Plans for a prequel/sequel, once I finish this

Captain Arnold charts a course for Tortuga. The pirate isle. There, I know I can find a clue to my past.

John, too, has secrets waiting for him on Tortuga.

One night, he shows me the necklace he wears around his neck. It is a fine silver chain. At the end is a small silver sword. The metalwork is beautifully intricate. There is a small sparrow engraved on the clasp.

I marvel over it, and wonder who made it.

'An Indian Prince?' I say, laughing.

'No, a King, of course! A barbarian king!' John is laughing too.

We fall to the ground, my small hand falling into John's at the same time.

It fits perfectly, and he grasps it tightly, tracing the back of it with one of his fingers.

'You know,' he says quietly 'you're the only person I've ever told about the necklace.'

'Why?' I ask, just as quietly.

He shrugs. 'It seemed like something I should keep to myself. It's all I have of who I am.'

We roll on our sides and face each other, and for a second I swear he is going to kiss me.

'I….uh….should get back.'

'Yeah.'

I stare at the door for a long time after he leaves, thinking of how nice a kissitwould've been.

Tortuga is an island of chaos. Rum flows as freely as water, and whores frequent the streets.

John blushes as the whores rub up against him and make rude gestures. I laugh. He glares at me.

We have borrowed finery from Hugh, the Captain, and Rogers (James being put off the ship a few ports back).

John is in a crisp white shirt that contrasts wonderfully with his golden skin and black hair. His waistband is navy velvet, and his breeches are brown velvet as well. His coat is black, with silver trimming.

His hair is tied back into a ponytail, and he looks very fine. No wonder he is getting so much attention from the whores.

I gave the crew a shock when I came onto the deck this morning.

I am dressed in a crimson silk dress. The skirt opens upon a petticoat of brown brocade that exactly matches the color of my hair and eyes.

I have pulled my hair back with the aid of several pins, like Mama taught me.

The look on John's face as he offered my arm was worth the indignities I put myself through, pinning up my hair like that.

We spy a small tavern, and step into it. John finds a table and proceeds to get drinks. T

he man at the table across from me looks up. He is ancient, with snow-white hair and he smells as if he has been sleeping with pigs.

'Holy hell,' he breathes 'the incarnation of Turner.'

'What?'

'Yer the daughter of Will Turner, are ye not? One of the greatest pirates ever known?'

I take a seat next to the man. 'This is going to sound rather silly, but I don't really know.'

The man grins at me. 'Ah, just tell me one thing and then I'll be able to tell ye who ye are – tell me the story yer mum used to tell ye.'

I begin to recite the story that soothed me to sleep since I could remember, the one about pirates, and curses, and adventure…..

The man looks at me. 'Gibbs is the name, Miss Turner.'

I look at him, dumbfounded. 'I'm….Will's daughter?'

'He made that story up for ye, missy. Based it off his own adventures. Him and Jack Sparrow's. He told me that of anything ever happened to him and I met up with ye by chance, that ye and only ye would know the tale.'

I stare at him.

'Oh, he said to give her this…..yer name's Rachel, isn't it?'

'Yes.'

'Met you once onboard the Pearl. Yer parents ship, ye know. Yer father's pride and joy, ye were. Anyways, here's this -'

He hands me a necklace identical to John's, except where there is a sparrow on John's, there is a 'T' on mine.

'Sparrow had one too, with a sparrow where the 'T' is. The swords cross, see?'

He shows me a small hook in the middle of the sword. I slip the necklace over my head. I cannot believe my eyes.

'John! Get over here!'

The swords cross together perfectly. Gibbs informs us we are 'Fucking identical' to our parents. 'Minus the beards' he chuckles.

That night is spent at an inn, curled up in front of a fireplace listening to Gibbs tell me and John about our parents.

I finally fall asleep, in front of the fireplace, next to John.

Gibbs must have tucked us in, because when awake, there is a note informing us that our stay has been payed for, along with a 'few' coins our parents left with him.

A 'few' coins constitutes as a bagful for each of us.

John and I look at each other incredulously.

We head back to the ship, each lost in their own thoughts.