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Chapter 3
Captain Jack Sparrow did eventually leave Amber alone although it seemed like he had been following her for ages. Despite Amber consistently telling him to go away he never seemed to take the hint and it infuriated her that he seemed to be so immune to all her threats and insults. She was also incredibly curious as to why he had, had a sudden change in heart and had decided to follow her around Tortuga. He had never paid her any particular interest before, apart from always asking her to have a drink with him, that is.She didn't like Jack's newfound interest in her. All she really wanted was for everyone to leave her alone so she could basically wallow in self pity.
She was really annoyed to find that she didn't have anytime to go down to the beach. It was now occupied by many black market merchants and pirates who were boarding their ships and getting ready to set sail across the Caribbean. Amber had completely missed her time of sitting down with a peaceful and quiet surrounding and it was all stupid Jack's fault. That was her breather of the day. It was the only thing that got her through her shift at the tavern, to know that she could escape to this place every morning.
Amber sighed in deeply, the salty sea air whipping her black hair in front of her face, as she peered out at the gathering merchants polluting the beach. Her worn eyes glanced down at Smoky who was sitting silently by her feet, his unwavering gaze also set upon the noisy merchants. She leaned down and scooped him up in her arms. He snuggled up, managing to get himself in a comfy position, as Amber playfully tickled him under the chin.
"I suppose we'll have to head off towards the tavern, Smoky," she spoke to her cat, her voice dull as though it pained her to say it. Smoky looked up at his owner, glumly, almost as though he understood what she was saying.
Perhaps it was because Amber hadn't had her time to relax today but Amber couldn't help but feel that her shift at the Tavern was much more stressful and much more hard work than it had ever been before. Twice, she had almost been squished beneath some brawling drunkards. Normally, she could just avoid these easily but today she just seemed to be in the wrong parts of the tavern at the wrong time.
Also, someone had tried to set fire to her dress. She had managed to stomp it out in time before it inflicted much damage on the material. She didn't see who the culprit was so she couldn't do anything about it which disappointed her greatly.
Amber stood behind the bar, filling two mugs with rum, cursing silently to herself, when she noticed Jack Sparrow enter the tavern. Without thinking, Amber just ducked behind the bar, accidentally spilling the mugs of rum as she did so. Ignoring the rum irritatingly dripping on the ground beside her, Amber lay close to the floor so that she was hidden by the bar in front of her. She noticed that she was getting a few odd looks from fellow barmaids but she ignored them. She wasn't entirely sure why she hid when Jack came in. She wasn't frightened of him. Just annoyed by him. She couldn't stand his company. He was far too cocky and arrogant. A typical man.
Amber had a great shock when she heard Jack's voice above her, "Now, I'm not an expert but I don't really think that's how you serve drinks…"
Amber looked up, sheepishly. Jack and Gibbs were standing in front of the bar, peering over it and looking at Amber with amused expressions.
Amber shot up, "I was…eh…looking for…uh…something,"
"I'm sure you were," Jack said, not convinced, "Don't worry, I'm not here to bother you, I'm just here for some rum. Although I am fairly worried that you would infact waste decent rum by pouring it on the floor. Are you sure your entirely cut out for this whole barmaid job?"
"I've been here many years, Jack, I know how to do my job," Amber said snappily, quickly refilling the mugs, ignoring the fact that Jack was actually just joking around with her.
Jack raised his eyebrows slightly as he accepted the mugs of rum from Amber. He passed one to Gibbs.
"I know that you often refuse to have a drink with us but if you do have a sudden change in heart, your always welcome to come over and have a drink or two. We'll be here all night, trust me," Jack said, his gold teeth glinting as he gave Amber a cocky grin.
Amber just rolled her eyes at him and pretended to be busy serving some other pirates who had come over to the bar.
Jack took the hint and sauntered off with Gibbs in the direction of the table which they normally sat on. As Gibbs sat down he gave Jack a triumphant grin.
"May I ask as to why you are grinning at me so oddly, Gibbs?" Jack asked, sitting down and placing his mug of rum on the table.
"I think you may as well just give me my money now," Gibbs said, still with the grin spread across his face, "It's obvious your going to lose this bet. She's more colder towards you now than she was before. What is that you owe me….fifteen shillings, all together," Gibbs rubbed his hands together greedily.
"That isn't so, yet," Jack said, confidently, "It's only a matter of time… she'll warm up to me…you'll see…"
The landlord had provided Amber with a bucket and sponge in her cellar and Amber would occasionally fill it with water so she could wash herself. The only problem with this was that many people came down to the cellar to collect barrels of rum to bring up to the bar (they ran through rum quite quickly) and Amber felt really uncomfortable about the fact that she didn't have any privacy to wash. She'd hate it if someone came down into the cellar whilst she was washing. It wasn't as though she could just lock the door either seeing as the door could only be locked from the outside.
Amber had always really loathed having to wash in the cellar as she had always been self- conscious about her body and she didn't want anyone to see her in only her undergarments. But she did manage to find a way of overcoming this problem. When she was a young teenager, she'd often get away from the rowdiness of Tortuga by exploring the caves and the rocky landscape surrounding it. This part of Tortuga was completely deserted mainly because the people of Tortuga were far too busy drinking and brawling to appreciate Tortuga's landscape. It was also a difficult and perhaps slightly dangerous place to explore, as the rocks were steep and sometimes brittle, and you'd soon be out of breath from climbing them. But as I have said before, Amber was a determined person, and she had been determined as a teenager to explore every inch of the rocky landscape so she could discover if there was a lot more to Tortuga than just Taverns, rum, fighting and wenches.
Throughout her exploration she had discovered a type of lagoon amongst the rocks. It had taken her almost a year to find it was that well hidden. The water in this lagoon was warm and quite clear. It was almost as if it was a giant rock pool that never seemed to dry up. It was so quiet near the lagoon. The only sound was the distant noise from central Tortuga but it sounded so faint and far away. Amber really liked it here. It was so quiet and exclusive from everything else in Tortuga. She would have liked to of gone there every morning to soak in the warm waters without any interruption whatsoever but it took her far too long to get there as it was so hidden amongst the rocky terrain. Instead, she'd only go when she could get time off her shift, which was quite often just not often enough. She felt that she needed to go to the lagoon as it was the only place she could wash where she felt comfortable and knew there wasn't any chance of anyone seeing her. Of course, if she couldn't get to the lagoon she would risk it and attempt to have a wash with the bucket and sponge but she much preferred to go to the lagoon.
Amber had managed to get some time off of her shift and she took this opportunity to go down to the lagoon. She had decided to set off early morning as she was normally up at this time anyway (she rarely slept) and she knew it would take her a long time to get there.
She got herself a towel and some other bathing supplies to take with her and set off down the empty cobbled streets, Smoky trailing along behind her, as always. Once she had reached the rocky terrain, she began to climb over the jagged rocks. It was an exhausting journey and quite a dangerous one at that, what with the crumbling bits of rock beneath her feet. She had to be careful where she stepped in case she dislodged the rock she was standing on and fell. It was so much harder to get there for her now than it was when she was a teenager.
When she eventually did see the beautiful lagoon coming into view, although she felt tired and completely out of breath, she also felt a sense of accomplishment that she had managed to get past the unstable rocks and reach a place which was so nice and peaceful.
Smoky sprinted ahead of Amber, towards the lagoon, the journey wasn't as difficult for him so he seemed to still have a lot of energy left over. Although Smoky hated water and never went too close to the lagoon, he loved to laze on the rocks surrounding it, basking in the sun's warm rays which always seemed to cast over the lagoon.
Amber approached the lagoon and stood by the edge of it catching her breath for a second. She sat down on the warm ground and kicked off the boots she was wearing so she could dip her sore feet in the water.
After a couple of minutes she got up and pulled her dress off, placing it delicately on a nearby rock. She took off her many beads and other accessories and placed them nearby before stepping into the warm, smooth waters, still wearing her chemise and drawers. She wouldn't take them off. She was very uncomfortable about stripping off and even though the lagoon was always deserted she couldn't help but worry in case someone did happen to come along whilst she was washing.
The lagoon was quite shallow it just came up to the top of Amber's collarbone. Amber paddled across it slowly and dunked her head under, soaking her tangle of curls. Just as she came to surface she noticed someone lounging on a rock nearby, watching her intently. It was Jack Sparrow, he was perched casually on a rock, looking thoroughly amused at Amber's shocked expression.
Amber quickly darted down in the water so that her chemise wasn't visible. She didn't want Jack to see her in her undergarments which were so incredibly soaked to her skin that they didn't leave much to the imagination.
"What…how…when…?" Amber couldn't even get her words out she was that angry at Jack.
"Oh no, don't stop now, I was just starting to enjoy myself," Jack teased, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"You horrid wretch!" Amber spat, her eyes blazing furiously at him, "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough," Jack said, completely ignoring the fact that Amber was absolutely furious with him and just continuing to tease her.
Amber chose to ignore this comment and just began yelling at him angrily, "You followed me here, didn't you? You ARE a stalker! You're a perverse bastard spying on me washing!"
Jack got up from the rock, staggering slightly. "Sticks and stones, luv," he said, calmly, "And besides, how was I to know you were going to practically strip off in front of me…that's just an added bonus. As far as I was concerned when I started following you, you were just going on a rather eccentric and perilous walk through this rocky terrain as it were,"
Amber ignored Jack's witty comebacks as they irritated her greatly, instead she waded over towards the edge of the lagoon, muttering dark curses under her breath. Her curses weren't muttered that quietly though because Jack heard what she was saying.
"I don't think you should waste your delightful insults on me, luv, save them for someone they'd really offend," Jack said as he casually strode over to the edge of the lagoon.
"Look away so I can get out and get my dress on!" Amber demanded, hoping that he would actually listen and do what she tells him for once.
"How about if I just close my eyes?"
"Yes, whatever, just don't look because if you do I swear…I'll…I'll," Amber struggled to think of what she could threaten Jack with.
"You'll what?" Jack asked, laughing inwardly at her attempts of insulting him.
"Well, I don't know!" Amber growled getting increasingly frustrated, "Just close your eyes…NOW!"
Jack gave Amber a cocky grin before rather obediently closing his kohl-rimmed eyes. Amber shot him a dark look, checking to make sure his eyes were firmly closed, they apparently seemed to be. Amber took a deep breath and quickly got out of the lagoon.
She grabbed her towel and quickly glanced at Jack. She was enraged to see that one eye was open.
"JACK!" she yelled, hastily wrapping her towel around her, "You're a right bastard, do you know that?"
"Yes, I had some idea," Jack said, laughing.
"I really hate you," Amber spat darkly, "Can't you just go away and leave me alone? Why are you always following me? I don't want you to, okay!"
"Why do you hate my company so much? I'm quite an easy man to get along with if you actually gave me a chance," Jack said, leaning against a nearby rock.
"I don't want to give you a chance! I don't want your company!" Amber yelled, getting more and more furious by the minute (if that was at all possible) "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Calm down, missy," Jack said, not at all perturbed by Amber yelling at him, "If you hated my company that much you should of just said. Fine, I will go..."
Jack began to walk away leaving Amber silently bubbling with anger as she began to pick up her dress and accessories.
She was actually rather surprised he had given up and left to easily. Jack didn't seen to be the type to do that.
Amber had managed to spend a whole day without seeing or bumping into Jack anywhere. She was incredibly relieved. Jack really got on her nerves. He was an arrogant and perverse man and she hated that he had been so persistent in following her and talking to her. She wondered what on earth he had been playing at. Seeing as she hadn't seen him all day, Amber wondered if Jack had finally given up and had realised that Amber absolutely despised him.
It was lucky Amber didn't get her hopes up because the following day, when she was heading back from the beach to begin her shift in the Tavern, she banged into Captain Jack Sparrow yet again (literally).
Disgruntled from almost being knocked flying by Jack, Amber glared up at him clearly agitated, wondering if this was merely an accident or if Jack had been purposely following her again.
"You really should watch where you are going, Missy," Jack said, holding onto Amber's shoulders to stop her from stumbling backwards after banging into him.
Amber shrugged him off and gave him a piercing glare.
"Don't touch me," she hissed darkly.
"Don't deny it Amber, you want me to really," Jack teased.
Amber gave him yet another dark glare and tried to shove past him but he stood in her way.
"Don't I even get a 'good morning' and a 'how are you today?'" Jack asked, smiling down at her, "You have no manners, Amber,"
"I don't particularly want to be pleasant and good mannered to people like you," Amber said through gritted teeth.
"People like me? What ever do you mean by that?" Jack Sparrow asked looking genuinely interested.
"Well…" Amber said, agitatedly, "Well…a pirate…You're arrogant and always cocky and full of yourself. And, you always seem to be drunk!"
Jack looked closely at Amber and said, "Your just scratching the surface of me, luv, you don't even know me…really,"
"I don't want to know you, okay?" Amber pushed past him rather violently, "Beneath the surface you will probably be just worse,"
Amber began walking away from him hoping that he would stop bothering her but hoping wasn't good enough, Jack continued to follow her, walking beside her as though they were in the middle of a delightful conversation rather than a heated argument. Actually, the argument seemed to be more one sided. Amber threw insults at him, Jack did not retaliate, just carried on teasing her or attempting to be friendly and that just infuriated Amber more than it actually would if he was equally as nasty back.
"Why are you always following me?" Amber asked, frowning at Jack who was staggering slightly as he sashayed beside her.
"Your rather vain to think I'm always following you, luv…" Jack teased, glancing at Amber sideways.
"Yeah but you are!" Amber snapped, "Answer me properly, Jack, if that is at all possible. Give me a straight answer to my question- Why are you following me?"
"Well…I just want to spend sometime with my favourite barmaid…" Jack said, shrugging his shoulders.
Amber gave him a look which basically meant- You are so unbelievable! That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She knew it wasn't true. How could it be when she was so cold to him?
By the way, Sorry about not updating in quite a bit. I am back at school after the half term hols and they have totally piled the homework on us. It's ridiculous!
I'm trying to update as much as I possibly can.
Please R&R and tell me what ya think…Xxx