A Pirate Calling
Chapter Four: Whispered Words
It had been three days. Three long days since Fay had taken the coin back from Jacob. She had been perplexed at first; pondering over the words he had told her. "If, and I mean if, you can hear it, I'll let you keep it." Fay shook her head. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What was she supposed to hear? "Why is this man so irritating?!" she said out loud to no one in particular.
Fay flopped back on the couch, letting out a sigh of exasperation. The coin was staring up at her from the coffee table in front of her, as if willing her to do something. She turned onto her right side, her eyes gazing down at the silver object. She had strained her ears for the last three days trying to hear whatever it was he wanted her to hear. God this was insane. Here she was, lying on her couch on a Friday afternoon, waiting for a coin to make some noise. She didn't sound too psychotic.
Her eyes flicked to the clock on the VCR. Three-thirty. She groaned again. God she felt like a fool. Fay rolled over, turning her back to the coin and burying her face in the cushions of the couch. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Dreams plagued her mind like they always did. Except these dreams were so much more vivid; so much more real than they normally were.
Fay's eyes drifted closed unwillingly, her breathing slowing. After a few moments she drifted into a quiet sleep.
Jacob sat behind his desk, his eyes staring blankly ahead. His fingers strummed against the desk. It had been three days. He was waiting, simply waiting. He would give her a little longer. But by midnight he would visit her, he would see what she knew. By then he would know the truth.
The wind was fierce. The small raft rocked dangerously, throwing them from side to side harshly. Rain pelted them, causing a stinging sensation with each hit. She could feel tears streaming down her face from her closed eyes, could feel his arms wrapped protectively around her.
And there was the pain. There was so much pain. Her entire body hurt; hurt so bad she could barely move. A voice whispered in her ear, telling her that it was going to be okay; telling her that it would be over soon. She wanted to believe the voice. She wanted to believe everything he was telling her. But she couldn't. She knew that it wasn't going to be okay. She knew that it was never going to be okay. Never again.
She opened her eyes a crack, staring bleakly into the raging sea. A sudden form rose up from the roiling waters, the sleek wood of a ship glistening in the rain. A fear ran through her; a fear of what was to come. She knew this was a bad omen.
A sudden sound rang through night, overpowering the thunder and rain. It was a song; a song that she had never heard before and yet sounded so familiar.
"The bell has been raised from its watery grave . . . Do you hear its sepulchral tone? A call to all, pay heed to the squall . . . And turn your sails toward home!"
"Yo, Ho haul together, hoist the colors high . . . Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die . . ."
Fay bolted up on the couch, her clothes stuck to her sweat drenched skin. Her hair clung in wet strands to her face. Instantly her eyes flew to the coin. It seemed to glow in the dusk, the sun having set hours ago. Had she . . .? Was the coin . . .?
Fay tentatively reached out a shaking hand, reaching for the small silver coin. It vibrated against her fingers, a low humming coming from it. Her eyes widened as she picked it up, listening to the humming. Hurriedly, she swung her legs off of the couch and jumped to her feet, still clutching the coin in her hand. Before she could think, before she even knew what she was doing, she had slipped on her shoes and bolted from her home.
Fay ran down the streets, her eyes not really seeing anything around her, her gaze set straightforward. She could feel tears running down her cheeks. Confused, she wiped them away without stopping. Her legs carried her seemingly on their own, carrying her to the one man who would be able to help her, the one man who would be able to tell her what was going on.
The moment she rounded the final corner, Fay slammed into someone. She stumbled, almost falling until two hands grabbed her arms, holding her up. "Miss Nolan?"
Fay's head jerked up at his voice. Her chest was heaving from her run, her mouth open slightly as she tried to catch her breath. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was at a loss for words, unsure where to begin. "Miss Nolan, are you alright?" he asked, concern filtering through to his words.
Fay swallowed once and nodded. "Y-yes. I'm fine," she paused still attempting to catch her breath. Finally she held up the coin. "What the hell is this?"
Jacob looked down at her, drawing his face back slightly. "Your coin," he stated bluntly.
"That's not what I mean and you know it!" she seethed. "I mean what is this? Why is it ringing?"
Jacob finally let go of her, stepping back from her, his hands falling to his sides. "So you hear it." It was a statement, not a question.
Fay finally stood up straight, staring him directly in the eye. "Yes."
He was silent, his dark eyes staring deeply into hers. "I see."
"But you knew I would," she said accusingly. "You knew I would hear it."
Jacob averted his eyes, looking anywhere but at her; anywhere but in her grey eyes. "No. I didn't."
Fay stepped back slightly, her shoulder brushing the brick of the building. "What do you mean?"
Thunder rumbled in the distance before he could answer, causing Jacob to look up into the dark sky. His eyes narrowed as he watched the dark storm clouds form quickly. "Not here," he finally said. "Come to my office. We can talk there."
Fay looked up as well, noticing the dark clouds. She looked back at him, confusion written on her face. "What the hell Galvin?" she asked as he took her gently by the elbow. She looked down at his hand and then back up at him. "What is with you? Why are you always so-?"
Lightning struck the building above her, causing her to yelp and duck. Jacob's eyes narrowed in irritation. Why was everything always so difficult? "Come on. Quickly."
"Fine," she replied, hurrying to keep up with his long strides.
Rain began to pelt them moments later; fat, heavy drops falling from the sky to smash into the sidewalk below. Thick bolts of lightning flashed around them, followed soon after by loud crashes of thunder that seemed to explode from the sky. Jacob pulled a set of keys from his jacket pocket, holding them ready for when they reached the door to his office. They were soaked before they even reached the door, their clothes clinging to their skin as even more rain pelted them.
At last they reached the small, glass door. Jacob pushed the key into the lock, pulled the door open and pushed Fay inside with one smooth move. With one last glance at the falling sky, he stepped inside. Jacob shook his head, flinging water around him. He looked up then, taking in the wet girl standing in the lobby. He almost laughed out loud at the sight of her. "You look like a drowned rat," he stated.
A small smile began to lift her lips. "I could say the same about you."
He walked past her, making his way to a door hidden in a corner. Fay hadn't noticed it the last time she had been there. But of course she hadn't really been in the state of mind to notice much about the office.
Jacob returned minutes later, a towel folded across his arm, another towel wrapped around his neck. "Here," he said, handing her the towel. "Dry off. There's a change of clothes in the bathroom if you want to use them."
Fay's eyes narrowed at him, confused at his sudden generosity. "Thank you. The towel will be enough. It's strange, isn't it? These sudden downpours are crazy."
"Or something," he replied.
Fay sighed, exasperated. "Okay. I'm done with this. Why are you always so frickin' cryptic? What the hell are you hiding from me?"
Without replying, Jacob walked to the closed door of his inner office. He opened it slowly and stepped in, motioning for her to follow. Fay waited for a moment, a baffled look once again crossing her face. With another sigh, she followed him.
The room was dark, the only light coming from the windows nestled in the wall. The lightning flashed outside, casting eerie shadows against the dark bookcases. Jacob sat at his desk, a book resting in front of him. He stared at her patiently, his eyes watching her movements in the shadows. It was unsettling knowing he was watching her, his eyes unblinking. Fay sat in the chair across from him, mindful of the water dripping from her skin and clothes. He looked almost ethereal in the gloom, the flashes of light cast from the lightning casting odd shadows across his face. Fay's heart thumped in her chest as she looked at him, her eyes catching hold of his. Jacob seemed, and looked, so much older in the dim lighting; looked so different than what she was used to.
They stayed that way for a few moments, neither one breaking the silence, neither one daring to speak. After what seemed like an eternity, Jacob spoke. "What did you hear?"
Fay was startled at the sudden interruption. "When?"
Jacob stared at her unwaveringly. "The coin. What did you hear?" he repeated.
"I don't know how to explain it," she answered, leaning over to rest her elbows on her knees. "It was a song; but not a song that I've ever heard before. And yet . . ."
"What?"
Fay shook her head slowly. "I felt like I'd heard it before; like I'd heard it somewhere a long time ago."
Jacob nodded almost imperceptibly, still not blinking. "Then it's begun," he whispered.
A crack of thunder sounded above them, shaking the walls of the building. Fay's eyes widened slightly, her chest constricting in a dread she didn't understand. "What?" she asked, her voice cracking. "What's begun?"
"Nothing you need to know about right now," he replied, shaking his head. "It'll be revealed later."
Fay felt anger well up in her chest, replacing the dread that had been there seconds earlier. "No. You'll tell me now! I'm so tired of your games! I swear to God!" she shouted.
Jacob seemed unmoved by her anger, his eyes still gazing into hers. "That's not important right now," he said calmly.
"No. You'll tell me or I swear I'll leave right now," she said hotly.
"You came to me, remember?" he replied snidely.
Fay sighed. "You know what? This isn't worth it," she said, slamming the coin down on the desk and standing up. "You can have your stupid coin. I'm sick of this."
And with that she turned away, heading for the open doorway. Fay didn't even hear him come up behind her, didn't even realize he was there until he grabbed her arm and turned her roughly around. He pushed her forward, slamming her back into the wall. She gasped as the breath was pushed from her lungs. Her head snapped back, hitting the wall with a dull thwack.
"You are not the only one tired of playing games, Miss Nolan," he said, losing the calm composure he had had the entire night. "That coin, Miss Nolan, cannot simply be given away. I tested you. I tested you and you passed. I was trying to be polite, complacent, if you will, with what you told me. I was going to tell you anything you wanted to know."
"No you weren't," she bit out. "You still tell me there are things that I-"
Jacob shushed her with a glare. "If I say that, then it's true. There are things you don't need to know right now. There are things that are not important at this time. I have not lied to you about anything. That coin," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the desk, "belongs to you. I don't know why, and I'm not going to pretend that I do. You heard it. You heard the call which means you are a part of this."
Fay swallowed, fear welling up in her chest. For the first time since she had met him, he frightened her. His eyes were blazing with anger, blazing with an emotion so intense it sent shivers down her spine. "How do you know about any of this?" she asked weakly.
Jacob's eyes narrowed. He released one of her arms, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a small silver object. Fay's eyes widened as recognition lit them. "You have a coin?" she whispered.
He nodded curtly. "And I know who I am. Now the only question is, who are you?"
AN: I know it's updated sooner than normal, but I just couldn't help myself! I have a certain song that I listen to when I write this story and it just made me extremely inspired to write. I hope all of you liked it!
Zephyr Zucchini: Thank you very much. And no, it won't be a Mary Sue. I can't stand writing them. I can let you know now that with my stories, unless the characters have a prior relationship, there normally isn't any romance or kissing until later in the story. I like to build up tension first. It's more fun that way!
PineAppleLint: Hmm . . . close, very close.
Almenel-Miriel: No, she didn't hear the song earlier. It had started to ring, but she was unaware of it.
Dawnie-7: Well, thank you! I didn't realize I had written so much tension in the chapter! I'm glad you liked it!
PirateCaptainBo: Hmm . . . I think that this has to be the first time I've received a review from two people under one name. shrugs Well, there's a first time for everything! And as for the hat with the bust . . . well, you'll just have to wait and see!