Yes, I am a rather stubborn git, PaL. Most of my friends ignore me, so you can just do the same. –wink- Anyway (for anyone reading this) I am still in need of a new title for this story. I won't change it until the story is complete so I don't confuse everyone reading it, but suggestions would be most helpful for future reference. Another thing: I wasn't too certain whether cards had been created during the 17th century or not, so if they weren't, please choose to ignore the fact that some of the pirates are playing poker. –smile-
Secrets of the CaribbeanWritten By: Riley Barton
[Chapter Thirty]
Anamaria placed her cards flat out on the table and smiled gloatingly. "I believe the flagon is mine, boys," she purred, holding out a hand for the flagon of rum that had been placed in the center of the rough wooden table.
The six men gathered around the table glared at the cards spread out before her. Bard, a pirate missing his left thumb, grudgingly pushed the flagon in her direction. "Women are bad luck," he grumbled.
Anamaria glared at him. "If women are bad luck, then why do I 'ave th' flagon, eh?"
Suddenly the flagon lurched to the left, followed abruptly after by the table and all its occupants. Anamaria growled in surprise as she was thrown to the ground. The flagon crashed onto the ground beside her, splashing her in the sweet liquid. "What the 'ell is goin' on?" she shouted, feeling her body shift as the ship lurched again. Getting no response other than grumbles and moaning, she grabbed the leg of a man getting to his feet, pulled him back down, and used him as leverage to get to her own feet.
Anamaria staggered down the narrow corridor in a hurried frenzy. She ran her hand down the wall as she went until she reached the ladder. She clambered up and shoved the grate covering it to the side. Pulling herself up and out, she rolled to the left, knocking some coiled rigging into the foaming ocean. "Jack!" she shouted angrily. She crawled to her feet and took two steps, but didn't get any further. The starboard side of the Black Pearl had, seemingly, struck something, and the jolt had knocked Anamaria off her feet again. Her body rolled as the ship moved to the left in an effort to avoid colliding with whatever it was a second time. She didn't stop rolling until she bumped into the railing. The center of her back hit a rung and the momentum knocked her head backwards and out over the side of the ship. Salty spray came up to meet her, bathing her in it. She sputtered, reaching for a handhold. A hand grabbed her shirt and pulled her away from the bulwark and safely onto the deck. Anamaria wiped the water from her eyes and tried to see the face of whoever it was, but the salt from the water was stinging her eyes and she was forced to close them.
Above the main deck, Scarlett grabbed a piece of rigging flying in the wind and jumped on top of the bulwark. Her boots gripped the railing as she leaned out over the ship's side, holding tightly to the rope -her lifeline, so to speak. Below in the frothing ocean the reef was grazing the Pearl's right side, cutting into the wood; she could hear the ship groaning. The salty ocean water washed over her, drowning her from head to foot. Scarlett reached up and wiped her wet hair back from her face, straining to see, just as the Pearl's hull was scraped against a larger section of the reef. Her boots slipped off the railing and, with a sharp cry of surprise, she latched tighter onto the rope she held in her hands. The rope swung her out over the ocean below before swinging her back over the Pearl's railing. Not particularly wanting to have another flight over the ocean, she let go of the rigging and dropped to the deck. Her body curled into a ball, causing her to roll until she bumped into something.
"Scarlett, you all right?"
Scarlett nodded, chuckling in a crazy manner. If she hadn't been so frightened of drowning, that would have been an exhilarating experience. A hand reached down to help her up and she thankfully took it. She evenly spread her feet so she had a stable foothold on the slippery deck. "Thanks, Fredrick." She smiled.
"Whatcha tryin' t' do, lass, scare the bleedin' hell outta us?" Anamaria snapped. She, too, was wet to the skin.
Scarlett laughed. "I didn't mean to do that, I assure you." She slapped Anamaria on the shoulder and made her way to the bulwark, slipping and sliding as she went. She grabbed it and leaned over the edge, daring fate yet again, and let out a shout of jubilation. The Black Pearl was pulling away from the reef.
A time later the Pearl was brought to a halt as men from the crew swung down over the starboard side to survey the damage done. Scarlett and Anamaria, still wearing their wet clothes, sludged with squeaking footsteps across the deck to the helm of the ship where Will and Jack stood together.
Will looked at them and laughed. "The two of you look like drowned rats."
Scarlett scowled. "Yes, and it would appear you don't even have a speck of salt on your clothing. Where were you during the whole thing? Hiding under your bunk below deck?"
Anamaria gave Jack a once over. "If anyone looks like a drowned rat 'tis him with his drippin' locks an' all."
Scarlett smirked. "Jack, you're face-paint is running." She snorted as she tried to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside her. After her trip over the ocean she had become somewhat giddy.
Jack reached up and wiped away the kohl that had smeared across his face. "Bloody stuff," he grumbled, wiping the excess on his breeches. He looked at Anamaria and pointed a bejeweled finger at her. "An' by the way, missy, it's Captain Jack Sparrow t' ye. Remember that."
Anamaria feigned a salute and walked off to help the men with the repairs.
"Guess I better go change, then," Scarlett muttered, looking down at herself.
Jack smiled in amusement. "Why? You're quite nice to look at all wet, especially with the way your clothes cling to you just right." He saw the fist coming before she even flexed a finger. Ducking to the left, he stood behind Will, holding onto the younger man's shoulders. He peered over Will's shoulder and grinned at her.
Scarlett glowered at him, her fists itching to wipe that grin off his face. "Just you wait, Sparrow," she growled. "I'm not finished with you yet." She turned and walked away, trying to ignore Jack's uproarious laughter as the squeaking from the water in her boots mingled with his laughter in a melodious fashion.
In her cabin, Scarlett shredded off the wet clothes and changed into a dry pair of breeches and a white billowing shirt she hadn't seen before. After putting the shirt on, however, she realized it was many sizes too big. She didn't think of it long for she undid the lower button and tied the shirt about her mid-drift. With her boots as useless as they were, she grabbed them and walked above deck bare-footed. She set them next to a crate in the sun where they would dry hopefully by the next morning, though she doubted it.
She found Fredrick in the midst of the crew helping to haul the rigging up. She paused with a smile on her face as one of the other men –she couldn't recall his name- started talking amiably to him. At least he seems to be getting along with some of the men, she thought. It was then that Fredrick noticed her and flashed her a smile. She waved in return.
"Oy, Scarlett, we could use a hand over here!" Anamaria called from Scarlett's left.
Anamaria and five other crewmembers were hauling on some ropes as they tried to pull their crewmates aboard deck. Scarlett went over and grabbed the section of rope behind a scrawny man who didn't seem to be doing any help. She put all her strength into it, and with all efforts combined the rowboat, which held the four men making the repairs, was pulled aboard.
Repairs lasted for an hour after until Jack deemed it worthy enough to move onward. The members of the crew on duty went to their posts while others returned below deck to talk and sleep. Anamaria and Fredrick joined the latter. While Jack remained at the helm, Scarlett and Will roamed the deck.
Scarlett folded her arms across her chest as they walked in companionable silence, looking about at the surrounding ocean and the crewmembers going about their duty.
"No matter how long I'm on a ship," Will commented, "I can never seem to get over how efficiently everyone works together. They're all one body moving together to keep the ship in working order and at a good, fast pace. When danger strikes, once again, they move as one, all knowing their part in the battle." He shook his head while watching a man tighten a line of rigging.
Scarlett nodded in mild understanding. "For the most part," she consented. "It really depends on the type of crew you have. Not all crew's are as worthy as the ones Jack seems to find. This one," she motioned above; "isn't exactly all together as you describe, but they can work together if the need arises. Every bushel of apples is going to have one or two spoiled ones. It's just a part of the package."
Will looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Seems to me that could, in a way, be related to a human being. As you said, every bushel of apples has at least two spoiled ones. Same goes for you and I. Now go with me here: Every person has many qualities and traits, correct? But you can't expect every trait to be a perfect apple. Some of them are going to have soft spots, some will be spoiled or rotten, and some will be perfect."
Scarlett couldn't resist a small smile. "Since when have you become a poet, Mr. Turner?"
Will shrugged. "Wasn't what I would call poetry-like. I was just stating a fact of life."
"I understand what you're trying to tell me, Will." Scarlett stopped and turned to face him. "And I have forgiven him, in part."
"Then how is it you treat him as if you haven't?" He hesitated. "Jack may not be so quick to admit it, but I think he's hurting. From what it sounds like the two of you were quite the pair, never without the other."
She sighed. "You sound like Aubrianna. She used to tell me nearly the same thing while I was living with her, before I met up with Jack again. I do understand what the two of you are and were saying, but it isn't as easy as saying a few words."
"Just give him another chance."
"I am," she answered. "I promised Aubri that much." She fingered a strand of long, damp blonde hair, twirling it around her index finger. A splash over the side of the ship drew her attention and she walked to the bulwark, leaning over. She smiled upon seeing two dolphins swimming and jumping alongside the Pearl. "It would seem my friends are back," she said absently, looking at Will. He was smiling, watching the dolphins play. "Sometimes I wish we could be as free as that." Scarlett sighed. "They seem so happy and playful all the time, no worries; but then I think and realize that they're like us in more ways than one. They've got sharks and other larger ocean life after them and nets from fishermen to look out for. They can get trapped, just like us."
"Now whose the poet?" Will teased.
Scarlett smiled easily. "You started it," she returned. Taking a step back from the bulwark, she glanced over her shoulder. "I'm going below. I'll see you around, Will."
"See you." Will watched until she faded from sight before looking down toward the dolphins again. The two dolphins jumped simultaneously before fading beneath the ocean's surface. They didn't surface again.
Author's Note: Ducks and hides Terribly sorry, guys! Continues to hide I know it's been 29 days since I last posted (nearly a month) and now that I have posted the next chapter it is so short! I really am sorry! Even though I'm still on A Johnny Depp fan craze, my POTC craze seemed to die down for a little while. It only recently came back again. But, what am I doing hiding here, making up excuses?
To those of you who reviewed, I thank you so much, as well to all of my new reviewers. For those of you who gave me advice, I thank you for that as well. To clear some things up, though: 1) Fredrick plays an important part later, so the amnesia thing isn't something I threw in for the Hell of it and 2) Scarlett was the look-out and she was preoccupied with talking to Fredrick (not to mention it was evening) so that's why she didn't see the reef until it was a bit late. Yes, I agree it seems I am fishing for action, and I will admit to that in part. I will try to do better on that, I just don't want anyone to get bored.
So anyway, I know this chapter is short and not too much is going on, but would you all be so kind as to review anyway? I would deeply appreciate it. Hugs to everyone!