Victoria waited until every member of the crew had fallen asleep. They had all agreed that they would wait until the right moment to use the keys. Of course, Victoria had no doubt that now was the right moment, she just didn't mention it to the crew. It was dark, and the only light was moonlight, which was shining through a gap in the door leading to the deck.
Victoria silently opened her own cell, and pocketed the keys. She quickly removed her skirt, which made far too much noise than she wanted to make. She tied up her hair, and took off her boots. Then, she slipped out of the doorway, and disappeared somewhere on deck.
Jack swaggered up behind Rosaline, feeling a bit off because of a lack of alcohol. He sat down hard, and tossed some sticks onto the small fire that he had managed to get started. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Jack's mind was swimming with a whole manner of thoughts, and Rosaline was still quite embarrassed after her little loss of self control incident earlier.
"Do you think that your ship will be back?" Rosaline was voicing her fears, that she was going to die on the island.
"Savannah might be able to swing it," Jack muttered, "Whether she'll come back here, is another matter."
"But… she's your friend isn't she?" Rosaline asked, confused, and desperate, "She would return here to search for you, if there was a chance…"
"She's a bloody pirate," Jack said, "And a good'un. She'll stick to the code." Rosaline looked clueless, "Any man who falls behind, is left behind."
"That's heartless,"
"It gets things done." Jack said, completely without feeling. He saw no point in arguing for the code, when it was probably the one thing that would seal his fate. He picked up a stone, tossed it in the air a few times, and then threw it over his shoulder. "The thing you need to know about Savannah, is that she is probably the best pirate ever to live. She's never been caught, not once. She's not very well known, because every time she meets anyone she does not instantly trust she takes on a new alias, a completely new personality, history, and sometimes appearance." Rosaline listened to him, hearing a sense of pride in his voice, "She always gets away, she always knows what to do, and she does what's best for her, before anyone else."
"That sounds incredibly selfish." Rosaline pointed out,
"It's bein' selfish that's kept 'er alive." Jack said, "An' comin back here isn't in her best interests." He looked Rosaline in the eyes directly, "I'm sorry luv, but it don't look like we're getting' out of this one." Rosaline shook her head stubbornly,
"No." She said, "No, that's not going to happen. Maybe, we'll be stuck here for a few days, but that isn't so bad, is it? Some one will come past, and we can be rescued. I am not going to die on this, this miserable excuse for an island!" She sniffed, and wiped her eyes hurriedly, "And I am not going to cry." She said, determined. Jack didn't look at her, knowing that if he did, she might not be able to keep control.
"That ship," He said quietly, "Is the one thing I care about loosing. That's how heartless pirates are. Perhaps you were right Roz, perhaps we're all the same."
"I hate being called that." Rosaline said.
"I'm really not goin' to stop it luv,"
"And you are not heartless. You could have stayed up there, you could have fought for your ship, but you saved my life. Why would you have done that if what you say is true?" Jack turned to her, and held her gaze in his,
"You sure y' want t' know the answer t' that question?" He asked her. He stared at her intently and then broke the gaze suddenly, and laid down beside the fire. "I suggest we both gets some sleep."
"Why?"
"Because if I don't go to sleep, I'd most definitely do something extremely pirate like, and I don' think that would be helpful." Jack closed his eyes, and didn't say anything more. He was really missing his hat. It would have been handy right now to cover his eyes. Anything else that he could put between his eyes and hers, to stop himself from feeling her watching him.
Rosaline had realised something in their time together on the island, something which had shocked her and repulsed her at first. She had heard of Captain Jack Sparrow, and of his good looks and charms. She did not like to admit the fact that these aspects had attracted her attention, but it was true. She knew there was nothing she could do about it. It was unthinkable, for a lady such as herself to involve herself with a pirate. But as she watched him lying there, she realised that she was missing their conversation. Although the last one they had wasn't exactly cheery, now that she couldn't hear his voice, she felt alone, she was more aware of the darkness, and the silence around her. She realised that she wanted to talk to him, not because he was handsome, not because he was a pirate, but because she liked who he was.
"Jack," She said, "Don't go to sleep." Jack opened one eye, and then sat up.
"What are you sayin' luv?" He asked her. From the look in her eyes, he knew that what he was hoping for was not happening anytime soon.
"I want you to talk to me." She was in the process of realising how stupid she sounded. "I just want… I don't want you to go to sleep yet." She said. She sighed, and turned away from him. Jack scooted closer to her, but not so close as to make her uncomfortable,
"Alright then," He said, "I won't."
"Where's the bloody English wench?!" Hooch, The pirate who had made the discovery shook the bars of the cell.
"We don't know," Ana Maria said, "Probably gone and jumped over board in some sad attempt to save herself. She wasn't worth the hassle, we weren't paid nearly enough to transport her." The pirate was fuming,
"How did she escape?" He demanded, swinging the door of Victoria's cell. "The keys were in…" He felt for the pouch around his belt. "The bloody wench!"
Victoria's eyes glinted in the moonlight, which was fading, and turning to the dim light of a sunrise. She was lodged in a very small gap between the captain's cabin, and the deck. She had taken in every part of the ship when they had been captured, and noticed this space. Her instincts told her that no one would think of looking. Common sense told them it was too small for her, after all, she looked at lot bigger in her dress, which had so many under skirts you could get lost in them for days. She was in the shadows, and knew she would not be found. Her eyes closed, and she listened carefully to the sounds of the ship. She recognised the familiar sounds of the ship creaking, and she concentrated her attention on the footsteps on deck. She visualised them in her mind, and listened for at least half an hour, to familiarise herself with them. She could isolate singular pirates, and could tell how long it was going to take for any particular set of steps to get to her position. She concentrated, and waited for a single person to pass her position. The area would be silent for about three minutes. She slid out from her hiding place and stabbed the pirate neatly in the back before he could react. He slid silently to the ground, for she had successfully administered a killing blow. She immediately grabbed the rigging and pulled herself up, over the cabins and down the port side of the ship and in through an open window.
"So it's been three hours since she escaped, and you're tellin' me this 'English Lady' who seemed so harmless has successfully picked off five members of my crew, and none of you have been able to find her?" Gorgon spoke calmly, which was never a good sign. His crew cowered, and the one who was probably his first mate nodded slowly,
"Yes, sir," Gorgon sighed and shook his head,
"That's not very good, is it Screwball?" He said. Then his expression changed, he became sinister and threatening. "If it wasn't clear right now that I need every single member of my crew alive and ready, I would kill you myself." Screwball swallowed and stepped back among the rest of the crew. "All o' ye!" The captain yelled, "Find me that girl!"
The crew are in trouble, but let's hope Savannah… Victoria… whoever, doesn't just save her own skin…
Thanks for the review Rae Roberts, glad you're still enjoying the story, I'm just goin on blind faith now that I still have readers!
Love ya all, especially reviewers!
Savvy Z