Ashes to Ashes
Chapter Fifteen: Visitations
"You were supposed to stop her," a ghostly voice intoned in her sleep fogged mind. "Why didn't you stop her?"
Ashleigh opened her eyes slightly, licking her chapped lips. "Who . . .?"
"This isn't going to play out right," the voice continued. "Someone's going to die. Are you willing to risk that?"
A flash of red hair met Ashleigh's glazed eyes. A flicker of blue eyes met her gaze. A young woman stood, no, hovered, in front of her, her outline blurry as if she weren't real. Or rather, not alive.
"Daveigh?" she whispered.
"I know where she's taking you. I know where she's leading him. She's going to kill him!" Daveigh placed shimmering hands over her pale, translucent face. "You have to stop her. You have to tell her that this isn't the way to end this."
"If she stops," Ashleigh answered softly, "then I will die."
"As long as he lives."
"Why should I help you," Ashleigh said, her voice growing stronger, "if you are not willing to help me?"
"They are more important."
"Then I am nothing but a pawn?" Ashleigh shouted. "Am I nothing but a character in your game?"
With a sudden burst of anger, Ashleigh lifted the plate of untouched food and hurled it through the air at the flickering phantom. Daveigh stared down at her with sad eyes, and then disappeared.
"I hope you realize you'll be cleaning that up," Templeton said as she stepped down the stairs. "Were you fighting with yourself?"
"What do you care? I am nothing but bait to you. Why should you care what happens to me, or what I do?"
Templeton ignored her, staring down at the food scattered across the floor. "Not much of an appetite, I see. You should really eat. You need to keep up your strength."
"Why? Just so you can kill me later?" Ashleigh snapped. "I wouldn't give you the privilege. I would rather die here, with my death on your conscience."
Templeton sneered down at her. "Who says I have one?"
"Why else would you do this if not for guilt?"
"For revenge you bloody wench."
Ashleigh stood up slowly, propping herself up on the bars. "Daveigh wouldn't want this," she said softly, locking her green eyes on Templeton's brown ones.
Templeton's gaze hardened, her hands clenching into fists. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Ashleigh snapped back. "She wouldn't want this. Using her death as a reason to hunt down and kill Jack. You are foolish if you believe that you are getting revenge for her and not for yourself!"
"You know nothing about my sister," Templeton seethed.
"I know enough about her to know that she wouldn't want you to kill the man she gave her heart to!"
"Shut up."
"No," Ashleigh replied, not giving a thought as to what would happen if she pissed off her captor. "I will not stop until you listen to me. Daveigh wouldn't want this! She wouldn't want you to do this!"
Before she knew what was happening, the door to her cell was thrown open and Templeton lunged inside, grabbing her by the neck. Ashleigh gasped for air, her fingers clawing at Templeton's arm.
"You listen ta me bitch," Templeton snarled, "you will say nothing about my sister or I will break yer neck an' hang yer lifeless body from my mast. What will yer lover do then? How will he cope with the thought that two of his lovers have died because of him? Do not tempt me, whore, or I will kill you without a second thought!"
"I . . . am not . . . a whore!" Ashleigh ground out through gasps for air.
"You are what I say you are!" Templeton snapped, releasing her choke hold.
Ashleigh fell to her knees, her hand going to her already bruising throat. "Daveigh died to protect him," she gasped, her voice raspy.
Templeton released a savage kick, the toe of her boot landing in her abdomen. Ashleigh bit back the scream of pain that threatened to explode from her mouth. She hunched over, crossing both arms over her pounding belly. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it back, refusing to give Templeton the satisfaction.
Templeton's fingers laced through her knotted hair, yanking her head back forcefully. Tears leaked from Ashleigh's eyes despite her attempt to stop them. Templeton sneered down at Ashleigh, anger and contempt written in her eyes.
"I warned you bitch," she said.
"Cap'n," Markson called out, stopping on the last step. "Yer needed on deck. The islands been sighted up ahead."
Templeton nodded silently. She turned back to Ashleigh, her angry eyes taking pleasure from seeing the crying girl at her feet. She threw her forward, releasing her grip in Ashleigh's hair and slamming her head into the wooden deck beneath her feet.
Without another word, Templeton left the cell and led Markson back up the stairs. Ashleigh rolled herself over slowly, one hand reaching for her burning forehead. A warm, sticky sensation met her fingertips. She pulled her hand away and stared up at the red blood coating her fingers.
Fresh tears ran freely down her cheeks as she rolled onto her side, curling up into a little ball. "Jack," she sobbed.
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"Jack."
Jack shot up in his bed, the sheets falling from his sweat drenched skin. He was breathing hard as if he had just run a mile. But he hadn't. He had been dreaming. Again.
Jack was getting sick of these dreams. Haunting dreams of death, of life, of ghosts; ghosts that haunted not only his dreams, but his waking moments as well. "What the 'ell're ya doin' ta me Daveigh?" he asked the dark room around him. "Why're ya comin' ta me now? I don't know what ta do or where to go."
He paused, closing his eyes for a moment and imagining Daveigh's face, a face that had haunted him for the last few years. Oddly, he could not recall her face. Instead, every time he tried to remember her, Ashleigh's face came up in his mind.
"Ashleigh," he whispered. A shiver passed through him, sending goose bumps coursing over his skin. His heart pounded for a moment, the thought of losing yet another woman pained him, injured him, although he would never let anyone around him see it.
"Where are ya, love?" he whispered.
A soft breeze rifled his hair, causing Jack to turn around and stare at the window above his bed. No wind blew through the heavy curtains covering his window. In fact, the window was closed.
Ghostly hands traced over his face, trailing down his cheek and neck. "Our place, Jack. Go to our place."
Jack shivered, unsure what to make of this. His eyes narrowed slightly, the voice ringing in his ears. "Daveigh?" he whispered.
There was silence for a moment until a shimmering form appeared in front of him. Red hair met his tired eyes, a shock of blue eyes glimmered in the darkness. "Go to our place. You'll find her there. But you may not like what you find."
"Daveigh, what's going on?" Jack asked.
Daveigh merely stared back at him, her eyes hollow and void of any emotion. "See your future, Jack. See hers."
With that, Daveigh stepped to her left slightly, revealing a slumped over form behind her.
Jack jumped out of his bed, pushing past the phantom, falling to his knees beside the still form. He rolled her over, her long black hair falling over his fingers. "Ash? Ash love," he whispered, running his rough fingertips over her pale skin.
The limp form did not answer, her eyes staring sightlessly up at him. "What have you done?" he whispered.
Daveigh stared down at him, emptiness hovering in her eyes. "This is your future; this is what will happen if you do not heed my warning."
Jack turned his gaze slowly to the hovering phantom, anger radiating from his eyes. "What have you done?!" he screamed, lunging at Daveigh, murder echoing in his eyes, until . . .
He promptly fell off of his bed, the sheets tangling themselves around his legs. Jack shook his head, trying to erase the growing pain in his forehead. "Ugh," he muttered. "I gotta stop drinkin' 'fore bed."
Jack rubbed his forehead, sitting up slowly and leaning back against the bed. "Bloody nightmares won't bloody leave me alone."
A knock sounded on the door, a tentative voice calling forth, "Cap'n?"
Jack groaned inwardly. Just what he needed, a wonderful conversation with the one woman he could never win against. "Eh?" he called.
AnaMaria opened the door slowly, poking her head through the small crack. "Cap'n ya alright? I 'eard a noise."
Jack nodded, his fingers rubbing the tiny lump forming on his head. "Aye, lass, I'm alright. Jus' fell out o' bed is all."
AnaMaria stared down on him, her eyes showing that she was on the verge of laughter. "Fell out o' the bed, Cap'n? Never knew ye were that coordinated."
"Very funny."
AnaMaria shrugged. "Whatever. Jus' thought ya may wanna come up above Cap'n, ya gotta remember that ya still 'ave guests on board."
Jack groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Then I'll see ya in a few then, eh?"
Jack was silent for a moment, his eyes staring down at the wooden floor, maps cluttering the floor. His mind turned back to the dream he had had moments before. He was confused. What exactly was he supposed to think of it? Was he supposed to understand what he had dreamed? Hell no. Of course not.
He looked back up at her, a small smile crossing his face. "Aye."
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Hands roamed over skin. Bodies rocked in a motion that only lovers could describe. There was a gasp as a girl that was so unfamiliar with the emotion of love, felt a kiss brush the tender skin of her throat. Fingers played with flesh that quivered in pleasure. Teeth grazed tender skin.
"Uhn . . . Jack," she whispered.
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"Jack," Ashleigh whispered, her eyes flitting open. Her head still throbbed from when Templeton had slammed her head into the deck. She sat up slowly, making sure not to move her aching head too much. She wished she could just go home. She almost wished that she had never left England at all. Almost, but not quite.
Ashleigh smiled slightly. She could almost imagine what her life would have been like had she not gone to Port Royal to visit Elizabeth and go to her wedding. She would spend the rest of her life in a loveless marriage that would have helped her father out financially. She would never have had adventure or least of all love.
But Jack had given her that. He had given her the adventure that she had always dreamed of. Her boring life had become exotic. It had become exciting. Jack had shown her what a great life could be, even in the little bit of time she had known him. He had given Ashleigh a new meaning to her boring life, given her a new chance to show who she could really be.
And now where was she? Ashleigh wanted to try and be angry at Jack for letting her get taken; wanted to be upset that he hadn't come to save her yet. But she couldn't. The only person that she could find herself being angry with was Templeton. Templeton and her stupid vendetta against Jack.
But then she found herself hating, well, herself. She should have been more observant; more aware of her surroundings when Templeton had taken her. Now, all she could do was wait. Wait and pray that Jack would find her before it became too late.
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AN: Wow, it has been so long since I've updated this story (over three months to be exact!). I am so sorry about that. I continue to have writer's block for this one, while I can write all about Demon Called Deception. I hate it when I do that. It really just kind of comes and goes. I'll try to update more often. I promise!
Gwenneth: Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you liked this one as well, although it's a little bit touch and go at times. I think I've been fighting with this chapter since August and I've only just been able to write it!
Dawnie-7: Yeah, poor Jack. His desk really didn't deserve that. And yes, the father is an ass. I don't even like him and I'm writing the story! I love writing characters that I can't stand. But, I can tell you that he doesn't get much better later. Hope you enjoyed!
NazgulGirl: Yay! I love my tennis shoes! I'm glad that they're safe! I don't know what I would do without them! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Ash: Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it! I hope you continue to read!