Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews! I get so excited whenever I see a notification, and I'm even happier knowing my little story makes your day :)

Not a whole lot to say here. Life has been the same, and my schedule of typing is going pretty well so far. I'm reading more! I have a goal to read 50 books this year, so any recommendations would be swell. Something funny that did happen, though, is I had a gift card for a book store. Really wanted something like Pirates of the Caribbean without it being a complete copy. Found a random one, saw it had romance, and bought it! Turns out the author quotes Jack Sparrow at the beginning of the book and there's a review for it stating if you like Pirates then you will like the book. It's like it was meant to be! Haha!

Anyway, onto the good stuff. The notes I have planned for this are long, so I'm assuming it's going to be a lengthy chapter. Then again, aren't mine always long nowadays?

Happy Reading!

~MisticLight

~.~.~.~

Slide. Turn. Rotate.

I could make no sense of the charts. It was the key to our escape, yet there were so many riddles within. I couldn't tell which clue belonged to the Locker and which to something else entirely. Tai Huang's warning clung to my memory: "You cannot seek a fixed point, for it will never exist."

"No kidding," I mumbled aloud, leaning into my hand.

Scribbles. Move the outer rim. Angle the ship.

Our resources were depleted. I'd tried getting Elizabeth something to eat in the morning, but there was nothing left for us. The only thing I managed to grab was a small cup of water. We'd shared it in the captain's quarters, though she let me have most of it. She claimed she wasn't thirsty. I blamed the grief.

Fidget with the innermost circle. Align the markings. A tiger.

I stroked the image with my index finger. It was the same one Tai Huang had formed to demonstrate the power of the Mao Kun Map. He'd created it before we found the path leading us here. Little good that did now, though.

"The Mao Kun Map will reveal itself when it is ready."

His words whispered in my mind. I was ready for the charts to reveal themselves, but it would not be mastered by me. We were at its mercy.

Desperation had crept onto the ship. Others were allowed to try their hand at the map's mysteries, but nothing had yet yielded results. Even if it had, I feared it could have been overlooked. With so many answers, how were we to determine which one was ours?

No wonder people did not willingly visit the Locker.

One section goes right. Another moves left. More scribbles and jumbled words.

Without a wind, the descending sun blazed as bright as it had in the afternoon, making it harder to concentrate. I stared at the fragmented shapes, trying to focus yet unable to register the shapes. Sweat slipped from my forehead and onto the parchment. I quickly brushed it away.

A figure sat on the opposite side. I did not look up, assuming it was Will. He'd been circling.

"No, I haven't found a way out yet," I sighed. I'd been at it for a while now and having nothing to account for it was disheartening. In a weak attempt to find something as he watched, I rotated the outer circle again. The phrase Sunrise Sets Flash of Green aligned itself. I groaned. "And now I'm back at the beginning."

"That won't do us any good," a voice not belonging to Will mumbled. Startled, I looked up to find Jack staring down, concentrating. When he felt my gaze, his eyes shifted to mine and he nodded to something behind me. "How is she?"

Despite knowing he was referring to Elizabeth, I turned. She had not moved from the stairs since the afternoon. I sighed. "Better."

She'd mourned her father's death late into the night, until her breaths came as heaves and her voice cracked. It was difficult seeing her this way. Elizabeth had always been strong and composed, but she'd been cast adrift since sacrificing Jack. She'd then clung to a thread of normalcy once separating from Will. When this final piece was torn from her, she started to drown. I didn't know why she chose me as her savior, but I tried my best to keep her afloat. All I could really do was listen and offer words of comfort, but I refused to leave her alone. She needed me. So even when the late hour sent sleep after me, I pushed it away to watch over her.

My efforts were not in vain. I did not know how long I sat with her as she grieved: weeping on my shoulder, pacing the room, throwing items at the wall with an anguished wail before sinking to the floor as a new wave of tears claimed her. Eventually, I managed to ease her into a restless sleep. We were along the wall furthest from the door, sitting against it. Elizabeth's head slipped into my lap. I stroked her hair, hoping it soothed her, until weariness turned to me and I, too, welcomed a dreamless sleep.

Elizabeth's pain continued into the morning, though her sobs turned to quiet cries. By the afternoon, she wanted a change of scenery. We walked along the rim of the deck, crewmen parting for her with downcast eyes and sympathetic nods. She did not seem to register them. When strength left her again, she led us to the stairs. I made to sit with her, but she'd said: "Evelyn, please. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I… I need to be alone." Her breath shook, and for a moment I thought she would lose her composure, but she maintained hold of her emotions. So I left her to her thoughts, though I remained close should she change her mind.

"Or at least as good as she can be, given the circumstances," I continued in response to Jack. I made to turn back to him, but I lingered on Will, who leaned over the railing nearest to me.

Jack noticed the delay. "And how is he?"

"Fine," I quickly responded. Will had tried to approach me and Elizabeth as we circled the Pearl, but I kept him away with a shake of my head. He probably wanted to offer comfort as well, but with the wound of her rejection so fresh, I knew she wasn't ready to face him yet. I wasn't ready, either.

Elizabeth hadn't been the only one to face a heavy emotion the previous night, though mine mattered little in comparison. I nearly said more about it to Jack. I'd wanted to ask him how I could equally love someone but not be brave enough to do so. Yet when I looked into his expectant face, I caught myself. I'd carried this secret with me to the end of the world. Would I really release it so willingly?

I shook my head and turned back to the map.

Twist a middle circle. Scan the symbols. Slide the outer rim.

"He's just fine," I added, ignoring the weight of Jack's stare.

Rotate another middle-

"And you?" His question stilled my hand. It hovered over the map, hesitating. "You seem to be in the middle of all this. How are you doing?"

"Well, I…" Uncertainty trailed off my intended sentence. I'd been so taken up with caring for Will and Elizabeth and worrying about their wellbeing that I hadn't stopped to fully assess how my own was. I hadn't necessarily ignored myself, but, unknowingly, I also had. As I peered at Jack, I suspected he knew that. Perhaps more. What was I supposed to tell the person who had been through each adventure? Who had seen so many things? "I don't know."

Jack leaned in, folding his hands over the charts and smirking. "Come, now. You can tell dear ol' Jackie!"

I scrunched my nose. "It's when you do things like this that make me not want to tell 'dear ol' Jackie' anything."

He pouted with a deep frown. Then the humor alighting his eyes nearly flickered out and he turned serious. "Then how about as a friend?"

My brows rose. Jack had hardly done anything outside of teasing since we rescued him. He'd almost left me behind at the beach and drove me to the brink of madness with each conversation since. If "friendship" was to be the label of our recent dynamic, I didn't know if it was enough.

"We are friends, are we not?" Jack asked, misinterpreting my reaction. "One does not willingly come to the Locker to save some random chap." He leaned further across the map and lowered his voice. "The others, I feel, have ulterior motives, but with you…" His eyes flickered up and down, contemplating, and he leaned back again. "It's not so complicated. I may have said so otherwise, but I know you didn't just volunteer to rescue me simply because Will came."

I smiled despite myself, but said nothing. My uncertainty remained. All my thoughts and feelings were safe inside my mind, where only I knew the truth. Releasing them would change their place in the world. They would go beyond me, becoming real to someone else. Then where would that leave me? I didn't know. Yet keeping the unspoken inside was turning it restless. It was like a soft bell chiming in the distance, growing in strength as it rippled from the source.

"You've been out sorts, Evelyn, and you're much more useful when you're not. So how do I fix," he, not for the first time, gestured to all of me, "this?"

I took a deep breath, giving myself until the exhale to decide what I would tell him. Except when I sighed, the words spilled out on their own. "Since leaving Port Royal, my-" Don't say love, I warned myself. I wasn't ready for that yet. "… friendship with Will has grown. It's strengthened and develop-"

"I've noticed," Jack interrupted with a nod. "Our little visit to Tia Dalma gave some insight into that."

I choked on my words and blushed. What is it with that shack?

When the coughing stopped, I shook my head to focus. "Although I felt it growing, I forced myself to turn from its strength. I tried to stay separated from what he had with Elizabeth, to stay content with my place. At first everything was good! They were happy and I accepted where I was. I wasn't complicating anything… and then you died."

"Was murdered," he corrected.

"Right," I said, recognizing the truth but not wanting to dwell on it. "Either way, since then, their friendship has strained. I wanted them to rekindle it… even pushed Will to forgive Elizabeth. It pained me, but I told myself that pain was worth it. If we could just get back to where we were, everything would be good again. Except that only seemed to make things worse. Their conversations were so tense… And then when we nearly died as we tipped over the falls…" I clenched my hands into fists. My body shook. "Why couldn't I just control my impulses?"

"Impulses?" Jack's brows rose and he flashed a roguish smile. I tried to glare at him, fearing what conclusion he conjured up, but my gaze felt weak. His smile fell and sympathy crossed his features. "Sorry." He placed his hand over the fist I had on the table and gently flattened it. "I follow my impulses all the time. They're not always so bad."

"But this one was! It caused the ruin of Will and Elizabeth. I heard them speak of it afterwards, though they do not know it. Now they hardly speak at all." A pang of guilt tried to draw out tears, but I blinked them away. Jack made to talk, but frustration with all the noise the memories brought filled me. I pulled my hand out of his grasp and hit the table. The sound was softer than I expected. "I tried, Jack! Truly! I tried so hard not to twist my way into their… their friendship, yet I was pulled in nonetheless. Everything has turned upside down and I have no way to set it right again."

This time I could not withhold every tear and I looked away to wipe away those that escaped. I felt Jack's eyes on me, but I was too ashamed to meet them. Telling him part of my mind was supposed to help, not stir up my shortcomings. When I next spoke, my voice came out as a whisper. "I just want everyone to be happy again."

"Well, not everyone would be happy."

I looked back at him, confused. Everyone had been better, though, hadn't they?

As though hearing my question, Jack gestured to me with an opened palm. "Just look at you! If everything did suddenly turn back around, where would you be?"

For the second time I sensed he knew something more than he let on. My shoulders fell. "It wouldn't matter."

"Oy, it most certainly would!" Jack sounded confident, but I shook my head. His eyes narrowed. It would have been a glare if not for the continued sympathy. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe the reason none of your little efforts are working is because you keep taking yourself out of the puzzle? That perhaps instead you belong in it?" He paused for a breath but did not wait for me to answer. "Of course, you haven't. Well, I'm here to tell you that although you think otherwise, you do, in fact, deserve this happiness you keep trying to give everyone else." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "You really need to start acting more selfish, love."

"Selfish?" A small laugh quivered the unexpected word.

Jack seemed satisfied with the lighter sound and smiled. "Aye! Stop sacrificing yourself all the time. Start doing what you want."

"What I want?" Immediately I thought of Will. I'd questioned him on the very same thing, as had Elizabeth. Though he had not known his answer, I knew mine. All I'd ever wanted was his happiness. If I allowed the noise of my emotions to consume me, I wanted that happiness to involve me. More than that, even. I wanted all the love I felt to be returned. Yet such a selfish thought was only meant for a dream. If I tried to turn it into a reality and it didn't work… "What if I lost him? Is it worth that risk?"

"Sometimes the greatest treasure lies beyond the biggest risks." A warmth filled his face as his eyes flitted from me to Will. Then he reached across to squeeze my hand. "As someone who has seen this friendship from the beginning… it is worth it."

As I stared at the hand clutching mine and thought about the two drastic paths that lied before me, I felt more tears fall. I faintly laughed at them. "I'm sorry. There's just a lot to think about… Really, I don't know why I keep crying."

"I do have that effect on women," he replied, flashing another roguish smile. It made me laugh, louder this time.

Shaking my head, I pulled my hand back to wipe the tears with my sleeve. "Thank you, Jack. This was all… unexpected, but it's nice to have a friend in all this."

"Anytime," he smiled again. Then he turned to the map. His eyes traced over the image I left it on before adjusting one of the middle circles. "Found anything interesting on here?"

"Not really. It's all just a bunch of nonsense." I shrugged. Jack continued toying with it so I looked back to Will. He seemed lost. Not in the same way he had before, yet still confused and stretched all the same. I was in no way ready to reveal even a sliver of my heart to him—Jack had been enough—but I felt drawn to him. Like he needed me in the same way that I needed him. Not necessarily to speak, but to simply be present.

Do what you want, Jack's voice reverberated in my head. Be selfish.

"Well," I said, standing, "since nonsense has always been your specialty, I'll leave you to it."

"Yes. Leaving me to turn everything right side up, as usual." Jack rolled his eyes but did not completely remove them from the charts. I expected him to say something else, but he was already too engrossed with the Mao Kun Map. So I left him to it.

The surrounding deck was littered with crewmen. Gibbs and Pintel sat with their backs pressed against each other, trying to drink from different bottles yet finding nothing within. They mumbled something together as I passed, but they were too quiet to hear. I continued to Will.

He remained fixed on the still waters once I joined him along the railing, though I knew he sensed my presence. The orange glow of the sun as it hovered over a dark horizon indicated sunset approached. They were never as pretty in the Locker as they were in the real world. It was too bright here, the colors too soft. I missed how striking and harsh it should to be.

We each soaked in the dull rays of the dying sun for a few moments. Then I nudged his left arm. It brought him out of his trance so suddenly that he blinked back several times. I smiled at him. "What were you thinking about?"

He did not answer. Instead, he traced my face. As he did, I noticed a warmth start to overtake him. It was genuine and calming and filled with a familiarity I hadn't seen for some time. The gloom overcasting his features of late started to lift away. I felt my heart leap into my throat. "Will?"

"Nothing, sorry," he said, shaking his head. Tension returned to his face.

I tried to hide my disappoint with a raised brow. Whatever it was certainly hadn't seemed like "nothing" anyway.

As though reading my thoughts, Will's shoulders fell. "I'm just trying to think a way out of here. We got in by sailing off the edge of the world, but I don't think we'd fall down another one to get back."

"I doubt we'd be able to sail up one either."

"Nothing would surprise me anymore," he chuckled. I smiled at the sound. "Did you find anything on the map?"

"No!" I sighed, exasperated. I propped my arm onto the railing and leaned into it. "Just the same nonsense as before. I left Jack to deal with it."

Will smiled. "He is good at those."

"That's what I said!" I enthusiastically replied, then I turned to the sea. Will did the same. Our arms touched.

A comfortable silence passed between us as we watched the sunset slip further down. Sometimes in small moments like these, I nearly forgot about our doomed circumstance and the complexities of the Locker. There was no hunger, pain, confusion, heartache, or guilt… only love. Whether it was merely the affection of friends or something deeper, it did not matter. Everything was just calm. I sighed, content.

The sound caused Will to turn. I felt his gaze upon me, searching. When his stare did not waiver, I finally looked towards him.

His eyes were so intent on tracing my face that it took a moment for them to meet mine. They'd regained their warmth. He almost seemed relaxed. The way he looked at me was softer than it normally was, almost…

Loving, I immediately thought, though I quickly dismissed the claim. That was Jack's doing.

However, it was clear something was forming inside him. He equally looked like he wanted to tell me about it, but purposefully held back. Similar to what I constantly did around him anymore. My breath caught at the familiarity. The noise swirling within my mind was echoed back at me. It was a fleeting feeling of understanding and, perhaps, a complete fantasy, but I held to it, waiting for him to continue.

Yet even if he had found his words, he wouldn't have been able to say them. Tia Dalma's sudden voice and appearance startled us both.

"If we cannot escape dese doldrums before night," she said from the other side of Will. He turned to her while I leaned further over the railing. "I fear we will sail on trackless seas… doomed to roam the bridge between worlds…" Gibbs appeared beside her, "forever."

Will knotted his fists. I placed a tentative hand on them and squeezed, trying to reassure him. The nerves he felt pulsed into me and I found myself going cold despite the heat of the falling sun. I hadn't been aware of how dire our situation was.

"With no water, forever looks to be arriving a mite too soon," Gibbs added. Will's hands slipped through mine as he quickly made for the center of the ship.

"Will," I called after him. He stopped at the sound so I could catch up, but his eyes remained fixed on something ahead. Barbossa.

"Why doesn't he do something?" he asked.

I maneuvered around him so he was forced to face me instead. "He's doing what he can."

"No, he's fighting to be captain. He doesn't seem to care whether we make it out of here or not."

"Could you at least trust Jack then?" I'd hardly finished my sentence before Will scoffed at the response. My nose scrunched in agreement. "I know! But he's-"

"Evelyn?" Elizabeth's soft call interrupted. I looked at her over Will's shoulder. She squinted towards us, as though she'd just realized other people were near and we dazzled brighter than the setting sun.

Sympathy for her softened me once more. I nodded at her, silently promising my swift return. Then I turned back to Will, who'd also glanced over and wore an equally concerned expression. I placed a hand on his bicep and leaned in, drawing his attention back. "Jack's gotten us out of tight spots before. He can do it again."

"You forget he's the one who got us into those spots to begin with."

I offered a half smile. He was not wrong, but that was not the point I was trying to make. "Will…"

He sighed, defeated, and reached a hand up to tightly grasp mine. "I just want to free my father."

"Me too," I said. There was a hint of unintentional despair in my voice that caused his shoulders to fall. He seemed so strained. I wanted to be a voice of strength for him, as he always was for me. My hold on him echoed the encouragement I wanted to give. "We will escape, and we will save him. I trust Jack to find the solution. There's still time before nightfall."

A flash of hope cross him, but Gibbs's booming voice washed it away. I jumped back in alarm. "Barely! So, we best start sorting out these riddles."

"I've already had my share of them for the day," I announced with a glare aimed at Gibbs for his interruption. The man didn't notice and smiled at Will.

"I suppose it's up to us, then," he said.

"And Jack," Will added, nodding to the pirate then looking back to me. I smiled as Gibbs flapped a hand in Jack's direction while prattling on about things he remembered about the charts. The two men went away to discuss while I made for Elizabeth, my fingers slowly slipping from Will's chest as we parted.

A faint smile flashed on Elizabeth's face when I sat down beside her. She unfolded her stiff arms and extended her legs, rubbing them at the knees. Her bones cracked with every movement. "How long have I been here?"

"Hours," I replied. Watching her stretch made my joints feel like they needed to do the same. I mimicked her movements, but with significantly less cracks.

Elizabeth retracted her arms and her eyes widened. "Hours?" When I nodded my confirmation, she shook off her shock and lengthened her torso. A sad chuckle erupted from her. "That explains the sore back then."

I forced myself to join her laughter. She was trying. If I looked past the tension in her voice and the melancholy tainting her features, there was an ember of light refusing to go out. As long as it burned, I would offer as much fuel as she needed. "Did you want to try walking around again?"

She shook her head and stared, unfixed, before us. I leaned back, bracing my elbows on the step behind, and scanned the deck. Will still spoke with Gibbs, Barbossa looked to the horizon, Jack played with the map while gesturing to something unseen on his shoulders, and Ragetti chased Jack the monkey around while calling for his eye. The monkey scrambled towards us a moment, then sharply turned away, screeching at us as it passed. I shook my head after it.

"Evelyn?" Elizabeth suddenly asked. I turned back to her, but she still faced ahead. Her voice seemed quieter, further adrift than the light it held before. I leaned forward. "You've lost your father… does this torment ever go away?"

"Well…" I bit my lip, momentarily uncertain of how to answer her. The relationship I held with my father was not the best comparison. She had been her father's whole world, whereas mine hadn't felt that way. "It's difficult to say. I was so young that when he died that I felt I never really knew him, so there is hardly any pain for me to have. He was always gone, either by working for pirates or drinking away what little money we had. It's no wonder my mother's established family abandoned us while he was alive."

I let the sentence hang in the air as I thought back on the brief memories I had. None of them stirred emotions as they flitted by. Then those memories were replaced by someone else. Someone who had already called me a daughter despite the brief time I knew him. I breathed out a smile and Elizabeth turned to me. "Really, Will's father acted more the part than my own."

"And what about him?" she pressed. "Do you miss him?"

My eyes flicked to the figure of Will. I clutched the fabric over my heart and nodded. "More and more every second since the moment we left him aboard that horrible ship."

Elizabeth rested her head on my shoulder. "So, it doesn't go away then?"

I shook my head. "I suppose not… though you learn to live with it. The pain is just a reminder of the love you continue to carry."

"I'd rather feel that than nothing." Her voice pitched. For a moment I thought grief would consume her again, but she caught herself. She wiped at her eyes. "I wish I would've met Bootstrap."

"Me too, Elizabeth," I sighed in agreement and clutched my shirt again. "He is a good man."

"Perhaps then I'd have understood Will better."

I addressed her statement with silence. It was the only appropriate response I trusted myself to give. My mind was too weary and contorted anymore.

We remained tethered to the stairs for a long moment, too mentally exhausted to do anything else. Sometimes lingering in such suffering, when done with someone who understood the depth of it, could offer a sense of healing. I felt the effects of it starting to lift an unknown weight from my lungs. Breathing felt easier.

If only you could feel this, too, I thought while gazing at Will. How can I help you further ease some of this pain?

"What's that?" Jack suddenly shouted. I jolted from my stupor, concerned I had voiced my thoughts aloud. Then I saw him run across the ship and knew it had been something else. I hoped it was a way out. Will and Gibbs followed, with Tai Huang pushing his way towards them. They each leaned over the railing while Jack stared ahead. Barbossa sauntered down from the forecastle deck, Elizabeth lifted her head from my shoulder, and I craned my neck. We each wanted to see what he did, yet there was nothing.

Port.

With a yell, Jack spun around and sprinted to our side. More crewmen joined him, including Marty and Tia Dalma. They looked across the water again, Jack stammering as though frightened of something lurking within. I straightened up but did not stand. When the last curious sailor approached the rail, Jack gave a final stammer and took off for the other side again. The others trailed closely behind.

Starboard.

Elizabeth watched them curiously. "What is he doing?"

"No idea," I replied, relaxing again. "I'm more concerned that so many people are following his lead. They don't even know what's happening! Even Will is involved." At the sound of his name, Will looked over. I answered with a shrug, and he continued after Jack. "He's better than this."

She rolled her eyes, as though disagreeing, but did not broach the subject. "Do you think Jack's gone mad?"

In answer to her question, Jack shouted out again. More crewmen joined his strange cause. He hardly waited for them to reach the rail before bolting for the port again. With such a large crowd and so quick of movements, it was all beginning to affect the ship. I felt it move as though caught in sizable waves.

Port.

"He's always been mad," I answered without turning away, "and I do trust his madness to an extent… but I cannot tell what brought this on."

"Let's find out!" Elizabeth said, jumping to her feet. She grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. I groaned, but allowed her to drag me to the railing with the rest of them. We managed to squeeze in with Tai Huang on her left and Will on my right. Elizabeth searched the water then leaned over the ledge to shout at Jack. "What is it?"

"Uh…" he started before turning it into another deranged shout and running for the starboard again. Most followed, but I lingered a moment longer with Will. Just long enough to catch his eye and shake my head in disagreement. He smiled then nodded his head towards the others. I rolled my eyes and together we trailed after the rest of them.

Starboard. Port. Starboard.

The time spent at the railings shortened, causing the trek across to become more difficult as the ship fought to catch our movements. One moment we'd run down a slope, the next we pushed ourselves up it. At length, Pintel's voice floated above us: "He's rocking the ship."

Gibbs was quick to claim the observation as his own. His statement was louder, more confident. "We're rocking the ship!"

I looked to Jack when we reached the railing. "And why are we rocking the ship?"

Rather than answer my question, Jack gave another cry and took off again. I followed with everyone else. This time Barbossa's voice the found us: "Aye… he's onto it."

Port.

Jack greeted me at the railing with a smile. "You said everything was upside down, eh? That you wanted it turned right around again?"

"Yes..." I offered cautiously. With a larger grin he ran forward. Our shoulders knocked into each other.

Starboard.

"Well," he continued, "I'm turning it right side up! Like I said I would."

My jaw dropped at the thought of willingly capsizing, then bitterness found me and I snapped it shut. "I didn't mean literally!"

"Got any better ideas?" he asked. I was hardly given time to think when he ran from the situation entirely. With a grumble, I crossed the deck after him.

Port.

Will nudged me as we ran. "You did say you trusted him."

"And that you trust his madness," Elizabeth added.

I looked to each as they spoke. After Elizabeth's comment, they peered around me and smiled. They haven't spoken for days, and this is what they choose to agree upon? I clutched my head when we reached the railing. "Yes, but I only said I trusted it to an extent."

"Ah, then why are you still running?" Jack asked, drumming his fingers upon the wood. I wanted to tell him that with sunset nearly upon us, we had nothing to lose. That either this worked and we were free, or it didn't and we were trapped for eternity. It was better to see this through, no matter how maddening, than do nothing. Except, I found myself unable to voice these thoughts. With no response, Jack winked. "I'm flattered."

I scoffed and took off for the other side.

Starboard. Port. Starboard.

Barbossa ordered "Time it with the swell!" before disappearing below deck. Another cry muffled by the floorboards flew into the air. I caught "Loose the cannons" something about the "Cargo" and to "Let it shift." Shortly after, things began to tumble and rattle beneath us, adding to the weight we placed upon each end.

Port. Starboard. Port.

The entire crew aided in Jack's plan. Well, almost everyone. As I gazed across the deck, I noticed both Pintel and Ragetti had somehow managed to tie themselves upside downs onto the foremast. I squinted at them. How did they even do that?

Will noticed my confusion and followed my gaze. When he saw how pleased they were with themselves, he shook his head. "I have no idea."

Starboard. Port. Starboard. Port.

Barbossa emerged from below to join our madness.

Each crossing steepened the Pearl. The mast edged closer to the water. Keeping my balance when at the edge became more difficult. I had to hold onto the railing anymore or risk losing my footing.

Starboard. Port. Starboard.

Crewmen tripped. Most were able to wait and join in at the next crossing, but when the Pearl reached too great of a tilt, one man slipped from the ship entirely. I did not know whether this meant he would be trapped, or if he could join us once we flipped. There were no spirits sweeping him back into the depths of the Locker, but he had left the vessel attempting to escape.

Port. A sudden tilt.

I held fast to the railing, breathless. When my legs lifted from the floor, I was so surprised that I yelled with the rest of the crew. My legs swung involuntarily beneath me as the ship continued to tip. I tightened my hold, hoping it would be enough for whatever happened next. As I did, a crewmember lost his own hold and fell to the other side of the ship. Though the rigging caught him, it also served as a net for the cannon plummeting after him.

The poor man was squashed.

I turned my face into my arm, shielding myself from the scene. Will also looked away, but focused his attention on how he held the railing. He swiftly lifted himself up slightly, so his entire forearm clung to it rather than just his hand. It was smart, and he made it seem so easy.

Reaching the arch. Turning back down.

"Now up…" I heard Jack say as the edges of the mast crashed into the ocean, "… is down."

Our descent back into the water quickened. I concentrated hard on my shaking hands, praying they would hold for a few seconds more. My eyes felt wild as they flicked from Elizabeth's terrorized face and Will's panicked expression. I imagined my own looked the same.

Yells and cries filled the air. Uncertain, hopeful, and afraid. I hadn't planned on joining their chorus, but as the icy water crashed upon my legs, I could stifle it no longer. My scream was laced with the fear I'd been swallowing, drawing Will's attention. He reached for me, as though instinct took over him. I felt his palm hug the back of my hand.

"No, Will! You'll sli-" I started, but the churning waves cut me off. Shutting my eyes, I took a large breath just before my head got sucked under the water. It was a strong pull, and I gripped the railing harder in preparation. Bubbles wafted around me, popping up my arms and over my face. When they reached my wrists, an aggressive jerk pulled away the warmth from my right hand. I snapped my eyes back open in time to see Will slip away from me.

We reached for each other, but his fall was too swift. Already the blackness of the ocean threatened to overtake him. I turned to Elizabeth, whose arm was also extended towards him. Our eyes locked and terror passed between us.

Tia Dalma's voice echoed in my mind: "She must not leave the ship," she had said. Which meant he must not leave the ship or else he would be lost… and I could not lose him.

I desperately scanned the items floating around me: cannons, barrels, pieces of wood… Useless. Something tickled the back of my neck and I looked up. We'd been near the rigging and the pull of the ocean had shaken loose some of the rope. If he had this, he could use it to reach the ship again. Or at least be tethered to it. But he was so far, how could he…

The rope slapped my face, acting as a realization. I can save him.

Quickly grasping the rope, I looped it through my belt a few times so it wouldn't come free. Then I pulled my boots onto the railing and angled myself so I had as straight a shot at Will as I could. The salty water stung my eyes as I watched him try to swim back to the Pearl. He made so little headway that he appeared further away than he had been only seconds ago. There seemed to be a strange pull within the dark waters of the Locker. As though those lost within it were dragged faster to the bottom, forcing them to remain behind.

Will finally noticed what I was attempting and tried to align himself with me. There was no knowing how long we had until the ship was pulled back to the living… or even if that would be the outcome of this deranged situation. Either way, I only had one shot. I could not risk missing him. I'd have to wait for the opportune moment.

One heartbeat. Two.

Will's eyes found mine.

Three heartbeats. Four.

He nodded.

I pushed from the Pearl into the darkness. Objects from the ship flew past. I let myself be drawn into the Locker's dark current and pulled down. It shook me, diverting my path, but I pushed off other objects when I could to keep Will in line with me. He swam towards me at each turn, slowing his descent as mine escalated. I got closer, the features in his face becoming clearer.

Right when he reached the tip of the tallest mast, when I was beginning to fear the length of the rope would not be long enough, one last cannon floated between us. I scrambled over it and pushed off its side, giving myself enough momentum to crash into him. My head pounded into his chest and I wrapped my arms around his waist, refusing to let him drift further away. His arms hugged my upper back with the same intensity. The Locker would not part us.

I allowed myself four more heartbeats of peace, but we were not safe yet. By extension we were attached to the ship, but there was no telling if that would be enough to escape. The closer we were to the ship, the better our chances were.

As I moved my arms up his torso to his shoulders, I made sure to always remain attached to him in case the current tried to claim him again. When we were as leveled as we could be, I balled my fingers into his shirt and nodded at the rope around my belt. He loosened it from my waist. Once it was free, he twisted himself in such a way that I understood he wanted me to hug his back so he could pull us to the Pearl. I did as he motioned and pressed the side of my face into him. Only then did I realize how hard my heart had been hammering, how much my lungs burned. I held him tighter for it, feeling every movement of his muscles.

Will was first to get his footing when we reached the rigging and he helped me slide onto it beside him. I placed both feet and one hand on it. I refused to release Will until we were free. Assuming this took us out of the Locker, we were as safe as we could be. If air were available, I would've sighed with relief. Instead, I leaned my head onto rigging and looked at Will. Though he seemed equally reassured, his eyes only held mine for a moment before jumping to the crow's nest. When I looked up, I saw it still pointed towards the blackness we'd just escaped from.

I felt bubbles again. At first, they were just a few pops on my skin, but then a rush of them swarmed. They pushed past us and into the darkness, as though trying one last time to take us with them. I faced the rigging again and held tighter. Will brought his other arm around me to do the same, safely pressing me between him and the ropes. The bubbles reminded me of how long it had been since I last breathed and again my lungs turned to fire despite the sharpness of the waves.

Waves?

They pulsed against me in blues and whites, sending more bubbles into me. They were larger, harder. They felt like rocks pressing upon my shoulders that grew stronger with every push. I held tighter and shut my eyes, as though that would somehow give me more strength. My ears popped and my insides seemed to shrivel with lack of air. I didn't know how much longer I could last, which stabbed desperation into my heart. Part of me wanted to scramble up and hope air would find me, but Will's hovering body managed to calm the sensation. A flash of green pulsated past my closed vision. He enveloped me further.

Yet the waves pulled down harder. They curled around my fingers and waist, trying to pry them free until, at last, one final onslaught contained enough force push away the last of my strength. I opened my mouth to scream, excepting water to fill what remained of my lungs but finding air instead. The backs of my heels smacked onto the deck while my head and torso slammed into Will. I felt water, but it was no longer all around. Just swishing beneath me and raining on my face. A bit of sunlight prickled my skin.

A moment of happiness found me. Then my head started to spin. I cracked open my eyes. Water and fish washed over the Black Pearl and poured over the rim. Crewmen stumbled to their feet or crawled to the side to hoist themselves up. A fish flopped near my foot and I kicked it away. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness hit me and I fell backwards again.

"Are you all right?" Will's hoarse voice rumbled through me. It made the pounding worse.

"Fantastic," I said sarcastically as I gasped for air. "And you?"

He took a moment to catch his breath. Water continued to rain down and splash against our faces. "As good as I can be… Are you able to move?"

"Maybe?" I took a few deep breaths before trying to sit up again. This time I managed to stabilize myself, but I didn't dare stand. Will had more ambition and crawled forward, using the knife his father gave him to help him move. He made for the railing.

"Blessed sweet Westerlies," I heard Gibbs cry out from behind. Despite the fog pulling at my mind, I turned back to him. He'd managed to stand, which made me feel foolish for not willing to do the same. "We're back!"

"Evelyn." I followed my name to Will standing before me with an outstretched hand. The other pressed the edge of the deck.

I grasped it so he could pull me to my feet. They were wobbly and the sudden motion had been so fast that I stumbled forward. He caught me and we shared an awkward laugh before I backed away to steady myself on my own.

"It's a sunrise," Elizabeth said from somewhere nearby.

I held my breath and looked past Will to where a yellow glow was just starting to peek over the horizon rather than slink beneath it. The colors—oranges, purples, faded reds—were so striking and familiar. "It's…" I breathed, unable to finish the sentence until I soaked in the view again. "I've never seen one more beautiful."

Will lightly laughed in agreement, and I turned to him. His eyes seemed to sparkle, and we shared a smile. A sincere one full of new hope. For two glorious seconds, everything seemed perfect. We had made it!

Then someone drew their pistol.