CHAPTER SIX

Amber had thought that the Captain Norrington's Promotion Ceremony (Try saying that five times fast, Amber thought grouchily) had looked boring on TV in the movie.

She had been wrong.

The Ceremony she was being forced to attend to against her will was extremely boring.

And very uncomfortable.

Not only was she tired of having to stand with her back straight and chest out, using the "correct lady-like posture"-Elizabeth had whispered those words out of the side of her mouth every time she had caught Amber slouching down, and that was quite often - but, she was also hot and the fan wasn't doing it's job. And if that weren't enough, she couldn't breathe in her dress. Every second or so she would fidget and try unsuccessfully to adjust her blasted corset into a position that wasn't crushing her lungs.

To add it all up, she was a very unhappy person.

Heaving a huge sigh -well, as huge of a sigh as she dare exhale in her corset- Amber glanced over at Elizabeth, who was standing right next to her. She could tell that her companion -Amber dare not call her friend. She could restrain herself from killing her, but that was as far as it goes.- wasn't having that much fun either. She would tug on her corset every so often and twist around, trying to get air. Amber knew it was only a matter of time before she finally fainted.

Waving the useless fan in her face more rapidly, Amber turned her thoughts to something more meaningful. The ceremony was boring, but it gave her mind time to wonder without the oh-so-bittersweet distraction of Will Turner.

Really, why did she have to be here? With Elizabeth? Amber would much rather be with Will, wherever that location may be.

No, no. Bad, Amber. Duties before cuties, Amber scolded herself. She had more important things to think about than Will. Like the where the heck Jessie was. Or what the heck they were doing here.

She wasn't here alone, that much was sure of. Something in her gut told her Jessie was back in the 1700's too.

Besides, when she thought about, it made sense. Why would she end up back in time when Jessie was not? Especially since they were in the same place doing the same thing. It's not like Jessie was at her house and Amber was at her's. They had both fallen off the boat and into the water. So, Jessie had to be here.

And, Amber reasoned, there had to be a reason for them being here. For some reason not yet known to Amber, both her and her best friend where needed here.

But, the more Amber thought, the more confused she became. In this crazy reality, everything that was supposed would happen. And those happenings would trigger other events that would trigger other events and...well, so on and so on. There was no need whatsoever for Amber and Jessie.

So, Amber told herself, something in this wacked-out reality world was different than it should be. It made sense, if she thought about it -If everything was exactly the same as it was in the movie, then Amber and Jessie wouldn't be needed in the story. But they were- otherwise, why were they here? So, there had to be something different. Now, she just needed to find out what it was.

Amber closed her eyes and fanned harder. It was all so confusing. But she couldn't think about it any longer, because the ceremony was over and Elizabeth was trying to get her attention.

"Amber," Elizabeth nudged Amber hard in the ribs, drawing her out of her thoughts -And knocking out what little breathe was left in her chest.

But Elizabeth wasn't done talking. "Capt...er...Commodore Norrington's coming this way."

Amber didn't know what this little tidbit of information was supposed to mean for her, really, why did she care? But, perhaps, Elizabeth was talking more to herself than Amber.

Folding the fan together -the thing could be useful, if it worked- Amber walked over to stand closer to the edge of the battlement. She was farther down than Norrington and Elizabeth, though she could still hear the words being said.

She pretended to stare out at the water (She couldn't see Jack), when really she was using her not-so-useless skill of eavesdropping.

Not there was any reason to eavesdrop, however. She had the conversation memorized down to the period.

"You look lovely, Elizabeth."

Amber heard the small sound Elizabeth made in response, though she didn't turn around. Still, she knew Elizabeth would lean against the wall -trying to find a moment's relief from her fastly decreasing air supply.

"I apologize if I seem forward, though I must speak my mind. This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet achieved -A marriage to a fine woman."

Yes, yes. We know. We get it -No one likes you. You can't hook a girl. Amber stopped her mental grumbling as Norrington went on. "You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth."

Cheesiest marriage proposal I've ever heard. If a man today proposed to a girl like that, she would've laughed in his face...Then again, maybe it was only Amber who would do that.

"I can't breathe."

Amber heard the words Elizabeth had sputtered out, telling Norrington to do something: She couldn't breathe. She was being literal; but Norrington, on the other hand, took as, 'she's a little nervous' or something along those lines. So, instead of actually doing something useful, he just said, "Yes, I'm a bit nervous myself…"

Amber knew that about now was the time that Norrington would turn to face Elizabeth, only to find she wasn't there.

"Elizabeth?"

3…2…1…Amber counted down. When she reached zero, she stood up on tiptoe –the battlement was a little too tall for her to see over- and bent her head down. Right on cue, she saw Elizabeth hit the water and the splash her body created.

Leaning back so she was flat-footed again, Amber thought to herself, Just be glad your corset isn't that tight…