Chapter 2
A night of dreams involving the captain and she always woke up feeling refreshed and alive, but it didn't take long for the reality of the situation to come rushing back to her, and within hours of rising she found her energy falling like a stone. Although she knew there was little she could do, she also knew if she had to wait for Jack to show up she might never be free of this torture the rest of them call life. It might be their life, and she didn't judge their choice, but it wasn't hers, and it was time she gave herself a little push towards that which was calling to her.
She had known Jack since she was a young girl aboard the Dauntless, she had met him on their crossing from England when she had seen him crawl up the back of the ship and take a junior officer hostage. She was in awe of him, a real pirate, from the moment she first laid eyes on him, and they had struck up quite a friendship during the minimal time he was onboard. He didn't stay long, but it was long enough for Elizabeth to consider him her hero, and even as a woman that high regard that she held him in as a child did not falter even an inch. They had secretly kept in touch over the years, he had sent her letters and books telling her of his adventures, and she had written him letters in return. They spoke of treasure and curses, battles and freedom. Their correspondence hadn't been in the usual manner, he had initiated it by leaving messges for her in all of her favorite, but secret, places down by the sea. She had left him messages in the same places and they always disappeared sooner or later and eventually a reply was left in their place. Elizabeth never saw who left the messages or took her own, but she once saw a pair of bootprints that walked into the sea so she assumed the deliverer came by boat.
It was one of these hiding places that she decided to head to today. She hadn't been there since before their adventure so it had been some time since she had any correspondence with Jack but she knew this was her best link to him right now. Her main secret hiding place as a child was just out of town, sitting quietly on the edge of the jungle just out of view from the fort. When she was young, this was her favorite because she could do whatever she wanted and nobody was around to keep a watchful but stern eye on her, so most of her letters from Jack were found here. As she grew older, she loved it because it was next to the sea, it gave her privacy to write her thoughts and it was close to Jack and his lifestyle.
As she approached the small pile of rocks that they had used to hide their messages in, her mouth became very dry and she started to tremble. It had been such a long time since she had been here and although she was a very different person since the adventure, she still felt the way she did when she was a young girl coming to retrieve her messages. Nervously she approached the pile and hesitated before moving any of the rocks, wondering if there was really any point. What would the chances be that there would actually be a message left for her there, those days were long gone and she doubted the pirate would continue his communication with her now that he knew she had chosen a path other than the one that lead to him. Still, she knew she had to check, it was the only hope she had and she simply wouldn't be able to sleep at night if she didn't. She didn't bother to check if anyone was watching because she knew this place was very private, so she quickly began moving the stones. Suddenly, her heart stopped, was she really seeing what she thought she was seeing? It couldn't be! But it was. A flask, very much like the one they had used in the past to put their letters in was now in plain sight. She moved away the last of the stones and picked it up, turning it over in her hands and she began to wonder how long it had been here. A couple of years had passed since she was last here, was she really to hope that this was a recent note, especially after her recent choices? She looked down the beach and tried to see if there were any tell tale signs of a recent delivery, but there were no footprints this time, only sand and sea. She drew a deep breath and decided the best course of action was to open the bottle and end her misery, regardless of the outcome she knew she had to find out what was written to her. She reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper which was carefully rolled and sealed with care. She unfurled the edges and looked at the elegant handwriting that was on the page. It was Jack's, she had seen it so many times that it was unmistakeable. She walked over to a rock which sat in the shade and began to read.