"Where is he?"
"Well, ma'am, if you wouldn't mind coming with me, I'd be happy to show
you." She nodded and put her hand on the doorknob, twisting it open and
stepping inside briefly. She quickly went into the kitchen.
"Aunt Bea, I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Okay, dearie," Bea chimed, rubbing some cookie dough off her face with
the back of her wrist.
"Who was at the door, luvie?" Uncle Fred asked, looking up from his book.
"Salesman," Katie lied. "I told him we were uninterested."
"That's my girl," Uncle Fred chuckled. Katie kissed her Uncle and Aunt
before going to Annie.
"Stay here, darling," she kissed the top of her head before walking back
towards the door and outside to where Norrington was still waiting.
"Alright?"
"Alright," she cleared her throat and followed him as he led her down the
street—away from the rest of town. They continued down an alleyway and up
to the door of an old house with broken windows. The place looked pretty
much abandoned. But he pushed the door open nonetheless and stepped
inside. Cobwebs were everywhere. Dust gathered on the walls and window
panes (the ones that weren't broken, anyways), and the fireplace was dark
and daunting.
The light of a single candle illuminated from another room off the main
room. Katie turned to the Commodore and he nodded.
"He's right in there, Mrs. Sparrow."
She swallowed and walked slowly to the door, pushing it open and stepping
inside. The dim light from the candles and the fact that there were no
windows made it difficult to see, but despite this, Katie could see a
figure lying in a twin bed across the room, and she knew it was Jack. His
back was turned to her and he wasn't moving.
"Jack," she said his name slowly and gently. "Jack?" he didn't respond.
She walked to the bed and leaned down next to him, placing her hand on
what she thought was his shoulder. Her hand pushed into something
squishy. She flew the covers back and saw that it was a pillow; pillows
spread out to look like a person. She spun around just to see the heavy
wooden door slam behind her with a bang.
"No!" she screamed, knowing at once he had tricked her. She banged on the
door and screamed cries of help, hoping someone would have heard her.
"Scream all you want, Mrs. Sparrow. No one can hear you but me."
"Why are you doing this?!" she shouted as tears began to fall. Her entire
life for the last 11 years seemed to be nothing but sadness, angriness,
angst, heartache and tears. Maybe it would be better this way. He could
have his way with her, kill her and the pain would stop.
"Why?!" he shouted back, for the first time making her realize how bitter
he really was. "Because your husband deserves nothing but pain, Mrs.
Sparrow! He deserves to live through something that might kill him inside
and that means watching you DIE."
"My husband is dead! You killed him!"
"Think again, Mrs. Sparrow!" he shouted back through the door. "What I
said earlier about the governor of Port Royal granting him clemency
wasn't a lie! He's probably on his way to find you right now!"
"Leave him alone, please! He didn't do anything to directly hurt YOU!"
"I believe you don't know that, Mrs. Sparrow."
"Please, just leave us alone!" she begged again.
"I'm afraid I can't do that—it's too late now, you've already seen too
much. Now all I have to do is get that brat of yours and kill you both
with him watching."
"No!" Katie screamed, pounding on the door. "Don't hurt Annie, please!"
"I wish I couldn't," he replied solemnly. "But it must be done." She
heard his boots against the floorboards, the door opened and he stepped
out.
"NO!" whenever push came to shove, Katie had always put Annie's best
interest first. She'd always done whatever she could to protect her
daughter, whether or not it meant something good for her benefit. And now
she couldn't even do that much.
Two days later, after Katie had gotten settled in with her aunt and uncle
and notified her siblings that she was back in town, she was still trying
to adjust to her new life. The previous night she'd had a dream about
Jack. He'd come back to her. She woke up in a sweat and deemed it a
torturous nightmare—something that teased her because she knew for sure
this time it would never ever happen.
Aunt Bea told her about her parents: the both got sick during an epidemic
and died. It was harsh news and only deepened Katie's pain, despite their
disowning of her. The house was willed to Daniel, who was now married and
had children of his own.
Now, she sat at the kitchen table with Uncle Fred as Aunt Bea and a grown
up Virginia and her daughter, Constance, baked cookies with Annie. She
smiled, trying to be happy about the other life she had missed so much.
Maybe things would work out for her here. Maybe she could finally move on
with her life.
"Mummy, look!" she looked up and instantly saw Jack's smile, his eyes,
reflected in her own daughter. That's when she knew the truth. There
would be no moving on.
"Yes, sweetie. I see," Katie replied quietly as she tried to go back to
reading. There was a knock against the front door and Katie slid up from
her chair, going to answer it. "I'll get it," she announced.
"Oh, thank you, dear," her Uncle Fred replied as he slowly sat back down.
She came to the front door and pulled it open, seeing someone she never
expected to see; Commodore Norrington, the man who took Jack away from
her for a second, heart-wrenching time.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily as she stepped outside,
gently shutting the door behind her so as not to disturb her family. "How
did you find me here?"
"Nice to see you too, Miss Preston," he replied, a cocky smirk on his
face.
"It's Mrs. Sparrow." She corrected him. "How did you fine me?" she
repeated again.
"There's a record of residency at my access in the Port Royal library,"
he told her. "It gives me the information of every member under the Royal
Crown. Your family is recorded." He told her. "Although, I must say, I
went through seventeen other Preston families before finding you."
"How fun," she spat. "Well, if you don't mind, I have things to do today.
And I'd say it was nice seeing you, but we both know that's a big lie."
"Don't be so harsh, pet," he told her, his mouth turning up in a cruel
grin. "I came here because I have news about your husband. He's alive and
has been granted clemency on the governor of Port Royal's command."
"He—he has?" Katie asked, her hand going up to her chest.
"Yes. He has," he replied acrimoniously. "But I'm afraid he isn't well."
"Where is he?"
"Well, ma'am, if you wouldn't mind coming with me, I'd be happy to show
you." She nodded and put her hand on the doorknob, twisting it open and
stepping inside briefly. She quickly went into the kitchen.
"Aunt Bea, I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Okay, dearie," Bea chimed, rubbing some cookie dough off her face with
the back of her wrist.
"Who was at the door, luvie?" Uncle Fred asked, looking up from his book.
"Salesman," Katie lied. "I told him we were uninterested."
"That's my girl," Uncle Fred chuckled. Katie kissed her Uncle and Aunt
before going to Annie.
"Stay here, darling," she kissed the top of her head before walking back
towards the door and outside to where Norrington was still waiting.
"Alright?"
"Alright," she cleared her throat and followed him as he led her down the
street—away from the rest of town. They continued down an alleyway and up
to the door of an old house with broken windows. The place looked pretty
much abandoned. But he pushed the door open nonetheless and stepped
inside. Cobwebs were everywhere. Dust gathered on the walls and window
panes (the ones that weren't broken, anyways), and the fireplace was dark
and daunting.
The light of a single candle illuminated from another room off the main
room. Katie turned to the Commodore and he nodded.
"He's right in there, Mrs. Sparrow."
She swallowed and walked slowly to the door, pushing it open and stepping
inside. The dim light from the candles and the fact that there were no
windows made it difficult to see, but despite this, Katie could see a
figure lying in a twin bed across the room, and she knew it was Jack. His
back was turned to her and he wasn't moving.
"Jack," she said his name slowly and gently. "Jack?" he didn't respond.
She walked to the bed and leaned down next to him, placing her hand on
what she thought was his shoulder. Her hand pushed into something
squishy. She flew the covers back and saw that it was a pillow; pillows
spread out to look like a person. She spun around just to see the heavy
wooden door slam behind her with a bang.
"No!" she screamed, knowing at once he had tricked her. She banged on the
door and screamed cries of help, hoping someone would have heard her.
"Scream all you want, Mrs. Sparrow. No one can hear you but me."
"Why are you doing this?!" she shouted as tears began to fall. Her entire
life for the last 11 years seemed to be nothing but sadness, angriness,
angst, heartache and tears. Maybe it would be better this way. He could
have his way with her, kill her and the pain would stop.
"Why?!" he shouted back, for the first time making her realize how bitter
he really was. "Because your husband deserves nothing but pain, Mrs.
Sparrow! He deserves to live through something that might kill him inside
and that means watching you DIE."
"My husband is dead! You killed him!"
"Think again, Mrs. Sparrow!" he shouted back through the door. "What I
said earlier about the governor of Port Royal granting him clemency
wasn't a lie! He's probably on his way to find you right now!"
"Leave him alone, please! He didn't do anything to directly hurt YOU!"
"I believe you don't know that, Mrs. Sparrow."
"Please, just leave us alone!" she begged again.
"I'm afraid I can't do that—it's too late now, you've already seen too
much. Now all I have to do is get that brat of yours and kill you both
with him watching."
"No!" Katie screamed, pounding on the door. "Don't hurt Annie, please!"
"I wish I couldn't," he replied solemnly. "But it must be done." She
heard his boots against the floorboards, the door opened and he stepped
out.
"NO!" whenever push came to shove, Katie had always put Annie's best
interest first. She'd always done whatever she could to protect her
daughter, whether or not it meant something good for her benefit. And now
she couldn't even do that much.