Chapter 2 - Missing Pages

"Victoria please go find me some socks for your sister, you guys have to get ready to go to school." Heather said trying to find her first graders homework from last night. Moving papers around the table one of the old journal entries from the book fell to the floor. Picking it up she looked at it, it was blank. Shrugging her shoulders she sat it on the table and picked up Lily who had put her shoes on the wrong feet.

"Okay everyone into the car! Lily fix your shoes on the way. Victoria! Bring the brush with you we need to go!"

Tim heard his wife's voice come floating in the room from downstairs he debated rather or not to get up and help her but he always seemed to be in the way so he went into the bathroom to get ready for the day anyway. Brett was coming over and they were going to finish going through the chest where he found the book.

The stairs creaked with each step as the two walked up to the attic. The musty smell coming down was getting inhaled then caughed back up with disgusting after taste.

"Can we just take the whole thing downstairs?" Brett asked when they reached the top.

Tim shook his head. "No. I tried moving it last night after you left, way too heavy."

Brett looked around and tried to open the window. It was crusted shut and he knew he would have to break it in order to open it.

"Well, let's just grab some things and take them down, we can make a few trips."

Agreeing, Tim took some empty cardboard boxes and started filling them, most of the stuff inside was smaller boxes and papers.

"I wonder why the chest is so heavy. I know it's made out of real wood but honestly."

"I don't know, maybe my pirate ancestors left us some treasure."

The two laughed then became serious. "Yeah. Hey, you know that 's perfectly reasonable." Brett said knocking on the sides as if looking for a secret compartment.

"Come on, let's look through this stuff."

(Downstairs)

"This stuff is old. You could probably get some good money from these old pieces of jewlary though." Brett said holding up a necklace.

"Yeah but what do you think it's really worth, honestly?"

"Well at least a few..." Brett trailed off, looking intently at Tim.

"What is it?"

"Did you get colored contacts or something?"

Tim looked over his shoulder. "Are you talking to me?"

Brett nodded and handed him a mirror he found. The mirror had a genuine golden handle, flowers were sculped on the sides.

Looking into it Tim nearly choked. His eyes were blue. Usually when he looked in the mirror he had these dark, almost black eyes with dark hair. That was another thing, his hair was getting lighter.

"What the hell?"

Brett put the box aside but it tipped over, a diamond ring falling out. Tim's eyes grew wide, the size of the rock was bigger than JLO's.

"Brett?"

"Yeah?"

Tim swallowed and picked up the ring. "Is it real?"

"I have no idea. But I got online and did some reasearch for you. At the museum downtown they have some articles they say belonged to Jack, even some pieces of wood from the Black Pearl. We should go."

Tim nodded and pocketed the ring.

(Museum of Lost Artifacts)

On the way to the museum Tim couldn't get that odd feeling out of his gut that something was wrong. It didn't help when he noticed his eyesight getting worse.

Brett looked out the window while his friend drived across town, squinting his eyes he watched as people turned to look at the shop windows. When they turned down the street that held the museum he couldn't help but notice that most of the women were wearing skirts.

"Hey Tim, do you see anything strange?"

"It's getting harder for me to see anything." He said, turning his attention back to the road. He turned into the parking lot and the two friends got out, not noticing the cops on the street.

(Inside)

"Look, there it is. His hat, gun, sword."

Tim looked at were Brett was pointing and moved to the next window. There was the engagement ring.

"Brett."

He came over and looked in, the diamond shining back at him. "Read the plate under it for me will you?"

"Sure, it says: Aquired by Captain Jack Sparrow in Spain. It doesn't say anything about it being Elizabeth's engagement ring like I thought it would. Wait! Don't you have it in your pocket?"

Tim put his hands in his pockets and came out with his car keys, the ring was gone. "Okay this is getting wied, let's just get out of here and go back to the house.

Brett agreed and the two left the museum.

(Back at the house)

"This isn't getting us anywhere. Let me call Heather and make sure she's alright."

"Okay, let me go get some things I left in the car, be right back." Brett said and headed outside.

Tim heard the phone ring on the other end and a girl answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Heather?"

There was a moments silence. "No. I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number."

The girl hung up and so did Tim. Shaking his head he punched the numbers in carefully the same girl answered the phone, he hung up without saying anything.

Getting anxious he started to go throught the old journal entries. The first one he picked up was Jack's. It read:

"My days on the sea are over, I lost the Pearl. There was a purge on the pirates and not only is my ship now at the bottom of the sea but so is Gibbs, Anamaria, Cotton, and the others.Why the gods decided I should live baffles me."

Tim shook his head, there was more to it, he remembered reading something about Elizabeth and his son. Maybe it was something else, a different copy. But if it was wouldn't they have found it already.

Reading some of the others he saw that half if not all the words were missing. Something was wrong.

"Brett look at this, come on man you have to tell me I'm not crazy."

Walking outside Brett was gone. He looked everywhere and figured he must have went home.

Taking out his cell phone he dialed Brett's house. The answering machine picked up.

'Thank you for calling the Arnolds we're not here right now so go ahead and leave a message after the beep."

'Arnolds'? Tim thought to himself. Dropping the phone he ran back inside and noticed the pictures on the wall were of just him and two people he guessed was his parents. 'What is going on?'

"The girls." He said quietly and ran out to his car, starting the engine. Squinting in the rear-view mirror he pulled out and headed for the school that held his children. He never saw the stop sign.

"Accident on the intersection of Greenwood Drive and Morrison Avenue."

"He's banged up pretty bad."

"Call for the ambulance but tell them there's no hurry, he's dead already."

"Miss Swann, he's waking up!"

"Oh dear, look at that scratch on his head. Go get me some more cloths please."

"Those are odd clothes aren't they?"

"Yes. Let's ask James if he can lend some to him."

"You stay Miss Swann, I'll go get the Commodore."

Tim head the voices change and thought he saw a blurry outline of a young woman before he passed out.

TBC

Yay the second chapter and Elizabeth! Should we be expecting Jack soon? Maybe. Review! Oh, I also went back and changed the dates of the last chapter.