I know I haven't updated this story in forever, but I had a sudden urge today to add a chapter. Hope you like it; please review it will make my day. You have no idea… :D
Disclaimer: I do not own POTC or its characters, but I do own Bella and Oliver (woot woot!)
Chapter Five
A storm was raging just above the horizon, with purple and black clouds swirling toward the north. The lightening was hard to miss when it lit the sky up as much as the sun did during the day. Jack said it was going to tough going for a while, so he decided that tonight was the perfect opportunity for Oliver and me to try out our new roles as Scurry Rats.
We were stopping at a port town where there was supposedly a man named Hans, he was going to give us directions to a town on the inside of the island. There, we had to look for a tombstone with the name Fredrick R. Tucker. Then we started digging.
I knew robbing a grave was wrong in all degrees, but I came to the fact that I was working with pirates here. And pirates do anything to get what the wanted. I was just afraid to do what I needed to do, but Oliver was coming with me, so I wouldn't be alone.
Once the night sank down around us and the storm grew steadily closer, Jack pushed us off the ship to do his dirty work.
"Good luck lads!" he bellowed from the helm, waving his hat in the air.
My stomach churned uneasily as we walked down the dock, Oliver was to my right, my hand on his sword. He was defiantly ready for any unnecessary action. I on the other hand was not too thrilled to put my sword to battle quite so soon, I still haven't even beat Oliver at a simple match.
I glanced back at the ship to make sure it was still waiting for us and it hadn't abandoned us on an unknown island. But luckily it was still there bobbing viciously in the rising waves. I spotted Jack still at the helm watching over us with hawk like eyes and by his side was a slender figure with long wavy hair. My eyes couldn't remember anyone on the ship who fit this description.
"Oliver, who is that next to Jack," I asked.
He glanced back to the ship and sighed, "That would be my mother."
"Oh."
We walked in silence throughout the town, trying to find the man named Hans. We walked past numerous taverns and motels, but were unable to find the potion hut that Hans' mistress owned.
Oliver led the way as we weaved through trees and paths, looking for any glowing light of a lantern. We stopped at a tree stump and Oliver sat down exasperated.
"I give up!" He mumbled into his hands.
The wind had picked up incredibly and rain was starting to sneak through the tops of the trees. I too was feeling a little defeated, but Jack wouldn't have given us a task he knew we couldn't finish, would he? I sank down on my knees by Oliver's side, waiting for him to regain his motivation. I believed in him, because he believed in me when I first started working on my fighting skills.
Time ticked by and the rain came down harder then ever, soaking us from head to toe. Oliver still didn't move a fraction of an inch on the stump. How could he just sit there and wallow in the pouring rain? I thought to myself, starting to get a little irritated with his behavior.
"Oliver!" I yelled through the rumbling thunder.
He raised his head with a jolt, wide eyed and generally shocked with my outburst.
"Are we just going to just sit here in the rain or are we going to finish this and get back to the ship where it's DRY?" I questioned him, my voice rising with hysteria.
His face settled into its normal emotion as he stood up by my side, but there was an unsettling gleam in his eye. Either he had an idea or he was just got really excited. Oliver took my hand in a locking grip and started to run down the path, with me dragging helplessly behind him
"Where are we going?" I yelled, the pouring rain making a thick curtain all around us.
"When Jack said 'potions' he didn't mean it literally, he meant the word men use for a type of drink. He means a tavern, all they make there is a Rum Potion." Oliver was yelling excitedly over the roar of the storm, but all I knew was that he finally understood where to go. Which was good enough for me at this point.
We finally came up to a rackety old tavern in the out skirts of town, it was called Tanya's Rum Potions; we passed it several times on our earlier search. Oliver pushed the door open with a loud screech and we ran inside from the hammering rain. I desperately wanted to shake the rain out of my hair, but I was in no situation to take off my hat, because inside the tavern numerous men stared at us with drunken eyes.
I immediately felt conspicuous, so I stayed half hidden behind Oliver.
The men continued to stare at us, but one was bold enough to stand up on top of his table. "You youngins' lookin' for a good time, come sit by old Harold here and I'll get ye a warm pint of rum." The crowd howled in laughter at a joke I just didn't find funny.
"Sorry to disappoint you gents, but I'm looking for Hans. Anyone here know of him?" Oliver asked his voice clean and demanding.
No one said anything, but a burly man at the back of the room rose to standing position and motioned us with his hand to follow him further into the tavern. Oliver, without a second thought, strolled right through the crowd of drunkenly greedy men while I clung to the back of his coat.
We ended up in an empty back room, with a small rickety table and chair. There was one wall lined with shelves of rum bottles, obviously ready to be served up to the men out in the main room.
"I'm Hans." The burly man spoke to Oliver in a deep Irish accent, he out stretched his hand. Oliver took it bravely and gave him a curt handshake; I however didn't loosen my hold on his coat.
"Hello, I was sent by Jack Sparrow."
Hans reacted abruptly, his eyes roamed over us with curiosity and then it soon turned into sympathy. He reached into the inside pocket of his over coat and retrieved a small piece of parchment and handed it warily to Oliver.
Oliver took it and looked over it once, to make sure it's what we really needed. "Thank you, Hans." He turned around to leave the room, but Hans' sturdy hand caught his shoulder.
"What ye lads have gotten into is pure trouble; I suggest ye get out while ye still can." Hans said with caution burning through his words, it made a spasm of fear ripple down my neck and all the way down to my toes.
Oliver didn't turn back around to speak to the burly Hans, "Thank you."
I gave Hans one last glance before I followed Oliver back out into the vexing storm.
Oliver found us a nice little shed to stay in while we studied our piece of parchment. As soon as he shut the door behind us he unfolded it and held it in his hands cautiously. I leaned over his side so I could get a good look at the article, at first all I saw were lines and shapes. But it soon came into focus and turned into a strange looking map. It had words written on it too, but they were in a language I have never seen.
"What does it mean?" I whispered, entranced by the complications the small map held.
"I don't understand it either, but I do know that it's leading us to the town on the inside of the island. The problem is, is how is it leading us there? Because this right here is suppose to be where we are," He pointed to a cluster of tiny squares that represented buildings, "but it doesn't show any other settlement anywhere on the island."
We both stared at it for a while, trying to decipher the meaning. Oliver soon got impatient and handed it to me while he started pacing around the shed. I began trying to figure out the random shapes and jumbling up the letters to make words that I could read, but nothing made any sense.
Right when I felt the need to throw the map into the dirt and smash it to a plump with my shoe a rain drop seeped through the roof and dropped on the map. It spread into a small puddle and I cursed under my breath as I wiped it off frantically, but I was stopped suddenly by a new figure that appeared on the paper. I looked at it petrified; figures were starting to spread across the wet parts of the map.
"Oliver," I murmured.
He instantly ceased his pacing and came obediently to my side; he too stared wide eyed at the new additions to the map. "That's a trail." He pointed to a new snake like line leading from the town to a wide circle in the center of the island. Inside the circle was a skull and cross bones, which gave an unnecessary chill down my spine.
"And that's the cemetery?" I asked with a shaky voice.
Oliver just nodded and I tried to suppress a whimper.
"Now the trail must be just a mile to the north, we must have passed by it earlier, let's go." Oliver started toward the door, but my body was frozen on the spot. He glanced back at me fear coated on his own face, "Were in this together Bella." He came back to me and took my hand and a wave of warmth spread throughout my body, giving me the courage I needed to step forward.
Thoughts? Questions? Anything, I want to know!
Just no flames, please.