1920
Many years had passed since Chloe was taken into Bigg City by OJ and adopted by Captain Star. During this time, she was raised under Star's firm but gentle rules, and Mrs. Muddlesworth's clumsy but kindhearted care. Chloe also was given her own bedroom in the upper half of Star's house, along with pretty dresses to wear, a collection of girls' toys, among other things for a little girl.
Like all little girls, Chloe went to school in Bigg City every day; when she arrived home from school, Captain Star would let her socialize with the Star Fleet Tugs, as long as she was careful. But what Chloe really loved most of all (next to her adoptive father, her housekeeper, and the Star Tugs) was swimming.
One morning, when Chloe was ten years old, Mrs. Muddlesworth slowly opened the young girl's bedroom door and softly called her name.
But there was no answer.
"Chloe?" Mrs. Muddlesworth softly called, feeling a little worried. She walked into the girl's bedroom and looked around before she checked the bed. She removed the covers, and found no little girls there. "Oh no!" Mrs. Muddlesworth gasped before she headed for the closet doors.
But just as she opened the closet doors, Chloe held her arms out and screeched like a raven! The little girl was wearing a blue and green school uniform over a white shirt, white stockings, and black Mary-Jane shoes; her hair was also done in two braids, with an indigo bow headband crowning her hair.
Mrs. Muddlesworth yelped with surprise as she put her hand over her chest.
"I scared you, didn't I, Mrs. Muddlesworth?" Chloe laughed.
"Chloe, this is no laughing matter!" the housekeeper sternly told her as she shook her finger, "Can't you be a good little girl for once and prepare to go to school?"
"I AM prepared for school!" Chloe insisted with a smirk, "Look – I'm all dressed, I've brushed my teeth, washed my face, done my hair, and I have my pack ready!" She held up a bookbag up with pride at the last two words. "Want to see me be a seal now?" The young girl asked before she began barking like a seal.
"Chloe, hush now!" Mrs. Muddlesworth said as she held her hands up, "Come downstairs and have some breakfast now!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Chloe smiled as she picked her book bag up. As Mrs. Muddlesworth left the room, Chloe happily followed her to the kitchen to eat breakfast.
Later that day, when school was finished, Chloe arrived home, happy to be done with listening to boring lessons and doing difficult multiplying and dividing. When she went inside the harbor house, she greeted Mrs. Muddlesworth and then asked her if she could go to the Star Docks to visit the tugboats.
The housekeeper took Chloe's coat and book bag as she gave a weak smile and told her, "You may go and see your father's tugs, but PLEASE be careful! Your father and I don't want you to get hurt."
"I promise, Mrs. Muddlesworth," Chloe smiled at the woman, "Please excuse me!" She then ran upstairs to her bedroom.
"Are you alright, Chloe?" Mrs. Muddlesworth asked as she looked up the staircase.
"I had to get something!" Chloe called from inside her bedroom. When she came out of her bedroom, Chloe was carrying a tote bag with some white clothing inside of it. As she ran down the stairs, Chloe blew a kiss to Mrs. Muddlesworth, and then ran out the door.
"Be home by sunset!" the housekeeper called out to the girl as Chloe headed for the docks.
"Okay, Mrs. Muddlesworth!" Chloe called out.
When she arrived at the Star Docks, Chloe snuck into her adoptive father's Tug and Marine building with her tote bag, and went into a water closet before closing its door. A few minutes later, she came out wearing a white swimming costume with a green and blue belt around the waist. Then, she went over to where Ten Cents was socializing with the newest tugboat on the Star Fleet, Sunshine. Sunshine was a perky little tug who originally came from up a river, and he was officially made a member of the Star Tugs three weeks prior to this day.
Chloe ran upon the docks until she reached the two young tugs and happily greeted them, "Hello, Ten Cents! Hello, Sunshine!"
Ten Cents and Sunshine looked at her with weak smiles and responded, "Hello, Chloe."
"What are you up to?" Sunshine asked in his Geordie accent.
"Well, Mrs. Muddlesworth said I could come socialize with you and the other tugboats as long as I was careful," Chloe answered with a shrug and a smile.
"But Top Hat and Big Mac would NEVER approve!" Sunshine argued with her.
"I'll handle this, okay?" Ten Cents whispered to his friend with a sly grin. He then turned to Chloe and said to her, "Listen, Chloe. Come here. We've got one little problem, here." Chloe walked closer to Ten Cents as he continued, "Personally, Sunshine and I would love to be spendin' time with you, but all the others…"
"Except OJ!" Sunshine chimed in.
"Yes, except for OJ," Ten Cents continued to Chloe, "Well, the others need some convincin'."
"Well, what do I have to do?" Chloe asked with a confused look.
"Uh, what do you have to do?" Ten Cents repeated before he nervously chuckled, "Oh, it's very stupid!"
"What?" Chloe asked.
"Well, you've got to…" Ten Cents stammered before he thought of something, "You've got to go get a little splinter of wood!"
"A piece of wood?" Chloe said with a raised brow.
"Yes, but not just any splinter," Ten Cents told her as a sly grin formed on his face, "A splinter of wood… from one of the Z-Stacks."
Chloe looked over to another part of the harbor and saw some of the Z-Stacks pulling barges in a rather impatient matter; she also saw Zak and Zebedee arguing before Zorran ran into them, making them stop. Chloe gulped nervously and said to Ten Cents, "The Z-Stacks?"
"But like I said, it's rather stupid!" Ten Cents said to her as she slowly began to walk away upon the pier, "You probably wouldn't want to risk your life doin' that sort of thing. And besides, neither your father, nor Captain Zero want little girls like you causing trouble." When he saw that Chloe had gone, Ten Cents smiled and turned to Sunshine, "You see? Leave it me! I told you…"
"WISH ME LUCK, TEN CENTS!" a familiar female voice called.
Ten Cents and Sunshine looked over to a different pier, and saw Chloe running on it. "CHLOE, I WAS ONLY KIDDING!" Ten Cents called to her as she ran, "CHLOE, NOOOOOO!"
But it was too late. Chloe let out a cry as she cannonball-jumped off of the pier and into the water below.
"Oh, OJ will NEVER forgive us!" Ten Cents told Sunshine with dread.
Under the water, Chloe opened up her limbs and looked around to see several fish swimming to and fro, and the image of a submarine not too far away. Then, she swam up to the surface. When she stuck her head out, Ten Cents and Sunshine looked over and grinned broadly. "She's alive!" cried Sunshine.
"Hello, Ten Cents!" Chloe grinned to her friends with a wave, "Hello, Sunshine!"
"Hi!" Sunshine called back to her before Chloe turned and swam away.
"Chloe, come back!" Ten Cents cried as he saw the girl go under water and swim away.
"This is great, Ten Cents!" Sunshine grinned, "If she lives through this, I get to let her ride on my deck tomorrow!"
Ten Cents just rolled his eyes as he gave a groan.
"Come on, Ten Cents!" the smaller tugboat smiled to his friend as he floated away, "Let's get a better view of Chloe tryin' to prove her worth!"
Ten Cents reluctantly followed, feeling nervous about what Captain Star – or even Captain Zero, for that matter – would say about a little girl getting into the Z-Stacks' work.