𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑵'𝑺 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺𝑺

➣Chapter 5

Alyssa woke up to a big noise the next day. Opening her eyes lazily, she walked to the door in sleepy footsteps, narrowing her eyes even more from the light of the infiltrating sun. Everyone was ready for the anchorage, as they seemed to be slowly reaching the island where they were heading to.

Then she began to wonder where the dear captain could be, since she coulldn't see him anywhere, she hadn't heard his voice, and he hadn't even knocked on her door that morning, to let her know it's time to wake up. She didn't have to wait long for an answer, as he suddenly landed on a rope in front of her, nearly causing her a heart attack.

"Good morning, princess." He grinned, visibly enjoying that he was managed to scare her. "Sorry I'm late, but as you can see, we gonna moor soon."

"Oh. Already?"

"You overslept, darling. Go change, unless you want me to help."

"God, Jack!" She rolled her eyes and stepped back into her cabin.

"I like the way you say that." He remarked with a charming grin. She shook her head with a disapproving grimace, but a hard blush on her cheeks, and shut the door in his face, leaning against it.

'This man is unbearable.'

...

The sun was getting warmer when they arrived and landed on the small island. It was mainly at this time that Jack's behavior showed how caring and protective he was to the girl. He helped her get off the ship and looked out for her all the way, kept her close to him as they set off into the jungle.

A few minutes later they reached a small clearing occupied by a waterfall, pouring softly into the crystal clear water. They searched the area thoroughly, but did not find any crystals.

They almost given up, and Jack was terribly angry that his hard-earned map was flawed, when the girl remembered something.

"Wait! If it's a 'moon crystal', wouldn't it be possible to be visible only at night?" She asked, with a soft touch on his arm.

"Hmm... Well, that's a very interesting approach... but that's what I thought. People! We'll be back tonight!" Jack gave the order, and they camped on the shore with the crew. She enjoyed being there, walking on the shore, exploring that small piece of tropical paradise, and the captain wasn't letting her out of his sight for a second. He sat there, admiring that sweet girl as innocent and curious as a child. She looked so delightful, and it didn't help his already strong feelings.

As the night slowly fell down, they set off back to the waterfall, and was surprised to see that she was right. All the crystals that were in the water began to glow purple and after the as their light flooded the island.

After admiring them, they collected a few bags and then carefully locked he treasures in the ship, and everyone returned to rest. That is, almost everyone. Alyssa was still trying to unravel her tangled feelings and didn't know what was right. Listen to her heart or mind? Still, what would Jack think if he knew? In her helplessness, she angrily kicked into the water she was walking in, then turned to the open water. It was nice, but a little overwhelming for her as she never learned to swim. Soon after, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder.

"Up for a swim, darling?" He smirked and held her hand to walk in the water with her.

"No, no, Jack! I can't go in!" She panicked, remaining still.

"Why not?"

"I- I can't swim."

"Oh. Well, that's not an issue as long as I'm here."

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Don't worry, I got you." He said, and wrapped an arm around her waist gently, and led her slowly into the sea. "You see, it's warm, and not deep at all yet."