Charlotte's next step was to find a pile of canvas meant for repairing sails, drag it into the sun at the base of the mast and curl up for a nap. She vaguely noticed Jack and Will having some sort of argument but by the time she opened one eye to see, Will was already back on deck and safe so she went back to sleep.

The young woman woke an hour later and began her exploration of the ship, leaving her belongings at the base of the mast along with her cloak and the extra canvas. She found some more ammunition for her pistol and spent a few minutes in the crows nest and every once in a while she would see Sparrow adjusting something and stalk over to watch what he did. She a little afraid he would pull the same trick on her as he had on Will and kept an eye of the ropes she'd seen controlling the yards nearby. Instead Jack made some comments about the sea being in her blood as well and began to order her around.

She was struggling again: the pirate had told Will he knew Will's father. Will's sibling, whether Jack thought it a brother or sister, should be curious about that. But it wasn't really her business. She stopped thinking about this when she realized she was chewing her lip to shreds and had retied a knot four times in the wrong spot.

Sea in her blood. Ha.

Judging by her time underwater, the sea didn't care for or about her one bit.

Charlotte helped guide the ship until sundown, when they reached the port called Tortuga and Will threw down the anchor and Jack docked the ship. The two men were already on the dock as Charlotte snatched up her cloak again and hurried to the ramp they'd laid down.

Then she hesitated.

The sea she'd been ready for.

The ship she could see herself falling in love with.

This town was repugnant.

Her feet stepped forward and then stopped, watching Will and Jack as they met a pair of women and Jack was slapped by each in turn. What kind of place was this?

She took a step back.

The sound of the town grew quieter. Suddenly all she heard were the waves, lapping and calling below. The wind tugged at her cloak, trying to catch her attention like a cat.

No.

She was not going to risk fainting in a place like this.

Charlotte dashed after the pirate and her 'brother'.

She was in such a hurry she bumped into Will from behind. He glanced down, saw the look on her face, and threw a friendly arm around her shoulder. "You alright, Charlie?"

"I am living my nightmare," Charlotte hissed.

Will nodded. "The smell is something, isn't it?"

"It's even worse than Jack." She said, staring around incredulously.

"I can hear you," Jack replied. He muttered something to himself, something about directions, and turned to walk to the right. He stopped and walked the opposite direction. Considered. Then he continued on the way they'd been going.

Will and Charlotte shared an uncertain glance. They stepped apart and followed the pirate toward some sort of pen, where he began looking around for something. Will joined him and Charlotte began to move closer when movement caught her eye.

At the corner of the main street and alley a dark form suddenly shot out a hand and gestured at her. Charlotte raised a skeptical eyebrow and studied the figure, face and appearance hidden in the shadows, just a pile of rags and a sign offering fortunes told. Charlotte turned away.

"Eos is watching you." A man's voice called from the rags.

Charlotte jerked around so quickly that she slammed her arm against the nearby house. "Who?"

He held out his hand and repeated the gesture.

Will and Jack were arguing with someone who sounded drunk. And they were nearby, weren't they? Charlotte sighed and walked toward the man, stopping out of reach of the hand. She was going to get a reputation for wandering off, wasn't she?

The man still held out his hand. "A coin." He said.

Fine. Charlotte let the cloak fall over her so he couldn't see where she kept the purse and fished out the least valuable coin she owned. She refused to move closer, though and tossed it lightly toward his hand.

She missed.

His hand snapped the coin from the air like a shark seizing its prey and Charlotte jumped another foot back. His other hand drew out a string and he quickly tied one end around the coin she'd tossed him. Then he pulled out a paper, crackled and brown, and laid it down in front of him. Charlotte leaned forward, just a little, and saw pictures scribbled at random around the paper. Objects, shapes, and a few words she didn't know. The ink was faded and the colors were more splashed on than painted. She'd never seen anything like it.

The man held the string and let the coin swing in front of him. It started with a bounce, jerking the string as he dropped it, and then an ocean breeze caught the string and sent the coin spinning in a circle around the paper. Charlotte didn't move. The man didn't move. They watched the coin.

The circle grew smaller as it lost momentum, circling finally above the right side of the paper. The man watched as the coin finally swung back and forth between two pictures. A cloud. A flame. He nodded and let go of the string. It landed halfway between the pictures, on a bird.

"When you see the clouds, cover your face and sail. The winds will guide you and then you must follow the flames." He snatched up the paper and considered the word. "Don't take the pirate with you. He is already spoken for."

"What?"

"Charlie!" She turned to find Will waving her over, the man already walking away with Jack. She turned back.

The man was gone.

She'd been right.

This place really was a nightmare.