Hot winds of the Caribbean 2
Chapter 4
Crew's premises of Stardust weren't much different than Pearl's. There was also dirty and crowded. Jack walked to a bunk which was beside the wall and sat on it. I sat next to him ignoring the few strange looks we had.
"Would ye like to tell me finally what's goin' on, Ann? Or should I say Annabelle?" Jack said. There weren't the anger and bitterness in his voice any longer which were four weeks ago, only curiosity.
"Ann. It is really my name", I said. "Mr. Smith thinks I'm his daughter, because Annabelle and I greatly look alike. Annabelle disappeared while ago and Mr. Smith thinks still that I'm her. I met him when we were in Port Royal together."
I told Jack how I had got to known Mr. Smith and Phillip. Only thing I didn't mention was my mother's picture. It bothered me still and I didn't believe I could talk about it with anyone. Finally I became quiet. I was afraid Jack wouldn't believe my story. The whole thing sounded stupid and before all unbelievable.
"Wouldn't it be entirely possible that ye're Annabelle? Ye don't remember yer past", Jack wondered.
I was quiet. How could I say to Jack that I couldn't be Annabelle, because I had come from future? That would sound completely ridiculous.
"Yes… Maybe it can be possible, but I don't remember anything like that", I said finally. I thought it would be better to let him think I belonged this time.
"What if ye start to remember at some point? Would ye wanna go back in Port Royal then?" Jack kept asking with strange voice. I had never heard him talking in that tone.
"No", I answered immediately. "There is nothing for me. I rather stay with you on the sea."
The answer seemed to be enough for Jack. I pressed a light kiss on his lips and touched slightly his face.
"Hey, mate!" someone shouted a bit further. We both turned to look at him. "Obviously ye've found 'pleasurable company' for yeself. Why wouldn't ye share it with us others?"
I stare at the man stunned. Did he think I was a whore? I was going to stand up and be blunt, but Jack grasped my arm and kept me still. Then he threw his arms around me.
"Sorry mate, but this missy's just for me. If ye wanna've a woman, get it for yerself and don't beg from others", Jack said and grinned at him. The man snorted and turned away. "There's no worth to fight with these men, at least not yet", Jack whispered to my ear.
"So I am just for you?" I laughed and looked at Jack under my eyebrows. He grasped my chin and looked at me straight into my eyes.
"Damn right ye are. Remember that, luv", he said and kissed me roughly.
o
I opened my eyes and felt light nausea. I thanked my luck I didn't vomit this time. However I was a bit confused. Somehow I had thought my nausea was connected to my depression, but it still continued. Was I really sick like Mrs. Roach had suspected?
"Luv, ye look a bit pale", Jack said from beside me. He had pressed himself right against me on a narrow bunk.
"I'm not feeling very well", I said.
"Ye're not sick, eh? Jack asked right away.
"No… or at least I don't think so. This is going over soon", I answered.
"Sounds like this's familiar for ye", my captain noted.
"Well, I haven't felt very well every morning on this week", I said honestly. I had decided I wouldn't lie anymore to Jack than I had to.
Jack nodded at me. I lay still for a moment. It took a while before I felt my nausea going away, but luckily they didn't ever last very long.
"I'm feeling much better now", I said smiling and rose to sit. "Maybe we should go on deck."
"Ye're right. We'll never get in Isla de Muerta, if Mary's at the helm", Jack laughed.
We both rose from bed and walked to deck. Captain Garter handed the helm over to Jack willingly, who took a compass from his pocket. He opened it and looked at it very sharply.
"That doesn't even point to north", we both snorted aloud with captain Garter at the same time.
"It needs not. We're not lookin' the north, eh", Jack answered and smiled that sunlight reflected from his gold teeth.
Captain Garter shrugged her shoulders and snorted something that the main thing was the place was found. Then she turned towards me.
"Come with me, I've a job for ye", she said. I nodded at the woman and followed her below decks. She led me to the lowest parts of the ship and gave me a mop and a bucket which had water.
"Ye can clean the floors from here, also from the cells", she said and left me alone down there.
Angrily I wet the mop in the bucket and started rubbing the floor. It was already wet from incoming water and very dirty and slippery. The whole job made me sick. Apparently captain Garter had something against me.
I scrubbed for hours the floor where the dirt had apparently got encrusted. I decided to take a little break and stayed to lean against the mop's handle. I felt cross, although I should have been satisfied that my things were even this well.
Suddenly I heard steps behind me. I turned around and I saw two men coming down the stairs.
"Well, look who's here", other of the men laughed.
"Looks awfully like that missy who spent last night with Sparrow", other answered and looked at me estimating. "Must say man's got a good taste. I could try that one meself also."
Men came towards me threatening. I stare at them more than a bit frightened. Memories about John and the events in the treasure cave rolled in my mind. I didn't want to experience them again. When the men were only few steps away from me, I took forward my pistol. I took off the safety and pointed at the men with the gun.
"You can be sure I will shoot if you come any closer", I said trying to sound as confident as possible.
Obviously my acting had an effect. Men stopped on their place and stayed to look at me.
"Apparently ye're not 'pleasurable company'?" other of them asked.
"Damn it! I surely am not!" I answered angrily. "I belong to captain Sparrow's crew."
"In that case I apologize the disturbance", other one of the pirates said. Men left mumbling something about crazy bitches. I stayed to look after them.
Next a happy smile spread on my face. I had just survived from a difficult situation all by myself. I thrusted the pistol back in its case and grabbed again the mop. I hummed the song Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me and felt great satisfaction.
o
A lot later I went back on deck. I saw dark cliffs around us and half sunken ships on water. I felt cold shivers going through my body. The place wasn't called Isla de Muerta in vain. Definitely here had died many sailors.
I saw Jack was at the helm. He steered the ship with confident hands between the cliffs. Captain Garter stood next to him and sharply looked at every move of his. Her face was severe and I didn't wonder it at all. Even one turn to wrong way could have been the end of Stardust.
I went to railing like many others and stayed to watch transaction. Stardust slid slowly between the cliffs and then arrived on shores of a gloomy island. A mountain in the island seemed rising straight from the sea and I saw a hole of a cave on its side. However, Pearl was nowhere in sight which was very concerning matter.
I watched from aside when Stardust was anchored nearby the island. Captain Garter looked at her crew beside the helm.
"Easton and Thurlow'll come with me, the rest of ye'll stay on ship at least for now", Garter informed. "I'll take with me also Sparrow with his treasure." Captain said the word treasure with very scornful tone and looked at me straight into eyes. I didn't understand what she had against me.
All five of us went to a boat which was launched immediately. The man called Thurlow start to row towards the cave in front of us. There was very dark so Easton lit a small lantern at the bow of the boat.
I looked around me curiously. Boat slid slowly in cave. I saw a skeleton lying on the edge of narrow cave and took deep breathe. The place was completely creepy.
Finally the boat hit the hard rock and we all climbed off it. I stared at the amount of gold with my eyes wide open. Where on earth Jack had needed Captain Hook's treasure for if he was this rich? Everywhere were coins, jewels, pots, crowns and who knows what. I saw there also a chest which was full of women's clothes. I couldn't help wondering what it was doing there.
Soon my eyes turned on a chest which was on a large coin pile. It was entirely gold and beautifully decorated. Somehow it attracted me and I walked towards it silently. Just when I was about to touch its lid, I felt someone grasping my hand. When I raised my eyes, I saw it was Jack.
"I wouldn't touch that chest if I was ye, luv", he said. "There're the blood money of Cortez. Remember when I told ye about 'em?"
"Oh, those cursed coins?" I asked a bit amused.
"Exactly 'em", Jack answered and wasn't amused at all.
"What harm can it do if I just peep a bit?" I wondered. "I don't believe in ghost stories." Jack's expression however was immovable. I saw from his face he would be really angry if I didn't keep my hands off that chest. "Fine then. I promise I won't touch them."
I turned to look down from the coin pile. Captain Garter explored treasures with her two men. Soon she ordered to empty the chest which was full of women's clothes and fill it up with gold. I followed from aside the act and wondered what would happen next.
When the chest was filled up, men carried it to boat. Captain Garter rose on it and they started to row away. I look after them shocked.
"Captain Garter!" Jack yelled at her. She turned around in boat and looked at us. "Ye're just gonna leave us here, eh? Pearl's not even here."
"That's purely yer problem. We only agreed we'd bring ye in Isla de Muerta. Nothing else was negotiated", captain Garter answered and gave an order to her men to row away from cave.
I sat on coin pile and leaned against my hand. This couldn't be true. I was again trapped in a deserted island with Jack with no food and this time also without water. Déja vu –feeling took over my mind. Only Mr. Smith's arriving was missing.
"This is already unbelievable", I snorted when Jack sat next to me.
"Well, this isn't that bad", Jack grinned. Before I could answer him, he already pressed his lips against mine.
Yes, Jack was right. Situation wasn't that bad at all, at least I was able to be with him. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed myself against him. Coins under us started to move and we rolled down with them. When we arrived finally to the bottom of cave, Jack lay on me and looked at me with his brown eyes.
For a moment we both stayed still. Then I rose a bit and pulled away the hem of Jack's shirt from his trousers. Downright I ripped his shirt off him and then stroked his strong chest with my fingers. He was muscular at the right way.
Soon after my shirt was gone also. We were both so much in passion we couldn't barely realize anything. I kissed passionately Jack's neck at the same when I kicked my boots off.