All she could see was a thick cloud smoke. All she could hear was the sounds of men moaning in agony. Soon, the smoke cleared and she ran forward; only to trip over a corpse. Her good friend laid dead on deck; as blood poured out of his mouth and his dead eyes stared up at the sky.

Twenty-four-year-old Annabelle Williams shot up in her hammock. Beads of sweat ran down her face, and she saw her hands were trembling. Her good friend, a fellow seaman named Styles, approached her with caution.

"Annie?" whispered Styles.

"I'm fine, Mr. Styles. It was just a bad dream." said Annabelle.

Styles sat at the foot of Annabelle's hammock and took her hand in his own.

"Was this one about Oldroy?" asked Styles.

"I know it's been four months, Mr. Styles. I've been trying to place that terrible day, at the back of my mind. It's just so hard to forget. His body was so cold...The blood..."

"We all miss him, Annabelle. Though, I think no one admired him as much as you. He thought of you as his sister."

"Just as I thought of him as a brother." Annabelle sighed. "Damn it, Mr. Styles. Why didn't Captain Sawyer see the ship that day?"

"He did see it. He just thought he could beat them."

"I do apologize. Did I wake Mr. Matthews?"

"Sound asleep."

"Oh, you should go back to your hammock."

"Will you be all right?"

Annabelle nodded and Styles left her alone. Annabelle laid back down and closed her eyes to sleep. She hoped that she wouldn't have any more nightmares during the rest of the night.

The next morning, Annabelle was extremely tired and arrived on deck, a bit later than she usually did. She was about to begin her chores, when Midshipman Wellard grabbed onto her shoulder.

"Yes, Mr. Wellard?" asked Annabelle.

"I-It's Captain Sawyer. He wants to speak to you." said Wellard, his voice was extremely quiet.

"Aye, sir."

Annabelle hated Captain Sawyer. She hated him from the moment that she climbed aboard the Renown. He was not a very good captain, and a terrible human being. What upset her the most was the way that he treated the crew, including Matthews and Styles.

As Annabelle stepped into Captain Sawyer's quarters, she saw him sitting behind a table and rapidly tapping his fingers against it; Annabelle gave a quick salute.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"As a general rule, Mr. Farleigh; sailors are told to wake at dawn."

"I know, sir. I've been a sailor for two years."

"There are no exception's to this rule."

"I'm not quite sure that I understand, sir."

"Mr. Hobbs noted your absence at dawn, and reported to me."

"Sir, I was disturbed in the middle of the night and-"

"What disturbed you?"

Annabelle hesitated, as she didn't want to come off as a coward. Especially not in front of a man like Captain Sawyer. Still, she knew that she couldn't cover her absence. It was best to be honest.

"I had a nightmare, sir." said Annabelle, her head lowered towards her feet.

"So, you did not hear footsteps on deck?"

Annabelle shrugged. "No, sir."

"You did not note any sign of our enemy?"

"No, sir."

"Then you have no excuse for your absence."

"Sir, I just said that I suffered a nightmare. It took me a few moments to fall back asleep."

"A nightmare is no excuse for disobedience!"

Annabelle shook her head. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again."

"Be sure it doesn't, or I'll have you flogged. You're dismissed."

Annabelle gave a quick salute and left the cabin. She tried to forget the threat that Captain Sawyer had made, and decided to go on about her morning chores. One of her first chores was to be sure that the halyard was still holding. She grasped onto the rope and tugged on it gently, to see if it would snap. Thankfully, it didn't, which meant that it was still properly secured and would be able to hold the sail. Matthews came up from behind Annabelle, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Well...?" said Matthews.

"She's holding, praise the Lord. I was sure that wind last night would take her down."

"I know you spoke to the captain. I saw you enter his cabin."

Annabelle sighed and continued with her chores, as Matthews followed her closely.

"Mr. Hobbs reported my absence to Captain Sawyer. I spoke to the Captain, and if I'm not seen on deck by dawn each day, then he'll have me flogged."

"I'm sorry, Annabelle."

"It could have been much worse, Mr. Matthews. Had I remained in my hammock for another second, then I'm certain that I would have been flogged, with no hesitation."

"Damn that Hobbs. Your business is your own."

"You mustn't blame Mr. Hobbs. He does often act, before he thinks. This is no different. I'm the one to blame."

"Such a selfless girl."

Annabelle smiled."Better to be the giver, than the receiver, Mr. Matthews."

Annabelle felt a breeze blow against her face. She turned her attention to the sky, and saw that the clouds were beginning to darken.

"What is it?" asked Matthews.

"N-Nothing, Mr. Matthews. We should finish these chores." said Annabelle.