Authors Note: Yay, I'm actually updating. My goal is to have a new chapter up every weekend, so we'll see how that goes. Now, I don't want to keep you from the story, but I want to reply to some comments I got on Ch. 1
Sophia – thanks for reading, and feel free to correct me any time. Like you need the permission, lol. But seriously, thanks for putting up with my scribblings, and make me not do this during math, or I'll seriously start failing. Worse then I already am.
Arien Star – omg, I'm so glad you think Jacks in character, I was really worried about that. And I went back and fixed the format on the last chapter. Hope it's a bit easier to read now. :)
And for everyone else, enjoy the story, and remember to review on your way out.
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Outside, Danielle had resumed her daily wanderings of the island. She rarely had a definite destination in mind, instead preferring to stay on the move and see what opportunities presented themselves. As she weaved between the mixed company of drunken sailors and the women vying for their attention (and their shillings), a dull growl crept up from her empty stomach. It seemed ages since her last meal, and the smells of food wafting out of the nearby taverns had awoken her appetite. Spotting one that she had not visited in some time, Danielle slipped through the doors and let herself revel in the comfort of a warm fire and the smells of food before she bean her search for unguarded plates.
Back in the corner, a breath of cool sea air that had snuck in with her now mingled with the smoke, playfully teasing the senses of the more lucid patrons, including the doctor. He absentmindedly looked up, searching for the source, when his eyes caught sight of the figure in the fore of the tavern. A low laugh rumbled up unchecked from within. "Speak of the devil," he muttered, "and the devil she does appear. That be her now." Jack followed the doctors' gaze until it came to rest on a slight girl picking her way among rough wooden tables that dotted the room. She looked quite common in nature, her long brown hair left down, obscuring most of her features, and a thin well-worn dress draped over her meager frame.
"A thief, you say? Unless she is quite the bonny trickster, I don't see 'er hiding much at all as it stands." Jack said, apprising the girl up and down. Yet even as he spoke, the girl let her fingers run over the table nearest to her. Just as she reached a platter stacked high with food, her hand darted out, snatching a goodly sized roll. A moment later, it was gone, and she continued on her way around the table. Twice more she did this, passing other platters, leaving them a bit lightened of their loads, and all the while Jack watched in fascination. Finally, satisfied with her takings, she slipped out the door, and he turned back to the doctor.
"She has good form, I'll give her that." His friend laughed at the concession.
"Aye, that she does. I wouldn't go bumping into her either. Last time I did, my purse went missing." He said ruefully, shaking his head at the memory.
"Really? Terrible shame that." he said distractedly. "Now, are you sure of that tattoo you saw, mate? Not just one of your fancying or the like?" His voice had taken on a serious edge, his hands, for once, resting quietly on the table.
"Sure as I'm alive, it was there. Why, do you know more then you're letting on, Jack?" the doctor replied, suspicion evident in his tone.
"Of course not. Would you really expect a simple pirate such as myself to know more than a great man of learning such as yourself about as trivial a thing as a tattoo on a girl? Honestly, what has come over you?" Before the doctor could formulate a response, however, Jack had slid out of the booth and turned to face him. "But I'm afraid it is now time for me to take my leave. Good seeing you mate. Must do it again soon." With that, he turned on his heels and strode purposefully out of the tavern, leaving the doctor staring bewilderedly after him.
Once outside, Jack took a moment to consider what he had just learned. If it were true, then that would make this girl the key to quite a tasty bit of treasure. He had heard talk in recent years that an old relic of a pirate in these parts had managed to plunder a loaded treasure galleon, but something had gone amiss. The crew had never returned to port, but as the story went, the treasure had survived, and a map had turned up. Obviously, some of the crew had survived after all, and one of them had seen fit to lay down the path to the treasure, but in a most inopportune manner. Now, it seemed, Jack had come across that very map, alive and well as it were, and somewhere on Tortuga. With a decided nod, Jack began meandering down the darkened street, set on finding her.
Not but a few yards off, Danielle sat huddled against the stone wall of a small alleyway. Before her lay the fruits of her labor: a warm roll, a hunk of cheese and two apples, it was a veritable feast. Finally settling on the apple to begin, she lifted it to her mouth and took a small bite. The juice dripped down her throat, easing her aching stomach. Taking another bite and another, she settled into a rhythmic pattern, bite, chew, swallow, bite, chew, swallow.
In the distance, the sounds of fights and merrymaking mingled with nearby lapping of water against the docks. Out of this drone, footsteps gradually separated, nearing her until they were just out of sight. Danielle instinctively let her hair fall around her face and pushed deeper into the shadows. The steps continued, and a dark shadow passed over her as the figure continued along. Just as the shadow disappeared, however, the footsteps paused. A moment later, two steps brought the figure back to the alleys mouth. Through her streaming hair, Danielle could just make out the outline. A man, she had guessed from his gait, and confirmed from his dress, but not quite normal, if anything in Tortuga were to be considered normal. His hair hung down in thick ropes from under a limp hat. As he grew nearer, she noted the weaving steps he took.
"Wonderful. Drunk, of course." She thought to herself, praying she would not be seen.
It was already far too late for that. He had spotted her ages ago, the blue of her dress a sharp contrast to the dreary settings. Jack had tried to think of a way to approach the girl without spooking her. After half a minute, he abandoned that line of thought and opted for a more direct approach. Hoping she wasn't too skittish a thing, he walked on till he was directly across from her, then spun suddenly to face her.
"Ah, there you are," Jack exclaimed, clapping his hands together in delight. Her gaze shot up at this outburst, a hint of fear edging at her impetuous stare. "I believe you have something I need, love."
Danielle's mind raced; searching for somewhere she could place the man before her, some wrong she may have done against him that would warrant his words. But try as she might, she came up empty. He didn't seem the type she would have forgotten, either, with his eccentric appearance and odd manner.
"I'm sorry," she started hesitantly, unsure of her standing, "but I don't know what you mean, I-" glancing around for something to offer, she spotted the food lying in a bundle behind her. "Oh, no, was that your-. I'm so sorry, please, just-"
Jack followed her gaze to the paltry fare. "No, no. I'm thinking of something a bit more…personal. Think back a bit. I'm sure it will come to you." As he spoke, his hands began to dance impatiently, taking on a life of their own. Ignoring the distraction, Danielle tried desperately to understand what the man wanted. Replaying his words in her mind, she gave a start. "Think back. No, he couldn't possibly mean that. It was inconceivable. How could he know? And yet…"
Jack watched her eyes dart around frantically, until comprehension finally dawned on her. "Ah, yes. That would be it. Now, are we both on the same page, love?"
"But how do you-"
"How would not be the question I would ask were I you, which I am not, but it is of little consequence either way, so don't fret about that now. What I would ask would be 'what now', and the answer to that would be that we continue in one of two ways. So shall it be the easy way or the hard way."
"Way?" she asked quizzically. "Way of doing what? I don't understand." The fear had begun to ebb away, replaced by bewilderment at the man's convoluted speech.
Jack sighed wearily, and then began slowly, as if speaking to an inattentive student. "You," he pointed dramatically at Danielle, "are coming with me." Danielle backed against the wall, steadying herself against its solid structure as the world began to swim around her. Heedless of this, Jack plunged on. "Now, you can either come aboard willingly, say, as a temporary member of my crew, take an equal share in the plunder, be dropped off at the next port we see and Roberts your uncle, Mary's your aunt, we are all none the worse for wear. That would be the easy way."
Danielle reeled at his words. Nothing he had said made sense to her. Plunder and aunts mixed together in a meaningless swarm of words. And even as she struggled to understand, the man stood before her, waiting expectantly for her response. Taking a deep breath to clear her mind, she took account of all that she did know. He wanted to take her away from here. And where was here? A dark alley of a deserted street of an island that had grown to be a prison over the years. A constant struggle to survive, continuous fear for her life, it was always the same. No future, no hope for anything better.
In future days, Danielle would not be able to explain what happened next. Perhaps it was her dismal surroundings and the gnawing ache that still resided in her belly. Or perhaps it was the fantasy of escape that seemed possible in those moments. More likely, it was a combination of the two, perpetuated by the rashness that had ruled such actions for years. Whatever it was, at that moment something inside of her broke. The reservations she held melted away, leaving her in a dreamlike state. Smiling dazedly, Danielle nodded.
Jack took in the smile and the nod with well-hidden surprise. He had expected it to be, well, harder a task. Still, never one to overlook an averted problem, he simply thanked whatever power was feeling generous that evening.
"So, we have an accord?" Jack put foreword in a tone of finality.
"We have an accord."