Chapter 9

I cross my arms and look at Jack skeptically , remembering some of his "plans" over the years such as creating braces for his legs which end up with him lying in a heap.

Seeing my unbelieving expression, Jack takes a deep breath, suddenly not so sure.

"Do you, uh, want to know how?" He asks.

Raising my eyebrows, I nod, curious to see what plan he had concocted this time.

"My plan is to commandeer a ship, go to Tortuga, get a crew and a general location as to where the Black Pearl could be and go find it." Jack says quickly.

Thomas and I both stare at the old man who is sitting forward on his chair, his eyes lit up in anticipation of our response.

"You're insane." I tell him and turn to leave.

"Wait, wait." Thomas says and I look back at the two men.

Thomas then turns back to Jack. "Look at us, we are an inexperienced pirate, an old crippled pirate, and a privileged girl from a wealthy family. How on earth would we commandeer a ship? And how would we get a crew. We have no money, no leverage, and no reason for anyone to join us. And where would we find a general location of the Black Pearl? It is like "mist at night" as you once told me."

"I don't know." Jack says, leaning back, his arms crossed behind his head, "I thought of the plan, now it's your turn to contribute with the details."

"Thank you." Thomas says sarcastically, sitting down and running his fingers through his blonde hair.

A few minutes go by before Thomas jumps up, his face excited. "I know what we can do!"

Jack and I both turn to him expectant.

"I have a few ideas that could make Jack's plan work." Thomas says, "Down the cost a bit, is a little forest where I have my camp. There I have an old boat, just large enough for three, maybe four people to walk around and even sleep comfortably. I haven't worked on it for months but from what I remember, it only needs a few holes patched and a new sail."

"That still leaves Tortuga and the Black Pearl." I tell him.

"I'm not done," He replies, "Now, with the boat, we don't need a crew. We'll only stop in Tortuga for supplies. As for the Pearl, Jack Sparrow and the blacksmith will probably be in Tortuga and then we will just follow them."

"I don't know Thomas." I tell him. "It sounds very farfetched."

"We could at least try."

"What about me? I can't just disappear. My father has already lost Elizabeth. It wouldn't be fair of me to leave."

"Um, Annalee," Thomas starts slowly and carefully, "Do you have to come?"

"What?" I ask him incredulously.

"You yourself said that you couldn't leave."

"First of all, I said I shouldn't leave. And I can find a way to leave without my father truly knowing where I have gone." I say, getting worked up.

"But it isn't safe!"

"I am not a damsel in distress!" I shout back.

"If you get hurt, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. You are not coming!"

"Well, it isn't your decision to make."

"Anna," Thomas's voice softens, "You have no idea what you are getting into. This isn't like the books Jack has told me that you read."

"Is this what you think I'm doing? You think I am only going for the adventure? This is my sister, Thomas! I am not going to leave her fate in a stranger's hands."

Thomas doesn't respond. He just takes one last look at me before walking out of the cave.

I turn back to Jack, "What was that all about?"

"Charlie." He says, strangely knowing that I already knew about Thomas's brother.

"Oh." It made sense. Thomas had lost Charlie and I guess he was afraid that he would lose me. It was sort of strange that Thomas knew me much better than I knew him and actually cared about me while I just saw him as an acquaintance.

"Should I go apologize?" I ask Jack.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jack picks up a small wooden stick and a dagger from the crate beside him and start whittling.

Sighing, I follow Thomas's path outside.

Down the coast a bit, he said, down the coast a bit. I tell myself, scoffing. More like a whole hour of walking and I am still not there.

The beach had long ago disappeared, leaving me to forge my way through forests. I swat some flies away from my face and carefully untangle my hair from a branch.

I hope I'm not lost. I would probably be stuck here for a long time if I were. No one ever comes this far from town.

Pushing those scary thoughts out of my head, I keep going.

No looking where I am stepping, I accidentally trip over a root poking out of the ground, throwing me forward and I land face first on the ground. Before I know it, a rope cage forms around me, lifting me up into the air, screaming.

When things settle down I realize that the "root" was actually a painted rope.

Mentally kicking myself for being so inattentive and clumsy and try to get myself comfortable, waiting for whoever set the trap to come, knowing that it would probably be a few hours.

Shockingly, I hear a few noises only minutes after being caught. Suddenly afraid, I freeze, not daring to make a sound.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

I sigh from relief at the familiar voice as Thomas walks out of the trees.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, obviously still a little angry with me.

"Oh, nothing." I tell him, "Just hanging around."

A smile tugs on the corners of his mouth, "You know what I mean."

"I came to apologize. I was wrong for acting the way I did back at the cave. I shouldn't have got so riled up, and I should have tried to see the situation from your point of view."

"Apology accepted." Thomas says after a few moments.

He takes a step forward and cuts the rope holding the cage up.

Falling hard to the ground, I yelp and glare at Thomas when I straighten up.

"Thanks for all the bruises." I tell him, my eyes thinning into narrow slits. .

Brushing off my threatening voice, he grins, turns and walks way.

"You want to see the boat?" He asks and I run to catch up, quickly deciding that this man was really hard to stay mad at. The cute smile and his innocent face were just too much.

After walking for a few minutes we come to a clearing. At least a dozen broken crates litter the areas and a small tent lies in the corner, made from only a cloth draped across a piece of rope and whose corners and held down with stones.

"What are all these crates for?" I ask.

"They used to carry cloth and furs on merchant ships. I figured that they would be made from really good wood because they had to keep the contents from becoming wet. I'm using them for patching up the boat." Thomas explains pointing behind me.

I turn around and see the boat, resting on the sand, just in front of the water.

It was in pretty good shape. At least better than I expected. The boat itself looks as if made from new wood and it is the perfect size for four people. The mast however is beaten up and looks as if patched a dozen times. The sail is completely missing and the wheel is a little bruised.

I turn back to Thomas. "When do you think it will be ready?" I ask him.

"Well, I have the canvas for the sail and I am almost done making the boat watertight. All we have to do is sew the canvas into a sail and stock the boat."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask.

"Do you know how to sew?" Thomas asks, grinning.

"That depends. Is the question, 'Do you know how to sew?' or 'Do you know how to sew well?'?"

Thomas laughs and drags a large sheet of canvas from behind the tent.

"It doesn't have to be nice." He says, "Just make sure that the seams are really strong and tight."

After getting me set up with a seat and all the tools I need, Thomas returns to cutting and shaping the planks of wood for the boat.

We work silently under the heavy sun. I wipe my forehead with my nightgown. After a few hours of work, I hear my stomach growl and realize that I haven't eaten since supper the day before.

I look up at the sky and determine that it must be close to noon. I put down my work and, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I look over to where Thomas is working.

His shirt is soaked through with sweat and his hair is glistening with moisture. He is sitting on a log, cutting the crates of wood into smaller pieces.

"Can we take a break?" I ask.

Thomas also looks up at the sun and nods, "We can have a meal."He says.

"I carefully fold the sail I've been sewing and put it back inside a crate.

As Thomas rummages through a sac close to the edge of the forest, I take down the tent and drape the cloth across a branch and a board placed between two trees, creating enough shade to properly cool down.

I take a seat on the ground and take a swing from a water filled skin that had been lying around.

Thomas soon joins me, a variety of different foods in his arms.

"You know, I have no idea how old that water is." Thomas says, gesturing to the skin.

I just shrug, "Right now, I am so hot and thirsty that I really don't care."

Thomas puts the food down on my lap without a word and returns to some of the crates, coming back with a blanket which he sets on the ground.

I carefully transfer the food from my lap to the blanket and start spreading it out and organizing it.

I take a quick inventory of the food and place at least two thirds aside.

Thomas looks at me questionably.

"For the trip." I say, "If we carefully ration this food, it could last us a few days, just in case something were to happen on our way to Tortuga."

We start eating from the various foods. There are at least three types of cheeses and two types of meat. A loaf of bread is quickly sliced and overlaid with butter and jelly. Thomas pulls out another wineskin, this one full of barley beer.

"How much more time do you think it will take to finish the sail?" Thomas asks.

"Maybe one more half hour." I reply, "It isn't as hard as I thought it would be. What about the boat?"

"I only have a couple more holes to patch. I finished repairing the mast. It isn't as good as I want it but there isn't much more I can do. We can probably replace it once we get to Tortuga."

"What is Tortuga like?" I ask taking a bit of bread and cheese and stuffing a slice of ham down my throat.

"Crazy. Even during the day, the streets are littered with drunkards and the saloons are filled to the brim. Everywhere, badly dressed wenches try to make their living and stupid people shoot bottles from the top of others' heads. It is a mad town but, if you are used to it, it can be quite entertaining. I actually have a spot on top of a small house where I just sit and watch the town tear itself apart. It is pretty interesting and you learn quite a bit from others' actions and what you overhear."

I recline, resting my head on a tree trunk.

"I don't think I've eaten so much in my life." I say shutting my eyes.

"That can't be," Thomas says, "You're rich. Don't you get to eat whatever you want?"

"Of course not." I reply surprised, "You actually think we get to do whatever we want?"

"Well, not anymore."

"When we eat, we have to only eat a little amount as it isn't proper to fill yourself, especially at supper because it is a known fact that you sleep better when you aren't stuffed with food.

"I can't also drink as much as I want. I am not allowed to get up during a meal to even to the water closet and it would be very uncomfortable to hold it in."

Thomas chuckles and then we settle into a comfortable silence, resting our aching bodies.

"We should probably finish our work." I say sloppily as my eyes droop.

"There is enough time." Thomas responds just as lazily.

"But Jack must be worried." I say.

This jolts Thomas just enough for him to sit up.

"We've been out here for hours." He says, "Let's quickly finish up and then return to Jack before he goes crazy and actually try to find us. Last time he tried to walk, he broke his nose."

I pull myself up to my feet and return to my log.

Thirty-five minutes later, Thomas and I finish attaching the sail to the mast.

"You did a good job." He says as I hand him the sac of food, a bucket, and extra rope to be stored in the boat. "I thought you said you weren't good at sewing."

"I'm not."I reply, "Then again, before today, I've only sewed and embroidered handkerchiefs. The knots have to be miniscule and perfect."

Thomas does one more run-over of the boat. "Time to test it. We'll sail it down the coast a bit till we get to the bend right before Jack's cave. We don't want anyone to see it."

Getting into the boat, Thomas holds out his hand and pulls me in with him.

"Do you know anything about sailing?" He asks.

"Well, I know that you need a sail and a boat to do it." I reply sheepishly

Thomas laughs, shaking his head, "You live by the sea! Is that really all you know?"

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" I say putting my hands on my hips and sporting an annoyed expression, "The last time I stepped foot on a boat was two and a half years ago, and before that only once when we came over from London."

"Well, in that case, sit down, relax, and enjoy the ride. But you do realize that you'll have to learn how to sail if you want to come with us to Tortuga. We throw anything we don't use overboard."

"Ha ha ha," I reply sarcastically, "You are so drole."

"The wind is with us." Thomas says, changing the subject as he looks up at the air filled sail." We should be there in a few minutes."

As Thomas predicted, we arrive in only around ten minutes. We ground the boat around the bend from the cave and walk the rest of the way.

As we make our way across the rocks surrounding the cave entrance, I realize that I am still in my nightgown. Suddenly, I feel so exposed and improper. I wrap my arms around myself to fell more hidden but it doesn't do much other than make me lose my balance.

As I wobble and pitch forward, Thomas reaches out and grabs my arm, saving me from smashing my face against the rough stone.

"Thanks." I mumble.

"Have you decided what you will do about your father?" Thomas asks.

I shake my head, "I have spent most of the past few hours trying to figure how to leave without alarming my father, but nothing I think of is good enough."

"Have you thought of tricking him?"

"Tricking him? How would I do that?"

"Well, you could bribe that you know who is leaving town for a few weeks. Make them tell your father that they will be taking you with them so that you have some peace after all that's happened."

"Thomas, that is… a pretty good idea."

"So, do you know anyone that is leaving?"

"Only one." I say, smiling as I mentally see all the pieces finally fitting together.