Not All Treasure is Silver and Gold...

Chapter 8

The next day the Pearl was hit by raging storms. We travelled through the dark rainy night as thunder echoed around the black, cloud-filled skies above us, even though nobody seemed to know where we were going to. Jack spoke to nobody. He kept taking out his compass and shaking it, muttering, "I want to find the box," but then snapping it shut, looking stressed.

"Jack, why are you talking to your compass?!" I yelled through the howling wind as a particularly loud clash of thunder erupted above us, closely followed by some blindingly bright lightning. "Why won't you tell us where we're sailing to? Where are you taking us?!" I squinted through the semi-darkness at him, my blonde hair whipping my face. Jack merely laughed.

"No need to get hysterical, love! And truthfully, to be truly honest, though it is honestly far easier to be dishonest than honest, that's true-"

"JACK! GET TO THE POINT!" I bellowed impatiently, my throat aching with the effort of making my voice audible above the storm.

"I don't know where we're going...savvy?" Jack blurted out. I was stunned for a few moments and then cried, horrified, "How can you not know?! You're the Captain! You're a pirate!"

"And that my dear, is why you should never trust a pirate," Jack cut across me, as though no-one could argue with that answer. I simply glowered at him, feeling suddenly furious, physically shaking with rage at the situation Jack had gotten us all into.

"That's it, Jack! Leave me alone!" I shouted and pushed through the crew into my cabin.

"Oh bugger," I heard Jack mutter close behind me, then, "Gibbs, mate! Take my place." Gibbs must have obliged, because there was a knock on my door a second later.

"Leave me alone, Jack!" I cried, my voice muffled by the pillow my face was buried into. "You can't get in anyway, I've locked the door, so-"

I heard Jack clear his throat from behind me. I sat bolt upright to see him grinning at me, twirling a key between his fingers.

"Captain's key," he grinned idly at me.

"So...so you can get into my room anytime you want?" I asked feebly.

"Is that a...er...problem?" Jack asked innocently, seeming genuinely confused about why anyone would want to be the only one with access to their cabin.

"Well, there is a little thing called privacy," I grumbled, glaring at him through narrowed eyes. Jack imitated my sighs and sat on the corner of my bed.

"Rose, Rose, Rose, tell me, is something," Jack put on a deep, serious tone, "troubling you?" He grinned widely at me, expecting me to join in the joke, but I wouldn't.

"Actually yes," I smiled to myself as I saw a slightly panicked look cross Jack's face as he realised he would now have to talk to a woman about her problems. "First of all," I continued, enjoying myself immensely, "I'm surrounded by pirates. Secondly, I'm surrounded by pirates who don't seem to know the meaning of hygiene. Thirdly, we are sailing through a storm with no idea where we are going-" I paused as Jack whipped out his compass and flipped the lid open, frowning slightly. He placed it on the bed. and looked up at me and said, "Fourthly?"

"And fourthly," I continued, "I'm confused by Will." Jack smiled slowly.

"Ah, you and master William...there isn't a little bit of romance going on there, is there?" Jack asked, voice soft.

"I...I don't really know," I said truthfully. "I've never thought about it like that."

"Don't you think of things like that then Rose? Don't you wonder what it would be like to be with a pirate? To sail the seven sea for the rest of your life and all that jazz?" Jack asked, souding enthused again. His eyes were staring straight into mine. I nodded.