A Pirate Calling
Chapter Six: Cold
Jacob launched himself out into the storm, his eyes closed. He struck the woman before she had time to fall, water exploding around him, pulling her stiff form to his body and rolling to a stop in the middle of the rain-soaked street. Fay's eyes were closed, her head lolling to one side slightly. "Fay?" he whispered, concern flitting across his face. "Fay, damn it. Wake up!"
Rain pounded his back, plastering his clothing and hair once again to his skin. Lightning flashed around him, each strike followed quickly by bursts of thunder, each peal sounding like unnatural laughter as if some person, some thing, was celebrating. Jacob's hand fumbled for Fay's wrist, seeking that small pulse hidden there. When he found nothing, his other hand trailed to her neck, once more seeking the slight pounding in the middle of her neck. Once more, he found nothing.
Panic welled in his chest as his hand covered her heart hoping, praying, that he would find something there that was nowhere else. "No," he whispered, rain poured down his face as he sat up. "You will not win."
Thunder rumbled again, echoing in his mind as he began to press on her chest, attempting to revive the woman beneath him. There was a secret that she was hiding and he would be damned if he let her die without finding out what it was. He would be damned if he let her win in some show of vindictive retribution.
It was wet. Everything around her was filled with water. And everything was empty. There was no one around; everything was void of habitation, void of life.
She could feel nothing. Her body was numb, her mind fuzzy. Darkness surrounded her; enveloped her entire body until she could see nothing of herself. She felt as if she was floating in nothingness; as if she was in another place. She tried to scream, tried to call for help, but nothing came out. Her eyes widened in fear as she felt her body begin to convulse. Tears she never knew she could form began to spill from her eyes as the convulsions intensified, pain forcing its way through her numbed mind.
A lump began to grow in her throat, a nagging feeling of needing to cough built in her body. She gave into the urge and opened her mouth as she bent over, her body still attempting to purge whatever foreign substance from its depths. Water began to fall from her mouth, mixing with the water absorbing the world around her. She fell to her knees as the pain intensified, her arms going to clutch her stomach.
Her head snapped up as a voice began to filter through to her. It was a soft voice, soothing, and yet angry at the same time. An angry snarl caused her to fall back, the convulsions easing slightly. "You're not going out this way, kid. She's not going to win this easily."
A sudden noise behind her caused her to turn away from the voice, her eyes going to the small form of a child standing calmly behind her. He gave her a small gap toothed smile and then opened his mouth, the song that seemed to haunt her every moment pouring out: "Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die . . ."
A desperate heaving began to wrack Fay's body causing Jacob to jerk up. Coughs began to wrack her form, water beginning to fall from her mouth. Her face scrunched up as she continued to cough, the water escaping her lungs with every exhalation.
"Easy girl," Jacob said softly as relief washed through him. He climbed off of her, choosing instead to kneel next to her on the rain drenched street. Fay rolled over slowly, propping herself up weakly on her elbow. Jacob grasped her shoulder, helping her, comforting her. "Come on. We need to get you to a hospital."
Fay shook her head slowly. "No," she whispered. "No hospital."
Jacob's brow furrowed. "Fay," he started but stopped as a primal shriek sounded around him. "Damn it. Fay we need to get inside."
"What," she started, gasping, "the hell . . . have you . . . gotten me into?"
"Not now," he responded, grabbing her beneath her knees and around her shoulders. He lifted her easily, cradling her against his chest.
"Put me down," she grunted, pushing lamely against his chest.
Jacob ignored her and turned on his heel, walking quickly back into the open door behind him. He kicked the door closed behind him, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. He placed her down gently on the floor, cradling her head for just a moment longer before placing it on the soft carpet. Jacob pushed a strand of wet hair off of her face and then stood up. He turned on his heel, walking quickly towards the bathroom in the corner of the room.
Fay watched him go, her eyes half open. She felt drained. Her body felt weak. She rolled over slowly, propping herself up on her left arm. She pushed herself up onto her knees and then began to push herself up. Fay stood up for a moment, the room beginning to spin instantly. Her hand flew to her head, her eyes closing as a wave of nausea struck her. She stumbled forward, her hands clutching her head. She felt herself begin to pitch forward but was unable to stop herself.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her from falling. "What the hell are you doing?" a gruff voice asked in her ear.
Fay looked up at him, leaning her shoulder into his chest. A different face stared down at her. She drew back for a moment in surprise; this had not been what she expected. His hair was in wet tangles around his face; his dark brown eyes stared at her in concern. For a moment she had a flash of something different. The jangle of beads filtered through her haze; the sound of waves crashing echoed in her ears. A quick cocky grin flashed through her minds' eye.
"I," she began, "I know you."
Jacob titled his head slightly in confusion. He had no idea what she was talking about. "I know you," she whispered again just before darkness consumed her.
Jacob stared across the room at Fay. She was sleeping peacefully, her now dry hair splayed out around her face. He had changed her clothes hours ago, placing her in dry clothes. His spare clothes were large on her, but at least they would keep her warm. As for comfort . . . well, the floor was the best he could do.
The storm outside had only just begun to subside. Perhaps she was giving up. Or perhaps she was just going to wait it out. Jacob's gaze flicked up to the window above Fay. Unhindered moonlight flowed gently through the open blinds. He remembered sleeping under that same moon. He chuckled slightly. That was long ago. So long ago. How he longed to be able to go back to that simple life; to that freedom.
Jacob often wondered what would happen if he returned to his former life. Would everything change? Would it be simpler? Or would everything be so much more complicated than it was now? There had been a time when he had refrained from entering into conflicts if he could help it. A peaceful existence was much more satisfying. But that had changed . . . long ago. Now he had no choice but to get involved. His life had become so much more difficult in the past years.
He looked down at his hands, the silvery moonlight glinting off the tanned skin. He turned his hands over slowly, staring at the small scars on his palms glowing in the light. How long had it been since he had received those scars? Could he even remember? It was only a distant memory to him now.
A soft whimper drew his attention back to Fay's prone form. Her face was scrunched up, her eyebrows furrowed. Jacob crawled over to her, hesitantly reaching out and brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. Expressions littered her face. She was upset, the tight lines around her clenched eyes revealed that. The way her lips were turned down slightly showed a form of sadness that he was not unfamiliar with. Jacob's thumb brushed her cheek gently, wondering what dreams could be plaguing her sleep.
The storm had surprised them. They had been unprepared for something so deadly; so unrelenting. The rain pelted their skin as they sat huddled on the small life raft. He cradled her to his chest, his chin resting atop her head as he whispered encouraging words to her, attempting to make the situation a little brighter.
She could feel tears pushing at the back of her eyes and lodging in her throat. She could feel pain, the terrible, excruciating pain enveloping her body and wrapping its thick tendrils around her neck. But she had to be strong. She could not show weakness. Her father needed her to be strong. "It'll be okay baby," he whispered over the roar of the rain and thunder. "Everything will be fine."
A whimper was all the answer she could give him. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She tried to focus on the warmth her father exuded, but it was difficult. Her young mind refused to focus on anything else but the pain that she experienced. One of his hands brushed her hair, pulling the soaking strands away from her face. He kissed her forehead gently.
"Everything's going to be okay. You just have to hold on. Just hold on for me. We'll get home. Everything will be fine."
She heard his words. She wanted to believe them. She wanted to believe everything that he told her. But she couldn't. She couldn't believe any of it. Everything just hurt so much. She was just in so much pain. Nothing was going to be fine. Nothing was going to be okay. Not even them.
Fay woke to sunshine streaming through the open blinds. Her head ached and her eyes felt swollen. She reached up and rubbed her eyes, feeling the tracks of dried tears running down her cheeks. She sat up, running her fingers through her hair, breaking through the tangled strands. The feeling of soft fabric against her arm drew her attention down. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took in the black button down shirt that she was wearing. A blush formed across her cheeks as she found that that was all she was wearing.
The sound of a door opening forced her to turn her gaze to the bathroom across from her. Jacob stepped through the door, a pair of loose pants hanging around his hips and a towel around his neck. Her breath stuck in her throat as her eyes traced the shape of his lean torso. The shadows playing along his abdomen highlighted the slight muscles. His tanned skin shone in the muted sunlight. Scars littered his chest, causing Fay to wonder where they had come from. Flashes of heated moments that never happened scorched her mind; thoughts that were unwarranted, unwanted.
Fay swallowed hard and unconsciously drew her knees up to her chest, pulling the flaps of the shirt over her knees. "Good morning," she choked out.
Jacob stared down at her, his eyes grazing over her. She felt self conscious for a moment and tightened the hold on the black shirt. "Morning," he finally replied. He walked towards her, his bare feet not making a sound against the carpeted floor. He knelt down in front of her, enveloping her with his scent, his presence. "Bad dreams?" he asked, his right hand rising to brush her cheek. He halted half way and lowered his arm instead.
Fay nodded and looked away, finally able to break contact with his haunting eyes. "Do you want to talk about them?" he said softly.
Fay shook her head. "No. I'm used to them. I'll be fine, thank you."
"How are we supposed to trust each other if you won't talk to me?"
Fay almost laughed aloud at his words. "Who said I trusted you?"
"Touché."
"I think the storm has cleared up," Fay responded, clearing her throat. "I think I should probably go home now."
Jacob nodded. He stood up, rubbing his towel through his hair and offered his other hand out to her. "Come on. I'll walk you home."
Fay stared at his hand for a moment, unsure as to what his game could possibly be. Hesitantly she grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up. Fay pulled the shirt flaps down again, attempting to cover as much up as she could. A soft chuckle echoed in Jacob's chest at her movements. "Your clothes are in the bathroom," he said. Then added softly, "If you'd like to change."
Fay smiled in thanks and walked past him, making her way to the small bathroom. She looked around, taking in the small, walled in shower and porcelain sink. Her clothes from the day before were hanging on the inside of the door. She grabbed the jean shorts and yanked them on. Fay pulled the shirt down and was about to pull the dress shirt off when she noticed the large mud stain on the front of her tank top. She cursed under her breath and instead just folded it over her arm and opened the door.
Fay peeked out and found the main room empty. She stepped out her eyes straying to the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. It seemed so different from the storm during the night. The windowsill sparkled with drops of rain; the street glinted in the sunlight. Birds chirped in the trees on the opposite side of the street; children played out on the beach, their parents watching dutifully. Fay smiled slightly. Memories of her childhood played through her mind. She had been a child then, her life innocent and full of joy. Until it all ended. Until that one fateful night when everything had changed.
Jacob clearing his throat behind her caused Fay to turn around. "Are you ready?" he asked, his eyes traveling laughingly over her clothes.
"Sorry. There's a stain on my shirt. I hope you don't mind."
Jacob shook his head. "Not at all," he paused. After a moment he continued. "Should we take your car or mine?"
Fay's brow furrowed. "I thought we were just going to my house. It's not far enough away to warrant a drive."
"No. But the drive to your mother's will."
Fay was confused for a moment until the conversation from the night before filtered through to her mind. "You're serious about that? You really want to go visit my mother?"
Jacob's eyebrows rose. "Did I ever say that I wasn't serious? We need to find out who you are. And I intend to do that as soon as possible."
"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" she replied, exasperated.
Jacob merely grinned.
AN: Dear God sorry it has taken me so long to update this. I have been so busy at work and I just haven't been able to get inspired with this chapter. I don't know why. It took me forever to write it because I just wasn't happy with where it was going. But, I finally just surged on and this is what came out. It's only a little bit revealing about what's going to happen. I couldn't give everything away! XD
And I would just like to say thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys all rock!