Author's Notes: Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It took too long for me to update… again. Whatever; school is mad-annoying. Essays, essays… more essays…somebody shoot me. Blah.
I was going to make this a double-update with chapter 7, but I need to finish 8 first. If anyone can tell me what Will meant when he said "the rules of engagement", I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share the wealth; I need it for chapter 8.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter; sorry it took so long. I'm trying; I really am.
For disclaimer, see chapter 1. "Yo ho" *the song* doesn't belong to me either, for the record. Captain Harundo, his two lackeys from last chapter, and the two sailors at the docks in some other chapter all belong to me, also for the record. Ignore me; I suck at disclaimers.
Happy reading.
Chapter 6: Questions and Answers
"So, boy, how about giving me a name?"
Jack stood on the deck of the pirate ship, now sailing full-speed away from the ruins of the cargo freighter. He was doing his best to keep from looking nervous in front of the pirate captain. If he was going to gain any sort of respect from this man, he was going to have to be very careful about his actions; this he knew. And so, he ignored the ache of his stomach, tuned-out the jeers of the other pirates, and focused fully on the captain's eyes.
"My name is Jack Sparrow," he replied, his voice calm and firm.
He saw Barbossa among the others – the fellow teen was watching him carefully. He could tell that Barbossa was the only crew member his age; the rest looked to be in their late 20s or early 30s. The older pirates were making the questioning very difficult.
"Make 'im walk the plank!" one hollered.
"We should give the whelp a good keelhauling," another suggested above the din.
"What were ye doing in that cargo hold, Jack Sparrow?"
Jack snapped back to attention as the captain addressed him once more. At the question, he hesitated. 'The truth worked well enough with those sailors,' he considered. He breathed deeply, pushed down his uneasiness, and responded, "I was a stowaway."
"And what would a young man such as yourself be doing stowed-away in that hold?"
"I was hoping to find a new place to live, wherever the ship was headed." The pirates laughed at this, but Jack held his ground.
"Oh, what's the matter, boy?" a voice called from the small crowd. "Yer parents up and die on ye?" There was another chorus of raucous laughter from the group.
Jack felt a rather foreign emotion, then – rage. It surged through him, hot like molten fire. A frigid wind whipped around the ship's deck; he could hear the beads and coins in his hair clinking together, but the familiar sound brought him no comfort. He clenched his fists and, when next he spoke, his voice shook with barely-suppressed anger.
"Yes. My parents are dead, and I was left with no home." His eyes glared around the group, challenging them to retort with some snide comment.
The captain held up his hand for silence, then looked Jack square in the eye.
"Nobody's trying to attack ye, for now, lad. I only wondered, because that ship was headed straight for the Caribbean. Do you know how long a trip like that would take?" Jack shook his head, unwilling to speak. "About 4 months, under favorable conditions." Jack felt his cheeks burn. He would have starved to death long before they'd arrived.
"Now," the captain continued, beginning to pace across the deck, "we have to decide what to do with ye." At this, the shouts began again; everyone seemed to have a different way they'd like to see him die. At Harundo's glare, however, they promptly quieted down. Jack watched him pace for what seemed like forever. Then, finally, the captain spoke.
"I'm going to give ye two choices, boy," he said, coming to a stop in front of him. "You can either walk the plank…" he paused, silencing the crew again, "…OR, you can join me crew." This proclamation was followed by furious cries from all around, and, despite himself, Jack seriously began to think the plank was the better option. He glanced over the ship's side; watched the waves churning below, and felt a lump form in his throat. He faced forward again, and Barbossa suddenly caught his eye. The older teen looked at him seriously, glanced over to where Jack had been looking, and turned back to Jack. Jack cocked his head to one side in silent question. Barbossa mouthed something at him. 'Join.' Jack could see a desperate look in the older boy's eyes. 'Why?' he mouthed back. 'Please.' Jack frowned at him, then suddenly, it dawned on him:
Barbossa was looking for him to join the crew so that there would be someone else his age around.
Jack hadn't thought of that before; he had never really had time to spend time with anyone in his age group, and he realized immediately that he truly wanted to. He gave Barbossa a slight, barely perceptible nod, and was stunned by the look of sincere gratitude that he received in return. He took another deep breath. This was it; regardless of consequence, he was going to join the pirates. His mother had told him to live, after all…
"I've made my decision," he said, his voice loud and clear over the others.
"And what have ye decided?" Harundo asked.
"I've decided that… I'm going to join your crew… Captain." He placed his hands together and gave the older man a small bow of respect. Harundo smirked.
"A wise choice, I assure ye," he commented calmly. Then, "Barbossa?!" Said teen appeared at the man's side.
"Aye, Cap'n?"
"I need ye to show our new mate the ropes; make sure he knows what has to be done and how to do it."
"Aye!" Barbossa said, nodding. Then, to Jack, he added, "Follow me," and he started off toward the cabins. As Jack hurried after him, he could hear the captain – HIS captain, now – barking orders at the rest of the crew.
'So this is to be my new life,' he thought. Half of him was distraught; he would never have thought of joining a pirate crew before! But the other half of him was excited. This had the potential to be a great experience for him, if he was willing to stay alert and learn from this group of individuals.
He saw that Barbossa had stopped to allow him time to catch up, and dashed quickly over to him.
"Alrigh' Jack, are ye ready for lesson one?" Barbossa asked him. Jack nodded, and Barbossa thrust a bucket and scrub brush into the younger boy's arms. "Ye ever scrubbed a floor before?" Jack nodded again. Barbossa motioned around the deck. "Well, there's yer floor," he said, grinning at Jack's crestfallen look. The deck suddenly seemed enormous. The older boy grabbed a second bucket and smirked, clapping Jack roughly on the shoulder. "Welcome aboard, mate," he said, blue eyes twinkling. "I'll take the starboard side; you take port." And with one more pat on the shoulder, Barbossa started off toward his side of the ship.
Jack breathed in the salty smell of the sea, let the wind ruffle his braided hair, and then set to work as well. He hummed to himself; the same wordless song he'd hummed earlier. He began to put his own words to it, despite himself. "da da da da da da da da da da dum… a pirate's life for me…"
End Notes: So there you have it… I know Jack didn't really invent that song, but that's okay, because in my fic, he did. *smirk* Writer's license… or something.
Whoo hoo! Jack's a pirate now. What a switch, naa? Gypsy-to-pirate. Good times. I need to go sleep now. Hope you all enjoyed.
Please R comments, criticism, arguments, advice, helpful historical info, etc. always appreciated.