Disclaimer: POTC is love.
It's well after noon before Squirrel is able to crawl out of her room and make her slow way to the beach. Her uncle will beat her for not bringing him his breakfast, but Squirrel is beyond caring. She sits on the sands of Tortuga, hidden from the view of the city, her eyes blank and unseeing, but still brimming with tears. She eats the nuts she keeps in her pocket slowly, not only as every movement sends pain up her entire right side, but because she's locked herself away in her mind.
Dawn has won. Squirrel is finally beaten. Beaten beyond caring.
Squirrel sits on the beach, uncaring as the tide rises and falls, and barely notices as someone sits down beside her.
"Why the tears, luv?" Someone asks her.
"I sh-should j-j-just d-die." Squirrel whispers. "Th-th-then I c-can g-get some s-s-sleep. Some p-p-peace."
Some nuts are taken from her hand, and the person beside her crunches through them.
"I was about to ask if you wanted to stay on Tortuga, working for your uncle in that hole of a tavern, but you just answered it." A caring hand is placed on Squirrel's shoulder, and she yelps in pain and curls into a ball in the sand.
"D-don't t-t-touch me!" Squirrel shrieks. "L-leave me a-l-l-alone!"
The person rolls up Squirrel's sleeve slowly, and sees the burn from shoulder to wrist. "Who did this to you?" They ask.
Trembling, Squirrel sits up, unable to look at the person. "D-D-Dawn. M-my c-c-cousin."
"Well, that's not very nice." The figure stands. "I'll have to do something about that. Meet me at the docks if you feel like talking. Until then…" The figure is gone. Squirrel sits up slowly, wishing she had the courage to look the person in the face, to find out who it was that spoke to her.
The surf pounds on the beach, hissing as it releases its hold on the sand.