AN: Thank you for all of the reviews, they are much appreciated! I'm going to try to do one more update after this, and then there is going to be a long break...there are auditions I need to prepare for...an ACT test to take...and have I mentioned school?

Enough of my whining. Enjoy.

Aside from the fact that there always seemed to be trouble looming over me like a cloud, the voyage with Barbossa was becoming...pleasant. With the crew keeping their distance and all time to myself, I had little worries, except for escape, but I would think of that when the time came. We were still a ways from Port Royal.

Ella often entered my thoughts, and now that I was alone, I had time to wonder what was happening to her. How were she and Jack getting along? Was she safe? More importantly, what was Jack going to do with her?

Unfortunately, seeing as I was on this ship, I couldn't find the answers.

And it bugged me a little.

Okay, so it bugged me a lot, but I had the sense not to show the frustration to anyone but myself. If I did, it would most likely bring on questions from Barbossa, and the thoughts or answers were not something that I wanted to be sharing with anyone.

And though I really, strongly didn't want to admit it, Jack shared my thoughts as well. Mostly it was thoughts of anger and grief that he had been hardhearted enough to trade me for a ship. A ship. I had once said I cared about him, as a friend of course, and very grudingly I thought possibly more; but now, I was wishing he would just disappear off the face of the earth. But I couldn't make myself hate him, I had never really been able to hate anyone. Every now and then, I would dream to myself the what ifs: what if Jack hadn't traded me for the Pearl? What if we were searching for the Fountain of Youth now? But as soon as the thoughts entered my head, I worked to push them out. It wasn't time to dream, it was time to think.

Though I wasn't focusing on escape, I was thinking about what to do when I reached Port Royal. I wouldn't be able to get away from Barbossa after docking, so I would be entering the town with him, most likely in the dead of night. What I did need to have happen would be a time frame where I wouldn't be with Barbossa so I could get out the map and key from my chemise. And that meant that at one point during the night, I would have to make a run for it. Something I was not looking forward to.

Finally, the fateful night arrived. As predicted, we were docking at night, maybe two in the morning when the guard at the fort was asleep at their posts. Barbossa had the sense not to actually dock right in Port Royal; instead, they went about two miles away to a cove, almost the same spot where Jack had hidden the sloop, maybe it was the same, I couldn't tell in the pitch black of night. This resulted in an hour of cutting our way through the thick jungle, causing large cuts up my legs, despite my long dress. We arrived on the outskirts of the town, by the baker's shop, exhausted and a little grumpy.

"What now?" I asked innocently, while trying to find an opening for escape.

Barbossa squinted down a dark alley for a few minutes, obviously trying to make up his mind about something. "Where do you live, Miss Delaney?"

I stared down the same alleyway silently, thinking, weighing the consequences of telling the truth. This alleyway, if my memory served me correctly (and my memory rarely failed), led to one of the more traveled streets in Port Royal where vendors were often present, marketing their goods. A great deal of the time, the stands would be kept up during the week days and taken down during the weekends. Today was a Thursday, if I had been keeping track perfectly.

"Well?" prodded Barbossa impatiently.

It was a dangerous gamble, but allowing Barbossa to see I had been lying all along was worse, and probably deadly. In answer, I began walking briskly down the alleyway.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled. I turned, putting on a haughty air, to see his face darkening in confusion, Pintel, Ragetti (two crew members who had recently been bugging me), and two other men masking his expression.

"Follow me and I'll show you."

This seemed to suffice the five men, and they walked over to where I stood. We came to the end of the alleyway, and I stopped, trying to think clearly. Improvising had never been a talent of mine, but now, it was my only hope of survival.

"And from here?" insisted Barbossa.

"It's hard to find my way in the dark," I explained softly. "Everything looks so different.

It was a pathetic excuse; Barbossa knew it and I knew it. He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled out his pistol and cocked it, pointing it toward the center of my chest. "I suggest you try harder then."

I could feel the blood draining from my face like water from a spout. Trembling and shaking, I nodded, my head spinning in a frenzy, trying to find a way to escape. I couldn't lose my wits now, not when I needed them most, so I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Barbossa sneered and shoved me to the ground roughly, waiting for me to get up and lead them to my house.

Then I saw it: a sack of flour. It wasn't terribly large, and appeared to only be half full. The baker must have discarded it, for weevils most likely. Right now it was my savior. As I kneeled to stand up, I grabbed the sack, praying that none of the men had seen me do it, for I had fallen in a shadow. Standing, I turned my head slightly, though not facing them completely, and said in a quiet voice, "Very well then. Follow me."

We walked for about 100 ft. until we reached another, smaller alleyway. I glanced down it carelessly, and saw darkness.

This was my chance.

I stared down the alleyway silently, posing as one who has been frightened.

"What happens to be the matter, Miss Delaney?" growled Barbossa.

"I, I think someone is down there. Watching." My voice was quivering, and I was afraid that it would give my act away, but continued anyway. "Do you think you should check?"

Barbossa let out a dangerous breath and snatched my shoulder, turning me around to face him. He was about to say something, until he saw the sack in my hand. "What is that?"

There was no time to reconsider, it was now or never. I brought my foot to his shin as hard as I could, kneed him in the groin, then wiggling out of his grasp. Thankfully, this all happened too quickly for the other four men, who had been peeking down the alleyway suspiciously, to notice in time to respond. When they turned around to see what the commotion was, I opened the sack of flour and flung it at their gaping faces.

Then I ran.

I hadn't ran like this since track, and I was finding it to be much harder than I imagined. The shoes I wore were cutting into my skin as I sprinted with all my might down the cobblestone road, clicking wildly as I gripped at my gathered dress, straining to disappear into the night. The shouts of Barbossa were heard behind me, ordering the men not to shoot as they stumbled through the dust of the flour, trying to find me.

My breathing was becoming hitched and shallow, no doubt attributed to the 'fashionably' tight clothing I was wearing. Thuds of boots on stone were heard behind me, clumsy and loud. I turned onto a smaller street, hoping they hadn't noticed my disappearance, my hair whipping recklessly behind me. Soon the mansion came into view, tall and intimidating in front of me, yet my only sanctuary. Cursing the fact it was on a hill, I ran up it with all my might, gasping for air, racing past the gates that were for some reason wide open, and collapsing onto the doorstep.

The voices of Barbossa could be heard not far behind, but I didn't think that he had realized where I had disappeared to. Yet. I tried the handle to the door. It was locked. Banging furiously, I called out in a frantic whisper for Robert or Elizabeth. Where are they?

"There she is!"

I gasped, and saw all five men hobbling toward me, baring their guns menacingly. I clawed at the door again, hammering my fists against the stubborn oak door. "ELIZABETH!" I shrieked. "ELIZABETH!"

The cocking of a gun was heard behind my head, but I didn't bothering turning. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you, Miss Delaney."

My mind went numb. So this was to be the end of Winifred Delaney, in front of a mansion, shot by pirates, begging for mercy. For some reason, the situation had not been what I was expecting, nor particularly what I had wanted for my death. The thought brought me out of my stupor long enough to face Barbossa.

"Well, I am the only one who knows where the map and key are."

The four pirates behind Barbossa looked at each other stupidly, shocked at my answer. The Captain himself wore a stony expression, never lowering the pistol. Suddenly, he smiled, and laughed softly.

"One thing you have that Miss Bronte didn't: sheer cheek. You may not be the fighting type, but you won't go down without having the last word."

I didn't say anything. Frankly, I couldn't see how the statement had been cheeky, but I wasn't about to interrupt.

"Normally, I don't care for insolence, but in your case, I will make an exception." Barbossa lowered his gun and grabbed my upper arm, pressing me against him. "You're lucky I'm a forgiving man. Now, care to tell me where the map and key are?"

"They're…inside. But the door is locked...I can't imagine why, though." My voice was still raspy from running and desperate thanksgiving he hadn't killed me, but Barbossa managed to hear me anyway.

"Not a problem, missy. Pintel, Ragetti, if you please."

The two stepped forward to prevent me from escaping while Barbossa stepped toward the door and shot the handle. "There. Now, Miss Delaney, if you would be so kind."

I was shoved roughly into the hallway by the men. Looking around, I noticed something very peculiar; there was dust everywhere, as if someone had not been home for some time.

"No one is here," I exclaimed in surprise, mostly to myself.

"And that be a problem?" asked Barbossa, stepping beside me.

And that's when it struck me, my brilliant idea. No one was here, including Elizabeth. I still had hope.

"Yes, actually, it is a very big problem."

"Oh?" Barbossa was in no way convinced. "How's that?"

"Elizabeth Turner has the map and key."

The room went dead silent for a full minute. Shyly, I looked at Barbossa, who's face was once again unreadable. "You're lying," he finally said, putting the pistol to my neck.

"Why would I lie when you have already threatened my life?"

"Because you are a clever girl."

"Then prove me wrong."

The place went deadly silent as Barbossa and I stared at each other, my own jaw clenched and vicious. The comment was a challenge; a very stupid idea, actually, but it had slipped out unplanned. Maybe he was right; maybe I did have some cheek. Barbossa grabbed my chin and forced it toward him, trying to detect any false moves. But my face was a mask, hiding all the fear I had inside. "That is a strong challenge, Miss Delaney."

"You can search the whole house, top to bottom, and they only place they would be is possibly in Elizabeth's room. However, I highly doubt they will be there."

"And why is that?"

"Because I requested that she keep them with her at all times. They are on a chain, so it can be worn as a necklace. I gave them to her for safe keeping, that is, after I heard of your raid on Savanna. It was her idea, and I went along with it. We both suspected they might have a connection."

Barbossa narrowed his eyes, then force my collar more open and peered at my neck and down my dress, most likely looking for the chain. Seeing nothing, he released me. "Miss Elizabeth is gone? And you haven't a clue where she could be?"

"She was still here when…when I was taken away by Sparrow. I don't know what has happened to her."

Graciously, the Captain accepted this explanation, which also happened to be the only true statement so far. "We must find out what has happened to Mrs. William Turner. But, seeing as you seemed to have disappeared mysteriously, it would be unwise to have you gallivanting in public. It would bring on too many questions." He began pacing wordlessly for a few minutes, the four pirates behind me becoming slowly impatient. Finally, he spoke again. "We will stay here, in the mansion, for the time being. Ragetti and Pintel will begin asking about Elizabeth tomorrow, dressed as relatives from England. Though, I wonder, how is it that you came to know Mrs. Turner?"

"We were sent by her aunt to live with her. I am the governess to her cousins, and we now live with her here."

Barbossa nodded. "Very well. I suggest you get some sleep. We will be in need of your services in the morning." Cackling, he traveled up the stairs, but stopped at the top and turned to me, who had been following. "You are treading on thin ice, Miss Delaney. Very thin ice. I suggest you watch your step in the future, or it might be the last thing you ever do." His eyes glinted menecingly, and he tipped his hat slightly. "Goodnight. Sleep tight."

He went into a spare bedroom and slammed the door, leaving me standing there, trembling with shock. Somehow, I had managed to escape my death, but now was stuck here, still a prisoner of Barbossa. Where was Elizabeth? What had happened to everyone in the house? Overwhelmed by everything, I stumbled into my old room, sat on my bed and cried myself to sleep.