Hey so... it's been a while. I was on vacation for a long time and didn't have any internet. I'd just like to apologize for my writing sucking lately, it's summer, and I need to polish my brain a bit then it's get better, I promise! I appreciate all the people following me, but please review! It much easier to get motivated to write another chapter when I see some fresh new reviews up. If you like this story please tell me why, how I can improve, and what you'd like to see. And if you don't like it, tell me why! I was thinking about changing Marie's age to 18... what do you guys think? I'm kind of weird, and I like her being underage, but you're the readers!

Sunlight streamed onto her eyelids as she lazily blinked them open. Her body ached and her head pounded. Hazily, she tried to sit up only to find herself restrained. Confused, she tried to move her arms and found them chained behind her. She began panicking, moving her head she tried to gather her surroundings. On her left was a wall, and on her right was a bloody mess of rags. She lay on a dirt floor, and the only light poured through a small hole in the bricks, shining right onto her face. It was the winter sun streaming through, she could tell by the cold air and dim light. But if it was winter, why did she feel so warm…

Stuck between dreaming and waking, Marie felt her panic grow until her eyes flew open with a gasp. Orange afternoon light shone onto her face, and she found herself restrained like in her dream. Instinctively she squirmed away and plunged her hand under the covers to her thigh to grab her knife. What she grabbed instead was a warm hand. Stifling a scream she scooted back to view the half naked man that had had his arms draped over her in his sleep. Growing enraged she grabbed her pillow to suffocate him. Who the Hell is this bastard. Her anger colored her logic, already muddled from sleep, and she sat herself quickly on his chest to pin his arms with her knees, shoving the pillow over his face. Almost immediately his body started jerking, his hands wrapped around her legs, pushing. His muffled yells sounded more frustrated than startled. Marie stayed like that for a few seconds until a strange calm settled over her. Where was she again…?

Suddenly remembering where she was she pulled the pillow back, and was immediately flipped over and pinned down by her angered captain.

"Marie, WHAT THE HELL?" he roared.

Marie cleared her throat nervously. This was a huge mistake, she had almost killed him. "Captain, I'm so sorry… I forgot where I was…" she apologized sincerely, avoiding his eyes in shame.

"So you thought suffocating me would help you remember?" Morgan yelled. His hazel eyes were livid, he glared down at her with disbelief, making her shrink in shame.

"Captain, there's no excuse for what I did," The young girl said, staring into his eyes with regret and embarrassment. She closed her eyes in resignation, "Please punish me accordingly." If he wanted to lash her with the whip, or whatever pirates did, then she deserved it.

Breathing heavily, Morgan looked at the girl under him, considering what to do. His eyes traced over her eyepatch, and a corner of a rough scar could be seen peeking under the edge. On her jawbone opposite a thin white scar extended almost over to her mouth, and on the same side of her mouth was a burn on the edge of her lips. His eyes moved to the arms he was holding down. They were scared to hell, the worst being an angry, jagged gash on her forearm. This girl had been through a lot, she was no stranger to danger or pain. To be as young as she was, and have those kinds of scars… how was she still alive? He found suddenly he couldn't blame her for her actions. Sighing, he rolled off of her and rubbed his tired face. "It's alright lass. Just tell me… I won't wake up like that everyday from now on, will I?" He gave her a half grin, forcing himself to look abated.

The girl beside him smiled doubtfully at his sudden change and sat up. "No sir…that was just a lapse of memory." Her smiled faded as she sat up and slid out of bed. "I'll start getting ready Captain." Her hands went to pull her shift off…

"Marie." Morgan's hand shot out to grab her own. She blinked up at him blankly. "Don't you think… it's inappropriate to just take your clothes off in front of me like that?" Not that I'm complaining… He tried his best to keep his eyes locked on hers instead of wandering.

Marie's eye widened. "I'm sorry. Does it bother you…?" She looked at him in such a way, she seemed more concerned for his comfort than her modesty. It baffled him.

"No, not at all! Erm… but…" Morgan winced and searched for something else to day. How did he address this? He had said he wasn't interested in her, she was still just a girl, and he was sure that there would be a special place in hell for taking advantage of her strange sense of modesty. But where did she get that from? He scratched behind his head and looked away in slight embarrassment as he asked, "Have you gotten undressed in front of men before?"

"I only lived with men before, Captain." Marie answered bluntly. "It's never bothered them."

Morgan felt his anger flare up. Well of course it wouldn't bother them. What kind of men did she live with? He didn't press the matter though; he already felt he asked to much. If she was alright with dressing in front of men, then so be it. "Ah, well continue then." He muttered. Morgan went to turn away, but curiosity made him turn back, and he took the opportunity to exam her as they got dressed. She had a nice body, (Not like that!) it was slender and fit, her stomach and arms were taunt muscle, and her skin reminded him of a porcelain doll. A broken doll… scars expanded across her whole body. Her bodice ended just before her navel, and there was a pattern of scars across her stomach and back. An angry burn mark in the shape of an "S" stood out on her side, and it almost looked like there were thin white scars in the shape of letters across her back. Before he had a chance to look and see if they were actually words she slipped her shirt on and turned to him. He averted his eyes quickly.

He almost wanted to ask her about the scars, but she began speaking. "Captain? What do you want me to do?"

The question took a minute to register in his mind. "Oh! Well, what can you do? Besides fight and drink whisky, that is." Morgan laughed, and he thought he was Marie's lips turn up slightly.

"I can… train with the other crew members. Erm… I can… read maps, read, write, do math, I'm pretty good at examining artifacts for worth."

Morgan didn't need any of that done right now. He was planning on examining the crown himself first. "Can you cook?"

"I can roast meat…"

"Clean?"

"Weapons and armor."

"…Polish?"

"Same."

"…Can you at least do laundry?"

"Like cleaning clothes? You clean clothes here?" she looked bewildered.

Morgan rested his head on his hands and sighed. What to do with this girl, she obviously wasn't pirate material; she didn't even seem to like ships. Why were her skills so all over the place anyway? "…Go ask Eduardo, I'm sure he has a few things for you to do." This girl obviously wasn't able to help with typical work he would associate a woman with. Thomas wouldn't be getting any help then. She was about to walk out when he suddenly remembered. "Wait! About last night, it's a tie okay?" He didn't need this feud to continue on his ship

"So we both jump over board?" Her eyes lit up.

"If you want, however you settle it." Morgan laughed and waved her out. Watching her go, he frowned. She was a Sirius pirate now, her past was of no concern. But he couldn't help the nagging curiosity to know who she was… why did it matter though? Eduardo was a prince, but it never affected his performance. Her past was hers, and he knew she wouldn't willingly share, so he woudn't pry.


"Eduardo?" Marie stood at the foot of the helm and shielded the sun from her eyes as she faced the tall silhouette manning the wheel.

"Yes?" his voice was snappy, obviously he hadn't forgotten. Marie felt almost ashamed that she had managed to embarrass him on her first night. Almost. "Did you come to settle our bet?"

"No," she answered. "The captain said it was a tie anyway…"

Eduardo shrugged. "Too bad, I was looking forward to dumping you. What do you want then?"

"What work did you want me to do?" She stepped closer and he glared at her.

"What did the captain say?" he snapped.

"To ask you." She would mention the bet only if he brought it up.

"Hmph." He turned back to the helm and Marie stepped forward again, angry at being ignored, but he spoke again. "Go clean something."

"Clean? Alright…" The girl turned and looked hesitatingly at the deck. It looked clean to her… maybe there was something below. Walking down the stairs she suddenly had a feeling of unease. Freezing midway down the narrow steps she pressed her hands to the wooden wall to confirm they were still there. She could hear her voice echoing in her head… "You bastard!" She was facing the deck, her hands pressed against the wall to prevent her from falling. The bodies littered the deck. His hands were pressed against her back as they stood on the stairs in shock. "You sick, fucking bastard. Why… why would you do this." The captain was there… hanging limply from the rails. Before Marie could even say anything there were swords pressed against their backs…

She pressed a shaking hand to her face. Is everything I do going to make me remember those things? Sighing she forced the feeling back, but her stomach refused to quit churning. Being on a boat wasn't helping her forget that feeling, that day… She walked until she found herself eventually in the kitchen, and peered around the corner to see Nathan standing over a book, holding a butcher's knife. He looked up at her and smirked. "Hey, you here to help me?"

"Um, no I'm trying to find something to clean." She explained.

"Your'e kidding right? This ship is filthy. You can start by cleaning here." He wiped a finger across the top of the counters and showed her the dust. "See?" He rubbed the dust on his pants.

"But… that's just dust. It's not dirt." Marie was confused. These people cleaned dust? Dust never disappeared, what a fruitless effort.

Nathan looked at her in disbelief "… where did you live before this, a barn?"

"No… I just traveled alot Marie shifted uncomfortably, hating to explain things.

"What do you mean? You never had a home?" Nathan's knife hovered above the onion he had been chopping as he looked at her.

Marie suppressed a sigh. Why was this turning about her? "A permanent home, no. We wer- I was always on the move." She quickly changed the subject. "I'll start cleaning now. What do I use, a rag?"

"Yeah, wait." Nathan made her a bucket of soapy water and put a few grey rags in. "Just start scrubbing."

Marie got on her knees and did as she was told, but had barely started when Nathan stopped her with a frustrated sigh. "You're just getting water everywhere Marie… why don't you go on deck and scrub the sides? You can get water everywhere up on deck." He shooed her out.

Marie flushed and bowed in apology. "Sorry…." Embarrassed and flustered, she carried the bucket upstairs. Damn, I hope they don't make me do stuff like this every day.

She scrubbed the deck for hours. Not sure how to do it, she tried to get the dust and dirt out of every nook and cranny. When she ran out of water she just hauled more up from the ocean. The late afternoon sun beat on her, and sweat dripped from her brow. Before she could stop it, her heart clenched and she keeled over coughing. Shit, not now. Not now! She pressed a sleeve to her mouth and coughed deeply. Every time she attempted to inhale another coughing fit came over her. She laid her head against the side of the ship and sucked as much air in as she could. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, and each time it did her vision faded a bit. After a few seconds of just inhaling, she shakily pushed herself up. Marie used her sleeve to wipe the blood of her mouth, and the rag to get the rest off of her hands. Her heart still beat painfully. She had just started scrubbing again when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Why don't you take a break? Nathan has something for you to eat." Christopher smiled at her gently, and she immediately became wary. He was the ship's doctor… had he seen what had just happened?

"Alright, thanks!" Turning away from him quickly, she grabbed the buckets and made her way downstairs again, wanting to get away before he noticed anything more.

Christopher frowned as he watched her leave. He had been sure she was coughing from heat exhaustion, but had that been blood on her lips? She certainly wasn't the most healthy girl. She limped slightly from her left leg, and he could tell she's had more than a few broken bones, but by the way she was avoiding him after she learned he was a doctor, she was definitely hiding something… He would have to watch her more, if she was sick he didn't want it spreading, but he also didn't want anything to happen to the newest member of the Sirius, however temporary her stay is.


After lunch, Marie stood on the deck facing away from the sun, and stretched her muscles. Never before had she actually scrubbed something that long, and it left her stiff. Cleaning definitely was not her thing. Suddenly she froze midstretch, her hands held over her head. On the horizon… was that another ship? Her vision from her remaining eye wasn't the best, but she was sure that gray blob was a ship. Quickly, she ran to Eduardo.

"Eduardo?" she started, hesitantly.

Sigh. "What girl?" He didn't even look at her. Her mere presence seemed to annoy him.

"There's a ship on the horizon."

That caught his attention. "Where?" he snapped.

"Erm, hard starboard." the slang rolled awkwardly off her tounge.

Eduardo turned his head and looked. He stepped forward and squinted into the distance. "-looks like them," he muttered. "Damnit." Turning, he was Marie quickly hide a smirk behind her hand. "What?" he growled.

"Nothing, it's just your eyepatch."

Eduardo frowned and touched it gingerly. "What's wrong with my eyepatch? Oh yeah… you said I didn't need it…" he glared at her. "Why the hell do you say that for?"

"Well, I have no right eye, and I can tell that you're faking it. You're perphprial vision is still good, and you don't favor a side. So do you wear that thing just to look cool." She hid her face behind her mouth again to hide a laugh.

Eduardo growled and shoved a finger in his face. "You better stay out of my business girl. I still owe you for last night." Her face darkened and a sly smile found its way onto her lips.

"You mean for humiliating you? I'm sorry, I didn't realize that all you did was steer and try to look pretty."

Eduardo snapped, and pinned her against the helm. "You better watch your mouth. You think just because you're strong you can take me, but it takes more than that." He pressed his lips against her ear. "I have nothing against hurting little girls, so watch yourself."

Marie sneered. "Is that a threat? I'd like to see you back up your words for once."

Eduardo grinned wickidly. "Later, I'll teach you your lesson. Right now we have a ship approaching." His hands lingered on her arms, and when he removed them she was sure she would have bruises.

"The Rika is approaching!" He called out. Immediately the rest of the crew flew to the deck. Strangly though, not a single weapon was drawn.

"What do we do? Kill them? Blow them up?" Marie asked Nathan.

"Erm no actually… don't try to hurt them at all. Just get them off the ship."

"What, why?" Marie was shocked. They were just going ot let them board, then let them go?

"It's just what we always do."

"So is this like… what pirates do when their bored? Board each other's ship just for the heck of it?"

Nathan laughed. "When it comes to the Rika, pretty much."

Marie held her knives at the ready as a dark haired man jumped from the deck of the Rika to the Sirius.

"Ah! Well look, the Sirius pirates have all come out to greet us, crew! I wonder if they're so happy to see us they'll hand the crown right over?" He laughed, throwing back his long black hair as other people hopped on board.

"How the hell did you know we got the crown?" Morgan asked, his face disbelieving. The whole crew groaned. "Great, now we're gonna go through all that again."

"Hand over the crown, and we may show mercy!" The opposing captain proclaimed, waving a sword above his head. The Sirius pirates began readying for battle. "No? As expected I suppose, you never learn. Crew!" The other members of the Rika rushed forward.

So just detour them, not hurt them. Marie braced herself for a fight. To her surprise though, a large blonde woman sauntered up to her. "What's this? A girl? The Sirius has a girl member too now? I can't believe this!" she bellowed. "Ay girlie, you even know how to fight?" she snorted with laughter.

Marie backed away confused. A woman? But… how does this work? I can't fight a woman… The boisterous woman swung a sword at Marie and she ducked expertly. "Ay? Ain't ya' gunna fight girlie, ya' gotta weapon dontcha?" She stepped forward menacingly.

"I can't hurt a woman." Marie flustered, as she dodged another swing. Her knifes hung useless in her hands. The sword picked up speed and became a blur as the woman pirate flailed it around.

"WA? CAN'T HURT A WOMAN? WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MAKE YA'? YOU'RE A WOMAN TOO. ARE YOU SAYING JUST CUZ I GOT BREASTS I CAN'T HOLD ME OWN?" Her blows were furious and random, and Marie had to dance around the woman to avoid a hit.

"I'm sorry maa'm. I don't doubt your abilities, but I just can't fight you." Marie frowned and ducked backwards to avoid a hit. She had never been in a situation like this before, and wasn't sure what to do. But her number 1 rule was: women and children are off-limits. That had always been a rule they had strictly adhered to… a rule every fighter should adhere too. How the hell did the pirates manage this?

"Oy, Marie. When I said don't hurt them I didn't mean to not even try." Nathan called to her. The other crew members of the Rika were already tied up in a circle, including the captain.

"Who is this girl? Morgan, did you take this pretty thing hostage? And now you're making her fight? How barbaric!" The captain was saying.

"I… I don't know what to do." Marie cried, still dodging. "I can't fight a woman, how do I take care of this?"

"Can't fight a woman?" Russel appeared and grabbed the large blonde from behind.

"Oy geroff me monkey!"

"How the hell does that make sense, considering what you are?" he sighed in disbelief as he tied the noisy woman up.

"I'm not a woman." Marie insisted. The crew, both crews, stared at her blankly.

"Umm… Marie…." Morgan started

"What I mean is I don't consider myself a woman. Physically I am, but in all other aspects I'm not. I mean… well… It just doesn't work this way. I've never fought a woman. Women aren't supposed to fight. I don't consider myself a woman so I don't count." She felt silly just for explaining it. Wasn't it obvious?

"Mmm." Morgan looked unconvinced. Marie snorted.

"You don't understand because you're pirates, pirates don't adhere to the same rules we do... I do… did."

"And what would that be."

Marie hesitated. "…nothing."

"Hey! I want to know what's going on!" The Rika captain was shouting. He was promptly ignored.

"You can't just leave it at that Maire." Morgan was saying. "As your captain, I'm asking what you for clarification." He crossed him arms as he waited.

"I'm a pirate, Captain. My past is invalid because I retired. Right now, I am a pirate. So if you want to consider me a 'women' go ahead, I'll just accept that my view is a contradiction." She sighed in resignation and turned away. It was better to just avoid the topic. Her past didn't matter anymore, her past had been annihilated.

"Ohhh, feisty. I like this girl Morgan, do you think I can have her?" The dark haired captain was staring at Marie with a curious, endearing expression. "Marie, eh? That's a beautiful name, love. I've never seen anyone like you before…" His expression turned hungry, and Morgan stepped in front of a confused Marie.

"She's mine, Alan. This is one thing I cannot let you have." The two men stared each other down and Alan smirked.

"So you claimed her already? Since when have I ever cared about that? I want this beautiful pearl for myself, and I plan to take her." He craned his neck to look over at Marie. "What do you say, Pearl? Join my crew, and I'll make you the happiest you've ever been before."

"Your crew's weak." She pointed out bluntly.

"Ouch, mean. But honest. I like that too." He grinned. "Well if you won't willingly join, I'll find a way to steal you onto my ship."

"Captain," the blonde woman groaned, "keep your head out of your pants, please. We don't need another woman on our ship."

"Right. You better watch out Marie. This guy isn't just a womanizer, he's a huge creepy pervert." Christopher warned. The Captain, who she later learned was named Alan, immediately began sputtering something in defense.


After the Rika crew "learned their lesson" they were freed. Alan was the only one that didn't immediately leave though. He vowed that if he couldn't have the crown himself, he would follow them to the treasure. Then he turned to Marie and took her hand. "My lovely Pearl, I can understand your hesitation to join me, and don't you worry! When it becomes the right time, I'll steal you from this damned ship, and you'll be mine!" He pressed his lips against the back of his hand, and Marie immediately wiped it on her pants. "For now my love, I'll watch you from a distance!" With a dramatic flourish, he unnecessarily leaped the relatively small space between the ships, landing in the middle of the deck, and ordered the crew to cast away.

"Captain?" Marie turned toward Morgan, who was glowering in the direction of the retreating ship. "I don't understand what he meant…"

Behind her Eduardo snickered. "He's got an eye on you girl. He'd going to stalk you until you give in or he takes you by force."

"I still don't… why?" Marie looked towards the other crew members to see a mix of frowning and laughing. Was he implying he wants to rape me? Why are they laughing? She huffed and went to leave.

"Marie, Eduardo, come with me." The captain's suddenly serious tone stopped her dead.

Shit.