Author's Note: This is my first FanFic here, so don't be afriad to give reviews. I welcome good, as well as bad, comments. I understand that not everything is pefect about my writing, but don't be afriad to criticize.

Escape

Chapter One

The day dawned with the usual sticky humidity in the air. Something was different about this day, however. The normally garish sun had chosen to hide himself behind an endless sea of gray clouds. They stretched for miles in all directions, making the sailors on the water wary of the day's coming weather. The town of Port Royal was no different as its people continually searched the skies for any warning of a storm. The winds were slight, but just heavy enough to raise alarm among the townsfolk, however not all of them were alarmed.

A young girl of about fifteen years was sitting in her windowsill, watching the horizon eagerly for any signs of a ship. The ship she searched for was one that did not pass by often, and it was usually sighted on days such as this. The girl's brown eyes never left the sea for an hour's time, when a knock on her bedroom door startled her out of the trance.

"Anna? What are you doing? I called you to help with the mending some time ago!" Her mother, Elizabeth, opened the door and found her daughter walking away from the window where she so often sat. A scowl crossed the girl's face.

"Mother," Anna began, frantically trying to think of a plausible excuse for not helping her mother. "I was . . . Waiting for Father to come home." She moved a hand behind her back and crossed her fingers, hoping the lie would hold up.

Elizabeth lowered her eyes. "You and I both know that your father is not expected to be home until the end of the day. Now come. The curtains in the parlor need their hems re-sewn."

Annalyn Turner watched her mother leave the room through annoyed brown eyes. She turned and looked in her mirror, making sure her appearance was presentable. The tawny waves on her head were in a tangle, but her clothes were good enough for mending. Opening a drawer of a vanity, she pulled out a dark red scarf and tied her hair up in a horsetail without bothering to brush it out. She turned to the mirror again and was satisfied with the improvement. Of course, her mother wouldn't be. Anna rolled her eyes, thinking about how her mother always wanted her daughter to have the appearance of a genuine noblewoman.

A wry smile crossed Anna's face. The scarf would make her appear to look like one of the townspeople, and Elizabeth wouldn't find that appealing at all. She strode out of her room and walked hastily down the stairs, finding her mother sitting on one of the parlor chairs, mending one of the curtains that had hung in the main window. Francesca, the Turner's maid and friend, sat on the couch, with one of the other curtains in hand.

Elizabeth looked up, dropping her hands in her lap. "Anna, what on earth is on your head?"

"It's a scarf, mother." Anna walked into the parlor and, much to her delight, there were no more curtains to be mended. "Why did you ask me to come down here? You're almost finished."

Her mother picked up her needle and began hemming the curtain again. She lifted her eyes to a tablecloth that sat between the chair and couch. "You can fix the tear in the tablecloth, dear. But before you do, go back upstairs and take that ratty thing out of you hair."

Anna felt like stamping her foot in frustration. Why did her mother look down upon things that poorer people wore? Her father had told her that there was once a time when Elizabeth would run around in men's clothes . . . With pirates! Anna could only wonder what had happened to her mother that changed her so dramatically. Francesca had told her that motherhood changes a woman, and Anna had only guessed that her own birth was the reason for her mother's strictness. But she still couldn't help thinking of how she could make her mother carefree again.

It had always been one of Anna's dreams to be a pirate, and to live without a care in the world. Whenever she brought the subject up with Elizabeth, however, she was always silenced and sent to her room. Only her father would recount to her their days of swordfights and capture, and even then it was without much detail.

"Go on, child," came Francesca's musical voice. Her deep black hair fell into her eyes as she, too, began her mending again. "Up the stairs with you."

Anna reluctantly obeyed, dragging her feet beneath the simple cotton gown she wore. When she reached her room, she shut the door and ran to the window again, but she was disappointed to find that no ships were on the horizon. Her brows lowered. If the Black Pearl sailed into the harbor today, she would probably miss it. There might never be another chance for her to leave and go to the docks, like there was now. She spun around and found the armoire which held her clothes. She flung open the doors and pulled out camisoles, petticoats, and various other women's garments, throwing them all on the floor behind her. The bottom of the armoire was bare, with a box-shaped line in the center. Near the back was a small hole she could fit her finger through.

Anna thrust her finger into the hole and pulled upwards. A thin sheet of wood popped up, revealing trousers, shirts, belts, jackets and boots. Grinning, she drew out the men's clothing and pulled them on, never once thinking what might lay ahead for her. She pulled on the boots with care, and then turned to her mirror again. She looked like a wench, that was for sure. Her eyes glimmered with amusement as she walked to her door.

Anna gently turned the doorknob, making sure that little noise was made as she exited her room. Her boots made a loud clunk when she began walking, making her eyes go wide. She feared that someone had heard her, and that her plan was foiled. No sounds came from the floor below, so Anna guessed it was safe to go on. She tiptoed to the servant's stairwell near the back of the house, and prayed that Francesca or one of the cooks didn't come up as she descended toward the first floor.

To her great relief, she met no one on the stairs, and she was able to slip out of the back door without being noticed. Once outside, she ran for all she was worth toward the town.