An Unlikely Upbringing

Chapter Four: The Bewigged Man's Change

Admiral Jarrod Sandford regarded Jack Teague from a distance, measuring his worth to the Company and possibly the navy. True enough, the boy was radiating the discipline needed in either field and with a satisfactory smile, Admiral Sandford prided himself in his selection between Jack Teague and another soliciting boy of a slightly older age than Jack, but more weighted and less energetic and determined.

The boy darted back and forth on the ship, carrying barrels, thick packages, wooden crates no doubt splintering his rough hands, and bags of assorted goods, all of which were to be inventoried later before being shipped to whatever country called for it. Jack wiped the sweat off his brow, examining his hands now caked in a thin but still existent layer of filth. His mother would question his sordid state the second he got home. Would his excuse continually be the rising aggression of his bullies? No, she couldn't know about that. No one knew about that, not even Captain Teague.

Perhaps when he began to earn his money, when his mother was not so poor anymore, and when he could manage on his own as well as any of them, they wouldn't laugh. No more would they call him offensive names based on his father's ongoing absences, his miniature size, or the class within society his family had found themselves in. Yes, Jack was determined to fly over them and succeed.

A crate was shoved into his arms, he rushed down through the galley to the storage, setting it by the other crates and running back up just as the crewman passed off the final barrel. The captain turned to the young lad and smiled, messing his already unruly, somewhat short and very spiky hair. A grin spread of the tanned features of the captain as he complimented Jack, "Good work, boy. You'd make one fine sailor some day." As he clapped the shoulder of the boy, Jack felt the cold of metal being pressed into his hands, to find a small sum of money there. Before being able to question the captain, he was gently shoved in the direction of the railing.

Stowing away his small earnings, Jack descended the rope ladder on the side of ship and hit the dock with a small "thud", his shoes causing the noise. Knowing that school would be starting soon, Jack bade the crewmen and, especially, the Captain a farewell before beginning his rushing towards his home. Purposely he had left his bedroom window open, climbing in through it and grabbing a hold of his beaten bookbag before climbing just as swiftly out the window and down the steps to the schoolyard, where the unsavory characters he had constantly pictured winning battles with were glaring at him as he approached the semi-splintered door of the school house.

Clutching the straps of his bookbag tighter in his fists, Jack set forward towards the building, making to move straight past his usual bullies. But one noticed him, a Richard Gardner. "Jack!" he called but at the precise moment Jack pivoted on his heel to face him, Maria Livingston brushed past the group of boys and instantly their attention was focused on the pretty blonde of their class. Relieved, Jack rushed through the threshold of the school building, taking a seat in his usual desk near the back of the classroom, smiling at the good fortune the day was bringing him.

In a spacious, barely embellished office Admiral Sandford stood at courteous attention, watching as the man he was speaking with peered through the window towards the prospering bay. Growing tired of his patient waiting at the silence of his superior, Admiral Sandford politely pressed, "Lord Beckett?" This led the icy blue eyes of the man to be fixated on the Admiral instead, something somewhat unsettling to the Admiral, causing him to almost wish that he had let the man be. With a sigh, he continued, "Do you really intend to let him go? A young one, yes, but a useful worker. The captain he was serving even believes so. Please reconsider, in years to come he may prove a useful tool, in the least."

There was a sigh from the man as he averted his gaze from the Admiral towards his desk, a letter written there, then towards the Admiral. "And until then, what use is he to the Company?"

"I watched him this morning, sir. He was an enduring worker, to say the least. To my recollection, I don't think he ever paused once." The Admiral was satisfied at how this statement led the Lord of the East India Trading Company to re-examine his thoughts over the young working boy, Jack Teague. The truth behind his former decision to relieve Jack of his position was his father's choice to go associating with pirates and perform criminal acts against the government. A pirate by association, supposed Lord Beckett. However, perhaps he had taken after his mother? A former gypsy woman noticing the flaws of her career, settling down in India to raise her child. Nima had learned the difference between what she wanted and what was right, as Captain Teague never had.

"Then I will trust Jack Teague to be under your list of responsibilities, and I will see to it that you are punished first should he decide to rebel," Lord Beckett's cold eyes stared at the man in front of him as he crossed his office towards the cherry wood desk, lifting the delicate parchment paper from the desk and eyeing it with particular interest, before adding, overlooking the letter to the Admiral once more, "I will be awaiting that moment when his usefulness is truly useful, trust me on that."

Admiral Sandford was dismissed and escorted off the Beckett estate, all the while smiling at his victory over the Lord of the Company, grinning as he resumed his usual post that afternoon.

Directly after school, Jack headed off to the docks, slinging his bookbag off his shoulders into the sand, away from the rising tide, by a large boulder to mark its presence easily on the beach. He eyed the white wigged man he had not seen before in the morning and casually strolled up him. "You weren't here this morning," he said in a quiet, more questioning rather than accusing tone.

"I was, I was just surveying your work, Jack," Admiral Sandford smiled. "Lord Beckett has shown interest in you." Of course, the admiral purposefully left out the bit about the the aforementioned lord's interest being that of wanting to relieve him of his duties. "You have proven to be a hard worker. You will continue assisting the captain with their ships in any way they ask of you and if there is to not be a ship here, you will assist me in whatever belittling duties the Navy insists upon giving me. Understand?"

Jack nodded, smiling as the Admiral added, "Don't mention to the Navy what I just said, clear?" Once more, the boy nodded.

He headed off the to docked ship, thinking all the while that perhaps the white wigged man was not the pompous jerk he had once been, but a kind hand admist all the evil in Jack's world. In a way, Admiral Sandford was the other half to his father, the half that was kind, gentle, and humorous as his father never was.

A slightly longer chapter, that's the least I can offer. To answer something some of you may be wondering: No, Lord Beckett as mentioned here is NOT Cutler Beckett, but his dearest father. I'd appreciate any suggestions for a first name for him, I can't seem to find anything that sounds right with the title. So I'd be grateful for any and all suggestions! Anyways, do tell me what you think so far. I hope to tie everyone into this, well everyone linked with Jack's past and shed some light on aspects of the trilogy that got barely any limelight at all.

Heres to my reviewers (Queen of Halloween, kcpiratey05, Dizzles the Dizzy, DCoD): You are awesome and I love you! I also enjoy reading your usernames.

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