Chapter Twelve

Skylar knew her secret was out when Jesse entered the room; she burst into tears and fled.

This was it. This was really it. Jesse would tell the captain, or he'd tell someone else, and that someone else would tell another someone else, and it would eventually get around to the captain, who would probably maroon her or hang her from the yardarm or throw her overboard"or worse. She shuddered as she sat down on her bunk. She didn't want to think about what “or worse” could mean.

Her other thoughts weren't much more comforting, though. If she ever got out of this"which she doubted"she would have to go back to living in Tortuga's streets, unless she got to go somewhere else, which could be better...but probably not by much. But I don't have to think about that, she thought, because I'll be dead very soon.

Skylar jumped as Jesse sat down next to her.

“Hey,” he said. “You okay?”

“No, not really, considering I'll be dead in a few days, if not today,” Skylar mumbled.

“What are you talking about? I won't tell anyone.”

“Sure, you won't.” Skylar rolled her eyes.

“No, really. I won't.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Why would I have reason to lie about this?”

Skylar thought about that for a bit. She could only come up with one reason. “To mock me? To laugh at me while you watch me get my hopes up?”

Jesse shook his head in amazement and disgust. “I wouldn't do that.”

Skylar almost laughed out loud. “Let's not pretend, Jesse. Everyone aboard this ship is a criminal. That includes you.”

“So? We're all crew, too. You're crew and I'm crew, on the same ship. We're on the same side. I'm not completely full of malice, Skylar. Are you?”

Skylar wasn't sure. And truthfully, whether or not she was full of malice wasn't her biggest concern at the moment, although Jesse's nature was probably more important. She changed the subject to match her thoughts.

“I should have known I would get found out. Well, I did know it would happen someday...I guess I just always thought that day would be a long ways off. Or that maybe I'd be off the ship before they could find out I'm a girl.”

“Skylar. I'm not going to tell anyone. And Sarafina isn't either.”

He was being honest, Skylar realized. Something about Jesse's tone"earnest was probably the right word"made Skylar want to believe him, although she was still hesitant to get her hopes up. She looked up at him, sitting there next to her, and his eyes convinced her completely"he was being truthful. Really, entirely truthful. Honest. Skylar smiled a small smile. “You're a good person, Jesse Torret.”

Jesse laughed softly, looking down at his hands. “That's a nice change.”

“What do you mean?” asked Skylar.

“Oh, usually it's, 'You little thief, you little rat, you'll never get away with this, you dirty scoundrel!'”

Skylar laughed and looked down at the floor, then back up at Jesse. “Well, I mean it"you're a good person. A good thief, too, though.”

Jesse smiled. “You know what? I think you're a good person too, even if you're such a good killer...and a liar, too, I guess.”

Skylar smiled. “Thanks.” She looked down again, and they sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Skylar looked up and saw Jesse looking at her. “What?” she asked.

Jesse let out a kind of sigh, smiling, and looked away. “Nothing. I was just thinking...I should have known you were a girl.”

“Why?”

Jesse shrugged and looked away. “I guess you just kind of look like a girl.”

Skylar panicked. “You mean everyone can tell?”

Jesse laughed at the panicked look on Skylar's face. He shook his head and looked at his hands again. “Don't panic"I didn't mean it like that. No one suspects you, so they'll think you're just another one of the guys. That's what I thought. And I thought I was the most observant one of the bunch, too. They won't give you a second glance, so don't worry. But now that I know that you're a girl, I can see that, I guess.”

“Oh,” Skylar said, relieved. “That's good.”

“Be careful, though. If they found out you were a girl, I really don't know what they would do with you.”

“I heard Blackbeard strangled women and threw them overboard.”

“Sounds fun.”

Skylar laughed. “Yeah, right?”

Jesse laughed too, but then he became serious. “I mean it, though,” he said, looking Skylar in the eyes. “Be careful. I don't think anyone besides me heard what you and Sarafina were saying, but if something like that happened again, well, you never know. Although I can't think of why it would happen again. But there could be other situations, or, I don't know...just be careful.”

Skylar nodded. “I will be.”

He looked at her for a moment. “Good.” He looked away again, deep within his own thoughts once more.

He was so sincere! Skylar could just tell he meant what he said. Was he like this with everyone? Probably not, or he wouldn't be such a successful thief.

These thoughts passed through Skylar's head so quickly, the would almost be more accurately described as emotions. Other than that, she didn't think as she took Jesse's chin, turned his face to her, and...kissed him.

Jesse was taken completely by surprise"this was not what he had expected. He pulled away"and immediately wished he hadn't. Skylar looked embarrassed and hurt. And he had felt attraction to her, but there had been so little time between the discovery of her real gender and now! He hadn't had any time to think.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Jesse mumbled. “It's just that...well, you know...a little while ago, I thought you were a boy.”

Skylar looked so ashamed! “I'm sorry...it was my fault...I should have remembered that.”

Jesse sighed and stood up. “So...I should probably go and guard Sarafina.”

“Okay.”

“Um...so...yeah...gotta go.”

“See you, I guess.”

Jesse swallowed hard as he walked out the door. He felt so incredibly stupid! But was it even his fault? Whose fault was it? Or did it even matter whose fault it was? It was over now. The moment was over, and talking to Skylar was probably over, too. He didn't know how he could even look at her again without being completely embarrassed. He dreaded the next change of guard.

“You look upset,” Sarafina said as Jesse entered the brig. “She didn't forgive us for finding her out?”

“She forgave us,” Jesse sighed as he slumped down against the post with the lantern.

“Then what?”

Jesse was silent for a moment. “Nothing,” he finally said.

“People don't look like that when nothing happened, Jesse.”

Jesse buried his face in his hands. “I know.”

“So what happened?”

“I don't really want to talk about it.”

“You can tell me; it's okay.”

Sarafina was trying to sound gentle, but Jesse knew she was mostly just curious. He sighed. “I was just being stupid.”

“Jesse Torret is not stupid. What happened.”

“Jesse Torret is sometimes stupid,” Jesse admitted.

“What happened?”

Jesse sighed and said nothing.

“Come on, just tell me. It might help you feel better just to tell someone, anyway.”

Know what? To heck with it. Maybe it will help. Jesse sighed again. “Okay. Well, we were talking, and we...” He stopped short. Would this really help anything?

“Yes...?”

“She kissed me,” he blurted. He actually had to force the words out of his mouth"and then he blushed when he heard them come out. That did not make him feel any better, to have said anything!

“You what?!”

“You heard me,” Jesse said miserably, cover his face with his hands once more.

“Wow, she went from boy to girl pretty fast in your mind!”

“It's not my fault!” Jesse protested. “I didn't...I mean, she...I mean...but we...” Jesse couldn't believe he was talking like this. Wasn't he supposed to be smooth, good with words? Or that was how most people knew him, anyway. Where was that Jesse Torret?

“Look,” he said. “My mistake is that I pulled away and I think I hurt her. Okay, actually, I saw her face, and I know I hurt her. And it's easy to see her as a girl if she's that pretty!” Jesse blushed again and just sunk his face into his arms as he sat against the post with his knees up and arms rested on them. Just shut up, he thought to himself. I can't believe you're talking like this, saying this much. None of what you're saying is helping you!i

Sarafina was silent. It made sense that Skylar had been the first to do anything. She had thought Skylar acted differently around Jesse"a little bit nervous-but-trying-to-act-cool"but when she had thought Skylar was a boy, crushes just weren't an option between Skylar and Jesse.

Now Sarafina felt sorry for both Skylar and Jesse. It must have been really awkward, and Jesse was really brave to tell her all this. But what could she give him for advice in a situation like this?

“Okay,” she finally said. “I get it now. So you had one awkward moment"so what? You two can just move on...”

“So what?! Move on?! I won't even be able to talk to her again!”

“You'll have to, at some point. You're on the same ship, and on top of that, you've both got to guard me and switch sometimes. You're going to have to talk sometime. Just act like nothing happened. I think you can do that. That's within your area of expertise, isn't it?”

Jesse didn't say anything, and he didn't look up either; he just sighed again.

“Will you try to talk to her sometime, Jesse?” Sarafina asked gently.

Jesse was silent for a moment. “Sure,” he finally said, his voice muffled by his arm.

Reviews

[Short.Nerd]

I really like this. I hope you add more. If you do message me.

[trish420]

I like this story. I think you shoudl keep going with it :-)

There are some grammar/punctuation errors but you'll get those in editing. Good pace; you keep the story going without rushing or feeling like the characters are just standing still. Feels like it's about time for it to get really exciting!

I can't wait to read more :-)