Hello, all! Forever since I updated, yeah! But I'm out of high school forever! Thank goodness! "Now, to business!" "TO BUSINESS!" "Shh!" "Sorry..." Whoops, Hitchhiker's Guide moment there... Anyway, THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS AND FRIENDS! And thanks, Kim, for always inspiring me and giving me a lot of emotional support! I always complain to youabout my lifeand you just remain extremely awesome! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! hug I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!
WARNING: Danger, Will Robinson! Alright... ahead is... a bit of sexual content and...a lot of pretty bad language, so... be forewarned! But IT'S ALL IN CHARACTER! So it fits the story and stuff. Sorry to those of you who really dont like it because those of you who know me know I really dont like it either, but i cant control my characters, they are who they are! deep breath So please dont be turned off by this, just know it's there. Domo!
CHAPTER 7: OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE
They made their way to the newest coordinates, which, luckily, was in the Caribbean this time. One night, Violet had a very strange dream. She dreamt that they had docked on an island and gone ashore. They'd come to a large hedge maze and they entered it. It was all so quick and blurry, so vague… Suddenly, something happened. Something happened to Elizabeth. She couldn't see what happened, but she knew something did… Something -- she woke up.
She didn't know what to make of the dream, but anyway, it was just a dream. Jack and Violet had been getting closer all the while they sailed back to the Caribbean. But two days before they arrived on the island, something happened between them that uncovered a lot about Violet's past…
"Do you love me, sweetheart?" he asked, putting his arms around her. It was in the evening hours and they were in Jack's room.
"Of course I do." she replied.
"Good." he said. "Because you know 'ow much I love you, too." She smiled and nodded and he kissed her. She usually had avoided standing anywhere near Jack's bed because she felt awkward, but this time she realized she must've been being paranoid -- Jack had never tried to do anything like that…
He lied down, pulling her on top of him and kissed her again. She started to panic. He kissed her neck and pushed the sleeve off her shoulder. She continued to panic; her breathing quickened and she started to try and squirm out of his grip, but to no avail. Finally, she lost it -- she screamed at the top of her lungs and fought her way out of his arms. He grabbed her arms, trying to calm her down, but it didn't help matters. She screamed at the top of her lungs again and violently struggled to escape. In her struggle, she hit him in the face (she didn't mean to, but when you struggle, you don't have a lot of control over what you do). She flung herself away from him and fell to the floor with a thud. She scrambled to the corner of the room, sobbing.
He sat there, stunned. What had he done wrong? Well, he did almost… But why did she react that radically?
He got up and went over to her. He knelt down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder but she shoved it off. He sat and waited for her to calm down a little before doing anything.
"Darling… what 'appened to you?" he asked concernedly. She continued sobbing. "Why are you actin' like this?" She didn't reply, just kept sobbing. He took her hands in his. "Love, answer me." he said firmly. She looked up at him and saw the sincere worry in his eyes. She sniffled. "Why can't you trust me?"
"B-because every time I trust someone, I get hurt! Every time I get close to people, they really hurt me!" she cried. "Always! That's the way it's always been! Every time! That's what alcohol does, Jack! That's what it did to my parents! My father was drunk and beat my mother until he killed her! He then picked up his gun and shot himself in the head! If I hadn't been hiding under the bed, I probably would've been killed, too!"
"…Oh, love, I'm so sorry…" he said, rather shocked.
"There's a lot wrong with me, Jack, a lot wrong!" she cried. "I'm just… lost inside… just lost… I thought I could get over it, but I was can't! Don't try to get involved with me, there's too much wrong!"
"Darling, I'll 'elp you get through whatever you need to get through -- I couldn' jus' leave you alone." he told her. "Especially after what I just 'eard. Those days are gone, sweetheart, you were so young…"
"Do you know when that was, Jack? When my parents died? Of course they never stopped hitting me until they were gone… Do you know when that was?" He shook his head. "Three years ago, Jack! Three years!"
His heart broke. "Three years…?" he asked quietly. "Oh, Let, I'm so sorry…" He was close to tears. "Whatever you need… I'll 'elp you get through it. You can, Let, I know you can. You're so strong… I promise I'll 'elp you."
"It's not worth it! I'm not worth it!"
"Rubbish." he dismissed.
"I want to tell you more." she stated, sniffling.
"Good." he replied. "Good. You need to get it out."
She sniffled. "Remember how I told you that I was weak in my left arm?" He nodded. "It's because my father, drunk of course, decided that I was being annoying. Since getting a drink of water from the kitchen is so annoying, apparently." So that was why she never left her room at night… It fit now… But what next? "So, to keep me from being annoying, he thought it would be a good idea to keep me from leaving my room. He dragged me in there, put my arm on the bedside table… pulled out a knife… and stabbed me… pinning my forearm to the table… It took me so long to get it free… It hurt so bad… All I could do was wrap it up in a pillowcase…" Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. He honestly would've been in tears if it wasn't so important to stay stable for her. "Later, after I got older, I kept regretting that he didn't hit a major vein… He could've killed me, but that bloody idiot didn't!"
"I'm so… so sorry…" he whispered, unable to speak.
"I… promised I'd tell you about… Robert Townsend… I might as well tell you now…" she sniffled.
"Oh, sweetheart, you don' 'ave to if you don' want to." he told her, getting his voice back.
"No, I promised." she stated, calming herself a little. "Well, my parents wanted me out of the house as soon possible… so they decided to have someone court me… Of course, they picked a horrible person like Townsend… He was older than I was and had his own house… He invited me over for dinner and… apparently wasn't planning on eating…"
"…Did he…?"
Violet nodded, tears welling in her eyes again. "I was only sixteen… and he hurt me a lot… I told my parents even though I knew what they'd say… They yelled at me and said that I was lying and making excuses just because they picked him for me… Well… Townsend figured I would tell someone, so he came over the next day and talked to my parents… He said that it was my fault and… they believed him… I really got beaten for that one… So that's why I… didn't like being touched… Because I was scared it would happen again…"
"Oh, darling… so much 'as 'appened to you… You of all people don' deserve to 'ave any o' that 'appen to you… No matter what I do, I can never change what 'appened, but… you can rely on me." he sighed. "Violet, you know I'd never 'urt you. Ever. My arms is the one place you'll never be 'urt. I'm sorry -- I was goin' too fast… You're jus' so beautiful… I won' do it again, I promise. I won' 'urt you, love -- you know I never would." She looked up at him and sniffled (she still blushed a bit from being called beautiful). He smiled encouragingly and placed a hand on her cheek. She smiled a little and he kissed her gently. "I'll always take care o' you, darling -- you 'ave the word of a pirate."
By the time they reached the Caribbean, Violet and Jack had seemed to get a little closer, but there was still a level of awkwardness. They eventually docked on an island that was very forested. Jack, Violet, Will, and Elizabeth went ashore to look around. After walking for a little while through the tall green trees, they came upon what looked like a hedge maze… Violet's dream… The hedge maze… there was a sign at the entrance that read:
"Ye who finds a way to the center, shall be truly worthy of a fine reward. Ye shall be shown the way to the final pieces of the puzzle."
"Well, looks like we're almost there…" Jack said. "Jus' got to get through this maze thing, I suppose."
"I suppose so…" Will agreed. "There's something… ominous about it… Gives me a bad feeling…" He looked up at it warily, and turned to Elizabeth. "I don't want you to come with us."
"What?" Elizabeth asked. "I can take perfectly good care of myself -- you worry too much, Will." Violet had also been gazing warily up at the maze. She felt a little queasy.
"No, Elizabeth, I really don't think you should go either." Violet injected.
"Violet, you and Will…" Elizabeth sighed. "You both worry too much."
"I-I may just be being paranoid, but…" Violet trailed off and sighed. Will and Elizabeth started into the maze.
"You alrigh', sweetheart?" Jack asked, going to her side and putting an arm around her waist.
She nodded. "I just…"
"What?"
"Well, a little while ago, I dreamt about this… and… Elizabeth got hurt… I don't remember how, but she got hurt…" Violet told him. "But… I suppose I am just being paranoid…"
"Aye, it should be fine. Jus' a dream, nothin' more." he dismissed. She nodded uneasily, and they entered the maze.
They walked slowly though it, coming to many turns along the way. They hoped they were going in the right direction, but honestly had no idea. They heard scratching and other strange sounds on their way through, but saw nothing…
"Arr!" Jack exclaimed in frustration. "This is rubbish! We don' know where the bloody hell we're goin'!"
"Well, all we can do is keep walking." Will said. "Can you think of a better idea?"
"O' course I can." Jack replied arrogantly, unsheathing his sword. He started to cut through the hedges, but it was too thick -- he couldn't even dent it.
"Of course you can." Elizabeth mocked. He glared at her.
"Let's just keep going." Violet suggested. "We'll get out sometime." They agreed and continued on.
After a few minutes, the scratching and other sounds started to get louder. Suddenly, something flew from one hedge and darted into the other. They all looked around, disoriented and confused. Violet edged closer to Jack. They glanced around warily, listening closely to who-knows-what…
All of a sudden, a humongous bird flew from the hedges and swooped down on them. They ducked quickly to the ground, but the bird picked up Elizabeth in its talons and flapped its wings vigorously to gain altitude. Will yelled in panic and Violet thought quickly. Just as Elizabeth screamed "DO SOMETHING!" Violet pulled out a pistol, aimed, and fired. The bird squawked loudly and Elizabeth fell to the ground with a thud. The bird pathetically flapped higher into the air until it ultimately fell and landed on the top of one of the hedges.
Will ran to Elizabeth and knelt down next to her.
"Are you alright!" Will asked urgently.
"No, I… I think I broke my arm…" Elizabeth replied, wincing. Will glanced around in worry and helped her up.
"Jack, we have to get back to the ship." Will stated.
"Alrigh', well, why don' you both go back an' Let an' I will go on ahead?" Jack suggested. "You should be able to find your way back… we must've left some kind o' trail."
"Yeah, alright." Will agreed. "Come on, Elizabeth." They turned and made their way back to the ship.
"That was a nice shot, by the way." Jack told Violet as they continued on through the maze.
"Thanks." she replied. "I hope Elizabeth is alright…"
"She should be fine -- Gibbs an' Anamaria can 'eal anythin'." he said.
"I hope so." Violet added.
After a while of walking, they started to get frustrated. Violet sighed in annoyance.
"Jack, where are we going?" she asked.
"We've got to get to the center sometime…" he told her. "You know… why don' I jus' lift you up an' you can look around for the path we need to take? Wouldn' that make sense?"
"Yes, I suppose so." she replied. He lifted her up to where her head just peeked over the hedge. Before she could see anything, though, another huge bird flew out of a hedge and bolted through the air straight at Violet. She yelled in fright as it jetted past her face, grazing her cheek with its talons. She lost her balance and fell over; so did Jack. Luckily, though, she didn't fall to the ground, Jack broke her fall. Violet quickly pulled out a pistol and pointed it blindly at the sky. The bird had flown out of sight, but Violet remained unmoving, pistol aimed. After a moment of holding breath and awaiting disaster, they realized the bird had gone. Or, at least it wasn't attacking or flying now. Finally, Jack cleared his throat.
"I think we can go now." he said.
"Oh, right." Violet replied, getting up. "Sorry about that."
"No worries, love." he dismissed, getting up as well. "Come on, I suppose someone doesn' want us cheatin' our way through 'ere."
They continued on and finally came to the center where there was a large marble pedestal. On the front, words were engraved: Solve the riddle, speak the password.
"Riddle?" Violet asked. "What riddle?"
Jack went to inspect it more closely and found something. He flagged Violet over and they gazed down at the top of the pedestal. The letters HOROBOD were engraved on it.
"Horobod?" Jack said. "What's a horobod?"
"Well, this must be the riddle…" Violet mumbled. They stared at it, racking their brains for an answer.
"Horobod… HoRObod… HoroBOD…" Jack muttered.
"No, I don't think it's a word…" she told him. "Books, books… I'm sure I've read something in a book…"
"Are books the answer to everythin'?" Jack asked.
"Well… yes." she replied. "And I've read so many…"
"Horobod…" he mumbled, thinking.
After a few minutes, Violet got it. "Oh! That's it! Jack, that's it!"
"What!" he exclaimed, a little startled from her outburst.
"I knew it was in a book somewhere! I've read books about him!" she continued. "It's not a word! Look." She placed her hands over the HO and the OD.
"Rob." he concluded. She then put her hand over the ROB. "…Hood." She grinned. He still didn't get it.
"You see how the ROB is in HOOD? Rob-in-hood. Robin Hood." she stated happily.
"Hey! That's clever!" he exclaimed. "Shiver me timbers, you're smart…"
Just then, the front of the pedestal fell off. They bent over and peered inside it and saw what looked like… a very tiny human… it was about the size of Violet's hand, she guessed. The person was lying down on its side, away from them. After a moment, it turned over and yawned. Well, it was a woman, but… what was she? She blinked her eyes open and stood up, yawning. She stretched and looked around tiredly. Violet and Jack just watched in amazement. She had long pink hair and pink eyes.
"Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "Well, hello!"
"H-hi…" Jack stuttered, a little stunned at this sight.
"What'sa matter? Never seen a faerie before?" she asked.
"I-I've read about them… but…" Violet said, but trailed off.
"Not many of us left, I guess." the faerie stated. "Here, let me get out of here! I've been cooped in here for… hundreds of years! Nothing to do but watch people." Suddenly, wings appeared on her back. They were translucent blue and emitted a faint glow. When she moved, sparkles fell from the wings. Jack and Violet moved back and the faerie flew up to the top of the pedestal and stood there, looking up at them.
"Erm, 'watch people' you said? What does that mean?" Violet asked. "You were… trapped in there, right?"
"Well, yes, but I can see outside…" the faerie struggled to explain. "Erm… it's like… er… kind of a psychic thing…"
"Psychic! Should we be worried about that?" Jack asked, taking a step back.
"…Not psychotic, you fool, psychic." the faerie sighed.
"Oh." Jack said.
"Psychic as in I can see things that are going on outside, inside my mind." the faerie explained exasperatedly. "By the way, my name is Hex Icefly -- nice to meet you."
"This is extraordinary…" Violet muttered, smiling with joy and wonder. "Erm… I'm Violet Amourdoux…"
"I know." Hex said.
"Oh… right… psychic…" Violet recalled.
"Yep." Hex concluded. "So, let's go, then."
"What?" Jack asked.
"I'm coming with you. So I can tell you where to go and help you find the next clue." Hex told him.
"Oh… this is odd…" Jack said, a little freaked out. Just then, he noticed something. He bent down and behind where Hex had been sleeping, was a huge sapphire. His eyes widened and he grabbed it. "Please say this is the spoils o' our plight to get 'ere."
"Sure, you can have it. Come on, let's not waste time." Hex ushered. "You lead the way, I'll follow."
Jack was so happy that he finally got something out of this crazy journey, he wanted to jump up and down in joy, but didn't, feeling that wasn't a very manly thing to do. He stuffed the gem in his pocket and cleared his throat. "Erm… I doubt we can get back through that maze again…" Jack told her.
"Well, I can fly, can't I?" Hex replied. "I'll help."
They made it back to the ship and immediately went to check on Elizabeth. She was doing fine, but she had broken her arm. Jack and Violet headed up Will and Elizabeth about what was going on with Hex and all.
"So where are we 'eaded now?" Jack asked.
"Hmm… let's see…" Hex said, thinking hard. "Well, I see a place… very… wow… hmm… There's lots of pirates here… and other outlaws… and lots of rum and lots of whores… Oh, this is disgusting." She continued thinking, and flew over to Jack, sitting on his shoulder. "EUGH!" she exclaimed, darting away from him. "Looks like you have a bit of a past in this place." she told him. "Five… eight… how many women…? My goodness! …Oh, my…" She blushed. "Names are coming to mind… Giselle… Scarlet… Ginger… Carla… Cherry--"
"I know the place." Jack interrupted, sounding a little ashamed. "Tortuga."
"Well, that's where we need to go, then!" Hex exclaimed happily. "It's just outside of that town." Jack guiltily glanced over at Violet, but she didn't seem to be daunted, so he returned his gaze to Hex.
They set a course for Tortuga and set sail that day. Jack and Violet had talked about her precognitive dream, but could come up with nothing other than "what a coincidence." So they brushed it off and went on with life.
Later, Violet and Jack sat, leaning up against the mast, watching the sun set; Jack had an arm around her and she was resting her head on his chest.
"The sunset is so gorgeous…" Violet sighed.
"Ah, it's nothin' compared to you, love." he told her. She smiled. "You're so beautiful…"
"…One day… when I was really little… I was walking through town and I… came across this shop…" Violet said. "It had the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Jewels and metals of all sorts, but… nothing so beautiful as this… diamond necklace… The stone was shaped like a heart and it was set in silver on a silver chain… …It was so beautiful… and it was the best memory of my childhood… Just looking at it…"
"Someday, Let, I'll buy you the entire Caribbean an' you can 'ave anythin' you want." Jack told her.
She shook her head. "No, I couldn't ask for anything more than just you. I'm blessed enough already." He smiled and kissed her gently.
Violet's dreams didn't stop, unfortunately. They weren't necessarily precognitive, but they were dreams nonetheless. Most people went to sleep and woke up, not remembering their dreams, or at least, they didn't seem to matter much. But with Violet, most every dream meant something, she just didn't know that. She always remembered them, but most she did her best to forget. However, the night before they docked in Tortuga, Violet dreamt again, this one bothered her quite a lot.
Violet blinked her eyes open and looked around. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing anything. She quickly grabbed a sheet nearby and covered herself with it. She got up and opened her closet to find something to wear, but it was empty. She pulled the sheet tightly around her and cautiously left her room. She went to Jack's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Jack called. Violet opened the door and entered the room. Jack was sitting at his desk and Anamaria was standing next to him; they were studying a map. "'ey, Let." he greeted happily.
"Hi…" she replied uneasily. Anamaria pointed at something on the map, placing her finger on it.
"That's exactly where we'll be." Anamaria said. "Well, anyway, I'll get back on deck." She nodded at Violet and left. Jack got up and went to her.
"'ow are you today, sweetheart?" he asked.
"Er… I-I can't find any of my clothes…" she told him, embarrassed.
"Oh, tha's alrigh', love. You look perfectly fine without them." he replied casually.
"…What?"
"So, are you hungry?" he asked as though he hadn't heard her.
"N-not really." she told him, sitting down on his bed.
"Alrigh'." he said, sitting down next to her, and putting an arm around her waist. His hand made black goo ooze down her side. She furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Jack, what is this stuff?" she asked, looking down at it, and pushing his hand away from her.
"What stuff?"
"This black stuff." she told him.
"I don' see anythin'." he replied. She looked down at the goo warily. "I'm worried about you, darling, you keep seein' things." He replaced his hand on her waist and put a hand on her cheek; black goo oozed down her face. She tried to recoil, but he held onto her. "I jus' want you to be alrigh'." Finally, he kissed her. Black goo filled her mouth and oozed out of the corners of it. She flailed and pushed him away. He looked at her sadly. Suddenly, the black goo flowed from her mouth down her body until she was completely drenched in it. She screamed, gurgling through the goo -- and woke up with a jolt.
She gasped in shock and looked around the room. She placed a hand on her mouth and realized it had just been a dream. She sighed in relief and looked around the room. Hex had been rooming with her, sleeping on top of her dresser on a pillow. Apparently, she was a fairly light sleeper and was awakened by Violet's panic. She sat up and looked over at her.
"You alright, Violet?" Hex asked.
"Erm… yeah…" Violet replied. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"Meh, who needs sleep?" Hex said. She got up and flew over to Violet. "So what happened? Nightmare?" Violet nodded. "You know, dreams mean a lot. I heard about that dream before you got to the island… about Elizabeth. I think you have a bit of a gift."
"I-it was just a dream -- nothing more." Violet stated. "This couldn't happen in real life."
"It doesn't matter. Dreams are symbolic." Hex pressed. "So can I see it?"
"…What?" Violet asked, confused.
"The dream. Psychic, remember?" Hex said. "All I have to do is touch you."
"Er… okay…" Violet hesitated. She held out her hand to Hex and she placed her tiny hand on it. After a few moments, Hex removed her hand with a furrowed brow.
"Someone is going to hurt you." Hex stated. "I'm sorry, but that's… what I get from that dream… I… could be wrong… It seems, though… like… that person is… going to be Jack…"
"…No." Violet told her. "No, he wouldn't."
"…Yeah… I suppose I… could be wrong." Hex said. "Yeah. Well, I'm, er… off to bed again. Sleep well!"
"Night." Violet bid, lying back down.
They docked in Tortuga and decided to take a bit of a break. After all, the crew hadn't been to Tortuga in ages. So, Jack said they would take about a week off before going to do anything. Every night, Jack went out somewhere and stayed out pretty late. He usually came back drunk or nearly there. Violet didn't really care because he could be a lot worse things than drunk -- besides, she was used to it…
One night, Violet was walking to her room when she heard people arguing down the hall. She went to see what was going on and realized it was coming from Jack's room. She quietly made her way to his door and pressed her ear to it.
"What do you think you're doing!" Anamaria hissed to Jack. "You're going to screw up the best thing that's ever happened to you!"
"You don' understand…"
"I understand fine!" she exclaimed. "You're such a sleeze sometimes! Honestly! What is wrong with you!" Violet furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Anamaria… I'm…" Jack hesitated. "Look, it's not my fault, alrigh'? I…'ave my needs…" Violet didn't really understand what he meant, but kept listening anyway.
"You're such a fucking bastard, Jack!" Anamaria yelled angrily. Violet flinched at the language, but couldn't say she wasn't used to it from her parents. Still, language is never an okay thing.
"Shiver me timbers, Anamaria, you're so full o' shit!" Jack argued. Violet had never heard such harsh language from Jack before… "You're a hypocrite, you know that? What, like you never do this!"
"With me, it's completely different!" she cried. "I don't have what you have! If I did, you could be sure as hell I wouldn't go throwing it away like an idiot! You're such an ass!" Apparently, when pirates get really angry, language just flies everywhere. Not pretty.
"You shut up -- now!" Jack ordered. "You can't talk to your captain like this!"
"I'm not talking to you as a captain, I'm talking to you as a friend!" she pressed. "You got to stop this!"
"I will." he stated. "When we leave…"
"When we leave!" she exclaimed. "No, you got to stop this now! This isn't going to turn out well! Something seriously bad is going to happen!"
"You know what, Anamaria," Jack began, faking calm, "I would really, sincerely appreciate it if you would stay the hell out o' my business and keep the fuck out o' my personal life, savvy?"
"Whatever, Jack." Anamaria replied, annoyed. "You're going to be sorry for what you're doing."
Jack faltered. "You're… you're not goin' to say anythin', are you?"
"If I did, I would be accomplishing the exact opposite of what I'm trying to get across to you right now." she said angrily. "Of course I'm not!"
"Well… good…" he told her. "So… stay out o' it… don' be such a bitch."
Anamaria sighed, irritated, and made her way towards the door. Violet quickly, quietly made her way to her room and went inside.
"I'll pray for you, Jack -- you're going to need it." Anamaria said angrily, and left the room.
Violet sat down on her bed, wondering what that could have been about. She brushed it off, but it still bothered her a little.
A few nights later, Violet started to grow pretty lonely. She'd gotten really close with Anamaria because she would be the only one there during the day besides Hex. Anamaria would always spend time with Violet when Jack couldn't be there. Violet wondered why Anamaria was being so nice, but didn't say anything about it. Finally, Violet decided to go and find Jack. She hadn't been into the town at all, maybe she'd have a good time.
"Where's Jack?" Violet asked Gibbs, coming up on deck.
"He went into town, Miss Violet." he replied. "I wouldn't suggest looking for him -- it's a big town."
"Well, he would be at the pub, wouldn't he?" she asked. "I can find that."
"Er, aye, but… I just wouldn't suggest it." he told her.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Well… I don't… I don't know, just… don't go."
"Well, I'd like to be with Jack -- thank you for your time." she said. She left the ship. She walked through town, dodging drunken people and keeping a sharp eye out for a pub. Finally, she found one. The Faithful Bride… Looked like a pub and an inn. Well, the name didn't sound so bad. She walked in and went up to the desk. Just beyond it was a bar and many drunks staggering around and getting into fights.
"Er, excuse me." Violet said to the man behind the desk. He was turned around, looking at some women at the bar. He turned around. "Hello, er, have you seen Captain Jack Sparrow around here anywhere?"
The man looked her over. "Must be dessert."
"Pardon me…?"
He laughed. "Sure, like no one knows. Anyway, he's upstairs -- second door on the right."
"Thank you, sir." Violet said, and went up the stairs. She placed her hand on the doorknob and heard Jack laughing.
"I can't stay much longer -- I got to get back to me ship." he laughed.
Violet figured he was just talking to some fellow pirates or something and opened the door slowly because she didn't want to rudely disturb anyone. It was a normal inn room with a table and chairs and a bed--
She laid her eyes upon a sight she never thought she'd see… Jack was with another woman… He was lying on top of a blonde woman, kissing her chest (luckily they were covered with a sheet!). They didn't notice Violet because she came in so quietly.
"You have to get back to your girlfriend?" the woman asked. "I'll bet she can't do what I just did."
"Ah, you charge too much, Ginger -- you're robbin' me 'ere." he said, placing a line of kisses down her front.
Violet stood in shock, horrified. She wanted to say something, but words couldn't come. Her voice had been stolen away.
"You can't say I didn't earn every shilling, though, can you?" Ginger asked. He laughed. "For old times sake, what say we go again? On the house. It won't take long if you don't want it to…"
"No, sweetheart, I got to get back." he told her.
"Are you sure? You know you won't be sorry." she said, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Temptin' as it is -- an' believe me, it is -- I got to go. I 'ave to." he replied.
"Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked.
"We'll see." he told her.
"Ohh, come on, just really quick! No charge!" she pressed.
"Oh… alrigh' -- really quick, though." Jack agreed.
Violet couldn't move. This wasn't her Jack… This wasn't the man she loved… He told her that he loved her… He told her he had eyes for no one else… This wasn't Jack… This was someone else… It had to be… Tears started to form in her eyes. She wanted to run back to the Pearl, but she was paralyzed.
He kissed Ginger's neck and she tilted her head back and looked over; she saw Violet.
"Excuse me! We're busy here!" Ginger yelled. Jack looked up and his eyes widened. He jumped up and threw his pants on while Ginger pulled the sheet around her.
"Violet, this -- this isn't…" he stuttered, panicking. Violet just stood there in tears. "Look, there's -- please…"
Finally she was able to move. She turned and rushed out. She was dizzy and her vision was blurred by shock and tears. Jack quickly dressed and grabbed his effects. He threw some money at Ginger and sprinted out, chasing after Violet. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, teary eyed.
"Violet, please… it's not…"
"It's not what?" she asked, crying. "It was what it was -- you can't lie out of this one. I saw much more than I needed to realize what the situation was…"
"No, it's--"
"What can't I give you?" she asked, heartbroken. "…What can't I give you?"
"Let, please, it's not that you can't…" he trailed off, at a loss of words.
She couldn't look at him. She wrenched her arm from his grip and ran as fast as she could back to the Pearl. He was right behind her the whole time and finally caught her again when they got on deck. He grabbed her by the arm again and she looked at him.
"Look, Jack, I know I'm not good enough for you, but I'm trying so hard to be better!" she told him, sobbing. "I'm working on everything!"
"Violet--"
"I know I cry too much, I know I don't kiss that well, I know I can't do what that girl did, I know I'm not strong, I know I'm not all that brave! I know! I'm doing everything I can to make myself better -- for you!"
"Violet, stop it!" he yelled. She stifled, but more tears flowed from her eyes, seeing as how she hated to be yelled at so much. "Stop sayin' things like that! You should never change for anyone! 'specially me! The only time people should change is when they're gettin' rid o' a bad habit or somethin'! Never for anythin' else! You do not cry too much, you kiss very well and I enjoy it quite a bit, that girl was trash and what she did isn' somethin' good people even know about, you are strong -- the strongest person, emotionally, I have ever met -- an' you're a hell of a lot braver than I am!"
"H-how…?" she asked, crying still.
"You dealt with more before the age of twenty than I've 'ad to my whole life." he explained. "If I ever got near a situation that required any emotional stress or commitment at all, I would run from it as fast as I could. I could never be as brave an' as strong in that way as you are." She sniffled. "An' what are you sayin' you're not good enough for me! I don' deserve one bit of you in a thousand years!" She continued crying and he sighed. "Let, please… you 'ave to realize it's not your fault… I jus'… Men jus'… always 'ave to be doin' it -- terrible creatures we are…"
"Well… " she sniffled, "I know I can't be doing that now… but… I thought you loved me…"
"Oh, I do, Let, I do -- don' get me wrong--"
"It's fine, Jack." she stated.
He paused. "What?"
"I need you, Jack -- I love you too much." she told him. "No matter what you do to me, I'm going to stay with you as long as you'll let me."
"Let, don'… don' do that… don' say that…" he hesitated. "Please -- yell at me, 'it me, do somethin' that'll make me quit doin' this!"
"I can't do that, Jack…" she replied. "No matter what you do to me… I'll always love you for who you really are."
"Violet, don'… don'…" he said. She hugged him. "Don'… You got to stop lettin' yourself be so open to get 'urt. If I 'it you, what would you do?"
"You wouldn't do that."
"But what if I did?" he asked.
"Well… I would… probably cry for a while, but…"
"No, darling, you 'ave to stop lettin' people 'urt you." he told her. "If someone 'urts you, you can't let 'em do it again. If I 'it you, you would 'ave to leave me -- for your own safety."
"No, I couldn't do that." she said.
"Oh, love, if you don' put your foot down, you'll keep gettin' urt."
"I know that if you love me, you won't stray… I thought, anyway…" she told him, letting go of him.
"Sweetheart, I do love you!" he pressed. "I'm sorry -- it was a mistake!"
She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. "You break my heart, Jack. You lie, you drink, you stray…" she sighed. "You just never cease to break my heart."
He stared at her with a furrowed brow. She turned and went down to her room. Of all the things she could have done, that was the worst. He felt more disgusting and lowly than he had in his entire life and was convinced he should be burning in hell for what he'd done to her. He didn't know what to do. He was fairly sure he shouldn't go to Violet -- he'd done enough damage. So he headed down to his room and went to his cabinet. He opened it and took out a bottle of rum. He uncorked it and put the bottle to his lips. He stopped.
You lie, you drink, you stray… You just never cease to break my heart.
He went to the window, quickly opened it, and flung the bottle out of it. He threw himself onto his bed, wallowing in shame. He wished he could just die, but realized that wouldn't put him in any better place than he was now, after all he'd done. He had no idea who was really suffering, though.
Violet lie on her bed, crying into her pillow. Hex had been there, but hadn't said anything yet. Finally, she got too worried to keep her mouth shut. She fluttered over to Violet's bed and stood at the edge of it.
"…Violet?" Hex said cautiously. "What's wrong?" Violet didn't reply, just continued crying. She looked over at Hex, but just kept sobbing. Hex made to place a comforting hand on Violet's arm, but Violet flinched.
"Don't…" Violet sobbed and started crying harder.
"…Violet, it's alright, just tell me what happened." Hex told her. She again tried to place a hand on Violet's arm, but this time Violet didn't react like before.
"Don't touch me!" Violet screamed, and smacked Hex away from her. Unfortunately, because of Hex's size, this was no small effect. Hex flew across the room and hit the wall with a painful thud. Luckily, she wasn't hurt since faeries actually have much stronger bodies than humans do, relative to size, but she was shocked at Violet's outburst. "I don't… want you to know!" Violet sobbed. Hex understood now. Psychic. Right. That puts a damper on a lot of things. Hex nodded and flew back over to the dresser and lied down listlessly on her pillow.
The whole night, Violet did nothing but cry. Hex could do nothing but watch, unfortunately. Violet was in horrible shape. The morning came and she still hadn't slept -- just cried. Hex had gotten a little sleep, but was too distressed, really, to get much. Hex got up and flew over to the door. She used her entire body to turn the doorknob and opened the door a smidge. She squeezed out and quickly flew to Jack's room. Another doorknob… She struggled to open it, but finally did. She flew in and landed on Jack's chest. She jumped up and down to try and wake him up.
"Hey! Hey!" Hex yelled. After a little while, Jack blinked his eyes open and looked at her.
"…What?" he asked gloomily.
"What happened!" Hex exclaimed.
"…What are you talking about…?" Jack asked, yawning tiredly.
"Violet! She's a mess!" she told him.
"Oh… that's… a private matter…" he replied, still incredibly ashamed.
"I've never seen anyone in such bad shape!" she pressed. "She cried all night! Didn't sleep at all! You've got to do something!"
"…I think I've done enough…" he said.
Just then, Anamaria burst into the room.
"She found out, didn't she?" Anamaria asked angrily. Jack nodded sadly. "I just went in to check on her -- poor thing is sobbing her brains out!" Jack just looked at her guiltily. "What did I say a few days ago, Jack! You're such a fucking bastard! Why do you have to be such an ass!"
"Anamaria, please, I've taken enough o' a beatin' from meself…" he injected quietly.
"No, no, you're not getting off that easily!" Anamaria scolded. "That poor girl! She's never done anything but absolutely worship you! And what do you do! Turn around and go off to fuck some whore who you'll probably never see again anyway -- simply because Violet's not a disgusting slut!" Jack put his hands to his temples and shut his eyes stressfully. "You piece of shit! Seriously!"
Jack may have been feeling extremely guilty at this time, but he was starting to grow extremely angry. Finally, he spoke up. "Anamaria, you're goin' to leave this room righ' now before I throw your ass out o' 'ere! Because, as fuckin' Captain, I can kick you off my fuckin' ship and you'll be back on the fuckin' street stealing food from fuckin' vendors jus' to fuckin' survive like you were when I met you! You want that! SO GET THE HELL OFF MY BACK!"
Anamaria bit her lip in anger, but just turned and stormed out.
"…Wow, when they say 'a mouth like a sailor,' they really mean it…" Hex said. "I don't think I've heard that many curse words in my life… And I'm 500 years old!"
Jack didn't say anything. He just got up, causing Hex to fly off and stand on his bedside table, and went to his door. He stopped.
"…What do I do?" he asked helplessly.
"Well, don't curse anymore, my ears are burning." Hex told him sarcastically.
"You want to 'elp or not?" Jack asked, irritated.
"…My suggestion: do something for her." she replied. "Like… go buy her something… I don't know what happened, but I'm… assuming you did something?"
"I thought you were psychotic." he said, turning to look at her.
"Psychic. Not psychotic. Psychic." she stated, annoyed. She sighed. "Anyway, in order to get actual memories, I'd have to touch one of you… Violet really didn't want me to touch her… It's none of my business anyway… But… if you did something, I don't think she needs to see you right now. Just… go buy something she'd like. How many times have you apologized?"
"…I lost count…" he replied.
"Ah. Well, then, I suppose you can't do much more for her… Just buy her something to break the ice a little. Something really special."
He nodded and left the room.
Violet was still lying on her bed, sobbing. Of those who knew about her current condition had no idea what she was going through underneath her own skin. She was fighting something. Something that was desperately trying to get out, but she wouldn't let it. It wasn't easy, though, and she didn't know how long she could keep it up…
Yeah... That was the most depressing chapter I've written so far... But...good, yeah? I hope so... anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!
weeps for Violet I'm such an evil author! '(
