Two chapters in one day! That's definitely a record for me, I must say. I'm rather proud of myself. Once again, thanks to my lovely Beta reader, Team Jem Carstairs. I would be lost without her. Also, I've got a few more oneshots coming up, about three or four, plus a brand new fic, revolving around Tessa's life after everyone's gone. Also, I SWEAR I will get back to work on Roarin'. I'm out of school for the summer, so I've got plenty of time.
Now that I've gotten my ramble out, please, enjoy.
"We pillage and plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho! We kidnap and ravage, and don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's-"
The words of the song were replaced by a gasp, when a hand clamped down upon her shoulder. Whirling round, Tessa saw that it was only Gabriel, Commodore Lightwood's youngest son. His green eyes glittered with maniacal mirth at having given her a fright. He made a noise in the back of his throat that was something akin to a cackle.
Gabriel was a twelve-year-old monster. Though he was only a year older than Tessa, he treated her as though she were an incompetent toddler he had to put up with. He delighted in teasing her and making her the target of his cruel, and often humiliating tricks. Tormenting the Governor's daughter would normally merit some sort of punishment, but as he was the son of the Commodore he always managed to come away unscathed.
"Oh, leave me alone, Gabriel." she said, scowling. She gave the boy a withering look and turned back to face the black, choppy waters. Something about the seas called to her; a dark, mysterious song. It brought a swell of adventure and wanderlust to her heart. Apparently, Gabriel was not as captivated for his attention remained locked on Tessa.
"You oughtn't sing about such things, Tessie." he said, smiling superiorly and using his bothersome nickname for her. "You don't want to bring the pirates down on us, do you?"
"Nonsense, Gabriel. And don't call me that. You know I hate it when you call me that."
Gabriel grinned. "Call you what? Tessie? It does rather suit you, I think. And yes, you'll bring pirates to our ship and they'll take you away with them for singing their song."
Tessa scoffed at him, but secretly thrilled at the idea. Oh, to meet a pirate! They could sing the song and dance and pillage and raid and drink rum by the gallon!
"What's all this talk of pirates?" Henry Branwell, one of the crew members, asked, having heard the children.
"I was only-"
"She was singing a song about pirates!" Gabriel interrupted, grinning madly.
Henry spat onto the deck. "Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. Don't want to bring them down on us, do you?"
"Mr. Branwell," Governor Gray spoke up, striding over to the three of them, annoyance etched upon his face. Commodore Lightwood was close behind. "That will do."
"She was singing 'bout pirates, sir! Bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog. Mark my words." Henry swore.
"Consider them marked." Commodore Lightwood said, noncommittally. "On your way."
Henry nodded. "Aye, Commodore. It's bad luck to have a woman on board, too. Even a miniature one."
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate." Tessa protested, eyes sparkling.
Commodore Lightwood smiled down at her indulgently. "Think again, Miss Gray. Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves-a short drop and a sudden stop."
Confused at this, Tessa spared a glance at Gabriel, silently asking for clarification. He grinned and mimed a hanging. Gasping softly, Tessa's eyes snapped back to Commodore Lightwood, horror written on her face. Governor Gray chose that moment to intercede.
"Commodore Lightwood," he said, worriedly. "I appreciate your fervor, but I, ah, I am worried about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter."
Commodore Lightwood inclined his head. "My apologies, Governor Gray." he said, moving on to see about the doings of the crew.
"Actually, I find it all fascinating." Tessa smiled.
"Yes," Governor Gray said, glancing down at her dismally. "That's what concerns me."
Tessa sighed quietly. Her father had always seriously lacked a sense of adventure and cunning. That was her mother's area of expertise. Thinking of Elizabeth Gray, who had passed of a fever, made Tessa's chest ache and so she quickly banished the thoughts, turning once more to face the sea. She heard Gabriel trying to tell her something-probably prattling on about pirates-but the words were lost when something in the water caught her eye.
It was a parasol. A lovely parasol the color of buttercups with eyelet lace for trimmings. It was floating in the water, handle up. Tessa stared at it, trying to figure out what a parasol could possibly doing out in the middle of the sea. Where was the lady who owned it?
She opened her mouth to call Gabriel over and show him, but froze immediately. There, yards away from the parasol, was a large and broken plank of wood. On it was a young boy. He wasn't moving.
Heart pounding, Tessa cried out, "Look! A boy! There's a boy in the water!"
Gabriel was at her side in seconds and the rest of the grew gathered at the starboard side, clustering at the rails to get a look at the boy.
"Man overboard!" Commodore Lightwood shouted, startling the crew into motion. "Man the ropes, fetch a hook! Haul him aboard!" The crew rushed about the deck, scurrying for ropes and struggling to get the boy on to the ship. At last, he lay on the deck, quaking and sputtering. "He's still breathing."
"Mary, mother of God!" Henry exclaimed, staring off into the distance. Governor Gray and Commodore Lightwood, along with the rest of the crew, turned to look as well. There, not fifty feet from their own vessel, was the site of an obliterated ship, gone up in flames, great pillars of fire licking up the charred wood. Smoke rose in billowing clouds, mingling with the mist.
"What happened here?" Governor Gray demanded.
"It's most likely the powder magazine." Commodore Lightwood answered. "Merchant vessels run heavily armed."
"Lot of good it did them," Henry muttered. At the stern look Commodore Lightwood threw him he said, "Everyone's thinkin' it, I'm just sayin' it. Pirates."
Governor Gray chuckled nervously. "There's no proof of that. It was probably an accident."
"Rouse the captain immediately!" Commodore Lightwood shouted. "Heave to and take in sail! Launch the boats!"
"Theresa," Governor Gray pulled his daughter aside. "I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him?"
Tessa nodded and moved toward the boy, only half hearing her father tell Gabriel to help the crew comb the wreckage for survivors. She knelt down beside the boy, who was shivering where he lay in his soaked clothes. His face was pale and angular, almond-shaped eyes slanted in a peculiar way. She reached up to brush back a stray strand of black hair, and gasped when his hand shot up to grab her wrist. His slanted eyes were wide open and Tessa found herself marveling at their dark, almost black, color.
"It's all right." she crooned, gently prying his hand from her wrist. "I'm Tessa Gray."
The panic in his eyes dimmed some and he relaxed, lying back down. "J-Jem Carstairs."
Tessa smiled softly, stroking back his hair. "I'm watching over you, Jem." The boy nodded, seemingly comforted by this knowledge, and let his eyes close, slipping away into slumber. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, until a glimmer underneath his shirt caught her gaze. She carefully pulled it out to have a look and found that it was a medallion. A perfectly round, golden medallion with a skull carved into its center. And then it clicked inside her mind.
"You're a pirate," she whispered, one half of her horrified, the other intrigued. Then a tendril of dread crept its way into her mind. She recalled the Commodore's earlier words about what he would do to pirates. She couldn't let that happen to Jem. She wouldn't. She had just safely tucked it away in her bodice when Commodore Lightwood appeared, peering down at Jem over her shoulder.
"Has he said anything?"
"His name's James Carstairs," she blurted hastily. "That's all I found out."
Commodore Lightwood nodded, satisfied with her answer, and turned to the sailors behind him. "Take him below."
Once they were gone, Tessa made her way back to the bow of the ship and, after looking to make sure no one was watching her, pulled out Jem's pirate medallion. The gold gleamed dully and the metal was cool to the touch. A shiver ran down her spine. There was something strange about this medallion . . . She held it up in front of her, hoping for some sort of clue.
Then she saw it. The mists parted, revealing a large ship with black, fraying sails that was moving away from them at a strangely fast pace. Tessa stared at it, wondering who would have a ship like that. She saw the flag, caught in the sea breeze and studied it. Black, with a white skull and crossed swords. Tessa blinked, but it was still there. A dark, uneasy feeling settled itself in her stomach and she knew. It was a pirate ship, and from the stories Henry had told her, it wasn't just any pirate ship.
It was the Black Pearl.
What do you think? I'm not at all plesed with the ending, but I wasn't feeling much like writing her waking up and getting the dress and whatnot. Next chapter, Captain Barbossa reveals to Elizabeth the Aztec curse!
Until then, dear readers.
~Anna