After I had been shoved back on deck, I smiled, "Now be gone!" He was putting on an act, trying to show authority. He didn't look much older than myself, but then again, he had probably seen more than I probably would in my lifetime.

The snores and grunts told me that most of the crew was asleep. All of the hammocks were taken, but I didn't think I would be able to sleep in one anyway. I sat down and rested against a post at the edge of the quarters. The place stank to the high heavens, due to slight damp and the many unclean men that where sleeping there, but I felt very tired so I didn't let it irritate me too much as I sat down against a pillar and let myself fall asleep.

"Oi! Crugg! Get up.", someone kicked me sharply on the leg.

I blearily opened my eyes and felt a sharp pain in my head. "Yes?" I looked up at the man who had kicked me, he was thin with a ratty blonde moustache.

"Mutiny!" he said excitedly.

I racked my brain for the meaning of the word as I stood, he must have spotted the bewilderment on my face. "My eyes! How green are you? We're getting rid of Captain Jack!"

"Who says so?" I was shocked at the disloyalty of these people. That must have been why Barbossa was pestering for the bearings earlier.

"Barbossa says so. Says we ain't getting treated fairly, says that Jack isn't experienced enough." He gave my shoulder a tug, "C'mon."

Up on deck, the crew had gathered around Barbossa, who had Jack at gunpoint. The man with the ratty moustache pushed to get to the front to hear what was being said and I followed.

"Come now Hector. There must be some way to come to an arrangement where we're both happy" Jack tried to negotiate, his hands in the air, something similar to the night before.

"Y'see Jack" Barbossa cocked the pistol, "That's what got you into this mess, you were thinking too much about yerself. I'm doing this for the good of the crew." The crew mumbled in agreement.

"We decided this would be best for everyone. Then we had a decision to make!" the crew laughed along with Barbossa, "We could drop you off in Tortuga on our way to pick up supplies, somethin' else you fail to keep regular, or we could leave you off on that little atoll yonder." He pointed to a very small island, barely visible in the gloom.

Jack saw it too and winced, "But," his tone took a turn that I had never heard in the few days I had known him, "What about m'ship?" he sounded defeated, almost pathetic.

"I'm afraid she's my ship now." He replied grinning, "Master Ragetti," the man with the ratty moustache twitched, "Fetch Master Sparrow's pistol and remove all but one shot."

"Yes Captain" he scurried off.

When he returned, Jack was pushed towards the railings and the pistol was tucked into his belt. The depression in his face was evident as he knew what the last bullet was for. Barbossa still had his gun pointed at Jack as he climbed onto the railing.

"Gentlemen" he lazily saluted them. He made eye contact with me for a brief second before jumping of the edge. I stood transfixed as I heard the splashing of his swimming towards the island. He thought I wanted Barbossa as my captain. He blamed me equally, along with the rest of the crew, who had all milled off to set sail, bar one.

"We've made a mistake" he said to himself, "I can feel it" he shook his head and shuffled away.

Without thinking, I took my position up in the crows nest. Although I had only a few hours sleep I was now very alert. I repeatedly asked myself why I hadn't done the right thing and stepped forward to try and do something to rescue my somewhat grimy and immoral guardian angel. But each time I got the same answer, "Because you wouldn't be breathing now if you had."

Tortuga was as wretched as Barbuda, if not, it was worse. The stench hit me a mile out and as arrived into the docks the smell was almost unbearable. What made it worse was the excitement of the men and their talking of drinking and whoring.

Ragetti walked along beside me as we left the ship, "I'm going to find me a curvy blonde. What about you, Crugg?"

I hesitated and tried to copy his eager and rough manner, "Oh yes! I like blondes." I managed to say. This seemed to satisfy him and called out to me as he wondered off in the opposite direction, "See you tomorrow!"

"No you won't." I muttered. I stood for a good few minutes, trying to work out what to do. I decided to go and sit in the warmth of a tavern. I passed many men being sick, flirting and one was fouling right outside someone's house! I could not believe it as I tried to hurry past.

"What are you lookin' at?" one balding man with a tattooed scalp snarled at me.

I pretended not to hear and ran past, almost trotting into a pile of manure.

I finally settled on a place called the Faithful Bride. It was very crowded and there was loud music playing and a lot of dancing. I'd always been taught that music and dancing was a sin, and these people were going to hell, but they seemed happy, happier than me anyway. I sat down at a table near the back and tried to figure out what my next step would be. I realised that there was no going back now, I was a murderer on the run from the law, and I would have to stay this way for a long time.

"Get ya a drink?" a young girl with very few teeth asked roughly. I stared at her mouth and ran my tongue over my own teeth, "Pardon?"

"I said, do ya want to order a drink?" she rubbed her plump hands on her stained apron.

I shook my head, "No thank you."

She frowned, "Either order somethin' or get out."

I stood up to leave when a hand stopped me.

"It's alright Gwen, I've got this. Two rums if you will." A man with short light brown hair and a face freckled from the sun told the woman before sitting down beside me.

I raised an eyebrow, "Who-"

"You may think that just because you are wearing a seamans clothing and carring a pistol makes you one of us, but let me tell you, I spotted you the second you walked in. You stick out like a sore thumb and to look at you I can tell that you will be dead and forgotten within the fortnight." He muttered quietly to me, "Now I can teach you to think, act and breathe like a man of the sea. My only conditions are that you do everything I tell you without question and a small fee of twenty five percent of any takings. Does that sound reasonable?"

I did not know what to say, "Hold on, who are-"

He interrupted me again, "Does that sound reasonable?" he said a little louder, just before the rum arrived. "Thanks darling" he smiled at the wench and handed her a few coppers before turning back to me, "Well?"

"Yes, agreed." I said meekly having a feeling that I'd be shot if I didn't, "Who are you?"

He smiled, suddenly changing from intimidating to relaxed and casual, "James Creed at your service." He had a rather upper class way of speaking.

I sipped the rum, "So you are going to teach me how to be a proper pirate?" I asked

He looked at me sharply, "And another thing, don't ever let me hear you refer to us like that," he gestured to the room and the filthy men that surrounded us, "We are not pirates, we are better than that. The word "pirate" indicates a low class of criminal. When I've finished with you, you shall be so high up the King himself will bow to you."

I raised an eyebrow, wandering how much rum he had already drunk.

"You may not see it now," he smirked, "but you will sometime."

We sat in silence for a time before I spoke to try and start a conversation, "I'm Crugg."

"Lesson number one," he smiled at me, "never give up your name voluntarily, if you have to always give a fake one."

I nodded my understanding, "But you just told me your name."

He grinned, "Did I?"

I frowned, feeling incredibly confused and slightly irritated. I took a time to take in his attire. A grubby red shirt that appeared to be silk under a worn black coat covered his top with a dark blue necktie. Dulled buckled shoes with hose and britches completed this and gave the appearance of a gentleman or duke. I was about to ask him about this when he started talking again.

"And another thing, leave the mystery to whether you are male or female, it will leave people thinking, 'Is it a man? Is it a woman?'" He took a gulp of rum before continuing, "'Oh! I'm not sure if I mind.' At this moment in time I'm taking you for an effeminate lad, but that could change."

I was still battling with myself to why I had agreed to what this strange man told me. It was possible that there was something trustworthy about him that I could not pinpoint.

His head suddenly jerked up, reminding me of a blood hound that had just caught the scent. His face then broke into a smirk. I tried to find what he was staring at, scanning the crowded room.

"Now" he whispered, discreetly pointing at a very drunk man with a brassy woman on his knee, "This will be your first 'test'. They will eventually go to one of the rooms upstairs and when they do, I want you to follow and take anything you need."

"Need?"

He looked at me flatly, "Crugg, you don't seem to be in the possession of any cutlass, tunic or shoes."

I looked at my filthy feet and downed the rest of the rum without thinking. I screwed up my face in disgust and coughed, "Ugh! I'm still getting used to this."

He chuckled as he watched he man give the woman a few coins and she took him by the hand to go upstairs, "Go!" he nudged me in the ribs.