Told ya so!

It was dark outside. So dark it was almost touchable and everything around us was black. Including the ship moored on an island nearby. The Black Pearl was visible only because of the light from the moon and the stars and the only reason we knew it was her was because we had seen it in the daylight. At about midday a cry had gone up telling us that the Pearl had been spotted moored on an island where there was rumoured to be vast amounts of treasure buried in a deep underground cave. We had bided our time and stayed back until nightfall, praying that the Pearl would stay mired there long enough for us to sneak on board and take her back. It was sheer luck that we had found her. Jack hadn't mentioned his Compass to Teague let alone that it wasn't working, but when nobody but me was looking he would get it out and shake it furiously. I always felt bad when he did. It was, after all, my fault.

It felt as if even the night air around us was holding its breath as we drew up alongside the Pearl. It was so still. Only the sea was moving, very gently lapping at the shore and at both boats, trying to cover up the sounds we made. The wind had dropped, which was good as it meant that we could go very slowly and quietly through the water. We stopped and the silence around us was slightly broken by the sound of wooden boards being drawn out and slid slowly along in the gap between the ships. I cringed as they scraped along.

"Captain," a loud whisper cut across the deck from the man with the telescope, who was standing next to me. Everyone froze. The planks stopped there slow procession and hung in the gap. Teague appeared silently behind me. The man pointed, "There's someone on lookout in the Crow's Nest."

They must be looking in the wrong direction then, I thought, to not have seen us coming. Or maybe they're asleep. I bet it's Pintel... or Ragetti. Ragetti's probably looking out of the wrong eye...

On the other side of me Jack pulled the face he does when he's cursing something. He probably realised that it was only a matter of time before whoever was in the Crow's Nest looked the right way and saw us. Without thinking too much about it I grabbed a rope that was hanging beside me and climbed onto the railing. Jack tugged at my leg, but Teague nodded his approval.

"Belle..." Jack hissed in the silence. I drew a knife just in case.

"Sorry, Jack," I said and then, just to annoy him; "Captain's orders."

I put the blade of the knife between my teeth and pushed off. As the air rushed past me I had time to think about my landing and braced myself for it. I squinted to see the deck come closer and stretched out my feet to meet the rail. My toes touched it and I balanced there, not letting myself fall to the deck for that would make a noise. I doubt I would have been as brave if I didn't know that these people were our friends and there was really only one person we had to fear aboard this ship.

When I was steady I slid down onto the deck and kept a hold of the rope. I cut a length of it off, hacking at it with my dagger. I let it swing back across before making my way to the foot of the Crow's Nest. I put the blade back between my teeth and kept the rope clutched tightly in one hand. I reached up and grabbed a rung of the ladder. I pulled myself up. The rope was shaky under my feet, but I had expected that. I pushed myself up another rung and another, being careful not to let the rope swing far enough away from the mast for it to make a noise if it were to crash into it again. The further up I went the shakier the rope became and the more it swung. The higher up I went, the windier it was. I tried not to think about the gap between the cold, hard deck and I. My heartbeat had quickened and now I was starting to get scared. I had realised that if the person in the Crow's Nest heard me or saw me before I had a chance to swing myself into the nest then they would have the advantage. If they knew I was coming they could kill me before I knew I had been seen. If they were prepared a sword dropped on me at that angle would slice straight through my skull. I forced myself to look up. The Crow's Nest was silhouetted against the tiny pin-pricks of starlight. It seemed so far away. Blood pounded in my ears as I forced myself to keep going. I felt the knife start to slip from between my teeth and I bit down harder. I couldn't let it fall. It may just save my life.

What had once seemed so far away was getting tantalisingly close and I dreaded the end with anticipation in my gut. The last few rungs came and I paused, listening. I could hear the wind, my heart and my breathing. I slowed down my breaths, made them quieter. I hooked my fingers over the top of the Crow's Nest and slowly pulled myself up. My eyes peeked over the top. A solitary figure stood in the Crow's Nest with his back to me. I think.

I pulled myself further up until my head and shoulders were above the line of the railing surrounding the nest. Pushing myself up on my hands I swung one of my legs over the edge. There was a terrifyingly long moment where the only thing keeping me from a plummet to certain death was one foot where my tiptoe was balancing on a thin rung of a wobbling ladder. I shifted my weight on to the foot that was on something more solid and swung my other leg over. I took the knife out of my mouth. With both feet now firmly on solid ground I crept forward a few steps. I then took the biggest breath of my entire life and, as the world seemed to slow down around me, I sprang forward.

My hand slammed down over their mouth, muffling their shout and I pressed the blade to the base of their jaw. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his ear, but I managed it. "Don't make a sound," I hissed. He stayed still. I think it was Ragetti after all, he was the right height. "Do you understand?" He nodded and I spun him round to face me, keeping my knife at his throat. It was, indeed, Ragetti. His eyes widened. I tried to be less threatening. I'd always liked him. "I'm sorry about this," I told him, sincerely. "We've come for the Pearl and we're not going to hurt anyone... except maybe Barbossa, but that's not my point."

I turned away from him and signalled to the others that it was safe to come across. The boarding planks continued their slow procession "Mmmnf..." he tried to speak. I shushed him. Then, to be on the safe side I got my length of rope and tied it across his mouth.

"Are you going to help me or do I need to tie you're hands too?" He nodded to show that he would help and then pointed to his gag. If he wanted me to take it off, he was out of luck. I hadn't come this far to risk it now. I grabbed his pistol out of his holster and aimed it at him. "Get down and don't bother trying to take off your gag, understand?" He nodded. Poor Ragetti, I'd give him a big hug when all this was over. "I'll go first, but you better be right behind me..."

He nodded again and I started my descent down the ladder. I kept my attention and Ragetti's pistol pointing up the way, just so that Ragetti knew not to try anything. As my feet touched the ground the boarding ramps fell into place. People were quick to scurry across and jump soundlessly onto the deck, weapons drawn. They tread as lightly as possible across the deck. One of them tied up Ragetti's hands and feet with more rope he had brought across. Ragetti struggled against him, trying desperately to mime something to me. Then I saw Jack heading towards Barbossa's Cabin with his face set and eyes burning with pure hatred. It was nothing like any hatred I had ever seen before and it scared me. Even though I knew that it wasn't for me, the level of hatred he had been driven to made my blood run cold in my veins. I snuck after him as Teague's crew began to move downstairs to the crew's quarters to capture them. There were no lights on. Jack pushed on the door and let it swing open. Nothing but darkness greeted us and so Jack stole inside. I looked around before starting to follow him. I saw the look in Ragetti's eyes and I stopped. They were full of nothing but blind panic. He squirmed around trying to dislodge his gag. It slipped down far enough for his voice to carry out across the night, "I'm sorry, Isabel..."

"What?" I whispered, as fear and confusion beginning to rise in my chest.

"I'm so sorry," he whimpered, close to tears. "I didn't know it was you... you and Jack... I thought... I'm sorry..."

I could feel my palms getting clammy as a tight knot of dread formed in my stomach. It was enough to make me feel sick. I never had time to ask him what he was sorry for, as I was about to find out. Jack's voice called out in the darkness. He sounded confused and anxious. "Where is he?"

"What?" I took a step inside the doorway, but couldn't see a thing.

"He's not in here..." Jack said from the depths of the gloom.

"Yes he is," Barbossa's voice from the shadows was the loudest thing I had heard in ages. As I jumped a knife pressed into my back and a gun dug into my temple. "Ye just weren't looking hard enough..."

He dragged me backwards, into the light on deck where Jack could see what he was doing. He ran the flat of the blade down my cheek. It was so cold I shuddered and he laughed. Jack stepped out, gun raised, but Barbossa was using me as a human shield. "Let her go!" he warned. Barbossa laughed again.

"It was a mistake comin' here, Jack. And now Belle's going to have to pay for it."

See ya in like another month or so.. :(

XX