The Pirate Inside of Me

They are Cursed Pirate Skeletons!

"You both will be dining with the captain. And he requests you wear this." Pintel, the pirate that took us, said showing us 2 dresses.

"Tell the Captain that we are disinclined to acquiesce to his request." Pintel smiles to his friend.

"He said you say that! He also said if that be the case, you'll be dining with the crew, and you'll both be naked." I frown and snatch the dress out of his hands as his smile fades.

"Fine" He and his friend storm out of the cabin, leaving me and Elizabeth to change. My dress was a deep navy blue that reflects in the sunlight. The sleeves frilling out. Elizabeth's was a maroon dress with deep purple embedded into the waistline. I tug at my sleeve uncomfortably as Elizabeth does the same. The Captain enters while the pirates enter and set the table-filling it with wine, bread and many meats. I scrunch up my nose in disgust when I see a rotten fish served on rice. I sit down next to Elizabeth.

"Maids or not. These dresses suit you." Barbossa comments.

"Dare I ask the fate of its previous owner?" I say sarcastically.

"Now, none of that. Please dig in." I grab a fork and silently dig into my lamb. It was so full of flavor and was so juicy but I didn't want to be improper, as did Elizabeth.

"No need to stand on ceremony, and no call to impress anyone. You both must be hungry." Barbossa soothes. I still didn't trust the man, after he attempted to touch my cheek, but I was starving. I look at Elizabeth and she does the same. I grab the lamb and bit into it for all that it was worth. It was so delicious and mouth watering. Barbossa hands me and Elizabeth a tall glass of a red liquid.

"Try the wine." I reach for it and take a huge swig. I tear of a hunk of bread and devour it.

"And the apples are one of those next." I stare at it and back at Barbossa, he wasn't eating. I drop the bread and stare at him with disgust.

"It's poisoned!" Elizabeth shrieked. I get up from the table, knocking my plate to the ground.

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You attempted to kill us!" I was about to slap him when I caught Elizabeth pocketing a knife.

"Oh, there would be no sense in killing you both."

"Then release us! You have your trinket, we are no farther value to you!" I yell. Barbossa takes out the medallion and lets it dangle from his fingers.

"You don't know what this is. Do you?"

"It's a pirate medallion." Elizabeth says, stating the obvious.

"It's a piece of treasure of Isla de Muerta." Elizabeth looks down at the knife and shrugs to herself.

"Ah, so you don't know as much as you pretend. Back when Cortes was cutting a great bloody swath through the New World, a high priest gave him all the gold they had, with one condition: that he spare the people's lives. Of course, Cortes being Cortes, he didn't. He'd've made a great pirate, that one. So the priest, with his dying breath, called on the power of the blood of his people and put on the gold a curse. If anyone took so much as a single piece, as he was compelled by greed, by greed he would be consumed. Within a day of leaving port for Spain, the treasure ship carrying the gold...something went wrong. The ship run aground, every man aboard dead, save one. He survived long enough to hid the gold ashore. Over time, the dark magic of the curse seeped into the place, making it a cursed island. And island of death. Isla de Muerta." He looks up at us. Elizabeth wasn't so intrigued, but I felt as if I heard this story before.

"That's all very interesting, but I hardly believe in ghost stories any more, Captain Barbossa."

"Aye! My crew and I, found the gold, and we did more than take one piece, we took it all. Rich men we were and we spent it and traded it and gave it away in exchange for drink and food and pleasant company. But we found out: the drink could not sate us, and the food turned to ash in our mouths, and no amount of pleasant company could ease our torment." He moves over to me.

"We are cursed men, Miss Turner, Miss Smyth. Condemned, to be forever consumed by our own greed. Gold calls to us, always, and we are driven, always to find more, and add it to the treasure." He moves around the room, examining things as he continues to talk.

"There is but one way to remove the curse. All of the scattered pieces of the treasure must be restored in full, and the blood repaid. We've recovered every piece--save for this." He holds up the medallion.

"And as for the blood...that's what we have you, Miss Turner, for. Miss Smyth will be worth so much as well. And that's why there's no sense in killing you both. Yet." My mouth drops open.

"Apple?" He offers. Elizabeth knocks the apple out of his hand and hands me a knife. We run around him and finally stab him in the chest. I pant hard and grab Elizabeth's hand. He pulls out the knives with blood covering them. I cover my mouth to prevent myself from screaming.

"I'm curious--after killing me, what is it you were planning to do next?" I back away into the door. Me and Elizabeth turn around to find that I had no voice to scream. The true dead pirate skeletons crew working at their stations. Swabbing decks, navigating the ship, coiling lines. I fall into a ditch and the dead pirates throw me up into the air a few times. Elizabeth was freaking out too. A pirate swung from the mast and grabbed me and Elizabeth. I screamed, wanting to be let down. We got down and the same pirate chased us. We ran behind the helm and spun it. The head flew off, but the pirate was still alive. We run downstairs and Barbossa grabs us.

"Look, you two! The moonlight shows for what we really are! We are not among the living and so we cannot die. but neither are we dead! We have all the desires of the living, but cannot satisfy them! Ten years I have been parched of thirst, and unable to quench it! Ten years, I have been starving to death--and haven't died! And I have not felt anything for ten years...Not the wind on my face,not the spray of the sea..." The Captain raises his hand and brings it into the moonlight.

"Nor the flesh of a woman..." I back away as the Captain starts to reveal himself in the moonlight.

"You'd best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner, Miss Smyth. You're in one!" He grabs a bottle of blood it seems and drinks out it--it seeping through his skeleton and spilling onto the floor. I look at Elizabeth before breaking into a run and heading inside. I hear glass shatter and laughing. I huddle in the corner with Elizabeth, clinging onto her for dear life.

A/N's: Hey! Do you like it so far? Let me know in the comments! -Anaya