1A/N: I think I'm getting the hang of my writing again. 'mutters about her evil muses that left her' And I'm sorry if this all must seem really boring right now, but there is a point! There is! 'twitch' Oh yeah...school is officially over for me! Woot! AND it was my birthday on Thursday! So be nice...and review... Anyways–thanks to all my reviewers!
pghale6-I ask questions that I already know the answer to because I can! Cause I am just weird like that. Come on, I'm a crazed writer, what do you expect? XD So...you think you have a good idea of what Jack is up to? Really-are you sure? Really, really? Well-we'll just have to see about that! Thanks for reviewing.
Oliverlover- Um, someone's hyper...what are you on and where can I get some? Thanks for reviewing!
Captain Ammie-You're only 13? Geez, I thought you were like 15 or something...O.o Hey, well happy birthday to you too! Woot! Yea...I need lots of rum too...I feel old...even though...I'm not...Anyways, I left off at a cliffhanger to torture you until you cry. And Jack wants to go to the ball because...well, you'll see. Read on ye pirate! Thanks for reviewing!
Incubus2704-I like being vague! Don't worry though, you'll learn more about Elli and Ari and their others lives in later chapters! Hm...what crazy plan does Jack have up his sleeve? I don't know-ask him! Woot! Only a week left of school! Muahahaha! 'coughs' Yes, I am slowly losing my sanity and no, that wasn't random. One time when I called one Elli, the first thing she asked me was what did I think of blue lipstick... O.o I have too many weird friends...Thanks for reviewing!
TriGemini-You're so smart! I swear, every time you review-- you completely amaze me! Especially how you analyze my chapters so thoroughly and mention all the things I had hidden in the chapter or all the things you wonder about. You should become a professional critic or editor–you'd be perfect for those jobs! Thanks for reviewing!
Jinxeh- Your weekend did sound tiring. Poor Ari, she doesn't know how to use all the fancy silverware. Hell, I don't even know how to set a table...O.o And I don't think Elli will be giving Jack up anytime soon...Confused and tired eh? No, that's not a good combination...get some sleep. Thanks for reviewing!
Blossomlite-Jack is crazy...it's the sun I tell you, it fried his brains...lol. Thanks for reviewing!
American Drama-Uh...right...thanks for reviewing.
The Future Mrs. Jack Sparrow-'backs away slowly' Don't worry, things will work out between them, cause believe it or not...parities can be good things...Lol. You need to update your story! Like, now! Anyways, thanks for reviewing!
Siriusly Sirius Lily Black-Yea, everyone's on Jack's side. My poor Adam! You hurt his feelings! Eh, he'll get over it! Thanks for reviewing!
Mouse10-Aw, my story loves you too! 'all characters wave.' Thanks for reviewing!
Katweenathesmiley-You just now realized that? Yea, I don't like balls either, but hey–it's a part of the story. Thanks for reviewing!
Dead Poetic-Yes, Ari and Elli are crazy-who in their right mind would pass up a chance to share the same bed as Will/Orlando? I'm glad you liked this chapter better, I did too. Well, I suppose that would look kinda odd if you shoved me in your suitcase and carried me around. Oh well, I get to go to Paris next year, so that makes up for it! Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer-I do not own 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' I only own Ari(don't own Elli, cause she would kill me if I said I owned her...) And Adam, who everyone hates. You hurt his feelings and now you must die! Do not steal my characters cause I will know and I will find you! On that note, enjoy the chapter! XD
Chapter Six-High Society Is Hell
You say the words but still don't know what it means-- to be a joke and look, another line without a hook, I held you close as we both shook, for the last time, take a good hard look! I'm not okay, I'm not okay, I'm not okay-you wear me out!
Breakfast had long since ended and Elli, Will, Jack and I had sought refuge in the library. We had spent a good part of the morning arguing with Jack and demanding to know why he wanted to go to the ball. Obviously, he told us nothing. At last we gave up on trying to figure out his strange reasons and just relaxed in the large library, not wanting to face the Moineaus right now.
"You know what I just realized?" Elli said aloud, looking up from the book she was skimming through.
"What?" I asked in reply, not looking up. I was in the middle of playing 'Nocturne no. 2' on the ancient piano, while Will sat on the bench next to me. Jack was off somewhere wandering around the huge library.
"I don't know how to dance." Elli said, setting down her book and sitting up.
"Yes you do." I protested, still not looking up at her. "You used to go clubbing all the time." Elli sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Not that kind of dancing-smart one. I meant the kind dancing from this time period-like waltzing and stuff."She corrected.
"Oh, well it's easy." I assured her.
"How do you know how to dance and I don't?" She demanded, an eyebrow raised.
"My grandfather taught me." I answered simply.
"I could teach you, if you'd like." A soft voice from the doorway suggested. Elli, Will and I looked up to see Adam standing by the door. I swear that kid was stalking us and it was starting to bother me.
"Um...uh..." Elli began, stalling for time to think things over. She felt kind of uncomfortable learning how to dance from Adam, but she wanted to learn because she didn't want to feel stupid at the ball-just standing there doing nothing. "Sure, why not?" She finished.
xXx
"Ouch." Adam whispered and winced as Elli once again stepped on his foot. That made it about the fifth time in the last ten minutes. It became evident that Elli was not going to catch on anytime soon–seeing as she hadn't improved even a little."You know..." Adam began, pausing the dance and stepping away from Elli. "Jack was always a better teacher than I was." He said.
"Oh yea, like Jack would be better at this than you." Elli replied sarcastically. "He doesn't even walk normally."
"Yea, he has that weird swaggering thing..." I noted.
"It's true, he was better at this than I was." Adam assured us. Elli and I exchanged a glance of doubt and then turned back to Adam, who was now walking off through the library to search for Jack.
"Jack knows how to dance?" Elli demanded.
"Apparently." I murmured–still not believing Adam. Even if Jack was good at dancing, he probably forgot it all from being out on the sea for so long. "Oh, and your eye is twitching."
"I know! Stop pointing out my problmes! I can't dance and my eye twitches–so what?" Elli cried. I decided to just ignore that.
"What do you want Adam?" We heard Jack demand and looked up to that Adam was dragging Jack into the main room of the library.
"Well..." Adam began, releasing Jack and looking at him carefully to see how he would react to the idea he was purposing. "The ball is tomorrow night and Elli doesn't know how to dance, so I've been teaching her...but...she hasn't quite caught on and I think it'd be better if you taught her. You were better at these things after all."
There was a ringing silence and I tensed, bracing myself for some kind of outburst from Jack, but he just stood there passively, staring at Adam without any expression on his face.
"You want me to what?" He demanded at last, his voice eerily calm and even.
"To teach Elli how to dance." I cut in, not wanting Jack to start yelling at Adam again. Jack then turned towards Elli with a look on his face that said he was not amused.
"You don't know how to dance?" He questioned her-a eyebrow raised.
"No." Elli snapped.
"Oh yea that's right, you came from..." Jack paused in the middle of his sentence, realizing Adam was still in the room and that he almost gave away our secret. "Iceland..." He finished lamely. Adam gave him a strange look, but said nothing.
"Yes and as you know, in Iceland–the dances are very different from the dances here in Italy." I replied.
"Right." Elli agreed, nodding enthusiastically. Adam was still staring at us oddly, but then shook his head and smiled.
"Alright then, I'll leave you to it." He said brightly and left the library. Jack glared at his retreating form and then turned to Elli again.
"Okay–give me your right hand and place your left hand on my shoulder." Jack instructed, giving off the impression that he was bored to death by all of this. Elli did what he asked and he wrapped his other arm around her waist. She looked a little unnerved by this, but covered it quickly. Jack turned to me and I turned back to the piano again, playing a simple waltz. "Now, just count to three over and over again to yourself, it has something to do with the rhythm or something...it'll help you." Jack explained, not really helping Elli out, just confusing her even more. Elli nodded anyways and Jack started dancing slowly, leading Elli along explaining what to do.
After awhile, I looked up from my playing to see how they were doing and was so close to laughing my ass off. Sure, Elli had improved greatly–other than the fact that she was still struggling with letting Jack lead and that she mixed up her left and rights a lot, but what would have me laughing was the fact that both Elli and Jack looked dead serious as they danced–they didn't look like they were enjoying this at all.
"I still can't believe Jack knows how to dance." I whispered to Will. He smiled at me and then looked at Jack and Elli.
"Well, he is Captain Jack Sparrow after all." Will replied and then turned back to me. "You really don't seem like the kind of person who would know how to dance like that." He gestured to Elli and Jack.
"I'm different." I said simply.
"In many different ways." Elli agreed.
"You don't have any room to talk." Jack muttered. Elli brought the sharp heel of her shoe crashing down on his foot. "Ouch!" Jack cried."You did that on purpose-wench!" Elli rolled her eyes.
"No–really." Elli asked. At that let go of Elli and stalked off towards the door.
"Hey! I still don't know all those other dances!" Elli called after him.
"Talk to Adam, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to teach you!" Jack shouted and slammed the doors behind him.
"Well, what the hell got into him?" Elli demanded, turning to me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"It went well... for awhile..." I ventured. Elli sighed and stalked out of the room as well.
"Maybe they'll work things out at the ball." Will suggested, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"I can only hope." I replied, watching Elli walk off.
xXx
But the day of the ball came sooner than everyone expected and before long, Elli and I were standing in front of a large armoire, choosing our dresses to wear later that evening. Things still hadn't blown over between Elli and Jack–right now they weren't speaking to one another. Not that they talked much together before, but they made it 'official'-- if you will.
"I mean, he is so egotistical and rude. Adam is his brother for God's sake." Elli was muttering while viciously searching through the armoire for a dress. I just nodded in agreement, not paying much attention anymore. She had been going on about this for thirty minutes and I was to the point where I just had to nod and agree with whatever she was saying.
She pulled a blue dress of it's hanger and held it up against her.
"That looks nice on you." I noted, still searching for my own dress.
"Yea, whatever." She grumbled, tossing it on the bed and calling for the maids to come in and help her into the dress. I finally chose a black, silk dress and allowed myself to be helped into it by a pair of maids. "And why the hell did he want to go to this stupid ball in the first place?" She demanded, panting slightly from the corset.
"You think I know?" I asked in reply. The maid who was helping me was about to powder my face, but I gently brushed her off. I was pale enough as it is. The maids didn't even try to powder Elli, she was far too tan from all the time spent out in the sun.
"Well, all I know is that this evening is going to be hell." Elli muttered, stalking down the hallway. I had to practicably run to keep up with her. "And I still don't know how to dance well!" She cried.
"Then don't dance. I'm not going to." I offered.
"But what if someone asks me?" Elli countered, looking at me.
"Say no." I replied, slowly growing agitated by all her questions.
"But what if he's hot?" She asked. We both looked at each other and started laughing.
"Come on...everyone is waiting for us." I said, once I had regained myself. Elli slowly stopped laughing and I guided her down the hall to the main staircase. Once I reached the top of the stairs, with Elli in tow, I saw that I was right--everyone was waiting for us. Elli and I looked at each other warily and slowly made our way down the stairs.
"You look wonderful Elli." Adam said, after we had reached the bottom of the stairs. Elli gave him a small smile, until I nudged her hard in the ribs.
"Ouch! Oh...thank you." She replied and then shot me a dark look. "You look...er...nice..." Adam smiled at her brightly. I looked over his shoulder at Jack, who looked frustrated and depressed at the same time. What was bothering him?
"Well now, why don't we all make our way to the carriage?" Mr. Moineau suggested, leading his wife to the door. Obediently, we followed them, Jack trailing behind all of us. As we approached the carriage, I head Mr. Moineau talking to the driver in rapid Italian. He sounded slightly irritated about something. Adam also looked concerned.
"Is everything alright?" I whispered to him.
"No, there's not enough space in the carriage for all of us." He replied.
"Oh..." I heard Elli whisper. She then looked at me and smiled. She was up to something. "Mr. Moineau–Ari and I can stay here." She suddenly called out. Will and Jack looked at her as if to say--'No fair.' I fought hard to hide the smile that was threatening to creep over my lips. Mr. Moineau turned to her and smiled brightly.
"Oh no dear, we'll stay home instead. You need to go out and have a good time." He insisted. I didn't miss Jack's self satisfied smile.
"Uh...thank you..." Elli replied.
"You're welcome. Now climb in...have a wonderful time." He said. She nodded and then was helped into the carriage by Adam, who climbed in after her. Will helped me in and Jack hopped in after the two of us.
"Good bye, have a good time." Mrs. Moineau called. We thanked her and with a crack from the coachman's whip, we were off.
xXx
The silence was slowly driving me insane. We had been in the carriage for about thirty minutes and no one was saying anything...or had said anything since we left the Moineaus. And it wasn't a comfortable silence, it was thick and full of tension. I looked from Jack to Adam and saw that they were most likely the source of all this tension, after all–Adam was the one sitting next to Elli when Jack was the one who was in love with her.
"Anyone know where we're going?" I asked, trying to break the silence.
"To the Abshire's house. They're close friends of my parents" Adam replied simply.
"I think I remember them." Jack mused, turning towards Adam, who nodded.
"They've been asking after you for quite some time. You were missed by many of our friends when you left." Adam said, looking directly at his brother.
"Friends?" He sneered. "Adam, in high society, you don't have any friends."
"Jack..." Will intervened, trying to appease his friend and not cause another outburst.
"And how would you know?" Adam demanded, his voice quiet, but dangerous.
"Well, for one thing–a friend is someone who would be willing to die for you, someone who is honest with you–that's what a friend is, and as far as I'm concerned, no one in your kind of social status is like that." Jack replied, his amber eyes alight with a kind of religious fervor.
"You came from the same kind of 'social status' before you ran off." Adam shot back.
"And a good thing I did...if I had stayed here any longer, I would've become like you." Jack countered. Adam didn't answer, his face was grim and his eyes dark.
Elli sighed angrily and looked out the window as well. I could tell that she would just love to tell Jack off for what he just said, but she didn't want to seem hostile in front of Adam. I found myself wondering how much longer it was until we reached the Abshire's house. As if hearing me, the coach driver stopped the horses, hopped down from his seat, and opened the door for us. We each thanked him as we climbed out of the carriage. Adam instructed him to be ready for us after about three hours and then followed us as we made our way to the large house.
A stiff butler opened the wide French doors for us and suffered us to enter this new form of hell. Once we were inside, I looked around, feeling rather bored. The house was not as large as the Moineau's, but it was grander with large, delicate chandeliers hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling, a small orchestra was playing a lively tune in the far corner of the room and a long table full of a variety of wines, champagnes and finger foods was against on of the walls.
Elli and Jack were looking around the banquet hall with the same look of boredom I had on my face. I looked over at Adam to see what he thought of all of this and to my surprise, I saw that he also looked rather bored. But I suppose he's been to many ball before and this one was no different from the others. Just then a thin, wiry man with graying hair walked up to us, startling me out of my thoughts.
"Adam, so good to see you again. It's been some time, hasn't it." The man said, patting Adam on the shoulder.
"Yes, it has Mr. Abshire." Adam replied dutifully.
"My, who are all the guests you have with you tonight?" Mr. Abshire asked, noticing all of us standing behind Adam.
"This is Will Turner, Ari, Elli and my brother, Jack." Adam replied, motioning to each of us in turn. Mr. Abshire smiled at all of us, but stopped short when he came to Jack. A look of recognition and surprise crossed his face and he slowly started to speak.
"Why...Jack...I didn't know if you were...what...what brings you back here son? I thought you were off having grand adventures out at sea." Mr. Abshire recovered himself and was now smiling broadly at Jack.
"Oh, I was...but I just missed my dear family so much." Jack replied, his voice covered with a hostile sarcasm. Mr. Abshire looked a little put out, but then smiled broadly again.
"Well, we missed you. It's good to have you back in Italy." He said.
"I'm sure I feel the same way." Jack muttered. Mr. Abshire gave him an odd look and then nodded before walking off again.
"Well...he was odd." I noted. I looked at Elli, but to my surprise, she didn't say anything in agreement, but then I remembered that she was trying to act nice and enthused and I sighed. "So this is hell?" I asked.
"Yes." Will said rather darkly and I wondered were he got such a hate for high society from, but then I remembered he lived with Elizabeth and so he was probably sick of balls and dinner parties by now as well.
"You both have no idea." Jack murmured.
"Well now...feel free to wander around, meet some people...enjoy yourselves." Adam said to all of us before being called off by another 'friend' of his.
"So what do we do know?" Elli grumbled, switching back to her normal attitude.
"Find the nearest exit? Or ways to kill ourselves?" I suggested.
"At least we're only going to be here for about three hours." Will cut in. Elli narrowed her eyes at him.
"Three hours is an long time to be bored out of your mind." She replied.
"Trust me, she knows." I assured him and he laughed a little.
"I'm going to go get a drink." Jack mumbled and walked off.
"Well, why don't we wander around and at least act like we're normal people having a good time." I said to Will. He smiled at me and took my hand.
"Sounds fun." He said.
"Fine–leave me all alone!" Elli called after us.
xXx
Jack downed his shot of brandy and sighed. He had brought us to the ball so he could have some time alone with Elli and maybe show her that he wasn't as horrible as she thought he was, but now it seemed that he couldn't work up the nerve to do so. Whenever he tried, Adam was always saying exactly what he wanted to say, treating Elli the way he wished he could treat her–but maybe tonight he would have a chance if he ever got over his nerves.
Suddenly the musicians started playing a lively courante and Jack searched the ball room for Elli. Once he spotted her, he saw that she was all alone and leaning against one of the walls, watching the couples dancing in the center of the room. Jack realized that this was his opportune moment. He set down his glass of brandy and made his way over to her, but before he could reach Elli–Adam walked up to her and started talking. Jack knew what he was asking and sure enough, after a little persuasion Elli took Adam's hand and was lead out to the ball room. Jack turned his back and walked away, not wanting to see them dancing together.
xXx
Music was playing from inside the house, but that wasn't enough to draw Will and I inside. We were too busy exploring the massive, beautiful gardens that dominated the most of the back yard behind the house. For some reason though, the air was starting to feel colder, even though it was a humid, summer evening.
"Is something wrong?" Will asked.
"It just...feels really cold..." I replied. Will looked at me, his face serious.
"It does." He agreed.
"Hm..." I said, trying to change the topic and get rid of the weird feeling I had. Something about this didn't feel right at all and I couldn't place it.
"So, you're not very fond of going to balls or parties either?" Will asked.
"Yea, they bother me." I replied. "Did you go to a lot of balls with Elizabeth?"
"Yes." Will answered. "They were all the same. I grew sick of it shortly." I nodded, but said nothing else. I noticed that I still had a hard time talking to Will, but then again–all of this had only transpired about three weeks ago...we were bound to be closer to one another...weren't we? Suddenly, I noticed a dark figure out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at it, but when I did–nothing was there.
"Did you see something?" Will asked.
"I...don't know... I think so..." I replied, still looking at where the dark figure had been standing. Will's hand on my shoulders startled me out of my thoughts.
"Are you seeing things again?" He asked, a mischievous light shining in his soft brown eyes. I frowned at him and turned away, crossing my arms over my chest. He started laughing lightly. "I didn't mean it, Ari." He said, a hint of a smile in his voice. I knew he didn't mean it, but I felt like messing with his mind. He laid a hand on my shoulder again and tried to turn me around, but I brushed him off. "Did I really offend you?" He asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Ari..." He persisted.
"Leave me alone Will." I said coldly, while still trying to hide my smile.
"No." He replied firmly.
"Fine then, I will." I said and tried to pushed him away from me, but he wouldn't let go and instead held a tight grip on me. I looked over my shoulder at him, about to tell him off some more, but before I could, he leaned down and kissed me. After a moment, I pulled away and frowned at him.
"Damn it--I hate it when you do that." I murmured, my eyes narrowed. Will smiled down at me and slowly released me.
"No you don't." He replied, coiling a strand of my hair around his finger. I sighed, still trying to be irritated, but found that I couldn't.
"You're right, I don't." I agreed, smiling up at him. Just then the air grew colder again, so cold, that I could see Will's breath, like a white fog. I also felt another presence with us, as if someone was standing nearby, but I saw no one. "Why don't we go inside now." I suggested, now feeling very unnerved.
"Alright." Will agreed and gently lead me into the house, but not without looking over his shoulder one last time to see if he could catch a glimpse of what I had seen.
As soon as we walked inside, I noticed Jack was leaning against the wall, eyeing all the dancing couples with a vehement look in his amber eyes.
"What's he upset about?" I asked.
"Possibly that." Will replied. I looked at him and then followed his gaze to see Elli and Adam dancing together.
"Oh...damn you, Elli!" I hissed. "How can she do that? If she knows that Jack is in love with her, than that's just low–even for her!"
"I don't think she does know." Will assured me, laying a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.
"She better not." I muttered.
"Do you want to dance?" Will asked me all of a sudden. I looked up at him, seeing if he was serious–which he was. Why was he asking me to dance? Didn't I make it painfully obvious that I hate things like this? Apparently not. I began searching for the best and nicest way to say 'NO!'
"Uh...yes..." I replied, then mentally kicked myself. I was trying to say no, damn it! But I learned that it is almost impossible to say no to Will....almost...
Will held out his hand and I took it, following him out to the center of the room. I knew if Elli saw us, she was never going to let me hear the end of it. That's alright though, cause I have stuff on her too...
I laid my other hand on Will's shoulder and he put his arm around my waist. The musicians started playing an allemande, a very slow, easy dance and something I knew quite well, so that made me feel a little less nervous. Sometimes I still found myself oddly nervous around Will, even though I really had no reason to be. Sometimes I found myself thinking that it was easier when we were friends and he was in love with Elizabeth, but then he would do something that made me laugh or smile or just love him for who he was and then I was glad that we were more than just friends.
"What are you thinking of?" Will asked me as we stepped to the music.
"That sometimes I think it was easier when you were in love with Elizabeth and we were friends." I said before I could stop myself. Will stopped dancing and let go of me, his brown eyes full of hurt and disbelief He looked as if I had reached out and slapped him, but I'm sure that would've hurt less than what I just said.. "Will... I shouldn't have said that...I didn't..."
"Is that what you want?" He asked softly. I shook my head furiously...I felt a headache coming on.
"No!" I said earnestly, praying that he would know I was sincere.
"It was easier..." Will began slowly and my eyes widened. What was he saying? I told him I didn't mean it... "But love never is easy, is it?" He finished.
"We'll find a way." I assured him softly, hoping that he wasn't going to decide to leave me. Much to my relief, he smiled at me and laid a hand on my cheek.
"We will." He confirmed. I nodded and took his hand again.
"So...do you still want to dance?" I asked him.
"Not really." He replied, laughing a little.
"Thank god!" I exclaimed and together we walked away from the ball room. As we walked, I promised myself that I wasn't going to have anymore doubts and open up to Will more–that is what love is about, after all.
xXx
Jack was sullen and jealous as he watched Elli and Adam dance together, laughing and talking while they did so. It was a scene right out of those sickening sweet fairy tales children
believe in and Jack felt like he was going to kill himself if he didn't do something about it. He was so angry at Adam for stealing Elli away from him–even though Adam had no idea he was doing just that. Perhaps that was why Jack was so upset because he had no real reason to be upset with Adam. After a few more minutes of thinking and sulking, an idea came to him. He stalked over to Adam and Elli and tapped Adam on the shoulder.
Adam turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Jack, smiling brightly. "Hello Jack-- enjoying yourself?"
"Immensely." Jack assured him, smiling wryly. "But I was wondering if I could have a turn to dance with Elli." Elli narrowed her eyes at Jack and was about to say something in her defense, but was interrupted by Adam.
"Of course. You are a very good teacher, you know." Adam said cheerfully.
"I'm sure." Jack muttered. Adam smiled and turned to Elli.
"I'll see you later tonight, I hope." He said, Elli just nodded–unsure of what was going on right now. Adam walked off and Elli turned to Jack.
"What do you want?" She demanded, her hands clenched into fists.
"To-dance-with-you." He repeated as if she was deaf or very dim witted. Elli stared at him in disbelief before laughing somewhat bitterly.
"No really, what do you want?" She asked, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Jack sighed.
"Why don't you believe me?" He demanded.
"Um...let's think, because you hate me?" Elli shot back–her voice sarcastic and harsh. Jack was undaunted though and gave her a dark look. He knew she was going to be difficult about this–but he wasn't about to give up. He was used to her stubbornness and sarcasm by now and he knew that if he pestered her long enough, she would either give in or slap him...he was also willing to take risks...
"I told you a long time ago Elli, I don't hate you. You were the one who always pushed me away when I was just trying to get to know you. What are you afraid of?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Elli seethed.
"Why do you keep pushing me away? Are you afraid of getting to know me and possibly like me?" Jack questioned her.
"No." She replied flatly.
"Then what are you afraid of?" He demanded.
"Nothing." Elli answered, her voice even and firm.
"Prove it." Jack requested, holding out his hand to her. Elli looked at him, her eyes still dark and untrusting, but she hesitantly reached forward and grasped his hand. He walked with her out to the center of the room and faced her. She was expressionless and cold, but Jack just smirked at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer than the dance required. Elli noticed this and just smiled slyly in return, laying her free hand on his shoulder.
The allemande had ended and now the musicians began playing the opening notes to a waltz. Elli smiled with relief, thankful that she knew this dance and knew it well, seeing as she spent the last two days in the library learning it. Jack stepped lightly and she stepped with him, making sure not to fight him and let him lead. They moved together on time with the music and Jack had to admit that Elli was a good dancer.
And even though Elli would deny it–even under Chinese water torture– she was having a much better time dancing with Jack than she was with Adam. Sure, Adam was nice and kind, but he could be rather dull at times and Jack was much more interesting and sometimes she liked the fact that he could always think of good comebacks or insults and wasn't afraid to treat her the way he did. Most men thought women were delicate and should be treated gently, as if they were dolls or valuable glass. Jack wasn't like that though, when she was working on the Pearl, he treated her just like the rest of the crew and made her work just as hard.
"Hm...I never thought I'd see the day when you would be dancing like this." Jack noted.
"Well, I never thought I'd see the day when you asked a women to dance." Elli countered, grinning slightly. Jack smiled to himself, feeling happier than he had been since they arrived in Italy. It seemed as if he and Elli were getting along now and he wasn't going to let anything ruin that.
After awhile, the gavotte ended and the musicians began packing away their instruments, retiring for the night. Jack released Elli and gave her a short bow.
"Thank you for the dance." He said and kissed the back of her hand.
"Okay, cut that out–you're scaring me." Elli replied, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips.
"Never again." Jack promised her, laying a hand on his heart. Elli laughed a little, but stopped once she saw the serious way Jack was looking at her now.
"What is it?" She asked, feeling slightly worried.
"It's just..." Jack began, but was cut off by Adam sudden appearance.
"There you two are." He said cheerfully, smiling at them brightly. "Elli, are you having a good time at the ball so far?"
"Yes, I am." Elli replied, casting a glance at Jack, who offered her a small smile before walking off, he wasn't too fond of Adam's existence right now.
"I'm glad." Adam said. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to see the gardens, they're really magnificent..." He trailed off, looking sideways at her.
"Um...sure..." Elli replied, feeling like there was nothing else to do right now anyways. Adam offered her his arm she took it somewhat hesitantly, not sure what to do in this kind of a situation. He lead her through the ball room and out into the humid night. There was no moon out tonight, but there were myriads of stars that made up for the lack of light. The night was silent except for the insects and the rustling of the leaves and everything had a peaceful feel to it. As they walked, Adam would point out a various flower or plant and Elli wondered where he learned so much about gardening. It seemed like someone is his kind of status would not care to be outside, working under the beating rays of the sun, dirtying their hands with the earth.
But Elli supposed that this was what she liked about Adam, this is what made him so different, because although he did hold the air of dignity and was of a high social standing, he was also quite humble and modest and did his share of hard work in his life.
"You know...I don't think I've ever met anyone like you." Adam was saying. Elli looked up at him, surprised and then smiled.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you." She admitted. Adam looked down at her, first with a look of surprise which softened into a gentle smile.
"You're...quite different from everyone else I've met." Adam said. "You're not afraid to speak your mind...or tell Jack off when he's wrong." Elli grinned at that.
"Well, someone has to put him in his place sometimes." She replied. Adam laughed a little.
"You also can make me laugh so easily. I haven't smiled or laughed much before you came here." Adam continued on and suddenly Elli realized the seriousness of this situation. Why was Adam talking this way? Was he trying to tell her something?
But before Elli could ask or say anything, she felt Adam's lips lightly pressed against hers and before she could even gather her thoughts and pull away from him, he pulled away from her. She looked up at him, her eyes full of surprise and disbelief. Adam didn't meet her eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, now nervous.
"I'm sorry...I just..." He began to explain, but trailed off, still not looking at Elli.
"I'm...going back inside..." She murmured, feeling as if none of this was real, she was asleep, she was dreaming...but on the way back to the house, Elli tripped and scrapped up her hands and the pain told her that she was wide awake. She stood up quickly, not wanting to give Adam the chance to help her up. For the rest of the night, she just wanted to avoid him and think about what just happened.
The first person Elli came across once she made it inside the house was Jack.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, taking in her wrinkled dress, wide eyes, disheveled hair and skinned hands. She said nothing, only stared at him–a million frantic thoughts rushing through her wild mind. If he found out...if he knew... Adam would be a dead man. When she didn't answer him, Jack gripped her gently by the shoulders. "Elli, what's wrong?" He demanded. Elli did not notice the care and worry that shone in his eyes, nor did she know that Jack's concern and franticness was not out of anger, but out of love.
She also had no idea how complicated things were about to become for her.
xXx
Will and I were sitting on one of the sofas in the large, wide living room when Jack approached us with Adam and Elli following him closely. Instantly I knew something was wrong. Jack seemed frustrated, Elli was staring at her feet and Adam was looking anywhere else than Elli or Jack. I stood up slowly and looked at Jack, the only one who wasn't acting like the were uncomfortable and nervous.
"What's wrong? What happened?" I questioned Jack.
"Nothing...Elli just doesn't feel well, so we're leaving now." He replied.
"Alright." I agreed, looking at Elli who was fidgeting nervously. She looked more nervous than ill. I looked at Adam and saw that he was also rather anxious. Something had happened between those two and I was going to make Elli tell me once we were alone. We made our way to the front doors and took our leave from the Abshires who were seeing their guests off. Adam sought out our coach man and helped Elli into the carriage before climbing in on the opposite side. Will helped me in and was about to sit next to me, but then decided that it would be better for Adam and Jack to be separate and sat next to Adam instead while Jack climbed in next to me.
Once again, the whole ride back to the Moineaus was silent. Elli was staring out the window nervously, acting as if she was trapped and Adam was staring down at his hands. Yea, something definitely happed between him to Elli. I then narrowed my eyes at him. If he hurt her than I would...seriously let Jack beat him.
It seemed like hours when we finally reached the Moineaus house. The coachman stopped the horses and opened the door for us. Jack practically fell out of the carriage in his haste while we all followed him calmly. As soon as we were inside, Elli headed for the stairs and I followed her quickly.
"Elli–what happened?" I called after her. She didn't answer, only kept her eyes straight forward and continued walking up the stairs. "Did he hurt you?" I demanded, holding my skirts up and trying to run up the stairs after her. For someone in a ten pound dress and high heeled shoes, she's moving quickly."Elli–what happened, damn it?" I shouted, feeling irritated. She turned around to look at me, her eyes glittering with anger and a little hint of fear.
" He kissed me!" She shouted. She must've forgot that even though she was at the top of the stairs, everyone could still hear her. Jack sharply towards Adam, his face contorted with anger and his amber eyes shining with utmost loathing.
"My dear... brother..." He seethed, his hands clenched so hard that his knuckles were turning white.
"Jack..." Will began, cautiously approaching his friend But whatever Will was trying to do, it didn't pacify Jack quick enough and he launched himself at Adam, whose eyes were wide in surprise. He felt something hard make contact with his right eye and he clamped his eyes shut tightly, taking a step or two backwards.
A jumbled of voices invaded his ears.
"Jack–you bastard!"
"Damn it...how did I know?"
"Jack, stop!"
"What is going on?" The last voice Adam knew well, it belonged to his father. He opened his left eye, the one that wasn't swollen shut and saw his father swiftly making his way down the stairs. He turned his head slightly and saw Will desperately attempting to restrain Jack. Elli was no longer standing at the top of the stairs. Adam began explaining to his mother and father what happened while Will lead Jack up the stairs. I followed them slowly, but looked over my shoulder one last time to see Adam with his head bowed and a hand over his right eye. He caught me staring at him and looked up at me, offering me a small smile. I returned it and continued walking up the stairs. I never thought I would ever see him look so defeated, so depressed.
'Jack thinks he has a hard life.' Adam thought to himself, trying to ignore the throbbing pain from his eye and his parents rushed questions. 'But is mine really any easier?'
A/N: Another chapter down! My poor, angsty Adam! Oh yea-I forgot, I don't own that song posted at the beginning of the chapter. That belongs to the band 'My Chemical Romance.' It's called-'I'm Not Okay, I Promise.' It's great and I highly recommend all their stuff, but don't steal their songs or Gerard Way, sexy lead singer will be upset.
Chinese water torture is when you are strapped down to a table and evil people drip water onto your forehead, day after day after day after day...you get it. And then one day they just stop and take the water away and eventually it drives you insane because you were so used to feeling the water dripping on your forehead...just something interesting I thought I would share! XD