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Hope you stick around for the next chapter!
Searching For The Dutchman
Chapter Two
Hello, I hope that this chapter will be as good as the last one, maybe longer too.
Well enjoy the story!
"Kid! Kid! Wake up, you've work ta do." Selena calls to Lina, Selena is a barmaid for the morning, she serves rum and misses out on all the fun of the night job. Lina on the other hand just appears everyone so month or two, it has actually been six months since her mom pushed her off the boat and gave her the key of her father's heart for safekeeping. Lina washed up to shore and a month later stowed away in a ship who were talking about The Flying Dutchman, they threw her overboard after they found out she stowed away, numerous accounts like these happened in the last six months.
Lina woke from her slumber and got on her boots, she only had a pair of clothes that she slept in, she heads down to work. Cleaning up The Faithful Bride since they have no time for that at night so Lina cleans up every disgusting thing around for a place to sleep and a full plate of food.
Lina walked downstairs to the bar, it looked horrendous, chairs everywhere, some even demolished, tables turned over, rum everywhere and a shattered glasses and a couple mugs just laying around. There must've been a fight last night, definitely with some destroyed chairs.
"I'm here, don't need you yacking up a storm. You especially don't want Mister to find I'm working here." Lina verbalized when she got to main level, Selena looked at her furiously. It's her job to clean up and serve but a girly like her doesn't want to pick up all the trash, she's just lucky two months ago Lina asked for a job.
"Shut about it why don'tcha, after the cleaning then your food. Also clean bathrooms this time, okay?" Selena said, agitated that the kid is giving her attitude. Lina shrugs and starts picking up the shards of glass then the occasional mug laying around and of course picking up the wood that was from a chair. Lina does all this while humming A Pirate's Life For Me.
As the sun gets up into the sky Lina scrubs hard at the floor to make it look better, that will be impossible but she scrubs at the grimy, drink stained floor.
A few men will come and go getting a drink, slam it down then leave. Barely any drunks at mid-day. Lina scrubs hard at the windows and puts the tables and chairs back in order knowing that she'll need to do this all over again.
It's almost night and Lina is finally done cleaning the joint, it looks better but not excellent, you could never make this bar look excellent. Lina rushes over to the counter for her meal, normally a big plate of food that is just laying around, but it's still one whole plate of edible food.
"I'm done Selena!" Lina yells out, Selena comes out with a bunch of makeup on and a flirtatious dress that almost looks dreadful on her, the drunks won't know a difference though. She must have been switched positions from day barmaid to night barmaid.
"Well looks clean, enough. The dump will never be clean though. If I need some help tonight then I'm calling for you, okay?" Selena asks, trying her best to sound sincere so Lina can help tonight. Lina actually has been a big help during nights normally, if there is a fight that the barmaids can't handle and need another hand they get Lina, who helps a lot because of her size and nimbleness. Lina looks at her with disgust, she's hoping that she doesn't have to wear a dress, she hates dresses, she believes that men created them to make it harder for women to run away.
"Do I have to wear a dress Selena?" Lina asked annoyed, the kid just hates dresses, also skirts. It's pants or no deal. Selena looks at Lina, Lina has untamable brown hair, that looks almost like her mothers with chocolate brown eyes that made your heart melt and a clear complexion with a thread necklace around her neck, Lina also has a white cotton shirt and brown cotton pants, if she didn't have long hair some people would mistake her for a boy.
"No, I won't make you. Your meal is in the back, got it?"Selena tells Lina, she sighs heavily. Lina gets out of the barstool and goes into the backroom, where all the drinks are made. Today on the menu is a slice of hard bread and a stew fulled up on the plate, there are vegetables, meat and apples. A small mug of rum is there to wash everything down with. Lina hurriedly chomps down all her food, she's a hungry growing girl, she hasn't eatne since yesterday at this time. Selena comes to the back to chat with Lina, she normally does since there is no better company at the time.
"So what's your name again kid?" Lina looks up at her and swallows.
"Catalina, I like Lina best though."
"So...Lina, where is your family? I mean it's weird to see a child hang around in Tortuga." The very question Lina has been trying to avoid, what does she say, her mom is the Pirate Queen and got captured and her father is supposedly the captain of The Flying Dutchman? Now who in the world would believe that.
"My parents got captured and pushed me overboard to save me from the noose." Lina said casually, Selena looked at her horrified.
"Who are your parents? That's so sad kid, my mom just abandoned me when I was born. What's your last name kid?" Oh crap, what to say now?
"Swann, I'm Lina Swann." Lina said nervously, luckily Selena would probably forget in an hour, she never remembered her first name. Her name was actually Catalina Turner.
Selena looked at her, she brushed away a lock of hair in Lina's face. "You know, if you wore some nice clothes and some makeup you'd do alright here kid."Serena's voice sounded so cheery, she took no shame that she's a whore. Lina didn't like that she lived and worked for a whore, she loved her life on The Serpent, even if here mother ignored her until she did something wrong.
"Thanks." After that Lina just got up and put her dirty dish by the other stack of dirty dishes by the supposedly working sink. Serena looked at her strangely then shrugged and got up to go to her dressing room, to apply some more make up. Lina was disgusted by it, she hated make up, why put so much ion when it'll all come off?
Lina walked out of the dingy kitchen then back away, the owner of the bar walked through the place, he didn't know that she worked here, or lived here even. She heard him mumble something about stupid pirates, of course. Someone probably been freeloading him, it happens all the time in Tortuga, the manager was mumbling names off, he mocked a name, 'Captain' Jack Sparrow. His name sounded familiar to Lina, she heard of him before. Her mother's crew told her about her mother's and Sparrow's acquaintances, yes, his name is found pretty familiar.
Lina needed to get back to her room, undetected. If he saw her, he would question her then Selena and all the other whores. She would get fired and probably not find a place to work and eat again. The bar manager, Lina didn't know his name, was just sitting and muttering at himself at one of the tables. He started banging his fists on the table.
"Someone get me some rum!"He shouted. Selena puffed and left the kitchen. Now is the time, Lina crawled on the floor to the stairs, he didn't see her, yet. The stairs were very close now, she straightened up and walked quickly up the stairs. There, she made it.
"Di' I just see a kid climb up da stairs?" The bar manager asked Selena. By how Lina looks at first glance, you could say she does look like a boy but when you look into her face you can tell she's a girl.
"No ya di'n't. Maybe ya had to much rum."Selena said politely. She didn't want to clean up the bar in the morning, that's not lady's work. Selena walked away from the bar manager, she glanced up the stairs, the kid was gone.
Lina looked around her room, a cot and an old book that she reads from time to time, A Midsummer's Night Dream, her mother taught her how read and write, said she needed to how to do read and write, it's important. The book's pages were old and wet, they didn't move easily as Lina read through the story once more.
Night fell, boisterous noises came from downstairs and all around the room. Lina could hear the drunk men singing and laughing and could hear the clanging on mugs. Just another usual night, Lina almost gave up on finding the captain of the Flying Dutchman, I mean how's she, a kid going to get there?
A loud knock protruded from Lina's door.
"Kid. I need ya help!" It was Selena, there was probably a messy bar fight that was getting way out of hand. Before Lina could call Selena in she trudged through the door with the most angry expression known to man. Selena's hair used to be tied up all fancy, now frayed hair laid limply around her face.
"Can you help me please?" Selena growled at the kid, Selena looked a her, she didn't want to ask help from a child, especially one that is a girl. Lina got off from her cot and put down her used book, she stared at Selena with a laughing gleam in her eye. Then another woman barged into Lina's room, she had on a burgundy dress laced black and dark green with raven black hair put up very neatly into a fancy bun on top of her head, she must be working tonight with Selena.
"You ran up her to fetch this living whelp? Who are you kid? You wnet to ask help from a boy-wait girl?" The woman kept directing her attention, more like glare from Selena to Lina.
"I am a girl, also I could probably stop those buggers down there if you want. I should be asking you the same question, who are you?" Lina said smartly, she did not like this unknown woman, probably whore in her room asking questions she will forget by tomorrow. The woman looked like she wanted to slap Lina, she never liked children, like many people in Tortuga.
"Don't use that tone with me. Selena was lucky enough to come into your presence missy!" The woman yelled. Lina smirked, who cares if they grace her with their presence.
"Kid this is Ramona. She's working tonight with me." Selena said calmly but in a squeaky voice. Just through the door you could hear chairs banging, slurred yelling and dead threats. Ramona looked quizically at the child.
"Ya look familiar, are you someone's bastard child?" Ramona blurted out. Selena rolled her eyes.
"Do you need my help or no?" Lina was getting tired of their ranting, she just wanted to get though this night and try to get to sleep and get the day over with. They steamed, they looked at her with the most agitated expression then one of them finally spoke up.
"Yeah kid. Now first, only help us okay? Don't steal the show to your little kid self, okay? Also put on your cap, you can't go down looking like a girl tryin' to be a boy." Ramona yelled at Lina, she just nodded her head and picked up her newsboy cap, it prevented people from seeing her face. Lina's face had the reddest lips, normal cheekbones but chocolate brown eyes that had fire and ambition in them, she almost looked exactly like her mother at the age but had more of her father's eyes than her mothers. Her hair tucked snugly in her cap, she truly looked like a boy with her cotton loose fitting pants, a baggy, patched up shirt and a white sash around her green pants to keep her pants up.
Selena walked out first then Ramona then Lina, they walked down the stairs, past whores with men going to rooms to do business and down the steps which looked like hell. All around men were going after one man, looked like a regular pirate, just had on a baggy white tunic, blonde hair and brown breeches. Nothing special about him, although he did look pretty young, about fifteen or sixteen. All the other men were yelling at each other, looked like most turned on each other but some still went after the young pirate boy.
"What the heck happened?" Lina asked, she did not want toi clean up after these slobs tomorrow morning. This will be fun for the child, barrels of fun.
"Well that youngen there, the kid got angry or somethin' and then attacked some guy then that guy attacked some guy then a whole fight broke out." Selena whispered into Lina's ear, it made sense. Now how to make everything stop, and thing go back to it's mildly rowdy bar instead of this mayhem. Well maybe if she knocked out the boy then everything would calm down after that, hopefully.
"Here's whatcha gotta do, knock out the boy and maybe things will topple down after that. You never know though, especially with pirates." Lina told Selena and Ramona, this is what happened on her home ship when there was a fight, knock out the person who caused it.
The grown women walked in front and tried to get through the crowd before being stopped by some drunk men. Typical, ina thought, just typical then slunk through the crowd of pirates to the young boy.
"Gibbs, help me man. I need to find him, he'll help me get rid of that Jackson woman." One of the pirates voices ringed through Lina's ear. Lina stopped, she wanted to find out who him was.
"Jack, Jack, Mr. Turner is smarter now, why would he, the captain, hlep you get rid of a certain woman?..." Another pirate's voices answered, Gibbs was his name and they had her at Mr. Turner, since that is her last name and all. They must be talking about her father.
"Get to work." Selena commanded Lina while she was giggling with another pirate. Lina shook her head, time to get her work done then maybe find out what Gibb's or Jack's ship is.
The boy had this short sword out to defend himself, he brandishing it in front of all the pirates around him. They haven't noticed a small 'boy' sneak though them to the center where the boy with the sword was. A table was right next to her, some pirates were standing there fighting each other, basically slapping mostly though. There was a lone beer mug, empty but with a trace of rum in it, the basic drink served in Tortuga, immediately Lina grabbed it, perfect weapon. Lina crouched down then sprung up behind the boy. Soon Lina threw her arm up with the mug and it came crashing down on the boy's lower head, since Lina couldn't reach him. Nobody noticed her, Lina blended into the background but everyone else, at least the ones after the boy stopped and went directly to the bar counter to order some rum.
Some little fights still existed but nothing on a grand scale that needed breaking up. Lina however was trying to find those men, the ones talking about her father. She tried to trace the voices but she could not hear anything particular from the rumble of slurred voices that filled the bar. A chair was empty by her so she plopped right on down.
After a good half an hour, at least she spotted the boy was awake and also walking towards to another, older pirate. He had long braided hair, dark kohl under his eyes and had a brown leather hat on, she had seen him in here, actually all the time. Lina decided to get a listen on their conversation, she just picked herself up and sat down looking like she was watching some men fight.
"Harry, I don't think you'll be coming back." The pirate with the kohl under his eyes. Lina immediately recognized the voice, he was the one chatting with Gibbs.
"Captain, give me one more chance. If I fail this one then throw me over board." Harry, the boy, pleaded, it's strange to hear him plead, from what Lina has observed he seemed arrogant and egotistical, thinking he could fight of all those drunks by himself, no a better word, cocky.
"One more chance, now go to the Pearl, she needs some cleaning." The pirate with kohl under his eyes said, apparently he's the captain and really doesn't like Harry .It didn't take a deaf man to hear that.
Harry just nodded and went to the bar to ask for a mug of rum on the go. This is her chance, Lina scurried away from the crowd and went up to her room to get her book, her only possession in the room except for the clothes on her back. She made it back down just in time she could see Harry was leaving the bar, Lina rushed through the crowd, hopped over a cuple pirates and made it out in the open.
End of Chapter Two, hope you liked it. Well I'll try to update the next chapter. Please review!