Adriana made herself as small as possible as the three men loaded the dinghy with various items from the treasure cache. The Captain still seemed to be quite bewildered by her presence. Poor guy, she thought, if only he knew I was just as confused as he is.
As the three men prepared to embark, Mr. Sideburns took the Captain aside. Adriana couldn't make out much of their conversation. She did notice the Captain gesticulating wildly, and only deciphered one snippet of their whispered exchange.
"Frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard, sir," protested the man with the sideburns.
With that, the two looked at Adriana. She raised her right eyebrow and stared back at the two of them. The Captain said something, and the two got on the boat.
The ride out of the cave was uncomfortable, at best. Adriana was wedged on the bottom of the boat, between two seats. To her left were the two men that rowed the boat. On her right sat the Captain. She avoided looking at him; instead she focused her attention on the scenery. He, however, studied her intently. She was unlike any woman he had ever seen. There was something exotic about her; he just couldn't put a finger on it. As his eyes meandered over her body, he caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her back. He raised an eyebrow; the lass was definitely exotic.
Adriana couldn't help but gasp as the rowboat left the cave, and she took in the vastness of the dark ocean she now helplessly floated upon.
"What's th' matter luv? Never seen a ship tha' big before?" The Captain quipped.
Adriana hadn't noticed the ship. Save a smattering of twinkling lanterns, the ship was an inky silhouette against the night sky. Oceans, sailboats, and some peculiar men, this was all a bit much for Adriana. She must have hit her head when she fell; there was no logical explanation for all of this. On top of it all, she was getting a bit queasy. Must be from the concussion, she mused.
In no time at all, the little rowboat pulled alongside the monolithic hull of black ship.
"Mr. Gibbs, if you'd be so kind," the Captain addressed the man with the sideburns, with a gesture in Adriana's direction.
Mr. Gibbs picked up Adriana and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then proceeded to scale the rope ladder that had been lowered for him. Adriana held on as best she could, given the fact that both her hands and feet were still securely bound together. From her perch she could see the little rowboat shrinking with each upward step.
"Please don't drop me," she begged.
"I'm not plannin' on it, missy," he grunted as he heaved himself over the railing and on to the deck.
Adriana was deposited in a heap on the deck. The bonds binding her ankles were cut.
"There's nowhere for you to run to now," someone hissed in her ear.
Her head whipped around to confront the disembodied voice. A small crowd had congregated behind her, leering at her. It was the sorriest assemblage of people she had ever seen. Each person was filthy, many were missing teeth, and they were dressed in glorified rags. They looked like, well, pirates. They whispered amongst themselves; snippets floated to Adriana's ears.
"Stealin'"
"Plunder"
"Angry"
"String 'er up"
"Maroon 'er"
The Captain materialized over the deck railing, and a silence swept over the crew.
"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, luv. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, and these gentlemen'll show you to your quarters." Captain Sparrow gave an elaborate flourish and added, "Lock her in the brig, men."
Two calloused hands grabbed her arms and hauled her below decks. The brig was little more than cage. Adriana estimated it to be about eight feet by four feet, and she was being generous. After slitting her bonds and dumping her in the cell, the two pirates tossed her purse and sweatshirt in after her. The door banged shut behind her, and the sound of the lock ramming home sickened Adriana. What cruel fate awaited her now? How long was she going to sit and rot in this damp, god-forsaken prison? She could hear the crash of water on the ship's hull. She must be near the water line.
To occupy herself until her probable execution, she rummaged through her purse. On top were her cigarettes, right where she left them. She lit one up, hoping it would calm her nerves. Her purse was full of the usual junk; sadly she had no helpful items, with which she could make her escape. She did have her makeup kit, a spare tongue ring, her keys with the fierce skull keychain she dubbed "Mr. Bones", a little bottle of lotion, a little tube of toothpaste and travel toothbrush, a spare pair of underwear, and the ever-important box of condoms. She was fully prepared to get laid that night, until her plans were shattered by that bloody cave and those bloody pirates. She wondered what Mike did when he noticed she was missing. Or had he even noticed? Or perhaps he fell into the cave too, and was wandering around looking for her.
She put her cigarette out on the iron framework of her cell just before it burned her fingers. No sooner had she extinguished the cancer stick, a pirate entered, bearing a plate of food and a wooden mug. He slid it under the door, turned on his heel, and promptly exited.
Adriana muttered a "Thanks" to his rapidly retreating form.
She warily inspected the food. The hard tack and salted fish didn't look appetizing. Ordinarily she wouldn't have touched them, however, her stomach let out a hearty growl, and she had no choice but to oblige it. She choked down as much as she could, but the food left a horrible taste in her mouth. She wondered how people could eat this shit. Desperately she hoped the beverage in her mug tasted better. She sniffed it tentatively. Definitely alcohol, she took a sip. Rum! She rejoiced, and emptied the mug.
She was getting tired. Her body told her it was late, but without a clock she was unable to confirm her suspicions. Her corset, which had seemed like a splendid idea earlier, was now becoming uncomfortably tight. She unhooked the top two hook-and-eye clasps, thus allowing her to breathe a little easier. The corset remained securely in place, given that it had clasps down the front and laces up the back. She balled her hoodie into a crude pillow, and was rocked to sleep by the gentle sway of the ocean.
