Title: Birds of a Feather
* * * * * Chapter One The Black Pearl rocked slightly as it flew across the Caribbean and the wind rushed over the sails. But two people were not even aware of these things. Sixteen-year-old Pearl Sparrow was below deck in a small corner with a young crewmen. The two where holding one another tightly. The crewmen’s name was Sam, a teenage boy with longish brown hair and muscles that you could not believe. Pearl's hands ran over his bare chest as he kissed down her neck. She looked up at him for a second and smiled, then leaned her head back as he went at her neck again, running his hands down her arms, and tugging at her shirt. She pushed his hands away from the edge of her shirt. "Not that far, matey," she said lowly, though her voice still left no room for argument. His hands wrapped around her neck, and she sighed as she leaned into him, their lips meeting again. Sally Sparrow peered between barrels and boxes of cargo, searching in vain for her daughter. She heard a giggle and nodded knowingly to herself. She followed the sound to a secluded corner and crossed her arms at the amorous sight before her. Sam was the first to notice her. He broke away from Pearl, looking quite dumbfounded. Beautiful and dumb, that was Sam. Just the way Pearl liked them. “Let’s set aside the fact that I’ve just wasted an hour looking for ye and wondering if ye’d fallen overboard,” Sally said. “Let’s address the fact that ye know yer to leave the crew to their duties. Not to mention that no daughter of mine—” “Mom,” Pearl grumbled. “Don’t ye use that tone with me,” Sally said. She grabbed Pearl by the arm and hauled her above deck again. Pearl rolled her eyes, and with one last glance at Sam she was above deck. "Wait till I tell yer father," her mother said. Pearl grinned, her father would not mind too much; he would more likely laugh at it. Sally kept her hold on Pearl until they reached her father. Jack Sparrow looked up at the two and grinned. "I see ya found her," he said, looking at Pearl. "Aye, and can ye guess what she was up to?" Sally asked, finally letting go of Pearl. Jack put his hands on Pearl’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He squinted at her and turned her around. Then made her face him again. “No,” he said. “So what was she up to?” Sally sighed and rubbed her forehead. “She was with that Sam again.” “Really?” he said, his eyes wide suddenly. “Lucky boy.” Pearl was trying desperately not to laugh at her father as her mother growled with exasperation. “I don’t know why ye insist on having that boy onboard,” she said, pulling Jack aside and trying to keep her voice low so that Pearl couldn’t hear. “The only work he gets done on this ship is all over our daughter!” Jack grinned. “I seem to remember that that’s how we met.” Sally glared, then grinned. She was helpless when it came to that look. Pearl glanced at her parents, she knew the looks that they where giving one another. If she could just sneak off… "PEARL!" she heard her mother call as she turned and tried to walk off. Pearl sighed and turned around. Her mother's arms were crossed. "Yes, mother?" Pearl asked, looking as innocent as possible. "Aw, you can't punish her," Jack said, grinning at his daughter. Pearl smiled and went up to her father, hugging him. "Oh, you always give in to her," Sally said, turning to face the two. There was a crash, and Sally turned her attention behind her. A cannonball had just landed dangerously close to the Black Pearl, but luckily, it only struck the water. “All hands on deck!” she shouted. “Pearl, to the crow’s nest!” The girl nodded and dashed toward the mast. Jack ran to the wheel and turned the ship so that the cannons faced the enemy. Sally joined him shouting, “to the cannons!” at a couple of crewmembers. “Who is it?” she asked him. “Ask Pearl,” he said, wrestling the wheel. “Pearly!” Sally called. “Whadaya see?” Pearl quickly climbed up the ropes to the crow’s nest and swung her feet over it. She stood up and looked out at the ship, putting her hand on her forehead to shade the sun as her mother yelled to her. "Its a British ship!" she yelled back down. There was another crash, and the ship rocked again. Pearl grabbed the railing and clung to it as she was nearly thrown off. The cannons of the Black Pearl where now shooting back at the other ship, and Pearl let go of the railing for a second to look to her left. At that moment a cannonball hit the Black Pearl and it rocked severely. Pearl flipped over the railing of the crow’s nest and went flying out over the ship. She screamed and hit the water hard. She came up and shook her head, then nearly jumped out of her skin as a cannonball landed next to her. “Woman overboard!” someone cried, turning Sally’s attention to the water. She gaped at her daughter floundering near the boat’s edge. “Pearl!” Sally, pulling out her pistol and randomly firing at the other ship, leapt over the ship’s bow while grasping a rope firmly. She saw someone from the enemy ship raise a musket toward Pearl. Sally gritted her teeth and fired at the man, grinning as he was blown on his back. She holstered her pistol and edged down the boat’s side, reaching a hand toward her daughter. “Take my hand, lass!” she called. Pearl swam towards her mother, a very hard task when the water was rocking hard from two ships and cannonballs in it. For every three feet she swam forward, she was one foot swept backwards. Pearl heard another cannon fire and turned her head back to see it coming straight at her. The cannonball landed right where Pearl was with a huge splash, causing waves. When the water calmed a little, Pearl was nowhere in sight. “Pearl!” Sally cried. Her head snapped from one direction to the next, searching for her daughter in vain. The enemy ship was drawing closer. She knew they must be planning to board and raid the Black Pearl. “Jack!” she shrieked over the cannon fire. “Pearl’s overboard, and those bloody British are getting closer!” “I hear ya!” he called back. He shouted and motioned fluidly for one of the crewmen to take the wheel. Then, shedding most of his gear, he grasped a rope and climbed up the mast with ease. “What do ya see!?” Sally called. “Water! …Boats! …Pearl!” He pointed, and Sally followed his arm toward their daughter. She spluttered and coughed. She had landed rather close to the enemy, and Sally knew they should waste no time. Pearl's head shot up out of the water, and she took a deep breath. She looked up and saw the British ship very close to her. "YOU BLASTED BRITS!!!" she cried out at them, shaking her fist. One of the people on board the ship seemed to notice her and pointed her out. "Oh shoot...." Pearl said as she started to swim backwards, keeping her eye on the ship as the captain cried something out and pointed to her Pearl turned and started to swim very fast as she saw one of the men pick up a rope and loop it, then throw it towards her. It caught her foot, and she felt it go tight. The men pulled on the rope and Pearl went underwater for a moment. She flipped herself on to her back and took out the dagger in her boot, something her dad told her to always be sure to have. She slashed at the rope and cut it in half. Sally watched Pearl sploosh back into the water after her near capture. At that, she was done simply watching. “Hit those scallywags with everything you’ve got!” she called toward their cannons. She turned toward the wheel. “Steer her—” “Already on it, miss!” Sam called. So there was some good at having him onboard… They drifted toward the enemy ship, and Sally knew she had to be quick. She loosened her grip on the rope she held and nearly hurtled into the water, gripping the rope again just in time to stop her descent short. She took Pearl’s hand and hefted the spluttering young woman out of the sea. The girl grabbed the same rope her mother grasped, and the two climbed aboard the Black Pearl again. She looked up to see that she was still not swift enough. The Brits had already rested a plank between the two ships and were beginning to rush on deck. “Sam, veer south!” Sally ordered. The plank between the two ships fell into the broiling waves, taking several soldiers with it. Yet there were still enemies ready to rush them. The enemy ship pulled up next to the Black Pearl again, and another plank was placed across. The British rushed across very quickly this time. Pearl and her mother pulled out their long swords as one and were quickly met with their enemy. Pearl's opponent made a swoop at her legs, but she was too quick for him and jumped up on a rum barrel. She jumped again as he repeated his move. He had to duck as Pearl made a swing at his head. As he came up, his face was met with Pearl's foot as she kicked him square in the jaw, knocking him backwards. Pearl jumped off the barrel and hit him in the head with her sword handle. She tired to avoid killing if she had to. "Dad! Behind you!" Pearl cried as she saw a man come up behind her dad. Jack whirled around and kicked the oncoming man, well-managing to keep his other opponent at bay. A soldier charged Sally, and she swung around with a haymaker, knocking him back. She heard a grunt behind her as another attempted to grab and grapple with her. She slammed her elbow into his chin and heard a cry as he stumbled away. She heard the click of the hammer being pulled back on a musket and turned. The shot was fired and blew a barrel beside her to pieces. “Hey!” Jack yelled, furrowing his brow. “Don’t shoot the rum!” “And!?” Sally called back, putting her hands on her hips. “Or the wife!” he added, grinning. “That’s better!” She turned back to the soldier and threw her sword at him. It sliced through his shirt sleeve and pinned it to the wall behind him. Pearl laughed at her father then felt two strong hands grab her from behind. She threw her leg backwards and kicked the man between the legs. She spun around and kneed him in the face before he could regain his composure from her first assault. Pearl looked around her and saw that a large group had decided to come at her. She furrowed her brow then realized what they where doing. She charged at the closest one to her and engaged him in a fight. It did not last long however as the rest of the group quickly came forward. One grabbed her hand and yanked her sword out of it. Two others grabbed her arms and held her as she kicked and yelled at them. She bit one of them, who let go but was quickly replaced by another. "Sparrow!!" One cried, holding a sword to Pearl’s throat. Both Sally and Jack turned. “Yes?” they said calmly in unison. When they saw the state of affairs their daughter was in, their expressions hardened. “Let her go,” Sally said. “She’s got no business with you.” “She’s your child,” the man said. “She certainly does have business with us.” “It’s me that you want,” Jack said, stepping forward. “She’s of no concern to you. How about we do this?” Sally rolled her eyes as her husband went into negotiating mode. “You take me,” he continued, coming toward them in his typical, loose-limbed fashion, “and you leave the girl with my lovely wife here.” The man squinted at Jack. “How do I know I can trust you?” “You don’t,” Jack said with a golden-toothed grin. “But I know you can’t resist saying ‘I caught Captain Jack Sparrow.’” The man pondered a moment, then nodded in Jack’s direction. Two soldiers at his side came forward, brandishing swords in his face. Jack nodded genially, dropping his weapons as the men seized him. Pearl was released and shoved roughly toward Sally, who steadied her. “Jack,” Sally murmured with worry. “Remember the code,” he said, nodding to her. With that, he was hauled away toward the British ship. “What about those others?” one soldier asked after they’d thrown Jack in the brig. “They’re useless without their captain,” he said, grinning. Pearl ran to the side of Black Pearl as the plank between the two ships was removed. Her green eyes were burning with furry. One of the soldiers waved merrily to them as their boat turned and went off. Pearl watched the ship leave, then ran to her mother. "Mom, what are we going to do? We have to get dad back," she said urgently. Sally looked down at her daughter. "He said to follow the code, Pearl, you know the code." Pearl frowned at her mother. "Since when have you and dad ever followed the code?" she asked. Her mother looked at her. "Besides, I thought it was more a guideline anyway." She grinned. Sally was having enough trouble keeping her emotions at bay after watching her husband sail away as a captive. She smiled warmly at her daughter and sighed. “You know your father, hon,” she said. “He won’t be there long.” “But, mom—” “We can’t risk the ship,” she said. “He wouldn’t want us to get ourselves caught, either. He’ll be back.” She turned back to the wheel and steered away with a heavy heart.
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