Author's note: This. Chapter. Took. Forever!!!!! I'm really sorry about that, but my parents put into action this new rule that I can't type on the computer when my parents are watching tv, because the computer's in the living room and the keyboard's really loud, which turned out to give me exactly zero typing time. Also, we had a virus and fanfiction and fiction press and a few other things wouldn't work properly on my computer, so now I have a ton or reading to catch up on! So sorry for not reading your fanfic for so long Jeyke, and sorry for not reviewing for even longer because I couldn't type!! GAAAAAAAH!!! I HATE THIS RULE!!!!!
Eventually I'll get over it.
So, anyways, this chapter was meant to be solely Kris and Jack's escape, but then I started on other things and couldn't stop, but then the chapter was like a mile long, so I cut it off at what I though was an appropriate place, and have got to touch up the next chapter so I can post it too. So, here's another cliffhanger, one that won't make much sense until the next chapter gets posted, so I'm really sorry but that's the way it's gotta be.
On a personal note, I also spent the week at my sister's house, which ment I couldn't type for a week, even if my parents weren't watching tv, nor read anyfanfics, nor reply to them. But she did give me this awesome gumball machine shaped fish tank they had, so now alls I got to do is clean it out and I get more fish! Yay! I loves my fish! I already have names for the new ones, Lestat, Marius, and Louis. I'm sure you all really wanted to hear that, but as it's like midnight here and I'm super tired, and when I get tired I tend to get hyper and weird, well, that should explain a lot of it. My parents are out, so I just wrote this whole chapter in one sitting.
Roz: Hey roz! Hope ya had fun on your trip! No worries about talking in third person, I do that a lot too. That's so awesome you like corner gas… no one else I know does… yep, that's my fave episode!! (and because of that my official new elfwood name is Kris the Fish Whisperer). Aww, it's cute isn't it, but no dirty thoughts!!! personally rescues Roz's mind before it falls into a gutter ahem sorry… I'm very very very tired. Yup, Mia's gotted herself a nice little crush, of course on the guy every teenager has one on, Orlando Bloom. Well, almost every teenager. Well, cya!!!
Jeyke: Thanks!!! Maybe I should get sick more often… I can never find time to type nowadays! Corner gas is a purely Canadian show, so you probably won't hear of it anytime soon……………… it only plays once a week anyways sniff. Tis a shame because the show's PURE GENIUS!! Well next on my agenda is to read your new chapters, and review them, which hopefully I'll get a chance to do, and if not my parents will just have to suck it up and listen to me type for a while! Well thanks for the review!!!
Christi's really tied now. Me go to bed.
Chapter 14
All things considered, Katrina was surprisingly calm as she stood over Jeremy, still clutching the pistol in her hand. Normally, when you've just shot someone, something along the lines of an emotional breakdown or at least mild surprise follows shortly afterwards. But not a trace of surprise or remorse darkened Katrina's determined expression. She looked strangely out of place, an innocent looking young woman, dressed in what was more or less the fashion of the time with her long dark braided hair hanging down her back, standing in the middle of a dark bilge before a wounded man, brandishing a firearm that was still emitting a slight residue of gunpowder.
Kris finally got over the initial shock of seeing Katrina pounce from the shadows and shoot Jeremy, but was still understandably more or less surprised at seeing her.
"Katrina?" She said in disbelief.
Katrina, as if snapped out of some kind of trance, turned around and smiled. "The one and only." She said, before lifting the pistol to her lips and blowing the gunpowder from its rim, grinning. "Miss me?"
"Yes!" Kris exclaimed. "Now get us out!"
Jack gave what he thought was a friendly grin and leaned closer to Kris as Katrina fumbled with a ring of keys she had apparently brought with her, trying each one in the lock hurriedly. "Kristalle? Who's she?" he whispered, eyeing Katrina curiously.
"The name's Katrina." She replied cheerily before Kris could answer, smiling as she found the right key and swung open the cell door. "I'll be your saviour today. Now if you follow me, we'll probably be able to get past the guards before the whole ship wakes up."
The three immediately began to hurry up the stairs, as quietly as they could. Katrina, being the only one with a weapon, took the lead, Jack followed after her and Kris took up the rear, obviously tense and ready for a fight. In all truth, her fists were probably the most effective weapon she could ever come in contact with, all thanks to her uncle's rather fanatical teachings.
Katrina slowed down the procession as they approached the corner at the end of the agonizingly long hallway leading out of the bilge (who knew ships even had enough room for something as long as this?), timidly peering around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. It was. Thoughts reeling, Katrina's eyes scanned once more what was visible from their hiding spot of the ship, although she had practically imprinted every nook and cranny of the Ebony Rose into her mind during her brief stay. It had been one of the best ideas she'd had in a long time, sneaking off the Pearl during the battle and pretending to have been held captive by the pirates. She'd quickly found out that Captain Smith was quick to believe almost anything a woman told him, especially a pretty one.
"Alright, here's the plan." She whispered to Kris and Jack, her violet eyes glinting as she turned towards them. "See the stern of the ship? It's right across from us, should be only about 10 feet, twelve at the most. Trailing behind it is a spare rower, attached to the boat by a twine cord, about five feet or so out in the water. If we can jump far enough, we can reach the boat and stay in it until the rest of the ship settles down-" she paused for effect, letting her two comrades listen to the now rapidly growing sounds of disorder stirring within the ship, "-then we can easily cut the cord and be off on our merry way. Understand?"
"It's insane." Kris said, grinning slightly. "I like it."
"Alright, now come on!" Katrina whispered, before silently taking off quickly, Jack and Kris trailing closely behind. The once discreet sounds coming from below decks were now growing alarmingly loud, and each of the pirates felt a considerable amount of relief when they reached the rail separating the ship's decks from the mass of churning black water below. Before anyone could do anything, Katrina wordlessly slung her leg over the rail and dropped out of sight. Panicked, the two remaining pirates practically threw themselves over the rail to see where she had gone, before realising that Katrina was now crouched on a small ledge a couple feet beneath them, frantically beckoning for them to join her.
"She left out that bit." Jack mentioned quietly, but Kris had already disappeared over the rail, the only remaining proof that she had moments ago been standing beside him the long sheet of auburn hair descending over the rail after her. Jack was momentarily surprised at the agility of these two women, before realising that, A) they were both considerably smaller and lighter than most men, that and the fact that voices could now be heard yelling as they undoubtedly found Jeremy in the now empty bilge pointing towards obvious quickness, and B) if he didn't hurry soon, he'd end up locked in said bilge for the third time around. So, without any further hesitation, he silently dropped over the edge of the rail and landed awkwardly on the small ledge beneath.
Naturally, the wind was considerably worse down there, and Jack was understandably grateful that Katrina's hair was neatly tied up in a long braid, as he was currently getting a face-full of Kris's thick mane. The small rowboat was bobbing on the fierce waves like a cork, drifting closer then farther away from the ship with each wave. They silently watched the boat for a few moments, eventually concluding that when the boat was closest to them, it was more or less directly beneath the very ledge they stood on.
"We'll go in turns." Katrina said, the wind rendering her voice barely audible. They could now hear voices on deck, some so clear that they could have been looking over the rail directly above them. Speaking considerably louder as she clung to the edge of the ship, she added, "Any takers?"
Taking a deep breath, Kris nodded. "I'll go. Wish me luck." She gave Jack's hand a slight squeeze, before narrowing her eyes slightly and hurling herself towards the small rower.
For a moment she simply sailed through the air, her hair rippling behind her, before she landed gracefully in the rower, swiftly causing the customary cover over the top (something they hadn't quite taken into consideration in their haste) to collapse beneath her, of course not ripping the material due to her petite frame and seemingly expertise landing. She quickly cleared the fabric away over to one end of the boat and gave an affirming wave up to the other two.
Jack went next, landing in the rower beside Kris with a considerably lesser amount of grace, causing the boat to tip and nearly capsize. Taking no haste, Katrina went straight after him, landing silently with a cat-like poise. She took no time to collect herself as she reached over and grabbed the cover, motioning for the others to get down as she re-covered the boat, pirates and all.
After a few moments of silence, only broken by the three's heavy breathing, Kris let out a slight, excited laugh, her eyes fully showing the amount of adrenaline that still pumped through her veins.
"That was…" Kris said, trailing off momentarily. "Well, no offence to you lass, but I'd never thought something like that would have come from you."
Katrina smiled rather proudly as she managed to find a comfortable spot on her elbows as she lay on the damp wood of the boat's interior. Silently, Jack had to agree with Kris. Katrina, being very pretty and maintaining a relatively proper appearance, would have been one of the last people he would have expected to organise a jail break. He was about to mention that too, had Katrina not laughed slightly and shook her head, before looking mischievously, and slightly disbelieving, up at Kris.
"May I enquire, Captain Kayte, as to whether or not your given name is Kristalle McWilliams?" she asked, quickly and slyly so she gave off the effect of someone who either knew exactly what she was saying and was merely toying by asking questions, or someone who was flinging off wild guesses and wanted everyone else to believe she was sure of what she was saying.
Kris's face went white with shock as she huddled next to jack, leaning on her forearms. "Ex-excuse me?"
"Is your true name Kristalle McWilliams?" Katrina repeated, a slight trace of doubt flicking across her face.
Jack, now fully interested in the conversation, stared at Katrina for a moment before returning his gaze to Kris, who now not only looked slightly sickly but had her mouth handing open so widely one almost felt the urge to reach out and shut it.
"How did you know that?" Kris replied quietly, racking her mind for any mentioning of her given name she could have given Katrina. As far as she knew, the only two living people on the earth who knew of her full given name were her uncle and Jack, and from what she could remember, she hadn't even let on to Katrina that her real name was Kristalle, which was pretty much common knowledge, all things considered. She'd long ago dropped her father's name, McWilliams, for various reasons including the fact that she hated her father with all her being and wanted nothing to do with him, and had taken up her mother's maiden name, Kayte. She'd been known as Kris Kayte for so long that the knowledge that she'd given up both morally and legally her father's last name had all but slipped her mind.
"It really is you!" Katrina exclaimed delightedly, banging her hand slightly against the wood of the boat's bottom before reaching over and hugging Kris, the latter who seemed both confused and wary.
"Oh, Krissy, I haven't seen you for ages!!!" Katrina squealed again, this time right in Kris's ear, causing both Kris and the now beyond confused Jack to jump.
"Uh, yes, it is me…" Kris replied warily, struggling out of Katrina's tight grasp.
"You really don't remember me?" Katrina said, letting go of Kris and peering at her. "Katrina DuValle? Krissy, it's me, Kit!"