Adeena Cole: At World's End

Chapter Ten: Leadership

"There's a freshwater spring on this island." Will said, pointing at the land mass on the map. I observed over his shoulder, oddly moody. "We can resupply there, and get back to shooting one another later!" He said mock-cheerfully, and my bad mood intensified. I was, to be frank, sick of fighting.

Jack spoke up. I was leaning over his dread-locked head, and he sat to Will's left. "You can lead the shore party, and I'll stay with our ship!" He glanced at me with a half smile, and I smiled weakly back. I didn't fully trust him...which scared me. I'd always trusted Jack, and now that we were...fully committed, let's say, I needed to have that unwavering faithfulness in him. 

"I won't be leavin' my ship in your command." Barboussa said, smirking with a devilish glint in his black eyes. I glared at him, wishing I had shot him earlier.

And that Jack's pistol had blown Elizabeth Swann's head clean off.

William broke the heated tension, sighing. "Why don't you both go ashore and leave the ship in my command." 

Both Jack and Barboussa gave him looks of disbelief.

"Temporarily." He added. 

I brushed my fingers over Jack's head. "Let's go, Jack." I said quietly. "We can trust Will."

"You can't trust anybody, love." He countered, but stood and agreed anyway, however reluctant. 

The two of us stood at the railing a bit later, watching Hector from afar. Jack held an obnoxiously long spyglass at his side, and swung our joined hands. 

"That's it, huh?" I gazed at the huge mass of grey-green slime, washed up on the shore, that was the kraken. The imbecile that had killed Jack.

"Not too pretty, eh?" He mused, weaving an arm around my waist. I leaned my head against his shoulder. 

"I can't believe you're alive," I pondered the thought of him coming back from the dead, slightly amused. More than amused, I was grateful, but grateful was not an emotion I enjoyed displaying. Owing people favors in our business was never a good thing. 

"I can't either, darling. Mighty odd, innit? Now I can go on and risk it all with you, as long as I want." I heard the anticipation in his voice; he wanted this over, just as bad as me.

I laughed bitterly, surprising myself. "You think this is a game? If you loose one life, you can try again?"

He stiffened as I pulled away. "What do you mean, Adeena?"

He used my name. That generally meant he was being serious.

I shook my head, chuckling. "It's all over when you die, Jack. All of it, over. You'll never pillage or plunder or drink rum again, when you die." I paused. "You can't just treat this like a game."

He stared at me, as if wondering where the spouts of wise words were originating from. "Adeena...who are you again?"

I couldn't even answer that. 

"Love you," I whispered, pecking his cheek, and turning away. I felt like our relationship was once again falling apart, just like it had the year previous. 

Please, I asked the sky, as I walked toward the boat we were lowering. Let me have this, if only this.

***

I followed Pintel and Ragetti to see the kraken. I was curious to what it looked like up close.

"Crimety!" Pintel gasped, eyeing it. I followed his example, narrowing my eyes.