It was very late in the evening before Siobhan left the bow of the ship. She spent a good bit of time staring at the figurehead, at the water, and back over her shoulder at the strange Captain. He was the most intriguing of all the scenery so far. She wanted to talk to him � to question him about every aspect of himself and his life� but she knew better. She wanted to, but honestly she really didn�t care enough to do so.
Siobhan also knew that if she questioned him, he would inevitably question her, and that would require giving up her secrets. She wasn�t ready to do that�she didn�t know him well enough. Trusting someone was just not going to happen again.
Intriguing thought patterns, she noticed. Sighing, Siobhan turned and walked across the deck. It was dark and quiet. Stars began to twinkle overhead, and the moon rose, full and bright. A single man sat high up the mast in the crow�s nest, most likely daydreaming about one of the many whores they left in Tortuga. Jack lulled against the ship�s wheel, staring off into space. Siobhan couldn�t really imagine much going on behind his eyes. Below decks, she could hear nothing.
The ocean had helped to clear her muddled mind. The darkness was comforting; she knew she could hide all the things going on in her life from the prying eyes of others in the darkness. Besides, she was a thief, and her best work was done under the cover of her old, faithful friend.
Friends�It all came rushing back. She was alone, separated from her friend, who was probably as terrified as she. The loyal, elvish half of her wanted to watch the horizon for signs of land and forest � any familiar thing that would lead her back to them. The selfish, human half of her, which was winning out at this point, wanted sleep.
Siobhan knew could sleep anywhere�she just didn�t want to. She wanted something to hide behind. At least that way she could be invisible and glum for awhile. Quietly, Siobhan allowed herself to sink into the shadows. The door to the cargo hold didn�t squeak when she pulled it open, and neither did the stairs as she descended. Alone, and encased in darkness, Siobhan wandered through the kegs of rum and the stacks of fabrics, gold-filled chests, and crates of unnamed cargo. As she walked past, she grabbed a particularly soft-looking piece of fabric off of one of the piles and balled it up. It would make a great pillow.
Just about the time she settled down between two large casks and got her makeshift pillow situated, the door banged open overhead and someone came stumbling down the stairs. From the sound of the muttering, it was Jack. Siobhan was tempted to sit up and watch him, but she quickly realized that his goal was one of the two barrels of alcohol between which she was currently lodged.
She groaned inwardly and tried to sink farther behind the cask. It was no use. As soon as he was close enough to touch it, he was going to see her. The moonlight shone through the porthole over her head more brightly than she wished, and there was no way, even as nimble as she was, that she was going to get out of his line of sight.
Reluctantly, Siobhan forced her body to relax. She deepened her breathing, hoping he would think she was asleep and leave her alone. Then, Siobhan listened. The footsteps came close, stopped, moved back the way they came, stopped again, came forward again, and finally stopped just out of reach of her boots. The distinctive sound of a crowbar on wood caused her ears to perk up.
Even before the lid was off the barrel, she could smell the rum in the air. A bottle splashed into it, and gurgled happily to full. Siobhan wanted to hold her breath. So far it seemed like he had not noticed her. There was still the chance, she knew. But the bottle was full, the lid was being banged back onto the barrel, and the steps were retreating. Somehow, he had managed to nearly stand on top of her and not see her at all.
As the door smacked closed above her, Siobhan let out a sigh of relief. Amazingly, he had walked away without a sound, and she was back to her own, surrounded by the comfort of darkness. She crawled out of that hiding place, went back to the piles of clothing and bolts of material, and settled down in the stacks. It smelled musty, but clean, and she was able to cover herself almost completely.
Watching the water had calmed her, but here under shroud of darkness, all of her fears returned. She couldn�t help but worry about her party; about Dr� in particular�she was alone, in a place that wouldn�t accept her kind. All Siobhan could do was fight back the tears and hope that her friend was safe.