Chapter One

Captain Sade River

No doubt you've heard of the Ocean Song, the most indestructible ship ever to sail the beautiful Caribbean Sea. And I am her captain, Captain Sade River. My good friends call me Sade, but from anybody else I expect to hear a Captain.

Yes, I know. That stupid stereotype, women, sailors, bad combination. But you know what? My whole crew is made up of women! No man has ever boarded the Song. I don't ever want to fall in love, and if I do, I'll hide it with all my might.

"Sade!"

My best friend, Karissa Norman, raced up. "We'll be docking in Tortuga tomorrow."

"Great," I said cheerfully. "We're making good time. And Karissa…" I leaned in. "Don't forget about our secret mission."

"Don't worry." She gave me a thumbs-up. "All taken care of."

"We're not even there yet!"

"I mean, by tomorrow."

I laughed. "Okay, why don't you go take a break? Looks like we're coming upon a storm."

"Cap'n!" Judith Casper jumped up onto the steering platform. "We'll have to go through the storm to get to Tortuga!"

"My dear Judith," I abjured. "Life is full of things like that. To get to the paradise full of root beer, treasure, and brand new swords- which, Karissa, by the way, I need, make a note- We have to go through the dreadful hurricane. It's like trying to get some dried pineapple, but you must get through the drunk men in Tortuga to get it. Happens to me all the time. If I were you, I'd batten down the hatches and get used to it. I am busy steering. Please do not interrupt."

Judith stared at me for a few seconds, then, with a dazed look on her face, shrugged, "Yes, Captain," and returned to the rest of the crew.

Karissa leaned on the rail, her dark brown hair damp because of the rain. "Why do you do that?"

"Because it's fun," I answered, "And what's the point of doing something if it's not fun?"

Karissa considered this for a minute. "Um well…"

"See?" I said. "There is none. "Now please, go help the crew or take your break. I've got a couple things on my mind I need to clear up."

My best friend left, still thinking about the whole fun thing, and I hummed my favorite song to myself:

Who do you think you are?

Running 'round leaving scars

Collecting your jar of hearts

Tearing love apart.

You're gonna catch a cold

From the ice inside your soul

Don't come back for me

Don't come back at all

Well, I suppose it wasn't exactly my favorite song, but I still loved it.

"Tyra!" I called suddenly.

The crew member came on the platform. "Orders, Captain?"

"Tyra, you're the best at steering besides me. Can you take over for a couple of hours? I'd like to try and get some sleep. Afterwards I'll give you a long break."

"Thank you, Cap'n," she said eagerly.

"Don't mention it." Tyra was hard-working. She deserved a break.

I stumbled below deck, yawning, and entered my cabin. I blew out the candle and crawled under the covers, letting my eyes close…

When I awoke, it was 3:00 in the morning. I jumped up, grabbed a piece of dried pineapple, and still chewing it arrived on the deck.

"Wonderful, Tyra," I told her. "Go take a five hour break. I expect to see you at 8:00 sharp."

"Oh, thank you, Captain," she said gratefully.

I steered until 7:00, when Aubrey came up and said, "Orders, Captain?"

I yawned. "Well, do you mind steering, Aubrey? I only got five hours of sleep last night."

"Sure thing. How long are you going to be?"

"An hour, at the most. Looks like the storm blew itself out. You should have a nice clear ride."

I went back to my cabin.

At 8:00, I woke up again and went above deck. Everything was going smoothly.

"We should be at Tortuga in about half an hour," Karissa said happily.

"We'll spread out," I whispered to her. "Whoever sees him first tells the other. We need to get it."

My friend nodded. "Sure, Sade. But what if he doesn't let us take it?"

"We trade." I handed her some gold. "I have some in my pocket. He won't be able to resist. We'll borrow it, then return it safe and sound. Okay?"

Karissa nodded.