Hi guys, I made such a mess of this first time round and got all the chapters mixed up so here comes the next try. Please R&R if you like it!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, dammit.
"Pirates!"
I open my eyes and stare in horror at the dark cabin roof. Surely I'm dreaming.
"Pirates!" The cry comes again, insistent and shrill. I leap out of bed and snatch my candle-lantern from the table. As I scrabble frantically in the drawer for matches, more yells and shouts come from outside. I can smell the anxiety in the air; I can taste the tang of fear.
My hand closes over a small box of matches and I light the lamp hastily, almost burning myself. It casts eerie golden patches, mingling with the silver moonlight spilling through the square windows and creating a strange effect. I set the lamp on my dresser, pull on my dressing gown and push open my cabin door. I look up at the crow's nest.
"Pirates!" yells the scout once more.
The cabin boy knocks into me as I squint up at the inky sky. "You want to be getting below, Miss," he pants, "there's pirates abroad."
"I want –" I begin, but he has darted off again. I pick my way carefully through the throng of running crew and stand at the edge of the ship.
I stare out into the dark... I can almost convince myself I can see the faraway outline of a mast against the black clouds...
The admiral towers over me. He blocks the moonlight and I am plunged into darkness.
"Catherine," he smiles scornfully down at me. "Had a nightmare, did we?"
"Don't patronise me, Norrington," I snarl. If I step slightly to the left... I can see faint plumes of smoke, distant touches of flame, tall dark ships coming up fast.
He moves so he is blocking my view. "You should be below deck."
"I have been told," I inform him icily. "But I want to fight."
"A fight is no place for a little girl," he says. "You'd better get below deck before you get yourself hurt."
"I will not get myself hurt," I snap, but he has had enough of me and grabs me bodily around my waist. I kick and scream, but he ignores me and hoists me up so I am lying inelegantly over his shoulder, then flings me down the hatch to the kitchens. I try to climb back up the ladder but he slams the hatch and draws the bolts so I cannot escape.