An Early Wake Up Call
He pushed open the door to Marissa's bedroom. Pale moonlight filtered in through the tiny gap. He closed the door quickly. The room was the first he had found below deck, and it would be convenient to hide in for a while. The wooden floorboards creaked under hi boot. He stopped. Could he hear someone breathing? Yes; he turned slightly, and could make out the definite bulk of someone in the bed. Male or female, he didn't know, it was difficult to tell in the dark. But the figure was relatively small, and slight. It seemed to be an adolescent.
He tiptoed round to the other side of the bed to get a better look. The sleeper was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he saw that she had fair skin contrasting with her dark hair. The arch of her eyebrows was perfect and her nose straight and proportionate. His eyes strayed to her right hand which was resting on the pillow. On her ring finger, there was a beautiful ring. What a pretty ring, he thought. It was a thin silver band set with a single blue zirconia stone. He shifted in order to take a better look at it – and the girl's eyes flickered open.
For a few seconds she laid there, wide- eyed and silent. But as she grew knowledgeable of the strange man kneeling beside her bed, she opened her mouth and screamed. He shot out a rough hand and pressed it over her mouth, but a fraction of a second too late. A small shriek escaped from Marissa's lips, and the man panicked.
"It's alright, no need to scream, no need to be frightened. I'm not going to hurt you." Marissa lay perfectly still. She wasn't willing to trust what this man said, not while she couldn't see him properly.
"That's a good girl," he continued, speaking softly. "Now, I need a place to-"
"Marissa!" came the shout. Captain Beecham burst open the door, casting beams of moonlight on the intruder standing over his daughter.
Marissa saw, for the first time, the strange man in her cabin. He wore long brown boots, brown breeches, a dirty white shirt and a brown waistcoat. Around his waist hung a belt, attached to which were a pistol, a sword, a compass and various other items. His hair was long, dark and matted, with beads and coins woven into it, his goatee likewise. He had a small moustache on his dirty, tanned face and his eyes were framed by some strange black substance. In his hair was a faded red scarf, and in his other hand he clutched a grey tri-cornered hat. Marissa didn't know who this man was, but one thing was for certain; he was a pirate.
"Move away from her, filth!" Marissa's father spat, pistol drawn. The pirate obliged, hands raised.
"Marissa," Terence went on, eyes never leaving the pirate, "I heard a scream. Has he harmed you in any way?"
Marissa shook her head.
"No," she stuttered. "I- I'm fine."
"Honestly, Commodore, I'm no threat to you or your daughter, really-" the stranger began, but Terence cut him off.
"It's Captain-"
"Oh, really?" the other man said hastily. "Well, we have something in common then. Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service." He stuck out a dirty hand, expecting it to be shaken. He retracted it quickly upon seeing the look on Terence's face.
"Pirate, are you?" said the navy Captain, eyeing Jack with disgust.
"Well, yes, actually", said Jack. I'll have to think of a better answer next time, he thought.
"And what exactly were you doing in my daughter's bedroom?"
"I, er- that is to say-"
"Tell me the truth."
"I- I was just admiring what a pretty daughter you had. Oh- no, that came out wrong, I just-"
"Lieutenant!" barked Captain Beecham, cutting Jack short, "Take Mr. Sparrow to the brig. We'll decide what to do with him in the morning."
A younger man trooped in with several others, and the first nodded. They dragged and unresisting but unhappy looking Jack away.