.:New Orleans Square - Part 2:.

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest, honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for,
because you can never predict when they're about to do something incredibly...stupid."

~ Pirates of the Caribbean

The Cullens exited the dark mansion; Nessie and Jacob squinted as their eyes adjusted to the lightness outside. The family turned the corner to continue through New Orleans Square. Following the hip sounds of jazz and the sweet smell of freshly baked beignets, they mosied down a web of cobblestone streets that wove around shops, boutiques, restaurants - all designed in that old 19th-century style - finally leading up to an old building with a pirate standing outside, gesturing guests heartily into a line.

"Here we are," Carlisle said. "Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Woo-hoo!" Jacob cheered.

"Yo ho!" The pirate standing by the line pumped his fist in the air to celebrate, too. When the Cullens looked at him, he resumed his casual stance, a big smile on his face.

Nessie giggled and wanted a picture with him. The spirited pirate was happy to acquiesce to her request.

Strolling under a walkway that led into Adventureland, and weaving through the gold chains that directed them to the front of the ride's building, the Cullens entered into a chilly, nighttime port. The smell of the cool water, the brush of the light breeze (exuding from hidden vents), and the chirping of insects brought to life a relaxing atmosphere as boats filled with passengers glided in and out of the dock. The boating dock was named Laffite's Landing, and Carlisle recognized the name.

"Interesting. Disney must have named this after Jean Laffite; a real-life pirate who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800's. The time period matches the architecture perfectly."

"Just fascinating," Jacob said, not sounding very fascinated at all.

"It is, isn't it?" Carlisle smiled. He was used to his children not sharing the same enthusiasm for some topics; that never thwarted his, however. "Recognizing historical facts that must have inspired a lot of the attractions here at Disneyland, while appreciating the splash of fantasy in it all, is intriguing."

"You know what I find intriguing," Nessie said, peeking over the railing, "all these boats have names. I guess every pirate boat needs a name, huh?"

"Too true, little princess," Emmett said, watching with her. "Let's see which one we get. I was hoping for the Rosalina"—he winked at his wife—"but considering it just left the port, we probably won't get it."

As they waited for their turn to get on the ride, they read the boats as they passed one-by-one. There was an Odette, a Monique, Valentina, Josephine, Camille, and finally, their boat, Stephanie. They boarded eagerly, though Edward snapped his fingers in light disappointment as he mentioned the boat right behind theirs was named Isabelle.

The ride began amid glimmering fireflies in a Louisiana bayou. Nessie took a good look around her; if she didn't know any better, she would've sworn that they were actually outside in a swamp (at night). On the other side of their boat was a quiet restaurant lit by soft candlelight. Few people were there, and they were mostly happy couples. It looked like a very peaceful, romantic dining experience.

"That's The Blue Bayou," Edward said, keeping his tone soft to keep with the mood of the ride. "I've heard their food is good, but, of course, their price is very high—not an everyday eating location." Especially for vampires.

Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of a banjo was heard, along with the sounds of crickets. An old man rocked back and forth in his rocking chair.

"There's Old Grandpa Charlie Swan, huh?" Jacob joked, poking Bella and Nessie. Bella smiled.

"Yeah, just switch the banjo with a fishing pole."

They then reached an archway where a talking skull and crossbones gave a taunting warning.

"Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin' in ev'ry cove, waitin' to board. And mark well my words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales!"

"I've told plenty of tales, actually," Emmett murmured, earning him a Sshh! from the rest of the Cullens.

A little ways further, the voice continued.

"Keep a weather eye open mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please. Thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them what don't obey."

Emmett gulped dramatically.

Suddenly, a chilling sound became audible from the darkness ahead. It was the thundering of a waterfall. The Cullens, joined by the other guests in the boat, screamed as they took a surprising plunge into a cavern.

Everyone was chuckling, adrenaline still going, when the famous high-spirited theme song began playing. Started by Alice, everyone in the boat sang along. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" they sang, swinging their arms in harmony. Then they were screaming again—a second drop had arrived. This one brought them deeper into the depths of the dimly lit underground grotto, with animatronic seagulls and crabs scurrying in the sand. There was a skeleton propped against some rocks, a sword through his chest, and a bird nesting in his hat.

Their boat sailed gently past a violent thunderstorm tossing an old pirate ship about, though the pirate at the wheel was nothing more than a skeleton. They continued on through various parts of that ship, encountering skeletal shipmates playing chess (pieces perfectly arranged as a stalemate), drinking rum that went right through them, and guarding gold. The Aztec chest from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie sat in the corner of the treasure room; Jasper pointed it out.

"That's a lot of treasure," Esme noted through one room. It was engulfed in jewels and gold. "How many coins do you think there are in here?"

"I'm going to say well over a thousand," Bella said.

"That's too obvious. Let's go with fifty-thousand!" Alice suggested.

"That's a lot...," Bella started to protest, but Alice shut her up with, "Who's the psychic here?"

When they passed the Captain's Quarters, Nessie laughed. The captain was in his bed holding a magnifying glass as he looked at his map; only, the object was placed directly in front of his mouth, so his skeleton smile was comically magnified to the passing on-lookers.

Passing through a dark tunnel next, a curtain of mist awaited them. Davy Jones appeared on it in all his tentacle-y glory, inviting them to proceed if "they be brave or fool enough to face a pirate's curse."

"We're going through the waterfall!" someone in the back yelled.

And indeed they did. The boat passed right through it, its riders waving their hands through the holograph as they went, until they emerged into the next scene, where cannonballs were being fired. Captain Barbossa and The Black Pearl were on one side, and the stone fortress of Port Royal was on the other. The battling crews traded words, and the blasting never stopped. Explosions erupted from the water as the "cannonballs" barely missed the boats. Barbossa was yelling Fire at will! in which Emmett smartly replied that there was no one named Will on their boat.

Alice squealed and dove into Jasper's side when a loud splash set off right next to them and water rained down on her. And here she thought she was just starting to get dry after their Splash Mountain adventure! Why in the world did she decide to sit on the edge? Jasper wrapped his arm around her with a smirk, promising to shield her if anything else unexpectedly "attacked her", as Alice put it.

The ride proceeded to take them through the village where pirates were pillaging and plundering to their grubby hearts' content. During the course of this lively excursion, there were gunshots, burning buildings, buccaneers chasing girls (and one tough, old woman chasing a buccaneer), and numerous sightings of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. The first time he was seen, hiding from those out to get him, a girl in the back of the boat demanded Jack stop hiding, get down here, and give her an autograph.

Following that, was an auction of wenches, where none of the pirates wanted to buy the woman being sold (and she was strutting her stuff, too). They wanted, instead, the gorgeous redhead who was up next for bid.

"We wants the redhead!" they chanted.

"We're going to be hearing that a lot when Nessie's older," Alice said matter-of-factly, though grinning in Edward's direction.

Edward narrowed his eyes. He'd just see about that.

But his worries over his daughter's future pursuers was interrupted when he spotted something ahead of them.

"Hey, Jacob..."

Jacob turned to the vampire questioningly. Edward nodded his head toward the next scene. It consisted of a group of pirates in a jail cell who were trying to bribe the guard dog—that carried the keys in its mouth—to come closer, by bribing him with a bone. Edward was pointing out the dog. "A cousin of yours?" he teased, getting Jacob back for the jab at the Haunted Mansion.

The werewolf smirked. "Hey, at least mine's cute."

Of course, then Emmett and Bella were trying to prevent Jacob from "throwing himself at the delicious bone" knowing his "canine instincts" couldn't be helped. Jacob shoved them playfully away, laughing.

The ride finally came to an end, after that, the last scene being Captain Jack Sparrow sitting on a throne in a pile of treasure, rum in hand, singing, "We're devils, and black sheep, and really bad eggs! Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"

A chain lift brought their boat back into the dock. They made their exit, feeling a lot more pirate-y than ever, and headed back to the Square. Before deciding on where to go next, Nessie pulled them into a store. She knew exactly what she wanted to add to her outfit to represent New Orleans Square—a skull. Alice found her the perfect pirate necklace, and then they were off to their next adventure.

OoOoOoO

"You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one."

~ Pirates of the Caribbean

Disneyland—where it's encouraged to be a pirate.

Thank you to all who review! Hope you liked this chapter. ^-^