A/N: Well, here I am with another chapter! Yay! For all of you who were confused on the last chapter: Adam was Robert Wedower, Lily's finance before she moved away. (Her best friend, mind you) And he died, leaving Lily all alone on the blasted ship.
Another detail I want to inform you of: I did not mean to take the name "the Black Ship" from the POTC. After I had posted the first chapter, I looked back over it, and I found that out. Heh heh… Oh well, we are too into the story to change it now! (Plus the fact that I don't want to go through all of the times where I typed that name and change it)
Well, I'm sorry I couldn't get this chapter out sooner, but I just came back from the biggest meet of our season: JO's. (Junior Olympics) -sigh- I did good on my 400 freestyle, would've taken sixth in the finals heat if I wasn't in the blasted consoles heat. Grrrrr. I took off about eight seconds leaving me with a 4:44.something. Alright, I will stop my rambling and get on with the story.
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Harry Potter. But! Thankfully I still own (some) of my cookies.
Chapter Five: Crimson Waters
"DAMN!" I grinned whimsically as Sirius bellowed from across his deck. Hearing him yell at several of his soldiers to get my ass out there to meet him, I decided it was best to try and stand to welcome these bastards.
"Lillian, you are to be taken to the second in command for a word with him. You have no choice." The nervous looking deckhand said, twirling his glasses in one hand and his hat in the other.
"No shit." Glaring at this innocent kid was one way to vent my anger. He had been part of the crowd that had cheered my death on, cheered Adam's death on…
"Follow me, then." The boy said reluctantly and turned towards the cell door as I looked up at the ceiling silently asking God why I had been sent such a stupid boy.
"Hey, asshole, you have to get me out of these cuffs first." The kid jumped and muttered an apology as he unclamped my arms. "Right." I said distractedly still looking at the ceiling as he freed me. Well, I couldn't exactly call it being "free", but at least I was out of those damn handcuffs.
"You set her free aboard my ship?" Sirius asked, obviously furious that the poor boy had let me go, as we walked onto the deck of the ship. "You idiot! JAMES!" Great, here comes the bastard from hell.
"Yeah?" replied James, lazily playing with the sword that lay in his hand. I watched in horror as James twirled the sword around his fingers, thinking that I would someday fall dead at his hand…
"This stupid boy," here Sirius shook the lad's ear with one hand while the latter cringed in agony. "managed to set our dear Lily flower free!" With this piece of information given to James, the black haired captain shook my shoulder, making me sway on my feet more than I already had been.
The reason of my distress raised an eyebrow at Sirius' infuriated behavior as he watched his best mate throw me to the ground. My body still being weak without my daily water, I couldn't get up… I didn't want to get up.
I heard them say something, but it did not reach my ears. Not really caring about what the two men were talking about, I amusedly wondered how they were going to torture me next before my parents finally realized it was me they had taken captive. Oh yes, my parents did not even recognize their own daughter's handwriting after Sirius and James had forced me to write a letter to my parents asking them to rescue me. As if I wanted to be back in the palace without Adam there with me.
"Hey wench." James kicked my side roughly, causing my thoughts to break and my mouth to let out a gasp of pain. "Get up. We need you to… please one of us."
Please one of them? They expected me to have sex with them? Fury burned its way into my blood, fueling my ability to speak louder than I had been able to lately.
"Go fuck each other. I'm sure you would like it more that way." I snarled out, trying to turn my head towards James' face, but the sun blocked my view while almost blinding me in the process.
Hearing Sirius let out a livid growl, I turned my face back toward the ground, slightly smiling for knowing that my spirit was not yet broken. "Bitch." The black haired man said, spitting on my already battered and bruised body. While the Black Ship's crewmates were wary of my temper, Sirius and James would beat me continuously for my witty remarks.
"You believe you can ware us down with your remarks?" My throbbing head barely managed to compute that James was the speaker. "You will only break yourself down. Paul! Tie Miss Evans to a pole and whip her ten times, her shirt off." I could feel James grin turned my way, feel the leer he was giving me. But I unconsciously felt no hatred towards me, no, I felt despise sent my way.
"Yes, sir." I recognized a voice to be Paul say, lifting my almost limp body off the ground and carrying me to a pillar. "I'm really sorry for this, Lily." He was one of the more compassionate ones towards me, and I cherished his kind words on this ship more than I cherished food and water.
"Just get it over with." I managed to whisper to him, slightly smiling at him when he has finished binding my hands in leather around the pillar. I rested my forehead against the same pillar that had comforted me the night Adam died as Paul ripped open the back of my flimsy white shirt. Maybe this was a sign that I was to die today… I wouldn't object in one bit, I was tired-nay, exhausted-of James and Sirius' daily beatings.
A resounding crack echoed through the air as the whip was brought down upon my back. Another whip, another scar… it was nothing new to me. The pain had only begun to waver its way through my body. Usually, I was lucky to get by with ten whippings, let alone Paul doing it. The sweet boy managed to make it less painful for me…
"Two!" Sirius yelled as the whip ripped through my scarred tissue, making white, hot fire echo throughout my body. I would not scream as I had done all those times before. I would not let them know I was in pain…
"Three!" This time, James yelled, and the leather whip slashed through my skin once more, sending fire hotter than hell to all the nerves in my body. I… would not scream…
"Four!" Sirius yelled, it seemed they were taking turns. The crack of the whip came down upon my back, searing it's already scarred surface.
"Five!" James bellowed, as blood poured down my back and soaked my torn, black pants to the point were they were a dark red, almost the their natural color of black.
"Six!" Sirius mimicked his best mate, and I tried to not let my mind slip into the welcoming blackness that rested ever so close as the whip dug its way into my back.
"Seven!" The pain was unbearable, I wanted to scream out to the world and let it know how much pain it was in. But I bit my tongue until it also bled to keep from screaming as the eighth whipping scorched my bloodied back.
"Nine!" James yelled, and I could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. The quick echoing crack came down upon my back, making me almost buckle under the pain it was providing me.
"Ten." Sirius reluctantly said, and the leather torture tool came down upon my back once more, and without my legs being bound my knees buckled from the pain. I landed in a pool of my own blood that had flown from my scarred back. My breathing was harsh coming in and out of my body, and the fresh salty air that had once calmed me now shot ice threw my entire body.
"Cut her down, and get her some new clothes too. Maybe a nice dress that we stole?" I dimly heard footsteps walking away, and I knew that they belonged to James and Sirius. They did not care about my wellbeing; they had given up hope of getting a ransom. I assumed they were only keeping me on this ship for their sick pleasures that they thought I would actually do. I would rather die and visit Adam than sleep with one of those two. And right now, visiting Adam was all I wanted to do.
Trying to reach out to the darkness that had resided ever present in my mind as I was whipped, I found it gone and away from my grasp. There goes my ticket to heaven; if I was even going there…
"I hope it wasn't too bad…" Paul trailed uncertainly as I shivered in the bathtub filled with blood stained water.
"It wasn't as bad…" My tongue refused to make another sound as I coughed up more crimson liquid.
"Keep silent, Lils. I'm going to try and buy you more time to live. I can only guarantee your life if your parents send back a note saying they will pay us." With my head shaking violently from the cold water, I managed to nod my head as more chilling water came down upon my wounds.
The freezing water did nothing for the empty feeling that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. My only companion had died; my best mate had died… I didn't want to live anymore. I didn't care if I ever saw my friends again; I wanted release from all these beatings…these torture sessions. I wanted to see Adam again.
"Paul," I started, my bloody tongue finally allowing me to move it. "I want you to throw me in the waters."
The blonde haired man let out a scoff. "I'm not going to kill you, dear. No matter how much you want release. I might be on your side for the no beating factor, but I'm on James and Sirius' side for the money." So Paul was like all the rest…
"Give the sponge to me." I vehemently said as I quickly snatched up the sponged from the brown eyed man's hands. I would clean myself, not let another man aboard this ship do it. Feeling the frown Paul was giving me, I filled the sponge with the bloody water below me and let it slowly pour down my back. My naked body started to shiver even more as I repeated the process.
"Lily, get out of the bathtub and into this towel." Looking up I found that Paul had scrounged up a nice, big, fluffy blue towel for me. My violently shaking body screamed for me to take the towel, and I did so without a moment's hesitation.
"Thank…" I coughed crimson blood onto the towel, staining its perfect blue surface…
A warm hand touched my scarred shoulder, and I looked up to meet kind brown eyes. "I may be with them Lily, but I'm still with you." I smiled slightly at Paul. He was the only person that could get away with saying that.
"Go to bed, Lils." The blonde haired man said, laying me softly on the dry hay that lay upon my tiny, silent cell. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
As if I had a bed. But it would be too much hospitality for me to have a bed and a little meat; not from these pirates…
Paul gently kissed my forehead as if he was a father tucking in his daughter for bedtime. With the thought of my father, I was unable to respond to his kind gestures. I was either going to go to the one place I hated most, or I was going to die. Silently choosing to rather die than go back to Ireland, my cold body shivered continuously as I wrapped the flimsy towel around my naked form.
"Wake up, Lily." I expected to see Paul standing above me as I awoke, but I was shocked to see James standing over me. He wasn't leering at me, he wasn't whispering rude lies about me to the other crewmembers, and he was actually staring at me with interest and a little-lust, maybe? Realizing I was just in at towel spelled things out for me. My body was enticing him to have me right then and right there. Well, why wouldn't he? Wasn't he able to do anything to me?
"What do you want?" I said, turning my head away from his wanting gaze.
"I brought this dress for you." James unsympathetically tossed me a dark green dress and a corset. "I expect you dressed for tonight's occasion."
"Occasion?" My mouth spat out blood from the beating I had taken again.
"You will pose as my whore when we go to a pit stop tonight." The black haired man said, giving me a glare that even dared me to utter a word against this.
"Will I get a room, meaning bath and all, to prepare for tonight?" My once hard, defiant voice now came out merely a pained whisper.
"Not your own room." said James, crudely pulling me up while making the scabbing wounds on my back stretch and break. Blood soaked the soft, blue towel I adorned and James frowned with disapproval at the blood as if it were my fault that it was there. "You are coming to my room to get ready." I stumbled along after James as he pulled me across the boat and into his quarters.
His room was exquisite, but else was I expecting? A dirty little shaft like mine? A crimson-much to the same shade of red as my towel now was-couch sat alone on the east wall. James' bed-I was infuriated to see-held a naked woman in its gold sheets. The woman stretched while eyeing James and me seductively. Great, so now this whore wanted me too. Just what I wanted today. My gaze landed on several bookshelves on the west wall sitting peacefully on the beige carpet beneath them. My emerald orbs did not leave that Godly sight of the bookshelves until James roughly handed me the dark green dress again.
"Wear this." James commanded and then turned towards the woman on the bed with a grin. "Rosealia, darling, go pleasure Sirius, would you?" The black haired woman's light brown eyes light up with the possibility as she scampered out onto the deck naked and headed towards the captain's quarters. "Take a bath, then get dressed, we are almost to the cave."
Cave? What the hell? I was going in a cave? I hated dark places… Adam had always been the one to help me get to sleep every night by singing an Irish song to me. I bit my lip to keep the tears from coming down my face at the thought of Adam. Seeing hazel eyes harden upon me for my lack of movement, I decided it was best to go do as he said before I received yet another beating.
I walked into the bathroom that was connected to the sink and wanted to sink to my knees right then and there. An actual bathtub sat in front of me, gold hinges and all, winking at me. Quickly turning on the hot water, I excitedly waited for the bathtub to fill as I closed the door, put the dark green dress carefully on a stool next to the tub, and painfully uncovered my bloody and bruised back. The deep wounds were gleaming from being reopened once again. I lightly touched them, cringing as hot fire buried itself into my body, not wanting to leave.
Almost forgetting to turn the water off, I quietly slipped into the bathtub with only the water's movement making sound in my ears. I sighed as I let the warm water relax me before I decided it was best to not keep James waiting for too long…
Done with the washing of my hair, I looked at the sponge and bar of soap uncertainly. Blood was slowly spreading through the water as I tensely reached for the soap as if it would crawl away from me unexpectedly. I managed to finally bathe my whole body except for my back; I wasn't even daring touch it less I be in pain again. Timidly reaching for the white, fluffy towel across from me, I dried myself off, making sure that I only lightly touched the bruises and scars adorning my once perfect body.
I gently combed out my hair, deciding to leave it down. I really wasn't looking forward to be James whore, even if it was for show…
I put the dark green dress on, not bothering to even glance at my reflection before I walked out into the second in command's sleeping quarters once more. He was tapping the armrest of his crimson couch, gazing at the wall in thought as I was into the room, my noisy heels taking him by surprise.
"What took you so long? Let's go." James said, grabbing my arm and hauling me out of his room onto the deck.
All the crewmembers were dressed in rich apparel, and I snorted. They probably stole all those clothes from the rich, trying to make themselves look like they were actually worth something. James gave me a hard glare at my action before tugging me along to a plank that connected to the dark, wet, slippery ground bellow. The second in command let out a frustrated sigh as he saw me hesitate on the plank. He obviously did not want to wait any longer for he pushed my back, hard, to get me to keep moving.
I almost cried out in pain to the dark cave, but I bit back the scream that wanted to erupt and continued to the rocky ground. "You will follow my orders and everything I do, or you will die." James whispered in my ear as he roughly grabbed my ass, squeezing it hard. The only thing I could do was close my eyes tightly and fist my hands together to keep from hitting his smug face in as he traced invisible objects on my ass. My teeth clenched, and just when I thought I was going to lost my control, James grinned and slapped my ass before dragging me by the arm towards the "town" I guessed was here.
After the other crewmates stayed behind us and disappeared from view I became more hesitant in my steps and more cautious of my surroundings. If James was going somewhere without Sirius, something was going to happen… and my fatigued mind dimly realized things would not be in my favor tonight.
A/N: Another cliff hanger! I am just so evil, heh heh. Thank you all that reviewed, I really appreciate your reviews! Now it is very late, and I am very tired from having to swim five times in today due to relays. Our relay team ROCKED the 400 freestyle relay and we got gold. Yesssssss. But I think that today was the most tiring day of the whole meet, minding that I did the 200 backstroke and the 200 butterfly both twice in one day. Thankfully, that was the first day. Bad news, they were back to back. Anyways, I'll get on with the review responses for all of you that have no idea what I'm talking about!
Erin- heh heh, yep. That was the plan! But how I am going to execute that plan… well, you'll just have to read to find out!
Lo- Wow, thank you so much! I don't think I will update everyday though. I will try my best! ;)
Bronzalyn- lol, I think I would beat him to a bloody pulp.
blessed-Indian-rose576-
GSCer- That was the reaction I was lookin' for! Kudos for me. ;)
tigerlily141- Exactly correct. Somehow, someway, I will get Lily and James together! Haha.
Jingle-Bellz-ROCK- I have to keep some surprises for you! A boring story would be a story without a thick plot. (In my opinion anyways:p ) Yes, poor, poor Lily, I agree.
Miss Myrtle360- I agree, this situation is very bad. Oh don't worry, James will get his money one way or another. ;) I think by the time you read the fourth chapter, you got why James was pretending to be an Englishman. Well, Remus should have a strange and perverted side sometimes! Lord knows he has one. I couldn't think of another name for the ship:p The "Black" part of the name is supposed to play on Sirius' last name, not be a copy of POTC at all. After I posted the second chapter I realized that it was. Woops!
PorceliainxDoll- Thank you so much! It means A LOT to me that you think it is original!
WolfGinOfTheFlame- Thank you very much! You have no idea how much that means to methat you think it is inventive!
Gwen- LOL, I wouldn't want that now. ;)