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Chapter One

The ocean was the bluest of blue. You could see right through her crystal clear waters.... it was beautiful. While you sat there staring at the sea, a dark ship came from the horizon, with sails as black as the night sky. You had to get out of the hell you were living. You had thought of the plan for weeks, but never really had the opportunity to put it into action. Mother and Father were out seeing friends and the black dot that was coming your way was the perfect boat for an escape attempt. A pirate's boat…you thought.

"I'm doing it," you said out loud. You stormed over to your cupboard, pulling out your best red dress. You felt the velvet fabric through your fingers, the last time you'll feel it in one piece. You pulled a knife out of your bedside drawer and sliced the dress in two. You cut the sleeves shorter, creating a red velvet shirt. You tied your dark hair into a messy bun, one that you knew Mother would complain about. You stormed into the kitchen, finding an old potato sack to hold your clothes and supplies. You grabbed a loaf of bread, two apples and a bottle of your father's rum; shoving them into the sack. As you ran back up the stairs, you bumped into Mary: the maid. She was holding a silver tea-tray that was carrying a slice of cake and a tea cup. The tea spilt all over your pea-green dress, one that you had inherited from you colour-blind grandmother.

"I'm so sorry Miss Robyn! Please, I'll…why do you have that?" Mary asked, pointing at the potato sack. She smiled, suddenly realising the plan.

"Good luck," she whispered. You hugged her; she was your oldest and most trustworthy friend. You had only told her your plan, and she was probably the only one who would have approved of it. You ran past her, running into Mother and Father's bedroom. You looked over to your father's chest of drawers, smiling at the sight of his old leather hat. You grabbed it, placing it delicately on your head as you watched yourself in the mirror. It created a shadow over your face, so people wouldn't be able to tell who you were. You smiled and pulled open the drawers, finally finding a pair of pants that would've been able to fit you; dark brown tattered things that should've been thrown out years ago.

"Bless you," you said as you slammed the drawer shut. Beside the drawers was a pair of black boots, when you pulled them on you found them to be your size. It was as if God wanted you to break away from life. You ran back to your room, stumbling because of the fact that you only had one boot on. When you made it, you pulled off your green dress with much struggling, standing in only your white laced corset and under-garment. You tried on the new shirt, the loose fabric floated over your wild black hair. It fitted perfectly, loose enough to hide your small curves. The brown pants managed to go over the top of your boot, and you put the other one on. You topped it all off with the brown leather hat. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you looked sixteen year old boy, not a girl of eighteen. The disguise was perfect, now for the escape. You put the knife in the bag as well, it may come in handy. You also put in a few of your gold necklaces and trinkets; they would come in handy for bargaining. You bolted down the stairs and out the door, smiling in the orange glow of a soon-to-set-sun. Running as fast as you possibly could, you headed for the jetty. The mysterious black ship was pulling into port, and you could see figures running out of it. Pirates, filled with a lust for gold. When the last man ran off the dark ship, you quickly walked over to it. You watched the figures run off; most of them looked in their early twenties. Quite young for pirates, you thought. You found a thick rope that they had used to get off and began to pull yourself up, kicking the ship's side as you climbed. Sweat dripped down your forehead; you had never worked this hard in the sun before. When you managed to collapse on board, you picked up the sack of supplies and looked for a way to get inside the ship. After much searching, you found a door to downstairs. You could hear over in the distance the sound of women screaming and roaring laughter; the pirates had started their looting. You didn't have much time; you took a final look at the setting sun and opened the door. The whole ship was dark inside, but you ran down the stairs while your eyes adjusted to the blackness. You walked past cells, the captain's quarters, and finally…

"…the rum locker," you said to yourself. You looked inside, it was fairly full but they would need to stop for more if they were all heavy drinkers. There was some space in the back, small enough for you to be hidden but large enough for you to hide in comfort. You wish you had brought one of your father's coats along, it was freezing down there. You could hear a voice yelling above deck, the captain was giving orders to the other men. You heard the word 'Tortuga' and smiled, it was the port for pirates; a perfect place to start a new life of freedom. You felt the ship begin to drift along the water; the waves were starting to break on the hull. They were soothing sounds, and you soon found yourself falling asleep…

…until you heard the door open. You woke up with a start, forgetting immediately the dream you were having. You heard footsteps approaching and began to make yourself as small and hidden away as possible. You hid in the dark corner of your hiding place, prepared for the yelling of a captain.

"We need more rum, lads!" the figure said. You sighed with relief as he walked off, thankful that he hadn't noticed you. When everything on the boat was quiet, you stuck your head out of the cellar door and listened for any footsteps. You could only hear distant sounds of laughter, you had landed in Tortuga. Walking up the dark stairs, you could see an orange glow of lit torches in the distance. You stepped on the deck, smiling at what you saw; an island full of drinking pirates and screaming prostitutes. It was the perfect place to become a pirate, exactly what you wanted. Jumping onto the jetty, you saw a man with dark braided hair and a bandanna with another man around his age. He was pointing into the direction of a bar, where the dark-haired figure began to walk over to. The other figure called something to him, but all you could hear was 'captain'. You smiled at the bandanna-man; he was rather cute for a captain. The only captains you knew were old and growing grey hairs. This person was different…mysterious…You watched him walk off; he was swaying from side to side as he went.

…and maybe a bit drunk…You followed him into the bar, suddenly growing a thirst for rum. It was a very violent place; chairs flying through the air, men chatting up curvy girls in dark spaces, swearing drinkers and singing drunks. You decided to stay close to the bandanna-man, running over to him quickly.

"Pint of rum please, mate."

"Make it two," you quickly cut in. As the drinks came, you realised how foolish you were. Your payment (the necklaces) was back on the ship. You looked up at the bartender and at the stranger, pleading eyes asking him to pay. Bandanna-man smiled and pulled out a small black coin-purse, one that was obviously stolen from a woman when he was looting. He threw it at the bartender and walked off with both drinks. You gasped as you suddenly realised that he had stolen your drink. He heard your gasp and turned around, a twinkle in his eye.

"Listen, I paid for both drinks. That makes both of them mine, savvy?" He walked off, not saying another word. You stared after him, wondering if every captain was going to be like this. You followed him, frustrated and determined to get it back.

"Yes, you did pay for both drinks, sir. But out of the kindness of your heart, could you perhaps let me claim one of them?" You said, putting on a deeper voice. He looked at you, an eyebrow raised. Your voice must've been a bit too deep and a bit too proper. He sat down at an empty table, still holding onto the drinks.

"You're new around here, who are you?" he asked. You sat down in front of him, looking into eyes.

"Christopher Robinson, who are you?" you asked back.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," he said, holding out his hand. You didn't shake it, just kept looking into his eyes. He stared back into yours, almost like he was reading your mind.

"How'd you get here?" he asked, putting his hand away.

"Stowaway," you whispered. Jack smiled at you, a gold tooth glinting. He passed you a pint, you smiled back.

"Cheers," you said together before drinking down the whole glass in one go. You wiped your mouth on the back of your hand and stood up, preparing to leave.

"Thanks for the drink," you said as you turned away. You walked out into the night, feeling stronger than ever. As you walked down the road, the drink started to make you feel woozy. You collapsed into an alleyway, leaning on the wall of a building. Taking off your hat, you looked up at the night sky and your hair fell around your face. You breathed in deeply and closed your eyes, absorbing the smells and essence of Tortuga. Suddenly, you felt a hand around your mouth and an arm wrapped tightly around your waist. They began to pull you harshly out of the alley.

"Let go of me!" You screamed, but no one could hear you. Not only was it all coming out muffled, but you couldn't be heard above the noise the rest of the town was making. The man's thick fingers made harsh white marks on your skin; bruises would soon appear there in a few days.

"Looks like we got ourselves a pretty poppet," the stranger whispered into your ear. You looked into his cold eyes and pasty face, nearly fainting at the sight. His breath smelt of rum and other liquor and his teeth were a rotten shade of yellow. He dragged you out of the alley; you kicked your legs and squirmed around in his arms.

"Stop struggling, save your energy for the auction." The word echoed in your mind…

…he was going to sell you off…