CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The sunlight streaming in through the hole in the cell next to Jessie's woke her halfway up, and she brushed at the warm rays on her cheek as if they could be removed.
"Don't make me go to school today, Mom," She mumbled, still asleep, "Algebra is the devil's work."
Her mother didn't reply, didn't gently shake her to get her to open her eyes. When she reached for her blankets to cover her head, she couldn't feel them. That was odd. Come to think of it, whatever she was lying on felt rather odd, too…
And the annoying sound of something beating metal was definitely not her mother making breakfast…The former sound was far too quiet.
Slowly, fighting off a yawn, Jessie opened her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was a frustrated Jack Sparrow, muttering under his breath and trying rather unsuccessfully to pick the lock with a bone.
"Oh my God! Are you…" Jessie's panicked voice trailed off and she let her arms drop to her sides as she remembered yesterday's events. So it hadn't all been a dream. She really had spent an entire night in the same cell as Jack Sparrow.
For some unexplainable reason, a wide grin stretched all the way across Jessie's face. All night with Jack Sparrow—That was one for the girls back home.
"Ah, sleeping beauty awakes." Jack sounded amused as he looked over his shoulder at her, hands still clutching the bone. His smirk grew wider when he saw her and he added: "Well, except maybe the beauty bit."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jessie shot back.
"Ya got a little somethin'…" Jack brushed at his own cheek, and Jessie did the same with hers.
Her hand came back streaked with dirt, were her cheek had been pressed against the muddy floor.
"Sleeping in dirt'll do that to ye," Jack laughed, turning back to his lock picking.
"Like you actually stayed up all night!" Jessie growled, coming to stand beside him.
"Nah, I slept," Jack winked at her. "I just had the common sense to sleep against the stone wall."
"Shut up…" Jessie threatened.
"Silence helps me work better anyway." Jack focused his gaze in the bone and worked intently. A few seconds later he spoke again, without turning to look at her.
"Since I have an extra day or two before facing the noose—Told you yesterday there would be no hanging of the pirate tomorrow—" He broke off to smirk at her. "—I figured I could work on an escape plan."
"Well, you better find a new one," Jessie said, leaning back against the wall. "Because that one's not working."
"Yet," Jack pointed out, and kept picking.
"Not working ever." Jessie shot up and wrenched the bone from his grasp, smirking proudly at his astonished expression.
"This—" Jessie let the bone swing dangerously from her fingertips outside the gate of the cell. "—Is for making fun of me early in the morning." She let the bone drop out of her grasp…On the other side of the prison.
Jack jumped for the bone and tried to reach it, but Jessie had tossed the object far out of reach of the pirate's waving arms.
"In case you didn't notice…I'm not what you'd call a morning person." Rubbing her hands together in a job well done, Jessie sat back down and laughed maliciously.
"Lass, I am going to—" Jack whirled to face her.
"There are other means of escape, Captain Sparrow."
Maybe it was the use of 'Captain' in his name, but something made Jack almost smile, and fold his arms with a 'this oughta be good' look about him. "Do tell, dearie."
Leaning back against the stall wall, Jessie closed her eyes and sighed. She was tired, and had some time to kill before Will and Amber got here. Might as well sleep.
Before she did, though, she had to explain the escape plan to Jack.
"Jack, where there's a Will, there's a way out."
X.x.X.
Ever wake up from a good night's sleep, do this or that, then go back to bed, only to find you can't fall back asleep?
Yes, well, that is exactly what didn't happen to Jessie.
As soon as the young girl settled down, she fell fast asleep. She slept for a good hour, before waking up to familiar voices.
"You there, Sparrow! You are familiar with that ship, the Black Pearl?"
"I've 'eard a' it."
"Where does it make berth?"
"'Where does it make berth?' Have you not heard the stories?…Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta—An island that cannot be found…except by those who already know where it is."
"You do realize that makes absolutely no sense." Jessie, fully awake now, sat up and pushed her blond hair out of her eyes.
"I do realize you have absolutely no idea what we're talking about." Jack glared at her.
"Sure I do! You're talking about the Isla de Muerta, a.k.a., the Island of the Dead—" Jessie broke off to snort. "—That's what you call ironic—and Captain Barbossa, his crew, and—"
Jack was gaping at her, so Jessie stopped babbling. Instead she winked. "Not as asleep as I looked, eh?"
"I heard you snoring." Jack turned back to Will, leaving Jessie to glare at him. She fought the urge to stick out her tongue, and instead crossed her arms.
"I do not snore…"
"The ship is well enough," Will insisted, drawing the conversation back in the direction it was supposed to be heading, slowly but surely. "Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"
"Why ask me?" Jack questioned, lazily gazing at his nails.
"Because you're a pirate."
"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?" Jack seemed to be egging poor Will on.
"Never!" Will grabbed the bars and lunged forward.
"Don't—" Jessie began, but it was too late. Will stepped closer, and, in so doing, smashed the bone into pieces. He looked down at his feet curiously and Jessie winced.
Looking back at up at him, she noticed something.
"Where's Amber?" She asked standing up and coming to stand in front of Will. She grabbed the bars in her hands and peered past him. "I don't see her."
"I don't have a clue where Miss Reece is," Will replied, his voice full of confusion.
"Isn't she with you?"
"I haven't seen her since last night, when…the pirates…" Will trailed off, casting his eyes to the ground. Not looking up, he told Jack, "They took Miss Swann."
"Ah…So it is that you've found a girl," Jack smiled slyly, about to go on, but Jessie interrupted.
"What about Amber?" She demanded of Will. "Did they take her, too? Where was she when you saw her?" Jessie was getting nervous.
"Look, Miss…"
"My name's Jessie Montgomery," Jessie spat out. "But just tell me what happened to Amber!"
"I don't know," Will answered truthfully. "I don't remember much…" He put a hand to his head, where the was a small bump from the night before. "Miss Reece was beside me, talking to me, and then Eliza…Miss Swann…was being dragged down the street by a pirate…" He glanced at Jessie, his eyes pained. "I don't remember anything after that. I'm sorry, but I don't know what happened to your friend."
In shock, Jessie let go off the bars and slid down to the ground. She said nothing, only stared at the air in wonder.
"I see…" Jack, who had been listening quietly until now, spoke up. He addressed Will. "Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart…you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."
At this point of the movie, Jessie had always eyed the Will on screen and muttered 'I see plenty of profit in it for me.' But, now, sitting here, wondering what had happened to Amber…She said nothing. She was hardly listening.
"I can get you out of here," Will offered. He glanced at Jessie. "Both of you…Perhaps Miss Reece is back at Governor Swann's mansion," He suggested weakly, trying to help.
"Yeah…" Jessie muttered quietly. "Maybe…" Why was she finding it hard to believe?
"You can get us out?" Jack wasn't impressed. "How's that? The key's run off." He shot a menacing glance at first Jessie, then Will, then added, "And the bone is gone."
"I helped build these cells. These are half-pin barrel hinges."
"Because we all know what that means," Jessie muttered. Despite her sarcastic remark, her heart was pounding, vision blurred, and stomach churning. Her 'joke' fell flat.
Will turned around and grabbed a bench. He positioned it in between the cell doors, but didn't apply pressure. Not yet. Instead, he told them: "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free."
"What's your name?" Jack asked curiously.
"Will Turner."
Jessie's dark murmur of 'dun-dun-dun' overlapped Jack's sudden interest and line of: "That would be short for William, I imagine…Good, strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?"
"…Yes," Will admitted slowly, suspiciously.
"Uh-huh…" Jack sat up straight, and thought a minute. "…Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me—" Jessie grunted. "—us from this cell, I swear, on pain of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?"
Sticking his hand through the bars to shake Jack's, Will smiled slightly. "Agreed."
"Agreed," Jack grinned and released Will's hand. "Now get us out!"
As Will broke open the cell door, Jessie forced herself to her feet. Her legs were shaky and flimsy, and she almost fell.
Not knowing is worse than knowing, She thought silently. If she knew for sure that Amber was with Elizabeth, she could be at rest. But not knowing if Amber were here, somewhere in town, or—if she had been taken with the pirates—what they had done to her…It was worse than if she were just worried about the fact they were in a movie. Now she truly had to worry over her friend's safety.
"Hurry, someone would've heard that," Will, after successfully opening the door, tossed the bench aside.
"Not without my effects!" While Jack made a dive for what had been hung by the door, Jessie followed him out of the cell and came to stand beside him.
"Why bother with that?" Will asked, gesturing to the gun Jack had just put on his person. "You could've killed me before but you weren't willing to use it."
"Are you advising me that was a mistake?" Jack raised his gun.
"Jack…" Jessie warned. It wouldn't do to let him kill Will.
"Oh, I wasn't going to do it," Jack looked at her pitifully. "Don't get yourself in a worthless—and rather annoying—tizzy, alright?" Jessie grinned and he turned back to Will. "When you've only got one shot, it's best to wait for the opportune moment. That wasn't it…" His teasing look gone, Jack lowered his gun. "…Nor is this."
He strode past Will and dashed up the stairs, the blacksmith on his heels. Jessie followed after them, sprinting to keep up.
X.x.X
They reached the outside world in no time at all; and when Jack turned to head to the docks, he noticed Jessie behind Will.
"Hold on…" The pirate said. "Lass, what are you doing?"
"Following you?"
"Oh, no-no-no-no-no." Jack waved his hands in front of his face. "Lass, you can't come."
"And why not?" Jessie demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
"Listen, girl…I let you follow me around the first time, did I not?" Jack nodded, telling her he had. "And see what happened? You got arrested. You're free now…Go and do…do…Well, do whatever you want; you just can't come along." Jack gave her a grin that could almost be called apologetic and added, "Savvy?"
"Jack Sparrow—"
"Captain."
"Captain," Jessie snarled, truly getting angry at the time they were wasting. "Jack Sparrow, I am going to come with you. They…" She trailed off, and added more quietly, "They may have Amber."
"Ah, but you don't know that for certain, luv," Jack pointed out, raising one finger knowingly. "Just go back to wherever it is you came from—"
"Not without Amber."
"Or look for her here; I'm sure she's around." Jack continued as if she never said anything. "And if for some unforeseeable circumstance that will not be known until it's known, she did end up on the Black Pearl along with the blacksmith's bonny lass…" Jack went on in a whisper, like whatever he was going to say was some huge secret. "I promise I won't hurt her." He brightened. "But bring her back here—" He pointed with both hands to the ground he was standing on. "—Unharmed, were you may or may not be waiting for her, it doesn't mean nary a thing to me, whatever you choose." He waved a hand in the air dismissingly and let out a breath. That was a rather long speech, even for Jack Sparrow.
Before Jessie could make any sense out of what he had just said or say another word in her defense, Will cleared his throat loudly and shifted his weight to another foot.
"I hate to…er…interrupt…," He said, shifting again. "But Jack and I do need to move a little faster then we are."
"Ah, yes, of course!" Jack brightened even more, and, snapping his fingers, he turned on his heel. "A rescue mission to accomplish, get out of the way, enjoy, however you wish to see it."
"Not without me." Jessie crossed her arms stubbornly and waited.
Jack turned slowly, his bright mood suddenly gone. He shot one look at her, sighed loudly, and gave a look in Will's direction that told the blacksmith it was in his hands, now.
"I apologize, Miss Montgomery," Will said, trying to be polite but quick at the same time. "But you're not coming. You can't."
"Why not?" Jessie dropped her arms and almost stamped her foot in anger, though she didn't.
"It's…" Jack cut in when the Will only stood there. "…It's…." He pursed his lips a moment. Straightening a second later, he snapped his fingers. "Bad luck to have a woman aboard the ship! Dreadful bad luck, luv…" He gave her a pitiful look. "I'm sorry."
Jessie didn't even have a nanosecond to open her mouth; the pirate captain was there one minute, gone the next. Before Jessie could've blinked, it seemed, Jack turned on his heel and raced for the bridge that led to the docks, Will directly behind him.
Jessie watched them until they rounded the corner, only stopping long enough for Jack to ask Will how badly he wanted to save Elizabeth. She supposed she could have caught up with them there, but they would have just got rid of her again.
No, Jessie had another idea—One that would get her aboard the Interceptor with Jack and Will, unnoticed. And when they finally did notice her…It would be too late to do anything about it.