I woke up, blinded by the light and deafened by the whooshing in my ears. I felt that I was tumbling through the air. Well, if you can call this air, I thought. I was too shocked to scream and too curious to try and fight my way back to my laundry room.

After a few more seconds in limbo, I felt my feet lightly touch solid ground. Relieved, I focused all of my energy on getting to the ground...and fell flat on my face.

Wow, what a great way to start an adventure! I thought sarcastically. I lay there for a moment, eyes closed, afraid that I might have broken a bone. I tried gingerly moving different limbs...yes, everything seemed to be in working order.

I was about to heave myself up when I heard a familiar voice say softly, "Mother's love!"

My eyes snapped open. I slowly looked ahead of me...and there was a pair of black boots. I carefully started looking up from there, having to crane my neck to get a good look at...Mr. Gibbs.

I quickly rolled over and sat up, my back to Gibbs, and found myself facing two wooden and glass doors that also looked strangely familiar.

This is a dream, Monica, I told myself. You've been watching Pirates too much lately, and you've gone mad. Now, you'll just turn around and you'll be back in the laundry room...right?

I slowly stood up and turned around. Holy shit! I thought. The whole bloody crew...and...Captain...Jack...

For the second time in five minutes, I blacked out.

The next thing I knew I was lying on a cot in a small room with wooden walls. I sat up quickly, looking around, and was overcome by a wave of dizziness.

"Hold on, love, you'll want to get your energy back."

I froze, hardly believing it to be true. I nervously glanced to my right and saw Captain Jack Sparrow sitting in a chair next to the cot. Yes, it was Jack all right--the slur, the eyeliner...the rum! He was wet, too...I quickly started racking my brain for a scene in The Curse of the Black Pearl when Jack was wet, wanting to place when in the movies I was, but I was still a little disoriented.

"Wh--whe--"

"You're on the Black Pearl, young missy, and I am its captain, Jack Sparrow. We are currently leaving Port Royal, as I had some...business there, but the crew and I have been wondering what to do with you. And, as I am the one with the most authority on this ship, it will be I who is asking you the questions, savvy? So, who exactly are you, and how did you get on my ship?"

I sat there, speechless. I had actually been about to ask when and where I was, but he had answered that...mostly. I decided it would be best to humor him at the moment.

"My name is Monica Connors. I...I really don't know how I got here, I--"

"What kind of accent is that?" Jack asked curiously.

I racked my brain. What year was Pirates set in? Early 1700s. So America doesn't even exist yet, much less have its own accent...

"Uh, it's...well, it's...Australian," I lied, sincerely hoping he had never met an Australian--or worse, been to Australia. I wasn't even sure if Australia existed, either. I cursed myself for not paying more attention in my geography class.

"Hmm..."He bought it! I thought happily...then I thought about how strange it was for me to be telling my favorite character in a movie that I was from Australia when I was, in fact, from Houston, Texas.

"Why on Earth are you dressed like that?"

Oh, shit.

"Well, I was...uh...fashions are much different in Australia..." Well, at least he forgot about the "How did I get here" question!

"Women wearing pants, no shoes, and exposing that much skin won't go over well here," Jack mused, looking me over. I looked down at my bare feet, taking note of the green toe ring on the second toe of my left foot. "Not that I don't mind seeing that much skin..."

I shot him a shocked glance, folding my arms in front of me.

"Relax, love, I was only jokin'...besides, you're a bit young, aren't you? How old?"

"Fifteen."

"Ah. Well. I'm sorry then, Miss Connors." He gave me a sly smile, and I almost swooned right then and there.

"So...so, what have you...been...doing?" I asked lamely, trying--and failing--to sound casual.

"What do you mean by that?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Well, I..." I need to find out when in the movies I am, or if I'm even in a movie! "I was just wondering what you do on this ship."

He grinned. "Miss Connors, this is a pirate ship--the fastest pirate ship in the Caribbean."

"I know," I blurted.

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!

"You know?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "Now how would you know that, young missy?"

I was beating myself up for letting that slip. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"Well, I'm sure I--"

"No. Trust me." Oh, God, what kind of mess have I got in now!

"Fine. But that still leaves us with the question of how you got on my ship. Or will I not believe that, either?"

"No, you won't. Actually, I don't think I believe it myself..."

Jack stood up, shrugging. "Fine. If you won't give me answers, I won't give you any."

I stood up too, despite the limited amount of space. "Wait, that's not fair! You'll just think I'm crazy!"

Jack stared down into my eyes. I couldn't help but notice how close together we were standing.

"Trust me, I know how that feels." Jack said, leaning into me with every other syllable. "And it's not that bad, actually. It can work to your advantage."

With that, he gave another small smile and sidestepped to the door.

"Good day, Miss Connors...if that is your real name."

He stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

I stood there, shocked, for a few moments before plopping down on the bed. How could this have happened? How long would I be in the 1700s? How would I get back? Would I be able to convince Jack to help me somehow? But how could he help?

These questions buzzed through my mind as I sat there. I remembered his words: "It can work to your advantage." How could being transported to a movie world possibly work to my advantage! I thought angrily.

After a few minutes of moping, sulking, and generally wallowing in my self-pity, I decided to simply tell Jack the truth and see what would happen. What's the worst thing that could happen? I thought, standing up and brushing the dirt off my clothes. He did say that being crazy could be an advantage...maybe he'll trust me more if I tell him the truth!

But then he might just ignore you and send you off the Pearl, a little voice in my head said. You can't trust him to act as you presume he will.

"Well, it's worth a shot," I said aloud. "They always say honesty is the best course..."

And with that, I squared my shoulders and pulled open the door.