(Chapter Fifty Five: Trapped on the Dutchman)
The salty ocean water fired up my nose, and stung my eyes. I clenched my mouth shut to keep from yelling. I looked around to see Bootstrap being held captive just as I was! That's not right he's part of the same crew I thought, I shook my head in dissatisfaction when I saw we were feet away from the Flying Dutchman. Held captive again I thought great.
I coughed and hacked as soon as my head broke the surface "Aw shut up! You filthy Pirate Lord!" The one with the nine tales yelled at me. I scowled but didn't say a word. Next thing I knew I was being thrown down, aboard the Flying Dutchman. Cold, wet, and a captive.
"We meet again, Miss. Turner!" Davy laughed as he looked down at me. I held my knees close to my chest, I was breathing heavily, and underwater they had somehow tied my hands together.
"Not how I was imagining coming back on this ship" I said looking up at Davy. He just laughed and bent down to my level.
"Do you feel dead?" he asked. I just cocked my head to one side "do you feel like a dark abyss?...All your deeds lead bare?...All your sins punished?...I can offer you an escape...join my crew and serve one hundred years before the mast...will ye serve?" he asked.
I leaned forward, so much so that I could smell the dead fish in his breath "no bloody way" I growled then leaned back. He made a noise that sounded like he was insulted in some way.
"Take this...pirate to the brig" Davy said with disgust in his voice. I was pushed down to the lower deck where I fell down the stairs. The one with the whip threw me in a cell, slammed the door shut, locked the algae covered door, then smirked.
"Ye won't be in here long lass..we'll have ye working in the deck soon" he said with and evil smile.
"And what if I refuse?" I growled, he just held up the nine tales and moved it menacingly left and right in-front of my face. "Oh, well then" I said with a sheepish grin. He grunted and walked back to the upper deck.
"Granddaughter" I heard someone say, I looked over to find Bootstrap Bill smiling at me from the other side of the cell.
"Bootstrap" I said with relief, I walked over and hugged him.
"Just like your mother...always a pirate at heart...It would taste a lie to tell you that is not the fate I wanted for you" Bootstrap exclaimed with a coral covered grin. "But being stuck on the 'Dutchman" he added then shook is head in dismay "one hundred years before the mast...once you swore the oath..there is no getting off" he whispered with sadness swelling in his eyes.
"I have sworn no oath" I said looking up at him.
"Then you must get off as fast as you can" he whispered in my ear. Then the crew member with the nine tales came back down, unlocked the door and opened it.
"Come on now! Out you go! Captain needs all the deckhands he can get!" Nine-tales growled.
"Boson-" Bootstrap tried to say.
"Shut it, Turner!" Boson yelled "out on deck!.. The lot of ya!" he added. It was storming outside, lots of rain and wind. The crew was trying to raise a cannon. They placed me at some rope. All of a sudden a voice rang out "Secure the last tackle, Turner!" I looked up at the loose tackle, and ran over to it.
"Let go!" I yelled at Bootstrap.
"No, you let go!" he yelled, then he lost his grip which sent me flying backward, we heard a sound equivalent to cannon fire...
The cannon had fallen through the deck.
This will not be good I thought, the rain drenching my clothes and the wind slapping my wet hair against my face.
(Chapter Fifty Six: The Nine Tail)
The crew had surrounded me, "five lashes, will do you right!" Boson yelled. Two of the crew members came and held my arms to ropes.
"No!" Bootstrap yelled, holding the nine tale back from hitting the soft flesh of my back.
"Impeding me of my duties...you will share the punishment!"
"I'll take it all" Bootstrap said calmly, Davy now walked on deck, I turned my head to catch the action.
"And what would cause such and act of charity?" Davy asked, crossing his barnacled arms.
"My granddaughter...she's my granddaughter" Bootstrap whispered, Davy started cackling. Then Davy took the nine tale from Boson and tried to hand it to Bootstrap "no...no, I won't" Bootstrap said, backing away from the evil captain.
"Bous-!" Davy tried to yell.
"No!" Bootstrap yelled, snatching the nine tale away from Davy. The two crew members ripped the back of my shirt open and held me there. I tightened my grip of the ropes. Then I felt the whip hit my flesh.
I could easily compare it to a thousand bee stings, all at once. I winced in pain as Bootstrap hit me a second time. I counted the hits, but, by the third my back was too numb to feel anything anymore. On the fourth hit my knees turned to jelly and they gave out from underneath me, the two crew members holding me to the ropes had to hold me up. By the fifth hit I was out of breath, the two crew members who once held me threw me down the stairs to a lower deck.
"You had it easy!" one of the crew members yelled, cackling as I lay, motionless on the deck.
"Brittney" Bootstrap said walking over to me.
"I don't need your help" I huffed, raising myself from the deck and stumbling over to a sea weed covered wall, I had never felt such immeasurable pain before!
"Brittney, the Boson prides himself of cleaning flesh from bone"
"So, what you did was an act of compassion?" I growled spitting rain out of my mouth, I fell to my knees again as the rain stung my scars. I'm going to carry these scars to my grave I thought.
"Yes" Bootstrap said. Then, he pulled me under a roof where he gave me a clean shirt.
*The storm died down and the sea was calm, everyone was asleep, except the undead pirate on guard. But, Bootstrap took care of him. "Captain told me to relieve you" Bootstrap said to him. I was hiding behind a barrel of gunpowder. The undead pirate looked at him strangely "Captain's orders" Bootstrap said then the undead pirate went below deck and fell into his hammock.
"Won't you get punished for helping me?" I asked quietly as I climbed into a longboat.
"What more could they do to me?" Bootstrap laughed, letting the longboat touch the water. I sighed, and took up a paddle.
"I will get you off of here" I growled. Bootstrap nodded and untied the longboat. I waved goodbye and started rowing into the darkness of the night. Soon, the sun rose and I was in open water. I sighed then something hit my leg.
"Jack's compass?" I said questioningly, then, "Jack's compass!" I said excitedly, realizing what it meant. I quickly closed my eyes Jack Sparrow, Jack Sparrow, Jack Sparrow, Jack Sparrow I repeated in my mind then, opened the compass. "Northwest I go!"
(Chapter Fifty Seven: The Chest is Now Open..)
I had been rowing for hours now, my eye lids were closing, and there was no sign of the Black Pearl or any other Pirate Lords' boat. I layed down in the longboat and shut my eyes...only paying attention to the motion of the waves and the back of my eyelids..
*I opened my eyes and sat up. "What?" I asked, I wasn't in the longboat anymore. It looked like my quarters on the Black Pearl. I rubbed my eyes then looked down at myself.
I was in different clothing, I was in Jack's shirt and trousers, I also had one of his red bandanas on. I smiled and pulled back the covers to the bed. I tried to get up but pain shot through my spine. I winced as I reached for my back and felt the raw creases where the nine tale had hit me. All the memories came flowing back, Bootstrap, the chest, the key, the nine tale.
I rubbed my eyes and stood up, the deck was cold. I sighed then walked over to the door and opened it. I smiled as the smell of salt and gunpowder came flowing into my nostrils. I looked over to the main deck and saw my love.
Jack Sparrow.
For a minute I stood in the doorway and just watched him. "Jack!" I yelled with a smile. He looked over at me and smiled. I ran up to him and hugged him the hardest I could "thank goodness I finally have you!" I cried into his shoulder.
"Right back at ya, love" Jack said with a smile. I sighed and inhaled his cologne of rum, gunpowder and sea salt.
"Screw it" I whispered, then grabbed Jack's shirt and pulled him closer to me. When his lips touched mine I gave a shiver of delight. His arms wrapped around my waist, he was careful not to touch my back. I let go of the cuff of his shirt and wrapped my arms around his neck, and pushed his head closer to mine. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and pushed me closer to him, I smiled through our kiss.
I heard "oh!" as Jack's fingers began to caress my leg. Jack then broke our kiss to started to kiss my neck. I bit my bottom lip and sighed in satisfaction. Then, Gibbs, having seen enough, yelled "Jack, we're veering off course!" Jack ignored him and kept kissing my neck. Then Gibbs yelled "Jack, the rum's gone!" Jack stopped kissing me, stood back up and looked at me.
"Sorry, love, rum calls" he said then ran over to Gibbs leaving me standing on the bow. "The rum's gone you say?" Jack asked Gibbs. I rolled my eyes and walked down to the two pirates.
"Who has the chest?" I asked, Jack laid his arm around my shoulders.
"Ah!...Pintel, Regetti!" Jack yelled with a smile "bring us...the chest" Jack added with a smile. Moments later they returned, they set the chest on the deck.
"Who has the key?" I asked leaning down to it eagerly.
"We do, love" Jack said snatching the key from Regetti, I smiled as Jack handed me the key, I held my breath as I twisted the key. The chest popped and wooden stakes were pushed out of the sides. I bit my lip when I opened the chest of Davy Jones.
"What the-?"