Crossing Blades (POTC FanFiction)

twenty four➵ lucky mistake

"The two great risks are risking too much but also risking too little. That's for each person to decide. For me, not risking anything is worse than death. By far."

- Jimmy Chin

Evelyn's POV

    "Ms. Archer?" A fuzzy voice awakens me and when I come to, I realize that I had curled up on the floor in a ball with tear-soaked teeth and covered in my own vomit. "Oh, miss, please let...let me help you into some new clothes," The stout maid babbles as she helps me to my feet. As I weakly stand, I find myself leaning against her for support. When her gaze locks with mine is when her eyes blow out proportion.

    "Oh my...hold on, I'm going to get our doctor," She then leaves me on the bed and my heart begins to thrum harder imagining what she just saw in my eyes. After a few minutes alone, my head spinning, (not just from the ideas whirling in my mind), a lean, pale man enters the room, his eyes immediately meeting mine as he enters the room. Before I get a chance to say anything, he's sticking a needle in my arm, pumping something into my veins.

    I hiss automatically at the unwelcome feeling but before I know it, it's over and he's examining my eyes. Immediately he gives off the same reaction as the woman before, fumbling for the right words, completely caught off guard.

    "Dammit, will one of you just tell me what the hell is going on?" I burst finally and he just shakes his head, wide eyes staying on me.

    "You...your...your eyes are not normal," His European accent shines through and I can tell he doesn't speak very good English. This'll be a challenge.

    "Can you just tell me what you see?" I question, wanting to find a mirror to look into but remembering that I smashed them all as I glance around the ruined room. At this, the door is smashing open and the man immediately runs out in fear, hightailing it as far as he can. What is going on?

    I'm not surprised to see those same huge guards quickly entering the room, emotionless looks on their faces as they lift me from the bed and drag me out the door - me screaming and kicking the whole way. They plop me down in the one room I never wished to see again. I'd burn it all down in a second if I had the chance.

    "What's wrong with her now?" Beckett's voice sends a chill down my spine and I wonder just how this one man could cause such a reaction in me. All I hear are mumbles and the few words I can make out don't make any sense. I can feel the tension in the room building however as he dismisses the men from the room and the door shuts, making me flinch.

    "Something you're not telling me, Evie?" He questions after a few moments of silence and I wonder for the 50th time what the hell is happening.

    "Course not. We're open books, you and me," I smirk at him as he circles me in my chair. As he stands in front of me, I notice his eyes go wide, but only for a moment, so as not to alert me what is going on.

    "Unfortunately, it would seem that we're not being as open as we should be," He sends me a sly smile, his eyes unwavering from mine. After a momentary staredown (which neither of us breaks) I speak up.

    "Okay, let's cut the conversations between us as much as we possibly can. What exactly do you think I'm not telling you?" Before he gets a chance to say anything, I'm being carried away, my eyes widening and his are as well.

    "Where are you taking her? She can't leave!" I hear his panicked voice shout and for the first time, I see genuine fear in his eyes.

    "Put me down!" I shout as I thrash against the people carrying me. Dammit, I'm really getting tired of not walking anywhere. Do these people think I can't transport myself?

    Without saying anything, a door is opened and my eyes are immediately shutting, the sun almost blinding me as I haven't been outside for who knows how long. I'm so overwhelmed by the forgotten warmth of the sun touching my skin and the salty smell of the ocean and the crash of the waves on the shore, that I don't even notice when I'm sailing through the air, and quickly dropped into the water. The cool rush of the water over me is shocking almost and for a moment I don't even realize the transformation that's occurring until it's already over.

    This is when my eyes snap open and I breathe it all in, relishing in the bubbles escaping through my gills on my neck. Twisting and turning this way and that, I admire my tail as if it's been years. Has it been...?

    This moment is all too soon interrupted by a bullet whizzing right past my head and I instantly dive down deeper in the water. At this is when I realize that I'm out. I've escaped. Somehow and for some reason, I'm in the ocean. Oh my god.

    Without a second to think about it, I'm zooming away from those bullets and I can literally hear Beckett freaking out above the surface. When I'm a suitable distance away, I re-surface, wanting to see the look on his face.

    As the sun's beams cover me again, I take a deep salty breath, all the memories coming back to me. Looking back, I can see some men floundering around in a paddle boat, trying to get out to me, but I'm far from their reach.

    "Evelyn! Dammit, get her!" Beckett screams and I just let out a loud laugh, doing flips in the water, teasing him, taunting him.

    "She's a mermaid, I knew it! We had to test it to see if it was true!" I hear one of the men shout. Thank god for his idiotic guards, for once I'm thankful for people's fear of mermaids. Couldn't have been more needed right now.

    "Thanks for the vacation, Beckett, but I think I better be going now!" I shout back, laughing hysterically again and just when I hear a loud groan come from him, I almost miss the bullet coming straight towards me.

    Quickly, diving down into the water, I think I'm out of harm's way but when a paralyzing pain hits me in the tail is when I realize I've been hit.

    Letting out a shriek under water, I quickly swim as quickly as I can away, clenching my jaw to ignore the pain and the blood streaming out from behind me. You're not stopping me now, Beckett, you'll have to do better than that.

****

    After god knows how long of swimming, I manage to find a small island in the middle of nowhere to rest for a moment, needing to regain my strength. The adrenaline has now worn off and I realize just now how painful this is and I can't help but wonder why it hasn't diminished at all.

    As I lug myself on shore, my tail disappears quickly and I wince as I lean against one of the few trees here. Immediately, my eye catches something it did not before and a gasp escapes my mouth before I can contain it.

    The knife...Jack's knife...is lodged into my leg.

    Cutler Beckett shot Jack's knife out of a cannon and it somehow managed to stick itself into my tail from the distance he was at.

    Can we call that fate?