The mind-crushing pain throbbing above her temples all but disappeared as Jack hastily made his exit. The greatest treasure... what on Earth had mother left to her? What fortunes untold would cause so much bloodshed and toil?
"Here at last I find myself," she whispered. The book did not hold the key. Those other pirates had it at their disposal, and yet only her own breath could lift the spell.
'Shall I tell Jack?' She thought suddenly, sitting up in the soft folds of the bed. If Jack knew the simple lines were locked soundly within Tabitha's memory, they would have absolutely no reason to confront an adversary. Off to Eden's Rock they'd be, and the reward would be theirs.
'Or Jack's.' Would he share the bounty of the mystery? 'Of course not, you fool,' she scoffed at herself, standing up to face the day. 'He's a pirate. As soon as he has what he wants and you're no longer of use, he'll kill you ten times before you can say parlay.'
But this was Jack. Jack was different, wasn't he? He cared...
She bit furiously down on her lip, flushing from the tips of her ears to the pads on her toes. Such hope and sentiment had rooted down inside without her even realizing. She could not deny the lust fluttering in her stomach, tightening as he drew near. However, the attention and humor that rained upon her in his presence seemed to feed a hunger that had starved the life out of her for fifteen years.
"He needn't know," she ruled aloud, approving her reflection in the mirror with a fluff of her hair. "Not yet."
As she opened the cabin doors to the deck, the sun glared in her eyes. Crewmen idly set about their chores and paid little attention to her presence. They seemed nice enough, in a scary, grubby sort of way. Were they real, plundering, heartless pirates of the variety her father described? In her naive mind, she could hardly imagine them using their swords for anything worse than carving turkey.
Her crate sat next to the wheel where Jack stood, absorbed within the realm of his compass. She sat upon her reserved seat, glancing over the horizon to see the thick highlight of distant land. "What is that?" She asked, jumping up to lean over the railing, as if the few inches were vital in bringing her closer to shore.
"That'd be the Isle de Murenta," he mumbled, far more concerned with his work than the childish questions of his guest. "New hub o' business, exclusive pirate territory. Quickly replacin' Tortuga as th' place t' be."
"Are those other pirates going to be there?"
"Likely not. If they've managed t' get to an' miserably leave Eden's Rock already, they're more likely t' be retracin' their steps back t' Daemon's Pointe t' see if the real Heiress is perhaps shiverin' in ashes by th' grace o' heaven. But we'll see. Maybe we can at least get a name t' look out for. It'll be good for ye too," he added, giving the ship a sharp tug to the right, "get a chance t' walk around an' practice some o' that skippin' you've been refusin' us."
"Get off the ship?!" She exclaimed, as if he was suggesting she take a walk among the waves, "that can't be a good idea."
"Nonsense. If yer there 't all they'll assume you're one o' them."
"I am lacking in effects," she sighed, suddenly missing what she'd lost. The fine dresses imported or inherited, hats she collected with curious passion, seashells that recreated a miniature shore across her shelves. Simple, stupid, replacable things that now seemed priceless and hopelessly lost.
"Mmm. We'll be needin' some kegs, after all ye went through last night," smiled Jack connivingly.
She blushed, remembering with embarassment the wine she drank last night with abandon. She hadn't meant to make such a spectacle of herself, but the drink felt so wonderful as it spread its tingling warmth throughout her body. It calmed her, clouded her worries and made everything seem very foggy, yet strikingly clear. "I...I must have made a fool of myself. I apologize."
"Not 't all. Most wouldn't be able t' roll out o' bed the day after a night like that. Y'impressed me, Miss McGovern," he winked, a thrill he could not have realized. "I must admit, ye have been breakin' my expectations of ye through an' through."
"Oh?" She straightened her back, staring at his lanky figure with stirred curiousity.
"Well, not seemin' t' give a rat's ass what happened t' yer nearest an' dearest back 'n Daemon's Pointe," he pointed out, raising his hand to flambouyantly count, "not yet a single faintin' spell... th' crew even has a runnin' bet as t' whether there's actually a corset under that strikin'ly unique gown o' yours. An' the fact that yer surrounded by pirates, your fate restin' within the palms of our grimy hands, hasn't as much as roused a whimper out of ye."
She grinned, fully satisfied in his observations and feeling an exhilerating sense of pride at the prospect of being intruiging to the personification of intruiging. "The only family I had in Daemon's Pointe was my stepmother, Portia, and her daughter Devonny. Portia, along with everyone else, is dead. And I only regret that it's not of my own hand." She could feel Jack's surprised eyes upon her as she imagined Portia's putrid hair shooting sparks, rolling around on the ground to no avail as she plunged into the gates of Hell. "To see her writhing there, completely at my mercy...for once, I decide HER punishment. The penalty for fifteen years of torture."
"That bad, eh?"
"She loved nothing more than to beat my skin raw." She squeezed her eyes shut, as if her eyelids could protect her from the sore memory of childhood and youth. "We had servants in the household that did all the chores, but she would charge me to do things- little things, pouring tea or fetching this or that. She and Devonny worked as a team. Devonny's job was to make sure I messed it up. Push me or trip me, or whatever worked best at the moment. When I failed, she'd have Devonny bring her favorite riding crop from the shed outdoors. She'd strike me over and over again, up and down my back and legs, until welts rose and oozed pus and ached so badly I couldn't stand. And the laughter... she always laughed the entire way through, as it was the greatest amusement to her. When I got bigger and put up a better fight, she took to tethering me down so I couldn't budge."
He had turned completely away from the wheel, and now kneeled at level to her, his face shrunken into concern. "An' this father o' yours... ye don't seem t' 'ave that much animocity toward him, so-"
"Father's never home. He's a fine member of the British Navy, and when my mother died he knew I would be alone. He wanted so badly for me to have a family when he couldn't be there. I don't know how or why Portia fell into his lap, but she did, and whatever charm she had she used to convince him that she would be the finest mother in the world. I couldn't tell him of her cruelty, it would break his heart. He could not survive knowing his good intentions had caused me so much pain." She glanced down at Jack, who gazed up at her with an emotion she could not identify. It glittered with hatred and reverence, and his knowing stare left her feeling unsettlingly exposed. "What? Haven't you a ship to command? Don't waste your time grieving over my miserable, now obliterated past."
"It's most interesting," he reasoned aloud, "day in an' day out like that, absolutely stuck... that breaks a person. How did ye ever manage to stay in one slightly sane piece?"
Perhaps she should have laughed, but she found the question most considerable. "I can't say. I just don't know."
"Land ho!" A crewman shouted from up above as people began scurrying all around, making preparations to land. It was a makeshift, shanty sort of place, with stalls and tents prominent above real buildings or establishments. A number of other ships docked alongside, frightening looking men hurrying out and others coming back reeling with great hauls or cursing bad luck.
"Civilization awaits ye, Miss McGovern," he announced, offering a hand. "Let's find ye a new dress. Ye need t' shed that skin."
****NOTE*****
Okay, I know this chapter is kind of short and not much happens either... however, it's pretty necessary to make the forthcoming chapters make sense. So just hold on there, and I hope you enjoy it ^_^ Review, s'il vous plait! I love reviews, they make me most happy.
"Here at last I find myself," she whispered. The book did not hold the key. Those other pirates had it at their disposal, and yet only her own breath could lift the spell.
'Shall I tell Jack?' She thought suddenly, sitting up in the soft folds of the bed. If Jack knew the simple lines were locked soundly within Tabitha's memory, they would have absolutely no reason to confront an adversary. Off to Eden's Rock they'd be, and the reward would be theirs.
'Or Jack's.' Would he share the bounty of the mystery? 'Of course not, you fool,' she scoffed at herself, standing up to face the day. 'He's a pirate. As soon as he has what he wants and you're no longer of use, he'll kill you ten times before you can say parlay.'
But this was Jack. Jack was different, wasn't he? He cared...
She bit furiously down on her lip, flushing from the tips of her ears to the pads on her toes. Such hope and sentiment had rooted down inside without her even realizing. She could not deny the lust fluttering in her stomach, tightening as he drew near. However, the attention and humor that rained upon her in his presence seemed to feed a hunger that had starved the life out of her for fifteen years.
"He needn't know," she ruled aloud, approving her reflection in the mirror with a fluff of her hair. "Not yet."
As she opened the cabin doors to the deck, the sun glared in her eyes. Crewmen idly set about their chores and paid little attention to her presence. They seemed nice enough, in a scary, grubby sort of way. Were they real, plundering, heartless pirates of the variety her father described? In her naive mind, she could hardly imagine them using their swords for anything worse than carving turkey.
Her crate sat next to the wheel where Jack stood, absorbed within the realm of his compass. She sat upon her reserved seat, glancing over the horizon to see the thick highlight of distant land. "What is that?" She asked, jumping up to lean over the railing, as if the few inches were vital in bringing her closer to shore.
"That'd be the Isle de Murenta," he mumbled, far more concerned with his work than the childish questions of his guest. "New hub o' business, exclusive pirate territory. Quickly replacin' Tortuga as th' place t' be."
"Are those other pirates going to be there?"
"Likely not. If they've managed t' get to an' miserably leave Eden's Rock already, they're more likely t' be retracin' their steps back t' Daemon's Pointe t' see if the real Heiress is perhaps shiverin' in ashes by th' grace o' heaven. But we'll see. Maybe we can at least get a name t' look out for. It'll be good for ye too," he added, giving the ship a sharp tug to the right, "get a chance t' walk around an' practice some o' that skippin' you've been refusin' us."
"Get off the ship?!" She exclaimed, as if he was suggesting she take a walk among the waves, "that can't be a good idea."
"Nonsense. If yer there 't all they'll assume you're one o' them."
"I am lacking in effects," she sighed, suddenly missing what she'd lost. The fine dresses imported or inherited, hats she collected with curious passion, seashells that recreated a miniature shore across her shelves. Simple, stupid, replacable things that now seemed priceless and hopelessly lost.
"Mmm. We'll be needin' some kegs, after all ye went through last night," smiled Jack connivingly.
She blushed, remembering with embarassment the wine she drank last night with abandon. She hadn't meant to make such a spectacle of herself, but the drink felt so wonderful as it spread its tingling warmth throughout her body. It calmed her, clouded her worries and made everything seem very foggy, yet strikingly clear. "I...I must have made a fool of myself. I apologize."
"Not 't all. Most wouldn't be able t' roll out o' bed the day after a night like that. Y'impressed me, Miss McGovern," he winked, a thrill he could not have realized. "I must admit, ye have been breakin' my expectations of ye through an' through."
"Oh?" She straightened her back, staring at his lanky figure with stirred curiousity.
"Well, not seemin' t' give a rat's ass what happened t' yer nearest an' dearest back 'n Daemon's Pointe," he pointed out, raising his hand to flambouyantly count, "not yet a single faintin' spell... th' crew even has a runnin' bet as t' whether there's actually a corset under that strikin'ly unique gown o' yours. An' the fact that yer surrounded by pirates, your fate restin' within the palms of our grimy hands, hasn't as much as roused a whimper out of ye."
She grinned, fully satisfied in his observations and feeling an exhilerating sense of pride at the prospect of being intruiging to the personification of intruiging. "The only family I had in Daemon's Pointe was my stepmother, Portia, and her daughter Devonny. Portia, along with everyone else, is dead. And I only regret that it's not of my own hand." She could feel Jack's surprised eyes upon her as she imagined Portia's putrid hair shooting sparks, rolling around on the ground to no avail as she plunged into the gates of Hell. "To see her writhing there, completely at my mercy...for once, I decide HER punishment. The penalty for fifteen years of torture."
"That bad, eh?"
"She loved nothing more than to beat my skin raw." She squeezed her eyes shut, as if her eyelids could protect her from the sore memory of childhood and youth. "We had servants in the household that did all the chores, but she would charge me to do things- little things, pouring tea or fetching this or that. She and Devonny worked as a team. Devonny's job was to make sure I messed it up. Push me or trip me, or whatever worked best at the moment. When I failed, she'd have Devonny bring her favorite riding crop from the shed outdoors. She'd strike me over and over again, up and down my back and legs, until welts rose and oozed pus and ached so badly I couldn't stand. And the laughter... she always laughed the entire way through, as it was the greatest amusement to her. When I got bigger and put up a better fight, she took to tethering me down so I couldn't budge."
He had turned completely away from the wheel, and now kneeled at level to her, his face shrunken into concern. "An' this father o' yours... ye don't seem t' 'ave that much animocity toward him, so-"
"Father's never home. He's a fine member of the British Navy, and when my mother died he knew I would be alone. He wanted so badly for me to have a family when he couldn't be there. I don't know how or why Portia fell into his lap, but she did, and whatever charm she had she used to convince him that she would be the finest mother in the world. I couldn't tell him of her cruelty, it would break his heart. He could not survive knowing his good intentions had caused me so much pain." She glanced down at Jack, who gazed up at her with an emotion she could not identify. It glittered with hatred and reverence, and his knowing stare left her feeling unsettlingly exposed. "What? Haven't you a ship to command? Don't waste your time grieving over my miserable, now obliterated past."
"It's most interesting," he reasoned aloud, "day in an' day out like that, absolutely stuck... that breaks a person. How did ye ever manage to stay in one slightly sane piece?"
Perhaps she should have laughed, but she found the question most considerable. "I can't say. I just don't know."
"Land ho!" A crewman shouted from up above as people began scurrying all around, making preparations to land. It was a makeshift, shanty sort of place, with stalls and tents prominent above real buildings or establishments. A number of other ships docked alongside, frightening looking men hurrying out and others coming back reeling with great hauls or cursing bad luck.
"Civilization awaits ye, Miss McGovern," he announced, offering a hand. "Let's find ye a new dress. Ye need t' shed that skin."
****NOTE*****
Okay, I know this chapter is kind of short and not much happens either... however, it's pretty necessary to make the forthcoming chapters make sense. So just hold on there, and I hope you enjoy it ^_^ Review, s'il vous plait! I love reviews, they make me most happy.