A/N (5/15/04): Damn to the depths whatever man that thought up virus! Bloody computer got a virus an' it's been in the bloody shop for the past week an' I haven't been able to update because the next chapter was already typed up on the bloody computer. Of course, I can't seem to find it now—there's absolutely nothing on the bloody computer, even the programs had to be reinstalled—so here I am, typin' it up again. An' I'm not in a good mood. I meant to update on me birthday, but the computer had only just returned from the shop, an' the programs weren't installed. On a happier note, I am now sixteen. Happy (belated) sweet sixteenth birthday, Friday! (Me evil twin was born on the same day as meself.) I'm gettin' me license pretty soon.
"Where's my hat?" Jack demanded, glaring at Lyn. "If you took it, girl, you will regret it."
"Where's me cat?" Lyn asked at the same time. When she heard Jack's voice, she looked up from her own frantic search and smiled sweetly. "I only take yer 'at when I leave yer ship, mate. So's ye'll come back fer it. Savvy?"
"Savvy," Jack sighed. He went back to his search.
"If I were a cat, where would I be hidin'?" Lyn asked herself. "On me bed, o' course." Lyn had a bunkbed she sheared with her older sister when said sibling came home from college. The cats usually inhabited the top bunk, because they liked being up high. "So if I were a cat on a ship, I'd hide—in the crow's nest!" she shouted. She eyed the mast dubiously for a minute, then began to climb. She exulted in the swaying motion of the ship, and the dizzy sensation she got when she looked down. Though terrified of heights, Lyn loved being up high. She pulled herself into the crow's nest and found her cat, chewing happily on Jack's hat. "Bad Gypsy!" she tapped the cat on the nose. "Bad. Don't eat Jack's hat. It's like me homework. Ye don' eat it or I get in trouble. Oh, dear, Jack's goin' to kill me fer this." She put the hat on her head and tucked the cat under her arm and climbed back down.
"Jack, love, I found yer hat. Gypsy stole it," Lyn reported. She bowed with a flourish and presented Jack with his hat.
"There ye go, kids," Jack said, helping them off the Pearl and onto the beach, then throwing their chest full of gold after them. There was ₤2000 worth of gold in that chest, so the kids were free to go off the account. It was now Friday the 13th, and they decided it was time to return home.
They buried the chest in the beach and waved good-bye to Jack and the crew. Then they raced each other up the beach to their house, which was just as they had left it. Their parents were just arriving home.
"What happened?" their mother demanded.
"Er," Tom said, as he tried to remember what had happened, for him, months before.
"We were attacked by pirates," Lyn supplied.
"Bet it was two pirates named Lyn and Tom," their father said, shaking his head.
"So your parents didn't believe you?" Lisa asked.
"Of course they didn't!" Nick said. "Otherwise the story wouldn't work. If their parents had believed them (in the story), then we could just go ask the parents and they should say Lyn and Tom here were telling the truth. But they're not, so they have to say their parents didn't believe them."
Katie nodded, but she looked thoughtful.
Mrs. Astra stuck her head in Lyn's door. "Time to leave, y'all. It's getting dark. Go on, out with you!"
As Lyn's friends left, Mrs. Astra looked Lyn up and down. There was something out of place—something—"Lyndsay Astra, where did you get that hat?"
Done! I might revise the chapter if I manage to access the old file, but I probably won't. What I'm really depressed about is the third chapter of The Legacy of War. Eleven pages in Word, all gone! Honesly, if I could I would track down whoever wrote that virus and sacrifice them to the Aztec gods!
Amy: Yes, only one more chapter. I can't have it go on forever. But "Into the Vortex" is already written out for the first four chapters, which are about six notebook pages each. However, even with the long delay it doesn't look like I'm going to get 100 reviews. Ah well. I'll see about having other ways to get y'all into the story.
Cupcakeswirl: Maybe I could write a sequel. Maybe I could title it "Into the Vortex." Maybe I could advertise it in just about every chapter in this story. Sorry about not making the last chapter long. I'm not in a very good mood at the moment because I was told the virus wouldn't erase the documents but apparently it has. Maybe (hopefully) Dad can access them for me, but he's not home at the moment so I have to retype this bloody chapter an' I can't remember everything I put in it. It was already typed up before I got yer review an' it wasn't very long even then, but then I bloody lost it! Rant over.
Jack Sparrow's Only Love: Listen, love, ye ain't the Captain's only love, unless yer Anamaria. About yer review. I really meant to update soon. As I've said, I had the chapter typed. I'd forgotten to put summat in the last chapter so I typed up this chapter an' put it in here, but then the computer crashed an' had to be taken to the shop, so I couldn't update.
Mme. Calico Jack Rackham: Thank ye fer yer review.
Pirate grlEe: Sure I'll keep it up. The sequel, "Into the Vortex," is crazier.
DuelingDestiny: Yer still callin' 'im names. Ye don' 'ave to be talkin' to be callin' someone names. Ye didn't really offend me, I've jes' got to be protective o' me little brother.
Fireblade K'Chona: That's interesting. So ye came up with the green hair thing on yer own, not prompted by our purple Whites.