My back touches the ocean floor and suddenly I begin to feel again.

I'm... still alive?

I slowly open my eyes, I am still surrounded by the darkness of the sea, but everything looks clearer.

I see a fish swim just shy of my forehead and a reach to touch it, it curls around my fingers and swims away without fear.

I sit myself up and notice my legs... they're gone. In their place a long tail with red scales that have a magnificent multichome shift, shining yellow and purple with my movement. It had beautiful cascading fins on the bottom and sides like that of a beta fish.

I am both stunned and amazed at the same time... I remember father telling me I was a descendant of Amphitrite, but I would have never imagined a moment like this.

I lay a hand on my chest, I could breath as clearly now as I could on the surface. I notice that the scales of my tail covered my entire torso, fading back into human skin just below my arms.

The dress I once wore lay tattered beside me. The knife that I wore on my thigh had wedged itself into a rock. How do I get it?

I kick, the only movement I feel I can do, and to my shock it effortlessly propels me through the water. I can swim!

I feel like king Arthur as I tug the knife from the stone. Then start to swim upward toward the surface.

Everyone has probably already left without me. The pirate code states they any man that falls behind is to be left behind. In this case, that man was me.

...

As I swim closer to the light I notice that the pearl had not moved, I sigh in relief and swim up to the side of the ship, my head finally above water.

How am I supposed to get up? They hadn't let down the ladder.

I attempt to call for help but quickly stop as I am interrupted by voices that can be heard on the ship.

"What are your plans now, Captain? The key to our treasure is gone. We no longer have a reason to travel."

"I don't know..." I hear Jack reply.

"It's been a whole day Captain, we can't just stay here, we need a heading!"

A Day...!? Had I really been down there that long?

"She's not coming back, mate." I hear Gibbs' sorry voice.

"HEY!" I decide to intervene. "I'M DOWN HERE!"

"I can't... her voice still haunts me." Jack shivers.

"Why I can hear her too?" Gibbs questions.

"You can!?" Jack exclaims. "She is back! But she is not of the living! She has come to torment me for my sins!"

"IF I WHERE DEAD, I WOULD HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THEN SPEND ETERNITY TORMENTING YOU!" I retort.

Jack shouts at the sound of my voice again, and I see Gibbs' head hang over the side of the ship.

"Lads! We have our heading!" He yells happily, tossing me down a ladder.

"WHAT? HOW?" Jack's head peak out over the rail as he hollers.

I hold onto the ladder tightly and use my arms to haul my body weight out of the water, then sit myself on one of its rungs. I don't have the strength to pull myself up.

"Lend me a hand!?" I look up at the men, Gibbs begins to pull me up on the ladder with the help of a couple of crewsmen, Jack still gawks at me, flabbergasted. His face pale and his eyes wide.

I look down and realize that I still had a tail. It's colours even more vibrant in the direct sunlight.

The men grab me by each of my arms and pull me over the side, sitting me down on the deck.

Everyone fell quiet and all eyes were on me, I felt like a sideshow attraction.

"See! I told you all hope was not lost!" Jack broke the silence. "It's a Captain's intuition!"

I roll my eyes and my body begins to sting once again, I look down and notice that my scales had begun to transform back into my usual ivory skin. My legs started to form and separate infront of my eyes.

I quickly realize... my clothes! I gasp and instinctively cross my legs and cover my breasts.

Jack notices and whips off his long jacket, tossing it over me. "gotta protect your modesty!"

"Show's over men, back to your posts." Gibbs shoos the crowd away, I can hear some disappointed sighs and it makes me shiver.

"Come, come." Jack waves for me to follow him.

I stumble a bit when I stand, almost forgetting how to walk for a moment. I slide the jacket around and put my arms into it, holding it closed in the front.

Should I be trusting him right now? I wonder.

....

Jack takes me to his cabin and shuts the door behind me.

I give him a look and he grins, he should know not to try anything stupid with me.

He opens an old trunk in the corner.

"Take your pick."

He steps aside and I notice there are a few dresses piled messily inside.

"The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow has a feminine side?" I mock jokingly.

"No no no! You've got the wrong idea." He stutters. "They were left here by an acquaintance of mine..."

"Mmhm." I sift through the clothing, coming across an embroidered handkerchief. I recognize the monogram. It belongs to Elizabeth Sawn.

"How do you know the swan family?" I question, then recall. "Ah- I remeber! I knew you looked familiar..."

"Of course I do! As you said I am the infammm-... dearly loved Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"I was in the crowd, me and father went to watch you hang."

He was noticibly taken aback by my words.

"Well the whole town was talking about it! I had to see what all the ruckus was about."

I pull out a beautifully beaded dress, it was a dark blue with a built in corset and ruffled bell sleeves.

"Honestly, I think people need to find a better form of entertainment... like books." I turn and hold up the dress toward him. "Can I get a bit of privacy to change?"

"What did you say?" He played dumb.

"At least turn around."

He did as I said and turned his back to me. I cautiously removed his jacket.

"I've been meaning to have a talk with you." He spoke with his hands, although he was still back on.

"About what?" I ask, spreading the dress onto the floor and stepping into it.

"The other day... I can't really remeber much of it..." He crossed his arms. "but the part of you striking me and yelling in my face, I remeber that well."

"It was well deserved." I pull the sleeves over my arms and try to tie the laces but I fail. "A little help, please?"

He turns around to face me and I put my back toward him.

He starts to lace up the corset on my back. "I'm much better at taking these off then putting them on." He chuckles.

"Why did I deserve it? Gibbs is used to my antics." He continues. "You are the only one with a problem."

"I have a problem!?" I gasp as he pulls tightly and begins to tie a knot. "You are the one causing all the problems."

He ties the ribbon off into a bow.

"The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?"

I do a 360, fuming. "No I don't understand." I hiss.

"I think you're having trouble dealing with your feelings, love."

He spoke in a soft tone yet his words cut through me like a blade.

I remeber the tightness in my chest as I left Tortuga.

How do I feel...?