All I know about myself is that my first name's Jennifer and that I'm about fifteen. Apart from that, I know absolutely nothing.

I was brought to Port Royal as a three year old girl by a navy ship. I was told my parents had died at sea, but I don't believe them. All I have left of my parents is a heart shaped locket with two intertwining red flowers on it and my first name engraved on the back.

So now, I'm stuck in Port Royal with the idiots I have been forced to call family; the Walkers. James Walker, my foster father, is a respected sea trader, and his wife is the daughter of an English lord. They have one son, Jeremy, who is the bane of my existence. He is two years older than me, and treats me like dirt. If I go down to the docks or have a swim while I'm supposed to be working or running errands, he snitches. He steals my stuff, usually to be sold on and never seen again, he tells lies about me to Mrs. Walker, meaning I get a harsh punishment, and he has been known to eat my dinner while I'm not looking.

It was a hot, humid day, not the right weather for housework at all. By the time I got to the beach my dress was sticking to me all over. I knew that if I was caught I'd be dead meat, but it was worth it.

There was no one there, so I stripped down to my long cotton slip, abandoning dress, petticoats, corset and crinoline on the sand, rolled up the slip until it was at my waist, and ran into the water. It had been two whole weeks since I'd got a chance like this, and I was not going to waste it.

I must have lost track of the time, because once I'd got out of the water it was getting dark. Swearing under my breath, I swam back to shore as fast as I could, only to be met by a very angry foster mother.

"Jennifer Walker!" she yelled at me. She was absolutely furious. "Would you mind telling me what in the name of God you think you're doing?!"

"Well ma'am, I was swimming."

"On a beach, in broad daylight, in your underclothes, while you were supposed to be picking up dinner from the butchers'?"

"Sorry ma'am, it wont happen again." I was staring at my feet, zoning out of the argument.

"Put your clothes on, I'll deal with you later."

I pulled on my clothes hurriedly, not even bothering to lace up the corset, I hated it anyway.

That evening, Mrs. Walker called me downstairs. She went on and on about how I was a disrespectful little brat, until she got to "you shall obey your mother in future!"

"You're not my mother! You don't even know who my mother was!" The look on her face told me that I shouldn't have said that.

"You bitch! You stupid little bitch!" she punched me hard in the face, causing my nose to bleed. "Get out of my site, I don't even want to look at you."

I ran, tears stinging my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I reached my room, slammed the door, sat on the bed and just cried.

I just kept thinking about my real parents. I had dreams sometimes, ones that I hoped against hope were real, of before I ended up in Port Royal.

Most of the time they involved a doting woman with curly red hair like mine, and blue eyes, and of a tall man in a red coat wearing a tri-corner hat, proving that he was a captain, with dark hair and brown eyes like mine. The man always seemed a little grumpy, but there was one dream in which he played guitar for me and sang to me in a deep calming voice until I fell asleep. But the one thing that stood out most of all was a feeling that I was loved.

I had never felt loved in the Walker household. When Mr. Walker was drunk, he'd say that they only took me in for help at housework, and also that they had been forced to take me.

When I woke up the next morning, there was a noticeable loss of weight around my neck. I felt around a minute, before realising it was gone. The golden locket was gone. And I knew who took it.

I ran out of the room, still in my nightdress, not even bothering to put on a dressing gown, and ran towards my foster brother.

"Where is it?!" I practically yelled at him.

"Where is what?"

"The locket, my locket!"

"Oh, I sold it." He smirked and I just snapped. I attacked him, punching, slapping, clawing, gouging, biting and kicking.

By the time I was pulled off him, he was covered with blood and squealing like a six year old girl who's cut her knee from a bad fall.

I was dragged to my room where I just sat there, silently fuming while I continued crocheting a hat for myself.

A few hours later, I saw an envelope slip under my door. Inside was a letter, and my locket.

Jenny,

I know you're probably furious with me and I don't really blame you, but I only took the locket to annoy you, I was never going to sell it. I hope you'll forgive me.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Walker.

I was shocked that Jeremy had apologised. I felt bad now for attacking him. If he had sold the locket it would have been justified, but he didn't, so my reaction was uncalled for.

That afternoon, Mr. Walker got back from his trip to London. He'd been gone for six months, and now that he was back, life was about to get much harder for me.

In the evening, he called me down to him. I showed him similar disrespect to what I'd shown Mrs. Walker.

"You will show me respect young lady!" He hit me hard in the face and kicked me several times wherever he could while I was on the ground. I ran to my room as soon as I could get up again.

It was then that I decided to run away. I put a pair of Jeremy's breeches and one of his shirts into a bag, and put on my normal clothes.

By the time I had got my corset on, never mind the rest of my clothes, everyone was asleep. I put on a dark red dress, and wore a pair of worn sailor's boots that I usually wore under my dress.

I ran out the door and down the street, tying a bonnet on as I went. When I got to the docks, I snuck past the guard and onto a large ship that I knew was bound for Italy. My Italian was coming along very well, so I knew I could get by over there.

I hid in a store room filled with food, and changed into Jeremy's clothes. By the door was a sword, which I used to cut my long curly red hair short, before tying it around my waist.

The next morning, I was discovered.

"Passegero clandestino!" Yelled someone in Italian. It was several moments before I realised he was yelling "Stowaway!"

A tall man entered the room and began to speak. "Che cosa stai facendo sulla mia nave?"

"Mi chiamo Joseph. Devo arrivare in Italia."

"It is clear from your voice that you are neither Italian, or named Joseph. Perhaps a Josephine though."

"My name's Jennifer Walker, and I'm running away. But please don't send me back there! Please!"

"I am not going to send you back, I am going to put you to work. You can be a cabin boy. You will continue to pose as a young boy. And we shall drop you off in Napoli."

"Thank you sir."

"You will also refer to me as Captain Ragetti."

"Yes, Captain."

After that, life was easier. Yes I had to bring messages to and from my superiors, and yes I had to climb up to the crows nest a few times, and yes I got stuck in the rigging twice, but I was enjoying myself.

On about the sixth day of our voyage, the sun was shining and there was a perfect breeze in the sky; not too windy but not too calm.

"Walker!" called the Captain from the helm.

"Captain?" I asked, running from below deck.

"Take the helm."

"Are you sure? I've never steered a ship in my life."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. And if you go off course, I'll take over."

I grasped the helm in both hands. It was a wonderful feeling. You could sense which way the boat was going perfectly.

"We need to be going that way," said Captain Ragetti, pointing to the left slightly. I gently turned the helm to the left, and could sense how the boat was moving that way.

"Well, I know one things my cabin boy can do, that most of my crew could never do in a million years."

"What would that be Captain?"

"You can steer a ship by instinct."