Chapter 3 - Unexpected Turns
Sunlight hit Karine's eyes causing her to wake up and look around. It took her a moment to realize where she was and remember what was happening. She got dressed in her new outfit and went above desk to see if anyone else was awake. Jessica could be seen standing at the railing of the bow looking out at the water obviously deep in thought. Karine slowly walked up to her sister and stood next to her. Both sisters stood there for a long time just looking out at the water and wondering what the other was thinking before foot steps were heard behind them. Evelyn looked at her younger sister and noticed just how much they both had grown in just a couple of months. Jessica had started to want to do more things like climb trees with Karine and just get out and lay in the sunshine wasting hours away. Karine on the other hand had calmed down more; she had started doing more around the inside of the house along with everything she had done on the outside. She no longer wore her breeches wherever she went she had actually even made herself a new dress. Even though Evelyn had not seen her in it she knew it was finished and packed away for when Karine would need it. She walked up behind her sisters and wrapped her arms around their shoulders pulling them closer to them as they all stood there looking out.
"Ye know that if we are ever gonna leave we need to do so now," Karine stated, pulling away from her sister's embrace to face her.
"Well ye two were standin' there so I figured I would too," Evelyn responded.
"I'm hungry," Jessica piped in.
"Fine let's go down to the galley and I will make us something," Karine said as she headed down to the galley to start cooking. Their galley wasn't big like all of the other ships but it was enough space for them to cook and eat without having to bump into things. Their father really had made sure that this ship was done right. It fit them all perfectly.
After they had eaten all three women went back on deck and made sure there was nothing else that needed to be done. The house had already been taken care of the day before so there was no need to go back on land. Karine and Jessica picked up the gangplank and untied the rope keeping them held to the dock, while Evelyn went to the wheel to get them on their way when it hit her that they had not decided where in the world they were heading.
"Jessica, Karine come here!" Evelyn yelled. When both women had reached her she pointed to a map lying on a table next to her. "We never picked a place we could actually go."
"Well where ye want to go?" Jessica asked.
"I say we head toward Tortuga and see what is out there, we have never been there not even with father and he traveled there all the time." Karine said while pointing to Tortuga on the map.
"But what if there was some reason why Dad did not take us to Tortuga?"
"Now, Evy, where is your sense of adventure, we have no clue where we are going and Tortuga is a place where we can go to restock our supplies which you know that we are going to need." Something in Karine was telling her that Tortuga was somewhere that they needed to go, so she was trying really hard to get Evelyn to agree.
"Tortuga always sounds like so much fun with all the stories I have read." Jessica added, her curiosity now piqued with the idea of going to Tortuga.
"All right, fine, we will head to Tortuga. Map out our path, Jessica, and I will get us there, and in the meantime you and Karine can start practicing. I will soon have you take over so that I can practice." Evelyn said with that look on her face that made both women not want to disagree with her. Whenever Evelyn gave that look it was the same one Mom gave them when they got in trouble. Jessica saw so much of Mom in Evelyn that it wasn't funny. Karine, however, looked more like Dad with her height and her hair. Jessica was an even mix of both parents. She had their mother's hair and their father height. Normally the children would get their personalities from their parents, but each woman seemed to develop their own. Karine was more of the go and get them type who was always ready for anything, while Evelyn on the other had was more grounded; she was the stable one that was always around when you needed her, and Jessica was always the brains behind everything; if there was something that needed to be figured out she was also able to.
Jessica stood leaning over a map with a compass in her hand mapping out the path that they needed to take in order to get to Tortuga safely. The trip to Tortuga would not be an easy one since the only really useful map Jessica could find was over ten years old. Jessica sighed as she finally managed to map out their course and she pointed it out to Evelyn.
"This map is old but I got us a course that will get us there eventually."
"Jess are ye sure this is the right direction, I do not mean to question ye on what ye know I'm just making sure is all." Evelyn said as she looked at the map.
"All right now ye have set our course, so now ye are mine and we are goin' to practice until I is satisfied that I know what ye are doin'." Karine said as she walked up behind Jessica and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Evelyn down to the main part of the deck where they would have more room.
"Oy, fine; Evelyn, if ye need me holler for me." Jessica struggled to get out as Karine tried to drag her away.
Karine stood in front of Jessica with her sword in hand waiting for her sister to get ready. Jessica looked just a tad bit nervous to have the sword in hand.
"It's okay, the sword is not gonna bite ye, it's your opponent that you have to worry about." Karine stated as she charged forward at Jessica.
"Ye aren't playin' fair!" Jessica said while sidestepping quickly to avoid her charging sister.
"I am not supposed to be playin' fair ye ninny now stand still and defend ye'self."
Karine went running towards her sister and this time she stood still and met Karine's sword with hers. Jessica had more strength than Karine had thought she had. If Jessica knew how she could have easily fought her off and pushed her away.
"Bring ye arm up just a bit; you want to meet my sword with yours, but ye also want to be able to push me away." Karine said while putting more force and pushing Jessica away.
Karine was ready to charge at Jessica again when Jessica came swinging at her so she had to raise her sword to block her sister.
"Wonderful, now do it again!" Karine said bracing herself for her sister's charge.
"Aye."
Jessica ran towards Karine but however did not collide with her instead Karine stepped sideways so Jessica had to stop before she hit the wall.
"Why did ye move?" Jessica asked while turning to face her sister.
"If ye are gonna learn to fight ye might as well learn to chase," Karine said while running to another part of the deck. Jessica ran after her sister, catching her near one of the railings. Karine jumped on top of the railing to avoid a blow Jessica was about to give. Karine swung her sword down, trapping Jessica's sword on the railing as she hopped down beside her. Jessica pulled on her sword, breaking it free and blocked a blow Karine was delivering. Jessica copied the stunt her sister had done by hopping up on the railing and swinging her sword her sister's way. Karine hopped on top of the railing in front of Jessica, swinging her sword at her, trying to get her sister to strike back. Jessica slowly backed up until she noticed she was running out of railing. Turning to face her sister Jessica swung her sword and met her sisters and managed to push her off of the railing.
"Oy where did ye learn that move?" Karine said with a puzzled look on her face.
"I dunno, it just hit me." Jessica stated causing Karine to shake her head as she swung at her sister again. Jessica jumped off the railing only to land back on it again.
"Ye come down here and fight me," Karine said, stepping a few steps away from Jessica making sure she could not reach her from where she was. Smirking Jessica hopped down from the railing and swung her sword at her sister.
"Ye really are getting good ye know." Karine said pushing her sisters sword away again.
"Thank ye very much."
Karine and Jessica continued to challenge one another for a good part of the day. They had used several different parts of the deck including a few barrels, and table and even the railing that was on the side of the ship. Karine was really testing her sister to see just what she could do and dish out. Evelyn stood at the ships wheel watching the whole battle and taking in every move that they were doing. She figured that they would all come in handy for when she was out there battling Karine. Some of the moves they did made her a little nervous to the point where she wanted to tell them to knock it off, but she knew that Karine knew what she was doing and Jessica needed to learn it so she could defend herself and their ship. Evelyn stood there watching them the whole time they were battling; she actually enjoyed watching her sisters down there having fun and practicing at the same time. Dark clouds were rolling in above them and Evelyn was too busy watching her sisters to notice them until a raindrop landed on her hand. Looking up at the sky she noticed that the clouds were in fact not just rain; it was a full-fledged storm brewing and they were smack dab in the middle of it now. Evelyn was waiting for the bottom to fall out of it any minute.
"Oy down there, quit ye dancing and bring down the sails. We got a storm brewin' and we ain't prepared for it." Evelyn yelled while looking out at the horizon to see if there was a bit of light sky out there. She was disappointed though when all she could see was the dark cloud as far as she looked.
"Aye captain Evy, we will handle it, ye stay where ye are," Karine said as she rolled her eyes.
"Aren't ye glad we are in breeches now since we gotta climb the rigging and beat the storm?"
"Aye Jess, but the question is, will we beat the storm?" Karine quickly climbed the rigging leading to the mast of the ship to un-secure the mainsail and pull it up to safely attach it to the mast. Jessica climbed higher and secured a smaller sail to its part of the mast. Both women climbed back down and ran towards their sister. By the time the sails were secure and all three were at the wheel it was pouring down rain to where they could barely see. Evelyn was having a hard time keeping a hold of the wheel so both Karine and Jessica grabbed hold to help her hold it steady. All three women knew that this was going to be a long night if this storm did not let up soon. The rain continued to bash them and the wind picked up where they thought they might be carried away. Karine broke away from the wheel long enough to secure lifelines around all three of their waists and secure it to the steering wheel column, tying them tight so as to make sure that they did not come loose. Karine grabbed back a hold of the wheel just as the wind picked up again.
Hours seemed to have passed since the storm started and the women could tell that the storm was starting to let up some. The winds had started to die down to where the women were able to see farther. Off in the distance the women could see a ship sitting oddly still in the water. As the rain let up some the girls had traveled closer to it to tell that the ship in fact had been damaged by the storm and looked as if it was going to sink. All of a sudden the water next to the sinking ship started to churn and a mainmast was starting to come out of the water. Sooner than they could think the whole ship was above the water and heading closer to the injured ship. Jessica had actually read about the ship that she saw in front of her. The ship in front of them was the Flying Dutchman and was captained by none other the Davy Jones. He was known as the devil of the sea; he was charged with the job of taking souls over to the other side many years ago but he had got a little away from those ways and more on his own path of making many different deals with pirates and sailors that sailed the ocean. He was not the type of man you wanted to run into.
The girls watched in horror as the ship slowly sank into the ocean and the Flying Dutchman sank back under the water. There was no wondering what had happened to the poor people on that ship. Many of them died and probably a few joined Davy Jones crew. It seemed though after both ships had gone under the water that the storm just vanished. Jessica knew that Jones had no power over the storm but it was just odd that it all happened that way. All three women stood there dripping wet just staring at the spot where both ships were.
Karine knew a little about what had happened in front of them, that she had thankfully learned from their father, but Evelyn however knew nothing at all.
"What was that?" She asked still staring at the spot.
"I will explain it all to ye while we go and change our clothes and get out of these wet ones. Karine why don't we drop anchor and stay here for tonight; we all three need to get some rest and one of us can get up and take the first watch," Jessica stated, turning to walk towards their cabins. Evelyn helped Karine lower the anchor and then both women followed Jessica so that they could be caught up on everything that just happened. What the women had seen that night was something that many sailors and pirates fear to have happen. It was not often you got to see the Flying Dutchman and live to tell about it. The women had a long way to go still before they reached Tortuga and it was not going to be an easy one if they had to continue to battle storms like that one.