~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THAT NIGHT AT DINNER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once everyone was seated for dinner, the tension in the room became apparent, to all of the adults. Jack had informed the rest of the parents on what had gone on this afternoon, while Nika had told William. Will and Elizabeth watched, as their daughter didn't eat, but glared at Jonathan Norrington, and then stabbed a piece of meat and rudely stuffed it in her mouth. They also saw that their oldest son was holding her hand beneath the table, and that Nika was softly speaking to her, to keep her calm. With a vauge interest they also watched as Jonathan kept his head down and just ate, receiving no support from the glares that Karen was giving him. A fork clanged on china as Karen finished her supper.
"Mum? Dad? May I go to the library, please?" She asks politely.
"Yes of course dear." Elizabeth replies.
"Nika, are you going too?" Jack asks.
"Yes, if that's all right father." Nika says.
"Of course it is dear." Elise says.
The two girls leave the room and soon after William decides to go up, after asking his father's permission. With that, the 3 children of the Black Pearl go upstairs to read, or so the parents thought.
However, the 'children' we not reading, but helping Karen find a new hiding place for her diary. Once they had sworn themselves to secrecy, they each looked for a place where a Norrington would never look. Nika looked through the shelves for a place in the books that her best friends diary could fit it. William looked in his sister's room for a better place than she had, which was in the hollow beneath her window seat. Karen looked through all of the trinkets around the library, to find something to hide her diary under. They each returned to the reading area by the west windows to tell of the places where Karen could hide her diary.
"I looked through your room, and I found a nice place. Inside your grandfather clock."
"Yes, that is a good place William, but it is still in my room. I want a place where i he /i would never look."
"What about here then?" Nika says, leading them to a nearly unused part of the library, where their fathers kept their logbooks, maps, and journals.
"That's a good place too. But let me show you what I found." Karen replies leading them to a row of books and climbing up a ladder. She points to a bell that their fathers and crew had found on a sunken ship. It was still intact, and was easy for Karen to lift.
"So where are you going to put it?" Nika asks.
"In your place. It's much easier to get to, and I won't have to lift that stupid bell so carefully."
"Good choice, sis."
"Thanks, brother dearest."
"So Kar, why did you freak so much when you saw him reading your diary. You've always let me, Will, and the parents read it."
"Thing is, guys, that you all know me. You know how I feel, how I react to things, and how I express myself. That diary has all of those emotions, all of those feelings, all of those memories in it. That boy could not even begin to understand what that diary holds in it. My poems, and my ramblings have kept me connected to this world, you know? That diary holds all of my fears, loves, and hates in it, and HE just thinks he can waltz into our home and read it!?"
Karen gets a hug from her older brother and her best friend, before they say anything.
"Kar, wow, I didn't know all of those poems were about your life. I guess I can see it now though. You've kept those diaries since... well you know." Nika says.
"Was it now? Wow Kar. I can understand the meanings of those poems now."
"Were they always so cryptic. You had to have understood them... or perhaps it's only me that understands what they mean and that is how I shelter myself from harm."
They all laugh and then go to their rooms, where yet again, Karen screams. Now everyone comes running, even the Commodore. They open the door, to find all of the chickens from the hen house in Karen room, tearing up everything from old journals, to her bed spread and clothes.
"JONATHAN NORRINGTON!!!!!!!" She screams and launches herself at him. If not for Will, Jack, and William holding her back, she would have tackled him and probably hurt him.
"Jonathan! How dare you! We allow you into our home, and this is how you treat my daughter! Commodore, I am sorry, but unless you can control your son, not only will I tell the men of our families to let go of Karen, but you will have to leave." Elizabeth says.
Not paying attention to Jonathan anymore, Karen starts to retrieve her now ruined journals from when she was little. As she picks up the broken remains of a particular journal, she breaks down and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Nika then starts after Jonathan and again the men hold her back. Elise and Elizabeth both go to comfort the crying teen, and Will steps up to the Norringtons.
"If you ever, EVER touch my daughters things again, I will not hold them back from what they do to you. I'm sure neither will my son, or Captain Sparrow. I would like to ask you to please go to your rooms now, while my family help my daughter pick up what memories she can, or at least the ones YOUR son hasn't ruined." With that Will goes and tells the maids to get the individual cages for the hens and bring them upstairs. The Norringtons depart to their rooms, but not until after the Commodore grounded his son, and told him that he was lucky that the Sparrow's and Turner's didn't let their daughters kill him, because if it were his daughter, he would have.
In Karen's room, after the maids and butlers had caught all of the chickens, they tried to piece back together pages and entire diaries if they could. Karen slowly coaxed Socks out of the closet where he had hidden during the chaos, and now had him wrapped up in the remains of her beautiful bedspread. They found that 3 of 10 dresses were ruined, that nearly all of her diaries had been left alone, minus about 5, but that didn't make it any better. The bed she'd received for her birthday, from the crew, for Socks, had been ruined. Karen's antique doll collection was now ruined from chicken feces, and her room was still a wreck. The things in her locked chest were safe, but the chest itself was ruined. This particular chest was special to her, because from it, came her very first payment that she had earned. Karen herself was just as much a wreck as her room. Slowly they began to move things to another room in the house, into a guest room where she was farther away from the Norringtons, yet close to Nika and William. When they had finished moving her non-ruined things into her new room the others left while her parents stayed.
Elizabeth and Will sat on the bed where Karen sat, and Karen flung herself into her fathers arms and cried. Will slowly patted his crying daughter on the back, until she was all cried out.
"Daddy, why did he do that? Why?" She asks.
"I don't know luv. But your things will be replaced, and I will be sure that the money comes from Jonathan and not his father, even if he has to work 20 hours a day, he will pay for all of the damage he caused."
"Daddy, I don't want his money. I just want my things back. My dolls were priceless, as were my journals. I just want to, ARGH!!" She screams.
"Karen, darling. Though we can't replace the journals, or the contents of them, you still have all of those memories in your heart. My poor baby." she says, hugging her daughter.
"How long will it be until my old room is cleaned?"
"I'm not sure, luv. We'll call the cleaners in the morning, to help the maids." Will says.
"Until then, you're staying here, you're still in your wing, but you're farther away from those so called men, and closer to William and Nika."
"Did those damn chickens get my paintings too? My school things?"
"They did get your paintings, as for your school things, no. They were in the trunk that's been ruined, but the things inside weren't harmed."
"Where is the key for that trunk anyway? Oh, that reminds me. Here." Will hands Karen a key. "This is for your room so that, that boy cannot get in here."
"Thank you, Daddy." Karen sighs. "Daddy, when are ithey/i going to leave?"
"I don't know luv. As soon as the Commodore is finished with his business with your Grandfather, I'm sure they'll leave."
"Alright then. Mummy, Daddy, I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed now, if that's okay."
"Of course it is dear. I'll tell the maids to ready a bath for you and then you can go to bed." Elizabeth replies. Each parent gives their daughter a hug and then they leave the room. Karen slowly wanders around her new temporary room. It was one she had helped put together, so it was a little to her taste. The room was done in reds with gold accents. There was a window seat facing the west, where Karen sat down and watched as the sun slowly drew colors around the room. She watched as the sun set, for nearly 15 minutes, before a maid came in to tell her ,her bath was ready. Karen gathered her nightgown and dressing robe and went into the bathroom that the maid had led her to. She takes her bath and dresses for the night. When she returns to her room, she locks the door, and climbs into a forgein feeling bed, and drifts off to sleep, like the rest of the people in the house have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KAREN'S DREAM (In her POV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nika and I hear shouting and screaming on the deck above our heads. We're crying, while sitting down, not any older than four years old. Will sits behind us, shaking but trying to look brave. Our fathers had just left to find our mothers and so we were alone in the middle of this insanity. Soon though our parents come back and Uncle Jack picks me up, and Daddy picks up Nika. Both our mothers grab William's hands and we all travel to the stern end of the ship, where Uncle Jack and Daddy put Nika and I down. They move Uncle Jack's desk and underneath is a trapdoor. They open it and Mum grabs a lantern from the wall near by. Uncle Jack and Daddy pick Nika and I up again, and carry us down the ladder into a small room. William and our Mothers come down as well and then Daddy and Uncle Jack start talking quietly to our mothers. Daddy and Uncle Jack give us all hugs and then go back up the ladder and close the trapdoor.
"Mummy, what's going on? Why aren't Daddy and Uncle Will staying here with us?" Nika asks. She climbs into her mothers lap, as do I and William with our mother.
"Daddy and Uncle Will are helping the crew fight some bad people. They'll come back and get us soon." Auntie Elisa replies to her daughter.
Above us we suddenly hear some people trashing the room, above us. Mum and Auntie Elisa hold us children closely and whisper to us to be quiet. We were sure we were found, but suddenly everything became silent again, and so we sat around and waited for our fathers to come back and get us. While waiting, William curled up on the floor and went to sleep, and soon, Nika and I followed.
Later on, the door above our heads opened and down came our fathers. We were asleep however, as were our mothers. Our fathers carefully woke our mothers, and then picked up William, Nika and I's sleeping forms and put us in our beds.
When we woke up the next morning our parents were asleep, with our mothers' heads on our fathers' shoulders. We all got up and curled up next to our parents and fell asleep soundly, until we really had to get up, for real that morning. Each of us children hugged our parents and then let them go about their business around the ship. We went and played around the ship, where we were allowed to, of course, and had a good day, after that horrible night.
Once everyone was seated for dinner, the tension in the room became apparent, to all of the adults. Jack had informed the rest of the parents on what had gone on this afternoon, while Nika had told William. Will and Elizabeth watched, as their daughter didn't eat, but glared at Jonathan Norrington, and then stabbed a piece of meat and rudely stuffed it in her mouth. They also saw that their oldest son was holding her hand beneath the table, and that Nika was softly speaking to her, to keep her calm. With a vauge interest they also watched as Jonathan kept his head down and just ate, receiving no support from the glares that Karen was giving him. A fork clanged on china as Karen finished her supper.
"Mum? Dad? May I go to the library, please?" She asks politely.
"Yes of course dear." Elizabeth replies.
"Nika, are you going too?" Jack asks.
"Yes, if that's all right father." Nika says.
"Of course it is dear." Elise says.
The two girls leave the room and soon after William decides to go up, after asking his father's permission. With that, the 3 children of the Black Pearl go upstairs to read, or so the parents thought.
However, the 'children' we not reading, but helping Karen find a new hiding place for her diary. Once they had sworn themselves to secrecy, they each looked for a place where a Norrington would never look. Nika looked through the shelves for a place in the books that her best friends diary could fit it. William looked in his sister's room for a better place than she had, which was in the hollow beneath her window seat. Karen looked through all of the trinkets around the library, to find something to hide her diary under. They each returned to the reading area by the west windows to tell of the places where Karen could hide her diary.
"I looked through your room, and I found a nice place. Inside your grandfather clock."
"Yes, that is a good place William, but it is still in my room. I want a place where i he /i would never look."
"What about here then?" Nika says, leading them to a nearly unused part of the library, where their fathers kept their logbooks, maps, and journals.
"That's a good place too. But let me show you what I found." Karen replies leading them to a row of books and climbing up a ladder. She points to a bell that their fathers and crew had found on a sunken ship. It was still intact, and was easy for Karen to lift.
"So where are you going to put it?" Nika asks.
"In your place. It's much easier to get to, and I won't have to lift that stupid bell so carefully."
"Good choice, sis."
"Thanks, brother dearest."
"So Kar, why did you freak so much when you saw him reading your diary. You've always let me, Will, and the parents read it."
"Thing is, guys, that you all know me. You know how I feel, how I react to things, and how I express myself. That diary has all of those emotions, all of those feelings, all of those memories in it. That boy could not even begin to understand what that diary holds in it. My poems, and my ramblings have kept me connected to this world, you know? That diary holds all of my fears, loves, and hates in it, and HE just thinks he can waltz into our home and read it!?"
Karen gets a hug from her older brother and her best friend, before they say anything.
"Kar, wow, I didn't know all of those poems were about your life. I guess I can see it now though. You've kept those diaries since... well you know." Nika says.
"Was it now? Wow Kar. I can understand the meanings of those poems now."
"Were they always so cryptic. You had to have understood them... or perhaps it's only me that understands what they mean and that is how I shelter myself from harm."
They all laugh and then go to their rooms, where yet again, Karen screams. Now everyone comes running, even the Commodore. They open the door, to find all of the chickens from the hen house in Karen room, tearing up everything from old journals, to her bed spread and clothes.
"JONATHAN NORRINGTON!!!!!!!" She screams and launches herself at him. If not for Will, Jack, and William holding her back, she would have tackled him and probably hurt him.
"Jonathan! How dare you! We allow you into our home, and this is how you treat my daughter! Commodore, I am sorry, but unless you can control your son, not only will I tell the men of our families to let go of Karen, but you will have to leave." Elizabeth says.
Not paying attention to Jonathan anymore, Karen starts to retrieve her now ruined journals from when she was little. As she picks up the broken remains of a particular journal, she breaks down and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Nika then starts after Jonathan and again the men hold her back. Elise and Elizabeth both go to comfort the crying teen, and Will steps up to the Norringtons.
"If you ever, EVER touch my daughters things again, I will not hold them back from what they do to you. I'm sure neither will my son, or Captain Sparrow. I would like to ask you to please go to your rooms now, while my family help my daughter pick up what memories she can, or at least the ones YOUR son hasn't ruined." With that Will goes and tells the maids to get the individual cages for the hens and bring them upstairs. The Norringtons depart to their rooms, but not until after the Commodore grounded his son, and told him that he was lucky that the Sparrow's and Turner's didn't let their daughters kill him, because if it were his daughter, he would have.
In Karen's room, after the maids and butlers had caught all of the chickens, they tried to piece back together pages and entire diaries if they could. Karen slowly coaxed Socks out of the closet where he had hidden during the chaos, and now had him wrapped up in the remains of her beautiful bedspread. They found that 3 of 10 dresses were ruined, that nearly all of her diaries had been left alone, minus about 5, but that didn't make it any better. The bed she'd received for her birthday, from the crew, for Socks, had been ruined. Karen's antique doll collection was now ruined from chicken feces, and her room was still a wreck. The things in her locked chest were safe, but the chest itself was ruined. This particular chest was special to her, because from it, came her very first payment that she had earned. Karen herself was just as much a wreck as her room. Slowly they began to move things to another room in the house, into a guest room where she was farther away from the Norringtons, yet close to Nika and William. When they had finished moving her non-ruined things into her new room the others left while her parents stayed.
Elizabeth and Will sat on the bed where Karen sat, and Karen flung herself into her fathers arms and cried. Will slowly patted his crying daughter on the back, until she was all cried out.
"Daddy, why did he do that? Why?" She asks.
"I don't know luv. But your things will be replaced, and I will be sure that the money comes from Jonathan and not his father, even if he has to work 20 hours a day, he will pay for all of the damage he caused."
"Daddy, I don't want his money. I just want my things back. My dolls were priceless, as were my journals. I just want to, ARGH!!" She screams.
"Karen, darling. Though we can't replace the journals, or the contents of them, you still have all of those memories in your heart. My poor baby." she says, hugging her daughter.
"How long will it be until my old room is cleaned?"
"I'm not sure, luv. We'll call the cleaners in the morning, to help the maids." Will says.
"Until then, you're staying here, you're still in your wing, but you're farther away from those so called men, and closer to William and Nika."
"Did those damn chickens get my paintings too? My school things?"
"They did get your paintings, as for your school things, no. They were in the trunk that's been ruined, but the things inside weren't harmed."
"Where is the key for that trunk anyway? Oh, that reminds me. Here." Will hands Karen a key. "This is for your room so that, that boy cannot get in here."
"Thank you, Daddy." Karen sighs. "Daddy, when are ithey/i going to leave?"
"I don't know luv. As soon as the Commodore is finished with his business with your Grandfather, I'm sure they'll leave."
"Alright then. Mummy, Daddy, I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed now, if that's okay."
"Of course it is dear. I'll tell the maids to ready a bath for you and then you can go to bed." Elizabeth replies. Each parent gives their daughter a hug and then they leave the room. Karen slowly wanders around her new temporary room. It was one she had helped put together, so it was a little to her taste. The room was done in reds with gold accents. There was a window seat facing the west, where Karen sat down and watched as the sun slowly drew colors around the room. She watched as the sun set, for nearly 15 minutes, before a maid came in to tell her ,her bath was ready. Karen gathered her nightgown and dressing robe and went into the bathroom that the maid had led her to. She takes her bath and dresses for the night. When she returns to her room, she locks the door, and climbs into a forgein feeling bed, and drifts off to sleep, like the rest of the people in the house have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KAREN'S DREAM (In her POV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nika and I hear shouting and screaming on the deck above our heads. We're crying, while sitting down, not any older than four years old. Will sits behind us, shaking but trying to look brave. Our fathers had just left to find our mothers and so we were alone in the middle of this insanity. Soon though our parents come back and Uncle Jack picks me up, and Daddy picks up Nika. Both our mothers grab William's hands and we all travel to the stern end of the ship, where Uncle Jack and Daddy put Nika and I down. They move Uncle Jack's desk and underneath is a trapdoor. They open it and Mum grabs a lantern from the wall near by. Uncle Jack and Daddy pick Nika and I up again, and carry us down the ladder into a small room. William and our Mothers come down as well and then Daddy and Uncle Jack start talking quietly to our mothers. Daddy and Uncle Jack give us all hugs and then go back up the ladder and close the trapdoor.
"Mummy, what's going on? Why aren't Daddy and Uncle Will staying here with us?" Nika asks. She climbs into her mothers lap, as do I and William with our mother.
"Daddy and Uncle Will are helping the crew fight some bad people. They'll come back and get us soon." Auntie Elisa replies to her daughter.
Above us we suddenly hear some people trashing the room, above us. Mum and Auntie Elisa hold us children closely and whisper to us to be quiet. We were sure we were found, but suddenly everything became silent again, and so we sat around and waited for our fathers to come back and get us. While waiting, William curled up on the floor and went to sleep, and soon, Nika and I followed.
Later on, the door above our heads opened and down came our fathers. We were asleep however, as were our mothers. Our fathers carefully woke our mothers, and then picked up William, Nika and I's sleeping forms and put us in our beds.
When we woke up the next morning our parents were asleep, with our mothers' heads on our fathers' shoulders. We all got up and curled up next to our parents and fell asleep soundly, until we really had to get up, for real that morning. Each of us children hugged our parents and then let them go about their business around the ship. We went and played around the ship, where we were allowed to, of course, and had a good day, after that horrible night.