Adeena Cole and the Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter Four

I awoke in the governor's mansion, my head pounding. I groaned and turned over, shutting my eyes tight.

Ten more minutes, I pleaded silently. Wait. Then I opened my eyes, wincing immediately at the harsh light. 

After a minute of nursing my migraine I stood, swaying slightly and leaning on the wall. I brushed off my clothes and tottered out of the mansion, earning several suspicious glances from the maids, who were bustling about, picking up the mess from the previous night's adventures.

I wandered the town, watching numbly as the civilians cleaned up the mess the Black Pearl had left.

"Miss? 'Scuse me, miss," A man came up behind me, tipping his hat. "Have ye any information concerning Miss Swann?"

My heart stuttered. "Miss--Miss Swann?" I stuttered.

He nodded patiently. "Have ye not heard? Miss Swann was kidnapped by pirates!" He looked slightly awed. "Pirates! 'Magin that!"

I shook myself. "No, I apologize, but have you seen William Turner?"

He smiled, revealing a gaping hole where his front tooth should be. "Yes, miss, he was aheadin' in the direction of the prison!"

I groaned inwardly. He's gone to see Jack... "Thank you for your help, sir." I nodded at him and he gave me another broken smile before turning and walking off to question some other person.

I rushed to the fort, for under the fort was the prison. I hurried down the crumbling stone steps, my feet echoing, and stopped at the bottom, my eyes sweeping the small jail.

Will spun around and Jack tilted his handsome head lazily, gazing around Will to look at me.

"Adeena!" Will exclaimed, and then looked wary. "This isn't what it looks like..."

I shook my head and stalked up to them, resting my head against the bars and studying Jack. "It is exactly what it looks like, Will, so shut up. You. Sparrow."

The pirate grinned. "It's Jack to a pretty thing like you, love."

I couldn't keep the amusement off my face, and the heat that flooded my cheeks. "Right then, Jack. The Black Pearl. Tell us about it."

He studied his dirty fingernails. "Your friend here wanted to know the same thing. But why ask me?"

Will exclaimed, "Because you're a pirate!"

Jack dropped his hand and his eyes sparkled mischievously. "And you want to become pirate yourself, is that it?"

Will clutched the bars, rattling them. "Never."

Will's mission is to offend as many pirates as possible until they shrivel up from depression, I thought. 

"Then what do you want?" Jack asked leisurely, propping himself up on his elbows.

Will sighed, looking defeated, and backed away from the cell, his cheeks flushed. "They took Miss Swann."

Jack grinned. "So you have found a girl!"

"Jack," I said exasperatedly. "Can you please just tell us?" I knew about the Black Pearl, but only that it sailed at night, had black, tattered sails, and was said to be crewed by the damned and a captain 'so evil Hell itself spit him back out' -- according to legend. But everyone with a brain knew not all stories were true. 

Jack laid back down, gesturing with one hand in the air. "Have you not heard the stories?" He smiled to himself, then frowned, and began quite bitterly. "Captain Barboussa," He said sarcastically, "And his crew of miscreants sail from the fabled Isla de Muerta." He smiled and raised his head. "Isla de Muerta is an island that cannot be found, save for those who already know where it is."