Blind Fate
Chapter Two
By Carina
Anne's dream started out pleasantly enough. She loved to dream for it was only then that her eyes were open to the colors of the world.
Anne smiled as she basked in the sunlight of the oddly warm English day. She was in her favorite spot, a huge flat boulder that sat on the side of a hill that led down to the beach on the North Sea below. And with her was Dan.
She smiled in her sleep. She loved when Dan was in her dreams. He was alive and healthy in her dreams, not like he had been in the end of his days.
She spoke something to Dan, and judging from his reaction it had been something off color as he threw back his head and laughed a hearty laugh as he always did when she surprised him with her words. Her heart gave a painful tug and she suddenly felt the urge to touch him. She reached a suntanned hand out to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. She needed to see his eyes.
A sense of dread stole over her quite suddenly. The wind picked up as dark clouds were pushed over the sun. The waves became angry and harsh, pounding against the shore and rocks as if they were taking revenge upon them. Her hand froze inches from his face. His head was still tilted back, and normally she would not be able to contain herself from touching some part of him, but now she was afraid. Afraid that he might bite her like a snake.
His hand suddenly snatched her wrist in a vice like grip. At her strangled cry he turned his face toward her and she let out a cry of horror.
The creature had Dan's features, his strong nose and jaw, his dark brown hair, and the light scar above his right brow that he'd gotten helping her climb down from an apple tree when a sudden storm came upon them. But his features were now twisted and dark, his eyes cold and merciless. She'd seen those eyes before…they were Stanley's eyes! Stanley had taken Dan's place!
"Please…No…"she whispered.
He laughed cynically and suddenly grabbed hold of her shoulders shaking her like a rag doll.
"You're mine now! Mine!" And he shook her and shook her and shook her…
"Miss! Miss! Oh please Miss ye must wake up!" A familiar voice broke into Anne's dreamlike state.
Anne frowned as the shroud of sleep ascended from her. Someone was shaking her.
"Miss Anne! Oh please! Pirates!" came a frantic whisper.
Anne brushed off the rest of her sleep as she sat up her hands trailing down the arms over her shaker and she realized once she had reached the face that it was Rosemary.
"Rosemary? Is it morning already?" Anne asked in a tired voice.
"No Miss! It's pirates! Pirates are attacking us!" she cried as she pulled Anne up to a standing position off the bed.
"Here Miss Anne, quick in here! Ye must hide! Hurry now I hear footsteps!" Rosemary strained in a hoarse whisper.
Anne barely had time to gather her wits before she was shoved in one of the big steamer trunks that hadn't been filled with more than an embroidered table cloth and some personal nightgowns for her wedding night. Anne tried to protest and banged on the steamer trunk lid but Rosemary had locked it. Frustrated she started to yell out but her shout caught in her throat when she heard the door burst off the hinges.
"'Ey! Lookie what I found 'ere!" came a high pitched voice.
Rosemary let out a shriek and for a few moments all Anne could hear was a sort of scuffle laden with cries of pain from the man and the hysterical shrieks of Rosemary. Anne thought maybe Rosemary had grabbed something and tried to hit the attacker. All this ended when a new voice joined the scene.
"Ahh…thanky Brutus. Tis a pretty strumpet ye tossed my way," the man chuckled.
"Bah! Ye can have the she devil! She right near took me good eye out!" the first man replied sourly.
"No one'll be havin' 'er though. You know the Cap'ins orders. All ships crew an' passengers is being locked in the mess whilst we plunder the ship and take half the food rations"
"Right'o mate. Though I do wish Jack'd let us have our way wif the women"
"Aye," the newcomer sighed sadly, "But it's not to be. Come, I'll get this fainting flower to the mess and ye grab up the trunks. Seem mighty fancy from the looks of them."
Anne's heart stopped for a moment when she heard a grunt and felt the trunk she was in hefted up. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound, and whether from the sensory overload or the lack of oxygen she passed out into oblivion.
When she awoke Anne found herself to be in a sort of box. Puzzled for a moment she felt around and paused in horror when she remembered the recent events. She had no idea what to do. She could hear the men about her, some chattering about the haul, others eager to open bundles, and some three sheets to the wind from drink. Anne froze in fear. She had no plan of action. After all, even if the men didn't open the trunk she was still to be locked in it. And what could she do if she broke out? She was in the middle of the ocean on a pirate ship!
"Aww let's at least open us one o' the trunks! Sparrow's takin' forever!" came the voice that Anne recognized to be of the man who had attacked Rosemary.
"Nay! He's the cap'n and we aren't to touch a thing till he graces us wif his presence."
"Ha! Some cap'n! I had me a mighty fine strumpet in me arms I tell ye! An' cause'o cursed rules of his I weren't allo'd to 'ave my fun! I 'ave'nt 'ad a woman's touch in months!"
"As if a woman would willingly touch you!" a raucous voice yelled from the crowd.
"Blasphemy!" cried the insulted voice right before sounds of a fight broke out.
Anne felt her trunk shake and several items fall to the side of it, hitting the ground with a thunk as if a body had been shoved into a pile of booty.
What happened next was certainly not what Anne would have picked as a means of escape from the coffin like box.
During the fight Anne's trunk which seemed to be stacked upon another was knocked off. The latch snagged and all the sudden Anne felt fresh air as she tumbled out of the trunk in a heap.
A dead silence settled over the room. Hardly any soul dared to breathe at the strange sight before them.
Anne consumed by the trembles fumbled to her feet. A blackness darker than her blindness threatened to overcome her mind. How she managed not to faint must have been the grace of God.
Finally the silence was broken by the voice of one man, "'Ey Brutus, looks as if we got ourselves a fine morsal after all!" in fact it was the voice of the second man whom had been in her cabin
"I get 'er first!" Cried out a voice as Anne was seized from behind by thick meaty hands that dug into her shoulders. Stale breath flushed over her cheek as the man brought his head near her neck and whispered, "Oh..we're gonna have some fun lass," right before wet lips descended on her neck sucking at the soft supple skin as the other men cheered him on, though some called "foul" as they wanted to be the first in line.
That was all it took for Anne to break free of her petrified stupor. With the shriek of a hunting falcon she started to thrash violently, frantic to get away from her captor. The man only laughed and moved his iron grip from her shoulders to her waist as he cried out to the men, "Ey mates! Tis a feisty one we have! I think she's afraid she won't have a good time!"
A small part of Anne's brain had begun to kick her mind into gear pushing aside enough of the terror for her to think rationally. If she were to be….taken advantage of (for Anne did not want to submit her reality to the word rape)..then she would go down fighting.
She made her body go limp, though she carefully kept most of her weight on her left foot so she was stabilized.
The man laughed, "Awww mates! Look what ye done gone and done! Ye frightened her!. Now she won't be awake to en-" his statement ended in a horrific cry of pain as Anne brought back her right heel and drove it into his groin. It produced the desired result other than causing him extreme discomfort and possibly the extinction of his future generations. He released her immediately and she sprung forward a few steps.
She had no idea what her next move should be but it seemed that it was to be more of her wild cat fighting, for the man shouted at the others to grab the "bitch".
Anne clawed the arms that grabbed her and ripped at her dressing gown, she spit in the direction of voices and stamped on feet when she could, screaming the whole time with the fury of Hades.
At one point a hand grabbed at her hair, catching hold of the veil and hair pins and yanked. Anne screamed in pain as some of her hair was pulled out in small clumps. She reeled from the dizziness the pain caused but she managed to get ahold of herself and prepare to fight again. The next attack never came though.
There had been a collective gasp as the veil was ripped from her head. Several of the men made the sign of the devil when they saw her blood red eyes with no iris or pupil to speak of and the bubbled scarring that covered the area around her eyes to her temples.
"Demon!" one man shouted.
"She be damned!" another called.
Several men ran out the room.
Taking advantage of their new found fear she shouted at them, "That's right! And I shall curse you all for what you have tried to do! Nay! I shall kill you worthless cretins!"
They took this to heart and instead of them abandoning her in the store room they all took in the hearty suggestion shouted by a member of the mob.
"Kill it!"
With angry cries and shouts they advanced on her intent on killing the spirit before them. Anne staggered backwards thinking that perhaps she had been too rash with her threat. Her back came into contact with a beam and the shock of hitting a hard object allowed her to narrowly miss a knife which stuck into the wall beside her face. She heard a man fall in front of her and took advantage of the heavy presence before her to kick him in the face before skirting along the wall feeling her way as best she could all whilst blocking out the cries of the mob and the furry of action as they each tried to be the first to kill her or shove another man to be the first to take a stab at her. Just when she thought she was cornered a new voice broke out, somehow cutting through the noise of the crowd.
"Come, come now mates! What's all this ruckus?!" the voice asked lazily, though there was a hint of the steely power that sat under the calm tone.
It seemed not even the ship creaked in the silence that followed. Only the new voice dared to break it with his patient steps that echoed as he made his way across the floor boards.
All the adrenaline left Anne as the steps neared. Her legs folded beneath her and she sagged against the corner covering her head with her arms to ward off any attack this newcomer might bring. Her trembles came back full force and her breathing became ragged. She was dangerously close to becoming a fainting flower herself when the soothing voice spoke from above her.
"Well Lass it looks as if you're in a spot you are-n't supposed to be in," the voice paused waiting for a reaction. When he got nothing but the trembles and a slight wimper she heard him crouch down and suddenly he was resting a light hand upon her shoulder, "Now Lass, let's stop these shakes. It is not my means to harm you. Come let's stand up and have a looksee at you."
The voice was so soothing and so commanding at the same time that Anne felt as if she weren't in possession of her body as she hesitantly climbed to her feet and turned her face to the voice.
To his credit she heard no curse or sharp intake of breath, but merely a thoughtful, "Hmmm. Very interesting. Interesting indeed."
An uncomfortable silence followed, well it was uncomfortable to all except the voice as he seemed to be in control of the aura that surrounded the room.
Finally he spoke, "Well Miss…Beg your pardon but I haven't asked your name. Please do me the honor of gracing me with it."
Anne slightly rattled at this opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a squeak. Clearing her throat she spoke quietly, "Tis Anne."
"Ah! Righty then!" the voice spoke and Anne thought there must be a smile on the voice's lips.
"Well mistress Anne. I must apologize for the deplorable behavior," this part was directed to the audience before moving back to Anne, " of the scallywags that are the makings of my crew. That is certainly no welcome for such a fine lady. Allow me to welcome you formally. My name is Captain Jack Sparrow and I'd like to welcome you to the infamous Black Pearl," he said with a flourish and Anne started as he took her hand and brushed his lips across her soft skin.
Anne felt it necessary to speak after such a presentation, but she kept the pleasantries blunt, "When shall you be taking me back?" she questioned, though whether it was back to the ship or back to port remained to be seen.
"Back?" Captain Sparrow laughed, "Why Lass, you shan't be going back anywhere."
Anne felt all the dread of the earlier actions of the evening wash over her and all she could do was stutter, "But…but…you can't!"
The Captain placed an arm around her shoulders, "It's nothing personal lass but by now your ship is halfway back to the port where it made from which means it's also asight of the Royal Navy, so if'in we were to take you back to the ship we'd most certainly have a skirmish, and to tell you, Love, I'm a wee bit tired so a skirmish is not in the foreseeable future. And really, if we were take you back to port…well that's just not a smart idea now is it?"
Anne felt betrayed. Betrayed by his kind nature, betrayed by his charismatic mannerisms, and betrayed by herself. She was livid with the fact that she had allowed herself to be driven into a false sense of security and hope that she would see home again.
Being so close to Captain Sparrow, for he still had his arm about her shoulders, she felt an object protruding into her. Upon further inspection with discreet fingers she found it to be the hilt of some object, most likely a weapon. This all happened within a manner of seconds as Jack finished his speech and without warning she pulled the weapon out of it's sheath, turned outwards from the arm and took a swipe at him shrieking her fury at all the injustice done to her.
Unfortunately the weapon appeared to be a small dagger that didn't quite reach Jack who quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted it until she was forced to unwrap her death grip from the hilt of the dagger.
"Now missy that wasn't nice of you," he said in amused and patronizing tone.
That was all it took for Anne to go wild. She grabbed at him with her free hand, yelling and spitting, kicking and slapping, anything to hurt him. The civilized Anne was gone. In place was a feral animal as angry as the six shades of hell.
The audience let out cries of surprise and amazement, while Jack made a few grunts as he got his wits about him and avoided the claws of this she demon. In one swift move he swept her feet out from under her letting her fall to the floor where she hit her head with a sound thonk.
The last words she heard were, "Can't have that now can we," before her already dark world went even darker.
A/N: I do so hope you enjoyed! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.
