Adeena Cole and the Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter Eleven

I sat down and stared off to sea sea like she was. "Tell me everything." I asked.

She started. "About...what?"

I rolled my eyes and elbowed her playfully. "Everything. About the Black Pearl. There's stuff I obviously don't know."

"Mm." She nodded. "Well, you saw the ritual, yes?"

I bobbed my head.

"Well, the pirates are cursed. Believe me or not, it's the truth! They turn to undead in the moonlight and appear human in the day."

I furrowed my brow. "I see. That explains why Jack didn't want me in Isle de Muerta."

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, you two obviously care for one another."

I stared at her. "He's a pirate. He'll never like me in that way." I felt the heat come to my cheeks.

"But you like him that way. And he certainly cares a bit."

I rolled my eyes, but inside my brain was thinking a hundred miles per hour. Does Jack love me? Do I love him? "Fine. Whatever. But why did they need you? Barboussa, I mean."

She shivered. "When they kidnapped me I gave them Turner as my maiden name. They need the blood of a Turner to break the curse, as each pirate who removed Aztec gold from the chest will have to return the gold and repay their blood."

I shuddered. "You must have been terrified."

She smiled, and rubbed her hands arms like she was cold. "Definitely."

I nodded. "Why did you give them a different name? And why Turner?"

She furrowed her brow. "I've wondered why I took Will's name myself; I suppose it was the first that came to mind." She chuckled darkly. "The maid, the one you saw me with, she thought that they were here to kidnap me. I was inclined to agree, so I thought if I gave them a fake name they might think me the wrong person and send me to shore. Of course, I was wrong."

I nodded slowly. "The medallion you wore is the one Will's father took from the chest."

She agreed.

"How did you end up with it?" I asked.

She blushed in the moonlight. "When we found Will on the crossing from England, I took it. Hey, don't look like that. I thought he was a pirate and wanted to hide the truth. Thank goodness he wasn't."

I couldn't disagree with her reasoning. "I'm so glad I know everything now, you have no clue how frustrated I was. Jack wasn't any help." I smiled fondly at him.

"Why do you trust him?" Elizabeth asked.

I rolled my eyes, tired of the question even though I'd only heard it a few times. "It's a...gut feeling. I have good instincts, and I've always been confident in myself, so I see no reason to not be because Jack's a pirate." 

She nodded and gazed at the pirate in question, who was looking incredibly peaceful in his resting place. He turned over, away from us, as if he could feel our stares. "I see," She murmured.

We sat for a while. Finally, Elizabeth spoke. "I know how we can get off this island."

I turned fully, so I was facing her. "You do?" I didn't want to die here, no, I certainly did not.

She smiled grimly, and stood. "You'll help, right? Good. Now, come on, we have to do it without waking Jack."

I wondered why we couldn't wake him to help; he was stronger than the two of us and had probably slept most of it off, but I stood up and followed her into the trees.