The blob of green on the horizon that Ethel took as land was steadily growing as the Black Pearl sailed towards Tol Melian. Ethel could see excitement bubbling in the crew's faces. The thought of vast amounts of treasure and riches made everyone on board jittery and as excited as children given candy. Except for her. Ethel wasn't excited, far from it. She looked around at the confusion around her, her eyes blank as if she saw everything around her through a thick veil. Her heart was shattered over the realisation that she may just be another one of Jack's conquests and play toys that she had heard so much about.
UnsympatheticReader: Oh BOO HOO! Cry me a freaking river!
WearyReader: Yes, all Mary Sues must have over reacting panic attacks.
Just as the sun reached its zenith, the Black Pearl dropped anchor and boats were made ready to be rowed to shore. Ethel still stood blank faced and staring at the frenzied crew around her.
Wesley, seeing his distressed charge, decided to get right down to the source of her troubles. He found Jack amidst the scrambling crew and called out to him.
Wesley: Jack!
Jack: (ducks away)
Frustrated, Wesley followed where he went and found him in the corner hiding next to a barrel.
Wesley: (plants fists on hips) Captain Jack Sparrow, just what do you think you're doing?
Jack: Er, ahem, well you see here this barrel, here, has, um a, er, a bit of dirt on it and I, ah, decided to clean it! (nervously rubs sleeve against barrel)
Wesley: Yeah, uh huh, sure whatever. Why are you running away from me, more importantly, why are you treating Ethel like dirt? (eyes glint menacingly)
Jack: (nervous as he sees light flashing off Wesley's shovel that is hidden beneath the monkey's corset) I'm not! Really, I don't know what you're talking about! You're crazy! Delusional!
Wesley: (steps closer and moves hand towards shovel)
Jack: All right, you want the truth?
AllReaders: YES!
HappyReader: Hey, where were we for the last chapter by the way?
CrazyReader: There was a sale at the shops; everyone went off to buy new shoes.
HappyReader: Oh yeah, that's right.
Jack: Well you can't handle the truth!
Author: Nah, I'm kidding, scratch that last line out.
Jack: Look, what's between Ethel and I is just that. Between Ethel and I.
Wesley: It doesn't seem like Ethel is in the loop on this.
PickyReader: It's only been like, what, 2 days? She's lucky to be stuck on a ship with him so that he can't possibly ignore her calls, not call her back, avoid her or put a restraining order on me for stalking – I mean her. Not put a restraining order on her for stalking.
Jack: Look, I promise I'll talk to her all right? If it makes you feel any better.
Wesley left to sit on Ethel's shoulder, but not before giving Jack a fierce glare that would strip paint.
Jack went and stood on a crate to give him height over his crew who were all waiting impatiently for Jack to begin and end his usual speech/pep talk. Ethel stood mutely and didn't listen to Jack but instead pondered on his odd behaviour. Last night, she had come to the conclusion that she meant nothing to him. That all that he said to her were complete lies to get her into his bed.
IncredulousReader: HELLO! That's who Jack is!
JackFans: And yet we still love him (swoon).
But this fact did not make sense to the way that he acted around her, that brilliant smile that he seemed to reserve only for her …
And she had cried for him! That was the last time she would do such a thing and she now set her heart to get back on the man who broke her heart.
JadedReader: (mimics) "The man who broke her heart?" That is just so lame.
CynicalReader: Then I must be to you "the one who broke your vase".
JadedReader: You broke my vase! When?
CynicalReader: That time when we were playing ball in your living room remember?
JadedReader: Um, I think that might be an episode of the Brady Bunch dude.
CynicalReader: Huh, maybe.
Ethel started out of her thoughts when a happy yell sounded from the crew as Jack finished his talk with an extravagant flourish of his hands.
(1 crazy boat ride later)
Tol Melian could hardly be called an island. When one thinks of island, one sees a nice white-sanded beach, palm trees, green mountains and a fresh spring.
AnnoyedReader: One will get their ass kicked if they don't stop with the description crap and not get onto the mushy love stuff.
DreamyReader: Mmmm, mushy love stuff (sigh)
Instead, Tol Melain was a desolate place. Uncharacteristically cold despite it's location, dark and rocky. It seemed less like a land mass surrounded by water –
ImpatientReader: Yes, we know what the description of an island is.
- but more like a giant lump of rock, riddled with caves set on the sea.
ObservantReader: Sounds awfully a lot like the Isla de Muerta off the movie.
Ethel climbed out of the boat and was right behind Jack when they stepped onto the rocky shore and faced a giant cliff wall. Wesley noticed that she no longer walked as if she were in a daze but with more of a determined and resolved stride. He worried at this sudden change in her.
Jack stood and looked up the cliff in his usual weird stance. The crew gathered behind him, waiting expectantly for their captain's next actions and for the promised gold. Jack took out the map and squinted at it. He looked back up the cliff than down to the map. He turned the map on its side and looked up at the cliff with his head cocked to the side. He turned the map upside down and attempted to do a handstand before he collapsed in a heap.
NamelessPirate2: He's drunk!
Everyone rushed towards him to see if he would be all right. Everyone except for Ethel that is. She hung back with a satisfied smile on her face.
MelodramaticReader: DUN DUN DUN!
Ana Maria ordered for some blankets to be brought back from the Pearl for Jack as well as for scouts to go around the small island on boats to see if there was any other clue as to where the treasure could be accessed. The only indication of the exact location of the treasure was a large X on the island and nothing else. Ethel took the map from an unconscious Jack and hid it when no one was watching.
The scouts came back in the late afternoon with no good news. The island was roughly in the shape of a heart and where Ethel, Wesley, Ana Maria and a passed out Jack stayed, was in the curve of the two upper outward points.
CynicalReader: Oh puh-lease. Why doesn't she just say that fairies, rainbows and unicorns lived there as well? (mutters) Island in the shape of a heart, what next?
They found no cave opening, door, or beach but instead found miserable cliff faces, falling sheer into the water. Ana Maria sighed and resigned that they should camp out on the beach that night and wait until morning when Jack woke to decide what to do. Although Ana Maria's face bore no other emotion besides disappointment, Ethel could see worry flicker in her eyes at the continually louder grumbling of those of her fellow crew members. Everyone knew that unsatisfied pirates were mutinous pirates.
AttentiveReader: I'm sorry, but they should ALREADY know what to do. Hello? Didn't we establish a few chapters ago that the keys to the treasure were the pendants?
HeadScratchingReader: Wasn't one of them lost when Ethel killed that Bearded Pirate Guy during that Pointless Filler of a Battle?
ConfusedReader: I'm so confused!
Author: So am I.
Music nerd – I haven't read 'Wicked' but I have read the other one 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.' That wasn't too bad. Well, if you know that Dumbledore dies, then there aren't any more spoilers in my fic. Thanks for you bajazillion reviews for my HP fic. Seriously, the effort you put in makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Although, I'd suggest you change your medication because lithium – isn't that what they put in, like, batteries? (Stops as realisation dawns. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place) With all your muffin stealing adventures, WHY haven't you posted anything yet dagnabbit! Oh yeah, me like money. Give me money so I can buy … well, we'll just leave that to another day shall we?
Merrybean – Thanks for the review! I actually have a picture of me with oven mitts doing the 'guestage' motion. Yes, I'm such a freak.