Reversed!

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Disclaimer: I don't POTC or Toby, who belongs to Wolfen-Ways. I own pretty much everyone else.

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(Mary's POV)

"Are you sure you'll be alright for two weeks?" Mom asked in her Mom-ish way, shifting her suitcase to her other hand.

"Totally," I assured her. "I'm a responsible seventeen-year-old, just one year away from being a legal adult. I think I can look after myself and a dog." I looked down at the Golden Retriever by my side. "Ain't that right, Terra?" Terra barked in agreement. Or maybe she just barked. It's hard to tell with her.

"Isn't," Dad asked, walking over to us.

I looked up. "Huh?"

"Don't say 'ain't,' Mary."

I sighed. "Typical schoolteacher type. As I was saying, I can drive, I can cook, I can buy stuff with my credit card, and I'll be fine. Go enjoy your vacation," I said, pushing them out the door.

Mom looked back. "You know the rules, don't you?"

I stepped out onto the porch, Terra following. "No drinking, no parties, no boys except Joey who doesn't count cause he's one of my best friends," I recited in a monotone voice.

Mom and Dad nodded approvingly. "Good," Dad said. "Now, we'll call you once our plane lands. Take care of yourself, and don't do anything reckless."

"Got it," I said, struggling to hide my grin. If my parents knew about all the reckless stuff I did with Jack and the crew of the Pearl, they'd drop dead on the spot! Heh, heh, heh! But of course, I was reminded that the real Jack – the Jack as I know him – was still dead. I was so wrapped up in my memories of those days, I didn't hear my parent's next words. "Uh, sorry. What?"

"We said, 'we love you,'" Mom repeated, sounding hurt.

"Oh. I love you guys, too. Now go! You'll miss your flight." I gave them both a hug and a kiss, and helped Mom put her bags in the taxi. Mom and Dad got in the car and waved. I waved back, and Terra started barking. We stood on the porch as the taxi pulled away, and I felt a small pang in my chest. I'd never been alone for two weeks before – my overprotective parents saw to that.

I scratched Terra behind the ears and felt my nervousness abate. "Maybe," I said out loud, "since they're not here, Calypso will bring me back. I mean, I may not actually have the DVD, but she knows how much I want to go back." Terra licked my hand gently. She'd been the only one I'd told about my trip across time and space. Only she knew how much I loved Jack. I brushed a tear from my face. I knew he would be alive and single at the end of AWE, but unless I was back in the POTC world, I would feel this pain forever.

"YO, MARY!"

I looked up and grinned. Rebecca, Joey, Lisa, and Celia were trooping across the snow-covered lawn, bundled in heavy winter coats. I laughed and waved at them. "Hey, gang! Mom and Dad just flew the coop! I'm free!"

"We just saw them leave!" Joey said.

"And we've got a surprise for you!" Lisa said playfully.

I grinned. "I love surprises! But hold that thought and come inside. There are five cups of cocoa with our names on it!"

The group cheered and rushed inside. Laughing, I followed them. They removed their outer layers and collapsed on the sofa, Terra curling up at their feet. Smiling, I went into the kitchen to get the cocoa. Just as I was picking up the tray, I was once again reminded that my friends knew nothing about my little excursions. I wondered if this would be the time to tell them…nah. I'd rather not ruin winter break for them. They'd be so jealous, and furious that I didn't tell them sooner.

Shaking my head, I picked up the tray and walked back into the living room. I laid it on the table and collapsed on the sofa. "So," I began, taking a cup. "What's the surprise?"

Rebecca grinned. "Did your parents tell you about their trip?"

I blinked. "Just that they were going to Florida and wouldn't be back for two weeks. Why?"

Celia giggled behind her hands. "Well…they didn't go alone."

"All our parents skipped town, too!" Rebecca said, laughing maniacally.

My eyes widened. All of us, in charge of our respective houses? My four best friends were alone for two weeks, just like me? "You're lying!"

"It's the truth!" Joey told me. "All five of us are masters of the house for two solid weeks!"

"That's insane!" I shouted, shaking my head. "My parents never said a thing!"

"I guess they don't want you to go crazy while they're gone," Celia reasoned.

Lisa snorted. "Fat chance of that. I mean think about it: all together, we've got five empty houses, three cars, two awesome stereo systems, five TVs, lots of money in the form of cash and credit, five fridges full of tasty snacks and soda, two weeks of no school, and all the Pirates of the Caribbean we can watch! How can they not expect us to go crazy?!"

I stood and raised my cup. "My friends, I can safely say that these will be the best two weeks of our lives!" Of course, I wasn't counting any of my Calypso-induced experiences. My friends cheered, Terra started howling, and there was a general loud and obnoxious noise.

"So what do we do first?" Joey asked over the din.

I picked up my COTBP DVD from on top of the TV. "What else?" I put in the DVD and grabbed the remote. "Celia, go get the works, will ya?"

Celia stood and saluted, uncharacteristically crazy. "Aye aye, Captain!" She rushed to the kitchen to get the works – cheese popcorn and Mountain Dew are the only things that go with a high seas adventure. Everyone knows that!

"Hey, hold it!" Rebecca said suddenly as the menu popped up. "Where's your hat?"

I looked up from the TV. "Who, me?"

"Yeah, you. Whenever we watch POTC, you always wear your tri-cornered hat. Where is it?"

I froze. My hat…the last time I had seen it, Jack had been holding it as the Kraken dragged down the Pearl. I couldn't tell Rebecca that! I took a deep breath. "I, uh…lost it."

"Aw!" Lisa groaned. "Don't worry, Mary. We'll help you look for it!"

"Uh…that's okay. We can, uh, just watch the movie. It'll be fine." I sat back down and looked away. Rebecca frowned but said nothing.

Celia suddenly rushed back into the room, works-less. "Bad news, guys. There's plenty of Mountain Dew, but there isn't any cheese popcorn!"

We all gasped, and Lisa pretended to pass out. "Now what do we do?" Joey groaned.

I stood once again and turned off the TV. "Calm down, you guys. I'll just run to the store and get some. It'll only take a few minutes." Terra whimpered and I scratched her behind the ears. "Don't worry, I'll be back even before you have time to miss me." This was untrue, as Terra had had a habit of throwing panic attacks when I left the house since she was a puppy. I turned to the guys. "Keep her calm, okay?"

"We will," Celia promised. "Now, go get the popcorn! RUN, GIRL! RUN LIKE JACK ON THE PELEGOSTOS' ISLAND!" I laughed, grabbed the car keys, and rushed out the door.

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(Rebecca's POV)

I frowned as I gripped the back of Terra's collar. None of the others had noticed, but lately, Mary's been acting a bit strange. She always seems nervous when we mention the movies, and sometimes she starts crying for no apparent reason. And she practically hit the roof when we mentioned the hat. In fact, now that I think about it, Mary had been acting like this since her sixteenth birthday, and that was over a year ago.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by Terra, who was growling and struggling against my grip. "Easy, girl," I said through clenched teeth, but she struggled harder.

Lisa grabbed Terra's collar as well. "What's wrong with her?" she asked. "She usually just runs around in circles, howling her head off! She never acts like this!"

"Maybe she's in her knew adult habit?" Celia guessed.

"Maybe," I agreed. "Do you think –?"

THUD!

We all jumped and Celia screamed. In the confusion, I lost my grip on Terra, who raced up the stairs, barking menacingly. "What the hell was that?" Joey muttered.

"No clue," I answered. "Maybe something just fell?"

Joey shook his head. "I seriously doubt it. I mean, that was a big thud. And the way Terra's acting…maybe there's someone in the house," he finished warily.

We were silent for a moment. Celia's face had turned white, and I felt my hands shaking. "Well," I said, standing, "we'd better go check it out."

"Are you crazy?" Lisa squeaked, gripping my hand. "What if they have guns? What if they're six feet tall and weigh as much as an elephant…each?!"

I sighed impatiently. "Will you chill out? There's no proof that there are burglars in the house."

"What about the way Terra was acting?" Celia whispered, eyes wide.

"Terra always acts strange when Mary leaves…this is just a different level of strange." I frowned at the others. "Now, is someone gonna help me get Terra, or am I going up there alone?" Silence for a moment, but then Joey and Lisa stood up. Celia hesitated, but stood as well. Nodding, I started up the stairs. When I looked back, Joey was holding a baseball bat, Lisa was holding a rolling pin, and Celia was holding an umbrella.

I'm not even going to ask.

We followed the sound of Terra's barking, creeping down the hall slowly, until we reached the open door of Mary's room. I peered in, grabbing the bat from Joey, and saw Terra standing in front of the closet, snarling and barking.

"She's in front of the closet," I reported.

"Maybe there's someone in there!" Lisa whispered.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Only one way to find out." With that, he pushed past me and crept into the room.

"Keep the lights off!" I hissed, and he nodded slightly.

Halfway across, he stopped and knelt down. I caught my breath. Had he seen something? Like maybe a gun? But when he stood back up, he was holding a bracelet – the same one I'd given Mary for her sixteenth birthday! Joey pointed at it, raising an eyebrow. We shrugged – Mary had worn it every day for a year, so why did she pick today to leave it home? And why was it on the floor?

Joey slowly put the bracelet on the nearby dresser before continuing to make his way over to the closet. Terra lay down, but continued to growl. Once she had stopped barking, Joey waved us over. I ran across the room, feeling my eyes widen. Lisa and Celia followed more slowly, looking around the room in fear. Once we were all over there, I put my hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, I heard a softer thud and the sound of someone whispering, though I couldn't hear what was said. Frantically, I looked at the others, who nodded. I slowly turned the doorknob and stepped back.

And not a moment too soon! If I had stayed there a moment longer, I would've been crushed by the squirming mass that fell out of the closet. Someone screamed – it may have been me – and the mass screamed, too. I squinted in the darkness. The mass was actually five figures collapsed onto the floor. Suddenly, I gasped and looked a bit closer. Wait…was that…no, it couldn't be. That's impossible. But that face…

"Lisa," I hissed, not looking away from the figures. "Turn on the lights and brace yourself. You are never gonna believe this."

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I AM EVIL! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'll update soon, promise!

Lisa: Hurry it up already! I want to see what was in Mary's closet!

Silverstar:…

Lisa:…

Silverstar: …uh…wow.

Lisa: That didn't just happen.

Extra cheese popcorn for all who review!