Katrina stared at the commotion all around her. The night air was cool on her face and the moon shone brightly above her. She began to run again, but when she came to the alley a horrific sight met her eyes. The woman whose arm she had grabbed before was lying on the ground crying in distress as a pirate pointed a pistol to her head. A little way away, a dead man lay on the ground with a sword right beside him. Kat ran to the corpse and picked up the weapon. As soon as it was in her hand she felt adrenaline run through her body. She suddenly felt powerful. She went round to the back of the alley and slid along in the shadows until she was behind the pirate. Her heart pounded with fear, but she was determined to do something. She couldn't just walk away. With one hand she yanked the pirate back and put the sword to his throat with the other.

"Quick! Go!" she shouted at the woman, who scrambled to her feet and ran for her life out of the alley. The pirate gave a roar and tried to wrench the sword from Kat's grip.

"Ye're gonna wish yer hadn't done that, wench!" he told her venomously as he twisted himself out of her arms. He drew his cutlass and smirked at her, thinking she didn't know how to fight. Kat lifted her blade defiantly and there was a clash of metal. His smile dropped as he concentrated on the movements, but he wondered - how on earth did this girl knew how to handle a cutlass? The flash of gold from her locket caught his eye as their blades crossed, still. Her cat-like eyes danced with excitement at his falter. Then she noticed that he was staring intensely at the top of her dress. Men! Furious, she was about to draw back her sword and give him a piece of her mind when he spoke in a raspy, bewildered voice,

"Where did you get that?"

Then Kat realised that he was looking at her locket and frowned in incomprehension. His eyes scanned her face and he seemed to read something in her eyes. In one sudden movement he grabbed her wrist yanked her arm, causing her to stumble forward.

"Scorer's daughter. Well, well now. The captain'll be pleased to see you, missy." She flinched as his eyes ran down her body. "And so will the rest of the crew."

Her eyes flared and she began to struggle.

"NO!"

She finally got her wrist free and smacked him in the mouth. It was the best punch she had ever delivered. His head hit the wall and he slumped to the ground. Katrina took her chance and ran from the alley.

The richer side of St Lucia was no better than the poorer side. Pirates still charged about, terrifying the innocent people. A few times Jack had to get his sword out to defend someone, which led to him getting into a duel with the some of the attacking pirates. But most of them didn't challenge Jack to a fight, they just spat at him and said,

"Yer goin' soft Sparra'!"

Jack was getting impatient at having not yet arrived at the docks. It gave him a horrible feeling, not knowing where his ship was. He was about to try and head down there once again, when he noticed the girl in the purple dress who he had seen earlier. She was sword fighting with a pirate who had a swollen lip and she actually seemed to be winning. His eyes widened as he watched their battle. Where did that lass learn to fight like that? He saw her plunge her weapon into the pirate and raised his eyebrows. As soon as the pirate fell dead to the ground, two more appeared and tried to carry the woman off. Without hesitation, Jack ran to help her.

Kat hadn't even heard him coming after her. She obviously hadn't knocked him out hard enough. She fought ruthlessly; she knew that these pirates were after her. So this time, instead of knocking him unconscious, she killed him. She felt no guilt or remorse as she impaled him with her cutlass. But then two more came out to take her. The small one stood behind her and held her arms tightly so she couldn't get away and the larger one grabbed her sword and pointed it at her throat.

"What do you want with me?" Kat asked them furiously, lifting her chin up from the tip of his blade.

"We were looking for a woman captive and now we've found one!" the pirate behind her said into her ear. "No one kills one of our crew and gets away with it!"

Then the pirate holding the sword suddenly frowned. He was staring at her locket as well. Damn, Katrina thought irritably. Why was it giving her away as her mother's daughter?

"We've found 'er, Bilge!" the pirate said excitedly to the one behind her. "It's Scorer's daughter."

The gruesome men grinned wickedly at each other. The pirate behind her shoved her forward and tried to haul her away, but with a sudden burst of strength, she pulled her arm away from him and smacked him hard in the face with her fist. As he staggered back she tried to make a run for it, but the large pirate grabbed her roughly and pushed her back against the wall. Kat spat into his face and her saliva spattered into his left eye. He growled like an angry bear and drew back his hand to strike her. Kat flinched and shut her eyes in panic but it never came. She opened her eyes again and they widened at what she saw. There was a person standing behind the pirate she had spat at, holding the pirate's arm tight as though he had caught it just in time. Kat stared at her rescuer in awe - he was the strangest sight that had ever filled her eyes.

He had exquisite deep brown eyes which looked even more striking outlined in kohl. His mane of long black hair was decorated with many different coloured beads and trinkets – even in his beard which hung in three thin plaits. He wore a brown tri-cornered hat, a long brown coat and on the fingers of the hand holding the pistol she saw numerous rings. His skin was tanned and at the moment, his face looked fierce but calm. Who was he? Why was he doing this?

"Let the girl go mate, I haven't got all night."

The pirate turned to face Jack with a surprised and slightly amused look.

"Captain Sparra'! What's this girl to yer?"

"She's me cousin. And I'm not exactly thrilled at seeing her being threatened by you two miscreants."

He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone of voice and Katrina couldn't believe how calmly he rolled the lie off his tongue. The two pirates who had ambushed her looked at one another in bewilderment. Katrina could see a doubtful expression on the face of the pirate before her.

"We have reason to believe that this girl is Captain Scorer's only daughter. If she is, then we're takin' her with us and you, Jack, will be a dead man."

Jack's eyes gleamed confidently. He shifted his gaze to meet hers and then looked back at the pirate, enjoying the game.

"Ask her then. Ask her if she knows what yer talkin' about."

"Wench! Where'd you get that necklace?"

Kat shrugged as well as she could with her arms held behind her back, as if it was an obvious question.

"Filched it. My mother and I are the best pickpockets in the town. I'm no daughter of Captain Scorer – who might she be anyway?"

The large pirate thrust his ugly face up close to hers again and she raised her eyebrows nonchalantly.

"How do we know yer not lyin'?" he demanded, spraying spit in her face. Katrina didn't flinch. She stared back at him levelly.

"Take it." she spoke loudly and carelessly. "Take the locket then. It means nothing to me. Just a bit o' shine from some rich lady's pocket."

She took hold of the gold oval and held it up to him. The pirate's eyes were fixed on her face, as were Jack's. She could feel the breath from the pirate behind her on her cheek. She didn't blink as she waited for the response. At last the large pirate stopped studying her face.

"She can't be Scarlet's daughter. I'm sure o' it. Let 'er go Bilge."

As Kat was released, the pirate who wasn't Bilge turned to Jack.

"Never mind, eh? I'll find meself another lass. A less firey one at that."

Then he sheathed the sword he had taken from Kat and left.