The Love of Piracy

Chasing Pirates

Chapter one

Twenty job applications and ten interviews and still not so much as one call. If Jessie could go back in time five years and kick her own ass she would. Back to the time when she decided to drop out of high school. Back to when she met Drake and decided to join his gang, and back before she had a record.

She was finding it extremely difficult to get anyone to seem even remotely interested in giving her a job. Not that she could blame them. Grand theft auto, breaking an entering, grand larceny, not to mention countless drug charges, puts a bit of a damper on any resume.

It seems the more Jessie tried to put the past behind her, the more she was reminded of just how bad she managed to fuck up the future.

"My dear are you alright?" The frail voice came, breaking her away from her morbid thoughts. It was Mr. Frankfire, the crazy old man that slept just two cots down.

Ever since her release just three weeks ago, Jessie had been a proud occupant of the Giles county mission. Just one of the fifty plus lost souls that occupied the gym like structure. Mr. Frankfire was most definately one of the more interesting characters that lived along side her, always going on rants about time travel and how he had gone back to countless different points in history and spoken to people who had died hundreds of years before even, he himself, was born.

Jessie personally had a soft spot for the old coot. After all she was not exactly in a position to judge others.

" Yes I'm fine. Sorry guess I was just kinda zoned out for a minute there." She replied politely.

"Don't worry dear. All will be well again one day, you'll see. You're still young. Got your whole life ahead of ya." He flashed her a large toothy grin before becoming preoccupied with banging his old pocket watch on the wall beside him. "Still cant seem to get this damnable thing to work. Its stopped before but I can usually mess with it a bit and it comes right back. Figures i'd be the one that breaks the damn thing."

"Do you think maybe it just needs some new batteries Mr. Frankfire?" She asked, leaning over to get a better look.

" Naw hun, don't take batteries. This one runs on magic." He said waving his hands through the air like a magician.

Jessie smiled and nodded. She knew this was her cue to exit the conversation. Just as she was about to excuse herself, a large hand wrapped around her arm, holding her in place.

"Hold on now. Maybe you can get this confounded thing to work." He said and shoved the time piece into her hand. When Jessie looked down at the cool gold laying on her palm there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all.

" I don't believe it." Mr. Frankfire said breathlessly from beside her. " Let me see that again." He added, snatching it back.

Jessie watched in shock as the dails immediately stopped there movement as soon as the watch left her palm.

Clenching his calloused hand around the watch, Mr. Frankfire's eyes shut tight and for a moment Jessie thought him to be in pain.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, he looked up at her and thrust the object back into her hand. " This belongs to you now. Use it wisely and whatever you do don't be gettin any bright ideas about changing history. You'll do more damage than anything and I damn sure don't want to wake up tomorrow in worst shape than I am right now."

" Mr. I don't wanna take your watch. I'm sure whatever it is it will work just fine. Hang onto it and maybe you can have it looked at or something."

A sly smile spread across his face. " How bout you hang onto it for a while and let me know how it works in a couple weeks."

With that said he turned and stretched across his bunk, turning his body away from where Jessie still stood dumbfounded.

"Mr. Frankfire I think....."

" Go on now girl! Can't  you tell I'm old and need to rest?! Now get on and I'll talk to you again another time."

Jessie stared down at the watch for a long moment before she walked away. Great, she thought, now I have a reason for that old man to come at me later thinking I stole this shit.

Throwing herself down on the cot with a loud hurumph, Jessie forced her eyes closed and welcomed sleep. She only hoped her dreams would be better than her reality.