Chapter 5 Stranded
Jack wasn't sure what feeling was the strongest; that of humiliation or that of pain. They had beat four poles deep in the ground and tied him to them. To top it all they had left a bottle of water at his right hand, barely out of reach. But the worst thing they did to him was to leave the wolf's body at the beach in clear view.
She had indeed been shot twice. She had a bullet wound in the chest and one on the back of her neck. He could only see wolf's back from where he was lying and he was grateful for that. He couldn't stand to see those glassy green eyes and know that he had caused that.
He just lay there and stared at the wolf and wondered why she hadn't had the courage to tell him this. It wasn't like he would hate her for it although it was a bit strange. He just wondered what she had done to deserve such a fate.
The tide was slowly coming in and crept closer and closer every minute. He had completely lost track of time as he lay there wondering when the heat would become unbearable.
Then the water reached the wolf and washed away some of the water, but then something very strange happened. As the water rushed over the wolf's head it bolted upright and sneezed.
"Now, that's interesting" he muttered.
The wolf turned around and looked at him as it slowly sat down with a look that resembled a beat poodle, with both ears dropping and watery, sorry eyes.
"Evy" he said softly.
The wolf shifted her weight before she carefully got to her feet and almost literally crawled over to him and sat down by his side like a dog that had been disobedient.
"You should have told me."
The wolf lowered her head. Then she got to her feet again and took a few steps.
"Don't go away."
But instead of doing so she started chewing on the ropes.
When he was free he rubbed his sore wrists and was about to say something to the wolf when she suddenly ran off. "That happens a lot with her" he commented and made to run after, but decided against it. If she wanted to there was plenty of room to avoid him. Besides she could outrun him like that.
Instead he sat down on the sand and tried to figure a way to get off this godforsaken spit of land.
***
About noon he found her sitting on a sand dune on the far side of the island, looking out over the sea with her coal black hair flowing freely in the wind. She had taken off her coat, west and boots. The blood red silk headband she wore under the hat was curled together in her hat.
"You could have told me" he said as he sat down next to her. He could only see her profile, but it was enough to tell that she felt ashamed and sad. "I miss that smile" he said softly.
"They will be back soon" she said as she pushed away some hair from her face.
"I told you not to give her those pieces. She would never have killed you. I am immortal so it doesn't matter if it hurts like hell." She locked eyes with him. "Did you pay for this temporary freedom with anything else than the gold?"
She knows he thought. He was sure that she liked him as much as he liked her and that if she ever found out what happened aboard the Sea Devil it would break her heart. If she ever found out there was little or no chance for him to regain her trust and then the possibility of having her would fly out of the window. "No" he lied.
She stared at him for a bit with a stone face. Then she got to her feet. "We can forget about swimming, the ocean is crawling with bloodthirsty sharks."
"We couldn't swim away even if we wanted to, it is too far to the next island."
"Perhaps for you." She strode past him, but he whipped around and grabbed her wrist.
"You could have told me." He noticed that his thumb was obscuring something just above her wrist and he pushed the fabric away to reveal the pirate mark. "You were a participant."
"So shoot me." She wriggled out of his grip.
"Evelyn, you must start trusting me."
She spun around. "I "must" do nothing. Look, you wasn't supposed to know. Period... about any of it."
"But now I know I would really like to find out why. Also about that tattoo."
She marched back to him. "The curse was cast six years ago, Fraser did not leave me anywhere, I ran. I wasn't about to let him know that one of his crewmembers had been cursed by a mad Gypsy that thought I was the reason for her son's death. I was not the one who gave that boy that disease. As for the tattoo, I am not a whore anything of the kind. I was sold for another purpose. The pirate mark I cannot comment much, caught in action." There was tears in her eyes as she finished the sentence.
"You have experienced much evil" he said softly.
At these words she really broke down in tears and he held her head to his chest. He kissed her forehead and allowed her to cry out before he forced her to return to more pressing matters.
"We need to find a way to get off this island."
"You still have the bottle of water?" she asked against his chest.
"Yes."
"I want you to hold on to it, you need its contents more than I do. I can survive without it" she added bitterly.
"Fishing boat" said Jack suddenly and pushed her aside.
She turned around and saw the boat herself. It was most likely mussel fishers since these waters were full of black pearls.
Jack ran down to the beach and waved with his arms. It was a goofy sight and it made her start laughing, but it worked. The boat headed straight for them.
Once they were aboard the boat the captain, a skinny native Jamaican brought them blankets.
"What happened?" he asked them.
"Pirates" replied Evelyn.
"Dear Heavens, you are lady Wolff" said a woman's voice from behind them.
They both turned to find a huge woman with baggy pants and a shirt that looked three sizes too small.
"I need to get to Costa Rica" said Evelyn calmly.
"If milady wants to go to Costa Rica, then this is where this boat is going" replied the woman with a curtsey.
"Am I not the captain aboard my own boat?" asked the Jamaican.
"Am I not the wife?"
"That's love for you" whispered Evelyn, making Jack bark a short laughter.
***
Later, when the boat drew nearer to Costa Rica Jack asked if Evelyn had a plan.
"I assume that they are heading back to the island to finish you off. That is, Barbossa himself."
"I assume that you are right, milady." He took of his hat and made a deep bow.
"Cut it out."
Both were looking out for any enemy ships as they drew nearer to the coast, but were no signs of any humans being there at all.
They were brought as close to the shore as possible, but as there were many underwater cliffs there the captain dared not bring the boat too close so Jack and Evelyn swam the last piece into shore and headed into the jungle.
Evelyn wiped water from her face as they hurried deeper into the vegetation. "Thank God I am immortal."
"Why do you say that?"
"If I weren't I would probably die from pneumonia or something. Before the curse I could barely get my hair wet before I started sneezing."
He smiled, but she never saw it because she was walking behind him.
"What happened, really?" He cast a glance over his shoulder at her.
"To tell the truth, I have no idea. There was this young man, no more than 26 or so. He was partly gypsy and sought work aboard the Sea Devil. Poor idiot, probably had no idea what kind of ship she was. Anyway, Fraser gave him a chance. Something happened to the poor bastard because he got sicker and sicker for some odd reason."
"Why on Earth were you blamed?"
"Witches' mark."
He stopped and she nearly crashed into him. "Is there any mark you do not have?"
"I don't have the lily etched into my shoulder. Witches' marks are nothing but silly superstition. They are nothing more than birthmarks. It beats me how she found out because today that mark is practically invisible. My mother said that there were nothing wrong with me and I believe her to this day."
He nodded and started walking again. "So, what happened next?"
"Well, the last languish I would have known with or against my will is Romany. I had no idea what the old woman were talking about when we delivered the body back to the family. Something made the captain bring the body back instead of sending it to Davy John's locker. In case you wondered" she added. "Anyhow, since I had no idea what she was talking about, me thinking that I had brought shame on him in the words of... you know, so I couldn't really defend myself. Then the old witch said some abracadabra voodoo stuff and presto!" She threw out her arms.
"Sorry"
"Not as much as me. I was innocent, I have never hurt... anyone... intently. I had to leave the ship right away. I could not bare the others finding out. I was suddenly pushed back out in the cold, ashamed and alone. I returned to Port Royal where I managed to cook up some fish story... close to the truth. Only one difference... I said that Barbossa was behind it all. Well, I lived more or less a normal life till I found out that Fraser was dead."
"He was your father, why don't you say that instead of using his name or title?"
"Well... I loved him, make no mistake about that, but neither fathers I have ever had has ever been any good father figures. I was brought up by the crew, Fraser had very little to do with it. He only spoiled me with jewellery and other things that any girl would need."
"Hush!" said Jack suddenly and both stopped dead in their tracks. There, below them, at the bottom of the slope were about half a dozen primitive cages tied together by plant material.
"We have to free them" said Evelyn and made for the cages, but Jack grabbed her elbow and forced her down just in time.
Barbossa was back! That ugly face was recognisable anywhere.
Jack pulled Evelyn with him backwards and together they retreated to a cavern nearby, a cavern they had passed on their way there.
"We must find a way to free them."
He stared at her. "You are shaking. We have to get you out of those clothes before you freeze to death." He rolled with his eyes when he realised what he had said.
"I can't die, remember?"
"That's not a reason to suffer."
"Where do you think they are keeping the ships?"
"It's a lagoon on the other side of the dead volcano. That is probably where they are."
"All is lost, then." She sighed deeply. "Time to pull in the oars."
"Never."
"Don't you understand? With the chief on one ship, presumably the Pearl, and the bitch on the other they are invincible."
"In a battle at sea, perhaps, but we're on shore."
"Aren't you forgetting something? The odds are terribly against us."
"You are the one forgetting something. I am captain Jack Sparrow, savvy? I wager that we will manage to beat them as soon as the proper plan pops up."
"In the meantime?"
"In the meantime welcome home."
She snorted. He had been right, she was almost freezing her butt off.
He got up and gave her his coat, but something unexpected happened when he did so because as his hand brushed against her neck she grabbed it and locked eyes with him. Surely she was young and probably inexperienced, but that sign was not to be misinterpreted.
Especially not when she got to her feet and looked deep into his eyes. She was waiting for him to make the "first move".
He needn't be asked twice so he pulled her closer and gave her a gentle kiss.
[cliffhanger? Are you kidding?]
Jack wasn't sure what feeling was the strongest; that of humiliation or that of pain. They had beat four poles deep in the ground and tied him to them. To top it all they had left a bottle of water at his right hand, barely out of reach. But the worst thing they did to him was to leave the wolf's body at the beach in clear view.
She had indeed been shot twice. She had a bullet wound in the chest and one on the back of her neck. He could only see wolf's back from where he was lying and he was grateful for that. He couldn't stand to see those glassy green eyes and know that he had caused that.
He just lay there and stared at the wolf and wondered why she hadn't had the courage to tell him this. It wasn't like he would hate her for it although it was a bit strange. He just wondered what she had done to deserve such a fate.
The tide was slowly coming in and crept closer and closer every minute. He had completely lost track of time as he lay there wondering when the heat would become unbearable.
Then the water reached the wolf and washed away some of the water, but then something very strange happened. As the water rushed over the wolf's head it bolted upright and sneezed.
"Now, that's interesting" he muttered.
The wolf turned around and looked at him as it slowly sat down with a look that resembled a beat poodle, with both ears dropping and watery, sorry eyes.
"Evy" he said softly.
The wolf shifted her weight before she carefully got to her feet and almost literally crawled over to him and sat down by his side like a dog that had been disobedient.
"You should have told me."
The wolf lowered her head. Then she got to her feet again and took a few steps.
"Don't go away."
But instead of doing so she started chewing on the ropes.
When he was free he rubbed his sore wrists and was about to say something to the wolf when she suddenly ran off. "That happens a lot with her" he commented and made to run after, but decided against it. If she wanted to there was plenty of room to avoid him. Besides she could outrun him like that.
Instead he sat down on the sand and tried to figure a way to get off this godforsaken spit of land.
***
About noon he found her sitting on a sand dune on the far side of the island, looking out over the sea with her coal black hair flowing freely in the wind. She had taken off her coat, west and boots. The blood red silk headband she wore under the hat was curled together in her hat.
"You could have told me" he said as he sat down next to her. He could only see her profile, but it was enough to tell that she felt ashamed and sad. "I miss that smile" he said softly.
"They will be back soon" she said as she pushed away some hair from her face.
"I told you not to give her those pieces. She would never have killed you. I am immortal so it doesn't matter if it hurts like hell." She locked eyes with him. "Did you pay for this temporary freedom with anything else than the gold?"
She knows he thought. He was sure that she liked him as much as he liked her and that if she ever found out what happened aboard the Sea Devil it would break her heart. If she ever found out there was little or no chance for him to regain her trust and then the possibility of having her would fly out of the window. "No" he lied.
She stared at him for a bit with a stone face. Then she got to her feet. "We can forget about swimming, the ocean is crawling with bloodthirsty sharks."
"We couldn't swim away even if we wanted to, it is too far to the next island."
"Perhaps for you." She strode past him, but he whipped around and grabbed her wrist.
"You could have told me." He noticed that his thumb was obscuring something just above her wrist and he pushed the fabric away to reveal the pirate mark. "You were a participant."
"So shoot me." She wriggled out of his grip.
"Evelyn, you must start trusting me."
She spun around. "I "must" do nothing. Look, you wasn't supposed to know. Period... about any of it."
"But now I know I would really like to find out why. Also about that tattoo."
She marched back to him. "The curse was cast six years ago, Fraser did not leave me anywhere, I ran. I wasn't about to let him know that one of his crewmembers had been cursed by a mad Gypsy that thought I was the reason for her son's death. I was not the one who gave that boy that disease. As for the tattoo, I am not a whore anything of the kind. I was sold for another purpose. The pirate mark I cannot comment much, caught in action." There was tears in her eyes as she finished the sentence.
"You have experienced much evil" he said softly.
At these words she really broke down in tears and he held her head to his chest. He kissed her forehead and allowed her to cry out before he forced her to return to more pressing matters.
"We need to find a way to get off this island."
"You still have the bottle of water?" she asked against his chest.
"Yes."
"I want you to hold on to it, you need its contents more than I do. I can survive without it" she added bitterly.
"Fishing boat" said Jack suddenly and pushed her aside.
She turned around and saw the boat herself. It was most likely mussel fishers since these waters were full of black pearls.
Jack ran down to the beach and waved with his arms. It was a goofy sight and it made her start laughing, but it worked. The boat headed straight for them.
Once they were aboard the boat the captain, a skinny native Jamaican brought them blankets.
"What happened?" he asked them.
"Pirates" replied Evelyn.
"Dear Heavens, you are lady Wolff" said a woman's voice from behind them.
They both turned to find a huge woman with baggy pants and a shirt that looked three sizes too small.
"I need to get to Costa Rica" said Evelyn calmly.
"If milady wants to go to Costa Rica, then this is where this boat is going" replied the woman with a curtsey.
"Am I not the captain aboard my own boat?" asked the Jamaican.
"Am I not the wife?"
"That's love for you" whispered Evelyn, making Jack bark a short laughter.
***
Later, when the boat drew nearer to Costa Rica Jack asked if Evelyn had a plan.
"I assume that they are heading back to the island to finish you off. That is, Barbossa himself."
"I assume that you are right, milady." He took of his hat and made a deep bow.
"Cut it out."
Both were looking out for any enemy ships as they drew nearer to the coast, but were no signs of any humans being there at all.
They were brought as close to the shore as possible, but as there were many underwater cliffs there the captain dared not bring the boat too close so Jack and Evelyn swam the last piece into shore and headed into the jungle.
Evelyn wiped water from her face as they hurried deeper into the vegetation. "Thank God I am immortal."
"Why do you say that?"
"If I weren't I would probably die from pneumonia or something. Before the curse I could barely get my hair wet before I started sneezing."
He smiled, but she never saw it because she was walking behind him.
"What happened, really?" He cast a glance over his shoulder at her.
"To tell the truth, I have no idea. There was this young man, no more than 26 or so. He was partly gypsy and sought work aboard the Sea Devil. Poor idiot, probably had no idea what kind of ship she was. Anyway, Fraser gave him a chance. Something happened to the poor bastard because he got sicker and sicker for some odd reason."
"Why on Earth were you blamed?"
"Witches' mark."
He stopped and she nearly crashed into him. "Is there any mark you do not have?"
"I don't have the lily etched into my shoulder. Witches' marks are nothing but silly superstition. They are nothing more than birthmarks. It beats me how she found out because today that mark is practically invisible. My mother said that there were nothing wrong with me and I believe her to this day."
He nodded and started walking again. "So, what happened next?"
"Well, the last languish I would have known with or against my will is Romany. I had no idea what the old woman were talking about when we delivered the body back to the family. Something made the captain bring the body back instead of sending it to Davy John's locker. In case you wondered" she added. "Anyhow, since I had no idea what she was talking about, me thinking that I had brought shame on him in the words of... you know, so I couldn't really defend myself. Then the old witch said some abracadabra voodoo stuff and presto!" She threw out her arms.
"Sorry"
"Not as much as me. I was innocent, I have never hurt... anyone... intently. I had to leave the ship right away. I could not bare the others finding out. I was suddenly pushed back out in the cold, ashamed and alone. I returned to Port Royal where I managed to cook up some fish story... close to the truth. Only one difference... I said that Barbossa was behind it all. Well, I lived more or less a normal life till I found out that Fraser was dead."
"He was your father, why don't you say that instead of using his name or title?"
"Well... I loved him, make no mistake about that, but neither fathers I have ever had has ever been any good father figures. I was brought up by the crew, Fraser had very little to do with it. He only spoiled me with jewellery and other things that any girl would need."
"Hush!" said Jack suddenly and both stopped dead in their tracks. There, below them, at the bottom of the slope were about half a dozen primitive cages tied together by plant material.
"We have to free them" said Evelyn and made for the cages, but Jack grabbed her elbow and forced her down just in time.
Barbossa was back! That ugly face was recognisable anywhere.
Jack pulled Evelyn with him backwards and together they retreated to a cavern nearby, a cavern they had passed on their way there.
"We must find a way to free them."
He stared at her. "You are shaking. We have to get you out of those clothes before you freeze to death." He rolled with his eyes when he realised what he had said.
"I can't die, remember?"
"That's not a reason to suffer."
"Where do you think they are keeping the ships?"
"It's a lagoon on the other side of the dead volcano. That is probably where they are."
"All is lost, then." She sighed deeply. "Time to pull in the oars."
"Never."
"Don't you understand? With the chief on one ship, presumably the Pearl, and the bitch on the other they are invincible."
"In a battle at sea, perhaps, but we're on shore."
"Aren't you forgetting something? The odds are terribly against us."
"You are the one forgetting something. I am captain Jack Sparrow, savvy? I wager that we will manage to beat them as soon as the proper plan pops up."
"In the meantime?"
"In the meantime welcome home."
She snorted. He had been right, she was almost freezing her butt off.
He got up and gave her his coat, but something unexpected happened when he did so because as his hand brushed against her neck she grabbed it and locked eyes with him. Surely she was young and probably inexperienced, but that sign was not to be misinterpreted.
Especially not when she got to her feet and looked deep into his eyes. She was waiting for him to make the "first move".
He needn't be asked twice so he pulled her closer and gave her a gentle kiss.
[cliffhanger? Are you kidding?]