Ahoy there mates! My apologies on this chapter being a day late. With the PIC Anniversary and my being sick most of the week, things have been a little hectic, haha. Fear not though! It is here now!
Terrorizing Bart
Charles’ face quickly fell from excitement to the distraught, frazzled look it had been before. He looked completely defeated, a look Kat wasn’t used to on his face. “We don’t know, Katherine. Sarah ran off two days ago, and hasn’t returned.”
Kat felt her heart fall. To come so close to reunion with her family, and then have one of them disappear. She was not to be discouraged, though. “Have you looked for her?” she asked her brother.
Charles rolled his eyes and stepped back. “Have we looked for her,” he muttered. “What do you think, Katherine, of course we’ve looked for her! We’ve turned half of Tortuga upside down doing so! And we still have…” He trailed off slowly. His gaze was fixed on something past her back, out of the window. She turned to see a group of men passing by the shop, laughing uproariously. “Bart,” Charles murmured, and before she knew what was happening, he had sped past her, the bell on the door indicating his departure from the shop.
“Oh bloody…” Kat muttered, and followed after him.
Charles had Bart held by his tattered shirt, pressed up against the building next door. Bart’s friends were shouting and trying to pry Charles off, but he would not be moved. “What have you done with her!” he yelled directly into the man’s face. “Tell me
now, Bart!”
“Blimey, ya stupid boy, lemme go!” Bart spluttered, struggling against the hold, but Charles’ grip was firm.
Kat pushed her way past the other men and grabbed her brother’s shoulder. “Good god, Charles, let the man go!” Kat cried. Bart’s friends still surrounded her, pushing and trying to pull at Charles. She gnashed her teeth together in frustration and spun quickly around. There was a small smack as her ponytail hit someone in the face. “Now mates, you wouldn’t be hitting a lady, would you? Back off!” She flashed her cutlass from underneath her coat, and the men closest backed off, mumbling. Satisfied, she went back to Charles. “Hello Bart,” she said shortly.
“Ms. Crestshot,” he muttered back. “Ya wouldn’t mind gettin’ this lad offa me, would ya?”
Kat leveled a glare at her brother. “Charles! Let him be!” she barked in her best Captain voice.
“No, Katherine!” Charles yelled, giving Bart another shove. “You haven’t been here! He’s been after Sarah since we got here! I’m sure-”
“It’s your bleedin’ sister?! That’s what this is all about?!” Bart cut across. “And how am I supposed ta get to her when she’s locked up, eh?”
Charles stilled, but Kat could see his anger was close to boiling point. “What do you mean, locked up?” Kat pressed.
“Well they made a righ’ scene of it, didn’t they?” Bart said, eager at the opportunity to tell his story. “Navy carried her straight through town, hands behind her back, like some common criminal. Wanted to make an example of her, I suppose. Led her straight to the jail. She’s probably sittin’ in there now.” He finished his story with a grin, as if saying ‘Ok, you’ll let me go now, right?’
Charles held steady for a moment, then shoved Bart into the street. “Get out of here,” he growled.
Bart nodded quickly and began scurrying off, but Kat called him back. “Don’t you owe me something from my last trip here, Bart?” she asked with a hint of venom.
“Ah…yes Kat, of course. I’ll get that for you shortly,” he said quickly, then took off again.
Kat rolled her eyes at him. “Yah, you’ll just steal my rum again, you rat,” she said, but there was amusement behind her voice. She chuckled, then followed Charles back into the bakery.
She walked in to find Charles pacing while Luckie and Lawrence looked on. Kat went to stand on the wall next to Lawrence, who asked softly, “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
“Later,” she said back. Lawrence looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I promise,” she grinned.
“What are we going to do, Luckie?” Charles burst out.
Kat couldn’t help but laugh at that statement. Charles whirled on her. “What’s so funny?” he demanded.
Kat continued to chuckle. “Oh, little brother, you have so much to learn.” She pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and placed an arm around him. “Never ask '
What are we going to do? You have a cutlass?” Charles nodded. “Lawrence, got your dagger?” He flipped it out and spun it around. “Good, good. Luckie, want to come with?”
The woman looked startled that Kat included her. “Depends. Where might we be goin’?”
Kat grinned that special crooked grin that always forewarned troublemaking. “We’re going to jail break Sarah, of course.”
My apologies for it being rather short, but (to quote TSC) it has to be done so we can have fun!
I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed this past week. It truly does warm my heart to see all those reviews and how much people enjoy my story, and encourages me to write more. I think this week has been the most I have ever received. From the bottom of my piratey, rum soaked and gold encrusted heart, I thank you.
And of course, thanks always go to Luckie O'Clover for letting me mess with her emotions and actions.
Alright mates! Another chapter next week! Be sure to tune in, aye? Haha, Thanks for reading!
-Kat Crestshot