Chapter Four
The Intro to Freedom
"You're joking!" I scoffed, but Karissa's eyes widened into feverish, wild bits of dark chocolate.
"No! I swear! Come look!" Kristi promised, tugging me by the hand and pulling me onto the deck.
Barbossa's ship. My introduction to my new life of freedom. My heart greeted the sight warmly, but my mind recoiled from the image. Which was I to trust?
Jack solved the problem. "Barbossa is just plain trouble," he advised me. "I say put the cannons up."
"Don't," I ordered the crew, and they halted.
"Do," Jack repeated. The crew started to obey.
"Don't," I declared, and the crew halted again, looking quite exasperated. Most of them were throwing Jack and I looks.
"I think she's right, Jack," Gibbs chipped in. "He doesn't have his cannons up."
"Exactly," Karissa agreed. "How do you know Barbossa, anyway?"
Jack closed his eyes, like he was drowning in memories. "We've met," he replied vaguely.
When Barbossa stepped on board, the first thing he said was, "Parler."
"Parler granted," I said coldly. "The captain is right in front of you."
Normally Jack would come in with, "And over here, as well," or something like that. But the pirate remained silent and stood behind Gibbs, who appeared to know why he was acting strange.
"Sade, my dear." My nemesis gave me the once-over. "My, how you've grown. And that blonde hair, prettier than ever before. And you're not just stick-thin anymore. Look at those curves, men," he chuckled to his crew. "And that chest…" he stared at my body, as though thirsting for it. "You could be a model, darling…"
One of my most loyal crew mates, Nettle, paraded over and gave the horrid man the slap he deserved.
"Sorry, Captain, I couldn't resist." There was fire in her warm brown eyes.
"I understand completely, Nettle." The crew mate saluted and returned to her place.
"Oh, and don't forget those long legs…" From his spot on the floor, Barbossa was dancing along the border line of receiving a swing at the neck with my sword. I settled for a kick.
"What are you doing here, you miserable excuse for a pirate?" I disarmed him, holding his sword and mine in both hands.
"Here me out, dear…" Barbossa's voice faltered for a minute.
Throughout all this ruckus, Jack and Gibbs had been slowly progressing their way carefully back to the captain's cabin. Karissa had been occasionally shooting them questioning looks, and the whole situation would have been extremely comical if it were being viewed on stage. However, it wasn't, and I was trying to figure out what was going on without glancing back too much.
"Ah, Miss Karissa." Karissa jumped and turned to look at Barbossa. "You've got curves too, not quite as big as a chest but thinner… Not curvier thought… but that might be because Sade has broader shoulders…" he kept glancing back and forth, Karissa and I alternating glances at him, each other, and Jack and Gibbs, who had almost reached their goal.
"Let's take a vote!" Barbossa decided. "All for Sade?"
I glanced at Karissa, who was staring at Barbossa.
"All for Karissa?"
I turned to pierce Gibbs and Jack with another nonplussed expression. Karissa was still glaring at Barbossa as he counted hands.
"An exact tie! What are the odds, eh?"
Karissa and I caught each other's gaze, like, what the heck is going on?
I turned back to Barbossa. Karissa made the fatal mistake of chancing a peek at Jack and Gibbs, who were both about to open the door. Barbossa followed her gaze.
"Gibbs? What are you doing on this ship? And if you're here, then perhaps…"
Barbossa knifed his way through the crowd to Gibbs and Jack, and pulled the sheepish pirate captain out from behind his bodyguard.
"Jack Sparrow," regarded Barbossa.
"Hector," Jack returned, trying not to appear frightened.
"So you've landed on a ship with a girl just as determined to be captain as you are. So tell me: which is in charge?"
Jack and I had had many fights over dominance, but in the end had both decided on this solution.
"We both are," I intervened, forcing my slender body between the two captains. Barbossa did a double take. "Come again, my sweet?"
"We both are," I repeated, trying to hold back my repulsion at the sweet part. "There are two first mates, as well. Karissa and Gibbs."
The two pirate captains were glaring at each other, as though both were daring the other to… to… I wasn't quite sure.
I raised myself on tip-toe to come level with them both. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I have one question for each of you."
"Shoot," Barbossa approved, still looking daggers at Jack.
"Don't tempt me," Jack muttered.
I put one hand on both of their chests. The two pirates glanced down, as though they had forgotten whose ship this was.
"Jack. How do you two know each other?"
Jack placed a hand over my own on his chest. "I used to work for him. Then I committed mutiny."
"That's the short version." Barbossa's voice was both smooth and dangerous, in the way only pirates' voices can be.
"Sade, my dear love, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of you touching this monster." Jack tugged my hand away from Barbossa's chest and placed it on his own.
"Sade, my sweet darling, I do not feel content with the idea of you touching that scoundrel." Barbossa took my hands and glared at Jack.
"Sade, my best friend, would you like your sword?" Karissa said this extra loudly, and both Jack and Barbossa pulled away glaring.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Barbossa calmly.
He swallowed. "You've heard of a gentleman by the name of Davy Jones, correct?"