Chapter two: Cabin Fever
I sat in the corner of the first mate's cabin, fingering the small trinket I had taken from the captains pockets. It was a little bauble, and I knew it opened, somehow. I shook my head. How did I know it opened? It seemed like I knew it all from before. I put it in the pocket of my dress and looked around. There were three other women in the cabin. Two who were about maybe twenty or so, and one who looked only sixteen. Both of the two older ones had small children. Small children who cried. And small children who smelled. And small children who had sticky fingers and running noses and I could just...ARG! I silently fumed as the small children crawled about, and broke things, and got in everybodies way. I would have liked to kick them, but I wasn't so desperate yet. I popped my knuckles, and I picked at my nails...And the smallest of the small children, who could only be about three, started screaming her head off. I finally jumped up, letting out a frustrated yell. I scooped up the three year old known as Nacy, and practically tossed her on the bed.
"Would you like to play a game?" I asked, forcing a smile. Her mother backed off, knowing I was going to try to quite the child down.
"Mhm," She sniffed, wiping her running nose.
"Ok," I said, trying to make myself calm and chipper. "Here. Put your hands like this. Then this, ok?" I taught her how to play patty cake. And as we were haltingly clapping hands, I sang as best as I could.
"Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack, all dressed in black black black, with silver buttons buttons buttons, all down her back back back, she went to town town town, to buy a gown gown gown, of cloth of silk silk silk, to match her frown frown frown." By the time I was done, Nacy was laughing, and finally the tension in the room snapped.
"Thank you!" Her mother, Mary, said. I smiled, and went back to my corner.
/\
"Something is wrong with her!" I saw the sixteen year old, Grace, put her hand on Mary's forehead. Mary layed in the only bed, shivering...getting it all filled with germs so no one else could sleep in it. I ignored their clucking, and looked at the small comb that I...found. It was pretty, and would probably fetch a decent price.
"Mack? What do you think?" I quickly put the comb away, and stood up.
"What?" I asked, hating the fact that they called me by my nickname.
"She looks ill, yeah?" I nodded in agrement.
"Then, maybe you should go speak to the captain?" The other woman, Sara, said. I started.
"Me? Go talk to that vulgar and vile man? No thank you." The looks on both of their faces made me walk to the door.
"Its locked, you know." I said trying the knob.
"Hey! Hey out there, I need to speak to the captain!" I shouted, banging on the door. There was a bit of paned glass, and I banged on it. Finally, some weird and old looking man opened it.
"Whats all the yelling about, eh?" He asked, giving me a dirty look.
"I need to speak with the captain." I said shortly.
"Then you must speak to me first." He said, advancing on me. For a moment, I thought he was going to hurt me, or even rape me, but just as he reached out, a dirty hand clasped his shoulder.
"Parkins, you don't want to be doing that mate," A voice said. The man called Parkins turned around, and I saw the captain standing there.
"Whats wrong?" He asked me, I tried to read his eyes, but I saw nothing. They were so blank it scared me.
"Its Mary, here." I said pointing. "She's sick." He walked in, took a look at her, then blanched.
"Good god. Parkins, get them out of here now. Leave the sick one. Go get the bloody doctor," He shouted over the cries of wonderance. He started to ushering us out of the room, helped by Parkins.
"What is it?" I managed to ask, before he ran off.
"Its the sweat," He said and I felt fear like never before. I sat down hard on the cool wood floor of the deck.
"Were all dead," I muttered. "Were all dead. Were all dead. Were all dead."
"Lady, are you alright?" I looked up and saw the face of a handsome respectable man.
"Are you being held captive too?" I asked, rubbing my nose.
"Nah. Im part of the crew." He had brown hair, and soft brown eyes. His face looked like it had seen many smiles, and would keep on smiling. He was fairly tall, and was dressed like a regular average man.
"Oh, so your part of all this, right?" I asked, still on the floor. I ignored his hand to help me off, but looked away. I noticed for the first time, that it was raining. And just by being out for a few seconds, I was drenched.
"Not really. I mean, at least Jack hasn't killed anyone," I forgot for a moment, that the captain's name was Jack...And it made him seem, more human. I pulled it out of my mind, and looked away.
"Come on, lets go into the galley. Im sure your hungry...and I know you aren't going back into that room. And I doubt your going down to the brig." I got up, still ignoring his hand, and slipped and slided all the way to the galley. I was still in the same clothes as the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. In fact, I had been in the same dress, for a week. The same blue dress that I had put on to impress James.
"My names Will." The man said, as we went into the galley. There were two or three other people in there, but they paid no mind.
"Here." He handed me an apple, and bade me to sit down on the bench. The few people who were in there were straddling the bench, but I simply sat down, and took a bite out of my apple.
/\
"You cant put me in here!" I screamed, as the bars of a small ratty cell closed around me.
"Woman, we already discussed this," the captain said, a smirk on his face, showing gold teeth.
"I'll rip those bloody teeth right out of your--"
"Tsk tsk, you must watch your tounge." He turned around and flounced off.
"I could die down here!"
"You could die up there too," A voice said from the darkness. I looked around wildly. There was a little light, coming from a single candle, that was up on a shelf by the door.
"Who's there?" I asked, suddenly afraid.
"Just an ol' sea dog, I suppose. Been down here a while now. Just...biding me time. But what I heard from that ruckas, and the sweat, you would most likely fare better down here, then up there. Didn't you notice, your the only one?" My brows furrowed. I was the only one. Why...that damn...Sparrow! He did it on pourpose...Does he know I stole that bauble? I thought.
"Your wondering why you are the only one down here."
"Who the hell are you?" I asked, finally finding my tounge.
"Got a mighty smart mouth on you. Its gunna land you in a heap of trouble if you don't watch it." His voice was almost soothing, and very clipped. But the sound of age was creeping up on it, and causing it to rasp, and even quaver a bit. "You might find, that you catch more flies with honey, then with vinegar." I snorted.
"Who wants to catch flies?" I asked, sitting down. It was a cramped little cell, and I had to bend my knees to be able to squash down. My eyes finally came accustomed to the light, and I saw the man, one cell over, who was sitting on a crate. I noticed bitterly that his cell was considerably larger.
"What is your name, please, sir?" I asked, through gritted teeth.
"Now, thats better. My name is Wulf Canry. Thats all you need know." His accent was foriegn to me. I could barely make out his outline, as he bowed his head to his chest, and moments later, let out a loud snore. I rolled my eyes, and pulled out the small silver trinket box that I got from Will. I opened it up carefully, and saw there was a letter in it, folded up a million times. Knowing I wouldn't be able to read it, I put it away, and stored it in my pocket.
/\
"Come on, you can come out now." I squinted in the light, and I saw the man...Will, step down into the brig.
"Me too?" Wulf asked. Will ignored him, and unlocked my cell.
"And?" I asked, as we got up on deck.
"The woman, Mary, she died. But thankfully, no one got the sweat. Its a miracle, really." I looked at the other women who were hostage, and saw the little girl Nacy who was standing by herself, her lip quivering.
"Why was I in the brig?" I asked, my eyes still on Nancy.
"Well, that was the only place captain could put you. We had no more room." I waved him off, and went over to Nancy. I hate kids, vile creatures really. But the look on this little girl's face made me...I dunno.
"Hey," I saidm kneeling down besides her.
Sniff. She looked away. I opened my arms, and she flew into them, crying like a banshee.
"I want my mummy!" She screamed as loud as she could. Everyone within ear shout(about the whole nation) looked over to where the sobbing kid was getting slober on my shoulder.
"Listen, Nancy," I said soothingly. "Your mum...well shes gone. She went to a better place. But, buck up kiddo. You'll be ok." She wiped her nose on my shoulder, then took off to were the first mates cabin was. I tried to grab her arm, but she flew by. I sat there, marveling how a child with such short legs could run so fast.
"Fond of kids, eh?" Captain said, standing by me. I stood up, and looked him sqaure in the eye.
"Why should you care if a child must grow up without a mother?" I asked coldly. "You killed her mother, same as if you put a gun to her head and shot her. But wait, that shouldn't bother you...Your a pirate after all. Its all what you can and cant do." I turned on my heel, and walked away.
Where, I have no clue, but I walked away.