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One bright, seemingly normal morning, Jack went up the stairs, ducking under a low hanging beam, and opened the trapdoor to the deck. The hot Caribbean sun immediately hit him as he shielded his face from its brightness. Once he popped his head out of the door, the chattering that went on above deck hushed down.
Arabella, Jean, and Tumen stood together on deck as they silently watched the captain emerge from the hatch.
"Uh, good morning, mates!" Jack said, unnerved by their quietness.
"Good morning, Jack," Arabella greeted with a smile.
Suddenly, Jack tripped and looked down to see Constance clawing at his boots again.
"Jean! Get this filthy beast off me at once!" Jack barked.
"Aye," Jean didn't bother defending his feline-turned sister as he rushed over and collected her in his arms. He just went back to the others and they continued to stare at Jack as he went to the starboard railing nearby.
Jack began to grow annoyed by their behavior. "What?! Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Do you know what day it is?" Tumen asked slyly.
"Tumen! Stop!" Arabella hushed, whacking him in the ribs.
"What do you mean what day it is? It's Monday!....I think." Ever since he ran away from home, Jack hadn't been doing a good job at keep track of time and days. He didn't know if it had been weeks or months since they first sailed out aboard the Barnacle.
Arabella and the younger boys gave him a knowing look, making Jack realize something was up. They obviously appeared to know something he didn't.
Jack's eyes went wide. Oh, boy...is today something special? Along with not being good at keeping track of time, he was also terrible at remembering special days. Christmas...? No, it can't be Christmas! It wouldn't be as hot right now if it was December. All Hallows'...? No, no, no! It's gotta be something! Come on Jack...think! Everyone's looking at me! Maybe it's not a holiday...
Jack decided to finally take a guess and plastered a smile on his face. "Happy..." He looked at each one of his present crew members. "Birthday..." Their faces lit up. Great! Now I know it's a birthday...but who? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! He stared at their faces closely. When he gazed over to Arabella, her smile grew a little more brighter. Okay I got this! I can't screw this up! "...Arabella!"
Arabella smiled wider in surprise. "Why thank ye, Jack! I'm happy ye remembered!" Jean and Tumen sighed in relief.
Yes! I did it! "Of course I remembered! How could I forget my first mate's birthday?" Jack grinned. "So...you are...."
"Sixteen," Arabella finished for him.
"Yes! You're sixteen now!"
"So, you're going to give her a gift?" Tumen nudged Jack.
"How many times do I have to tell ye to stop?" Arabella playfully yanked Tumen from Jack. "I don't ask for gifts." she said to Jack.
Crap! They're testing me! "She's got the spirit!" Jack said, casually leaning back against the railing. "She's only sixteen! I mean I'm sixteen, she's now sixteen, Fitzy is sixteen—"
"Seventeen," Arabella corrected.
"Right—We're only on the Barnacle. Do we really need to make a big deal—"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARABELLA!" Fitzwilliam suddenly appeared from below deck with a giant bouquet of flowers in hand.
Jack shot him a scowl. Where in the bloody hell did he get those?
Fitzwilliam stepped over to her and presented her the flowers. "These are for you, Miss. Smith."
Jean dropped Constance and threw his hand over his nose. "Fantastique! That's gonna make my nose act up," he mumbled.
Arabella was very much not a flowers kind of girl, but she lovingly accepted the gift. "Er—aw! Thank ye! That's very sweet of ye to give me these." She leaned over to him on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, all the while Fitzwilliam evilly grinned in Jack's direction.
That bastard! He knew I would forget!
Jack suddenly began choking on his own spit. Everyone looked at him as he recovered from his choking fit.
"Ahem!" Jack finally cleared his throat. "Oh! Ah, yeah! That reminds me! Bell, I actually, ah, have a gift for you! I just need to get it from downstairs... down... below... deck!" Jack then took off to the stairs. The rest of the crew glanced at each other.
Jack ran down below deck and began frantically looking around. He looked in the galley and all he could find were lumps of hard tack. He looked around the sleeping quarters. Nothing.
Come on! You have to find something! Jack went down to the hull of the ship. He began to look through one of the chests, suddenly realizing it was a chest full of some of the crew's belongings after accidentally finding one of Arabella's underwear. After going through some of Tumen's letters to his family, which were never sent, and Fitzwilliam's precious pocket watch, he finally found something that could work, a box of chocolates.
"Meh, it'll work," Jack shrugged.
With the chocolates in hand, Jack turned to the treasure from the crew's first adventure piled from its chest and scattered around the wooden floor. They had been using their fortune to get by for supplies and other means.
Ah! That's it! Jack searched around through the coins, jewels, chalices, scepters, vases, and statues for something good, and something Arabella wouldn't notice he had gotten from their stash. When tossing aside another chalice, Jack found something he knew would be perfect. It was a beautiful necklace with a gold chain and a topaz jewel fixed into its pendant. He stared at it in his hand, the jewel glittering in multiple colors from the light of the lanterns lit around.
Jack smirked. "Arabella will love it!" He pocketed the necklace and took the box of chocolates back up stairs.
Jack came up from the hatch to his awaiting crew. He went over to Arabella and held out the box of chocolates from behind his back. "Happy Birthday, lass!"
"Chocolates!" Arabella smiled, taking the box. She opened it and gazed upon the delicious looking pieces of chocolate. "Thanks, Jack!"
Jean's eyes widened with recognition. "Wait...isn't that—"
"Not now," Tumen said as he held his friend back.
"Chocolates?" Fitzwilliam sneered.
"Oh, and that's not all!" Jack hinted, ignoring the aristocrat's remarks.
Jack reached in his pocket and pulled out his necklace, presenting it to her.
Arabella's eyes grew big and sparkled in excitement as they laid upon the nice shiny jewel. "Jack!" she gasped. "It's beautiful! Where—how did ye get it?!"
"I have my ways, luv," Jack replied.
He turned her around and placed the necklace over her head and around her neck, pulling her auburn locks out of the way. Arabella twirled back to Jack with the topaz pendant glistening as it hung from her neck onto her chest.
"It looks perfect!" Jack grinned.
"I love it!" Arabella said in delight. "Thank ye, Jack!" She then planted a kiss on his cheek, all the while Jack smiled with smug in Fitzwilliam's direction.