A Sparrow Takes Flight

Chapter 3

Katelyn went numb with shock, this, ship captain, who loved rum, was her... father?

"Come out from behind those crates Katelyn." The man-her father said.

Katelyn tentatively stepped out, and the other man look surprised. "Jack...?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

"How did you know I followed you!?" Katelyn suddenly found herself very angry. "Why weren't you there for me my whole life!?"

There suddenly was the sound of footsteps, and the shouting of the redcoats. "Time to go!" He-well, Jack she believed it was, shouted, grabbing her by the arm, and before she could protest, he dragged her up the gangplank to the ship.

"Weigh anchor! Hoist the main sail! Let's get outta here before they give chase!" Jack yelled from the helm, the crew scrambling around the ship. Katelyn thought they looked-and smelled terrible. He spun the wheel with gusto, and the ship's bow spun around, away from everything she'd ever known.

"Hey! You kidnapped me!"

"Did not."

"Well you dragged me onto this ship against my will!"

"Would you rather be killed by the redcoats for associating with pirates?"

"P...pirates!? You all are pirates!?" She believed her eyes, but why would her mom let a pirate into her house?

"Mister Gibbs. Take the helm." He lowered his voice. "Come on." He led her down a set of stairs, and into a luxurious cabin underneath the helm. "My quarters."

They sat in silence for a bit, and she noticed that his gaze kept wandering over to a bottle of rum. He obviously noticed, and commented. "I like rum. Rum is good." Katelyn merely rolled her eyes in response.

"I don't care, go on and drink it if you want. No one's stopping you."

He took a swig from the bottle, and set it down with a noticeable clunk.

"Soooo... can you explain... everything? Like why were you at my house? My mom hates pirates!" Katelyn questioned.

"You already know I'm your father. What is so strange about visiting your mother?"

"Well... you're not married! And she hates pirates!"

"Ah, of course." He takes his feet off his table as he speaks, then leans forward. "I've never wanted to be married. The only things I truly care about, are my ship, and being on the ocean." He stands, and paces the room as he continues. "She... never wanted you to turn... well, pirate. She's been putting on an extra show for you, against pirates. Against me."

Katelyn did some thinking, when it finally dawned on her. "You're Captain Jack Sparrow!"

He started laughing-at her! "You really didn't figure that out until now?"

"And this, this is The Black Pearl!"

"What other ship would this be, The Flying Dutchman?" He kept laughing, which made Katelyn rather angry.

"The Flying Dutchman is NOT real! None of this is! I'm just dreaming!"

"Then boy, what a dream this is. But you're not dreaming... if you were dreaming there would be more rum."

"More rum. That's what you're thinking about."

"Well there usually is a rather large lack of rum." Jack seemed rather thoughtful, although he had taken his gaze off of the bottle of rum.

"Uh... continue."

"Well, I went back to sea after I found out about you, and recently, after completing what you probably would call ridiculous, I came to Port Royal to see your mother. That's pretty much it."

"But-"

"No matter how much I'd love to stay here and tell you all about my adventures, I'm needed at the helm." He said with an air of impatience, and before she could respond he was out the door, his bootsteps fading away rapidly.

"If I learned anything in that five minutes of my life, it's that I certainly need to learn more." Katelyn muttered under her breath. That wasn't an understatement either, she realized. Not only was she desperate to learn more about this pirate captain that somehow was her father, she needed to learn more about the world outside of Port Royal, and not just from books. What better way to learn then by sailing the seas around the world!

Katelyn jumped up out of her chair and dashed out of the captain's cabin. She climbed up the stairs to the helm, where she found Jack steering the ship, staring at a compass, all the while in conversation with another man.

"Captain, I wish to join your crew."