Sisters of the Caribbean: Commodore James Norrington

Chapter Thirty - Cowards Club

          Trigger warning: Mentions of past suicide attempts! Read at own risk!

          Everyone knows the feeling. That moment when time stops. The world freezes in place before your eyes as if you couldn't process what was before you. That feeling when your heart slows in hopes that it'll soften the break. The panic when all you hear is the ringing sound, of your own fears as they scream. That moment, the moment of pure heartbreak. That moment when you watch the man you had slowly fallen in love with, look at you with pity in his eyes because even he knows what he's done. Not even moment after she uttered those words did I flee. Running faster that needed to our quarters, packing away all of my items, hoping to be out of there as quickly as she appeared. What hurt worse was the look Groves and I shared as I shut the captains quarters, the look of pure concern. A look I have grown to despise. I avoided the crowd, hiding myself away in the holding cells below deck. Praying that I could get through the rest of the venture without meeting his eyes.

It had been two days since Elizabeth uttered those words that drove me to exile myself to where I was now. Sitting silently beside Jacks prison cell as he muttered all sorts of nonsense per usual. Devoid of all happiness, I've spent my days listening to the ocean as it beat upon the ship. Groves normally comes at least twice a day to speak to me, he updates me on where we are headed and possible supply stops. Other than that, it has been eerily quiet. What I've become to consider normalcy was ripped away from me by the arrival of some woman.
"Are you done?" Jack asked, his hat resting over his eyes as he laid on his back.

"Pardon me?"

"He's not going to come for you, he's in love with Elizabeth." Jack said bitterly, pouting about it won't change anything."

I looked over at him, seeing the glum look in his eyes as he watched the ocean. His bitterness was like digging a knife into an already bleeding wound. So, I decided to open up an old one.

"She begged for your life," I said, looking over at him, "She screamed and pleaded with our father for him to bring you back to her."

Jack snapped his head over in my direction, narrowing his eyes at me.

"She even threatened her own life," I admitted.

"You're lying." Jack barked.

"She almost got away with it too." I added.

"Kyra, enough."

"The night you were marooned, when father had repeatedly shot her request down, she climbed up the nest-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"She climbed up the nest, tied a rope around her neck and-"

"Enough!!" Jack said as he stood up and through his hat against the bars.

"She moved to jump, but before she could, Rory cut the ropes and she fell backwards into the nest where I caught her and untied her." I said, standing to look him in the eyes, "She did that for you. She loved you. She was willing to die for you. And where did you go after you left that island? Hmm? Where did you go Jack?!"

Before I knew it, Jacks hand shot through the bars and wrapped around my neck, "Stop talking."

We started angrily at each other for what seemed like hours before he pushed me away. I grabbed my neck and gasped slightly for air.

          "I'm not good enough for her," Jack admitted, looking me dead in the eyes, "Just like you aren't good enough for him."

Jack sat back down and looked up at the floorboard above, "Pirates aren't built for love, deary."

          "Ace deserves it." I argued, "The woman, YOU married deserves it. Who are you to deny her?"

With a straight face,  Jack replied, "Someone who knows better."

I shook my head at him, angry and dissatisfied with his answer.

          "You're a coward." I spat.

          "Says the woman who ran before the Commodore even answered Elizabeth." Jack reminded, "She may have said yes, but you pushed him directly into her arms the moment you assumed the worst. Who's the coward now?"

Too stunned to speak, I just glared angrily at the man before me, well half of a man. His manners don't depict a full one.

          "Glaring does not make the truth disappear, love." Jack snickered.

          "I don't see what she sees in you." I chuckled.

          "On the contrary, what does he see in you?"

          "You've been repeating me almost this entire time, you know this yes?"

          "Or maybe, you're repeating me."

I rolled my eyes as he gave me the signature smirk he gives everyone.

          "You're hopeless, you know?"

          "No hope means no expectations, no expectations mean no disappointment, no disappointment means no troubles."

          "How long have you been holding that one in?" I teased.

          "You have no idea,"

          "We should start a club ya know," I smirked, "the Cowards Club"

          "Aye, I'd drink to that."

          "Speaking of drink," I said walking over to a crate behind a barrel, pulling the bottle of rum from it, "Rum?"

          "Finally the rum!!" Jack yelled like a child who's found his lost toy.

I laughed and poured some into a flask that had been collecting dust for quite some time and handed it through the bars to him.

          "To the Cowards Club!" Jack cheered.

          "The Cowards Club!"

Before I could even take a swig, the voice of the one man I had been trying to avoid reached my ears and I felt my heart began to pound.

          "Kyra?"

Again, I know it's short! I am trying to keep up and I am trying to make sure that it is as perfect as it can be so please do not hate me. I have big plans for this series so please don't be too upset!! I love you all!!