Disclaimer: see first chapter.
The rest of the day passes uneventfully for Squirrel. As always, she keeps away from the tavern as much as possible, for she knows that she will be beaten if she is seen by her uncle. She finds perches on the pier, sometimes sneaking on board a ship to watch a card or dice game. She's welcome at the docks. Sharky and his friends work there. He avoids her eyes as she walks down the pier towards him.
"Good day, Miss. Pleasant weather, wouldn't you say?"
Taking a deep breath, Squirrel speaks. "Is th-there a-a-anyone's sh-sh-ship here tha-that I c-c-can hide on-on? I w-w-w-want t-to l-leave T-t-t-Tortuga."
Sharky looks down at his feet. "Again, young Miss, I have to tell you no. There's naught here that would risk having a woman on board. Besides that…" Sharky looks up at the sky. "Your uncle has threatened to kill anyone who helped you off Tortuga."
"W-w-well s-s-screw h-him!" Squirrel says bitterly, scuffling her feet on the pier. "W-w-what's s-s-so s-s-special ab-about m-me th-that I-I c-c-can't l-leave?" Sharky shrugs, and a disappointed Squirrel turns on her heel to go. She turns so suddenly that she almost bumps into a pirate.
He grins at her, and tips his hat. She gives a nervous squeak and dashes away.
"Nervous little thing, isn't she?" Sharky jokes to the pirate. Squirrel jumps up, clambering in the rigging of a ship and climbs back towards Sharky and the pirate, keeping high out of sight.
"Aye," the pirate agrees, "Nervous as a squirrel, she is." Squirrel grins, despite herself. She's often mistaken for a boy. This pirate was the first to recognise her for a female. Must be my hair, Squirrel thinks, feeling the length of it. It had finally started growing out of the short cut that her uncle had hacked it to.
"I couldn't help but overhear, mate." The pirate continues, "But that lass in the grey cloak wanted off Tortuga, aye?" Sharky nods. "Well, I may just be her ticket off this barren rock." Squirrel frowns, but inside her heart leaps up as a spark of hope is lit. A way out! She wishes she could see his face, to know who to thank.
"Are ye doing this out of kindness, sir, or are ye honestly trying to help the poor girl?"
The pirate shrugs. "I do whatever I please, savvy?" Squirrel's heart stops, then starts again at twice its normal rate. There's only one pirate in all the Caribbean who says 'savvy'. Captain Jack Sparrow. The hot red colour floods Squirrel's face, and she jumps down from the rigging and runs back to the tavern before she can hear anymore.
Another false hope. Jack would not save her. Not even in her dreams could he save her. She can read the games, she can know the chances… but she has no luck, no chance, herself. That is the way my life has always been, Squirrel thinks, tears stinging her eyes.
A/N: I don't normally do long chapter stories. Aside from my CSI fics. And my chapters are usually short, like this one. However, in the Squirrel story, the chapters are usually pretty long. This one is not. Don't you feel special? Reviews please.