Juliet of Dundee

Gifts

Juliet of Dundee Chpt. 5

Juliet

The air was warm, the area around me dark. Where was I? I lifted me hands but they were weighed down by rusty, tight shackles. I tried to stand but slipped on somethin', somethin' damp. I grunted as I hit the floor and leaned against tar-ish wall, only to find meself surrounded by puddles of sea water, barnacles, and-

What is that?

Me eyes had caught on something in the corner of the room. I squinted hard in the darkness to see, waiting for me eyes to adjust. When me eyes finally did adjust, I had regret the sight. There, in the corner, still shackled to the wall, was a skeleton. I bit me tongue, holdin' back a girlish squeak and slumped back against the wall just as a light arose, emerging from a ladder only as far as I could see in the darkness that was now being forced away.

By now I knew exactly where I was; the dungeon. The bilge. The place of the least amount of safety and respect on a ship. The crew could do anything to me, and this worried meself a great deal; especially when it came to Stouts.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the she-pirate."

I sighed. I knew exactly who it was.

"Go away Blue-eyes," I barked back at him.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the ol' jail cell," he chuckled.

"The cap'n said I would have me own room away from the crew!"

"Look around, Emmie. Where are you right now?"

"No! That's not-"

"It's exactly what you asked for." I could see Blue-eyes smirking in the darkness.

"Ya absolutely irk me!" I cried, a mildly disgusted sneer on me lips.

"And you, me."

"Drop the act, Pater. I know yer angry at me fer tryin' to kill ya earlier."

Pater shrugged. "Actually, I've decided I'd best move on. I was only gonna keep it up if you turned out to be who everyone thought you to be. You know, a monster. But after thinking about it, you were only scared. You reacted in a hostile way in order to protect yourself. As far as I am concerned, you are just as confused and scared as the rest of us. Well, all accept for me."

There was a pause as I stared at him. This man was very educated in observing people. He was smart, which is what made him the most dangerous. Keep your mates close, but yer enemies closer. I let out a "humph" to bring across a bit of displeasure, giving up on my evil little grudge.

"Why'd ya come down here anyway? What do ya want?"

"Just came down to make sure you were conscious."

"Right. And wha' else?" Blue-eyes rolled his handsome eyes as he leaned against the wall facing me through the bars of the cell. My face showed absolutely no satisfaction in the fact that he had come down here to mock me.

"You're gonna tell me how to use the vial," Blue-eyes stated matter-of-factly.

"I will do no such thing."

The candle Blue-eyes had set down flickered.

"Right," Pater gave a mischievous smirk as he opened the rusty cell and approached me. With each step of his on the floorboards, a creek was sent echoing through the bilge.

"What are ya doin'?" I asked, none of me confidence fadin'. Blue-eyes knelt down to me, his fist clenched around something. Me suspicion raised as he opened his hand, dropping the vial, still holding it's chain. I nearly flinched when me thought the vial was doomed. But it didn't fall, it just dangled on its chain, happy the way it was. Unaware of the danger it was in, unaware of how big a deal it was.