So, yeah this is my very first story. I've been working on it for well over a year. I wanted to get most of the story done before I started posting it. Anyway, the usual disclaimers. I don't own Pirates, Risk, or any other thing that I could be sued for. Basically, all I own is Tori and her family. As a side note, I don't intend for Tori to sound like a Mary Sue. It's surprisingly difficult to make a female OC and not have her sound Mary Sue-ish. That aside, enjoy the first chapter of What a Ride.

"Victoria!" my dad called. "It's time to get going!"

I rushed around my bedroom to find my shoes. "Just a minute! I can't find my shoes!" I yelled back to him. I looked under the bed. "I found them!" I called triumphantly. With my shoes on and one last look at my poster of Will Turner, I rushed out of the room and down the stairs. My clumsiness kicked in then and I wound up sliding on my butt down the stairs.

"I don't want to rush you if it means you're going to kill yourself, Tori," Dad commented as he saw my grand entrance. "You ready to go?"

"Yup," I answered, "but tell me why I have to go to Nicole's birthday party. We don't get along." Nicole, my cousin, was having her 16th birthday party with the family that day. We're only one month apart in age, with me being the younger, but in terms of liking each other…well, let's just say it would never happen, and I was less than thrilled to be celebrating her "sweet 16."

"Tori," my dad said sternly, "like it or not, Nicole's family. Although you may not get along, we're still expected to show up for her party. And I expect you to behave."

"She's the one that starts it…" I protested.

"And you're the one that chooses to continue it," Dad finished. "Now let's go. We're going to be late."

On the long car ride to Nicole's house, I amused myself by comparing Dad to Will Turner, my favorite character from my favorite movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. They are actually surprisingly similar. In appearance Dad looks kind of like a short-haired version of Will. In personality, I guess Dad's just like Will. He's somewhat naïve, but his heart is in the right place, and he'd do anything for those that he loves.

I guess I should've cut my dad some slack earlier; he raised me practically by himself since my mom died when I was little. I don't remember much about her, though. The only reason I was stubborn was because I didn't want to go to Nicole's party. I was being selfish.

The party itself was rather uneventful. After Nicole and I said hi, we avoided each other. I spent some time with Kevin and Eric, my identical twin cousins who were practically brothers to me. They are a few months older than me, but for 16 year-old boys they are very mature. I think that's part of the reason why I get along with them so well. Anyway, we were playing Risk, and I was losing spectacularly when Dad came over and told me it was time to go.

"See that wasn't so bad," he told me on the way home. "If you and Nicole don't really talk to each other, then some arguments just won't happen." I heard what Dad told me, but most of my attention was on a car in front of us that was swerving erratically.

"Hey, Dad?" I said. "I think that guy in front of us is drunk."

"I think you're right," he replied. "We'll just have to be careful then."

Despite Dad's being careful, the car in front of us suddenly slammed on its brakes. Nothing could've been done to prevent hitting it. We slammed into the car hard enough to set the airbags off. After making sure that I was alright, Dad told me to stay in the car, and he went out to exchange insurance information with the other driver.

The man was drunk alright. He also had a gun. I heard an argument start outside of the car. The man was angry at my dad for hitting him. Dad tried to explain his side of the story, that nothing could be done to prevent it, but the drunken man would hear none of it. He went into to his car and pulled out his gun. Dad realized he was in danger now and tried to get the man to see reason. The man wouldn't listen. He yelled something and pointed the gun at my father.

BANG! Dad fell to the ground, dead. Despite his warning to stay in the car I rushed out to him. My mind was reeling. I could hardly believe what I had seen. "Dad?" I whispered to his body. "Please don't be dead…please." I hugged him to myself and starting crying. My guide, my mentor, my father was dead. "Please come back…"

"I don't think he's gonna," a voice behind me slurred. The drunken man was behind me. I felt anger like I never had before surge inside of me. This man had taken my father from me. When the man approached me, however, he raised his gun to me. My fiery anger from a few moments before had turned to terror. I honestly thought that this man would kill me too. My mind was telling me to run, but I froze. I was simply too terrified to run. He moved so that he was close enough for me to hit him, his gun pointed at me the whole time. I took my chances then. I didn't spend 5 years in grade-school with a class of 14 boys and 2 girls and learn nothing about defending myself. I kicked him, hard, and ran.

Where I ran and how far, I don't know. I eventually found myself at the top of a small ravine that fell into a river. I didn't know if the man had given chase or not, and I was not going to risk him catching me. I started to make my way down the ravine when I tripped into a small cave in the ravine wall. It was a perfect place to hide. If I hadn't have fallen into it, I would've never found it. I lay down and tried to sleep, but the events of that night kept playing in my head. I fell asleep eventually, wishing I could see my father again.

I could feel the sun shining on my body. Odd, I fell asleep in a cave. I could hear people around me, chickens clucking, and…the ocean? I wonder if this is part of a dream. A sharp pain in my face confirmed that it was not a dream. "What the…!" I yelled as I shot up. A chicken had pecked my face. A chicken? "Hey, I'm not bird food," I told it.

Now that I was awake, I started to look around. I was in a street of what looked to me like an 17th century town. Hey, this looks strangely familiar. It did, but since I was both exhausted and emotionally drained, I didn't recognize it right away. Some of the buildings were damaged, and there was debris all over the street. My first real shock came when I looked down at my clothes. No longer was I in the jeans and t-shirt I had been wearing the night before. Now I was in 17th century style clothing. They were very simple really, just pants or breeches as I've heard them called, boots, a belt, a shirt, and a sword clipped to my belt. A sword, huh. All I know is pointy end into the other person.

Next to me there was a man who I thought was my father. He was unconscious. I moved closer to him to get a better look at him. That's not my father! That's Will Turner! That was my second big shock. I was seeing my favorite movie character! Yet he was now a real person. I know I was comparing Dad to Will yesterday, but this is so not what I meant when I said that I wished to see my father again.

I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Chapter 2 is coming soon (once I'm done editing it for the 500th time). Since this is my first story, it would be wonderful if you reviewed. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and since this is a work in progess, there's a chance I'll take your advice.