When I finally arrived on the island, I collapsed in a shivering wet heap. I crawled up the beach and stuck my sword in the ground, still in its sheath, so the belts formed a sort of lame-looking flag.

"I dub thee..." I said, thinking of my favorite TV show, Lost, "Craphole Island!" With that, I lay down on my back next to my pathetic "flag", groaning. I placed my hands over my eyes, panting heavily from my long swim.

Please, let this be a dream, I thought miserably. Just let me wake up and this will all have been one horribly long bad dream...

I removed my hands from my face. I saw the morning sun above me, heard the waves striking the beach, felt the sand beneath my body, smelled the salt of the sea. This was no dream.

I sat back up sullenly, staring off onto the horizon. Decklan's ship was now a small speck. I watched until it disappeared completely, then flopped back onto the sand again.

Snap out of it, Monica! I thought sharply after I had spent a few minutes simply watching the clouds float overhead. You need to come up with a plan!

Yeah, your last plan worked real well, a nasty voice in the back of my head sneered. Look where it got you! MAROONED!

Shut up!

You shut up!

"Both of you SHUT UP!" I roared, slamming my hands over my ears. I sat up furiously.

"Geez. Only five minutes on this stupid island, and I'm already going crazy!" I grumbled, standing up. "I gotta get my mind busy...fire! I'll build a fire! Maybe Jack will see it...if he's even looking for me..."

Brushing the sand off my back, I hesitated. What if he's not looking for me? I thought tentatively. I shook my head quickly, as if to shake the thought from my mind.

No. I won't let this get to me, I thought, determinedly strapping on my belt. I'll just keep busy until...well, until something else happens.

Once I was properly armed, I hiked up to the jungle that began a little ways up the beach. I began picking up some dead branches on the ground and dragging them back to a spot on the beach that wasn't too close to the ocean or too far from the jungle.

At one trip, at the edge of the jungle, I could have sworn I heard the snapping of a twig. I froze in the middle of lifting a heavy log, petrified. I soon shook it off, though, as I heard no more mysterious sounds. Probably just an animal, I thought, hefting the log into my arms. Hopefully not predatory...

Next I dug a small hole in the sand to start my fire in. Now, there was a problem--how the hell would I start a fire? I didn't see any rocks I could strike together, and even if I had I doubted I would find the right kind. I could try rubbing two sticks together, but how much time would that take?

I eventually decided on the latter option. It's not like I'm short on time, I thought grimly, selecting two slender twigs. Here, it's all I've got.

I started rubbing the sticks together furiously, venting all my pain and frustration out on them, hoping to see a symbolic flame erupt as a sign of my anger. Of course, I wasn't that lucky. The twigs barely got warm, and my hands quickly got tired of sliding them back and forth across each other.

I toiled until the sun was high in the sky. Pausing to wipe the sweat off my forehead, I realized how hungry I was.

I decided to look in the jungle for some fruit. I made my way back up to it, leaving the two twigs in the hole, along with my spirit.

When I reached the edge of the jungle, I looked on the ground for some fallen fruit. Luckily, I found a fallen melon of some sort. I seized it hungrily and stabbed it with my small knife.

A small amount of reddish juice flowed out of the opening. Sheathing my knife hurriedly, I tipped the hole to my mouth, sucking out the juice. It was very sweet, but I kept drinking. When no more juice would come out, I cut the fruit open with my knife.

It was quite juicy inside, seedless, and a darker red than the juice. I picked out a piece with my hand, the juice dribbling down my fingers and staining my sleeve as I ate.

I shoved my face into the fruit, gobbling it up. Why not? I thought as I devoured it. There's no one else around!

When I had finished the fruit, I sighed contentedly. It had been just enough to fill me up. I kept the outside of it, figuring I could use it as a bowl or something--or a hat, if the mood struck me.

Grinning at the thought of wearing a melon hat, I took the "bowl" down to the beach to wash it out with the water. I also rinsed my face, as I had eaten very messily and the sticky juice had smeared all over my mouth.

When I was done, I went back to my fire pit, determined to make fire this time.

I couldn't.

After hours of accidentally smacking my fingers together as the twigs shrunk in size, I gave up. I sat next to the pit, disheartened. I supposed a little food would lift my spirits, so I trekked back up to the jungle.

When I was done feasting on one of the red-juiced melons, I turned back to rinse the rind and my face. When I was finished with that, I continued trying to make fire.

Finally, just as night was beginning to fall, it happened. There was a spark of light between the two sticks.

I paused wearily, thinking that the heat had finally gotten to me and that I was hallucinating. I continued rubbing, not about to give up.

There was another spark.

Now I was starting to get excited. I dropped some thin twigs into the pit under where I was rubbing the two sticks. This time, there were a few more sparks, and they fell onto the pile of twigs.

The twigs caught fire!

Elated, and afraid I would screw something up and have to start all over again, I blew gently on the small flame. Sure enough, it grew.

I fed the fire some more sticks, not stopping until I had a healthy-sized blaze, at which point I jumped up and punched the air.

"YES!" I screamed, jumping around like an idiot. "YES, I DID IT--I MADE FIRE!

Now, you have to undrestand that I had been working on this all day long, with no water and only a little food, with the hot Caribbean sun beating down on me all the time. So I went a little crazy.

I danced around my small fire as night fell, yelling at the top of my lungs.

After a while, I was feeling pretty cocky. I started singing a song I had heard in Billy Madison.

"The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me!" I sang, still dancing around my fire like a lunatic. "The renegade who had it made, retrieved for a bounty! Never more to go astray...this'll be the end today! I'm a wanted man..."

Hey, I could do that. I thought I was completely alone. Then, I started changing up the lyrics a bit.

"Oh, Jacky, I've been days on the lam, and had a high price on my ass! Decklan said 'get her, keep her alive, we'll use her for her dad's compass!'"

And so I went on for about five minutes or so, before I got exhausted.

I collapsed again, but with a wild grin on my face this time. I knelt next to my fire and fed it some larger sticks, watching the flames grow longer. I calmed down as I stared into the fire, mesmerized, and my mind elsewhere, thinking about all that had happened to me over the past twenty-one days.

I was jolted out of my reverie by a drop of water on my shoulder.

Blinking rapidly, I looked up. The night sky was covered with dark, ominous-looking clouds.

More raindrops fell onto my face. Stunned, I stood up, unsure of what to do. How could I have forgotten to build a shelter!

I ran for the jungle as a low rumble of thunder filled my ears. I realized that this would do me no good, as I couldn't see any good branches on the ground to build a shelter with in the night. Desperate, I dropped to my knees and started searching the ground with my hands.

It started pouring.

I yelped at the sound and feel of a thousand fat raindrops hit me.

End-of-the-world type weather! I thought, once again reminded of Lost. Then I thought about how foolish it was for me to be thinking about TV when I was stranded on an island with no shelter.

I decided to enter the jungle. The tallest trees were way further up the beach, so I doubted any lightning would strike near me. Well, I hoped.

As I pushed through the thick bushes and branches, I almost thought it had stopped raining--but as I looked up, I realized that the branches overhead were so thick that they acted almost as an umbrella.

I paused, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the rainy night. After a few long moments, I stepped hesitantly forward, arms stretched in front of me.

I heard a rustling just to my right. My head whipped around, but I couldn't see through the bushes. I shrugged it off, figuring a dead branch had fallen or something.

Eventually, I decided to climb a tree. There were a couple of them with low branches, so getting up wouldn't be too big of a problem. Plus, if there was a flood from this freak storm, I'd be safe--and if there wasn't a flood, I'd be safe from animals.

I grabbed a branch of the nearest tree, stepping on the trunk and heaving myself up with difficulty. I climbed almost to the top, settling on a strong, wide branch. Leaning my back against the trunk, I placed my hands behind my head and let one leg dangle from the branch, in a pure pose of comfort in a tree.

Of course, that comfort didn't last long. Even though the rain wasn't falling any harder (I doubted it could), the canopy above me was starting to weaken. Instead of a few small drops, I started feeling a few large drops...then more...and more...and more.

Sighing, I adjusted my belt so it wasn't cutting into my back so much. This is as good as it's gonna get, I thought grimly, shifting again. Another sleepless night, it seems...

I did fall asleep eventually, but I kept waking up due to the rainfall, which didn't let up for hours. When it did, I thought I would be able to fall asleep...but then a horrible din started...the chirping of a thousand crickets.

Every time I thought they were done, another one piped up, and the whole lot of them joined in. Too exhausted to complain, I let them carry me off to sleep...

I woke up with the bright sun shining through the canopy, splashing me with a dappled light. For a minute, I stay still, feeling content just watching the light and shadows dance around together on my body...but then when I shifted, I saw the ground far below me.

I jumped violently. I had forgotten I had spent the night in a tree. Though I don't know how, as the minute I "woke up" from watching the patterns on me, my aches and pains came shooting back.

I gasped as I leaned forward, feeling my muscles tighten uncomfortably. How I longed for the seconds of bliss, after I awoke but just before I really became awake!

Groaning pathetically, I lowered myself from the tree. As I started walking, I started whimpering. Geez, how my leg hurt! I continued walking towards the edge of the jungle, limping.

When I got to the edge, I stopped for a breakfast of Mystery Melon. Today I was a bit less messy though--I had learned how to eat it without smearing the juice around too much.

When I finished, I left the rind on the ground, thinking I had no use for it, as I had two already. Wiping my palms on my pants, I walked out of the jungle.

I thought I was hallucinating again.

My fire was blazing merrily, as if it hadn't undergone hours of heavy rain and then the rest of the night with wet sticks and no one to feed it.

My jaw dropped. I walked slowly towards it, hardly daring to believe my eyes.

Stopping above it, I saw three small fish, all scaled, gutted, and lying neatly on a row on what looked like a little grill made out of strong-looking sticks.

I stared at them, in utter shock. Someone had restarted my fire, fished for me, cleaned them, and laid them out as if waiting for me to cook them!

I glanced around the beach, as if my helper was standing around waiting for me to thank them. When I saw no one, I looked in the sand for tracks, but there were none.

I slowly made my way to the ocean to rinse the sticky red juice from my hands and face. As I washed myself, I kept seeing the fish in my mind.

I walked back to my fire pit, in shock. The fish were still there, but the fire had started to die. I numbly fed it, realizing there were even more sticks than before. My helper had gotten me more firewood as well!

"Thank you," I murmured, kneeling next to the fish. "Thank you, whoever you are..."

I set the makeshift grill over the fire. It was just large enough to fit over the fire without getting burnt. The wood it was made out of was hardy, so it didn't burn through.

Later, when I was eating the fully-cooked fish, I noticed a smoky taste to them. The wood, I thought, savoring the meat. The little grill must have added flavor.

When I had eaten my fill from the three fish, I decided to explore the jungle a bit so I could find something to build a shelter with. I trekked up the beach to the jungle and made my way in.

I hadn't noticed it the night before, but it seemed like the jungle cut off the sounds of the waves on the beach, reminding me of the Triwizard maze in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I pushed the bushes aside, scanning the ground for fallen branches I could use.

Suddenly, I felt eyes on me.

I looked up slowly and saw...nothing.

I turned around cautiously, sure there was someone there. Was it whoever had helped me before, or was it...someone else?

Not taking any chances, I drew my sword. As I did, I definitely heard someone in front of me.

I jumped a little, scaring myself half to death with thoughts of what could be in there. But I still saw nothing.

Wait...

I saw something moving with a rhythm, like a heartbeat...or someone breathing...

I raised my sword and pointed it at the person who was standing there.

All of a sudden, someone emerged from the leaves of a high bush. I stood there, rooted to the spot in fear and curiosity, as two more of them appeared next to him.

They weren't wearing much, probably due to the heat of the island. Their faces and chests were colored with bright paints. The one on the left had a long bone pierced through his nose, and the one on the right had a string of small bones dangling from ear. But the most disturbing of all was the man directly in front of me, who was wearing a necklace made of teeth--human teeth.

Cannibals! I thought, terrified. I've been marooned on a cannibal island!

I turned back at the man with the gruesome necklace in time to see him lift what looked like a long, thin, straight wooden pipe to his lips. Without warning, he blew violently.

The dart moved so fast towards me I barely saw it coming. I thought I would be dead, but...

The dart hit and bounced off the metal buckle of the belt on my chest, dropping to my feet.

The men stared at me, at the dart on the ground, and then at me again. I took advantage of their confusion and tried to get away.

As they looked back at me, shocked, my eyes widened in horror. I was staring at a point some ways behind and above them, and I slowly raised my finger to point at whatever was terrifying me so, my mouth opening in a silent scream.

Alarmed, the three cannibals turned around...and saw nothing there.

When they turned back around, I wasn't there, either.

I had taken off for the beach, leaping over bushes and fallen branches. I wasn't sure what I was trying to accomplish by this--surely they would come after me--but I just knew I had to get away from them. Fast.

As I reached the beach, I tripped on a large log lying in my way. I fell on my face and rolled over quickly, only to see the man with the dart blower bearing down upon me.

Unable to move since my foot was hooked under the huge leg, I simply raised my hand in front of my face in defense.

I felt a needle-like pain in my arm. I looked at it, then at the men, then collapsed.

I'm getting really tired of waking up and not knowing where I am, I thought as I did. I was lying down on my side on a surface that was digging into my body. I sat up, feeling a little dizzy, and remembered the dart. I raised my arm to look for it, but found only a pinprick of red where it had been.

Then I realized what I was sitting in.

I froze as I noticed that I was sitting in a cage made out of bones.

Horrified, I stared at the bars of my cage. I had been through enough school to know what human bones looked like, but I never thought I'd have to see them up close--much less be sitting in a cage constructed out of them.

I took a deep breath, still refusing to move. I don't even know who I'm moving on, I thought with a tiny whimper. Still staring at the walls of my cage, I noticed that they were tied together with what looked like dried, decaying skin.

That did it for me. I screamed and flung my hands over my face, kicking my legs wildly to move myself as far away from the walls as possible. Then, I felt something attack my back.

Screaming some more, I flung myself to the other side of the cage--and realized it had just been the top of the cage that had fallen, striking my back. I blinked and looked around. All my spazzing out had made the cage collapse.

I jumped up, shuddering, and stepped out, still grossed out. As I moved, though, there was something attached to my leg.

I looked down quickly and saw some of the skin hooked around my ankle, dragging what looked like a tibula.

I screeched and kicked my leg, but it just wouldn't come off. Finally, I took a deep breath to calm myself, bent down, and removed the remnant of my cage.

Upon feeling it, I realized that what I had taken to be skin wasn't human at all--it was just a worn-out rope.

"Oh," I said sheepishly, dropping the rope and the bone tied to it. "Heh. Guess I overreacted a bit..."

Now a lot calmer, I looked around. It seemed to be about noon. My cage had been sitting on a hill, kind of like a peninsula, you could say--it jutted out like a cliff, with a sharp drop on each side. I looked over the edge of the cliff and saw a few rope bridges below me, as well as some on the same level I was on, on different cliffs. Although they weren't that far below me, I didn't trust their strength to hold me if I leapt down on them.

There was all sorts of different fruit lying around, some in piles as if this was some sort of storage area. I saw a hut of sorts on the edge of the cliff, which was lined with stones, forming a makeshift terrace. I wondered if I should enter the hut or not, fearing what I would find.

If there was anyone in there, they would have heard me screaming and come out by now, I thought. And maybe there'll be something in there I can use to get out of here... Thinking this, I realized my belt was gone again. Sighing, I trudged up to the hut.

I ducked under the low roof and gasped in horror. There were all sorts of horrible metal tools hanging from the low ceiling, and they all were stained with blood.

Swallowing hard, I crept into the shack. Inside, I found lots of random items that looked like they had belonged to travelers of some sort--compasses, maps, long, heavy ropes--

Ropes! Maybe that could help, I thought, picking my way through the hanging metal tools. Maybe I'll be able to scale down the cliff or something...

I picked up a long coil of rope, and, judging nothing else helpful, left the hut.

"Now what?" I muttered, walking to the edge of the cliff, nearly tripping on all the rocks there.

Aww, there's no way, I thought miserably, glancing down the side of the cliff. I could barely see the bottom of the ravine it formed with another cliff close nearby.

Frustrated, I looked around, wondering what to do. Then, I noticed a long rope bridge connecting a nearby cliff with another.

If only I had seen where I came from... I thought, peering at the bridge. But there's only one way on and off this cliff, so I might as well take it!

I decided to leave the rope behind, as it was incredibly heavy. I doubted I would find a use for it, anyway.

I started my way down the gentle slope of the cliff, following a path cut into the grassy ground. I walked until I met two cannibals walking my direction with large spears and various decorations of paint and human bones.

Without thinking, I turned and bolted. These guys terrified me; I wasn't about to try to run in their direction to get past them.

I sprinted up the hill, glancing back to see if they were following me. Sure enough, they were running behind me, surprisingly agile in their bare feet and with their heavy spears.

As I reached the top of the cliff, I darted into the hut to try to find something to defend myself with. I seized the closest bloodstained metal tool hanging from the ceiling, a brutal-looking pickaxe type of thing, and pulled.

It wouldn't budge.

Rather than wasting my time with it, I raced back outside and scanned the ground. Luckily, when I had run away, the two cannibals had been caught off guard, so I had some time. I picked up a small stone from the ground and whirled around.

There they were! Without hesitating, I hurled a rock at them.

It smacked the fat one's head, knocking him unconscious on impact.

The other cannibal and I were stunned--he because I had just knocked out his friend, and I because I had been aiming for the other guy.

I picked up another stone and raised my arm threateningly, though I doubted I could make such a good shot again. I threw it at him anyway, though.

It sailed past his ear and he dodged it easily. He advanced, looking furious, and I bent to find another rock. I couldn't. The ones close to me were all too big; I wouldn't be able to throw them very well, let alone lift them. So I turned to the only thing I could throw: a small green melon.

The cannibal stopped and stared at me, cocking his head as if to ask, "Are you serious?" When I didn't move, he started towards me again.

I threw it at his face, where it broke apart, blinding him with the juice and fruit.

He fell to his knees, howling. I didn't think; I just reacted. I ran up to him, stepping on his hunched-over shoulder, and leapt as far as I could.

He never knew what hit him. As I ran, I twisted my head around to see him whirl around, wondering where I had gone. I laughed to myself, running down the path, and then slammed into something huge and solid.

I was knocked to the ground with the blow. I fell on my butt, flinging my arms out behind me. I shook my head a little to get rid of the stars flying around in my eyes. When they were clear, I saw a pair of huge feet.

I looked up slowly, eyes wide. I saw the huge cannibal grinning stupidly, with several other smaller cannibals smiling triumphantly behind him. Before I could move, the big one seized me and hoisted me up.

I kicked and screamed as hard as I could, but to no avail. This guy's grip on me was so strong, I felt like he was crushing my bones right then and there. He was actually holding me up, my legs flailing some 12 inches off the ground. That's when I got the idea.

I brought my knee up forcefully into his crotch.

He dropped me almost immediately. I quickly rolled away, seeing him teetering dangerously. I heard him fall to the ground with a crash, but I never saw him because I had sprinted away.

Boy, was that a dumb idea.

At first, the other cannibals seemed shocked that I had defeated the huge man, but then they were just angry. As I tried to sprint by them and dive into the nearby jungle, a whole group of them swarmed around me.

I didn't stop running until the cannibals had a firm grip on me. When they did, I fought furiously.

"Lemme go, you (enter string of expletives here)!" I roared as they started tying my hands together. I had had it. I had had it with being chased, had it with being captured, had it with fighting for my life--but I wasn't about to give up so easily.

I struggled the whole time they marched me around, trying to attack any one of them that came into my range. Although they had tied my hands behind my back and made a sort of leash of a heavy rope tied around my waist and several them holding onto the other end, I fought hard. I tried to break away from them, but every time I ran, more of them latched onto the leash. I called them horrible, filthy names, but I wasn't entirely sure they understood me.

Finally, after walking across some rope bridges and some paths in the grass, we came to a wide open clearing with a huge bonfire blazing in the middle of it. I was still screaming at my captors.

"...yeah, that's right, I was talking to you! Let me go, you filthy, fat, stinking, bast--"

I froze as the cannibals marched me up to a throne fashioned out of bones. It wasn't the throne that shocked me, but who was sitting in it.

"Jack!" I exclaimed, a bit hoarse from shouting at the cannibals.

Jack made no move to indicate that he knew me. I was so surprised that I didn't even notice that the cannibals had erected a thick wooden pole and were attempting to tie me to it.

I immediately started to struggle, wriggling as the cannibals untied the ropes that bound me currently and tied them again around the pole. I looked at Jack pleadingly, my eyes full of confusion.

"Help me, Jack!" I pleaded, stopping my struggle to stare at him. I took in his appearance: the paint on his face--it made him look as if he had many pairs of bright blue eyes. They were even painted on his eyelids, so when he blinked, there was a flicker of blue and white that was quickly replaced by his own chocolaty brown ones. He was wearing a giant hat, decorated with feathers and--I shuddered--of course, human bones.

The cannibals took advantage of my shock to tie me firmly to the pole. All thoughts of struggling vanished from my mind as I realized that Jack must be their leader.

Suddenly a quote popped into my head: "...and then they made me their chief."

My knees were trembling so bad, I thought I was going to faint. I watched Jack, waiting to see what he would do next. He wasn't going to eat me...was he?

I kept my eyes fixed on him as he rose from his throne. He was holding what looked like a short staff ridiculously decorated with red and black feathers. As he stepped down from the small dais, he frowned at me, as if contemplating what to do with me.

"Uh...Jack, it's me, Monica," I said nervously, twisting in my bonds. "Are you...well, are you gonna help me out here or not?" I asked with a little laugh.

He had been looking me over, touching me in random places--my shoulder here, my side there, even poking me experimentally in the stomach a few times. Now he leaned in very close, finally looking me in the eye. He glanced around, making sure no one could hear, and whispered, "Just hang on, love...I'll have you out in a jiffy."

With a small smile, he stepped back a few paces, raising his staff in the air. He began to speak, but in no language I could understand.

When he was done, the cannibals started closing in on me. I was alarmed, but Jack smiled comfortingly, so I relaxed. Except when they started lifting my pole out of the ground, with me still tied to it.

"Hey, what're you--Jack! Jack, what are they doing?" I screamed, panicked. They lifted my pole onto their shoulders, and some of them darted to tie my legs to the pole. When that was done, they started carrying me to the giant fire--they were going to roast me!

"JAAACK!" I screeched, trying to lift myself away from the flames. I couldn't do much, though, as my hands were tied around the other side of the pole and my legs were tied to it at the ankles.

"No, no! No! Stop!" yelled Jack, looking just as panicked as I was. He leapt forward, saying something in the language again.

The cannibals stopped and looked at him. I looked at him too, then back at the flames that were roaring next to me, and I tried feebly to blow them out.

Finally, the cannibals brought me away from the fire and set me upright in my original position in front of Jack's throne. I sighed, relieved, as they started untying my feet.

"What did you tell them?" I asked Jack furiously as they made to untie the rest of my bonds. "What, are they gonna try to throw me over a cliff next?"

"I swear, I didn't mean to," Jack said apologetically. "I thought I knew what I was saying..." When I was finally free, Jack took my hand and led me up the dais to his throne. He waved his arms in the air once again, this time flinging mine up, too. He said something in his language that made the cannibals cheer.

"What now? Did you tell them you'd kill me yourself?" I scoffed, yanking my hand away from his and crossing my arms.

"No, I told them you were my mate," said Jack calmly, turning back to the crowd.

My jaw dropped open. "What?" I said stupidly, dumbstruck.

"Just pretend you like me," Jack hissed from over his shoulder.

Rolling my eyes, I stepped uncertainly to his side. He clapped and arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. I cringed, but smiled falsely.

The cannibals finally stopped cheering and started doing some sort of tribal dance around the fire. Jack smiled, turned and sat back down in his throne, tapping his finger along with the beat of the drums. I followed, wondering what to do.

Another throne was produced out of nowhere. I gave the cannibals a fake smile and sat down gingerly, trying to ignore the feeling of sitting on a chair of bones. I wondered who the hell I was sitting on, anyway.

Suddenly a few cannibal women were upon me. Alarmed, I jumped back, but Jack laid a hand on my arm reassuringly, looking like he was enjoying all of this. As he turned back to the dance, I let the women do their work.

They started painting my face with red and white colors, and I realized that they must be painting the eyes on my face, too. They hung necklaces around my neck and placed a small crown on my head. I looked down at the necklace, surprised, but snapped my head back up almost immediately. The charms on this necklace were human toes.

I glanced at Jack to see if he found all this as disturbing as I did. His eyes were still on the dance, and I saw him raise a toe of his own to his mouth. He took a bite of a toenail, but spit it out. He noticed me looking at him and stopped smiling.

"What?" he asked, mollified.

"You just ate a toenail," I said, awed.

"And?"

"What do you mean, 'And'? You just ate a freakin' toenail!"

He laid a hand on my arm again. "I don't think they'd like seeing their chief and chieftainess fighting," he said, smiling, as if explaining something simple to a small child.

I rolled my eyes. "Why didn't you just tell them I was your daughter?" I asked mulishly.

He gave me an amused look. "Right, Monica. Like they'd ever believe that."

I stared at him in disbelief as he turned back to the little party.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"My compass."

"Haha. Very funny. Now tell me."

It was Jack's turn to stare at me. "You don't believe me?" he asked, surprised.

"Nope," I said calmly. "I seriously doubt that I'm want you most want in this world."

He chuckled. "Not necessarily..." he said vaguely.

I frowned, thinking. "Then...it's not me you want...was it something I have?"

"You could say that." He turned and smiled at me. I blinked.

"I'm not following you," I said bluntly.

Jack sighed and started fiddling with one of the toes on his necklace. "I wanted you for...information," he said slowly.

"Information?" I repeated when he didn't continue. "You mean...about the future?"

Jack turned to me and nodded solemnly. I smiled.

"And the compass works for that sort of thing?" I asked smirking. "Seems like a fluke to me."

"Nope, you'll find there are many...loopholes to the rules of my compass," said Jack, smiling a little too as he picked at the toenail.

"Ah." I turned my eyes to the party, not really seeing it, more questions forming in my mind. But before I could ask, he asked me a question of his own.

"Where were you before I found you? I know you couldn't have survived long on this island without my interference," he said curiously.

"Thanks," I grumbled. "I was kidnapped by the crew of Captain Decklan. You know the innkeeper? Well, he--"

Jack nodded. "I know. He left a note at his desk explaining what he had done and what they wanted in return." He sighed, lost in the memory.

I grinned. "Aww, did you miss me?" I teased.

"No!" he said quickly.

"Yes you did!" I gasped, my eyes widening in delight. "You missed me, Jack Sparrow, and you couldn't wait to get me back!"

"Captain Jack Sparrow," he muttered. But he never denied that he missed me. He sunk low in his seat, clearly embarrassed--he was fumbling with the toe so much the nail was threatening to come off. "I may have...enjoyed your company a little bit," he mumbled, his face turning red.

A wild grin spread across my face and I started giggling. Jack shot me a pained look. "Come on, don't make it any harder than it already is!" he pleaded.

"Oh, all right," I said. "I can't resist Bambi eyes."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," I said quickly. "So, when you noticed I was missing..." I prompted, turning to face him better in my chair, as if he were telling an intriguing story.

"We set off immediately, and I thought to my compass that what I wanted most in the world was you, because I needed to find the key. I knew that you were the key to the key."

I nodded in understanding. "How come it took so long for you to find me?" I asked. "I thought the Pearl would be able to catch up with Decklan's ship."

Jack smirked and held up a hand. "Ah-ah. First you tell me what happened on his ship and what you did here."

"Fine." I told him about being obnoxious to the crew on Decklan's ship, hoping they would let me go. He laughed at this, shaking his head.

"You certainly are the most unusual pirate I've ever met," he said, looking at me with wonder.

"Pirate?" I scoffed. "Please. I'm just a girl from the future...who's had a lot of help. And luck," I added as an afterthought.

"Of course you're a pirate," said Jack, looking surprised that I had denied it. "You sailed with a pirate crew for--what was it--three days, got in a couple of bar fights, kept knocking people out all over the place, manipulated other pirates into liking you, and broke out of jail by making a fool of a ship's captain," Jack listed, ticking the things I had done off on his fingers. "Yeah, I'd say that about makes you a pirate."

I considered this. "Cool," I said, pleased.

He grinned, shaking his head. "I've never met anyone quite like you before, Monica."

"Well, I've never met anyone like you, so I guess we're even," I remarked, shrugging.

Jack grinned at me. "So. Continue. How'd you end up here?"

I explained how Decklan had made me walk the plank and left me to die on the island. "I guess he didn't know there would be a cannibal chief here to save me," I said triumphantly.

Jack frowned, thinking. "No, I think Decklan knew exactly where he was leaving you...maybe that's why he was sailing away..."

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you," I said quickly. "Why didn't Decklan just wait for you to catch up to him so he could make the trade?"

Jack smiled grimly. "Captain Decklan is a very ruthless man," he said, staring off into space over my shoulder. "He probably was going to use you for something else." He came out of his reverie, looking back at me. "But he was probably just being a stupid prat who didn't realize I had to catch up with him first," he said quickly.

"Right. Somehow, I doubt that." Jack looked away, so I leaned closer to him. "What was he going to use me for, Jack?" I asked softly.

Jack sighed. It seemed he didn't want to tell me. Finally, he opened up. "Decklan also owes a debt to Davy Jones. I figure he was going to give you, my daughter, to Jones to settle his own debt."

"That's dumb," I said immediately. "Why would Davy Jones want me instead of Decklan?"

Jack chuckled a little. "Decklan was desperate," he said. "Wouldn't you do anything to save your own soul?"

"No, not that," I said impatiently. "Me."

Jack smirked. "Typical woman. Always wants to talk about herself!"

I punched his arm. "Cut it out! Why would my soul be worth as much as Decklan's?"

"I don't know how Decklan's mind works," said Jack peevishly, rubbing his arm. "I guess he heard what a good pirate you are and figured you would be a good substitute."

I eyed him as he turned his eyes on the party. I could tell he wasn't really watching it, just looking at it, deep in thought as I had.

"You're hiding something from me," I said slowly.

Jack looked at me in amazement. "...no, I'm not," he said quickly.

I raised my arm, threatening to punch him again.

He smirked. "You think I'm scared of a girl punching me?" he said condescendingly.

I slammed him in the same place on the arm, harder this time.

"Ow!" Jack exclaimed, keeling forward. "Alright, alright, I'll talk...what were we talking about again?"

"Why Decklan thinks he'll be able to cash in my soul to keep his own," I said promptly.

"Right." Jack turned toward me, leaning closer. "How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

I shook myself slightly, remembering that he had said the same thing in the Dead Man's Chest trailer. Hadn't his face been painted, too...? But I pushed the thought out of my mind as I answered his question.

"Not much...just about his locker, where it's said dead men go, and I know he's the captain of the Flying Dutchman...also that he has the key to the chest that you want...and, of course, that you owe him your soul," I said thoughtfully.

Jack was silent for a moment. "Yeah, all that won't help you much here," he said.

He looked around suspiciously, but I think he was just trying to build the suspense. I arched an eyebrow as he cleared his throat loudly. Only when I faked a giant yawn did he start talking.

"What vexes all men?" he asked abruptly.

Taken aback, I pondered this. "Uh...missing rum?" I guessed.

Jack thought about this. "Well, that's almost true, but not the answer I was looking for. The correct answer is women."

"Ah," I said, letting a smile slip onto my face. "Of course."

Jack allowed himself a little smile before continuing. "A long story short, Jones was in love with a woman. She broke his heart, and he was sad. So he cut out his heart and locked up in his chest, this "Dead Man's Chest" you keep going on about."

"He cut out his own heart?" I asked in disbelief. "That's pretty hardcore. I mean, why cut out your heart when you can become a eunuch?"

I had been joking, but Jack nodded as if I had said something incredibly wise. I humored him, nodding in time with his head bobbing, before I pressed him for questions.

"So what does Davy Jones's heart have to do with me?" I asked curiously.

"Jones has a bit of a...soft spot when it comes to people in love," said Jack, this time getting to the point without delay. "My guess is that Decklan thinks your soul will be worth more than his because you would be taking the place of your father...who would miss his beloved daughter very much." He paused and fiddled with the toe thoughtfully. "Jones would be thrilled to split two loved ones apart," he said.

I was silent for a moment, turning all this over in my mind. I thought about how sad Davy Jones's story was, and wondered who he had fallen in love with. My thoughts eventually returned to Decklan.

"Do you think Decklan will come back for me?" I asked Jack.

"I doubt it," he said confidently. "He tried to kill you by stranding you on a deserted island populated by cannibals, remember?"

"Oh, right," I said, grinning. "You know, you were right: being thought of as crazy did work to my advantage."

Jack nodded sagely. "You'll find I'm full of seemingly useless knowledge that will strike you later as pure genius."

"Uh-huh," I said, smirking. "I'll keep that in mind, Dad."

Smiling, Jack and I turned to the dance.

It must nearly over by now, I thought, suppressing a yawn. It seems like they've been going at it for hours... I glanced at the sky, looking for the sun. It was still pretty high in the sky, though, so not that much time had passed.

I guess I'm just tired, I thought. I have had a tiring...twenty-one days...

I watched a man painted like a skeleton dance around alone, thinking about all that had just happened. When the music finally stopped, I glanced at Jack to see what was going to happen next.

Jack stood up, gesturing behind him for me to do the same. I stood up quickly, following his lead.

He started talking in his language again, and I watched the cannibals closely for a reaction. When Jack was finished, he stepped back and grabbed my hand as an afterthought.

His hand seemed kind of sweaty, so I glanced up at him nervously. I couldn't read an expression on his face...maybe it was because of the extra eyes on his cheeks.

"Uh...you do know what you're doing, don't you?" I muttered, watching the cannibals apprehensively.

"Of course!" said Jack in an overly cheery voice. "I just told them to build a bigger fire...I think..."

"Great! Well, it seems like they're working on something. Why don't we just stick around and see what happens?"

"How about not?" I heard Jack say. He started yelling in the strange language again, and I hoped he wasn't saying something like, "I've changed my mind, let's kill the girl instead!"

To my relief, all of the cannibals in the square started picking up logs and throwing them on the fire. I grinned up at Jack, ready to tell him 'Good job!', but he was gone.

I looked around. "Jack?" I said tentatively. Then someone was tugging on my hand.

Startled, I looked around to see Jack pulling my hand urgently. I followed, staring at him as if he were crazy.

"What are you doing?" I asked blankly as he pulled me behind a bush.

"Trying to avoid being eaten!" He took off the ridiculous hat and started pulling me along the path, glancing over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure there was no one following us.

"What, they'd eat their own leaders?" I asked dubiously, wrenching my hand away from his to take off my own hat. "I doubt they're that crazy."

"You'd be surprised," Jack muttered, starting to run.

I followed closely behind him, now starting to get scared. "So how do we get out of here?" I panted, jumping over a fallen branch.

Jack looked around at me, seeming alarmed. "Actually, I was hoping you could tell me," he said.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "You're the chief of this bloody place!" I shouted, striding up to him. "You don't even know the way around?"

"Well, you were the one who spent all day here!" he snapped, turning to face me. "Didn't you look around when they brought you here?"

"Uh, no, I was a bit distracted--I thought I was gonna get eaten!" I shouted.

"Well, if you don't want to get eaten now, we'd better work together and get off this rock," Jack said grimly. "They would have noticed we're gone by now--let's get moving."

We ran for a while down unfamiliar paths. Finally, we came to a place I recognized.

"Wait!" I said, grabbing Jack's arm to stop him. "I've been here before--up that path is where I woke up. It's a dead end up there," I said, panting.

"We can't risk going back now. They might be close behind," Jack said. "Come on."

"What? It's a waste of time, I'm telling you!" I exclaimed. But he had already started up the slope.

I threw my hands up in the air and followed him, grumbling.

"If I get eaten, it's all your fault!" I muttered, starting to run.

I was watching the ground, concentrating on staying on my feet, when I looked up too late. I smacked right into Jack, who was standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down into the ravine.

We both were flung forward, but he pushed me back at the last minute, sending both of us rolling down the little stone terrace.

"Ugh..." I sat up, rubbing my head.

"Oh, bugger," I heard Jack say.

"What, are you hurt?" I asked. I was facing the cliff, and he had rolled further than I had, so I couldn't see him.

"...you could say that."

I glanced around wearily and saw what he was talking about. The whole tribe of cannibals was standing there waiting for us.

I stood up quickly, terror flooding over me. In front of me, Jack stood up slowly and backed up.

"Got any plans to get us out of here?" I muttered.

"Well, I did see a rope ladder below us on another cliff--" Jack began.

"No!" I hissed. "We wouldn't survive that fall! Now go tell 'em not to eat us!" I said, shoving him forward.

"Uh..." he glanced back at me, his eyes as big as dinner plates. I shrugged at him, my eyes just as wide.

He started talking in the language again. I closed my eyes, knowing that I was about to die. I thought about all the things I had missed in life, like true love, drinking, doing drugs, and shooting a gun.

As I continued to feel sorry for myself, Jack continued jabbering on in the strange language.

"Lom snicky snicky loophole say..." I heard him say.

My eyes snapped open to see Jack glancing back towards me. I had recognized the word, but what did he mean by it?

I would soon find out. Too soon for my liking, actually.

I blinked and the next thing I knew, Jack ran into me, barreling me over the side of the cliff.

I was too surprised to do anything, which was all very well, since we hit the bridge surprisingly quickly.

"Ugh!" I said again as Jack landed heavily on top of me. He didn't even stop to make a crude comment--he just got up and started running, flailing his arms wildly.

"Whoa--wait for me!" I cried, getting up quickly and following suit (but without the arm flailing).

He stopped when he reached land, waiting for me to catch up with him. We looked behind to see the cannibals producing bows from out of nowhere, all yelling and cheering in a most disturbing manner.

"Oh, bugger," I said.

We kept running. Luckily, the path on this side of the ravine was pretty straightforward, and eventually we made it to the beach. I slowed down as we arrived, exhausted from the run. I looked out on the horizon to see the Black Pearl sitting not too far off in the distance.

Jack didn't stop running until he reached a longboat on the edge of the beach. "Come on!" he shouted, pushing it into the water and shoving it off.

"What, no sea turtles?" I panted, starting to run again.

I sprinted to the boat, running through the small waves and leaping into it. I turned around to see the cannibals pouring down the path, only to stop at the edge of the beach, giving anguished cries.

Jack stood up in the boat, nearly knocking it over. "My children!" he called, stepping up on the bench. "You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"And Monica Connors!" I yelled suddenly, standing up too. Jack and I cheered, exhilarated that we had just escaped a tribe of our own cannibalistic people.

Laughing happily, I jumped up and down in the boat.

"Whoo-hoo!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. I jumped around some more before tripping on an oar. I fell down in the stern, surprised but still chuckling.

Jack, now laughing too, picked up the oars and started rowing to the Pearl.