Chapter VIII – Shoot me, Please!

Michael held his pistol, hands shaking, eyes wild.  Jack had both his hands up, trying to calm the boy down.

"There's a good lo . . . lad," he said, taking a step forward.  He knew for a fact that Michael would never shoot him and had no fear of approaching the boy.  The men standing behind the captain, peering in the doorway however, were another story.

Breathing shallow, the first mate took a step back for every one of Jack's advances.  But soon he was against the wall with nowhere to move, gun still cocked and trembling.

"Ye canna aim like that anyway," Jack murmured, grabbing the barrel in his left hand and twisting, taking the butt in his right.  He put it with his effects and guided the quivering Michael to his bed.

"I'm useless!" the young man wailed, groaning in pain after that ejaculation.

"Anamaria!" Jack yelled, becoming impatient.  A moment later the woman rushed in, large metal mug in hand.

"'Ere love," she said to Michael, handing it over, "drink this up."

"What is it?" Jack asked, peering over the bed to try and see what his crewman was drinking.

"Tea."

He made a face, brow furrowing.  "Tea?" he repeated.

"Yes," she snapped, "it'll put 'im to sleep, it will."

Still looking dubiously at her, he just said, "Oh."

Step step step step; one more bloody round about the boat and I'll scream!

Rachelle twisted a delicate light blue handkerchief in her hands, the perfect lockstep really rubbing her the wrong way.  Finally, so sick of it, she stormed out of her room, ignoring the stunned expressions of her guards, then their attempts to bring her back in.

She mounted the stairs fluidly, standing up on deck, the sun beating down on her.  Realising she forgot her parasol, she felt somewhat stupid.  But no matter, she wouldn't be up for long.

Johnson came running up to her, Christopher not far behind.

"Excuse me?" Rachelle said to Johnson sweetly as Christopher straightened up by her side.

"Yes Miss?"

"Do you have a pistol?"

"Why, yes I do."

"May I see it?"

"Uh, why Miss?"

"So I can shoot myself!" she screeched, covering her ears, unable to drown out the infernal racket of boots, boots, boots!  Stepping, stomping, marching, all in unison, always together, locked in concert.

Both men jumped back. 

"Shoot yourself?" Christopher spluttered, looking shocked.

"Either stop that marching, kill yourselves, or kill me!"  And with that she gathered her skirts and ran back down to her cabin to shut herself in.  It was slightly more silent down there, the marches more subdued.

Monkey sat on top of the covers, on Michael's pelvis.  He picked at his tail, chittering mindlessly.  The first mate just stared at his pet, bored out of his skull.  Because of the earlier fiasco, Jack ordered Michael be tied down again until he was calm.  The captain said he would check on him later that night and that no one was to enter his room for any reason.  Even the sight of someone could provoke Michael into fits of rage, and the crew well knew this by now.  So they heeded the captain's words, not wanting to incite Cutthroat into bloodlust. 

Offering his master a louse he found in his tail, Monkey then ate it when Michael shook his head, declining.  Then, carefully, Monkey walked up his master's torso and sat on his chest.

"Monkey, ye have to be the most annoying animal the Gods put on this here Earth!"

Monkey looked quite proud at that statement and groomed himself.

"Can ye git me outa these binds?" he asked, tugging at his wrists and feet.  He felt little hands on his face and looked up, seeing Monkey's body over him.  Then his pet sat behind him and began playing with the shiny things in his hair.

Sighing and making great effort to reserve himself to this fate, Michael laid there, unable to stop Monkey from doing what he wanted. 

Rachelle stared out the porthole from her bed.  How she would have loved to be some sort of sea creature, out there in the world, doing whatever she pleased.  Swimming all day without a care, playing with her fellow creatures.  Water rippling quietly overhead as the dark depths welcomed them, sun shining brilliantly above.

Shaking her head, she let out a heavy sigh, hands folded in her lap.  She looked down at Jennifer, who was sitting at her feet.

"There is nothing to do.  I cannot believe that I could be treated in such a manner!"

Jennifer cocked her head and yipped in reply.

"I know!  The nerve of it all!"

She crossed her arms, looking and feeling miserable.  There was really no point in daydreaming, but really, what else was there to do?  At least her mind could do what it wanted, leave the room and go on all sorts of adventures.  Even though her body could not follow, she could dream.  And that water looked so beautiful, so clear and cool.  She could just imagine being a water animal, slipping into the crisp liquid, soothed by gently lapping waves.

Oh she was bored, and ready to scream.  Jennifer, sensing her mistress' unhappiness, began chasing her tail.  Rachelle giggled and watched the silly dog on her endless quest, circling again and again, nearly making her dizzy.

Casting one miserable last glance out the porthole, Rachelle wanted to be free.

The ceiling was the most boring thing he had ever looked at.  He couldn't sleep, his eyes wouldn't even stay closed.  Monkey was curled up in his armpit, snoring – however monkeys snored, he had no idea.  And there Michael was, stuck to his fate of gazing at an endlessly dreary ceiling.  He could feel himself sinking, yearning to get out of this bed, to get out on deck and do something.  Not only was he afraid of becoming depressed, cabin fever was beginning to encroach on him.  The pain had pretty much faded and he was basically healed.  It had taken about three months, three months of being tied up to the captain's bed, three months of being alone and not helping out on the Pearl, three months of being useless and lazy.

Three months of pain, over.  They had kept him tied down for awhile.  Jack hadn't wanted to risk letting him go.  He'd just make another break for the deck.  Michael couldn't understand why he kept attempting to go up on deck, seeing as he was brought down to the captain's quarters every single time – but at least he was trying.  They couldn't say that he wanted to be lazy, that he wanted to stay cooped up and leave the work to everyone else.  Perhaps that was why, at least to prove that he was trying to work, trying to do something, but it was beyond his power.  The captain wouldn't let him.

Shoot me and put me out of me misery, he groaned to himself, shaking his head.  This was brutal.  The worst injuries he had sustained and they weren't even from fighting.  How shameful was that?

Sure, Jack had seemed pretty proud that he had risked his life for the Pearl, but who wouldn't?  It was his duty as first mate to have unwavering loyalty and support to his captain, and his captain's ship.

He began screaming in frustration, tugging at his binds, waking Monkey up who began reprimanding him, then screaming along.

Rachelle couldn't stop pacing.  She had to do something, even if it was walking back and forth, wearing a groove in the floor.  Served them right if they had to fix the cabin when she was finished!  This wasn't right, it wasn't fair!  Keeping her locked in, dejected and alone.

She kicked her Bible, which she had thrown against the wall in frustration earlier on, and watched it skid underneath the porthole.

"I'm so bored!" she screamed, not caring if she was making a scene, not caring if she was acting unladylike.  This was a horrible fate.  The room was drab and she had already shaken out her dresses God knew how many times.  She had even gone as far as taking out all her personal items and reorganising her trunks.  All her corsets in one, all her personal things in the next with her items for keeping herself clean and fresh (instead of her personal things being interspersed with her dresses), her parasols in another and then her dresses in the final five crates.

How bored did she have to be to do servant's work?  Obviously this bored. 

Stomping over to the door in the beginnings of a temper tantrum, she started slamming her delicate fists on the wood, screaming through it at her stationed troops.

"I hate you!  You foul, horrible knaves!  How dare you keep me locked up in here!  How dare you!" she finished, screeching.  She couldn't stand being in this cabin any longer.  She just wanted out, out!  Freedom!  Give her anything, she didn't care what happened to her, she just wanted to get out of here!  She needed excitement, adventure, or else this whole trip was worthless.

Stomping back to her bed and sitting down, chin in her hands, elbows on her knees in an old, childlike position that would get her slapped at home now-a-days, she glanced down at Jennifer.

"It would not be good to let Jennifer down, now would it?  Your namesake died for adventure, and I cannot even leave my bloody," here she clapped her hands over her mouth, stunned at what she had picked up from the men, "I mean, my room."  She felt herself go red at saying a bad word, and went over to the mirror to see if her visage reflected her sin.  No, she looked pretty much the same, if not for the flush colouring her cheeks and neck.

With a heavy sigh and frustrated tears welling up in her eyes, she collapsed back on her bed and sobbed.

She just wanted out.

Michael glowered up at Monkey, who glowered back.  But Monkey had the advantage, not being bound up, so he could poke his master all he wanted. 

"Yer one lucky animal!" Michael finally roared, sick of being slapped and prodded by his pet.  "If I wasna tied up, I'd kill ye!"

Monkey just laughed and bounced around the bed, then sat on the headboard in his usual spot.

Michael groaned, trying to shut his eyes and ignore the anger welling up in him.

He just wanted out.

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Here's the new chappie, hope you enjoyed.  Rachelle's funny eh?  Hehe.  And Monkey rules!  Oh yeah Monkey!  (this is Sukkumbus – Mika and I have kinda been outa touch because of her University *makes face*).  Anyhoo, hopefully we'll be able to resume writing soon and also hopefully I'll be seeing PotC again tomorrow (or today [Thursday in either case] – matters on whenever this chapter makes it up on ffnet within ten minutes or not).

Okay, finished with the note for now.  And you won't have to wait TOO much longer until you see how the two worlds mesh.  Don't worry!  It's coming up!

Please review.

Sukkumbus (and the absent Mika, of course :D)