I had something mildly amusing to write about here, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. -shrug- Oh well. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: Disney: You're mad
Me: If I wasn't, this plot'd prob'ly never work.
Chapter 10: Finding Pirate-Land
"She wants me to get there as soon as possible."
"Really?"
"Yeh."
"Then you should go. Are you not free on the weekend?"
"Three problems. Firstly, I've got some stuff to do. Secondly, I need time to properly think up an excuse for my parents. And thirdly, I'm not sure I can get back. I mean, it had to be 'truest desire' and all that. I don't exactly 'truly desire' to go back, as it were."
"She said as soon as you can. So, once you can; get going."
"It may be another week yet."
"Then perhaps you should call on Jack again and alert him to the situation."
"Sure." Amy opened up her mind again, and could've sworn she heard James wondering what it was like to communicate the way she and the pirate could. "It's fun in a super weird invasion of privacy kind of way," she thought to him halfheartedly. Even then, he looked surprised at her, but she wasn't paying attention. She was sitting in a tavern conversing over a pint. "Er...Jack?" Jack blinked, as did her sight. She was looking through his eyes. It had happened occasionally other times when either of them opened up their connection a little too far.
Jack was—or rather had been—trying to explain to Gibbs why they had come to this island, when a serving wench walked by. He rose and followed her, beginning to flirt. "Eyes up, Jack," Amy snapped in his mind when she caught him looking where he shouldn't.
"Er...could you excuse me a moment?" he smiled charmingly, backing away and hastening smoothly to a table in the dark, empty corner where he sat by himself. "As always, your timing is impeccable, luv."
"Well excuse me—."
"I'm serious." ("You?" Amy intervened.) "If you had come maybe another five minutes later, you would have been scarred for life."
"Er..." she laughed nervously in his mind. "That was lucky..."
"Is there something you need?" he asked irritably, annoyed at having been disturbed from his prior motives.
"You can get back to your wench later," she growled with disdain. "Anywho, I need you to tell Lady Dalma that I may not be able to come for another week or so. There is some stuff I need to do and/or take care of, you know? So if you could get that to her a.s.a.p., I would be much where the heck are you?" she changed the thought mid-sentence.
"On the next island over, a few hours' travel from Tia's shack. The men were against the idea of staying with her, so we came here."
"Oh. Well, anywho, could you tell her for me?"
"Sure thing, darling."
"Okay, thanks. Oh, and Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"Watch out for yourself. I have a bad feeling about this table you're sitting at."
"Er..."
"See you sometime soon, Jack." And she pulled out of his mind as quickly as she could. Moments later, there was a loud crash in the tavern, and all eyes turned toward an empty table in the corner, its chairs knocked aside and shards of glass on its surface. Even absent from the event, a cold shivering of foreboding traveled up Amy's spine.
"So were you able to talk your way out of a meeting for this weekend?"
"I don't know. I..." she hugged herself, "...I think something bad happened to Jack."
James didn't bother to ask questions just yet. Instead, he merely gathered her into his arms and held her. When he felt she had calmed, he ventured to ask; "Was that your voice I heard in my mind?"
"Er...yeah. Sorry about that. I opened up the connection a little too far."
"Really?"
"I guess. I mean, I've never been able to think to anyone but Jack, so I don't know why you could hear me. I don't really know how to put it to words, you know?"
"No." He thought a moment as they released one another. "Do you suppose...that perhaps you can speak with Tia Dalma in the same way that you did with me?"
She froze. "Say that again."
"That again," he grinned.
"'No, the other thing,'" she played along.
"'No the other thing.'"
"'No! What you said before when you—.'"
"'No! What you said before when you...'"
"'NEV-er mind, I have an idea!'"
"'NEV-er mind, I have an idea!'"
They both laughed. "All right, no more Spongebob. It's metaphorically rotting your brain."
"Fine," he shrugged indifferently, "I can't stand it anyway."
"Anyway, could you repeat what you originally said, please? I don't think I heard you correctly." He did. "Ah...that's what I thought you said. I, uh...hadn't really given much thought to the concept."
"You did it to me without 'much thought'. All right, before we jump to conclusions, then, how about you try to talk to Jack again and find out from him what really happened?"
"Right, right, good idea." She took a deep breath to calm herself and reached out with her mind. The pathway now open, she called to him. But she found herself in darkness. "Jack?" She sensed a flash of alarm, but no sense of consciousness to accompany it. Humming his theme in the hopes of comfort, she explored his unconscious mind. What she found was his memory. Opening it like a mental book, she saw what he had seen. In his last memory, he had seen several shadows on the table before him, cast from behind, and turned to meet the crash of something hard breaking against his head and a blinding pain, followed by the sensation of floating, and then nothing. She tried to look back and see who had done it, but the memory was already beginning to fade. Jack had lost his memory with the blow. "Oh no..."
"Amy?"
"It's Jack. Someone attacked him and he's lost his memory."
"Wot!"
"I'm going to try talking to Tia Dalma."
"Keep calm and you should be fine."
"I'll try my best." She hiccupped.
He shook his head at this. "Try yout best later, after you've calmed down."
—Later—
She let out a breath with a whoosh, hiccups finally gone. "Okay..." She and James sat now on the couch, veiled in darkness. She lit the remote fireplace and wrapped the both of them in a maroon fleece blanket.
"Are you ready?" James asked.
She slid her hand into his and he gave it a comforting squeeze. Leaning her head on his shoulder, his other arm wrapping protectively around her, she nodded. "Yeah." She squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mind farther than she ever had before. Suddenly, she sensed the world. In fact, she sensed multiple ones. There were so many presences...and most minds were closed to her intrusion. She searched for any mind that was open, and eventually a connection was made. "Hello," she began. "Are you Tia Dalma?"
"No," a thought replied. "Are you one of those voices my doctor keeps talking about?"
"If I am, should you really be listening to me?" Well that was just great. She hastily moved on. One mental patient down, trillions of others to go. Perhaps someone with wisdom... She reached out for the wisdom she envisioned Tia Dalma possessing. A great force emanating of erudition touched her mind. "Excuse me, are you Tia Dalma?"
She sensed a twinkle of knowing periwinkle eyes. "No, my dear, I am Albus Dumbledore."
"Then I am in the wrong fandom. Thanks for the help." And so it continued... She tried again...
"Sorry, this is Gandalf the White."
...And again...
"No, little one, I am Grandmother Willow."
...And again...
"I prefer to be called Iroh. I do not know this Tia Dalma. Is she nice?"
...And again-again.
"I am afraid, child, that you are in the wrong universe."
"Master Yen Sid, is it?"
"Yes."
She connected the dots quickly. "Is there not a world called Port Royal?" For once her obsession with the Kingdom Hearts sequel came in handy.
"Indeed, you may find her in this universe after all. But the Port Royal in this universe may be very different from the one that you seek."
He was right. "Thank you so much." All right, so wisdom hadn't worked. She 'changed her frequency' to search for someone with a 'touch of destiny'. She was soon overcome by the sensation of falling. "Who's there?"
"Naminé?" a voice asked.
"Holy s-beep-, it's Roxas! Sorrygottagobye!"
And she kept on trying...
"Max Bialystock at your service. What am I doing, thinking up a new character?"
"Er...something like that...," she didn't know how to convince anyone that she was any more than their own thoughts. "Whatever you do, don't let Roger DeBris play Hitler," she warned him quickly as she moved on.
"Ooo, a voice in my head."
"Yeah...sorry about that. Who are you, anyway?"
"Gordy."
"Gordy...the Janitor?" She sensed his conformation and mentally blinked. "Gordy the Janitor, touched with destiny." There was a flash of excitement, then surprise and a weasel as she was pulled into another connection. Oddly, though, the mind was closed. She broadened the link as far as she thought it could go, and found herself once again looking through the eyes of another. The 'host' stiffened apprehensively, sensing that something was not as it should be. This was not Tia Dalma, she knew. But through the eyes, she was looking around at an all-too-familiar blacksmith forge. "Hello?" The poor soul startled.
"Who's there?" She heard in the voice that this was a man. And just the man she was hoping for, too.
"Hi, Will, remember me?"
He looked around. "I might if I see you."
"Please. Don't speak out loud; they'll think you're crazy." She giggled innocently in his mind. "Didn't you meet a crazy girl not long ago?"
"Well yes, but..."
"Will. It's me. I'm in your head momentarily. Please, don't ask me how, I don't have the time nor energy to explain. Listen: Jack's been kidnaped. I need you to go to Tia Dalma and tell her exactly what I'm about to say—er, think, rather—okay? How long do you think it will take you to get there?"
"With a good wind, four or five days."
"Oh, okay. Tell her this, then-."
"You do realize I don't have a ship, don't you?"
"Oh..."
"But I can always try and find a way to barter passage."
"No, no. I'll just have to try for... Tia... (yawn)."
"You sound exhausted."
"I've been at this for ages. Mental communication drains one's energy."
"All right. Then take care of yourself. And good luck."
"Thanks," she yawned again.
"Keep me aware, if you can. Let me know if there is anything I can do."
"I will. Thanks." She broke the connection, hopes rising now that she was in the right universe, but after that it was like searching through static. She was soo tired...but Jack was in danger, and she had to help in any way possible. Just as the static was becoming an unconsciousness, exhaustion setting in, her mind connected with another, and suddenly everything was clear. "I'm...sorry to bother you," she started tiredly, "but are you Tia Dalma?"
"Yes...Amy Kensings." Without another thought, the lass passed forward all the important thoughts that needed saying in one jumble of consciousness. "I know, child. And it is a grave t'ing that has happened to our witty Jack. I shall not bother to explain at the moment—you have exhausted your energy wit' your efforts—but I shall tell you what has become of him." Even as her consciousness was fading, she still managed to hear words that would chill her soul for days and weeks. "Jack Sparrow been shattered into him most basic emotions and traits. Him been scattered 'cross worlds."
I love Tia Dalma. Only one more chapter after this, and then we move on to the next portion of the series. ...Which I haven't rewritten yet... eheh...
Also, a new chapter of Fears went up on Tuesday, after far too long a break.
Reviews? Feedback? Fries?