Disclaimer: I don't own POTC.
SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT
Chapter 15: Nobody Touches the Hat
"QUARTERMAINE!"
The name rang out loudly, shaking the nerves of everybody on the Black Pearl. It was the very next morning. The Captain had just entered his cabin holding his head, trying his best to keep his balance. His face had been red, and he had managed to scare every member of the crew into doing their chores shortly after sunrise.
The entire deck stopped cold. All eyes turned to the girl underneath the hat sitting right below one of the masts, mending a badly ripped sail. She gritted her teeth upon hearing her name spoken with such distaste.
"IN MY CABIN! NOW!" Jack bellowed; a tone he rarely used.
Camille stood up, taking off her hat and dropping it on the deck. She could feel all eyes on her, and she walked quickly to the cabin, knowing not to waste time simply because she was scared to death.
She entered the cabin, which was much neater than the condition she had found it in. But that was only because she didn't know where to put things. Oh God, I hope he doesn't hit me, she thought.
"Close the door," he commanded. He was standing in the center of the room, feet apart, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her.
She did so, and tried to swallow some of the fear. She turned around, not looking at his face. "Yes, Captain?" she answered, surprised that she could hear her own voice.
"My things have been moved," he said sternly. "Look at me when I am speaking to you!"
She brought her eyes up to face his. She thought she could see little red flames in them. "Do you know anything about this, Camille?" he asked with the same dangerous tone.
"Yes I do, Captain. I-I moved them-"
"WHY did you move them? And on that note, what were you even DOING in here to begin with?" he exploded, waving his arms about and beginning to pace. It was all he could do to keep himself from throwing unnecessary punches.
"Well Captain, I tripped over them when I was in here because I couldn't see anything. So knowing better than to leave your cabin a mess, I…" she trailed off, seeing his twisted expression. "Uhm, I tried to pick it up a bit."
He exhaled slowly, turning again and continuing to pace. He stepped up to her, so that he was inches away from her face. He reeked of alcohol and smoke, but she was rigid with fear. This was the time not to complain about her personal space being invaded. Especially since he owned a sword and a pistol. "My hat was moved, Camille," he said with a terrifying calmness. He shook his head. "Nobody…NOBODY-" he said, causing her to jump, "-wears the hat!"
She took a breath. "I can explain that, too."
"And if you want to live, you will do that."
She blinked, all of a sudden angry instead of afraid. "Are you threatening to kill me for wearing your hat, Captain?" she said in an indignant tone.
He pulled away from her. "I have had a terrible past few days, Camille. I'm hungover, you've BROKEN INTO MY CABIN…"
"Well if you would just listen to me," she started.
"SHUT UP, WOMAN! YOU'LL SPEAK WHEN I TELL YOU TO!" he roared, turning around.
Camille was about to burst into tears. "I grabbed your hat and your coat because it was the only way I could think of to scare away the men that got aboard the ship last night!" she said quickly.
He stopped. "And when were you going to tell me that somebody was aboard my ship last night?" he questioned.
"As soon as you calmed down, honestly I was," she said, letting a tear escape and quickly wiping it away. She had to make it through this berating.
"Get out of my cabin," he said darkly.
She nodded, pulling the door open and running below. She made it to her bed before the flow of tears came. It didn't last long; about twenty minutes or so until she was able to pull herself together.
She decided that the best course of action would be to go back on deck, pull her hat way down, and focus on mending that sail until it was time for her to prepare supper. She took a shaky breath, wiping her face on her dress and redoing her hair.
The crewmembers tried not to look at her as she made her way back on deck, but it was extremely obvious they were all staring at her. Each one of them had heard the commotion from Jack's cabin earlier, and all of them were torn between curiosity and sparing the poor girl's dignity.
She was able to make it back to her post, plop down, and replace her hat. She pretended not to hear any utterances that went on around her, and absorbed herself completely with that sail until it was nearly back in one piece. Her fingers were sore and bloody by that afternoon, but she kept on mending until she heard Ana Maria's light footsteps.
Looking up for the first time in hours, she realized how stiff she was from sitting on the deck all day. She slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her sore back as she followed to the kitchen below. She could tell that Ana Maria wouldn't say anything first, so she broke the silence.
"Where did all this food come from?" she asked as she stepped into the kitchen.
"I went out and got it this mornin' before we left. I figured it was best to leave you to your thoughts," Ana said quietly.
Camille nodded. "Yes well, let's get started then," she said, making her way over to the vegetables. The two worked for a few minutes in silence, and then she spoke. "I know what you want to ask me, Ana Maria. It's all right, I'm not afraid to talk about it. It was simply a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding of what? You should know not to go through the Captain's things, girl," Ana Maria scolded.
Camille shook her head. "I didn't. I simply went inside with the intention of returning to his bookshelf a book which I had permission to have. Jack said that I was free to return it at any time, given I promise only to touch the bookshelf. Besides, he would know if I had stolen or rummaged through his belongings."
Ana Maria nodded. "Aye," she said knowingly. "For how much rum that man can consume, he's got eyes like a hawk and ears like a wolf," she agreed.
"Last night I was in there doing just that when I saw two strange men onboard. So I grabbed his coat and his hat and began muttering loud enough to scare them off. It may not have been the wisest course of action in retrospect, but it was all I could think of at the time."
"So you touched his things to defend the ship?"
"Well, I did stumble over his maps and letters. I didn't dare light a candle in there until I was sure I already had it in for me."
Ana Maria nodded understandingly. "When do ya think he'll want to believe your side of the story?"
Camille shrugged. "It could be decades. He was so belligerent with me, I was downright terrified."
Ana Maria chuckled. "The first time he ever raised his voice like that to me I cried for three straight hours," she remembered. "I remember it was me first time on kitchen duty. I accidentally dropped a bushel of potatoes through a hole when the boat rocked. We had been runnin' low on food, and that was the last of it. The entire crew didn't eat for a week."
"Oh, Ana Maria," Camille said sympathetically. She lowered her voice, feeling around in her dress. "By the way, what does a black spot written on a page mean?"
Ana Maria stopped what she was doing and straightened up, looking almost as shaken as she did that morning when Camille was called to Jack's cabin. "It's a pirate's death warrant," she whispered. "How did you find out about The Black Spot?"
Camille held it up, unfolding the page carefully. There was a large black spot in the center of it. "The men last night dropped this on the deck. I found it when I left Jack's cabin. I think it was meant for him."
Ana Maria sighed. "That poor man. It's the second one he's gotten this week."
"Wha…is that why he was so nervous a few days ago?" Camille asked, remembering Jack's pale state.
Ana nodded. "Camille, it's best that ya don't go around repeating what I'm about to tell ya. A lot of sailors…well, they like to tease Jack. And the thought of a mutiny or worse again just scares the living hell outta that man."
"Because of Barbossa?"
"Aye. He's never quite gotten over his fear."
"Well you can't really blame him. Are you saying that this was a prank?" Camille asked disbelievingly.
Ana Maria nodded silently. "It's best if you let the man keep his dignity, though. Take it to him as if you thought it were a real threat. If he finds out somehow that you've been hiding it, it'll break the man's heart."
"So it's just that then? Everyone knows he's being mocked, but nobody will come out and say anything?"
Ana Maria looked at her fiercely. "We don't dare say nothin' because Jack is our captain, and we respect him like that. He's a good man, Camille; ain't nothin' you can do to change our minds about that."
Camille bit her lip. She had already inadvertently insulted him enough today, and the last place she wanted to go was back in his cabin and get bellowed at again.
Ana Maria's eyes brightened. "Camille, didn't you say you saw the men?"
She nodded, not knowing what her friend was getting at. "I did."
"Then
you could recognize them again, couldn't you?"
Camille
searched her memory. "Yes, I believe so."
"Well then, we know who it is. If you tell Jack the identities of those men, he can figure it out from there. It'll put him to sleep at night."
"Ana Maria, that is brilliant! I would have never thought of that. But I guess this means I'll have to go and confront him again."
"I can understand if you want me to go and tell him. But I think that if you go it will show him that you respect him enough to tell him something that important even though he's angry with you."
Camille thought about it, and after the meal was prepared she grabbed the dotted page and made her way upstairs.
Outside of the cabin, she took a deep breath but made sure not to hesitate. She didn't want the captain to have any more suspicions about her than he already did. She knocked briefly twice.
"Come in," his voice grunted from inside.
She opened the door, and saw him sitting back in his chair reading a map as if it were a book. His hat was off and placed on the desk at his feet. He casually drew his eyes up, expecting to see one of the men standing there asking him a simple question, but was somewhat taken aback when he saw the redhead trembling at his doorway.
"Didn't think I'd be seein' you so soon. Did I not frighten you enough, because I've still got a very large bone to pick with you, missy," he said in an annoyed tone.
"Captain, I saw the men who came aboard your ship last night. If we remain in the area, I could tell you exactly who they are," she informed him.
He swung his feet over the desk and planting them firmly on the ground. He rolled up the map he'd been pouring over, and placed it on the corner of his desk. "D'you know how bloody long it took me to clean up the mess you made in here? The only thing in its proper place is that book I let you borrow," he said, ignoring her previous comment.
She resisted the urge to slap him. He was pouting like a child, and when she remembered why she began to feel sorry for him. But she told herself that she would have to be the bigger person here, even though she had half a mind to break down and tell him what a good person he was. She cleared her throat. "Captain, did you hear m-"
"Yes, I heard you Camille!" he shouted, facing her. "What significance does it have to you wasting my time AGAIN?"
She held her ground, holding out the folded piece of paper. "They left this last night," she said as he unfolded it.
His eyes simply glanced at the paper. She could not see the unspeakable terror of the memory, or the relief in his eyes because he blinked and shook his head, folding the paper up and putting it in his pocket. "The Black Spot?"
Camille nodded. "Yes, Captain. One of them was missing an eye, and-" she silenced herself as Jack held up a hand.
"Shush, love. That's all I need to know. Thank you, Miss Camille. You may go now," he said firmly.
