CHAPTER 3

Garrett quickly snapped out of his daze and turned to a fuming Mary. This was the other side of Mary, the intimidating, scary one. This side of her came out when things weren't going her way.

"Garrett, darling," Mary began, breathing heavily, "you keep drifting off and hardly paying any attention at all. Do you even want to be here?"

"Yes of course I want to be here," Garrett replied, but it was a lie. He didn't want to be there at the exact moment, he was more concerned for Alayna's safety in Port Prince.

"Okay, so then answer my question, how are your parents?" Mary asked ever so sweetly. Garrett looked around quickly, sort of freaked out by Mary's bipolar personality.

"They're uh, they're good, great actually. Yeah," He responded. Mary nodded, looking at him longingly. Jon and Lacy were talking quietly to each other at the other side of the table. The waiter came over and served them their appetizer, which was salad and soup.

"Oh Garrett look how romantic Lacy and Jonathan are, it looks like they are just perfect for each other, just like we are," Mary said gently caressing Garrett's hand. Garrett put on a fake smile and nodded.

"Yeah, just like us," He told her.

Empty words, Garrett's mind told him.

ALAYNA's POV

Alayna returned to Port Prince around 10am.

"What am I going to do today?" Alayna asked herself looking around the port at all the hungover men and women. The pub was quiet. Some stores were just opening. The smell of cooked food made Alayna's stomach grumble. She rubbed her stomach uncomfortably.

I haven't eaten in at least a day, Alayna reminded herself. She decided to try her house first, even though the chances of food being there were slim to none. So as always she trekked her way through the woods to the small grouping of homes. When she entered, no one was home. She looked through the cabinets and fridge and the only source of food was half a bowl of oatmeal which Alayna ate slowly, savoring each disgusting bite. But each bite meant she'd be alive for a little bit longer. She promised she would never resort to prostitution to get money. Instead, Alayna changed into another pair of pants, shirt and boots and grabbed a hat. She neatly got all her hair into the hat and brushed some coal on her face to look like dirt. When she did this, she looked somewhat like a boy, she didn't have very large breasts so wearing and extra large shirt covered any breasts she had.

Down at the dockyard, there was only one man who recognized her the first time she went to work for some money. The others barely gave Alayna a second glance; they just assumed she was a he. This man's name was Hugh. He was an old man that lived in a little shack by the beach. One day when Alayna was working she was chopping wood and Hugh watched her for awhile and said: "Girl, you chop wood betta' than any man I've seen," He chuckled. At first Alayna was concerned he would tell on her, but he only smiled and told her he'd rather her be chopping wood than selling her body. Since then, Alayna tried to get jobs by the shack. When she went up to the dockyard manager today, he didn't even look at her and said, "Go chop wood," Alayna nodded and gladly went down the hill.

As usual, Hugh was there, in his rocking chair on his little front stoop.

"Hello there Alayna, how are you today?" Hugh asked sweetly.

"I'm alright, starvin' something awful though, that's why I'm here," Alayna responded smiling. Hugh frowned and went inside. When he didn't come back out Alayna shrugged and began chopping away at the logs of wood. This was one of those times that Alayna wished she really was a man, so she could take her shirt off. But instead she had to bear the heat. There were only about 50 small logs to chop, which wasn't a lot. So Alayna went and collected her 4 shillings and went back to say goodbye to Hugh.

"Hugh?" Alayna called in, knocking on the door. The smell of hot stew drifted into her nose.

"Well come on in darling!" Hugh called. Alayna gladly accepted the invitation and walked in. The shack was musty, there was no doubt there. To the far right was Hugh's bed and little nightstand with some shillings. He had a single quilt and one flat pillow. In the middle of the shack was a small table with two old wooden chairs. To the left against the wall was a single painting of a fish. Hugh had once told Alayna about the first fish he had ever caught when he was a child. It was the best day of his life, and so he painted that fish and kept it for all those years. To the far left was a small kitchen set up with a stove and was tub area and one counter space.

"I made you some soup, you shouldn't have to go without food, you're too young to be struggling," He said winking. Alayna sat down and accepted a big bowl of beef stew and thanked Hugh. She didn't take her time to dig in. He sat across from her and ate slower.

"There's plenty more in the pot, so don't eat it so fast ya hear? You'll get sick," Hugh said. Alayna couldn't help but life. Hugh was the closest thing to a father she'd ever had.

"Sorry," Alayna responded wiping her face with the napkin in front of her.

"Maybe one of these days you'll find a man who will provide for ya' so ya' don' have to be chopping wood dressed like a man yerself,"

"Yeah, maybe," Alayna said chuckling.

"What about that boy Garrett there, he still with that gal?" Hugh asked curiously.

"Of course he is, I've told you that they're affianced. He's not getting out of that one," Alayna chuckled.

"Well that just ain't right, a feller' should choose his gal'" Hugh said shaking his head.

"Well we all have to make sacrifices sometimes, right?" Alayna tried to reassure herself.

"Yes, but not when it determines who you spend the rest of yer life with," Hugh commented.

"I agree,"

GARRETT'S POV

Garrett's hands began to sweat thinking about what he was about to do. Lacy and Jonathan had just left and it was just Garrett and Mary on the beach walking.

You're making a mistake, don't do this, his head told him.

"Mary…" He began and she turned quickly, her face gleaming. Garrett panicked and instead said, "You have chocolate on your face," it was lie but he wiped her cheek pretending to clean the smear.

"Oh, alright," Mary said blankly. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and Garrett felt bad.

"I should get you home before it gets dark," Garrett said holding out his arm for her to take. She looked at him angrily and didn't say a word, but took his arm. It was a silent, awkward walk to Mary's house. He said goodnight and she refused to kiss him.

"Goodnight Garrett," She said angrily and stormed inside. Garrett immediately unfastened his suit.

"God damn it," He whispered to himself and stormed back to his house. It was a long walk, and it gave him time to cool off. He just knew he wasn't meant to be with Mary of all people. In fact he had to stop lying to himself, he really didn't like Mary. She was bipolar, nasty and unkind to others around her. She even gives her parents attitude. When he walked through the door his parents were sitting near the fireplace. Their smiles of expectation faded when they saw Garrett's face.

"What happened?" His father asked.

"I didn't propose to her, alright? I'm not going to, forget about your little arrangement with her parents," Garrett huffed and stormed up the stairs.

ALAYNA'S POV

Alayna was talking to Hugh so long she didn't even notice it had become so dark.

"Oh, Hugh I need to go! I'm so sorry I didn't realize how late it was getting!"

"Alright, you want me to walk ya home missy?" Hugh offered but Alayna was already out the door.

"No no don't worry about me Hugh I'll see you soon!" She waved through the window and took off at full speed through the summer air. When she reached her house she stopped abruptly at the loud voices arguing inside. It was Angelica and a man, but not Black Beard. It was a familiar voice, but she couldn't place it until she peeked through the window.

"Jack Sparrow!" Alayna whispered to herself and ducked back down to just listen.

"For 17 years, 17 years! You felt it wasn't important to tell me?" She heard the man yell.

"I didn't want it to be a burden to you!" Angelica yelled back.

"Well why now, why tell me now!"

"Because now you don't have to worry about being responsible for her!" Alayna was confused.

"She's my bloody daughter too! Did you think I didn't want anything to do with her growing up?"

"Actually that's exactly what I thought!"

"And you're positive she's mine, not some other man?" Jack Sparrow asked a bit quieter.

"What other man, Jack. You were the one and only, congratulations. Because after I got pregnant the first time I never wanted to risk it again, especially with a man who wouldn't want anything to do with his welp!" Angelica said and a tear came to Alayna's eye.

"But I do want something to do with her,"

"Jack you wouldn't have said that back then," And that's when Alayna couldn't take anymore, she walked in quietly, crying. Jack and Angelica looked at her. Angelica cupped her mouth, in shock at how much Alayna had heard. Jack looked at her solemnly.

"Is that all I am, Angelica, a welp?"

"Alayna, darling, please, please listen," Alayna shook her head and ran out the door. She made a direct bee line for the trail.

"Alayna, come back!" She heard Jack Sparrow yell. She kept going, without even thinking she ran through the woods, the fastest she'd ever run. She could feel the twigs and branches whipping her in the legs and face but Alayna could care less. Once she was out of the trail and on the beach she had to stop and catch her breath, but she didn't wait for long. She thought she heard rustling in the woods so she took off again. Through the silent town of Port Royal, up the hill and to the Governors mansion. She ran around the back where she usually went to climb up to Garrett's room. Her legs and arms were shaking so badly and her eyes were so blurry she could barely get up to his room.

Her shaky hands rapped on the window. Garrett turned in bed and saw her. He sprang out of bed and opened the window quickly.

"Garrett…" Alayna said sobbing. Garrett wrapped an arm around her waist and one arm under her legs and walked her over to his bed and laid her down.

"I'm going to go get you some water, just stay here, okay?" Garrett said tiredly. Alayna nodded and rolled over in his enormous, comfy bed. Garrett came back with a glass of water and ice.

"Here, I know you prefer it with ice," Garrett said handing her the glass and sitting on the bed next to her.

"Thank you, so much Garrett," He nodded, smiling.

"Want to tell me what happened?" He asked.

"I found out who my father is,"

"What? Who?" Garrett asked.

"Jack Sparrow…"

"No way, the Captain Jack Sparrow, as in the pirate?" He asked.

"Yes, and it was horrible. I overheard my own mother call me a whelp and how I was basically a huge mistake and that's why she's never been married," Alayna said, beginning to cry again.

"No, no don't cry Alayna, You are no where near the meaning of a whelp. And don't begin to think for a moment that you're a mistake. You're the best thing that's ever come into my life," Garrett said smiling. Alayna smiled and thanked him.

"Remember the last time you came to my window sobbing like this. When you were 13 years old and you were bawling your eyes out because Black Beard had taken away your favorite doll?" Garrett said chuckling.

"At the time it felt like I would die without that doll, now look what I'm crying about,"

"You don't need to worry or cry about such silly things, you know they're not true,"

"It's just that, I know Angelica and I have never been close but she's still my mother. What mother calls her own child a whelp and never tells the father that he has a child?"

"I bet this is just as shocking to him too,"

"Maybe," Alayna replied. She drank the rest of her water, it felt soothing and cold running down her throat. It wasn't often that she had ice with her water, it was more a luxury than an average, everyday asset. Most people find warm, hot beverages or foods soothing, but Alayna preferred cold ice.

"Here, come on, move over to the other side and get under the covers," Garrett said rolling Alayna over to the other side. Alayna giggled and did as she was told. Garrett smiled, still extremely tired and got under the covers. The two lied facing each other.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Garrett, you have a fiancé now," Alayna whispered.

"No I don't, I'm not going to marry her, I can't do something that's not right to me,"

"What about the arrangement?" Alayna asked worried.

"Don't worry about that," Garrett said shaking his head.

"What will your parents think?"

"I honestly don't care so much, I'm 17, practically an adult. I can make my own choices, and my choice is to not get married. You women are too much work,"

"Amen to that," Alayna said, then laughed afterward.

"How about we make our own agreement?" Garrett offered.

"Like what?" Alayna asked, feeling her eyes getting very heavy. She let them close but continued to listen to Garrett.

"In twenty years if neither of us is married, we'll just get married," Garrett said. Alayna opened her eyes and saw his joking smile and laughed.

"Agreed," Alayna replied. She closed her eyes again.

"What if either of your parents walk in and I'm still here?" She asked sleepily.

"Don't worry about it, I don't care, I just want you to be alright," He said. Alayna mumbled something inaudible and Garrett smiled.

"Are you falling asleep Alayna?" Another soft mumble was the only answer. "I'll take that as a yes," Garrett said and moved closer to Alayna and placed a reassuring arm around her in a sort of hug. He kissed her on the head. He moved back and rolled over to the other side and went to sleep himself.

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