When Worlds Collide

“Isabella! Andrew! Karissa! This way, please! Quickly now, and do stay quiet, we don’t want the navy to see us. I don’t know why we had to wait until midday to leave” said Will three weeks later in a rushed tone. The five of you (remember Elizabeth) were carefully making your way along the outskirts of town towards the shore.

“Andy! I’m so tired! Can we take a break now? Please?” asked Karissa in a childish manner. You looked back at her and rolled your eyes.

“Of course, sweetheart!” said Andy. “We’ll catch up with you all shortly!” he called to Will. You watched as Karissa and Andy sat down on the sandy beach. Andrew put his arm around her shoulders and she looked up at him. He moved her face closer to his and the two of them began to kiss passionately.

You were looking over your shoulder and walking at the same time, so you didn’t notice that you were about to run into Will’s shoulders. You turned around just a second too late and ran square into him. “Oh God! Sorry! I didn’t see you. I was a bit...distracted” you said as you glanced back at Andrew and Karissa. Wow did you feel like a third wheel. Well, fifth wheel to be exact. Andrew and Karissa. Will and Elizabeth. And you. It was all a bit depressing. But you shook the thought out of your mind.

“Here we are!” said Will pointing to a rather small boat. The five of you would all comfortably fit in it, but there was no room for everything Karissa had brought.

You turned around and looked back at Andy and Karissa. “Hey lovebirds!” you called out to them. “Get your asses over here!” Andy shot you a look and you gave it right back to him. He and Karissa stood up and made their way over to where the three of you were. Andy was carrying all of Karissa’s things and he looked a bit like he was struggling.

Karissa reached the boat first and gave you a rude look. “Um, are you not going or something, because my stuff is not going to fit.” She said.

“Well, either you go, or your stuff goes. Pick one.” You said, stepping towards her, looking down into her eyes. You saw her flinch a little. You were a good six inches taller than she was. She had always been the shortest girl In your class, but that didn’t make her feel bad. At all. In fact, it made her prouder. She knew how to get what she wanted, you’d give her that.

“Andy!” she called at your brother, who was still struggling up the shore. “Just leave it all there. Your sister won’t let me take it.” She said with a pout on her face. You couldn’t help but to let out a laugh. She threw you a look and you let it go. No sense fighting it. She wasn’t worth it. Andy put Karissa’s things down on the shore, seemingly glad to be rid of it. He jogged up the shore and met the rest of you near the boat.

You, Elizabeth, and Will had begun to untie the boat from the stakes in the beach sand. Andy joined in while Karissa leaned against a tree and watched. The four of you got the boat untied and pushed it into shallow water. Will helped Elizabeth and you into the boat and then followed. Andy looked at Karissa. “Well?” he said.

“You don’t really expect me to get my feet wet do you?” Karissa said curtly. “These shoes cost my father an arm and a leg. And I am NOT getting them wet. NOR am I ruining this dress. You know you did make me leave my extra things.”

Andy waded out of the water and back towards the shore. He picked Karissa up and carried her bridal style above the water and back towards the boat. “Well, she sure is a nice one.” Elizabeth muttered sarcastically to you. You nodded your head in agreement as Karissa sat down on a barrel of who knows what in the boat.

Karissa played with her brown hair and twisted it around her fingers. Oh how you wanted to just cut it all off. It was down to her ass and it made you sick how the only thing she ever did was brush it and twirl it and play with it all day long. How gross! What if she had lice? You threw up a little in your mouth and leaned over the boat to spit it out. You were NOT big on bugs. Of any kind.

You looked at your reflection in the clear blue water. A man appeared standing over your shoulder looking at your reflection. He had long dark hair, with many beads braided into it. A bandana was tied around his head with a tri-corner hat on top. He looked into your eyes through the reflection and smiled. You turned around and found no man of such description, though you needed no one to tell you who it was.

“So, Will, where exactly are we going?” you asked will, who was standing at the “helm” of the small boat.

“Tortuga. It’s the most likely place Jack will be. Jack + Prostitutes + Rum = Tortuga.”

“Prostitutes?” you asked, worriedly.

“Oh yes. That’s one thing Jack’s famous for.” Will said raising his eyebrows.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t believe you.” You said mustering up as much confidence as you could.

“Believe what you want. You can’t change Jack.” Will said, making it known that the conversation was over.

‘You can’t change Jack.’ You said in your mind over and over again. What did that mean? Jack can’t be THAT bad can he? He cant be THAT much of a womanizer, can he? But what if he was? What if this whole trip would end up pointless and you’d be stuck single for the rest of your life? No, that was negative thinking. Before you ever got on this boat you had told yourself that you were going to think positive the whole time. Truth was though, it was going to be hard. Really hard.

Elizabeth was sitting next to you, oblivious to the fact that you really didn’t like her. She struck up a conversation with you. “So Mr. Gibbs is your father, is he?” she said.

“Mm hmm” you muttered.

“And you never knew?”

“Nope”

“Who did you think your dad was?”

“Thomas Roberts.”

“Oh, I know who he is! A very respectable man.”

“Mm hmm” There was a long awkward pause

“Okay, I haven’t known you very long, but its really starting to bother me. What is it?”

“What’s what?”

“Your problem. I can promise you that Captain Sparrow wont be happy with a girl sulking around on his ship all day.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You said. “I just found out who my real father was three weeks ago, and he’s a pirate. If he gets caught, he’ll surely die. What if I told you there was a large chance your father would get hung sooner or later? I think you’d be a little upset as well,” you said.

“Well, maybe so, but there’s more, isn’t there?” Elizabeth asked. “Look at Andy, he seems fine.” The two of you looked at Andy and Karissa. They were making out again.

“I think he’s a bit preoccupied to think about it.” You said, giving a weak smile.

“You’re lonely, aren’t you?” said Elizabeth

“If you knew just how lonely my life has been, and how low I’ve felt for so long, If you knew just how much I want someone to come along and change my life, you’d feel different about me. You wouldn’t think I was sulking.” You said, feeling a deep aching that was pulling on your heartstrings.

“I’ve been there” she said. But you didn’t believe her.

“Oh yeah, it must have been really tough having Norrington and William and every other man who had ever caught sight of you being in love with you all at the same time.” You said, sounding a lot ruder than you meant to. “I’m sorry.” You said clasping your hand over your mouth.

“It’s okay.” She said, “It’s true. Norrington and Will both fancied me at the same time. but before then, no one. Will was my second boyfriend. Ever.”

“Norrington included?”

“Well, no...”

“You were engaged to him.”

“Okay my third, but you get the point.”

“Well who was before Norrington?”

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. “You’re not going to believe this...”

“Just tell me who it was.” You said. “It can’t be THAT difficult.”

“Oh but it is.”

“Okay, seriously. Who?”

“Your brother. Andy.”

You stared blankly at her. “Andy.” You repeated. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why doesn’t he tell me anything?”

Elizabeth started to say something, but you stood up and rushed towards Andy, who was still making out with Karissa. “Andy?” you said, standing near the couple. He tried to look up at you but Karissa pulled him back down. “I really didn’t want to have to do this.” You put one hand on both of their shoulders and literally pried them apart.

Andy looked up at you with an unhappy expression on his face. You pulled him to an unoccupied part of the boat. “What do you want?” Andy said impatiently.

“Well to start with, you and Karissa are being disgusting. Get a room. Second, why don’t you tell me about anything that goes on in your life?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Elizabeth!”

“What about her?”

“You dated her!”

“Well-I-she-we-I’m sorry! Do you really have to be a part in every decision I make? I’m running away from my mother, I don’t need another one!” he said “Listen, Bella, I love you so much. You are my sister and my best friend, my own flesh and blood, and I’d do anything for you. I just need you to give me some room to breathe, some freedom. Please.”

“I’m sorry, I just wish I could be informed. I’ll try to stay out of you and Karissa. I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try.” You said.

The sun was beginning to set. Will said that you all would reach Tortuga early the next morning. Elizabeth, Karissa, and Andy all found places to lay down and rest. You stood at the helm of the boat with Will.

“Um, Will?” you said quietly

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being a bitch when we first met.”

“Oh, that.” He said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve known Elizabeth for quite some time. She can get a lot worse.” He whispered the last part, trying to avoiding as much drama as he could.

“And thanks a lot. For bringing us out here.”

“Oh don’t worry. I would have been out here anyway, getting away from the navy. Besides, I’ll be glad to be back on the Pearl.”

You laughed and looked out towards the sea. The stars reflected off of the surface of the ocean. It was the most romantic night you could remember. You looked up at Will and saw he was looking back at you. You both quickly looked away. “Well, um, you should probably get some rest. We’ll be reaching Tortuga early tomorrow morning. And I’m going to need some help. From all of you.”

“Well,” you gave a soft laugh, “don’t expect any from Karissa.” There was an awkward silence between you and Will. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” You smiled and found a place away from everyone else. You looked up at the stars and slowly, everything faded away as you fell into a deep sleep.