Chapter 2: Distant Rumours & Dark Dreams

Aliciae stood in the centre of Melee Town, her mind whirring. She was trying to pick up on the thoughts of anyone who walked past, she had become worried of her life she knew someone was planning her death but she just couldn’t find out who. But it was nearly 1am the only people to pass by would be drunken pirates or people just arriving on the island, there had been very few. "Someone is plotting, they will be caught" she muttered to herself. She went to turn around, back to the mansion where she could continue tracking Elaine’s thoughts until she found what she wanted, the secret that wouldn’t leave her mind.

Elaine had tried to sleep tonight but whenever she closed her eyes she was lifted into a nightmare, she couldn’t see any images but she could hear babies crying and people shouting. She didn’t know what any of it meant. Every hour she would have to spend 5 minutes with her eyes open just thinking to try and settle herself. ‘The past may be catching up with me’ she thought to herself, then paused she still thought of Aliciae and wondered whether her thoughts could be heard even from a long way away.

Joanna rubbed her eyes, her vision getting hazy. It was all the sleep she hadn’t got; she sat on the beaches of Plunder Island. She stared at the sea but she was waiting for a ship, she knew she probably wouldn’t be welcome to get on of her own free will but maybe she could stow away. She was planning to go to Blood Island next not just because she thought Aliciae was there but she had heard a rumour when she was in Puerto Pollo of a child with strange powers, a girl but a different girl and she wanted to talk to someone about it. She had sat here for 2 hours; she had hated the heat of the day but was grateful that the nights were warm so she wouldn’t have to sit shivering until a ship came. All this time she was just thinking of ways to escape, an easy way out. She wouldn’t have to even think about Aliciae but her heart dragged her on, she was thinking about other peoples suffering like the ones of home, she never wanted to hear those sounds ever again. "I hope the others aren’t alive" her voice quivering a little. She knew Aliciae hadn’t been the only one. She hadn’t got the story of what happened to them, so she was unaware if they were alive or dead, it didn’t matter though Aliciae had always been the strongest one. In fact, Aliciae was the oldest one, she remembered Aliciae was 14, Brian would be around 11, Katie would be 8 or 9, Mark would be around 7 and there was Lucy would now be around 5.

Suddenly she shook her head; a ship was heading towards the beach. "Yes!" she quickly took a few steps back concealing her in the shadows.

The ship was at the beach in a mere minute and a skinny pirate leapt off, "come on boys!" he yelled in a high-pitched voice before coughing for a few seconds "we have to get the stuff, then we can head to Blood Island and then on to Phatt!"

"What luck!" Joanna whispered to herself, she watched as several pirated jumped from the ship and ran past her. When she was sure all or most had gone she silently headed towards the ship.

Elaine got up out of her bed, out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the main room. "What is the matter with me!" she hissed and lightly hit herself on the side of her head. "This was like when I was…" she closed her eyes "that is the past". She held her eyes closed and stood on the spot swaying slightly.

"I wonder where Aliciae is" she said to herself, she was getting used to saying all her thoughts but maybe Guybrush hadn’t approved so much. Even though he had seen her with his own eyes it was like he still had doubts, whether maybe she had been just imaginary. Although clearly untrue.

Aliciae herself had nothing to do; she had learned along time ago how to go without sleep. She couldn’t sleep anyway; her mind started throbbing when she tried to lie down. The power in her mind refused to shut down even for a few minutes. It was a bit distressing for her but due to her lack of emotions no one could understand if she was happy, sad or even hurt. People of course knew when she was angry, they felt pain when she was angry but she couldn’t help that she had been born that way, no one could help the way they were born. She was outside the mansion again but she stood near the cliff, Elaine wouldn’t be able to see her. Aliciae couldn’t hear Elaine and had no idea whether Elaine was asleep but she couldn’t detect thought.

Elaine looked out of the window again, she always thought there was someone out there not just Aliciae. The thought of someone outside made her nervous, it had since she was a child. She occasionally looked back up the stairs wondering whether Guybrush had woken up and realised she wasn’t there. But nothing. She looked around the room and saw the small clock sitting on a shelf by the door; it was ten to two so clearly she hadn’t slept long enough.

Elaine put her hand to her head; a small throbbing sensation was rotating around the inside of her skull. It was strange it wasn’t a headache. "Her, Aliciae" Elaine said to herself "I can sense her! She’s outside!" Elaine just stood totally amazed that she had sensed where Aliciae was and then worried realising she was just outside. Running to the door she heard no sound of someone moving around outside and so began to pull the door back slowly, it creaked a little but not enough for someone to hear.

The small dim light of the moon entered the room, peering out she saw nothing and the throbbing sensation had gone. Aliciae had already gone.

Joanna was in a small dusty room at the back of the ship, no one came in and it was completely empty so clearly it wasn’t of any use. Maybe the ship belonged to someone else and the new pirates don’t need it. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting curled up in the one corner but she constantly yawned and her eyes closed for several minutes. Until she heard the shout from above "Blood Island! Blood Island! Only a minute away!" She was nearly there! "Thank god, I can find someone who knows these rumours" she was full of relief but still worried about where Aliciae was. She coughed as quietly as possible and tugged at her shirt to try and cover her stomach, to keep herself warm. The shirt was far too small.

Aliciae walked back down the back streets of Melee, passing the Scumm Bar. When Ozzie and Lechuck had left the Lua Bar had been converted back to the Scumm Bar. Of course Aliciae knew nothing of this.

But she quickly felt something, "hey I know you! You’re that little kid from before!" she turned to see the familiar pirate she had hurt before. When Elaine had interrupted.

"Well you won’t get the advantage know! He removed the sword again and held it high to the air"

"You do not learn do you?" she muttered, this time she knew what he was trying to do. She opened her eyes wide and stared at him hard. The same gasp as before escaped him as her icy blue eyes changed to pale pink. It sounded like a fast scratching noise; he took a few steps back. She stared even harder and the pink got darker and darker until it turned blood red. The pirate clutched his head; pain went all through him. There was no one to interrupt them this time. He clutched his head in pain but he couldn’t run.

Aliciae’s lip twitched "this is your own fault" she whispered.

Elaine ran to the door as fast as she could, her hair flying behind her. She suddenly wasn’t sleepy anymore; she knew what had just happened. She was just outside when she paused, "if I just barge into her who knows what she may do," Elaine said to herself and took a step back towards the door. "I’ll stay inside until the morning, when Guybrush can come with me and at least then if she does anything he can intervene".

"Yes I can" Elaine turned, Guybrush was standing behind her frowning "Elaine you need to sleep once in a while"

"I know but…"

"Has that girl been here again?"

Elaine shook her head

"Then why are you here?"

Elaine rubbed her eyes "Well I wasn’t very tired so I came down here and I felt this strange thing…"

"Felt?" Guybrush scratched his head

"Like a sense or something, I sensed she was just outside"

"And was she?"

"Well no not at the time but I bet she was at some point and I felt her hurt someone"

"Hurt someone?" Guybrush asked shocked

"Yes, I think she has" Elaine bit her lip "I was going to go see in the morning and you could come and…"

Guybrush put his hands on Elaine’s shoulders "In the morning, now go back to sleep"

Joanna looked around; Blood Island wasn’t anything special. It seemed the entire main town was just a bar, a small type of motel and several smaller shops. There was barely anyone there; whether it was the time of day or this was the population she didn’t really care. She walked up to the first small hurt she could find and banged on the door. A man with a white apron and black hair tied back answered. "What you be wantin miss?"

She cleared her throat "I have heard some rumours which I hoped someone could answer, what do you do on Scabb Island anyway?"

He tapped his foot "I am a woodsmith if you would like me to answer your questions, come inside"

She walked slowly in; it was just one small room. Untidy filled with shelves of peg legs, hammers and other tools and other wood things. Also a calendar hung on the wall the words Buzzsaw Girl underneath.

"Nobody touches her but me" he said ‘Why would I want to’ she thought.

"I do have work to do" he said picking up a hammer from a small table "So you’re questions will have to be quick and short"

She took a step back and accidentally hit a barrel

"Darn, Threepwood" she heard him mutter

"Who?" Joanna asked

"Threepwood, came in here steals me nails and me hammer, of course that was two years ago but it still ticks me off!"

"Who is he though?"

"Guybrush Threepwood married Elaine Marley and defeated that pirate Lechuck, I think he may have been lying".

"Woah, woah!" Joanna quickly cut in "Who is Elaine Marley and who is this Lechuck?"

The woodsmith rubbed some sawdust off his hands "Elaine Marley is the governor of the tri-island area, recently her grandfather took her place though and Lechuck well Lechuck is the demonic pirate that everyone feared"

"Demonic?" she raised her eyebrows "so he wasn’t a nice guy?"

"Well after he died and came back as a ghost he supposedly was killed by Guybrush and as a demon too" the woodsmith paused "I hope he stays dead this time, he was always trying to kill Guybrush and marry Elaine himself"

"Ghost, demon?" she almost laughed "I find that extremely hard to believe" she crossed her arms

"Believe what you want lady" he frowned

"No but I heard a rumour of a strange girl with some sort of strange power"

The woodsmith gasped "I am not permitted to tell anyone about that all the people on Scabb and the other islands are sworn to secrecy"

"Where is she know? Please"

"All I can say is the girl is no longer alive, thank god" he sighed

"Please"

"No! I cannot tell anyone, I think you should leave"

Joanna didn’t want to argue and simply left without looking back at the woodsmith although she heard him start sawing into something.

"Damn!" she stamped her foot "There must be someone who will answer me!"

Aliciae was still in the Melee town, she didn’t want to leave she felt if she just tried for a little while longer she could find what she wanted. There was definitely no one around now; it seemed no one had heard that heard the man cry out. It was good; if several people had shown up she may not have the strength to fight them. She was getting slightly weaker most likely due to the strain she was putting on herself. "Why am I doing this to myself?" she whispered, "if I put myself too much I will have to leave the Caribbean and try to find somewhere else to go, I wouldn’t be able to protect myself here".

Elaine was lying in her bed; she didn’t close her eyes though. She didn’t want to fall asleep and fall into another dream again. She turned her head and squinted, through the darkness she could make out the shadow of a miniature clock she kept by the bedside. 3:27am, "darn" she whispered quietly so Guybrush wouldn’t wake, she wanted to get up and wander around but she did agree with Guybrush that she was exhausting herself and should get some sleep. She tried closing her eyes just for a little while…

She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. "What?" she asked herself groggily, why had she woken up with such a start? Then she looked to the other side of her bed, Guybrush wasn’t there. The room looked different, the picture of Elaine and Guybrush was missing and there were several items that she had when she was about 17. "This is the way my room… used to be" she took a deep breath. She quickly pulled on some day clothes, a white blouse, green bandanna and brown pants. She exited quickly and walking down the stairs, she saw someone waiting in the main room. The mansion looked the way it had years ago, there were pictures missing and there were none of the ornaments she had recently added. The figure was a strange looking woman. Elaine paused just before here, the woman spoke "Elaine, the past will haunt you" she said her voice quivering slightly

"Who are you?" Elaine asked in desperation

"It doesn’t matter, Aliciae will haunt you until you get the past of your chest"

"What part of the past!" Elaine pleaded "What does she want?"

"Tell her" the figure began to change its form grew and twisted forming the shape of a man, a very familiar one to Elaine

"No! Not you" Elaine shook her head "Get away from me!" she snapped

Elaine opened her eyes sitting up quickly the room was back to normal. Guybrush lay close by breathing heavily. Elaine herself was breathing heavily and sweating, "just a dream" she reassured herself. "But it was him…"

Joanna looked down the hatch, hmm a bar. Maybe there I someone in there who can answer me. But there was no one there; it was completely empty even though there were still shelves of booze. "Where the hell?" she muttered and quickly left.

She looked around there was a strange looking man on the nearby bridge so she decided to ask him, even though he looked a bit suspicious.

"Excuse me!" she called but he didn’t seem to hear her

"Excuse me, excuse me, HEY!" she lost her temper

The man turned "What do you want?" he hissed

"Sorry" she whispered "I would like some answers"

"What are the questions?"

"Do you know anything of a strange girl being born, a rather different girl"

"Ah, Lucy you mean?"

"Lucy! It was Lucy!"

"I assume you know her already" he laughed and then coughed heavily "She passed on though"

"Yes I know but do you know who the parents were" she folded her arms

"Nah, sorry" he turned away

"I think you’re lying" he hadn’t sounded honest

"Why would I lie?" he turned back

"The people here are hiding something or someone" she frowned

"Yes, they are"

"What is it?"

He didn’t reply

"I’m getting rather impatient"

"Wow, I’m scared of you" he said sarcastically

"You better be" she replied unsure

He drummed his fingers on his chin "Maybe I could give you some information but I expect money…" he trailed off

"I don’t have any money, just PLEASE tell me!" she pleaded

"Sorry girl" he turned and limped away

"Shit!" she stamped her foot and then paused "No, Joanna control your anger nothing good comes out of anger" she cleared her throat "this is going no where fast, I need to find someone who is willing to give out information or maybe I should find the parents of the girl".

She smiled "Yes the parents!"

Aliciae shuddered slightly she didn’t know why, she had just felt something a tug at her mind. She somehow could hear a voice although she was not used to such a thing saying quietly ‘You know where you are, you know the bond look deeper’. Aliciae put a hand to her head "I am getting weaker, I do not know what any of this means its not like me".

‘Lucy’ the voice repeated as it started to fade ‘Think of Lucy’

She shuddered again "I am looking for something to do with Lucy?" she questioned herself.

Elaine tapped Guybrush on the back sharply "Guybrush wake up, I am not going to sleep anymore I want to look for her"

Guybrush merely groaned slightly and gently batted her hand away

"Fine I will go myself" she jumped out of her bed, the floor creaking as she hit it and Guybrush groaned again

She snorted "I want her away from me!" she muttered to herself "She cursed my dreams, she must be trying to destroy my life"

With that she swiftly moved out of the door she was going to look for Aliciae but now she didn’t want to go back until one was dead. It had gone too far, Aliciae had pushed too hard. It had to end.