Chapter 2
Ruth Celine Porter was not typically one to quickly resort to brash actions, but in her current situation, after the shock had slightly worn off that she was actually aboard the ship of Captain Jack Sparrow, and that he was only the most notorious and infamous pirate captain of her era, she really had no choice but to do so.
She sat huddled in a far corner on bended knees, where the shadows of the room protected her from sudden sight, and continued to stab at the wall with a rather dull letter opener. Hopefully, because the corner was not usually in clear sight, and, because it was sheltered by several other items, she could perhaps create a small opening where she could escape his cabin, and then…well…she hadn't really devised a convenient plan to used against the rest of Sparrow's crew, but she planned to cross that particular bridge when she came to it.
At sixteen, Ruth was quite mature for her age, but knew when it was appropriate to express a rebellious side of her. Well, if truly necessary at least. Even at sixteen, she considered herself a feminist, but a quiet one, for she was aware of consequences if she was hasty to spill a few angry outbursts against the oppression of her fellow women. As her long waves of dark hair fell into her eyes, she desperately hurried to push them back behind her ears, all at once dodging the tender areas of her bruised cheek.
Her thin arms could only hammer for so long, and she finally sat against the wall, panting and trembling from her act of desperation, and the result of her mess if the captain discovered it.
She felt her body grow limp from exhaustion. It had been a long day. Emotionally and physically spent, she felt tempted to wait to meet the captain, and perhaps negotiate, if, of course, her fright did not get the best of her, and if this pirate was as fierce and unyielding as she imagined. Frankly, she could not bear any more stress, whether it be emotional or physical, and as she contemplated her weakness, she glanced down at her worn limbs, marked from the consequences of her "disobedience" aboard the previous ship, and felt tears inch their way to her eyes. Every part of her seemed to ache, even her throat, from her many hoarse, shrill cries for mercy and of agony aboard The Sea Charmer…
Suddenly, she froze as she heard a small but audible thud upon the floor outside the cabin. Her breath began to quicken, and her palms grew slick with sweat. Her mind raced with the possibilities that awaited her as the steps grew louder, and she felt more trapped than she had ever in her confinement. Fear hit her like a tidal wave, and as she tried to blink back oncoming tears, she only felt them rapidly fall from her eyes. She stood, unsure now of where to go or what to do in the brief second she had before the door opened. There was nowhere to go. There was nothing she could do.
The door opened.