Chapter 2
Tortuga, Dexter, and Alley
"Wake up, you lazy, useless twit!" shouted Pennyfeather. The angry captain dumped a bucket of water on Jack's head. Jack sprung up, shaking his head rapidly.
"Bloody water! What was that for!" said Jack, now awoken and angry. Pennyfeather smiled.
"On my ship, every single crew member wakes up at dawn. If not, you pay the consequences," said the captain. He no doubt found Jack's distress hilarious. Jack wiped his face.
"Alright, alright, I'm up now, thanks to you." Sparrow got out of bed and out the door. Fred was on the side of the ship, looking out at the town. Briggs was with him. Anne, on the other hand, was busy yelling out commands at the other pirates. One yelled back. That did not sit well with the first mate. She swiftly whipped out two knives and chased the sailor around the deck for a while, and then finally just pushed him overboard.
"Ye done?" said Pennyfeather. Anne nodded.
"Let's just get on land as soon as we're ready," she said. Jack rolled his eyes.
"Yes, please," he said. Pennyfeather walked off the ship and onto the streets of Tortuga. Fred, Briggs, Anne, Jack, and the now soaking wet sailor (who's name was Justin) followed him. The Dragon's Rose captain slowly pivoted around to face the crew.
"Alright, lads, here's how things will go today. We'll all split up and search the town for any possible recruits. We'll meet back at the ship tomorrow at noon. And let's all get this straight; I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU BLOODY TWITS UNTIL TOMORROW! Got it?" By now the crew members had backed up at least three feet. They all nodded slowly, eyes wide in surprise at Pennyfeather's explosion. Perhaps the captain was in more stress than he showed, trying to keep the rascals aboard his ship under his control.
"Understood, captain. Move it, ladies!" said Briggs, giving Justin and Fred a shove. The two ran off, one to the left, one to the right. The burly gunner turned his head and looked at Jack. Jack put his hands up and started making his way to a pub behind them.
"I'm moving, I'm moving!" he said, now turning around into a full out run. Jack entered the tavern, which he now recognized as the Flintlock Pub, an old favorite of his. The bartender nodded to him.
"Welcome back, Jack! I haven't seen you in ages!" said the man. Jack now recognized the man.
"Hello, John! You wouldn't happen to know any people looking to join a pirate crew, by any chance, would ye?"
"Uh, sir? We would," said a voice from the corner. The Black Pearl's captain turned to see a man and a young woman stand up. Both had brown hair. The man had blue eyes, and the girl had green ones. The man was dressed in a plain beige tunic and green pants that had been cut off at the knees. His companion was likewise dressed in a light tan shirt, but wore an eye-patch and knee high black boots. A sword hung at each of their sides, and Jack could also see a knife barely sticking out of the boy's boots and the handle of a pistol in the girl's belt.
"Ah, just the sort of people I was looking for! What are your names, lad and lass?" said Jack with a smile. He was amazed that his job had been this easy.
"I'm Dexter, and this is my best friend Alley. We've both just joined the pirating business. Unfortunately, we don't have a ship," said Dexter.
"We're in the market, as it were," Alley added. There was something Jack liked about the two. Perhaps they were a little young, but Sparrow was sure that with some training they could become great pirates.
"Well, Dexter and Alley, I have a proposition for you. I am currently on board a ship called the Dragon's Rose, while I look to find and recapture me own ship, the Black Pearl. Perhaps you've heard of it? Anyway, the captain that is so graciously letting me stay aboard needs some tough and useful new crew members to help out. Savvy?" explained Jack.
"That sounds great! We'll take the job. Do we have an accord?" said Dexter, extending a hand to Jack. Jack grabbed it, and admired the boy's choice of words. Of course he would, it was his own usual sentence. He shook Dexter's hand.
"We have an accord. Let's stay at the inn for tonight. We leave for the Dragon's Rose tomorrow morning. It's docked just south of here," said Jack. Dexter and Alley nodded.
"And, you said your ship, the Black Pearl, has been taken? By what ship, do you know?" Dexter asked. Jack put his hand on his chin.
"Yes, it was the Prophet," he said. Dexter and Alley smiled at each other.
"We think we have a solution to your little problem. We know where the Prophet is." Jack could not believe his luck. This was definitely turning out to be a good day. Not only would Pennyfeather be pleased with the new crew members, Jack would also be able to find his ship and steal it back.
