Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews!
Christmas is a-coming and so is the end of the story... there's only 1 chapter left (this one) and the epilogue, which I will post tomorrow (Christmas Eve!!)
Thanks to everyone for your wonderful support throughout - special mentions goto Arein, who has been reviewing since the beginning, she's such a sweetie, and Carn, who always reads and reviews nicelyeverything I do, bless 'er, and who is also a sweetie, but will probably kill me for saying so. But thanks to ALL of you - you're fab!!!
REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAP. 16:
Carn: Last chapter with Jack - enjoy!! Whoops, shouldn't have said that, nearly gave the game away...
colecole345:Unfortunately, we're so close to the end... but here's the next chapter, absolutely jam-packed with action and drama! (Wow, that sounded good!) Thanks for reviewing!
pirate tomboy: I'm sorry to say that I think this chapter might upset you even more... lots of tears...poor everyone, even someone in this chapter I didn't think I'd ever feel sorry for... but still, thanks!!
Arein: The answers to questions 1,2 and 4 are revealed in this chapter, questions 5 is "I don't know, depends what you ask," question 6: Yes, because here's the update...but question 3, "Will Will ever forgive her?".... well, I can't say...you're going to have to wait and see, especially after the end of this chapter... anyway, thanks for all your lovely reviews!
So, in summary: This last chapter. Epilogue up tomorrow. Thanks and enjoy!!
Luv J-b xxxx
Last time on Catherine Costa, Pirate's Daughter:
Bo'sun removes himself from behind me and I see the tall Jamaican man striding toward the chest on the mound. He veers around it and picks something up from behind it. As he throws it over his shoulder I recognise it as the limp dead body of Elizabeth. The pirates cheer as Bo'sun holds it up to them like a hunting trophy. Then he lifts a spear from the ground and holds it to the sky. More raucous cheers from the pirates. Oh no, oh no, oh no, I think. I cannot watch. I know what will happen next. I cover my eyes, but I cannot block out the sickening sound of flesh being pierced, and the roar from the crowd. When I dare to look, poor Elizabeth is impaled on the spear, and the spear flung into the crowd of pirates, where they bear down on her like vultures. I turn away. I cannot watch. My father is watching the pirates with amusement. I open my mouth to reprove him about laughing at a corpse being ripped apart, but before I can, an almighty roar erupts from the other side of the cave. I spin around to see a river of red-coated men brandishing swords and bellowing, Norrington in the lead, Will and Sparrow at his side.
"Norrington, no!" I scream, but he takes no notice, and the army in red floods down into the cavern, swords raised, ready to rip the pirates apart. But the pirates are ready fighters and are waiting for them. Blades clash and the metallic sound of steel on steel fills the room. I see Will knocking pirates to the ground and heading for me. I see Sparrow involved in a fast-paced duel with a pirate with dreadlocks. Pintel and the lanky pirate with the glass eye intercept Will and attempt to put a sword through him.
My father put a protective hand around my shoulders when Norrington's men entered and now he pushes me behind him as Norrington himself approaches, head high, face set. I come out from behind my father. "Norrington, get out of here now!" I shriek urgently. Norrington ignores me and draws his sword. My father laughs and draws his pistol. I see Norrington blanch but he does not move a muscle.
"Lay down your weapon!" he bellows. "I've come for Catherine!"
"You," my father mocks. "You crawling, worthless, sleazy, cowardly piece of filth. You took my daughter from me and now you are going to pay for it. Perhaps I'll keep your head as a memento. I know it's worthless, but what can you do?"
Norrington glares at him. "I took your daughter from you," he replies quietly, "because you killed her mother, and you were all set to do the same to her."
"Liar," my father sneers. "You thought you'd come in with your toy soldiers with their little swords and their pretty red coats and shoot us dead, and now that plan's down the drain you're feeding my daughter some damnfool story that you were the gallant hero who saved her after I killed her mother. And so what if I did? The stupid girl deserved what she got. And then you took my daughter, that's all there is to it. You took her and you tortured her for sixteen years by keeping her with you when what she needed was a father. I think it's time for retribution."
He raises his pistol, but before anyone can move, I dart in front of Norrington, blocking the aim.
"Move out of the way," my father snaps impatiently. "Let the rat get what he deserves."
"Maybe Norrington did take me from you," I say, unable to prevent fury spilling into every syllable, "but he has been a better father than you could ever hope to be. I – I met you five minutes ago, if that, and you are already treating me like your property. My daughter, my daughter, never calling me by my name, never Catherine. I doubt you even remembered what my name was." My father's face is darkening, contorting with fury. I bet nobody has ever spoken to him like this before. "So Norrington and I have had arguments," I continue, enraged. "So what? He would never, ever kill the mother of his child, nor – nor come into Port Royale, kill a whole load of innocent people and then stick them on spears like kebabs; like life and death is just some kind of game. And even if it is, let me tell you something – you lose."
I lunge forward, ready to push him back off the mound and into the deep water beneath, but he reaches out a hand and pushes me to the floor. As I try to recover myself, I hear the unmistakeable sound of a pistol being fired and a body falling to the floor.
"No!" I scream. I turn around to see Norrington sprawled on the floor in a pool of scarlet blood that steadily spreads through the sand around him. I rush towards him but my father is bearing down on me fast, pistol aimed at my temple.
"Perhaps having a daughter is not all it's cracked up to be," he spits, and pulls the trigger.
I close my eyes and wait for the bullet to come, but it doesn't, and all I hear is a yell of hatred. I open my eyes to see my father cursing and reloading his pistol, then something barrels up the mound from the right and smacks into my father, sending him flying. I turn to Norrington. His eyes are closed. A trickle of blood runs down his face from his mouth.
"Norrington," I whisper. Tears dribble from my eyelids and land on his face. "Norrington!"
His eyes flicker open a fraction, and he struggles to focus. "Catherine?" he croaks.
"I'm so sorry," I cry. "I'm so sorry."
"No," he replies. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me," and his eyes close and he is gone.
I turn away helplessly, and I see the thing that knocked my father down was Will. He has knocked my father's pistol down and now is sword-fighting with him furiously. Sparrow appears out of nowhere and grabs my arm. "Get out of here," he hisses urgently. "You've got to get out of here before you get yourself killed."
"I don't care," I begin to say, but I hear a yell from my father and spin around to see that Will has knocked him to the ground and is pointing his own pistol at him.
"Will, no!" I shout. I run over to them. "Will, don't shoot!"
He doesn't take his eyes off my father, sprawling on the floor. "I don't see why I shouldn't. He was all set to shoot you."
"That doesn't make it alright," I try to reason with him, but my father interrupts.
"Get on with it and pull the trigger, boy," he snarls.
Will hesitates. My father's eyes light up.
"I knew you didn't have it in you, Turner. And to hear the voice of reason coming from my murdering daughter!"
I feel like someone has punched me in the stomach. Will glances at me. "She's not a murderer like you are."
"Ah, if only you knew," my father laughs nastily. "Poor old Elizabeth. Take a look over there if you don't believe me."
Will turns slowly. My father takes his chance and turns tail, running for his life, never to show again. I look at Will. His eyes lock on Elizabeth's body lying prone on the floor. He stares for several long moments, and then turns to me. His voice is hoarse as he whispers, "Please tell me this isn't true."
I say nothing. I can't say anything. Like my father, I turn tail and run out of the cavern, leaving the battling pirates and redcoats and Will and Sparrow and Elizabeth far behind. I run out of the cave into the cold light of the moon, and I run the length of the island, running and running because I never want to be seen again. I just want to lie down and stay there in the cold of the night until I die.
Eventually land runs out and I am on the beach, staring out to sea. I don't know how long I stand there, without feeling, without thought, without anything but the bitter wind whipping at my face and hair. And it isn't until I look up at the silver moon reflected in the jet black waves that I remember today is my sixteenth birthday.