Sorry it took so long to update. I hope you liked the first chapter, because here's the second chapter! And go!
Chapter Two: Flying books and Suspicious Sailors
Emma stood in a trance. She couldn't believe she was actually in the world of Master and Commander! While she stood there, stunned, something flew at Emma, and hit her temple right where it ached. She fell in the sand and the old brown book fell right beside her.
"Who threw the book at me? There's no one around!" She thought angrily.
The book suddenly shot open to the first page, and black cursive handwriting began to appear on the aged pages. Her eyes widened in surprise and she slowly crawled beside the book and began to read.
"Hello Emma, and welcome to your dream of being in a Master and Commander adventure! There is a pen in the book's binding so you can write the many questions I'm sure you will have."
She remembered what Alan had said and guessed it was he talking, er, writing to her. She yanked out the feather pen that was stuck conveniently in the binding of the book, and scribbled furiously.
"What, in the holy name of heaven, is going on?"
"It's alright, calm down. I'll explain."
Emma imagined him clearing his throat, before he began again.
"Your name is still Emma Turner, and you are a British Officer."
"I don't exactly look the…" She paused, and looked down.
A white shirt, a cravat, cream-colored breeches and vest, black boots and a navy blue coat with silver buttons quickly replaced her pajamas and slippers. She was now sporting a British Naval officer's clothing.
"Part," she finished.
To top it off, a hat, out of nowhere, fell on her head and slipped over her eyes. It startled her. "That was weird." She said beneath the hat.
"This was a little overwhelming, no, not a little, really overwhelming." She thought while adjusting her hat. How can she be a nautical officer in a British fleet? She had no idea on how to run a ship. She frowned and leaned against a rock nearby. Emma barely even knew all the nautical jargon!
She looked down again and noticed that her clothes were really rather dirty. She also noticed some rips in the jacket and breeches. The hat, which was triangular, almost didn't even look like a hat.
She wrote a pleading note, "Please explain!"
Soon, the letters started to appear again.
"As I was saying, your ship sank in a storm, and you are the only survivor. This is the excuse you are going to give the Captain, if he asks you where you came from, then he will hopefully let you board the Surprise,"
"Oh ok. Wait, hopefully I'm going to board." She thought. "Don't they think women aboard ships are bad luck?" She wrote this last thought down, seeing as it is quite important. She tapped her boot in the sand as she waited impatiently for the reply.
"Ah yes, you are known as Mr. Turner, you are 20 and a cavalry captain. Now, this will solve the problem, concerning your female anatomy."
"But I'm not 20 and that doesn't sound good." She said aloud. "And what is a cavalry captain?"
Emma suddenly felt a tightening around her chest. She dropped the book in surprise as it got tighter and tighter. She almost couldn't breath and she fell to her knees in the sand. Panic swept over her and she undid the vest and the shirt at lightening speed. She looked down and saw that a thick band of white cloth was strapped very tightly over her "Female anatomy," and made her appear quite flat. Flat enough that she could pass as a man (If she wore, at least, her vest at all times). This was an accomplishment, however, seeing as she had a rather large chest for her age.
She stood slowly, buttoning her vest again, slightly relieved
As if her head didn't hurt enough, the book decided to send her another message. It shot at the back of her head and she fell face first in the rough sand.
"Stupid…. magic…. Alan…. book." she mumbled through a mouthful of beach. For such a small book it certainly was hard. She lifted her head and stared at the book with a look of pure loathing. She stood up and brushing the sand off her face with one hand, while picking up the book with the other. It flipped with a mind of it's own to the back of the first page. It stated simply.
"wave down the ship."
Mr. Hollom yawned. He knew that being on the watch is crucial when there are enemy ships about, but why it was so boring, he didn't know. He fiddled with the telescope without interest, and casually glanced at the island passing by. He did a double take. There was something big and blue waving back and forth on the beach. It looked like a flag, but someone was holding it. Hollom looked through the telescope. It was a man!
He turned and called to the nearest officer.
"Mr. Blakney!"
A small blonde boy came running to his side. The boy had lost his right arm in a battle that happened on his last voyage, so he saluted with his left hand instead. "Aye, sir."
"Go and get the captain from below in his cabin. There's a man on that island. Quickly!"
Soon, the captain, dashed up from below. "What is it Mr. Hollom?" He asked grabbing the telescope. He had a deep commanding voice.
"Sir, there's a man on the shore. I think he needs help."
"Very good Mr. Hollom." He said, patting Hollom on the back and smiling. "Mr. Mowett!"
A tall, brown haired man answered. "Aye, sir."
"Weigh anchor and
drop the life boats. We will be picking up that man on shore and
taking on provisions." He said this quickly and with authority.
"Aye sir." Mowett
then repeated the orders to a Mr. Hollar, who, in turn, repeated it
to the crew. The men dashed to their duties instantly, in a sort of
orderly chaos.
Emma put her coat back on and waited for the little boat to reach the shore. In the mean time, she opened her book and began to scribble. "What do I do when they order me to do something in some sailor language?" Emma remembered how fast the crew talked in the movie. Even with the subtitles on, she had a hard time understanding what was happening. Alan took a little more time in answering this time. When he did answer, it stated simply.
"Ummm…make something up."
"What?" She almost yelled. Just then the boat pulled ashore and a tall man with shoulder length blond hair jumped out of the boat.
She looked up. "Halloo Russell Crowe. Oh wait, Jack Aubrey." She thought
"Hello, I'm Jack Aubrey, Captain of the H. M. S. Surprise." He stuck out his hand in welcome and smiled largely. She took it, pretending to be confidant. He had strong and callused hands, probably from years of sailing experience. She thought.
"I'm…" She paused and looked down.
She couldn't tell them her name was Emma. They can't know that I'm a girl. To get aboard that ship I have to pretend to be a man. She thought. Emma racked her brain for a boy's name that would fit. She raised her head and it came to her lips quickly.
"Emmett. Emmett Turner. My ship blew off course then sank in a storm. There are no other survivors. I circled the island to check, but only to search in vain." She lowered her head. So did he.
"I'm truly sorrow to hear that."
Emma felt bad for lying to him. Were there survivors? According to Alan there wasn't She didn't truly know how big the island was. Emma didn't even know where the heck in the world she was!
"I'm a cavalry captain," She added, remembering her so-called profession. She tried to keep her voice calm and deep, just deep enough to pass as a high-pitched man's voice.
A tall cheery faced man was standing next to Aubrey; he coughed lightly to get the captains attention. "Uh, sir, if I may be permitted to speak plainly, we have no idea on how to take care of the horses while we're at sea."
"Yes Mr. Mowett I am quite aware of our own ignorance. Your point, please." He said this quickly. Emma noticed that Aubrey's cheeks reddened a bit. It seemed he was embarrassed.
"Perhaps this young man could replace the late Mr. Ledger."
He raised an eyebrow. "Good idea, Mowett." He turned back to Emma, "We just lost our cavalry captain in a storm we encountered last week." He said this rather slowly, as if it were painful to bring it up.
Emma listened intently, only vaguely aware of the rest of the hot, dirty crew arriving. Some were listening and bowed their heads at the mention of the departed captain.
"And frankly we have no idea how to control or manage the blasted beasts. Would you be so kind as to relieve us of the task of handling them, by joining us aboard the Surprise?"
Emma pretended to think, as if she had a choice, and then nodded. "Yes, I should like that very much!"
"Excellent! Excellent!" He looked much relieved.
"So what will my duties be?" Emma asked casually, trying not to sound like she had absolutely no idea on what a cavalry captain actually does. She had to play it cool. She knew how to take care of horses and such (she had six back at home), but not how to direct cavalry troops. She wondered what horses were doing aboard the Surprise anyway.
"Simple, do your duty as cavalry captain and take orders from me or one of your superior officers." He patted her on the shoulder, smiling, and then walked past her. Emma stood dumbfounded. She turned slowly, suddenly aware that someone was watching her
While Emma and Jack were talking, the rest of the crew was arriving on the beach. Mr. Hollom was on one of the first boats to reach the shore. He jumped out lightly and began helping to unload. He watched the conversation between Jack and the man discreetly, hearing only the strange man's name. Emmett Turner. He noticed something odd about the mans voice, but he must be in his early twenties, and the way he stood, very relaxed, and the way he spoke to the captain, as if he already knew him. He shook his head and decided to forget it and just relax, but there was defiantly something odd about this Mr. Turner. Normally Hollom wasn't one to judge, but in this case he made an exception. He decided to be friends with Emmett, because he is a fellow officer, but he would keep an eye on him. Hollom couldn't explain why he was so suspicious toward this person, he just was.
Just then Emmett turned, and looked Hollom straight in the eye. After a pause, Emmett smiled nervously. Hollom smiled back. Then Emmett turned and decided to help the rest of the crew.
Yes, Hollom thought, there is something odd about him. He turned and finished unloading the lifeboat. Something defiantly odd.
Aaaaannnd Cut! That's a wrap!
Sooooo sorry for taking so long to update. School just started, and a touch of writer's block, aaaand our Internet died for a while, but everything is OK!
Three resounding HUZZAHS! And a plate of chocolate-chip cookies to Charlotte Norrington for being my first reviewer!
Hollom: (does victory dance) Alriiight! Hey! Why am I so suspicious of you?
Emma: I guess this is kind of a "Yental" moment, really.
Hollom: And who is Yental?
Emma: Oh, forget it. Thank you guys for reviewing. Keep them coming. It boosts my self-esteem a full 100 points! WOOOOHOOO! I am so open for suggestions, ideas, and or advice. You rock my world!
