A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 12 Bargains

Annalise had just thrown another crate of rum onto the burning fire when she heard a cry behind her.

"No! Not good! Stop!"

Both she and her sister ignored the voice, throwing the last crate of rum into the smoking trees and ducking when the alcohol inside exploded on contact with the heat.

"Not good!" Jack cried as he ran up, staring at the burning trees and crates, aghast.

"What are you doing?" He demanded as Elizabeth dusted her hands. "You burned all the food," Elizabeth turned away, "the shade!" Annalise turned away. "The rum!"

Jack turned to their backs as Annalise ignored Jack in disgust while Elizabeth said grimly: "Yes, the rum is gone."

"Why is the rum gone?" Jack cried, and Elizabeth whirled on him as she snapped: "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels."

Annalise turned around as well, continuing after her sister in a much calmer, forcefully controlled voice: "Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high."

She pointed at the smoke signal that she and Elizabeth had created by burning all the rum in the trees, and Elizabeth went on scathingly: "The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me and my sister, do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?"

Jack stared at the sisters, still looking horrified as though they'd just gutted a baby before him.

But Annalise rolled her eyes when Jack blurted out: "But why is the rum gone?"

"Oh, for God's sake." Annalise snapped at him while Elizabeth turned away.

"Just wait, Captain Sparrow." The blonde Swann heiress stated as she settled on the sand to stare at the horizon. "You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye out and then you will see white sails on that horizon."

Jack was scowling heavily now, glaring holes into the back of Elizabeth's head. As Elizabeth finished speaking, he grabbed his pistol making to aim it at the blonde's head, but Annalise stepped in his line of fire.

He glared at her now, but Annalise just matched his heated gaze with her own, and after a few minutes Jack gave up first. Stuffing his pistol back in his belt, Jack turned and stalked off, and Annalise rolled her eyes again at the outright display of childish defiance and sulk that her two island companions were currently displaying.

Leaving her sister to stare petulantly but patiently at the horizon, Annalise walked after Jack.

She caught up to him just as he was arrived at the sand dunes on the opposite side of the island, and she almost snorted as she heard Jack mimic in a high voice: "'I'm not sure that I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk, Jack'. 'Not sure I've had enough rum'. Well, there bloody well isn't enough rum now!"

He exploded at the end, shouting to the skies, and Annalise raised a brow as Jack stood with a scowl on the beach.

"Very mature." Annalise commented dryly, and Jack glanced over in first surprise and then annoyance.

"What do you want, lass?" He asked, his tone sulky and annoyed, but Annalise heard the distinct note of hurt, though he tried his hardest to hide it beneath his usual careless attitude.

"I didn't want to hear my sister complain – again – how hopeless and disgusting you are." Annalise answered as she came to a stop beside him.

Jack's annoyance only seemed to grow as he flopped himself down on the ground, and Annalise sighed a little as Jack pointedly turned his back on her and folded his arms.