Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Chapter title is a fantastic book by Robert Louis Stevenson. Read it. Go.

Chapter 32: Treasure Island

Someone knocked three times. "Camille, it's me," Gabriel said before entering. "Good, you made it out. My God, you're whiter than a ghost!" he exclaimed. "What happened?"

She still couldn't find the strength to talk. She reached out and clutched his arm, looking at him and trying to speak. "G-gabriel," was all she could get out of her mouth before crying.

"Oh, Camille," he said gently, embracing her. "Did he strike you?"

"No, but he…"

Priscilla entered the room, in quite an excited state as well. "They've locked James in the brig!" she cried.

Gretchen came in next, and closed the door behind her. "Well, what did you expect? He got in a fistfight with Ana Maria."

"He locked her down there as well!"

"What?" Gretchen, Gabriel, and Camille exclaimed at once.

Priscilla nodded. "Yes, they've both been sentenced to being down there until we arrive at Colombia. Camille, are you all right?" she asked, noticing Camille's pale and tearstained face.

"Something's wrong with Jack," Camille stated.

"Well obviously, the man's not in his right mind," Gabriel agreed.

"No. You don't understand. He's going mad. Something is physically happening to him. He looks different. And he tried…he tried to strangle me," Camille said clearly.

"What!" all three of the Thatchers asked at the same time. But now Camille knew what she had to do. Jack's advice could no longer be taken. She had to tell them everything she knew.

"Yes, we'll get to that later. Gretchen, do you still have your mother's ring?"

Gretchen looked unsure. "It's in my drawer, in my room. Why?"

"We must get it. Everyone follow me." Camille peered out into the hallway before going down the hall to Gretchen's room. Luckily, Jack didn't know about Adrienne's ring. Once inside, the door was shut and locked.

"All right, now everyone keep your voices down. What is said in this room does not leave, is that clear to everyone?" Camille said urgently. They all nodded. She continued. "Very well. Gretchen, put on your mother's ring."

Gretchen obeyed. "Now, stretch out your hand just here, next to mine," Camille said, holding out her hand in front of a candle. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt."

As Gabriel and Priscilla watched, Gretchen did what she was instructed to do. They all gazed at the maps that appeared on their hands, and Camille gasped. The dot that had been down by Aguadulce was still there, only it was on Gretchen's hand. "It changes maps!" she realized. "Very clever indeed. All right. As you have probably figured out, these are maps that came hidden it Adrienne's and Morgan's rings. This is why we all carry the Mark. These were the items taken from the Rune."

"It's a map of Colombia?" Priscilla asked. "Is it treasure?"

"We don't know yet. The dot was on my hand the first time we discovered the map, and then it was gone," Camille explained.

"So this is the map we are following to get to treasure," Gabriel concluded. "How do you know that it's not leading us astray to something else?"

"That's the thing. We don't know that for certain. But Jack was determined to get to Port Barranquilla and down into the city of Aguadulce, which is the area on this map. I don't know his reasoning behind it."

"Well it's too late to ask him now," Gretchen said, taking the ring off and putting it into one of her pockets. "I say we go to the Rune and return them. I have no need for any more treasure or pirate adventures."

"But the spot…wouldn't it be a clue? Couldn't it help us? It was Mother's ring, remember," Priscilla said. "I can't see why she would do anything to hurt us."

"It was her mother's and her grandmother's. It's been passed down for generations. Mother might not have even known about it," Gabriel suggested. "For all we know, it could be very dangerous."

"Either way, who are we to cross Captain Sparrow?" Camille asked. "Even if we did know anything else, I doubt there would be a way to get this by him."

"Camille, you said he went mad. What's wrong with him?" Gretchen asked.

"I don't know if I can even say, I was so frightened," she admitted, even though she was feeling a little better now. "He was so different. His body, his features, his voice. He was Jack, and yet he wasn't. I'm afraid I can't explain it any better than that. He attacked me without the slightest bit of hesitation, like he didn't recognize me. And…there was a Mark, the Mark, it was carved into his desk and lined with blood!"

"That doesn't sound good," Priscilla contemplated. "Should we get him to a doctor?"

"In his state, I don't know if a doctor would benefit him or not. He would probably try to attack anyone who came near him to help. But why would the Mark affect him and not us?" Camille thought. She was trying to remember what James had told them about Long John Silver. It seemed that something of the same sort was happening to Jack. The Devil's Dowry had taken ahold of Long John the exact same way it had with Jack. Why? What was the difference between them?

"Is it…" she said, thinking aloud, "Is it because we are Sullivans and Thatchers, and they are not?"

"Possibly. They did try to falsely claim the treasure from the Rune, if you recall," Gabriel remembered.

"I think we need to speak with James about this. Don't you think he will know something?" Gretchen asked.

So they went down to the brig, and explained the entire story to James and Ana Maria. Once Ana cooled off about the fight, she was better at listening. But she was just as puzzled as they were about everything.

James sat in his cell, thinking hard. "Camille, I don't know why he would attack you of all people. I don't even see why he would threaten you as severely as he has been."

"I think that just goes to prove exactly how much he's lost his mind," Priscilla said. "That he would attack and say those awful things to her, of all people."

"But it don't make sense. I mean, I agree that he's lost his mind, but what could have made him mad? It can't simply be the Mark?" Ana wondered.

James stood up finally. "Camille, what did you say he looked like?"

"Completely different. It was…like his physical features had shifted on his face. He looked like he was in pain," she said almost hysterically.

"And you can tell when these changes come over him? Does the Mark look any different?"

"I don't know, I've never looked for the Mark on him. But after seeing the carving in the desk it's obvious, isn't it? Oh, and something else I've just remembered. When he was near me, my Mark. It seemed to burn."

James nodded. "I must think about this. If you notice anything else, inform Ana Maria or I. Every detail must be accounted for. We are dealing with a very dangerous man, but we cannot let on that we know just how dangerous he is."

Camille sighed. She didn't like this at all. Jack was a great deal smarter than they were giving him credit for, and he would figure it out. He had most likely by now figured out that the whole fight between James and Ana Maria had been staged. The only thing he didn't know about was the second ring, and who knew when he would realize it? And she was still extremely shaken up about him trying to strangle her.