Captain Hook and Facilier: Piracy and Voodoo (English Version)

3. Present versus past

The next morning, Celia was abruptly awakened by a bucket of water. "Stand up, come on!", said the pirate, opening the cell, "The captain wants to see you!". Celia took her things and he bring her to Captain Hook.

Meanwhile, in James's cabin, he and Facilier had long argued about what had happened the night before. The latter had managed to convince James to spare his daughter, explaining that she, unlike him, had not yet learned well to dominate her shadow. "I hope for both of us that it will never happen again!", James said nervously, "Now she will have to immediately apologize to my son!", "No problem, my daughter is polite and knows when she's wrong! Anyway, she didn't kill him, her was just a warning!", "A warning?! Blast warning! She was choking him with her witchcraft!", "Calm down, I already told you she didn't do it on purpose! Now she will apologize and let's not talk about it anymore! We both have other problems to deal with!", "Yes, I know! As soon as the matter is resolved, we will get busy!". Throughout the night, Facilier and James had been talking about what had happened on Black Island and they were coming up with something so they could both get out of it, so that in the end they could only devote themselves to James's revenge on Peter Pan. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Captain, the girl is here", said a voice. "Let her in", James replied. Celia walked in and sat across from James, looking down. "Well", said the latter, "This time it went well for you, my dear. But next time you try to hurt a member of my family, I'll throw you into the sea myself!". Celia, without looking up, replied: "I beg your pardon, captain", "You must apologize to my son, not me!", "I didn't want to hurt him, but he wouldn't leave me alone and I lost control", "I don't care how it went! You attacked my son and I can't tolerate that! Now you will have to apologize to him for what you did to him!", "Yes, captain". That said, James called Charlie. Shortly after, as he entered the cabin, he sat down opposite Celia. He was still offended by her reaction from the night before, but also worried about having to suffer one more outbursts of anger from her. Celia, looking into his eyes, held out her hand and apologized. Charlie hesitantly accepted her apology, shaking her hand. Then, James told Charlie to take her with him and not to lose sight of her. Before they left, Facilier said: "Celia, wait! Did you do everything I asked for?". She, approaching him, replied: "Yes, father. Here you are". She put the two bags in his hand and then she went out, accompanied by Charlie. She still didn't know exactly what her father had made her do, they were Voodoo things that she still did not know, but now she had other problems and she waited to ask questions. Then, Facilier turned to James: "Now that everything is resolved, how about we get back to our business?", "Sure, sure! The sooner we solve this mess and the sooner we can devote ourselves to that Peter Pan brat!", "Well, where were we left, then? Oh, yes! How about making a deal with me?", "A deal?! What deal?", "Quiet, my friend! Now I'll explain to you, don't be afraid".

Meanwhile, Charlie had taken Celia to Bethany's room. Seeing her all wet, she sat her down, gave her a towel to dry and said: "Don't worry, Celia. Nobody here is mad at you anymore. Our mother forgave you too. She'll be here shortly with tea and cookies. There is nothing better than a good breakfast to restore a good mood". Celia smiled at her. Bethany was always so sweet and kind to her. Very few people in her life had treated her sweetly. Shortly thereafter, Scarlett came in with a tray, accompanied by Glenn. She placed it on the table, then turned to Celia: "I forgive you for last night, but that it never happens again", "I'm sorry, I...", "Now let's not talk about it anymore. Charlie is fine and you are sorry. Come, pour tea for everyone, then let's all eat together". Celia obeyed. When she finished pouring the tea, she sat down to breakfast with the others. Meanwhile, Charlie didn't stop staring at her. She noticed it, but she pretended nothing happened, despite her discomfort. She didn't understand why Charlie behaved like this to her. She had never had a boyfriend in her life, but finding such an insistent pirate towards her was not what she expected and it also bothered her a little. She hoped he would leave her alone, not least because she couldn't afford to get angry again, risking hurting him seriously if she lost control. Bethany, noticing how Charlie stared hard at Celia, said: "Listen, big brother: why don't you go see if the crew is doing their duty?". Charlie, absently, replied: "Eh? But, I...", "Please, GO! You're the boatswain!", "Uff! Okay, I'll finish my tea later!". That said, she got up and walked out. Celia understood Bethany's gesture and thanked her under her breath. The latter smiled at her and gave her a caress, giving her a wink. Celia, after this gesture, put her hand to her cheek. That caress of hers had just brightened her day. Bethany was really very good and Celia was very pleased for this. After so much suffering in her life, she finally met someone who showed her affection. She hoped their friendship would remain intact forever. After breakfast, Scarlett told Celia to help her take away the tray and cups. When they were alone, she said to her: "Celia, I know you're not bad. Forgive my ways of last night, but it was an instinctive reaction. You know, if I happen to see one of my children in danger, I act immediately and do everything to protect them", "Scarlett, I...", "Don't worry, no justifications are needed. I confess that not long ago Bethany lost control with her brother too. Charlie is not evil, he just sometimes overdoes his sympathy, but don't take it badly. If he still does this, tell me and I'll stop him immediately", "Thanks, Scarlett. Anyway, I don't know what got into me yesterday. I had no intention of hurting him, it's just that... well... I'm not used to being filled with compliments, the only ones who have given me affection in my life have been my mother and father", "Oh, darling. You didn't have an easy life, did you?", "Unfortunately not. My mother passed away a few years ago and now my father is still mad at me. He was my only point of reference and without him I would be lost. I don't trust anyone, not after what I've been through. When my mother died, my father was always close to me". Celia, as she talked about her past, tried to hold back her tears. Scarlett noticed and hugged her tightly. "I'm very sorry", she told her softly, "Anyway, you will always be welcome here among us. It is true that you are now at our service, but don't worry. You won't have to do anything too strenuous. Maybe later we could also teach you to fight with the sword like we do, if you want", "Thanks, Scarlett. I would be very happy to learn", "That's fine. Now go back to Bethany, I'll finish here", "Okay, see you later". As Celia walked back to Bethany's room, she passed Charlie, and still not taking his eyes off her. She tried to ignore him, hoping that he would soon get bored.