A Few Good Years to Be Alive

Chapter 15: Revelations

---------- ----- ---- --- (Day 6) ---- -- --- -- -- -- - - -

With one day to go before reaching the island, they had nothing to do but prepare and the most important thing on Shavai's mind: Confess. True there was no preist or preacher on the entire ship to tell their sins to, so they would have to tell eachother and hope that would suffice. Katherine and Jacinda stayed at their post on the mast. "I see something.... blue." Jacinda said as Katherine curiously looked around. "Um.. ocean?" Jacinda slapped her on the back "Ye'r right - boring isn't it?"

Shavai looked around at her friends and Will. She knew from her vision this would probably be he last grand adventure. She knew her death was immanent and she wanted to go with a clear conscience. She was scared about confessing everything, about her heritage, her life and how she felt about everything, but it had to be done. She looked down at her feet as a sudden sadness washed over her. Something was going to make her break her promise to Megan that she would never leave her. As for Jaden's future; it was uncertain. Shavai knew it was extremely possible that Brandon would kill Megan, but she had hoped that, of course, it would be the other way. She knew they all had to be together or everything would fall apart. Megan had really nothing left, anywhere. And Jaden's family was already dead and Jack's love for her was also nothing more than an uncertainty at this point. The main point that kept coursing through her veins was how would she decide to confess. Perhaps they all shared the fact there was something they had to tell eachother, or maybe it really was just her.

Megan also shared a look of uncertainty as she watched Shavai try to hide her wandering eyes that were filled with sadness and frustration. She knew something was going on in the unpredicatable mind of Shavai. Jaden had a strange look of bewilderment and confusion as though she was a child looking at everything for the first time, unsure of her existence. Megan's thoughts wondered about the future, it was afterall the last day before the end of this adventure. She wondered if there was anymore to come. This would certainly be one story to tell one's grandchildren. 'If she lived long enough to see those years' she thought. Her mind suddenly wondered to how lonely she had become. Jaden and Shavai had somebody, but ever since Brandon, she found it hard to trust anybody other than her two friends. She liked only having a certain number of people as her friends, she was never lonely in that department and she could always have someone to confide in. But her mind kept trailing back to the pairing of things, Will and Shavai, Jack and Jaden, her and .... nobody. Her mind became infuriated with the betrayals, but most of all with Brandon. He had promised to kill her and her friends. She could picture it in her mind and made her sick to think about it. She, too, longed to confess that she was scared. She had always been the strong one, she was sure no one would look at her the same again. She wished she could understand why Brandon did what he did, and although he did almost kill her, she just didn't understand. She still loved him, and that could be the worst thing of all. She wanted to confess that she still loved Brandon, despite all that had been done to her.

Jaden sat and leaned against the wall of the rocking ship. She wondered how she could tell Jack that she really loved him and longed to spend the rest of her life with him, be it just until tomorrow. She had been practicing with the wall and never got a response. She was thankful walls couldn't talk, or else she would've been rejected numberous times. She stayed awake all night thinking whether or not this was just a crush, or if this was the real thing. She had felt a thing she thought was love many times, but she never had a feeling so deep she thought she would be able to live with herself. She looked at her wrists and took notice that the wounds she inflicted on herself were healed. She hadn't cut herself in the longest time through those days that she didn't notice until now. Jack made her feel as though when she hurt herself, she hurt him; and for once, she didn't want to. She could finally look at herself and smile. She twisted her fingers through her hair thoughtfully, as she pondered more ways to tell Jack. A thought then struck her: What if Jack didn't feel the same way she did? What if he saw her as the momentary conquest and nothing more? She thought, that if she did get a rejection from Jack like that, she would not be able to continue living. She finally admitted to herself that she had walked away in the past because she was actually scared. 'Pirates,' She thought to herself looking at her worn out shoes 'Are born to take risks. If I can go on a quest like this, why should I be so scared now?' She brought her knees to her chest and crossed her arms over them and sank her head into her elbow and forearm. 'I'm a coward... that's why.'

Jack looked at Will as he shifted his feet to change weight off one and onto the other. He wondered why he found himself thinking of Jaden all the time. Without anything to trigger thinking of her, he still thought about her. He saw the sky earlier that day and found himself thinking about her spirit. He looked into the water of the sea and found himself thinking how the only thing that even came close to matching the hazel color of her eyes in just the right way. He turned the wheel to Mr. Gibbs and walked over to one side by Will. He searched Will's face for some sign if he was going through the same thoughts, but to his dismay, found none.

Will found himself staring vacantly at the side of Shavai's head admiring how the sunlight filtered through her multi-braided hair and made a halo around it. She looked as though she was a distraction as Cupid shot arrow after arrow through his heart. He felt horrible knowing that Elizabeth had been dead for a year and he already found himself wondering about the possibility of another woman in his life. One night of absolute Heaven was held with her and it had been the sweetest sin. The feel of her rich skin, and the way they kissed and how it seemed all time had slowed to a stop just for the two of them to have more time. Shavai turned to look at Will, and his heart began to speed with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Their eyes locked and at that moment, he knew it was love, problem was where and when he would find the courage to tell her.

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Jacinda called everyone together on the main deck of the ship and soon enough, everyone including herself had been accounted for. She had felt everyone's silent treatment and she couldn't take it anymore.

"All right. Now that everyone's here, it's time." Everyone looked at Jacinda as she spoke clearly and appeared to be out of her long-termed drunken stupor. Jack looked amazed at her. Jacinda leaned over and put her hand on the side of the boat as she began to stumble over her own feet although she wasn't going anywhere. Jack suddenly decided to keep his mouth shut on congradulating her before she embarrassed herself.

"Let's start this off as a game." Jaden, Jack, Will, and Shavai looked at Jacinda with hard concentrating eyes. Megan tried hard to keep her eyes diverted to the sky or floor, but never at Jacinda. "This is called Pirate Confessional. We'll go around this little circle and tell something we've been wanting to tell for a while now." Everybody looked around at the formation of the group and how they were randomnly scattered. "Well... around the square...or triangle...or whatever shape everybody's in." She placed her hand on the side of the ship standing inbetween Shavai and Mr. Gibbs. "Well, since nobody's going to- I guess, I'll start." She cleared her throat looking uncertainly at everybody "I... am a monkey!" Katherine looked down from the mast at everybody, she began to make her way down the mast, aware Jacinda was making a fool of herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was JACK'S confession." She smiled in his direction as the crew snickered.

Mr. Gibbs stepped by Jacinda and smiled "I have something, tha' needs ta be confessed." He quickly grabbed Jacinda before she realized what was going on and kissed her full-fledged on her lips. She finally pushed away and spit on the ground as Mr. Gibbs had a humongous grin on his unusually smug round face. Jacinda pointed a finger at him and glared "You had better hope I don't remember that tomorrow!" Jack burst out laughing and leaned onto Jaden for support, who also laughed profusely. Megan rolled her eyes and Shavai kept her grin to herself. Shavai then took a coin from her pocket and threw it overboard "Go get it, Jass!" She called. Jacinda crossed her hands over her chest "Honestly, how pathetic do you think I am?" Megan took a tin flask from her pocket and tossed it overboard.

"Shiny!" Jacinda cried out as she made a leap for it, but fell into the ocean right after it. Katherine saw her friend go over and chased and jumped over into the water after her friend. "Jacinda!" She yelled out into the water below. They both popped back up and took gasps of air. "What in the hell is the matter with you?!" Katherine yelled as her hand reached out of the water and slapped Jacinda across the face. "Shiny ... gone." Jacinda said pittifully as she looked down into the darkened sea. "You could've drowned ye damned moron!" Jacinda resented the statement. "I'll have you know, I could've gotten that!" Kat rolled her eyes "Sure. And one day men will fly among the clouds." They stared at each other for a moment and burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, like that's ever going to happen!"

Back on the deck, the crew had recovered and the rest of the crew in the circle stared nervously at one another. After a while Jack broke the silence. "So...I guess we should all get ready for tomorrow." He turned to walk away. "You know, make out our wills and such." He muttered. His heart beat faster at the thought of owning that precious covetted treasure that would make him the most feared and dangerous pirate of them all. Jaden turned her back. Shavai came over and nudged her.

"Tell him." Shavai said as she continued to nudge her friend.

"Tell him what?" Jaden tried in vain to be confused. Shavai saw right through it. It was a thin disguise and Shavai was one of the best liars in the seas, Jaden's was not fooling anybody. She was too obvious and her eyes gave her hidden knowledge away like a gunshot in mime school. Shavai lifted her foot and arched her knee as though she was about to march away. Jaden thought she won the battle. She didn't. Shavai's foot came crashing down ontop of hers. She gave out a cry as she yelled "Jack!"

To her dismay, he heard her and turned immediately upon hearing his name. Jaden rushed to him. "In light of the situation, I have something I need to confess too." Will, Shavai, and Megan watched with interest. Neither Jaden nor Jack saw their looks, too concerned with themselves. "I... I ... I- what I mean to say is- I..." She stammered over her words as though it was a fatal car collision. She practiced many times with a wall but never decided on a final way to put it. Shavai threw a coin at her back, pegging her in the shoulder. "I love you!" She screamed out and rushed into him, wrapping her arms around him and smuthering her face in his chest. She didn't want to wake up from where she was right now. All that had happened, she decided, was worth it after all. 'Please, God.' She pleaded in her mind 'Let me stay like this forever.' Eventually Jack wrapped his arms around her.

He knew that she loved him.

She didn't have to say a thing. Her smile and looks towards him said it all, and all at once, he thought he was going to cry. Will walked over to Shavai and hugged her close to his chest and watched Jack and Jaden. Jaden raised her hopeful eyes to meet Jack's watery ones. "I- I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even if it's just until tomorrow. Because, I feel if I don't have you in my life, it's not worth living anymore. I feel that any adventure on this earth is empty without you, and I would trade the world, the sea, anything, to have you because-" She was suddenly stammering and not beginning to make any sense. Jack cut her mouth shut with a kiss. He then rested his forehead against hers with both of their eyes closed. "I know exactly what you mean, love." He whispered to her in a raspy voice.

Will and Shavai looked at eachother. Shavai began to tremble. But she knew what must be said, and she had to say it. "Will, you know I love you, and I never want to leave you," she cut herself off to try to steady her trembling voice. Jack and Jaden walked closer to Shavai and Megan completed their little circle. "I-I had a vision of what was going to happen tomorrow." Will's heart stopped. He could tell bad news was ahead. He paused on breathing for a moment. "I'm...I mean to say I- I'm ..." She tried to hold back her tears as she pushed the words from her throat out of her mouth. "I'm not going to make it." Will looked confused and hurt. "What do you mean 'Not going to make it?' Shavai, we have already made it. It's just one more day-" Shavai cut him off.

"No, I mean to say, that, I'll go on that island, but I'm not going to come off alive." Jaden's hands rushed to her mouth as she gasped. Shavai was a marvelous fighter. Infact, though a drunk at times, she had never seen one person beat her in a sword match. No one that met up with Shavai's blade in anger, had escaped it alive. She couldn't lose. Will remembered the fight he had with her. He was renowned for his fighting skills, and a simple girl was able to take him down. He couldn't believe what he heard. The first person he had been able to love in a long time, was about to leave his life. Megan remembered her promise. The words repeated themselves in her head that Shavai had said only a few nights before "Trust me," Shavai had said "We're not going anywhere soon."

"I have something to say too." Megan gulped. "I don't think we should go after this treasure. I mean, the bad guys get it, so what? At least you guys will still be alive." Jaden and Shavai stared at her in disbelief. "This isn't the time to joke around." Shavai choked out, trying to bring back a little dose of humor. "Brandon said he was going to kill you all. I don't want him to do anything to hurt you guys!" She yelled out at them. Nobody knew how to react. "If we don't get this now," Jack said as he cradled Jaden "They'll surely come after us, later then. And they will be unstoppable." He added. Will shook his head agreeing with Jack. "Besides, they're dead." Jaden said dismissing it with her hand. Shavai saw in her vision they weren't the only ones that found the treasure, but she wasn't sure who the other party fighting them was. Or even if Roberts and his crew were really dead. Megan tried to give a small laugh trying to dismiss it. "I guess you're right." She said, her voice shrinking in volume. She sighed as she looked out ahead of them. "I guess you're right." She muttered, trying to convince herself. Brandon was dead. She should let the memories die and be buried with him.

'That chapter with him in my life is over.' She thought to herself. 'I need to move on.'

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DAY 7

A light rain began to fall from the sky. A few drops began to fall scattered on the deck, although the sun seemed to smile half-heartedly from behind some clouds, it managed to stay shining as it lit a rainbow across the sky to one point in the ocean. A gold circle began to form in the water. Jack, Jaden, Jacinda, Katherine, Megan, Will, Shavai watched as the island began to pull itself out of the clutches of the grasping sea.

A few moments later, Shavai round herself running to the back of the ship where she saw everyone gathered. Something wasn't right. She got a familiar sense of deja vu as she remembered, the last time they had seen another ship. Sure enough, as she made her way through the crowd, Jack was at the very back with the scope looking through just as before. He shut it in anger as he stomped his way to the front of the ship "Why won't they just die!" He yelled back hoping someone would give him an answer. "I think they're already being dead once might have something to do with that." Jaden replied. Megan gulped in absolute horror as her mind flooded with fear as she went numb. She thought that chapter of her life was closed, and it appeared to just be beginning at the same time.

Jack smiled as the ship landed on the shore of the siland. He directed the crew to keep the enemy at bay. He saw through the telescope that the ships cannons were badly damaged or were missing. They wouldn't fire on them. Jaden, Megan, and Jack took Demeta as a captive into the cave where the treasure was hidden. She was going to test for any traps. Jacinda and Katherine were in charge of protecting the ship. In a little while, the island would resubmerge itself and the ship was the only way off the island. Will and Shavai led the fight against anyone else who set foot on the island. They were in charge of keeping everybody else out. They had finally arrived, now the only question left to be solved was would they make it off?

Bwahahahahaha... quite a cliff hanger no? lol, anyways, in the next chapter, one of the charactors may meet their doom. And ironically, the next chappy should be the second to the VERY last one. Sad isn't it? I know, I may make a second adventure, I just need an idea of what the next one should be about. The contents of this story were original, so, if you wanna help, just reply to this one with your idea. ThANKS for reading!