Author's note: yay! I have another new chapter… this time it's a cliff-hanger, so please don't be mad! And thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews!! *hands a stick of juicy fruit to everyone* Well, this originally started out as a short chapter, but now it's this monster of a thing. You know how it goes. Well, enjoy!
~Kris
Jeyke: I took your hint… here's the new chapter!! Lol yes, Delia's slowly becoming one of my favourites… Thanks for the reviews!
Roz: Hmm… what will happen to Jack.. you must read to find out! And I couldn't very well leave Katrina all alone, could I? (well, could Kris I guess…) on a side not, I got your letter! Thankers!
Well thanks again for the comments!
Chapter 10
Mia strode out onto the deck, the morning sunlight practically blinding her as it glinted off the waters. But still, it was a glorious day. She took in a deep breath of fresh ocean air, the salt teasing her senses slightly, the wind playfully tousling her hair. A gull cawed overhead, the familiar sound casting a slight grin over Mia's plain looking face… But didn't gulls mean land was near? Her grin grew a little wider as she realised they would probably reach port that day, and getting off the ship for once would be a relief.
Yelling good morning to Bill as he climbed across the shrouds up the mast (or at least who she thought was Bill, it could have been Brett for all she knew), she walked across the deck, the anticipation of a new duel rising slightly within her. Ever since Will had offered to help her improve her fencing skills, Mia had developed a slight obsession with swordplay. It's not that she hadn't known how to use a sword before he offered, but the knowledge that she might actually have to use it to defend herself had definitely peaked an interest with her…
Mia lightly touched the hilt of her sword. Her brand, spankin' new sword. She had been a little more than excited when Will had presented it to her, though she knew that he had quite a few extras (he liked to make them in his free time, and apparently he had a lot of free time). It was plain, but it was definitely beautiful, the delicate way the designs were etched into the handle, the gleam of the clean, sharp blade…
"Will you please pay attention to what you're doing, Brett?" Kris's voice rang across the deck, a slight undertone of worry in her voice. Mia turned to see her standing in front of the wheel as usual, staring up at the mast as who Mia had previously thought was Bill hung over the side of the shrouds, obviously watching a certain passenger they had taken onto their ship. "You've fallen off those shrouds before, and you have my word that if you fall off again not one person will be sorry for you!"
Embarrassed, Brett hastily climbed down from the ropes and sauntered off in his twin brother's direction.
Kris laughed and turned her attentions back to steering the ship, although Mia could see that she spent most of the time talking to Katrina instead of staring out into the horizon as she usually did. Mia felt a slight pang of guilt as she realised that the only reason for Kris's former vacant stare-at-the-horizon-in-silence expression was because Jack was gone. Though it took a while, she had started to feel guilty for what happened. She still hated Jack (with a passion) but if she hadn't decided to stow away on his ship, if he hadn't have found her and hid her in his cabin instead of killing her, Kris wouldn't have gotten upset, and Jack wouldn't have left…
But of course, if Kris was still feeling miserable, she didn't show it. If there was one cliché she would use to describe Kris, it would be that she was a knight in shining armour. Not that Kris was an attractive man, or even a man for that matter, but ever since Mia was a child she had gotten the impression that there was a layer of invisible armour surrounding her. She never talked about her feelings, had only mentioned her dead mother a total of three times in Mia's presence, and as far as she knew, Kris didn't even have a father. Sure, she showed affection to her loved ones and smiled and laughed, but she had slowly used her past tragedies to protect herself, building up her armour year after year until her feelings were merely a memory…
But, Mia realised with a slight feeling of uneasiness, Kris hadn't been like that when Jack was around. She had been armour-less, she'd been open, she'd been… happy.
"Ameeeelia!!" a slightly taunting voice came from behind her. Mia turned around and screamed as a blade came whipping towards her, and she immediately unsheathing her own and threw it out in front of her in self-defence. Her sword connected with the other with a deafening 'clang', the light insanely bright as it bounced off of the two blades.
Mia, still slightly in shock, followed the hand holding the blade with her gaze, until she finally saw who it was.
"Will!!" she yelled, still out of breath from the shock of having a blade thrust at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Just testing your reflexes." Will said with a grin, before re-sheathing his own sword. "And I must say, Amelia, they're improving."
Mia stared at him open-mouthed for a moment, before slowly grinning. "I do hope you're not saying my reflexes were bad to start with." She said. "And by the way, my name's Mia."
Will laughed and turned away, walking across the deck to assist in the untangling of Brett from a pile of twine. Mia stared after him, still surprised. It made her feel ultimately accepted, though, the way he had quickly befriended her, and treated her like a little sister… And she had to admit he was good-looking. That always made it harder for her to concentrate while duelling him, she got distracted by him so easily…
(A/N: from Kris's pov now!!) Kris laughed again as she and Katrina talked, mostly about nothing in particular. The way the sun glinted off the waters made Kris feel happier than she had in a long time…
"We'll be in port in about an hour." She said to Katrina, steering the ship towards the miniscule smudge of land that lay ahead of them.
Katrina turned around and squinted into the waters, trying to see what Kris was talking about. "I don't see anything." She commented.
"You will." Kris replied, grinning. They were headed straight towards Cuba, which, in Kris's opinion, was one of the best places to drop off their passenger. Not only was it on their way, but it was far safer than some of their alternatives, Tortunga to name one. Now that she'd gotten to know Katrina, she wouldn't have the heart to leave her on an island filled with drunks and prostitutes.
About an hour later they were guiding the Black Pearl into the port. The port was extremely busy; sailors rigging their ships to the docks, salesmen hawking their fruits and novelties, people strolling the streets enjoying the fair weather. Everything was a picture of cheeriness; like a scene of a port in a painting or a sign hanging over a tavern.
Katrina helped the crew load all the supplies they would need, but Kris insisted that they set sail as soon as possible, despite all the groans of complaint coming from the crew. She would have loved to be able to stay a few nights, to be able to roam the streets and relax in a nice tavern, but she didn't want to waste any more time than they already had. So, realising that this was going to be the last time she'd see her in a long time, if ever, Katrina cornered Kris right before they set sail once again.
"I guess this is it." Kris said, giving a weak smile when Katrina didn't say anything. "We'll come to visit, don't worry. And if you need anything-"
"I don't want to stay." Katrina interrupted.
"Excuse me?" Kris said, caught completely off-guard by her answer. Why wouldn't she want to stay here? It was virtually perfect!
"I don't want to stay here." Katrina repeated.
"Do you… want us to take you somewhere else?"
Katrina paused. "Well, no. I want to come with you." She immediately felt foolish for even suggesting it. It was out of the question, she'd never learned how to sail or even use a sword…
"Of course!" was Kris's initial response. "You… wish to travel with us?"
Katrina smiled. "How do you always put it? I wish to go onto the Account."
Kris smiled at Katrina's use of the proper word for becoming a pirate. She sensed potential in her, even if she didn't really have palpable proof of it. "Then so be it."
Roughly a week later, Kris was sitting on the edge of her bed, peering around the large, roomy cabin. She could hear Katrina laughing as she yet again got beaten by Mia in a duel (Mia had been more than happy to show someone how to fence, seeing how much progress she was making in her own lessons). Kris couldn't help smiling. For the last little while, her cousin had finally seemed happy…
Kris played with the comforter covering the large bed, tracing her fingers over the designs embroidered in it. The whole cabin reminded her of Jack; it had been his, after all. She hadn't really wanted to move into it after he left, it just didn't seem right. The mahogany bed, the bookcase filled with various treasures and paraphernalia, the cupboard off to the side filled with enough rum to quench an army's thirsts, the wide windows… They all held to many now painful memories for her to bear. She had even considered giving up the spacey cabins, even if just the sleeping quarters, to Katrina, or even Mia. She hadn't even been in the other rooms since he left. Hell, the room even smelled like him. Or possibly it was just that he smelled like the room, the somewhat pleasing mixture of fresh linen, salty ocean air and sweet rum…
It was in these few moments that she missed him most. But she would never see him again, that she was sure of. Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to speak to him, or even look at him. He'd hate her…
"Kris!" A voice came from outside, followed by the knocking on the cabin door. "Captain, come out here! Quick!"
Kris sighed and stood up, walked the rather extensive space between herself and the other side of the room and opened the door. As soon as she did this, she was practically yanked out of the cabin by a frantic looking Bill.
"Another ship is approaching, quick!" he said, a mixture of worry and excitement plastered on his face.
Kris didn't bother to answer, but instead rushed out onto deck, roughly shoving Anna-Maria away from the wheel and shouted orders to the crew.
"Hoist our colors!! It's a merchant ship, we'll take them head-on!" she said, giving the wheel a rather spastic spin and whirring the ship around so it would directly face the opposing ship as they passed it. It was roughly an hour past dusk; the dark creating an eerie effect against the Pearl's black sails…
"Get ready to board her!!" she yelled. Men lined up against the sides, pistols and swords drawn, while others retreated below deck to attend to the cannons below.
"Mia, I want you to stay in your cabin until everything is safe!" she yelled again. "Do you hear me?"
"But Kris-" Mia started, a complainy tone in her voice.
"No Buts, Mia! Katrina, you keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't leave the cabin, savvy?"
Katrina nodded and dragged the sullen looking Mia towards the cabins. Though Mia didn't exactly object, she didn't help Katrina either, as she resorted to literally becoming a dead weight so she had to drag her to the cabins.
Kris grinned as they became close enough to the ship to read part of the name. The Ebony-something. She had a feeling that, even though there certainly weren't any riches on this ship, this would be a plunder worth-while….
* * *
"What's happening?!" Delia's shrill voice jarred Jack from his sleep. Damn it, he'd never get any rest around her….
The ship shuddered violently. Jack jumped up and peered out of the knot-hole, catching a glimpse of another ship as it grinded against the Ebony Rose.
"We're under attack!" he yelled.
"We're what?!" Delia screamed.
"I said we're bloody under-"
BOOM.
The ship shuddered once again as a cannon ball smashed through the wooden bilge and narrowly missed their cell. The guard jumped awake, took one look around and ran out, leaving his weapons, his coat, and-
Delia was immediately on the floor, pushing her hands through the bars to try and reach the keys the guard had so tactfully left behind. After a few moments of struggling, she grabbed them and pulled them through the bars.
"I've got them!" she exclaimed, flashing a wide grin. Both of them had completely forgotten that the ship was under attack as they found the right key and managed to turn it in the lock…
* * *
"MIA!!" Kris screamed as she hopped over the rail with ease. The majority of her crew had immediately stormed the Ebony Rose, catching the sailors off-guard. Kris had stayed behind, helping to fight off the few sailors that had hopped the rail onto the Black Pearl. "I though I told you to stay put!!"
Mia was on the opposite ship, fighting with all her might. And apparently, doing quite well holding up on her own. No one noticed as Kris scrambled past all the fighting pirates and sailors and over to Mia, stabbing the soldier she was fighting in the back without a second thought. She yanked her sword from his back and turned to face Mia, fuming.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kris screamed again, as the sailor stumbled backwards and fell over a few feet away from them.
"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Mia screamed back. "I'm helping you!"
"No, Mia, you're not helping us!" Kris hollered, grabbing the back of Mia's shirt as she tried to scurry away. A sailor fell at their feet, causing both of them to stop in their tracks. He let out a small groan as he rolled over, revealing a dagger stabbed in his chest. He opened his mouth and coughed up some dark red blood, trying to sit up. After struggling for a few moments, he fell back down and lay still. He was dead.
Mia stared down at him, looking like she would be sick. She let out a soft whimper, practically unheard due to the deafening noise of battle. She lightly kicked him with her foot, just to make sure he was really dead…
Bang!
The shot rang out, momentarily drowning out the shouts of the men and the clashing of swords. Mia slumped to the ground, her auburn hair veiling her face that was contorted with pain, her sandy coloured shirt staining with blood at an alarming rate…
"MIA!!" Kris screamed, throwing herself to the ground beside her cousin and shaking her frantically. No, she couldn't be… she couldn't be dead… Kris choked back a sob as she turned Mia onto her front and cleared back the hair from her face. The blood gathering in a small pool around her shimmered eerily in the moonlight. Her cousin… she's so young… she was Kris's responsibility…
These thoughts were immediately pushed out of Kris's head when Mia groaned in pain. She was alive!
"What happened…?" Mia said, trying to sit up. All she accomplished in doing was catching a glimpse of herself covered in blood. The shot hadn't hit her heart, but was dangerously close, resting just below her left shoulder…
"My arm!!!" she creamed. "My arm…god, I'm dying!!! My arm…"
"Shh, it's okay…" Kris said, easing Mia up into a sitting position. She ripped off her worn wool jacket and pressing it hard against Mia's wound, soaking up an alarming amount of blood in the process. Mia screamed in pain, but Kris virtually ignored her as she struggled to tie her jacket in place over Mia's arm. "We've got to get you out of here!"
"What happened?!" Will's voice rang out from behind them. He was beside them in a flash, helping Kris tie the jacket over Mia's wound.
"She was shot!" Kris exclaimed, yanking Mia's arm overtop of her head to stop the blood flow. Wasn't that much obvious?
"By who?"
"God knows who bloody did it, and right now I don't bloody care! We have to get her back to the bloody ship before she bloody dies like the rest of my bloody family! DO YOU BLOODY HEAR ME?!"
Will was definitely not ready for Kris's uncalled for outburst. Instead of dwelling on it, he raised himself to a crouching position and struggled to pull Mia up into his arms. He grabbed hold of her, one arm under her knees and the other resting around the small of her back. He stood up, hoisted Mia into the air and stumbled slightly.
"I'll take her back!" Will announced, in what he hoped was a heroic voice. But he had no time to worry about image now. "You stay here; I'll make sure she gets help."
"You'll be-" Kris started, but will cut her off.
"We'll be fine!" Will said. Kris stared at him for a split second, trying to decide if she should really trust him or not. Finally, after seeing the blood that covered Mia's arm beginning to soak onto Will's shirt, she nodded. Will was off in a flash, dodging the fighting men and hurrying towards the narrow board that connected the two ships.
Kris grabbed her sword and stood up. Her back was to the cabins, the fight raging on before her.
If the shot had come from the fighting mass of men before her, she would never find the bastard who nearly killed Mia. But if it had come from someone inside one of the cabins…
A woman rushed past Kris, nearly knocking her over. Through the darkness, Kris could make out her long, blonde hair and the deep violet of her dress. The woman, screaming, quickly ran around the corner and into one of the cabins.
Kris whipped around to see where she had come from. She spotted a door almost directly behind her, in perfect shooting range from where she stood. If whoever had shot Mia was in a cabin, they would definitely be in there…
Taking a deep, slightly nervous breath, Kris gripped her sword tightly in her hand, and rushed in through the door.
She found herself in what seemed to be a dark, dingy hallway. She kept her back pressed against one of the walls as she slowly edged through the hallway, making as little sound as possible. She could see a faint light shining from around a corner a few feet ahead of her, and headed towards it, pouring an excruciating amount of care into each footstep…
Just as she was about to turn the corner, Kris stopped abruptly. She could hear soft footsteps and heavy breathing coming from just around the bend, the obvious signs of someone trying to get around without being heard. Her breath caught as fear rose to her throat, mixing with her adrenaline and anger to create a powerful amount of energy. She gripped her sword tightly and raised it before her, drawing in a deep, shaky breath before lunging around the corner.
Kris immediately stopped, all her former feelings of excitement drained. A powerful wave of emotion washed over her as she saw who it was standing barely three feet away from her. She was smothered by relief, anger, surprise and dread… Her eyes widened in fear, her face turned pale as the moonlight streaming through a small knot-hole in the planks, her body immediately tensing. Now, instead of gripping her sword in self defence, she gripped it simply to hold onto something, to assure herself that this was real. Her knuckles turned white from holding on so tight, she momentarily forgot to breath. This couldn't be happening… she didn't know what to feel, whether she should be angry or happy or neutral… But the man standing before her barely moved a muscle. Even without the small, virtually unhelpful stream of moonlight, she would have been able to recognise him. It would have been impossible not to.
It was Jack.