Gabrielle didn't know what she thought when she saw the boy in the water. Perhaps she wanted a little more respect from her family. Perhaps she simply saw another human being in danger and felt obliged to help. Perhaps it would have been better if she had done nothing at all.
She tore along the pier, kicking off her shoes as she went. A wave washed over the unconscious boy, and he disappeared from sight. It was too late to think about the weight of her dress dragging her down as Gabrielle flung herself off the pier. She submerged, forcing her eyes open to find the boy. When at last she saw him, barely conscious herself, she slipped her arms under his, and, with a determined kick, rose to the surface, her head breaking the surface with his. The combined weight of her dress and the taller boy meant that she had to use every bit of her strength to keep herself afloat, until she felt somebody relieving her of her burden.
Another pair of hands seized her, dragging her out of the water and onto the deck. As she lay, panting, she heard her brother's voice;
"What were you thinking, Gaby? You could have died!" Gabrielle didn't care.
"Is he alright?" she asked, following with a cough. The boy was lying in her father's arms, still not conscious. She struggled into a sitting position as her brother draped his jacket over her shaking shoulders.
"Honestly, Joseph, don't fuss", she protested, but did not shrug the jacket off.
The boy was one or two years older than her, and, she couldn't deny, his good looks were not lost on her, even at the present moment.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes flickered open and he started to cough. Once his coughs had subsided, Gabrielle's father asked him,
"Are you alright, son?"
He answered with a nod.
"What's your name?"
"Jack" the boy spluttered. "Jack Sparrow".