The Sparrow and the Storm

Goodbye

Jack leaned against a tree, picking at his fingernails. Sweat beaded on his young brow beneath his red bandana, and some slid down his neck and beneath his shirt. A girl's face appeared beside him. Jack looked at his friend, Ginny, hanging upside down from the tree branch, her blonde hair dangling as the blood rushed to her head.

"You kissed Lucy?" she demanded.

"Aye." Jack replied.

"What was it like?" asked Ginny.

"Wet. She was a sloppy kisser." said Jack.

"Gross. I'm never gonna kiss anybody." replied Ginny, making a face.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It's gross." Ginny said.

"You might change your mind." said Jack, turning back to his dirty fingernails.

"What makes you so sure?" Ginny challenged, dropping from her tree branch.

Jack shrugged. "It's not all bad, if you've got someone you like to kiss you."

"I dunno… It just seems too weird." said Ginny.

"I bet I could convince you otherwise." Jack said, looking up at her.

"Is that a challenge?" Ginny asked, tilting her head.

Jack considered her. "Possibly."

"All right then," said Ginny, clasping her hands behind her back, "I dare you."

"Dare me to what?" Jack asked, still picking his fingernails.

"Kiss me." said Ginny.

Jack looked up at her. He got to his feet and circled around her, smirking. "I never back down from a dare."

"So do it, then." said Ginny, lifting her chin. Jack grinned and leaned downward. Ginny widened her eyes and took off before Jack's lips could touch hers. Jack laughed and took off after her.

"Chicken!" he called, chasing her through the trees. He nearly ran into Ginny, who had stopped in tracks at the edge of the woods. Jack glanced at her, his grin still on his face, and followed her gaze. He widened his eyes at the Redcoats littering the yard. His grin vanished and he grabbed Ginny, covering her mouth with his hand, and pulled her into the underbrush.

"What's going on?" Ginny whispered.

"I dunno," Jack murmured. He didn't want to say he had a feeling it was his family's fault. "That must be the leader, look at the details on his coat."

"An admiral," Ginny agreed, nodding. The man stood outside the house, from which four people were led by Redcoats. Ginny's sharp intake of breath prompted Jack to take her hand.

"Admiral Beckett," said the oldest of the four, a woman who resembled Ginny remarkably. "I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but I'd be lying."

"Evelyn," returned the admiral, "let's make this painless. Where are they?"

"Who?" asked Evelyn.

"Don't play coy with me, woman. Where are the Teagues?" snapped Admiral Beckett.

Evelyn flipped her blonde hair out of her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Where's your husband, then?" asked Admiral Beckett.

"Reckon he ran off when he saw you coming, like the coward he is." said Evelyn.

"And your other daughter?" asked Admiral Beckett.

"Hopefully she's far away from here." said Evelyn.

"Aiding and abetting pirates makes you guilty of piracy yourself. Tell me where they are and you won't suffer their fate." said Beckett.

"Go to hell, Beckett. I won't betray my friends." spat Evelyn.

"So you confess, then? You are a pirate?" Beckett sounded amused.

"Damn right, I am." said Evelyn, drawing herself up.

"All pirates suffer the death penalty." said Beckett.

"Then I'll hang at the gallows." replied Evelyn.

Beckett sneered. "Oh, you won't be going to the gallows," he said. He unsheathed his sword and plunged it into Evelyn's abdomen. Jack felt as if he had been stabbed himself. His heart stuttered in his chest and his eyes widened. The breath caught in his throat like a hunk of meat from lunch. Ginny jumped from the bushes and charged into the yard.

"Mother!" she cried. Jack shook himself out of his daze and moved to go after her, but someone grabbed him.

"No, son!" growled his father. "Let her go. We must leave."

His father placed a hand over Jack's mouth to keep him from protesting. Tears burned his eyes as his father hauled him away, rendering him helpless as Ginny held her dying mother in her arms. Ginny's screams rang in Jack's ears even after he could no longer see the Enright family farm.

…

Okay, so I know this was a super short chapter and possibly confusing to first timers. I am revising my original series, simply because I've grown as a writer since taking some classes and whatnot. I wasn't happy with my series and wanted to fix it. If you're a returning reader, welcome back, there will be changes from the original story, so I hope you enjoy. If you're a first time reader, hello and welcome! I hope you enjoy the story, this series definitely means a lot to me because Pirates of the Caribbean just means so much to me for personal reasons, so I want this to be its best. Please review!