Hello! This is Juli here reporting that it's finally summer! And To Award you: Here's Chapter 4!

(p.s.:If you haven't finished school yet, think of this as a (early/belated) birthday present)

Chapter 4: Captain Ronald Cortez
Suze's POV

After countless hours of being locked up in the brig, I found myself regurgitating my breakfast, lunch, and supper. I had tried not to heave, I really did. Yet, the ocean was way too strong. The waves rocked the boat back and forth, we were catching air every two minutes because of how large the waves were, and there was a hole in my cell.

"Suze, are you okay?" Paul asked me, after I revelled my lunch to him. He made a face and gagged. He looked like he was going to heave, himself.

"Don't worry, you get used to it," a unfamiliar voice said from the door of the brig. It was nighttime now I was unable to see his face until he stepped in front of my cell. He was tall, almost the same height as Paul with amazing green eyes and red hair. It looked like he was a god who was going to save me from this horrid state of being.

There was another moment of silence.

"I don't believe we've met," I answered, sticking out my hand so he could shake it. He looked at my hand, and shook his head.

"No thank you, I don't believe I need to shake a hand filled with eggs," the man said grinning. I immediately blushed and wiped my hand on the wall. 'This is so disgusting! I can't believe I'm doing this! I'm such an idiot! Of course he didn't want to shake my hand while it's covered in vomit! What a turn off'.

The man laughed and introduced himself because he noticed Paul giving him very dirty looks, "My name Is Alexander, and I would prefer you not to know my last name. My duty is to take care of the prisoners. Right now the captain would like to see you on deck."

"This is going to be fun," I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm. Alex opened the door to my cell with a key he took out of his pocket, then opened Paul's.

We silently walked up to the deck. Then I spotted a man, who I did not recognize barking orders to a new bunch of men who looked like they haven't taken a bath in weeks, even months. Maybe years!

I have to teach this pirates some hygiene and style. Like that girl over there, she's wearing striped leggings with a jacket that is spotted. Someone help her! She needs a serious makeover or a what not to wear episode devoted to help her dress.

The man who was barking orders at the men, then walked to us with a look on his face. A scary one. One that if you had a choice; to stay on the ship, you would jump off. He was carrying a bucket with murky water in it. He threw it at me, and I caught it just in time.

"You are now part of my crew. You will do what I tell you do to," the man said.

"What about Jack?" Paul asked, trying to put two things together.

The man then pointed towards the bow of the ship, and there tied up was Jack, Danny, Will, and the rest of their crew. "We commandeered this beautiful ship. Jack does not need it," the man answered.

"You can't do that!" I screamed as I threw the bucket on his head. He glared at me, all wet, and said "Seems like we're got ourselves a feisty one!".

"Who are you? What do you want?" I screamed, terribly scared. I looked at all the men surrounding us. Alex was a member of this man's crew, not Jack's. Yet, Alex seemed so nice and sincere.

"I am Captain Ronald Cortez, a descendant of the famous Cortez. I have decided to go into a life of piracy!" the man bellowed, as if we should all bow down to him. Surprisingly enough, his crew did bow down.

"Something is wrong with this picture," Paul whispered into my ear as we bent down to bow to Captain Cortez.

"I agree," I said a little bit too loudly, because the Captain then came up to me and asked, "What do you agree to? And who are you?"

"I agree… To, To…" I answered. Then I thought of it, "I agree that your ancestor was great and famous. My comrade and I," I said motioning towards Paul, "were discussing how amazing Cortez was."

The Captain looked at me sceptically. "You still didn't answer my other question. Who are you?"

"They're nobody, a cousin's sister's, step cousin twice removed. But they can sing!" Jack shouted from the rather large pit of people at the bow.

"Jack, if you want to live, I suggest you did not interfere. I was sent by Barbossa, who really wants you dead!" Ronald Cortez bellowed at Jack. I saw Jack make an immature face at Cortez and whisper something into Danny's ear. She smirked and whispered something back at him.

Seems like they have a plan. At least somebody does.

"If you do not tell me exactly who you are, then you will receive a very terrifying death!" Cortez informed Paul and I, rather loudly if I do say so myself. I clung to Paul's arm, and whispered into his ear, "We can't die, yet! Jesse needs us!" Paul tensed up and inhaled sharply.

"We're Nathaniel and Elizabeth McDonald. This is my wife. We were sailing to Jamaica while our ship was attacked by a small group of nameless pirates. We were left to float into the ocean. There was no other survivors. Then Captain Sparrow saw us and saved us. As a price, we were to help Captain Sparrow in the chores. Yet my wife accidentally offended the Captain and we were thrown in the brig."

I almost kicked him.

I am not his wife. I will never be his wife.

"And where are you from Nathaniel and Elizabeth McDonald?" Cortez asked, raising his eyebrow.

"China," Paul answered. Paul is very quick on his feet.

Not

"Well, that explains the strange clothing," Cortez answered. Obviously this man was not very intelligent. I doubt very deeply that the Chinese wore these kind of clothes in this period of time.

Then, suddenly I saw Jack behind Cortez, and next thing I knew, Cortez was unconscious on the ship's deck. There was a large commotion from Cortez's crew as they took out their swords.

Then Jack spoke, "Before you feel the need to kill us" Jack said motioning to Danny who had her sword out and had attacked the first mate, "I would like you to take into consideration that Cortez is a privateer!"

There was a few gasps and a few outraged men. Then Alex stepped out, "Why would our captain be a privateer! No one was ever arrested when we reached a

Port, ever!"

A few men agreed. "Yes, but have you ever wondered what happened to first mate Crevy? The rumours that Cortez killed him are false! Cortez turned him to the Spanish, and I was with them!" Jack answered, seemingly sincere.

"How do we know your not bluffing?" a man asked from behind the crowd of men.

Jack raised his wrists enough for everyone to see the scars tattooed onto them. "This is what the Spanish do to pirates who are supposed to be hung. They tighten the handcuffs enough that you start to bleed. Crevy was hung the day I escaped!"

The crowd gasped. "Then why didn't you save the poor soul?" a tall dark coloured man yelled from the front of the crowd. He had a parrot on his shoulder that had many colours relating in it's feathers. I really wanted to know where he had found the bird.

"The man was under much more security than I! You dogs would have done the same thing because you follow the code much more than I!" Jack retorted. Jack then jumped onto a large crate and asked the men, "What do you think we should do with Cortez's body?"

Many men yelled, "Throw it overboard!" .Other bellowed, "Cut him up and deliver him to the authorities!". Alex than said, "Give the man a proper burial!"

There was dead silence on the whole ship. The pirates were probably asking themselves when the last time they buried someone was.

"That's daft!" a older man yelled from Jack's crew bundle. "I've never buried anyone in my life!". A few men answered with, "Yeah I've never done that!"

Then Danny did something I would think she would never do. "Give the man a proper burial! It's the least you wish someone would do with your dead body!"

The pirates all looked at there shoes. Then I realised that if they killed Cortez, then Paul or I would have to deal with him as a ghost. There was no way that I was going to do that. "Paul, do you realise what will happen if they kill him?" I whispered to Paul. Paul immediately tensed up and shot Danny a glare. She excused herself from Jack's meeting, and walked up to us.

"Yes, Paul and Suze?" Danny asked, playing with her sword in it's sheaf.

"Do you realise that if Jack kills Cortez, we kill have to deal with him as a ghost?" Paul asked. Danny's eyes widened.

"I'll see what I can do," she said as she walked away. She walked up to Jack and whispered something into Jack's ear. His eyes widened with shock, as he looked at Paul and I. He turned to the crowd, "We'llkeep him alive. You never know when he'll come in hand."

You could see the dissapointment in all the men's eyes. They obviously wanted to kill a privateer in they're life of piracy. I snuck a quick glance at Paul who's eyes, in the early evening light, looked like they were dancing. He looked extremely hot.

Paul was supposed to be hotto someone who was completely and utterly single. Free.Not like me. But sometimes...

No! I will think like that. Jesse is my one and only!

For all you know, Jesse is dead

Does Suze have a multiple personality?

Even I don't know yet.

Luv

Juli

R+R