Disclaimer: Jack should come down to Singapore nowadays. We don't wear corsets anymore…
A/N: I'd like to take this time to point out that I do have other POTC fanfiction, including the original Squirrel story. (end shameless pimping)
The song keeps playing. Squirrel fights it, trying not to listen. But every time the song ends, the voices start up.
"Look what you did, Rodent! You broke a plate!"
"You'd better be grateful. Your drunkard dad dumped you on me, and I've taken care of you, much to my expense. So make yourself useful, for a change, and use your only talent and make me money! Got it?"
"Look at her cringe, skinny little wench. Not worth it. Let's find some other girl, lads."
"You think you're better than me?"
"No-one will take a woman aboard, Miss Grey."
"Hope you swim better'n him! Shall we find out?"
Squirrel thrashes. "I can't swim! Leave me alone!"
"You think you're better than me? Do you!" Dawn presses Squirrel hard into the red-hot iron plate. "I hate you! Everyone hates you! You should just die!" The red iron burns Squirrel, again and again and…
"Useless little rodent!"
"Lookit her crying."
"Completely useless."
"Can you swim? Let's find out!"
Leave me alone! Squirrel gasps, fighting off the shades. "Leave me alone!"
"You loved Sparrow, didn't you?" Dawn grins, and the thousands of other cruel faces from Tortuga leer with her. "You burned for him."
I did…
"And what now?" Dawn wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Go count cards or something, you useless little brat." "Good-fer-nothing wench." "Useless…" "Useless…" "Useless…"
"I'm not useless!"
The song comes back again. Squirrel struggles through the vague mist, listening to the words she made up to the song. She sobs, silently.
I don't understand. Where am I? What's going on?
He lied to you, a voice whispers. Sparrow doesn't love you. Stop singing. You're useless to everyone. You're just another Tortugan girl. Just another cheap thrill.
"Jack lied to me…"
Yes, that's right. He doesn't love you. Not at all. You should just die.
"I should… die…" I should just die… Then I could get some sleep… Some peace…
Wait a minute! That's what you said back on Tortuga! Remember? On the beach! And Jack Sparrow saved you. Remember?
"Jack saved me…"
Remember? It was Dawn that hurt you! Jack wouldn't do that! He told you… He loves you!
"Loves…"
No he doesn't! He's just saying that, like he did to those other girls.
"Others…"
Dawn reaches out and shakes Squirrel by the shoulders. "I'm hungry! Stop wasting time and get back to work!" Dawn. She hates you. Do you know why?
Squirrel shudders. "I don't know…"
She's jealous of you. She's scared of you. And you know why? Because…
The song comes again. Squirrel loses herself in the words, in the tune. Slowly, she feels the burning pain in her chest subside. She sits on the beach.
"Jack?" She whispers, her words almost lost over the hiss of the ocean. "I love him. But he doesn't… love me."
"Hold on a minute, luv." A different voice break through the vague mist. A familiar one, but one she can't quite place. "What makes you think Jack doesn't love you?"
Squirrel wonders suddenly why the vague mist threatens to crush her. She struggles to form the words. "Smith… t-t-told me… Bella… T-Tortuga…" Each word seems like a heavy weight is being added to her chest. Crushing her. She feels heavy.
"Smith? And you believed him?"
Squirrel feels bile rise in her throat. "Jack…Lied to me…" She throws up, coughing and spluttering. The voice doesn't speak for a while, and Squirrel feels herself drifting, the song embracing her.
"I'm a f-fool… Not special… Not d-d-different. Just another…" Squirrel coughs, trying to get the foul taste of her vomit out of her mouth. "Just another girl from Tortuga."
"What makes you think that?"
Squirrel shakes herself. This voice is familiar. So familiar. Suddenly, Dawn reaches for her, and Squirrel can't pull away fast enough.
"What makes you think you deserve Sparrow, Rodent? He doesn't love you. He's a pirate, and you never will be! You don't even deserve to look at the ground he swaggers on!"
"Don't deserve him… Don't love him?..."
"Course you love him! That's why you're here, right? And listen: maybe you changed him, lass. Maybe he doesn't want to be the way he was. Maybe he wants to become the man you fell in love with."
"Fell in love…?"
He lied to you! No he didn't! Yes he did! He would do anything to protect you! You're an annoyance to everyone! Jack loves you! You've changed him! No you haven't! He's just playing with your feelings!
Squirrel throws back her head and screams. The pain crushing her grows greater and greater, but it's nothing compared to the other pain. "Welcome to heartbreak, Rodent." Dawn giggles as she presses Squirrel harder into the hot metal plate.