Chapter 14: A Pirate's Life For Me
---------- ----- ---- --- (Day 5) ---- -- --- -- -- -- - - -
Shavai and Will looked around, but could not find a thing. Marion stood annoyed with his arms crossed every five minutes asking them if they're satisfied. "I'm sorry Marion, but this is for Captain Jack." Marion shook his shoulders "What's for Jack?" Will shoved Marion against the counter and padded him down searching his pockets. Marion's face turned to one of shock and extreme uncomfort. Shavai cleared her throat "Um, yes, I think there's nothing here." Shavai and Will went back up to the dock to tell everyone what they had found and Marion took off his bandana and pulled out the vial from it's place tucked under the knot in the back of it. He smiled at the vial and went to the pot he was preparing to cook the food in and began to delicately lace the inside of it.
Shavai and Will walked normally back to Jack. Jack looked anxious to hear the news. But before anything could be said, Jacinda was heard yelling "Kat, ho!" And she quickly climbed down and made a leap over the ship's edge into the water. Jack, Megan, Shavai, Will and half the crew ran to the edge to see a small lifeboat in the distance and a person swimming towards Jacinda. They caught up with each other and made their way back to the ship. "Well, maybe we should let them drown." Shavai stated seeing them. Jaden walked over keeping a distance between herself and Jack at all times. Shavai looked at Jack then at how far down from him Jaden was. This perplexed her because they were always together. She tugged on Will's sleeve and pointed to Jack and Jaden. Will looked confused as well. The crew lowered a rope and brought Jacinda and her friend up onto the ship. Jack looked a little alarmed seeing Jacinda with a new person just brought in from sea. "Ey', who be she?" Mr. Gibbs asked as they circled around the new girl. "This is Katherine." Jacinda pointed at herself and had her other hand pointing towards Katherine. Shavai's attention stayed on Jaden and Jack. This was not normal.
Later that night, Shavai drew a circle on the deck with some oil from a hurricane lamp and muttered some words. Inside the circle a small fire began to start that stayed flat and within the confines of the circle. She saw Demeta slamming Jaden's head into a wall, and she saw herself being stabbed through her side with a sword. It would not let her see anymore. She continued staring at the demolished circle and thought. Demeta was behind everything. She didn't know how, but she was. Without delay she headed down the stairs to Demeta's cell. Before she finished getting down the stairs she was greeted by a voice that seemed to come from all directions in the dark. "Hello, gypsy." Shavai looked around in the dark and saw a spark light a candle and illuminate the face she was looking for. Shavai sneered at her "Hello, wench." Demeta seemed unimpressed "I saw that little ritual you've just performed. Very sweet - trying to defend your friends, when you won't even save yourself in the end." Shavai's eyes widened. "How do you know what I saw?" Shavai was suprised, if she could feel anything at all. "I'm Demeta. I know everything." Shavai gave a glare that could've made the Devil whimper. "I know about you as well. You and the fact that it was you that commanded the whole battle back there. It wasn't Roberts." Shavai said as she added shaking her head. Demeta smirked "Very good. But I have a proposition for you." Shavai cut her off immediatley "Not interested." Demeta continued as thought she didn't hear a thing. "Very well, but how would your friends feel if they were to mysteriously find out about your heritage?" She paused to let it sink in "Where you come from, the fact you use magic just as I do...that your mother killed Jaden's family." Shavai shook her head and raised a clenched fist to Demeta "She did not. She died AFTER that happened!" Demeta smiled as she calmly walked over to Shavai and touched her hand. As soon as the contact was made, Shavai's mind was filled with the images of Jaden's family's murders, as though she had been there and overlooking them. When she saw Jaden whipped and beaten, it brought tears to her eyes. One of her best friends was being hurt. But the images were false. They were mere memories transferred from Demeta to Shavai.
"They won't believe you." Shavai said through clenched teeth. Demeta's charactoristic smirk came back about her face "True, but you how do you think Jaden will feel if she sees those images and I tell her that I took those from your mother when I met her." It wasn't a question at all. She stated the plan to Shavai, already knowing her emotions about it. "Jaden's my friend. She won't believe you." Demeta stared in Shavai's eyes "True, but Jack and the rest of them will. And when you have the captain of a ship, and the crew believing you, the rest soon follow." Shavai knew she couldn't win. All she was able to do at that point was deny. She wasn't taught anymore in the ways of magic, she left before she could complete training. Shavai sighed and turned towards the stairs "What must I do?" Demeta grinned. "Simple: Dissappear. Take a lifeboat and never come back. Unless of course, you would rather break Jaden's heart on how your mother was the one that murdered her family. Shavai took a glass bottle from a desk near the door and threw it at Demeta through the bars. "I'm not going to do that. I'm staying and that's final." Shavai began the walk back up the stairs, stilled by Demeta's final words to her "Your mistake."
Later at dinner, Shavai couldn't eat. Jaden, Megan, Will and Jack all had problems. In relationships, or other areas in life. The past, it seemed, was not at rest and was about to break out and destroy them all. Katharine and Jacinda sat drinking rum together, doing their hair in dread locks, and also catching up on what they missed. Jaden and Shavai's heart almost jumped when they saw Jack letting Demeta walk around deck, uncuffed, escorted by him. Jaden became envious as she saw them whispering together all night. But, nothing, no matter how clever could get Shavai's eyes off the ring around Jack's finger that Demeta had given him. Jaden walked up to Jack "What in the seven hells is the matter with you!" Jack stood back shocked. "What are you talking about?" Demeta stood behind Jack a little entertained by this on-going soap-opera. "You're letting the prisoner wonder around without any control over her?!" Jack's eyelids almost shut everything out. If only they could. "Of course, I have control over her." He said as he swayed a little and motioned to his pistol. They had by now caught the attention of the whole crew, who tried to keep watch and eat their dinners. Marion and Megan had dissappeared for quite sometime in the kitchen. "She has control over you, Jack?! Don't you see?" Demeta stood back staring profusely at Jack. Jack reached out and pushed Jaden against the wall. Jaden began to scream as Jack began to choke her and bash her head against the wall. Jacinda, Shavai and Katherine got to their feet and attempted to pull Jack off of her. "Jack, have you lost your bleedin' mind!" Jacinda yelled at Jack as she pulled on his arm. Katherine kicked the back of his legs trying to knock him down "She doesn't owe ya any money, mate!" Shavai punched him in the face and made him let go, grabbing his hurting nose. Jaden fell to the ground gasping for air and pulled herself up. "Shavai.... I wanna ... go home." Jaden choked out the words. She began to walk off one way with Jacinda and Katherine. Before they got too far, Katherine raced back and stomped on Jack's foot. Jack winced in pain.
Megan cornered Marion with her sword. "I know you poisoned the food and this time, you won't get away." Marion took some salt and threw it in Megan's eyes and ran up to the deck. "Shavai! He's getting away!" Shavai heard the distant cry. She and most of the crew available took off running after Marion, cornering him on both sides of the ship so he couldn't get away. He stood cornered and trapped as the crew continued moving towards him. Shavai and Megan stood side-by-side "Who do you work for?" Marion looked at them both and took his chances by jumping in the water. Megan sighed as she walked over, aimed and cocked her pistol and shot him in the head. The water bubbled as his body went under. They had no idea who he worked for, and now he was dead. Dead men don't tell tales.
Shavai ran back to Jack and grabbed him by his shoulders almost forcing him into the water. "Who the hell do you think you are! She's corruptin' your mind Jack!" Jack looked back at Demeta who tried to look as innocent as she possibly could. "Jack, I'm telling you! She's taking control of you!" Jack shook his head and began to break out in a cold sweat. Shavai let go of him and took a step back. "Jack," She tried to speak as calm as possible "Give me the ring." Jack looked down at it and looked back at Demeta who tried to be inconspicuous as she whispered something under her breath. Jack looked back at Shavai and swung his sword over his head at her. She moved out of the way and swung her sword ontop of his, then kicked him in the chest, launching him backwards without his sword. Shavai threw her sword to the side and pounced ontop of him as she tried to pull the ring off his finger. Jack began to knee her in the stomach. The crew began to yell at them both to knock it off, Demeta stood back and out of the way. Her plan had failed, but there was always alternatives. Shavai finally twisted the ring off and threw it off the side of the ship and into the water as if her life depended on it. And it did. Jack stood and caught his balance on the side. He almost fell over a couple of times, but finally got himself together. Pain coursed through his body and he had no recollection of doing anything. He walked over and put his sword back in it's place. He looked around at the crew. He struggled with himself to remember as he saw Demeta standing just to the side. He pointed one crooked finger at her "What's she doing here?" He demanded to know. Mr. Gibbs looked at Jack "Have you lost your mind? Don't you remember anything , Jack?" Jack shook his head "All I remember's getting kissed by Madame Devil over there and then...that's it."
Shavai caught her breath as she saw Jaden, Megan, Jacinda and Katherine walk up, hearing the commotion. Demeta walked to Jaden. "I have something you need to see." She beamed at Shavai and touched Jaden's hand. Jaden was brought back to the place she had been trying to escape from the day it happened. She, too, saw the images as though they had been burned in her mind from someone's point of view like someone who had watched the entire thing. She stepped away from Demeta with anger and fear in her eyes. "What the hell did you do!?" She yelled at Demeta as she pulled out her sword and put it to Demeta's throat. Demeta chuckled as she felt her back pushed against the side of the ship. "I thought you should see the memories," She paused to look back at Shavai's face. It was a look of utter horror. She continued "That I got from Shavai's gypsy mother when I met her." Jaden threw Demeta to the side and turned quickly to Shavai. Megan stood in complete disbelief. "Is it true?" Jaden looked at Shavai hurt "Did your mother kill my family?" She tried to stay calm as the tears ran down her face. Shavai tried to answer "She was a gypsy but-" Jaden cut her off. "Shut up! Did she do it!?" Shavai sighed. "No." Jaden completely blacked out and heard Demeta's voice in her head "You know in your heart she's lying. All gypsies do. Liars and theives the lot of them." Jaden blankly stared at Shavai and replied "You're lying. The woman on board was you." Demeta quickly replied "Was it really? All you saw was a sillhoutte. You saw nothing more than a shadow. It was Shavai's mother. You know..." Jaden stepped closer to Shavai and poked the sword to her throat. Jack stood back in terror as the calm sea turned into a horrific storm. Lightning ruled the grey skies and thunder overtook erupting emotions. Will stood infront of Shavai and begged Jaden to put down the sword. "Please, Jaden. She's your friend." Will pleaded as the rain soaked them all. "It wasn't her mom, Jaden. It couldn't have been." Megan added, hoping to calm her friend down. "You must kill her." Demeta began to take control of her mind blocking out her conscience. "But, you even admitted it was you." Jaden countered Demeta's words. "No, I said for you to prove it. I didn't admit to anything...I had to protect you from the truth. But now the real witch has come out of hiding. She's behind it all. You must kill her..."
Jaden began to raise her sword to Will, who stood solemnly. He wouldn't budge. Even as the ship rocked back and forth and caused practically everything to move, who stood stationed like a mountain. Megan looked at Jaden as the wind made the rain sting her eyes. She would not allow her family to be destroyed like this. She looked at Demeta and saw her mumbling incoherent things. Megan knew what she had to do. She walked to Demeta, and quickly using the handle of her pistol, knocked her unconcious. Jaden dropped her sword and noticed what she was doing. Jacinda fainted in Mr. Gibbs' arms, who in turn, let her fall to the floor. Jaden sank to her knees, sobbing. Shavai walked over and gave her a hug and told her everything would be alright. Megan came over and joined the hug. Shavai pulled down Will and Megan pulled Jack into it. Everyone began to join in. Jack looked around them after a warm fuzzy moment and saw everybody in the crew who was joined in. "Don't just stand around! If we're to reach the amulet, we must keep moving! Go you dogs!" Everyone ran to their post. Jaden looked up as the clouds began to move away from the sky, revealing some of the brightest stars they'd ever seen. Jack looked and saw the knocked out Demeta on the deck and shook his head. "Mr. Gibbs! Escort Demeta back to her cell and lock her up. No one is to go down there alone." Jaden walked over to him. "And uh, no one is to accept gifts from her, either." Mr. Gibbs smiled glad Jack learned his lesson. "Aye, Cap'n." He said as he dragged her back to her cell. Jaden pulled Jack by the collar of his shirt down to her face and gave him a deep kiss. Megan rolled her eyes and the crew applaused. Jack pulled Jaden closer by the waist and continued their kiss. Shavai smiled and gave Will one of her own. And the applause was interrupted "We pillage, we plunder we rifle, and loot, drink up me hearties yo ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, drink up me hearties yo ho!" The whole crew turned and looked as Jacinda and Katherine leaned off the mast and continued singing. The couples broke off their kisses and joined the crew and the girls "Yo ho, Yo ho! A Pirate's life for me!"