Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. The only thing I own is the plot and Delanie.
Origins of a Pirate
Chapter 5
It was a hot summer's day, unbearably warm for those who were not used to the heat. Men wiped beads of sweat off of their brows with fine linen handkerchiefs, while women shielded themselves with heavy bonnets. The city of London went about their busy everyday lives, trying to stay inside as much as possible. Little Cutler sat under the dark stairwell and sobbed as the world passed by. He didn't fit in. He didn't belong. He knew what he had to do.
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Much had changed since Delanie had died. The Teague household had grown dark and stuffy with depression. Many days, the three children simply sat inside and stared at each other in silence, not in the mood for fun and frolicking. Teague locked himself in his office at the crack of dawn every day, not coming out until well after Ginny, Jack, and Cut had drifted off into dream land.
Each of the children was handling the loss in their own way. Jack had taken on the responsibilities of both of his parents, as father was hardly seen during the day. A boy of just ten years old, he was already looking after two children younger than himself. Ginny cried herself to sleep every night, and while not knowing quite what had happened, she was well aware that something was gone from the mansion, something that truly made the house a home.
Cut had perhaps taken the death the hardest. Jack had started using his younger brother as a stress reliever, blaming Cut and criticizing his every move. It would only be a matter of time until…
"Jack? Jack? Where's Cut?" Ginny tugged on Jack's sleeve anxiously.
"Go play, Ginny. I'm busy right now. Cut's probably just sulking again. He'll come out soon enough." Jack pushed his little sister away from where he was attempting to cook supper.
"But Jack!" Ginny whined.
"Not now! I can't burn the food!"
"Fine." And with that, Ginny wandered upstairs to look for her brother.
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Cut's room was immaculate. There was no where that a boy of seven could hide unnoticed. Ginny surveyed the area. Where was her brother?
Suddenly, Ginny noticed the note on the table.
As she picked it up with her tiny grubby fingers and squinted trying to make sense of the mysterious characters on the page, Ginny sighed. Although she couldn't read, she sensed something was important about the paper, something that she would not know without the assistance of someone older and more learned than herself.
There was just one thing to do.
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"Jack?" Ginny pulled on his shirt once again "Can you read this to me?"
"If I read it to you, will you leave me alone?"
Ginny nodded and handed Jack the paper. Pulling it from her hand he slowly but surely began to read.
Daddy, Jack, and Ginny
If you are reading this, that means I have run away. I have no place here anymore and I have joined the army as a drummer. Don't try to look for me. I have changed my last name and I will probably already be dead by the time you locate me. If they bring my body here I want to be buried next to mommy.
Your loving son and brother
Cutler
Jack read the letter once again. Cutler was gone? How could Jack tell Teague? Could father bear the news? Jack scratched his head confused, uttering the only phrase that came to mind.
"Oh Bugger."
Sorry this took so long, I've been really busy. Enjoy!