Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for!
Chapter 9- Tortuga and Mr. Gibbs
I woke lying on the bed in the captain's cabin. It was dark outside, and I could hear Jack and Will talking somewhere.
Then I remembered what had happened and I searched for my necklace. It was around my neck.
'Jack must have put it there.' I thought.
Jack.
My father.
I had to admit that I hadn't seen that coming, and it was going to take some getting used to.
I sat up and climbed out of bed. I walked outside, following Jack and Will's voices.
"Saoirse!" Will gasped when I found them at the helm. "Are you alright? You fainted earlier."
"I'm fine, Will. Really." I insisted.
"Jack said the heat was getting to you." Will said. I looked at Jack.
"Yeah. I guess that I was just a little too hot." I replied, not taking my eyes off Jack. I'd have to remember to ask him about that later.
"Well, as long as you're alright…"
"I'm fine."
"Okay, good. Now, Jack. What are we doing in Tortuga?" Jack took his eyes from mine, and turned to Will.
"We're going to find a friend of mine. Mr. Gibbs. He can get us a crew for our venture."
"Ah, alright." Will seemed satisfied.
"Mr. Gibbs? I met a Mr. Gibbs once." I said. "On the crossing from England. After we got shipwrecked, remember Will?"
"I remember the wreck, but I don't remember any Mr. Gibbs."
"Oh, well, he had also asked about my-" I stopped in mid-sentence and looked at Jack again. "He asked about my necklace."
"Well," Jack said. "I guess we had better find him then, aye?"
We anchored off shore. As Will got the rowboat ready, Jack turned to me.
"Saoirse, I want you to stay here."
"Why? I want to come and see Mr. Gibbs."
"Tortuga isn't the best place in the world for a girl like you. The men wouldn't hesitate to use you to their advantage."
"Then I'll wear my hat and pretend I'm a boy. Nobody will know."
"Fine, but stay close to me an' Will."
"Thank you!" I shrieked and jumped into the boat.
"What was that all about?" Will asked.
"She gets to come." Jack replied, before handing me my hat, which I had left on a barrel earlier. I smiled.
"Thanks," I laughed. "It would help to have that."
"'Specially if you wanna come." Jack said.
"Yeah."
A few minutes later, we were walking through the streets of Tortuga and I was beginning to regret coming.
Not that I was gonna tell Jack that.
Men were lying around everywhere, drinking. Sluts and prostitutes were mingling and the entire town smelled of rum. A lot of people were firing their guns into the air for no apparent reason other than to make noise.
Jack snatched a cane from a passing drunk, who didn't even seem to notice. We passed one guy who was drinking rum and bathing in it at the same time. Will and I both had looks that said 'Wow, gross.'
"What do you think?" Jack asked.
"It'll linger." Will replied.
"I'll tell ya, mate. If every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." He turned and saw a woman in a red dress with matching red hair came strutting up. "Scarlett!" Jack walked forward to meet her.
SLAP!
"Not sure I deserved that." He said as she walked away. He turned to see another woman standing in front of him. She had blonde hair and a matching yellow dress.
"Giselle."
"Who was she?"
"What?"
SLAP!
"I may 'ave deserved that."
Jack led us to a small side alley behind the tavern. There we found a pigsty, with a man sleeping with the three pigs. Jack threw a bucket of water on the sleeping man, who woke with a start and held up a knife.
"Curse ya fer breathin', ya slack-jawed idiot!" He yelled, then spotted Jack. "Mother's love, Jack, ya know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'. It's bad luck."
"Ah, fortunately, I know how to counter that. The man who did the waking buys the man who did the sleeping a drink. The man who did the sleeping drinks it, while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Jack said, causing a confused look to appear on Mr. Gibbs's face.
"Jack buys you a drink, which you drink, as he tells you what he wants," I clarified. "Duh."
Mr. Gibbs looked at me, then back at Jack.
"Aye, that'll about do it." Mr. Gibbs said as Jack helped him up.
Suddenly, Mr. Gibbs was hit with more water.
"Blast! I'm already awake!" he shouted.
"That was for the smell." Will explained. Jack and I both looked at him, then back at Mr. Gibbs, who nodded. I looked around, then picked up the bucket of water that was near my feet, and chucked that on Mr. Gibbs. He put his hands in the air, as if saying 'What the heck!' Jack and Will looked at me.
"What? I was the only one that hadn't thrown water on 'im yet." Jack and Will rolled their eyes, as Mr. Gibbs looked at me.
"Saoirse?" he reached forward and pulled my hat off, causing my long hair to fall around my shoulders.
"Hello, Mr. Gibbs." I said.
"How'd you get here?"
"Long story, now gimme my hat back."
"Do you still have that necklace?" He whispered to me as Jack led us into the tavern.
"Yeah, and I know why you were curious about it."
"So you and Jack both know?"
"Yeah, but Will doesn't, I don't think. But don't say anything, I don't know how he'll take it."
"Aye, I can do that."