Chapter Five
As she entered the town, Jessie made sure to keep out of sight in order to not frighten Port Royal further. In the light of day, she could see the full extent of the damage. Most of the buildings had gaping holes in the walls with charred edges. Women held their children close as they picked through the remains of their homes. Jessie paused to watch a small girl take up a doll and hug it delightedly.
The prisons suffered minimal damage, just one hole in a far wall. Jessie slipped past the bodies of the prison guards and crept down the stone stairs, her heart pounding.
To her complete surprise, voices echoed up the passageways, men's voices.
"Well, Mister Turner," Jack said, "I've changed me mind. If you can spring me from this here cell without bringing Norrington and his horde running, I shall aid you in your quest to go after Barbosa and Miss Swan."
Jessie rounded a corner to find Will and Jack shaking hands through the bars of Jack's cell. Will was leaning on a bench that had been propped into the door at an angle, as though he wanted to try and use it as a lever to pull apart the door. A moment later, he did precisely that. With a grunt, he leaned his full weight on the one end of the bench, and the door came up off its hinges with a groan and a clatter.
Jack reached for his "effects", as he called them, which had sat in a corner since his arrest.
"Hurry," Will urged. "Someone might've heard that."
"No, they wouldn't."
Both men jumped at the sound of Jessie's voice and reached for their swords. Will stared suspiciously at her.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
She stepped into the light from the cell windows.
"Jess!" Jack exclaimed. "I guessed you'd be comin' around shortly. But your work has already been started for you. Seems as though young Turner here wishes to have me freed as well."
"What are you doing here, Jessie?" Will asked. "Governor Swan ordered you to stay in the fort."
"Governor Swan," she replied coldly, "will never find his daughter. He has no idea where to start or how to begin looking. Norrington won't have much better luck. I've come to ask Jack to help me find Elizabeth, since I believe it will benefit both of us." She glanced at Jack significantly. A hint of a smile came into his eyes.
"But you don't know where to start either," Will began.
"The Isla de Muerta," she interrupted. "Barbosa and his crew will take Lizzie to the Island of Death. I do know as much about that ship as Jack does, Will, but right now, I can't waste time explaining things to you." She turned to Jack. "There are several ships still out in the harbor. Commodore Norrington is having them loaded well so he can look for his fiancé."
Jack nodded. "Off we go, then."
"Wait, 'we'?" Will stopped Jessie with his arm. "You cannot come with us, Miss Jessie."
"I'm not going with you anywhere, William, I'm going with Jack." She tried to brush past him. "And you are staying here! You're already in danger of a guard finding you here with two pirates, one newly sprung from his jail very expertly. Norrington will hang you if he catches you sailing with us."
"I'm coming with you." Will held her arm and forced her to look at him. "If you're going, I am too."
Jack stepped between the two. "If I might interject," he said dryly, "William is coming with us, Jess. He would be good to have aboard."
Jessie glared at Jack, who took her arm firmly and led her up the stone steps. "Come along, Mister Turner," he called over his shoulder.
"Jack, you can't let him come!" Jessie quietly insisted. "What purpose would he serve going with us?"
"He can be a bit of leverage if need be," Jack whispered. "He's Bootstrap's child. Ain't you noticed the resemblance?"
"Of course I have! I knew the moment I met him. That's all the more reason he cannot come. Those pirates will…" She stopped.
"I understand you're attached to the fellow, but he's coming." Jack said nothing more until they reached the docks.
Will peered over their shoulders. "We're going to steal a ship," he remarked, suddenly understanding. He pointed. "That ship?"
"We are not going to steal a ship," Jack replied a little haughtily. "We are going to commandeer a ship. Commandeer is a nautical term. And we are going to use THAT ship," he pointed at the Dauntless, "to commandeer that one." He indicated to the Interceptor.
Jessie smiled as old habits began to arise within her. "We can get to the Dauntless with those boats."
The men looked over at the beach where a line of rowboats lay upside down on the sand.
"Well done, Jess." Jack crept out of their hiding place under a bridge and down to the boats.
Before Jessie could move, Will turned to her. "How do you know Jack Sparrow?"
"Will, I really don't think now—"
He put a hand up to silence her. "Alright. I won't ask now. But you will tell me as soon as we are safely away."
"I can't promise to answer everything."
He studied her. "We'll see."
Jessie waited until Will and Jack were both under one of the boats, then snuck to the boat herself. Once she reached it and crawled underneath, the three of them walked quickly down the sand and into the water, carrying the boat over them. This created a pocket of air once they were submerged.
"This is either madness, or brilliance."
Jessie grinned at Will's comment.
"Often there's a fine line between which the two coincide. Go on, Jess." Jack motioned upwards with his head. "Get us a way up onto that ship."
Jessie took a deep breath and dove beneath the water. With three hard kicks she propelled herself forward. The salt water burned her eyes. She saw the shadow of a ship looming over and angled upwards.
Cautiously, her head broke the surface of the water, and she looked up at the ship. The Dauntless seemed even more impressive. From on board, Jessie heard the shouting of crew members and the officers as they prepared the ship for voyage. She swam to the side of the ship and ran one of her daggers into the wood, holding on tightly. Her eyes scanned the railings of the ship, then she reached down to her belt and withdrew a slim knife. Out of the pommel she retracted a slender greyish rope. It coiled several times, and she held it in her hand. With her free hand, she swung the rope over her head in an ever-widening circle. Suddenly, she let go. The knife soared up and over the rails and caught on something. She tugged hard on the rope, satisfied with herself.
"Ready, Jess?"
Will and Jack's heads appeared next to her. She gave the rope one more jerk.
"Who wants to go first?" She grinned mischievously.
The three climbed up the rope quickly, slipping over the railings like rats. Jessie retrieved her knife and tucked it away.
"Tia always gave you the best," Jack whispered to her a little sulkily. Another grin broke over her face.
The crew stood together on the deck. Jack straightened and brandished his sword.
"Everyone stay calm!" he called loudly. "We are taking over this ship!"
"Aye! Avast!" Will came forward, sword by his face.
The crew laughed. Jessie and Jack stared at Will, who raised his eyebrows.
"You'll never be able to command this ship with three people," said the officer. Jessie realized it was Gillette. A smug expression sat on his face. "You'll never make it out of the bay."
Jack strode forward and raised his pistol to Gillette's forehead. "Son," he said mockingly, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"
Gillette and the crew laughed again, drawing their swords at the same time. "Then I see we'll be arresting you or the second time, Captain." Gillette advanced slowly while the rest of the men circled the two pirates and Will.
Jessie moved faster than they could follow. She flicked her wrists, and three men fell to the deck, holding their arms and dropping their weapons. By the time Gillette had recovered, four more men found themselves on the deck, three were unconscious, and Jessie had disarmed him and pinned him against the wall.
"Miss Jessie!" he gasped, recognizing her instantly. "By heaven, child, what do you think—"
"Tell the governor and Norrington that I've gone to find Elizabeth." She dragged the stunned man over to the lifeboats, keeping the razor edge of her dagger at his neck. Will and Jack tossed the rest of the crew into the other boat and lowered them into the water.
Gillette managed to catch hold of Jessie's sleeve. "Listen to me," he hissed urgently. "You are a good girl, Miss Jessie, but you are making a mistake. Your father and Norrington will find your sister; you just have to give them some time!"
She jerked angrily, tearing her sleeve to the shoulder. "I am not a Swan!" she replied vehemently. "I never was, and I never will be. Now, you perform your duty, Left tenant Gillette."
With a start the boat dropped hit the water, knocking Gillette over. Jessie watched the two boats as they rowed as hard as they could to the Interceptor and the docks. She heard Gillette shouting and saw his waving to the commodore and his first mate on the stern. Norrington raised his telescope and peered at the Dauntless. Defiantly, Jessie stared back for a moment, then turned to help Will and Jack.
"What's next, Jack?" she asked.
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The Interceptor overtook the Dauntless within minutes. The sailors flooded the deck as Norrington called out, "Search every nook and cranny on this ship. I want those pirates and Mr. Turner found!"
Norrington and his men combed every part of the ship and found nothing. They returned to the top deck to search again. A clatter and a splash caught Norrington's attention. He whirled around and saw the Interceptor sailing away with Jack, Will, and Jessie standing onboard. Jack waved his tri-cornered over his head and called out something Norrington didn't care to decipher. Several of the soldiers fired their muskets and missed terribly- the three fugitives hardly had to duck.
"Bring out the long nine! I want every gun loaded and ready to fire now," he ordered his first mate, who repeated this to the rest of the crew. They jumped into action.
"We are to fire on our own ships then, eh?" the first mate muttered.
Norrington leaned over the railing and glared at the ship. "I'd rather see her at the bottom of the sea than in the hands of that pirate."
"And you think the governor will be satisfied when you tell him you've sunk his adopted daughter and the town's favorite son?"
"I…" He paused. "Those two will be brought back and tried. They know the penalty to aiding a pirate."
"Commodore!"
Norrington turned to the sailor at the tiller.
"He's disconnected the rudder cable, sir."
Norrington pressed his lips together in a thin line as he watched his ship get farther and farther away.
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Jessie tied down the last of the lines and glanced back at the Dauntless, now a spot on the horizon. Jack stood at the helm, nonchalantly keeping the ship on a steady course. Will looked back as well.
"I can't believe that worked," he laughed. "I thought Norrington would find us for sure."
Jack smirked.
"So, William, tell me about yourself. What was your father like?"
Jessie watched Jack's face carefully, thinking she knew why he wanted to know. William, however, remained ignorant.
"My parents and I lived in London. My father was a captain on a merchant vessel, so we didn't see him much…"
Jessie left them still discussing Will's father. She knew from previous talks with Will that his mother believed her husband to be a merchant sailor, honest and law-abiding. She also knew from experience that this was not the case.
Bootstrap Bill had been his name amongst almost all pirates, though he had permitted Jack and Jessie to call him Bill Turner. During his time on the Black Peal, Jessie found him to be less calloused than most pirates, but he still plundered and pillaged with the best. He had been known throughout the Caribbean as gifted with medicines and healing remedies, and had taught her all he knew at her persistent asking.
Jessie smiled as she removed golden loops from a secret pocket. She remembered Bill and his face as if he had just left the room. He had become very fond of Jessie, saying she as "about the same age as me Will. And ye be such a pretty thing."
They had never known how Bill had figured out she was girl, even after all the precautions she and Jack had taken to ensure everyone mistook her for a boy. He had winked at her and said nothing when she questioned him about it.
She held up the largest of the looped earrings and pierced it through her ear. Soon, she had three smaller versions next to it in her right earlobe, and one thick one in her left. Bill had always enjoyed watching her flinch when he flicked an earring. One day, she hadn't heard him coming. He had roared with laughter when he discovered one of her knives at his throat.
"Swiftblade!" he guffawed. "Yer name be now Swiftblade!"
The name had stuck, much to Bill's pleasure.
Jessie ran her fingers through her tangled hair and decided she didn't feel like brushing it. Jack had never insisted she keep her appearance up, but Bill sometimes did.
"A pirate should not look like a lady!" Jessie would protest when he tried to make her brush her hair.
"And why not?" he would always ask. She never came up with a reply.
She climbed up the stairs to the top deck, still smiling over her memories. Her smile faded when she took in the scene on the deck.
Will was lying on the deck, his sword by his head. Jack's weapon was pointed at Will's nose. He was saying something in an undertone that Jessie couldn't catch. Much to her relief, Will took the hand Jack offered and stood up. Jack smiled his odd, mysterious smirk Jessie knew so well.
"Ah, Jess!" Jack called out. "Welcome back. You may be pleased to know that young William here has agreed to sail under the colours of a pirate, at least for the time being."
"Really?" she said, mildly surprised. Will had an intense dislike of pirates and sympathized with Norrington about making sure every one of them received justice.
Will grinned a little sheepishly. "Jack and I reached an accord."
Jessie nodded disinterestedly. "Well, then I suppose we shall have smooth sailing." She reached for the rigging and started to climb up the main mast. "I'll keep a lookout," she called down.
The wind blew harder the farther up the pole she climbed, but Jessie breathed in the salty air deeply. She loved the smell of the ocean and the way the breeze would play with her long black hair. When she climbed into the Crow's Nest, she looked around. She knew she wouldn't see anything but water, which is exactly what she wanted to see.
Will suddenly stood beside her in the tiny space.
"Will!" she gasped. He chuckled.
"What are you doing up here?"
Will held on to the mast as the ship lurched. Jessie tried to lean away as she felt how close he was to her.
"You never answered my question."
"You must hear how I came to know Jack Sparrow?"
He nodded.
"Why?"
"Just answer the question."
Jessie spoke carefully. "A pirate captain wished to kill me when I was a baby. His wife—my mother—had an affair with another pirate onboard the captain's ship named Rufio Delacruz. Jack came to my rescue and convinced the captain to keep me and let me grow up on the Queen Anne."
"How old was Jack?"
"Twelve, I think."
Will nodded.
"Why do you need to know?" she asked.
"You two acted as though you knew each other very well is all."
Jessie narrowed her eyes. "And that bothers you?"
He shrugged and looked away. Jessie continued to gaze at him suspiciously.
"Why are you a pirate?" he asked suddenly.
She blinked. "I was born one. It's all I've ever known."
"That's not true. You've lived amongst civilized people for nearly ten years."
"And I hated it all," she shot back, growing annoyed. "Why all the questions, Will? We're friends, don't you trust me?"
Will said nothing. A horrible thought came to her, and she gently touched Will's sleeve.
"We are still friends, right, Will?"
Will stared at her, biting his lip. But before either could speak again, another voice broke their silence.
"Come down here, Jess! I want to speak with ye."
Jessie glanced down at Jack and brushed by Will without looking at him, not wanting to see the answer to her question in his face. She slid down the rigging so quickly her hands burned like fire. Jack seemed to take no notice of her mood and led her by the arm to the captain's quarters.
"Keep 'er goin at a steady pace, William!" he called over his shoulder.
Once they were inside and Jack had made sure the door was bolted, he gave Jessie an enormous hug that took her breath away. Jessie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely, burying her nose in his dreadlocks and breathing in his familiar smell.
"I can't believe I found you," she gasped into his shoulder. "I knew you would get off that island, and then there were rumours that you had been spotted and were pillaging again, but I never saw you, no matter how many times I went to Tortuga."
Jack smiled. "I never thought you would escape Barbosa."
Jessie held him for a moment longer, then let go. Jack studied her face, running a finger over the scar on her cheek.
"How did ye get off the Pearl and end up in Port Royal?"
Jessie stared out one of the small windows. Her joy faded as memories replayed in her mind for the millionth time…
The first thing Jessie heard was the sea crashing against the side of the ship. As she opened her eyes, the faint light from holes above her head and the barred door told her she was in the ship's prisons.
Groggily, she sat up. Her head pounded, and when she touched it gingerly, she felt a knot between her fingers. The ship lurched, making her groan.
A hatch was opened above, and heavy boots clomped down the stairs. Jessie shrank away instinctively, crouching in the darkest corner of her cell. To her surprise, Bill Turner appeared.
"Hush now, child," he whispered as she opened her mouth. "Tis jus' me."
Bill unlocked the door and knelt at her side. A hunk of bread and a flask were in his hands. Jessie eyed him suspiciously.
"What's that?" she growled.
"Tis just bread and water. Ye've been drugged these last few days, and I think ye need a bit of real food. Go on, eat up. Tis all I could get fer ye."
His words sank in. "Days?"
He nodded. "Aye, lass. Barbosa and the rest of the crew marooned Captain Jack three days ago. They threw you in here, unconscious, and kept ye drugged up so as to keep ye quiet."
Jessie's throat became constricted, and she angrily wiped away tears. To distract herself, she tore into the bread and gulped down the water.
Bill reached behind him. Jessie watched his hands closely, tensing herself for a sudden spring.
" 'Ere, lass." He handed her a belt and several knives. "Tis yer arsenal of throwin' knives. I never knew as you carried so many."
Jessie buckled the belt around her shoulder and her waist. It had been specially made for her by Tia the last time she had gone to visit her with Jack.
Jack… The thought of him stranded on that deserted beach brought back the anger and the helplessness she so hated. Bill read her thoughts.
"I'm very sorry about Jack. I tried to warn the both of ye before Barbosa attacked, but they found out about it and left me tied up below. But ye must steel yerself now. The crew is all onshore spendin' the Aztec gold, and ye won't have another chance to escape."
"Escape?" she repeated. Bill brought her to her feet and gently pushed her along. "I'm a pirate, Bill, any fool can see that!" To prove her point, she indicated to her clothes, jewelry, and tattoo on her exposed shoulder. "Where am I to go?"
"How old be ye now? Ten?"
She nodded.
"Ah, there's plenty o' time to break all ye pirate habits, Sweetheart. Go live with some respectable Spanish family. Tis what ye deserve."
Jessie curled her lip scornfully at the thought of living amongst pomp and finery. She knew she wouldn't have any trouble communicating as Jack's father had made sure to make her learn Spanish, but she felt uncertain that any wealthy person would adopt her.
"Now," Bill continued, "Barbosa left meself and Rufio aboard the ship. Rufio 'as drunk 'imself into a stupor, but ye best be wary of him still. Ye know what he'll do to ye if'n he catches ye."
Jessie shivered as she remembered Rufio Delacruz's cruelty. After his desertion of the Queen Anne, she and Jack thought he had left them alone for good. Her father had slipped onboard the Pearl less than a year ago, however, and for some reason unknown to her, Jack had allowed him to stay, though they both knew who he was. Since then, he had haunted Jessie with his strange looks and mean tricks.
"There be one boat left. I've stowed away as much provisions as I could, but it ain't much. Ye'll have to row to the other side of the isle and stow away on another ship, p'rhaps."
Jessie nodded again. Bill embraced her fondly and murmured into her ear.
"Ye are a good girl, Jessie. May ye have good fortune and the winds be in ye favor."
Jessie buried her face in the coat of the only man she had ever let herself consider her father. She wanted to remember the feel of his shirt, the smell of his vest, and the sound of his voice forever. Bill patted her back.
"Go on, now, or ye'll lose yer chance."
Silently, Jessie slipped up the stairs and through the open hatch. The deck was deserted. From the beach, Jessie heard the loud, raucous singing of the drunken crew.
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
They repeated that line and others like it several times before laughing uproariously and calling to girls for more rum and wine. Jessie cursed them under her breath. Then she turned her attention to the boat.
The dinghy dropped to the water faster than she had expected, landing with a startling splash. Jessie cringed and looked around. No one onshore seemed to be disturbed, nor did Rufio appear. Bill had stayed below deck to make it look like Jessie had picked the lock and escaped.
Jessie drew her knife with the rope in the pommel and drove the blade into the side of the ship, letting the rope dangle down. Then she put her hands on the slender cord.
"Goin' somewhere?"
Strong fingers held her wrists and wrenched her around. Jessie stared into her father's face, a mixture of fear and loathing filling her.
"Why, Miss Jessie!" he drawled out. "Leavin' us so soon, are ye? Please stay, I beg of ye. Such a pretty lass hasn't been seen on this 'ere ship in far too long!"
Rufio brought her closer to him. Jessie kneed him savagely, and, as he bent over in pain, punched him in the nose. Blood flowed freely down his face. Rufio's grip loosened, and she wriggled free.
The boat had drifted away by this time, but Jessie slid down the rope anyway and sank beneath the waves. She came back up quickly and glanced at the ship. To her relief, Rufio hadn't jumped overboard. She tugged on the rope twice, pulling the knife free, and swam as hard as she could towards the row boat.
The moon was full, illuminating the darkness. Jessie clambered into the boat and saw Bill had proven good to his word. Oars lay over a small bundle protectively, and a small bottle filled with some dark liquid lay next to it. As scared as she was of Rufio following her, Jessie had to rest and catch her breath. She cursed her weakened state.
"I see ye, Missy!"
Rufio jumped from the Pearl and swam over to her. Jessie barely had time to put the oars in place and pull hard on them once before he caught side of the boat and pulled himself in.
"Ye are a nasty little witch!" he snarled. He wore no shirt, just tattered breeches, and a bandana around his dark head. On his thin chest, Jessie saw something glittering on a chain. "I'm gonna rip out yer guts and throw ye to the sharks!"
Something shone in Rufio's hand. Jessie ducked as he swung a knife at her throat. The pirate growled in frustration as she evaded his grasp. Jessie drew a knife and attempted to parry his blows, but her weakened condition and his superior strength resulted in Jessie knocked down to the bench and a long gash across her chest. Rufio leaned his full weight on her and ran his blade through her middle.
Jessie gasped and stared at the hilt protruding from her stomach. Rufio sneered.
"Too bad ye won't be stayin' with us on the Pearl, miss, but we just can't have any of Jack's riffraff onboard."
With a sudden energy born of desperation, Jessie cracked Rufio across the face with an oar. He reeled back and tripped, stunned. Jessie grabbed the necklace he wore and rolled him over the side of the boat. Pain gripped her, forcing her to lean heavily on the small bench. She replaced the oar and struggled to row away. Rufio thrashed about in the water, panicked and screaming horrible curses at her.
Jessie's breath came in ragged pants, but she pressed on. Rufio had recovered and was swimming towards her. Something bumped against the side of the boat, and Jessie saw a tall dorsal fin slicing through the water. Three or four others joined the first. The girl held still, her heart beginning to race again. Sharks lived in abundance in the waters by the unnamed islands where Barbosa stayed to enjoy his plunder, and Rufio's vigorous splashing had attracted them like moths to a flame.
Rufio hadn't seen the carnivorous fish yet and kept splashing away. Jessie watched with a horrid fascination as the sharks began bumping into the drunken pirate. Rufio started and noticed the evil-looking fins that surrounded him. With a terrible screech, he tried to swim faster, aggravating the sharks further. Jessie strained once more on the oars, ignoring Rufio's pleas and cries for help, until she no longer heard him and the lights from the shore were tiny dots on the horizon.
Exhaustion overcame her, and she slumped forward. She stared at the necklace in her hand. It was a coin, one of the Aztec coins from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. Jessie smiled a small smile of satisfaction, knowing that Barbosa and his crew would never break the spell hanging over them as long as she had this coin.
Blackness shrouded her vision, and she passed out on the bottom of the boat, the knife still in her stomach, the coin clutched in her death grip.
Jessie fingered the medallion around her neck. Jack had listened to her tale without interrupting, staring at her with a blank expression.
"I don't know how long I drifted," she resumed after a moment. "It couldn't have been too long. Anyway, by some strange chance I drifted past one of Governor Swan's ships. Elizabeth saw me and alerted Norrington, who had me brought aboard. The doctor managed to save me, but I remained weak for a long time. Elizabeth took care of me, even after we reached Port Royal and I was staying in the doctor's house. I made up some story which she bought, and consequently, everyone else did, too. Elizabeth grew quite fond of me, and I eventually came to love her back. She convinced the governor to adopt me, and I lived with them for three years until her uncle in Barbados died and left me his estate. Evidently he thought I would know how to better care for it than Elizabeth or his son. While on Barbados, I managed to steal away on a ship every now and then and make my way to Tortuga, where I would search for any bit of information about you. But no one knew where you were or where you were going."
She smiled at Jack. "I knew you would be going after Barbosa, and I knew you would have to go to Tortuga sometime for a crew, so I convinced some of the boys there to have word sent to me whenever you landed. I just never thought you would be so desperate as to try and steal a ship from Port Royal itself."
Jack placed a kiss on her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm glad we found each other. I didn't think Barbosa would keep ye alive for very long, and I didn't want to think of what he'd do to ye if'n he did."
Jessie felt a tremor run through him.
"How did you get off the island, Jack?"
"What, the countless stories of my escape aren't enough to satisfy ye?" he replied cheekily. A twinkle reappeared in his eyes.
Jessie laughed. "They're all nonsense. The most ridiculous tells of how you charmed Calypso into teleporting you to wherever you wished. No, I want to know how you really got off that island."
Jack's grin grew, showing his golden teeth. "Well, Jess, I stood out in the sea for three days and nights, until all the little creatures became used to my presence…"
Jessie punched his shoulder. "Fine, Jack, then don't tell me. Will you tell me where we're headed to now?"
"That pompous little git was right when he said we can't sail this ship with three people. We can make it for a little while, but when I recover the Pearl, I'm gonna need more crew mates than yerself and William. So I'm on me way to findin' us a crew."
Jessie knew where they were headed. "Tortuga."
"Aye. Tortuga."