"Land ho!" The crew member in the crow's nest cried. My head lifted. I scrambled to my feet, opened the door and dashed onto the deck. There was indeed a small spit of land that we were approaching. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth jog over to the railing with the rest of the crew. She tried to make eye contact with me, but I turned my head away from her. Instead, I noticed Jack glancing worriedly at his hand. "I want my jar of dirt." He mumbled, scurrying off somewhere. I rolled my eyes and decided to grab a bottle of rum before we left for the island. I needed something to keep my mind off of everything and rum was my solution to almost anything. The memory of Jack and I sharing a bottle popped into my head, but I quickly shook it away. No, I don't want think about him right now. He may or may not have kissed Elizabeth, but the fact that he was extremely close to doing so ticked me off. And he was going to feel my wrath sooner or later. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Elizabeth. "Look Jessica..." She started. I smacked her hand away from my shoulder. "I don't want your damn sympathy. Leave me be or else." I snarled and stormed off.
Afterwards, Elizabeth, Jack, Pintel, Ragetti, and I had climbed into the rowboat and were now slowly approaching Isla Cruces, the island where Davy Jones' heart lay untouched for decades. Jack was standing at the front of the boat, clutching his jar of dirt. I sat to Jack's right while Norrington and Elizabeth sat at the back. Pintel and Ragetti were in the middle, rowing the boat. "You're pulling too fast." Pintel complained. "You're pulling too slow. We don't want the kraken to catch us." Ragetti argued. Jack glanced back at the two pirates in annoyance. "I'm saving me strength for when it comes." Pintel countered. "And I don't think it's 'kraken' anyways. I always heard it say 'krayken." These two were driving me crazy. But I was in too much of a bad mood to say anything about it right now. "Oh with a long 'a'?" Ragetti questioned. "Uh huh." Pintel agreed. "No no no no no no no 'kroken' is how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian and kraken's closer to that." Ragetti explained. "Well we ain't original Scandinavians are we? Krayken." Pintel grumbled. "It's a mythological creature, I can calls it what I wants." Ragetti countered. "Alright, shut up already!" I yelled standing up.
Everyone turned their heads to face me. "You've been arguing for the past 20 minutes about the kraken. You both are driving me bloody mad! So zip those lips before I cut them off!" I threatened. Pintel and Ragetti gave me a little nod and continued rowing. Elizabeth, Norrington, and Jack stared at me with wide eyes. I hand't said a word since I disappeared into the cabin, so they were a little shocked at my outburst. I, on the other hand, felt great from unleashing my anger. Something nudged my shoulder and I realized it was Jack. "Don't talk to me." I muttered. "Jessie, you have to hear me out." He protested. "I and Elizabeth did not... touch faces with our mouths." I narrowed my eyes at him. "That only makes it sound worse." I growled, placing my head in my arms. Jack placed his hand on my back and rubbed it soothingly. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, love." He whispered. I didn't respond. Although he was apologizing, which is not something the pirate captain does everyday, I wasn't sure if I forgave him yet. "Give me time." was all I had the effort to say. Jack sighed and nodded. This situation wasn't going to end instantly. I wanted him to know what he did, how I really felt. Just a little longer...
When we reached the shore, we all climbed out of the rowboat as Jack grabbed a shovel from underneath the seats. "Guard the boat. Mind the tide. Don't touch my dirt." Jack ordered Pintel and Ragetti. The two pirates gave him a weird look, but Jack ignored it. He dropped the shovel onto the beach and placed his hands on his hips. "Alright, who'll dig?" He questioned. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "You were holding the shovel. You're not digging?" She inquired. Jack shook his head. "Too much effort. Besides, I have to make sure one of you is digging the right way." He explained. Norrington took a step forward, but I beat him to it. I slung the shovel over my shoulder. "I don't trust you with anything metal." I sneered. The previous commodore glared daggers at me. "Mark my words, you'll be sorry." He murmured. I placed a hand on my ear. "What's that? Can't hear you. I don't speak idiot." Jack placed a hand over his mouth and coughed, trying to hold in his laughter. Norrington looked down at Elizabeth and gestured at me. "At least she's in a better mood." She shrugged, leaving Norrington a grumpy mess. I faced Elizabeth and smirked. "I don't speak bloody moron either."
We trudged through the shallow ocean water and across the crumbly sand. Elizabeth led the way, the compass outstretched in her hand. Then she froze. We all stared at her and waited for something to happen. She then began walking around in circles. An uninterested expression made its way onto my face. This was going to take a while. I sat down and plunged the shovel into the sand. Jack stood on a small hill and Norrington just watched the three of us. The governor's daughter continued walking until she stopped again. My head perked up. Her head slowly turned to Jack, who was gazing at the sea with his hands on his hips. "Oh God." I muttered, my head falling back on top of my knees. Jack turned to Elizabeth and I, his eyebrow raised. Elizabeth's eyes quickly darted back to the compass. She shook it angrily and glanced at Jack then the compass. She let out a frustrated sigh. "This doesn't work. And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most." Elizabeth plopped into the sand and crossed her arms bitterly. Norrington chuckled, looking amused. Jack gave me a "well? do something" look. I groan and walk over to Elizabeth, who is still childishly sulking. I hovered over the frustrated girl and glanced down at the compass that laid in the sand. It pointed at where Elizabeth was. "Yes it does." I countered. "You're sitting on it." Elizabeth looked at me disbelievingly. "Beg pardon?" Jack sauntered over to us and waved his hands in a shooing motion. "Move." He instructed, whistling for her to get up like she was a dog. Elizabeth quickly scrambled to her feet and the two of us backed away as Jack inspected the area. He jabbed his finger at the spot. "Right here." He announced. I sighed and rammed the shovel into the ground, pressing it down further with my foot, and slowly began to dig.
It's been about 10 or so minutes and I'm still digging. Norrington and Elizabeth are patiently watching me from a distance. Meanwhile Jack is literally sitting in a meditation pose, his eyes closed, legs crossed, and his index fingers touching his thumbs. All he needs to do now is say "om" and he'll be a monk. I chuckle lightly at my own joke. One of his eyes opens slightly and he smiles at me. CLANK. The sound echoes as I thump the shovel against the object buried in the sand, just to make sure that there really is something there. Jack's eyes shoot open as Elizabeth and Norrington whip their heads in my direction. The three of them crowd around the hole. We all stare down at it for a moment, a mixture of surprise and eagerness filling our brains. We dust the sand off the lid and pull the crate out of the pit. A metal lock hangs around the latch. "It's locked." Norrington grunts, pulling on it. "Step aside." I notify. Norrington glares at me. "I'm serious. If you don't move, you'll get a concussion." I warn. He speedily backs away as I pound the shovel against the lock as hard as I can. It cracks on the first hit. "Not very secure." I mumbled, tossing the shovel. Jack instantly bends down and slowly opens the crate. A jumble of what seems to be envelopes lays inside. Elizabeth, Norrington, and I get down on our knees as well. Elizabeth stuffs her hand in and pulls out a sealed envelope, observing it. Jack pushes the messy array of letters aside to reveal the top of a chest. He gently lifts it by the handles on its side and places it on the crate. The four of us momentarily stare at the chest before we all lean in towards it. My blood runs cold.
Oooooh mysterious. Quite an exciting chapter! If I do say so myself. Seems like things are healing between Jessica and Jack, but they're not out of hot water yet. (See what I did there? They were on the ocean, with water... Never mind. Sorry for not updating in so long! I'll keep writing for you guys!. Keep reading savvy? See ya mates!
-Kakashi828
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Tough Girl: The Coming of the Kraken
FanfictionThis is the second book in the Tough Girl series. So if ya haven't read the original, please do so. Or else you'll be really, really.... confused. But enjoy the story! 😁