The waves of the wake lapped up onto the side of the Black Pearl were comforting as we sailed through them. Somehow I felt different from my experience on the island. And no, it was not the fact that Jack had seduced me into bed for the second time that morning. I stood at the front of the helm, again, my bandana wrapped around my forehead and the emerald in my pouch still. Countless times the night before I had looked into it and could remember my mother's form. Her cold touch that warmed me on the inside... her voice... exactly how I remembered it...
"Father once spoke of an angel
I used to dream she'd appear
Now as I sing I can sense her
And I know she's here
Here in the air
She calls me softly
Somewhere inside... hiding
Somehow I know she's always with me
She the unseen guardian..." I sang quietly. Jack came up from his place at the helm and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Angel of music
Guide and guardian
Grant to me your glory
Angel of music
Hide no longer
Secret and strange angel..." My voice trailed off and I leaned my head back onto Jack's shoulder, giving him a kiss. I was going to miss singing on stage... I pushed the thought from my mind. This is where I belong... I thought, I must stop doubting it.
"We're about an hour away from Tortuga, luv." Jack finally said. I nodded, staring at the sunset... "Want to go get ready?" I nodded again and turned away from him, walking through the deck until I came to the Captain's quarters, opening the door and walking inside, sitting down on the bed and taking off my shirt, pants, and boots, replacing them with a black dress, one of the dresses I had brought with me when I had first come to the Black Pearl. I pulled on the knee high dress, no layers but a light corset and long sleeves, lace covered and transparent. I pulled on my cloak quickly and did my best to comb out my curly hair. Finally, applying a slight bit of kohl and lipstick I tightened my boots and walked out onto the deck again. I could see the island approaching fast and Jack turned around, smiling at me and putting his arms around my waist.
"It's been a while since you wore that luv." He said. I smiled and put my hand on my stomach.
"I could live without the corset, though." I said lightly. Jack pulled out his knife.
"I can fix that." I backed away from him, the wind blowing my cloak around me, smiling.
"No thank you Jack." I said, "I'd rather keep this corset." Jack shrugged and put it back into his pocket. He turned around and grabbed the wheel in a firm grip again. I walked over and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his back, my eyes closed.
"Are you ever going to leave me Jack?" I asked, looking at my palm in front of me, a long cut, wrapped running down it. A chuckle shook his shoulders.
"Are you really that scared of being alone?" Jack asked. I shook my head.
"No, not me being alone. I've been alone most of my life," I replied, "It's leaving you alone is what I'm worried about. Who knows what you can do when you're by yourself." Jack pinched my arm and I smiled, wriggling my arms out from around his waist and sitting on the front of the helm, hanging my feet down toward the deck. I could feel Jack's eyes on my back, bearing holes into my skin and I turned around, smiling at him.
Suddenly, as my grip was loosened, the ship gave a lurch on a wake.
I felt myself falling and didn't register it until the last moment when I saw the deck come flying up at me. At that moment panic seized my heart and a rush of adrenaline ran through my body. A small scream came out of my lips and the deck was suddenly under my feet. A shock went through my body. I felt my knees buckle and I fell to the side, my hair falling out to the side around my face. I lied there for a few moments, breathing heavy.
"Christina!" I rolled onto my back and looked up at Jack, the bottoms of my feet stinging from the impact, who was looking over the side of the helm. "Are you alright?" I saw Glenn run over to me and stand before me... but he was not frowning.
It was at that moment that I realized I was laughing, an exhilarated kind of laugh, full of irony and relief. Glenn reached down, holding his head out. I smiled further and grabbed his wrist and his mine in a firm grip. I was pulled up as easy as a feather and set on my feet. I looked up at Jack.
"I'm alright, Jack." I said, giving Glenn a brief hug and rushing up the stairs and onto the helm by the wheel. Jack shook his head at me and pulled me into a one armed hug. I wriggled out of his grasp, nearly jumping up and down with excitement.
"Jack!" I said through laughter. Jack looked at me like I was crazy.
"You enjoyed that?" he asked and pulled me to him again, looking into my eyes. He finally shook his head. "I can't tell. Are you feeling alright?" I smiled and jumped away from him.
"I'm fine!" I said firmly. "I just fell that's all!" Jack shook his head at me.
"Whatever happened to the Christina I used to know?" He asked, "What ever happened to: 'But what if I fall on the net up to the crows nest?'" I smiled.
"No doubt I have been changed." I said and looked up to the crows nest. "I wonder... would it hurt if you jumped off the crows nest into the water..." Jack took my arm.
"No way." He said, "You're not doing that!"
"Could we do it together sometime?" I asked hopefully. The sensible half of my mind was screaming Are you crazy Christina? What the Hell has gotten into you? And still yet the other half of my brain was laughing, The fall was so exhilarating... who wouldn't enjoy it?
"Alright." I mumbled to myself, "Enough nonsense." I looked out into the water and could see Tortuga ever so closely, now able to recognize the lanterns being lit in the late twilight. Ah, good old Tortuga...
Yes, good old Tortuga...
The streets of Tortuga had not changed since I had last seen it, nor had it mannerisms. Jack and I walked through the streets, one of my hands gripping to my pistol, the other to Jack's hand as if it were my life. I could see Jack's smile out of the corner of my eye.
We weaved in and out of the people on the streets of Tortuga. Once I thought I saw one of the crewmembers accompanying a woman into a brothel. I raised my eyebrows thoughtfully, how disgusted I was.
"Jack," I said, "Do you remember what bar we saw that man in?"
"Of course, luv." Jack replied, "I know this island like the back of me hand." I looked at him sardonically.
"I would bet you do." I said. Jack looked at me.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," I said passively, "Nothing at all."
The cries of drunken men and laughs of whores could be heard to the ends of the earth as we walked through the streets more, heading for what I supposed was Jack's favorite bar... perhaps I would have some rum myself...
"Remember," Jack said as we walked into the bar, "Keep a sharp eye." I nodded and let go of his hand slightly, somehow feeling safer indoors. Immediately we went over to the bar table and each sat on one of the chairs. Jack asked for two bottles of rum and handed one to me, smiling, but I was not listening to what he was saying about all the times he had had in Tortuga. I was looking around, trying to find that peg legged pirate. Where was he?
I was pulled from my thoughts as a few yells erupted from behind me. Jack and I whirred around to see a woman coming into the door. I surveyed her for a few moments as she was greeted by a few of the pirate men around her.
Her face was the first thing I noticed, slender and in the shape of an oval with high cheekbones, red through her darker skin. I could tell she was white, but spent so much time in the sun that her skin was tanned almost to the color of Anna-Maria's. Her kohl lined eyes were a piercing blue, so different from my soft ocean ones, and larger lips than I did. Long black, waist length hair fell to her... well waist... and curled slightly at the bottom and around her face in waves. It fell almost silky. This woman was very slender but quite curvy, with a large bottom and chest. It looked as if, experienced as I was with this, she were wearing a corset under her tight shirt for the "extra push". She wore a pair of tight black pants, accentuating every curve in her long but muscular legs. On the top of them she wore a belt with a large buckle decorated with blue sapphires. Hanging off of her belt was a sword and a long knife, but also many guns. On her back was a rifle. Up to her knees, laced, she wore black boots with a high heel on the back. She wore a tri corner hat on her head and tipped it to the pirates greeting her.
I stole a glance at Jack, sitting next to me and could see his eyes widening when he saw this woman, his face still and his eyes full of familiarity and a look that I had never seen on him before.
"Eva Shapiro!" One of the woman's greeters exclaimed and ran over to shake her hand with both of his own. She smiled and shook his hands warmly... but she looked tired, alone and sad, as if she just wanted to leave these people to their drinks and get on with her own. Suddenly her eyes snapped up and she looked at me... and then Jack. Her face turned from its fake smile to surprise and as if she was in a trance. Then a smile lit up her face and she pushed her way through her greeters and over to the bar. Jack seemed to snap out of his trance and gave a rather convincing smile.
"Jack Sparrow!" she cried. I could hear the Russian in her voice and looked down at my bottle of rum, taking another swig. "Long have been the years since I looked upon your face!" I looked at Jack and her as they exchanged hand shakes. Eva pulled Jack into a hug at the last moment and Jack obliged, still having not uttered a word. The pirate woman turned to me.
"And who is this?" she asked. Jack looked at me and seemed to remember that I was there.
"Oh, this is Chri-"
"Christina Ricci." I interrupted him. She shook my hand a little hesitantly. Her thin eyebrows contracting but a little. "I stay upon the Black Pearl." Eva looked at me for a moment, as if trying to see past my eyes and into my very soul, chewing on her tongue in a thoughtful manner.
"I see." She said, "Last I heard of a Christina Ricci, she was an opera singer in Port Royal." I smiled.
"That would have been me." I said. "I'm not sorry to say I gave up that life." I turned my head to smile at Jack but he was not looking at me. His eyes had strayed to Eva's chest and lingered there. I saw Eva smile knowingly and fold her arms across her chest.
"You know you always get caught." She said and smiled, sitting down at the bar beside him. I watched her, flaunting her looks as she moved. I couldn't help but be disgusted at the way Jack looked at her... jealous even?
Okay, Christina, I thought to myself, They're old friends, obviously. Jack is not having crazy sex fantasies right now... Just calm down. Let them talk and let's go find that man... and give him his emerald... and just get out of here! We'll go far away... we'll go to Rome...
"Jack," I said, putting my hand on his arm gently. He turned to me for a moment, "I'm going to go on and... um... walk around." Jack turned to me.
"Alright, luv." He said and I walked away, one hand in my pouch, the other on my pistol, keeping my eyes wary.
"Don't touch me." I said when a man got up from his chair and reached over to me. I was feeling dangerous, like I would kill the first person that tried to hurt me or touch me in any way. The pirate backed up and sat back down in his chair, his eyes wide.
"Well, missy." A voice suddenly said and I turned, fire in my eyes, at a hand on my shoulder. The peg legged pirate stood before me and I smiled at the familiar face, holding back the urge to give him a hug.
"Hello." I said, taking myself into a calm and composed place that was certainly not my body. He raised his eyebrows at me expectantly and gestured to the table next to us. I smiled and sat myself down.
"You found the island I take it?" He said, raising his eyebrows. I looked at him and nodded slowly. There was a pause, "And you found the emerald." I smiled and took it out of my pouch, setting it down on the table. The pirate's eyes shone, the green of the emerald reflecting off his own grey eyes. I gave a half smile as he reached out for it slowly. I pulled it back to my chest, giving him a look.
"After I give this to you, I want your name." I said evenly. The man looked at me for a moment and held out his hand, nodding. I reached out and put it into his hands. He looked at it for a moment longingly. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Well?" He stood.
"Edmund Ricci." He said and turned, walking away... "Brother of Edward Ricci..." My jaw dropped and I closed my eyes, looking back up at the pirate... my uncle?... but he was gone...
The walk of ten feet back to Jack, still talking to Eva Shapiro, both of them with a bottle of rum in their hands, seemed to be the longest I had ever walked. My thoughts were far away... was he lying... could that man have really been, "Edmund Ricci... brother of Edward Ricci..." My uncle?
"No," Eva was saying, "No, my ship got attacked by the Navy not too far away from Port Royal. They were looking, actually for a young woman named Christina Ricci, whom I suppose is your little companion. But when they found out who I was they just let loose on The Blood Diamond... most of my crew were killed. The others dragged me away from the ship... I wanted to stay... a captain goes down with his...her ship... but my first mate dragged me away. Funny huh? He dragged me away?" I studied her. She was harsh, sturdy, tough, but behind all that I could sense a sense of gentleness that only a woman could have.
"I'm glad he did," Jack said solemnly, "I wouldn't have seen you now if he hadn't." Eva smiled, flashing white teeth. Jack put his hand on the table, his sleeve falling back to reveal white lace on his wrist that I had always thought about... Eva reached down and touched it lightly.
"I remember when I gave you that." She said softly, running her hand over it. Jack smiled and touched the bottle neck on her necklace. I frowned at it.
"You wear this?" he asked her. Eva smiled, "I remember it well."
"As do I," she said, "As I recall you knocked me out with it and left me here." Jack looked down sheepishly.
"Sorry about that." He said. I stood in front of them.
"Jack." I said. Jack looked up at me, seemingly just remembering that I existed. "It's done." I told him nothing of my discovery of the man's name... I doubted I ever would. It was not a crucial piece of information.
"Alright, luv." He said and stood up. I put my hand in his, getting ready for the walk back to the ship filled with cat calls and such as it had been on the way... God I hated that. Eva Shapiro looked down at our hands and smiled, putting her hand on her gun as she stood.
"Eva..." Jack said, "Where are you planning on staying? I mean, well, are you staying here in Tortuga and getting a ship?" I ran my tongue over my lips slowly.
"Actually," Eva said thoughtfully, "I don't think I know where I'm going yet." Jack looked at her for a few moments before smiling. I could tell that he was a tad bit drunk. I picked up a rum bottle from the counter and put it to my lips. . Never again will I result to alcohol for an escape... I thought slyly... In nearly one swig I downed the whole rum bottle. Neither Jack or Eva noticed me.
"Well, luv," Jack said, "How would you like to join my crew?" I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the free feeling of the alcohol rushing down my throat. I grabbed another.
"Alright." Eva said, strapping her rifle tighter to her back, "Sure..." Jack smiled and offered his arm to her. I watched as she graciously took it and the three of us walked out of the bar, the rum bottle still dangling from my fingers... the invisible Christina...