Team Enigma: Age of Piracy

Chapter 2 - A Crack In A Mirror

Sorry this has taken a while, but we hope you enjoy this chapter!

Trilby and Ami

OK, so here comes my attempt at writing....- Trilby

Winter had taken the third watch in a row that night. Couldn't sleep, she guessed. But then, how could she? Every time she shut her eyes, she saw them all. Her old family, her regrets that cut deeper than any sword, and the biggest one of all. Cara. It replayed over and over again in her mind as her best friend in the whole world, the one who knew her body and soul, her ally through thick and thin, gazed up at her without the faintest clue of who she was.  Suddenly, Winter was glad no one could see her. She was the Winter Soldier. She never cried. At least, not when anyone was awake to see her. 

She swiped at her eyes furiously, fixing on an icy I-don't-care expression again. But the crying still went on, reverberating around the cabin walls. No one slept alone any more, not after what had happened with Imagination or indeed, what had happened at Skullrock. The very memory was enough to make Winter shudder. If she had known...if she had acted faster...damn Captain! So busy worrying about all of them, she never told them about the Black Spot. But however easy it was, Winter didn't have the heart to blame it on Captain. 

Picking her way through sleeping bags and hammocks, Winter headed towards the sound of the crying. For a second, a horrible panic swept through her as a figure rolled over in her hammock to face her. Trilby. No one spent much time around her any more, for fear she would see what they were really thinking. Now more than ever, everyone wanted their thoughts to keep to themselves. But Trilby simply snored and muttered something in her sleep before rolling away again. Finally, Winter could see the perpetrator of the noise. And she had to check twice, thrice, four times to be sure.

"Disney? Hey, Disney, what's up?" The girl was renowned for keeping a smile of her face and trying to cheer up the rest of the crew, even in hard times. But now, she was shaking, trying to stifle her sobs and failing.

"N-nothing, go back to sleep, Winter..." She managed to choke out, curling up tighter, as if trying to guard herself against harm. A last defence, of sorts. 

"I can't if you're like this."

"Y-you can't help me, Winter."

"I can damn well try!" Winter replied, flushing from anger.

"Shush. No need to wake the others. They'll find out soon enough. You've always been kind to me, Winter. Brave, too. I just wanted to thank you for that. Before this crew, my life wasn't nearly as good, and you've helped make things right. I hope you'll continue to do that long after I'm...well,  you'll soon see."

With that, she turned away and refused to utter another word. Something about the way Disney had talked to her made even her blood run cold. It reminded her of the stray cat Sam and Dean Winchester had taken in for a  week, how it ran off and wouldn't play with any of them, until they found it dead on their porch a few days later. Like it knew something bad was going to happen to it and wanted to come to terms with it alone. Winter shook the thought away. It was Miss Disneymaniac. She would find a way to make it sunny and happy again, wouldn't she?

It wasn't until she had knocked the door that Winter realised she had been retracing her familiar steps. She had needed to see her friend at a time like this. After trying to keep strong for everyone else, Winter wanted to be assured it would all be OK, she wanted to be the one who would be comforted. But as soon as the girl answered the door, all hopes of that were diminished.

Cara snapped up her sleeping mask, the smell of flowery perfume wafting over, so strong it stung Winter's eyes. She was dressed in a flimsy nightgown, not at all appropriate for battle, she had no boots and her Stetson was nowhere to be seen.  But thankfully, all trace of the Captain was not lost. At her waist, two revolvers were clearly seen.