Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Thorn and Livna, however, still belong to me.

I am SO sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it's a chapter nonetheless. For my next expected update time, check my profile. Be sure to R&R!


Secrets Don't Make Friends

By the time Thorn was awake the next day, the sun was more than halfway to its highest point in the sky, sending warm golden rays streaming through the windows of her cabin. Surprised at how long she had been asleep, she remained lying on her side with eyes half-closed for a long moment before moving. And in that moment, directly after waking up, she had totally forgotten about what she had discovered yesterday, by means of a leather-bound journal.

As her senses began to sharpen and memories flooded back to her, she realized that ignorance truly was bliss. Knowledge came with responsibility - as if she didn't have enough of that before reading the journal.

She remained laying there for a long while after she had woken up, contemplating what she could do. She could: tell Livna that she had found her journal and try to convince her to stop what she was (and apparently had been for quite a while now) plotting. Of course, this idea had quite a few downfalls – most of which were dangerous. She knew Livna had some…anger problems – now she guessed they had begun after she was marooned. Livna had always kept the trunk hidden away, meaning the journal was meant to be kept secret. If she told Livna that she had read her journal, Livna would definitely get mad, which could result in quite a few things – all of which were rather painful on her account.

Mentally crossing out this option, she moved on to the next; telling absolutely no one about what she had read. Nodding slightly, she decided that this was the only way to go. She would simply have to pretend she had never even cast the wooden trunk a second glance, and do her best to shove it to the back of her mind. Of course, if Livna did try to do anything, she could always try to stop her then…One word replayed nonstop in her mind: try.

-x-

The afternoon came and went, and Thorn stayed locked in her room. She guessed she fell asleep once or twice, because the next time she opened her eyes, gone were the long rays of golden sunlight, replaced by darkness and the occasional flicker of starlight.

Moving to the window, she peered out onto the deck. Thankfully, she saw no one and deemed it safe to go outside. Giving a firm shake to her head, she told herself that she had to stop being paranoid. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the trunk was just as it had been before she had even opened it. There was no evidence that she had ever read the journal, let alone gone near the trunk at all. She let out a long breath, knowing that she had no reason to be afraid of any of her crewmates.

She blinked slowly, moving to the doorframe. She heard the nearly inaudible click that told her the door was unlocked, and the door swung open with only a gentle push. She was greeted immediately by the cool, refreshing night air, enveloped by more and more of it as she walked farther out, stopping only when she reached her destination; her favorite place at the bow of the ship.

She sniffed indignantly, seeing that she had, once again, missed the sunset. She had been doing that a lot lately…She really had to stop letting her problems – however big they may be (or at least seem to be) – get in the way of the small pleasures she loved so much. Because maybe those little things that brought her joy could cancel out some of the…less pleasurable things in her life. She really had to stop acting as though everything horrible that could possibly happen was being dumped on her; she had it quite good compared to some people. And she was a female pirate. Most of the troubles were brought upon her thanks to her own actions and choices.

She was finally beginning to feel more relaxed than she had in quite some time, when a sudden thought hit her like a brick. She had less than three days left to win that stupid bet. How lovely – one more thing to add on to her never-ending list of things to worry about.

She was starting to think that making the bet had been pointless. If Livna followed through with the plans she had written about in the journal, then winning the bet would be pointless anyway. And depending on how soon she carried out the plan, winning could very well be impossible.

"Hi." She jumped slightly at the voice from behind her.

"Don't laugh…you surprised me, that's all." She muttered, turning around to face Will. "What do you want, anyway?" She nearly added it's rather late but she was up as well. Although she still got what Will referred to as "a few questions" but seemed like more of an interview.

"Where have you been all day? No one's seen you since yesterday afternoon," began the inquiry.

She paused as the original reason she had locked herself in the room two days ago was. That damn broken compass. Although on the surface she was still trying to convince herself that the compass was broken, but knew that in the back of her mind, she was absolutely positive that it was not broken and it was not lying. And maybe, just maybe, she was in denial. But only maybe.

She glanced up at Will, who was about a head taller than her, realizing she still had yet to tell him what the compass had said. Shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other, she tried to come to a decision on wether or not she should tell him. He was, after all, the very person who had gotten the compass for her. He kind of deserved to know…

"I've been in my cabin." She replied with a shrug. "Sleeping, mostly." Of course, there was no reason to tell him unless he specifically asked, right?

"Well then, I suppose you're well-rested and full of energy now." He replied, raising one eyebrow as if he didn't quite believe that sleeping was all she had been doing for nearly three full days.

"I suppose you could say that…Why?" she replied warily, leaning back against the woodwork adorning the bow. She knew he was going to ask about it…Couldn't he just get it over with?

Will shrugged slightly. "No real reason. Now, I want all the details about that compass. I went through so much to get it for you and I deserve to know what it said." He continued mater-of-factly, although a little over-dramatic.

"So much?" she mimicked incredulously. You were in your own room. How traumatic could it have been?"

"Stop avoiding the question! No, no, let me guess."

She rolled her eyes, but silenced nonetheless. She tipped her head forward, prompting him to hurry up and get on with it.

"You stomped straight into Jack's room, and because you're so headstrong, you were just positive that it would point to something other than Jack. Something that was the polar opposite of Jack, even. But then you learned that maybe opposites really do attract. And you learned it the hard way, didn't you? Because the compass pointed straight to Jack."

She exhaled sharply, glaring up at him with malice.

When she didn't reply, he was certain he was entirely correct, down to the last little speck of detail. Laughing slightly, he looked just as full of himself as she did on a daily basis.

"Why do you know me so well?" She complained, obviously annoyed. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared up at the person who had become a best friend.

"Because I'm your best friend." He replied, echoing her thoughts.

"If you're my 'best friend;, why are you making fun of me?" she asked, arching one eyebrow while still glaring at him.

Will shook his head, smiling slightly. "I'm not making fun of you, Thorn." He put one arm around her shoulders, glancing at her. "I'd never make fun of you. And I'll never let anything happen to you." But it seemed as though fate had other plans because something was going to happen to Thorn that even he could do nothing about.