Chapter Eight: Heat Wave
She sat by the little pond on the island she called home and wiggled her toes in the water. She knew her mother would be upset if she saw what she was wearing, but she didn't care. The torn-up knee-length breeches revealed much of her shapely and well-toned legs, and she wore the shift that she wore to swim in--basically a strip of salt-toughened leather tied around her breasts.
She wished she didn't even have to wear that much, she thought as she twisted her raven-black hair up off of her neck. It was so hot! She had lived here much of her life, so she was more used to it than most, but a heat wave seemed to be happening at the moment. In the afternoon the sands fairly steamed--even her toughened soles couldn't handle the scorching heat. Even now, barely after the sun had risen, it felt like mid-afternoon would on any normal summer day.
Reanna had been forced to retreat from the oppressive house to try and find some way to cool herself, and she had come across the pond. Since it was shaded nearly all day due to the palm trees thickly surrounding it, the little pond remained relatively cool.
Three days of this terrible heat had passed, each one hotter than the next, and her father was obviously growing weaker and weaker as the heat increased. It was making him dreadfully miserable, she knew, and it made her feel all the guiltier for making him suffer longer. She wished so much that her father wouldn't have to suffer so much because of her selfishness, but he claimed that he wouldn't have it any other way. Her mother was getting worse as the days passed, as well. Reanna had come to the kitchen late at night when she had finished talking to her father, and there Arianne had sat, just finishing off one of several bottles of whiskey. When Arianne had seen her, she had yelled at her to go away, and so Reanna had run from the kitchen, frightened and disturbed.
Things were going mad around here, and there didn't seem to be anything that she could do about it.
To top all of that off, Mr. Gibbs had brought a man home with him. The man was bald--it didn't look as though he had ever had any hair on his head--and had only the one eye. Now, Reanna had seen much stranger characters than this "Richard," as he called himself, but none had ever sent such shivers up her spine. When he thought no one was looking he smirked as though he was getting away with something fantastic.
And the way he looked at her...she wasn't quite sure how to describe the gleam in his eye every time he looked her way, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. It gave her chills. She had asked Mr. Gibbs how he had met this Richard, and Mr. Gibbs had sworn upon his flask that the man was an old friend of Jack's and that he had simply come to pay his respects to a dying man. Mr. Gibbs had also mentioned something about this Richard knowing of some antidotes to some rather potent poisons.
Reanna didn't believe that that was Richard's purpose, even though she was positive that Mr. Gibbs meant no harm. They had arrived in the afternoon yesterday, and even though Jack was awake at the time, Richard had refused to go in, saying he would do it "later." If he was such a good friend of her father's, she had thought, then why did he not go and speak with him while her father still had time to speak?
No, she did not like this man at all. When she had talked to Y'lorani about him, Y'lorani had simply shrugged helplessly, reminding Reanna that she could not See the past or future for humans. Frustrated, Reanna had left to go and talk to her father before going to bed.
Now, the very next morning before anyone had the energy to stir from their beds, she sat out here all alone, her feet in the pond as all of her thoughts and suspicions circled through her mind.
It was so very odd that not even a week after her father had been struck down by poison a man whom he had never mentioned showed up claiming that he knew Jack and that he could cure him of the poison that was killing him. Arianne had thrown a fit when Mr. Gibbs had brought a stranger to the island at such a terrible time, but had grown hopeful when she had found out what he claimed.
Reanna shook her head. She knew that if her father hadn't been dying her mother would have thrown the man off the island herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps coming closer to her, and so she didn't make the intruder aware of her presence she stopped moving her feet in the water and sat perfectly still. The trees should cover her unless the person was coming to the pond itself, but she very much doubted that anyone else came here besides her. She hadn't even thought that anyone would be up yet. The heat tended to make people sleepy.
When the footsteps walked past her, she quietly pulled her feet out of the water and peered through the trees to see who it was that was out and about this early. When she saw the bald head she shuddered in revulsion. What was he doing out here? And walking towards her cliff, no less! Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. If only there was more cover on this blasted isle! She couldn't follow him for fear of being seen, and she couldn't leave her grove until he was out of sight.
Apparently he was in no hurry to get to where he was going.
The temperature felt like it had risen ten degrees by the time the man had finally begun his climb up the cliff. Reanna was nearly falling asleep on her feet from the boredom and heat, and was relieved that she could finally move from her protective cover of trees back to the house.
She ran back, knowing that she would regret doing so once she reached her goal, but she could not risk being seen as a threat to Richard. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about this, but she also knew that she would be absolutely foolish not to take precautions.
As she finally entered the house, she thought that it seemed too still to be full of people. She shook it off, thinking that perhaps it was simply the heavy weight of the hot air. They were all likely trying to sleep off the heat. Reanna decided then that she would go and see if her father was awake, since it appeared that no one else was.
When she entered the dark room, she knew immediately and without any doubt whatsoever that something was indeed wrong. She drew the curtains back from the windows rather than light a candle, and when she saw that Jack was lying on his side, apparently sleeping, she tried to laugh off her immediate instinct that something was wrong.
The laugh came out as a shrill, shaky monstrosity, and when her father did not stir, she felt as though a weight had been dropped on her chest. She walked over to him and rolled him onto his back, and when she saw the grinning and bloody cut across his throat she screamed, breaking the spell that had seemed to hold the house in utter stillness.
************************************************************************
Yeep! Don't hurt me! *hides under a chair to prevent the Jack Sparrow- lovers from hurting her because she just killed the best character in PotC*
Mae-Yeah, I've actually written two other stories--Arianne and The Fountain of Youth. This one is actually the last story in the trilogy. I hope, lol. I never intended to write another fan fiction after I had finished Arianne, but my muse insisted, and so I did! I THOUGHT that The Fountain of Youth would be last one then, but, as you can obviously tell, it was not, lol.
Vuzznut-I'm glad you like this! I do too, actually, a heck of a lot better than I liked FoY, heh. Thanks for your support!
Rin-Thanks again for your reviews, I'm so very flattered that you got choked up when Jack got sick, I'm glad you like this so much!
Thank you all!
She sat by the little pond on the island she called home and wiggled her toes in the water. She knew her mother would be upset if she saw what she was wearing, but she didn't care. The torn-up knee-length breeches revealed much of her shapely and well-toned legs, and she wore the shift that she wore to swim in--basically a strip of salt-toughened leather tied around her breasts.
She wished she didn't even have to wear that much, she thought as she twisted her raven-black hair up off of her neck. It was so hot! She had lived here much of her life, so she was more used to it than most, but a heat wave seemed to be happening at the moment. In the afternoon the sands fairly steamed--even her toughened soles couldn't handle the scorching heat. Even now, barely after the sun had risen, it felt like mid-afternoon would on any normal summer day.
Reanna had been forced to retreat from the oppressive house to try and find some way to cool herself, and she had come across the pond. Since it was shaded nearly all day due to the palm trees thickly surrounding it, the little pond remained relatively cool.
Three days of this terrible heat had passed, each one hotter than the next, and her father was obviously growing weaker and weaker as the heat increased. It was making him dreadfully miserable, she knew, and it made her feel all the guiltier for making him suffer longer. She wished so much that her father wouldn't have to suffer so much because of her selfishness, but he claimed that he wouldn't have it any other way. Her mother was getting worse as the days passed, as well. Reanna had come to the kitchen late at night when she had finished talking to her father, and there Arianne had sat, just finishing off one of several bottles of whiskey. When Arianne had seen her, she had yelled at her to go away, and so Reanna had run from the kitchen, frightened and disturbed.
Things were going mad around here, and there didn't seem to be anything that she could do about it.
To top all of that off, Mr. Gibbs had brought a man home with him. The man was bald--it didn't look as though he had ever had any hair on his head--and had only the one eye. Now, Reanna had seen much stranger characters than this "Richard," as he called himself, but none had ever sent such shivers up her spine. When he thought no one was looking he smirked as though he was getting away with something fantastic.
And the way he looked at her...she wasn't quite sure how to describe the gleam in his eye every time he looked her way, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. It gave her chills. She had asked Mr. Gibbs how he had met this Richard, and Mr. Gibbs had sworn upon his flask that the man was an old friend of Jack's and that he had simply come to pay his respects to a dying man. Mr. Gibbs had also mentioned something about this Richard knowing of some antidotes to some rather potent poisons.
Reanna didn't believe that that was Richard's purpose, even though she was positive that Mr. Gibbs meant no harm. They had arrived in the afternoon yesterday, and even though Jack was awake at the time, Richard had refused to go in, saying he would do it "later." If he was such a good friend of her father's, she had thought, then why did he not go and speak with him while her father still had time to speak?
No, she did not like this man at all. When she had talked to Y'lorani about him, Y'lorani had simply shrugged helplessly, reminding Reanna that she could not See the past or future for humans. Frustrated, Reanna had left to go and talk to her father before going to bed.
Now, the very next morning before anyone had the energy to stir from their beds, she sat out here all alone, her feet in the pond as all of her thoughts and suspicions circled through her mind.
It was so very odd that not even a week after her father had been struck down by poison a man whom he had never mentioned showed up claiming that he knew Jack and that he could cure him of the poison that was killing him. Arianne had thrown a fit when Mr. Gibbs had brought a stranger to the island at such a terrible time, but had grown hopeful when she had found out what he claimed.
Reanna shook her head. She knew that if her father hadn't been dying her mother would have thrown the man off the island herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps coming closer to her, and so she didn't make the intruder aware of her presence she stopped moving her feet in the water and sat perfectly still. The trees should cover her unless the person was coming to the pond itself, but she very much doubted that anyone else came here besides her. She hadn't even thought that anyone would be up yet. The heat tended to make people sleepy.
When the footsteps walked past her, she quietly pulled her feet out of the water and peered through the trees to see who it was that was out and about this early. When she saw the bald head she shuddered in revulsion. What was he doing out here? And walking towards her cliff, no less! Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. If only there was more cover on this blasted isle! She couldn't follow him for fear of being seen, and she couldn't leave her grove until he was out of sight.
Apparently he was in no hurry to get to where he was going.
The temperature felt like it had risen ten degrees by the time the man had finally begun his climb up the cliff. Reanna was nearly falling asleep on her feet from the boredom and heat, and was relieved that she could finally move from her protective cover of trees back to the house.
She ran back, knowing that she would regret doing so once she reached her goal, but she could not risk being seen as a threat to Richard. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about this, but she also knew that she would be absolutely foolish not to take precautions.
As she finally entered the house, she thought that it seemed too still to be full of people. She shook it off, thinking that perhaps it was simply the heavy weight of the hot air. They were all likely trying to sleep off the heat. Reanna decided then that she would go and see if her father was awake, since it appeared that no one else was.
When she entered the dark room, she knew immediately and without any doubt whatsoever that something was indeed wrong. She drew the curtains back from the windows rather than light a candle, and when she saw that Jack was lying on his side, apparently sleeping, she tried to laugh off her immediate instinct that something was wrong.
The laugh came out as a shrill, shaky monstrosity, and when her father did not stir, she felt as though a weight had been dropped on her chest. She walked over to him and rolled him onto his back, and when she saw the grinning and bloody cut across his throat she screamed, breaking the spell that had seemed to hold the house in utter stillness.
************************************************************************
Yeep! Don't hurt me! *hides under a chair to prevent the Jack Sparrow- lovers from hurting her because she just killed the best character in PotC*
Mae-Yeah, I've actually written two other stories--Arianne and The Fountain of Youth. This one is actually the last story in the trilogy. I hope, lol. I never intended to write another fan fiction after I had finished Arianne, but my muse insisted, and so I did! I THOUGHT that The Fountain of Youth would be last one then, but, as you can obviously tell, it was not, lol.
Vuzznut-I'm glad you like this! I do too, actually, a heck of a lot better than I liked FoY, heh. Thanks for your support!
Rin-Thanks again for your reviews, I'm so very flattered that you got choked up when Jack got sick, I'm glad you like this so much!
Thank you all!