Here is chapter 7!! ENJOY!!!! its a long one too, love to hear what you think!!
7: Friendships Form
Elizabeth and I retreated to Jack's cabin, were we spent the remainder of most the day. The crew didn't mind that Elizabeth wasn't participating in the usual chores. They were below deck for most of the day anyway. Jack had let them have the day off due to the cold weather, as a storm had brewed. The ship was already starting to shake harshly from side to side. Elizabeth and I stayed calm, she didn't seem worried and neither did I, it was just another storm. We both sat cross-legged on the cabins floor. We were playing a game where we held our joined hands out having the tips touching one another's. Whoever started then had to move their hand and quickly try to get the other persons. If they succeeded then they could go again, if not it was the other person's try.
Elizabeth chuckled as I went to slap her hand but missed as she moved her hand swiftly out of the way. It was now her turn to try and get me. We started to chat while we played the game.
"So…" she began. "Shall we continue with our conversation from this morning?" Trying to get my hands.
I wasn't prepared and she got me. "What's there to go on about?" I asked.
"Dunno…" she said, thinking. "I still think Jack really likes you"
"Nope, he doesn't" I said, as she got my hands once again.
"Then why all of a sudden am I able to hit your hands? You're not concentrating on the game since we started talking about Jack"
I blushed. A wave hit the ship rocking us harshly but we kept our balance.
"I knew it" she smiled. She tried to hit my hands again, but I moved them away.
"See I'm concentrating fine"
"If Jack didn't like you why would he go to all this trouble of saving you and bringing you aboard? So you see, Charlotte, there must be something he saw in you."
"I don't know. He was probably thinking what every other guy thought when they saw me." I said this, knowing it wasn't true. Jack treated me different.
"Nah… I don't think its that" she said knowing what I was saying. "He's became more relaxed lately"
"That could be the rum talking," I giggled. "He probably has to drink more, having to worry about all the bad luck two females would bring aboard" Another wave hit.
She cackled. "True, very true"
A knock sounded at the cabin door. "Elizabeth?" a voice faintly called from the other side.
"Yeah?" she answered. The ship must have hit a large wave, as it knocked us both from our placement. We collected ourselves from the floor, as the door opened and Will entered.
"Hi Charlotte" he said.
"Hey Will, everything okay?" I asked seeing the concerned look upon his face.
"Yeh… not really. Elizabeth would you be able to give me a hand out on deck. Most of the crew have become quite sick from the storm and had to go below deck."
"Yeh sure" she said standing up, making her way to the door with Will.
"I can help too," I said standing up.
Will turned, not knowing if it was safe.
"Will, she's a pirate, she can handle it. Trust me" said Elizabeth.
"You're a pirate?" he asked curiously.
"By blood" I answered, making my way over to the door.
That seemed to be all Will needed to hear, he was convinced I could handle weather outside.
He smiled. "Come on" he gestured openly the door.
All three of us were nearly blown away by the winds force when we exited from the cabin. Another huge wave hit, sending a massive amount of water straight onto the deck, wetting us. Elizabeth stumbled, almost falling over. I quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her from falling. We stumbled making our way to the starboard side, I turned and looked up at the helm, Jack was at the wheel, drenched from the waves. I turned back to see Will and Elizabeth fastening the ropes of the sails. Gibbs was over the other side, struggling. I staggered over there, as another wave hit, Gibbs fell over, and I was knocked to my knees. I crawled over to Gibbs.
"Come on, lass. We gotta fasten to ropes," he said pulling himself up using the railing. I did the same, helping him.
"Are we making port?" I yelled to Gibbs above the wind and the rain.
"Would make sense to, but that's up to the captain, missy," he yelled back.
"The ship ain't gonna hold up much longer if the storm keeps up like this"
"I've tried telling that to the captain" he said. Gibbs was fastening the last rope when another wave hit. He let go of the rope as he fell to the ground once again. I hang onto the side, trying not to go over. I caught onto the loose rope that was blowing above me in the air. I used my strength to tie it down.
A flash of red caught my eye. I looked over at Gibbs, his shirt had torn and his arm was badly cut.
"Gibbs, are you alright?" I yelled through the wind. My sopping wet hair was blowing over my face, I could barely see. I stumbled over to him, as he lay on the deck, grasping his arm.
"Lets have a look," I said.
He moved his hand, revealing a small but deep hole in his arm.
"Cut it on the canon there, heard a crack too" he yelled. I lifted my coat and reached down to my shirt and ripped a strip off. I tied it firmly around his arm; I got Gibbs's hand and put it onto his arm.
"Keep pressure on it. Just hold in there, I'll be back," I said.
I made my way over to Elizabeth and Will.
"We gotta douse the canvas," I yelled at Will.
"Jack hasn't given the orders."
"We aren't going to be here for much longer if we don't" yelled Elizabeth.
"Douse the canvas!" came a yell from the helm.
"Bout time" said Will rushing over to the ropes.
I tried to walk back over to where I'd left Gibbs, but fell when yet another storm generated wave hit. I landed hard onto my wrist, hearing my shirtsleeve tear; I ignored the throbbing and regained my body to get over to Gibbs.
"You took a nasty fall there, missy. You all right?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," I said as I loosened the ropes and ignoring the pain. It was hard to do with all the water splashing over the railing and the wind kept blowing my hair on to my face. My wrist ached and water that hit my arm turned red. Great, I thought, another wound. I'd managed to loosen the rope. I looked up as the rain fell onto my face. Elizabeth and Will had already began rolling the sails up.
I went back over to Gibbs. "We gotta get you below deck. Let me help you up"
He put his arm around my shoulder, leaning some of his weight onto me. Moments later Elizabeth and Will came over and helped us all below.
We all retreated into the galley, trying not to disturb all the crew who tried to sleep. Will sat on the table trying to regain his thoughts. Elizabeth was trying to pour some rum into some cups but gave up and ended up just getting a bottle each. I sat next to Gibbs trying to clean his wound. The bleeding of my wrist had slowed down slightly, due to another torn cloth tied around it. We were all dripping wet and cold from the sea's squall. The storm was dying down quickly, but the ship still rocked from side to side.
Jack entered the galley sopping wet and sat down across the table from Gibbs and I.
"How you all holding up?" he asked.
"Well apart from me almost falling over board, Gibbs putting a whole in his arm, Charlotte cutting open her wrist, Will hitting his head on the railing and the fact we are all dripping wet, were just fine. Thanks for asking" Elizabeth answered sarcastically.
Jack didn't look impressed by the answer he gotten. He glanced over at me who was cleaning Gibbs's arm.
"How'd you hurt your arm?" Jack asked. I wasn't sure if he was asking Gibbs or me.
"Cut it on the canon, heard a crack, then came the blood. Pass us a bottle there Miss Elizabeth" said Gibbs extending his hand.
"Gibbs drinking rum isn't the best when you've just torn a hole in your arm" said Will.
Gibbs gave an annoyed look.
"He's right. Alcohol pumps the blood faster through your body" I added keeping my eyes fixed on Gibbs's wound.
"Hows your wrist?" asked Elizabeth she said sitting down next to me. She handed everyone a bottle except Gibbs.
"Its alright, nothing too bad" I said, tying a piece of clothe around Gibbs's arm. "Your gonna have to rest your arm 'til it heals. If ya keep moving it about the wound is gonna stay fresh and keep bleeding" I said to Gibbs, turning to sit properly.
"Thanks Miss…"
"Starling" I finished for him. "Just call me Charlotte though"
"Starling?" he said thinking. "I've heard that name before"
"It's a English bird," I said.
Elizabeth snorted. I looked at her, "What are you laughing at? You're named after a bird too"
She stopped laughing when she realised I was right. "Well… Jacks named after a bird too," she added.
"Captain Jack!" Jack corrected, drinking some rum.
"No… that's not it," continued Gibbs. "No doubt you were named after your father?" asked Gibbs, trying to remember the name. Jack was paying particular interest.
"My mother actually" I answered.
"Starling your mothers maiden name?" asked Gibbs.
"Yeh… my father wanted me to keep my mothers name. Thought I'd be safer or something"
"Rings a bell…Starling, Starling…" he said to himself.
"Ok then… Gibbs is acting strange, probably from loss of blood. So… moving on" said Elizabeth. "Are we going to make port 'Captain'?" she asked, emphasising the word captain.
"Tortuga, most likely. Give the men a break from the sea" he answered.
"And by break, you mean let them get absolutely drunk and sleeping with women" corrected Will.
"You could put it that way," said Jack with a smile.
I placed my hands on the tables and rested my head on them, facing towards Elizabeth. I closed my eyes.
"I'm sticking with you then Charlotte," said Elizabeth.
"I hear you there, birds of a feather…" I said, keeping eyes closed.
"Flock together" finished Elizabeth, with a smile.
"Charlotte?" asked Gibbs.
"Yeh?" I answered.
"What was your mothers name?"
"Sophia" I answered. "Sophia Starling"
"I remember!" exclaimed Gibbs excitedly.
I sat up. "How?" I asked hesitantly. My mother had been a working girl at Tortuga before meeting my father; it wasn't the best thing to be known for.
"Well I knew of her. She and her sister lived in Tortuga, did they not?"
"Yeh" I asked, interested. My father rarely did speak of my aunty. I only knew about her from my mother's journal. "Marie Starling was my aunty. How do you know?"
Gibbs gave a smug smile.
"Oh my god!" I said, taking a few large mouthfuls of rum. I buried my head into my arms. Will, Jack and Elizabeth were all listening and now seemed very interested.
Gibbs laughed.
"Oh god!" I continued.
"What?" asked Elizabeth.
"Well let's say I 'knew' her aunty," said Gibbs. They all caught onto what Gibbs meant.
I sat up, "Just my aunty? Not my mother?" I asked warily.
He nodded. "Just pretty Marie."
"Bloody hell, that's a close one then." I said relieved.
"Your mum and aunt are obviously working girls?" asked Will.
"Were…" I said. "Not something I really want to talk about though, they were family after all"
Gibbs smiled. "Marie sure did soothe a lonely heart though," said Gibbs with a grin.
"La la la la la la" I sung, covering my ears
Everyone laughed.
"I must say you do look a lot like your mother now that I remember" Gibbs said continuing the subject.
"So I've been told," I said, taking another sip of rum.
"What ever happened to beautiful Marie and Sophia?" Gibbs asked.
"Aunty Marie went back to England, I think. And my mum, well… she died giving birth to me"
"Terribly sorry to hear that" said Gibbs sympathetic.
"Its fine, I never knew her." I said, wish I had though.
"Your mum was famous round Tortuga, years ago," he continued.
"Ok! Change of subject." I stated. I faced Jack. "How long 'til we reach Tortuga?"
"Should be there sometime early morning, the storms calmed down since this afternoon"
"Sophia was this gorgeous little blonde…" started Gibbs.
I got up out of my seat. "I think I'm gonna get changed out of these wet clothes"
"That reminds me, once Marie and me…" Gibbs went on.
"GIBBS!" yelled Jack, Will, Elizabeth and I in unison.
He smiled. "Ok stopping conversation"
I walked out of the room. What an adventurous day, I thought. Life on the sea, how mysterious and unpredictable it can be.
Once Charlotte had left the room, Gibbs went to his hammock to rest and Will decided to lie down as his head was throbbing. Leaving just Elizabeth and Jack alone in the galley.
"I see you and Charlotte have become quite close"
"Yeh, I really like her. I like the female company, but… I think the whole motive of caring has been misunderstood, so she deserves to have a second chance"
"How's that Lizzie?" asked Jack.
"Its Elizabeth…" she said annoyed. "Care, I think is mistaken. Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of compassion, all of which have the potential, to turn a life around."
Jack smiled at Elizabeth's words, and they continued sitting there in silence.
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