Hello my wonderful readers! I hope I haven't been taking too long to update. I know I procrastinate a lot, so hopefully I'll manage my updating skills. So here is the 3rd chapter for my pirate AU! I decided I'll continue it as a solo story, since I want to write the entire thing, so I posted a separate story called "A Pirates Life For Me." This will be my last time posting the pirate AU on this story, so if you want to follow along, go check out my other story. In the meantime, I'll try to get around to your requests from a few months ago, and I'm also going to write a solo story for the Hogwarts AU. Please give me feedback, review, favorite, and follow! I love to hear how you guys are enjoying my story, and it encourages me to write more. Don't be afraid to request if you want a specific story written. Ask and you will receive!

Without further ado, here is the 3rd chapter of my pirate AU. I hope you enjoy reading it, and once again if you want to continue the adventure, I posted a separate story where I'll be posting the whole thing. Also if you want a specific ship/event/thing to happen, please feel free to comment in the reviews. Thank you for reading!

[requests are highly encouraged!]

As night spread over the Artime, the clouds grew thicker, waters grew choppier, and crew grew on-edge. Waves began to tumble onto the ship, leaving no choice but for the crew to stand on guard on the deck. A violent wind kicked in, making it intensely difficult to steer. Rain splattered everyones faces, at first steady but now a downpour. Thunder echoed across the open ocean and lightning threatened to obliterate the ship.

Captain Alexander Stowe was at the wheel, twisting and turning it this why and then at a desperate attempt to pull them out of the storm. There was nothing, nothing worse than being caught in a storm like this, which unfortunately was what the crew got caught in dozens of times.

Thoughts danced beneath the seventeen-year old boy's temples as he tightened his grip on the wheel, watching his crew run about. From all his years of experience, he knew the storm was much closer to a hurricane than the norm. With his luck, it wouldn't be a sea monster.

Everyone was drenched to the bone, the freezing rain nearly cold enough to freeze everyone's brain cells. Henry and Samheed began climbing the sails to tighten their knots. Suddenly, the ship lurched to the side. Freezing water poured in, and everyone slipped on their feet.

Out of the depths of the ocean rose a giant eel, its teeth barred and eyes set on only one thing. It pulled back and struck at the lower end of the ship, catching the attention of the fallen crew. Everything erupted into chaos. People ran left and right, either at an attempt to kill the eel or fix the broken parts of the ship.

Cursing, Alex rose to his feet, whipping out his sword. Looking a short distance away, he shouted to Thatcher, "Take the wheel!"

As he raced onto the deck, Yazmin, Thatcher's sister, and Carina approached him, her hand resting on her dagger. "What should we do, Captain?"

"There's only only thing we can do," Alex yelled over the wind. "Get rid of that blasted eel!"

He raced to Lani, who he found muttering to herself, looking for the right way to knock out the sea monster. Those fighting were either being thrown to the other end of the boat or nearly eaten. Battle fervor creeped through Alex's veins and tightened his chest. His set his jaw and squared his shoulders, turning to look at his fierce friend and battle-companion. "Ready?"

She nodded, tightening her grip on her long dagger. "Let's do this."

With two simultaneous cries, they dove forward into the fight, ducking low, swinging high, jabbing this way and that at the gigantic eel. It dodged only some of their attacks and reared back, hissing. It opened its mouth wide and dove for the two, who jumped apart at the last second. The eel drew back and lashed at them again and again, dodging their attacks at a faster pace. Alex did not know how long they'd been fighting when two others joined them, Sean and Meghan, firing at the monster with their pistols.

The eel closed in to the middle of the ship, whipping its tail around the deck and causing many of its victims to loose their footing. From the ropes, Samheed and Henry held on with weapons drawn, swiping their swords this way and that when the eel drew near.

"This is certainly an unconventional way to spent my evening," said Alex to Lani. He had just enough time to catch her breathless laugh before he was forced to jump over the sweeping tail of the eel.

Lani was too late. The impact of it's hit and the force of the wind caused her slip and fall overboard. She was lost to the treacherous sea, but there was no time to rescue her. The fight continued on.

Many went belowdecks to fire cannonballs at the eel, but it was in vain. The monster was too fast and slippery.

Samheed jumped from the ropes to join them. He swing his sword alongside Alex, blocking a blow from the eel's tail. He jumped and stabbed at it's tail again, cleanly slicing off the end of it.

"Nice one," Alex told him as the eel flinched and made a low growling noise.

Samheed flashed a grin and raised his sword again. "Are you surprised? I'm not the only good swordsman on this ship."

"You're right," Alex said with a laugh. "The other would be that cabin boy, Cole Wickett."

As the eel focused in again on the three attacking it head-on, Alex barely managed to block a blow aimed for him and spun to slam his blade through the eel's neck. Surprisingly, the blade went straight through, causing the eel to wail in a dreadfully loud roar. Half covering her ears, Meghan fired bullet after bullet until finally, the sea monster could take no more. It dove forward in one last attempt but found itself with one of Carina's daggers embedded in it's throat.

Helplessly biting at it and gurgling, the eel toppled into the sea, defeated.

With it's defeat, the storm began to clear. The wind died down, and the waves no longer rocked the ship. Samheed ran over to the edge, calling Lani's name. The girl was struggling to keep afloat, her legs kicking but getting her nowhere. He threw down a rope that she barely managed to take hold of and began to pull. Sean and Meghan ran over to help, and soon the girl tumbled back onto the deck, trying to catch her breath and ringing out her hair.

Silence pervaded the ship after that. Alex took deep breaths and stared at the destruction done to the ship. The crows nest was cracked and broken. There was a gash in the one of the sails. Debris littered the deck, making it hard to tell what was broken and what wasn't. The ship creaked and groaned for a whole different reason.

From belowdecks, Scarlet emerged, her hair soaking wet and sticking to her shirt. She was one of the youngest in the crew, having just been recruited a few months ago at the age of fourteen. Her face was stern and hard. "Captain! There's a leak belowdecks. It hasn't reached the cabins yet, since it's only on the bottom level."

Alex grimaced, using a hand to wipe the wet hair out of his face. "Tell the others to patch it up. We'll have to dock somewhere and get the ship repaired."

She nodded and ran down again.

"Everyone on deck who isn't helping patch the leak," Alex ordered. "Clean the debris instead. We need to get this ship to a port!"

"Yes, Captain!" came the many replies as the small group of remaining crew members began to clean the deck.

A thought struck Alex, so fearful and sudden his heart nearly stopped. He raced belowdecks, taking in the water pooling at everyone's feet. "Are the dungeons flooded too?"

"Why, yes," Cole responded as if it was obvious. "Everything at the lowest level is completely flooded, so we-"

Alex didn't hear much after that as he sprinted back up the stairs and raced to the hatch that led to the dungeons, his heart pounding. Water had risen nearly to the top, emerging the entire dungeon in water. Cursing numerous times, he struggled to open the hatch. After five times, he yanked it open and was greeted by rushing water.

His mind a blur of pure panic that he didn't understand, his thoughts were only on the prisoner from Warbler.

Sky.

Having no time to loose, he threw his belt and sword aside and dove into the water. Down here, it was already above his head, meaning Sky could likely be dead. He refused to believe that and swam through the dungeons until he stopped at her cage. Her unconscious form floated aimlessly through the water, her hair covering most of her face.

He hurriedly unlocked and opened the cell, kicking his legs with all his might. He caught Sky around the waist and pulled her out of the cell, swimming for the hatch. Resting his feet on the top of the latter, he adjusted his grip and pushed her onto the deck, where various crew members began reviving her.

The captain jumped out himself and closed the hatch behind him, panting hard.

Henry, the best medic on board, was currently doing CPR. Lani, Meghan, Samheed, Sean, and Thatcher surrounded her, staring with growing worry. The rest of the crew emerged from fixing the whole, soundlessly walking over to the unconscious girl. Curiosity was on all of their faces, as majority had never seen the captive girl.

Henry's frown deepened and he sat back, staring at Sky.

"Why did you stop?" Samheed asked in a slightly demanding tone.

Instead of looking at him, Henry looked at Alex. His face was one of mass confusion. "It's not working."

Alex stared at the younger boy, unable to breathe. Questions pelted Henry, but he stuck with the same answer, his eyes beginning to water. "It's not working, it's not working! I don't know!"

Lani rubbed his shoulder and leaned in close to him. "Shh. It's okay, it's okay."

The young boy looked at his sister, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He blinked furiously, and one fell across his cheek. "No it's not!"

Alex suspected the reason for the boy's sadness was not about being unable to save Sky, but being unable to rescue anyone in general. When you were a medic, it was your job to save everyone, he realized.

"It's alright," he told Henry, keeping his shaking voice steady. "Is she breathing? That's what matters."

The younger boy bent down to Sky's mouth, listening for a few seconds. The crew was quiet, waiting for a response. When he rose back up, his eyes were more panicked than before. "I-no."

The captain grunted and moved to Sky's side. "Let me try."

The others moved aside to give Alex space. The boy sighed, crouching low over his prisoner. He began the same attempts Henry had, pumping hard on her chest. His eyes rose to her face, where her lids were shut and unopening. Her eyes had represented a never-ending sunset, one that he could never get bored of. Her exotic, intoxicatingly beautiful face seemed to almost draw him in.

His breath caught and he made his decision, unknowing tears filling up in his eyes. His emotions poured out for Sky, although he hadn't an idea why. Why should he care for this girl? Why should he care she was going to marry Aaron? She was his prisoner. She was only here so he could get back at Aaron for the unspeakable things he's done.

"C'mon Sky, wake up, you daft girl," he whispered, leaning in until he was only an inch away. Her hair tickled his face and neck, turning his veins on edge. Leaning forward, he blew air through her lips.

He wasn't sure how many times he'd done so when he heard a noise come out of her. Shocked and confused, Alex jolted up, heart racing and eyes wide. Everyone's eyes snapped to her.

And then Sky, beautiful and radiant as always, opened her eyes, coughing and gasping for air. Meghan rushed to her side, patting her back until she hacked all the water out. At last, the girl stared at him and him only, her irises seeming to capture all the sunsets in the world, pooled together in harmonious content.

"You-you-" she started accusingly, her eyes narrowing as she looked at his lips.

Alex couldn't help but laugh, relief washing over him more than defeating the eel had. "No. I saved your life."

Slowly, she stood up, her eyes trailing from him to the dozens of people on the deck. "What happened?"

Sean filled her in on the whole encounter, the others too tired to explain. When he was done, Alex gave her a quick introduction of the crew and ordered everyone to finish cleaning the ship before bed. As the others rushed off, he looked back at Sky.

She hugged herself, shaking from the cold water that clung to her skin and clothes. "Now what?"

"Now," Alex grinned knowingly, gesturing to the flooded dungeon. "We figure out your sleeping arrangements."

Sky wasn't sure what exactly had gone down an hour before. She remembered the intense swaying of the ship, leaving her no choice but to latch onto the cell bars. It wasn't much later before she heard the roaring noises, and something jolted into the ship, causing ocean water to flow into the dungeon at a rapid pace. But of course, there was nothing to do to prevent the flood. Sky couldn't swim; many who lived on Warbler couldn't.

Before she knew it, the icy cold water was rushing into her cell, freezing her veins. Bewildered as she was by the death-threatening event, Sky attempted to climb the bars when the water rose higher. Trying to stay afloat was a difficult feat for someone who had never swum before, and she was glad when the world went black and she didn't have to worry about breathing again.

When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the sun lowering onto the horizon, the ship in ruins, and a crowd around her.

Not only was the captain there, but Meghan and Lani were too, along with a dozen unrecognizable faces, all drenched from head to toe. A boy in his twenties, Sean, had done the honors of explaining what went on. And based on her situation, it seemed that the dungeons would no longer be a sleeping option for her.

The news came with much excitement. Not just for Sky, but also the crew. As they did their best to patch up the ship, many of them stole more than a few glances her way. She guessed it wasn't very common for them to have prisoners, judging by their curious expressions.

Sky was more than ready to be out of the dungeons, anyway, and recognized the turn of events as a sign of luck. This way, she could be out in the fresh sea breeze, feeling the sunshine and looking at something other than a dark cell.

Captain Alex had gone off to the ships conference room with a few "close confidants" to discuss her new sleeping quarters. It'd been ten minutes since they'd left, and she waited with growing impatience on the staircase, watching the crew busy themselves. Despite the ship being partly destroyed, it was beautiful: shining colorful stones embedded in the railings, large white sails blowing gently in the breeze, and intricate designs carved on the wooden floor.

She immediately regretted admiring the pirate ship, as beautiful as it seemed. Her mother and Crow were being held captive by the most horrific of all pirates, and were mostly likely being tortured while she was having a far easier time.

She missed her mother more than anything, with her loving hugs, sharp words, and kind smile. Her mother wanted the best for her daughter, shaping her into the young lady she was meant to be. It wasn't what Sky ever wanted, but now she wouldn't mind living through that insufferable lifestyle of tight corsets and straightened backs if it meant seeing her mother again.

Fearful thoughts crept into her head as she wondered how her younger brother was coping. Crow, in all his quiet innocence, had not yet even turned fourteen. He could be annoying, sure, but he held a strength that no one could never take away. He was her brother-her beautiful lovable little brother-and he couldn't take that kind of suffering.

The door to the conference room burst open, snapping the prisoner out of her thoughts. Alex, followed by Meghan and another boy Sky had forgotten the name of walked down the stairs and joined Sky at the bottom.

"Where is it I'm staying?" she inquired, her nerves building up inside her in the presence of the captain.

Alex and the other much taller boy, Samheed, exchanged a look before Alex cleared his throat. "Okay, Sky. Our cabins our belowdecks, and each crew member shares one. That being said, there are no other options except to share a room. We'll have to get our ship repaired anyway, but the dungeons will take weeks to dry out. In the meantime, you'll be sleeping-"

"Outside?" Sky guessed. "I am your prisoner, but after going through all you've put me through, sleeping outside wouldn't be very nice."

The Samheed sighed heavily as Meghan hid a smile. He pointed to the opposite end of the ship, up the stairs, where a large bedroom was. "You aren't sleeping outside. You'll be sleeping there."

Sky turned to it, her eyes widening. "But isn't that-"

"My room?" Alex interjected, a sly tone in his voice. "Yes."

She stared at him. "Your room."

"My room," he replied. "It's that or outside."

Sky thought for a long moment. Alex's room seemed to be the only option, but she didn't like the idea of sharing a room with him. Not only was he was a pirate, but he was annoyingly attractive, and she was afraid that being in close proximity would heighten her chances of forgetting her mission to save her family. Either way, she didn't want to sleep outside, and was too unfamiliar with the rest of the crew to say no.

Finally sighing, she said, "Fine, I'll share a room with...you."

"Good luck," Meghan said, nodding her head towards Alex. "Living with him won't be pleasant."

"Don't worry," Sky assured her. "Nothing here seems to be."

The other boy, Alex's first mate, was looking at Sky with a deep frown and crinkled eyebrows. "You have no idea what unpleasant is. No idea at all."

"Well," she shot back. "I suppose I would if you'd let me free to save my family from Captain Baldhead."

"Which isn't happening," added in Alex quickly, breaking the building tension that his friend gave. "We already discussed that."

"This girl could get us all killed," said Samheed. "She could try and lead us straight to Captain Baldhead. You know what would be unpleasant? All that bloodshed."

"You may be right, but she's not a spy!" Meghan defended. "We wouldn't allow her to lead us anywhere without Alex's consent."

"I never said I would be leading you anywhere!" Sky replied. No one seemed to be listening to her.

"Come off it, Samheed," Alex growled. "I'm handling this. That won't happen. We aren't rescuing anyone from that death-trap and we aren't getting any of our crew killed."

"Not if I kill you first for holding me hostage," Sky said under her breath.

The two boys stared at each other until Samheed backed down, casting a look at Meghan. "Let's help clean up."

Sky raised an eyebrow but Alex only motioned for her to follow him. "Samheed can have a bit of a temper when it comes to things like the life the types of girls like you are used to having."

"So your saying the life I have isn't unpleasant? It's clean, it's nice, but it's not very forgiving," Sky told him.

"How so?" Alex asked as they reached the stairs leading to his quarters.

"Boys have it easy," Sky said. "But girls? Learn a thing or two about the life girls have to live and talk to me after."

"You mean Lani and Meghan?"

She looked at him to see an amused expression on his face. "Girls like me, Captain. Sometimes, there are far too many rules that must be followed. And for the boys, only two. Make money, and form an alliance through marriage."

"So now your saying you don't like the life you used to have," he stated. They were now at the top of the steps, lingering at the door.

"Not true," Sky said, her irritation growing and fingers clenching. "Both this and that had their bad qualities, but that at least had a tolerable lifestyle, which I could handle."

Alex opened the door, revealing a spacious, elegant room, with a large bed in the center. A few drawers for storing clothes was on the side of the room, and a intricate rug was splayed out on the floor. A few chairs surrounded a table made of glass, where a few stacks of maps and books were piled on.

He flashed her a smile. "Can you handle the pirate life?"

Sky was too busy being amazed by his room to respond right away. A wisp of a smile formed itself on her face. "You pirates keep surprising me. But do you expect me to share a bed with you?"

"Not all pirates live on the moldy, plague-ridden ships you hear about," Alex said half-jokingly. He walked across the room and began tugging at some ropes that were suspended from the ceiling. After a few pulls, a hammock came down. "You, are sleeping in my bed. I sleep in this."

"Oh," she said, guilt flooding into her. She didn't know why he was being surprisingly generous, or why he saved her life. She surely didn't deserve his very-expensive-looking bed. "You don't have to offer me your bed, really. I can take the hammock. I'm your prisoner."

"Guest," Alex corrected, surprising her once again. He combed a hand through his wet locks. "I suppose you'll be staying with us for some time. You're my guest, and trust me, I don't need the bed."

Sky deflated and walked to his bed, feeling her hand along the soft cushion and blankets. She reminded herself to not get too comfortable, since these were pirates, but something about Alex's presence calmed her. "Thank you."

His eyes flickered away from her. "You better get to bed. I'll ask Meghan or one of the other girls to send you up a nightgown."

"Girls on this ship wear nightgowns?" said Sky, cocking an eyebrow.

Alex laughed. "What did you expect? Majority of the girls here have nightgowns. They might not wear them, but they're still there."

Sky gave him a look and he returned it with a half-smile. He walked out of the room and was gone a few minutes. When he returned, he handed Sky a pair of plain white undergarments.

"Thank you," she said politely for the second time that night.

She was about to ask him to leave so she could change, but he already had. She didn't understand why Alex was now treating her with much more hospitality. He'd saved her twice. Once from an arranged marriage and once from death. Frankly, she owed him.

She knew these events would change her, she just didn't know how much. She was fearful of the way she felt when around Alex. He was dangerous and toxic, causing Sky's heart to beat at an abnormally fast pace. Boys like him had no place in society. Boys like him were also hung for their piracy, meaning than Sky couldn't get attached to him in any way. Her only goal was to save her family, and she couldn't a pirate boy who'd her kidnapped her change that.

"Why couldn't you have just let me drown?" she murmured. "This would be a lot less painful."

Sky quickly changed into the nightgown, placing the wet blouse and trousers in a bin of dirty clothes. Tentatively, she pulled away the covers of the bed and sank into a bed that felt similar to her own back home. Waves of nostalgia hit her hard, and she didn't try to push them away.

By morning, the pillow was wet with tears.

"Sky," a voice called out. "Sky, wake up."

She turned in the bed and yawned, stretching her hands out, eyes still closed. She sunk again back down into the covers, dozing peacefully. She heard a small laugh. Someone shook her back gently and she grumbled a few unladylike words.

"Come on, rich girl. Wake up," the voice said. "I've got to show you something."

Slowly, Sky opened her eyes, feeling more peaceful than she had in days. The blurry sight she saw before her morphed into Alex, his hands crossed over his chest. Most of his hair was covered by a captain hat, and he wore a fresh brown vest, loose white shirt, and a large sword in his belt. In the morning light, his eyes looked like melted chocolate.

"Get up," he said.

Sky managed to glare at him despite the earliness of the morning. "Wha-what's going on?"

"Breakfast, that's what. Not everyone is up this early, and we'll need all our energy to keep our destination in sight."

"Where are we going?" Sky asked, pulling the covers off her and sliding out of bed. She rubbed her tired eyes.

"To someone that'll repair our ship," he responded. They walked across the room and opened the door.

In the sunrise, the destruction of the ship was much more noticeable. Some pieces of it were missing, along with a chunk of the left side where the eel was attacking most. One sail was slightly ripped. A bit of monster blood littered the edge of the boat.

"Who'd repair a pirate ship?" she inquired, generally interested. "No offense. Just that, well, pirates are illegal."

"Uh huh," Alex responded, leading her down the stairs and into the kitchen. "We have a few in mind who would gladly help us out."

The minute they walked into the kitchen, the sweet aroma of eggs and sausage and any breakfast food imaginable greeted her. She found herself inhaling in the scent. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She didn't remember eating last night.

"I'll take a plate for me and our guest," Alex told the cook, Thatcher.

Thatcher flashed them his pearly whites and flipped a pancake without even looking. "You got it, Captain."

In a matter of moments, two plates were distributed to them. They journeyed back up to the deck and sat on the railing to eat. Sky tried not to, but she practically inhaled her food, shoving forkfuls of food in her mouth. Everything tasted and smelled delicious, and it was by far the best thing she'd eaten in a long time.

Alex was staring at her, mouth open.

"What?" Sky smirked. "Just because I'm hungry doesn't mean I'll use my table manners."

A slow grin formed on his face. "That is the most shocking thing I've seen you do. In fact, it warms me to know that deep in your heart, there's a girl who wants to be careless and not follow the rules of being a proper lady."

She chuckled. "This isn't careless. I do this when no one is looking, I assure you."

For some strange reason, talking with Alex was now with less tension and more light-heartedness. Every time she spoke to him, he seemed less like a kidnapper and more like a friend. She wanted to know how his stiff, proper parents produced such a child. She wanted to know how he became a pirate, and why. Most pressingly, she wanted to know why he resented Aaron so badly.

Alex was still eating. He shoved a chunk of pancake into his mouth, chewing it slowly. "I want to make you an offer."

"Offer?" Sky echoed, her eyebrows scrunching together.

He nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to join my crew."

The expression on her face must've been one of pure shock, as he quickly continued, "You'll be staying with us for quite some time, and I know there's no way you want to go back to your old life."

Sky stared at him, her face hard. "Are you serious? You were the ones who kidnapped me, and my family is still out there. So that is a no. If this is just about preventing me from marrying your stuck-up brother...forget it."

The captain shook his head. "No-okay, maybe. Yes, I kidnapped you for a good cause. I saved you from marrying my awful twin brother and I know you don't want to marry him anyway."

He lowered his eyes and set his plate beside him. "Look, I can't stop you from wanting to save your family. I can help you, but that guy who kidnapped them is insane and murderous."

"I've been told," Sky said, pursing her lips. "If I join your crew, will you really help me? Or will everyone be against it?"

"Hard to say," Alex said. "We'd need to learn of his whereabouts first, then do a lot of strategizing. Last time I encountered him was no fun."

"You saw him in real life?"

"Yes, and I almost died escaping."

Sky looked down at her hands, fingernails filled with dirt. Her hands felt rougher than they were last week. "I'll think about it."

But she lacked conviction in her statement. Letting out a breath, she tried to convince herself there was no reason to be so tough. These people weren't trying to kill her.

At that moment, Lani and Henry approached them, plates of food in their hands. Both looked tired and bruised from last night's attack. Lani took a seat next to Sky, and Henry next to Alex.

"What are you going to think about?" Henry piped up. They'd obviously heard the last bit of their conversation when they came upstairs.

"I asked her to join our crew," Alex said. "But she is wary about her answer."

"Why do you even want me to join?" Sky hissed. "I'm not even-I'm not like you. It's just another reminder that I might not be making the right choice."

"You should join," Lani said, a grin in her voice. "Really, you should. We aren't the killing, murderous type, if you couldn't tell."

Alex chuckled. "If we were, we would've left you to drown."

"I see that," Sky told them, still a bit suspicious about their friendly behavior. "But still, why would you want me? You know where I come from-"

"Is where we've all come from," Alex interrupted. "Sky, there's a million reasons to join piracy." He paused, as if reading Sky's thoughts. "It's not because I want revenge on my brother. You're more than just any girl from Warbler island. Being a pirate is what life is about, not being a wife."

Sky felt conflicted. She was drawn to living a life with adventure, and liked how each person on this ship was free to do as they pleased. She looked to Lani, but she was only nodding in agreement. "It's true. There's no better life than this."

"But...my family," Sky reminded them. "Will you help me find them?"

"It'd be hard to find where Captain Baldhead's ship is hidden," the captain said. "But if you join, I promise we'll try what we can to find them."

Henry agreed with a muffled "Yeah!"

A bit of weight felt as if it was lifting off her shoulders. If she was to join the crew, they would help her. Alex gave his word. She hoped adjusting to life here would be easy. Turns out, it didn't seem so hard.

"Join our crew," Alex said. "And you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again."

"I'll think about it," she repeated, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

A floorboard creaking in the room woke Sky that night.

One never slept well away from home and familiar people, and Sky had long ago become adjusted to home. Home became easier to find in little bits and pieces here, such as Alex's bed, which felt like a cloud. Laying still, she kept her breathing even and low, straining her eyes in the dark.

Trying not to make noise, she crept out of bed and exited the bedroom. She shivered a bit, but was delighted to feel the breeze the ocean gave off, cooling the sweat off her body. The morning sky was still dark with twinkling stars, and the moon shone down brightly on the ship.

The girl walked silently over to the staircase and leaned down, propping up her elbows and resting her chin against it. She liked the unfamiliar sound of the ocean waves hitting the ship. She found herself wishing she could hear it more often.

"Can't sleep?" a voice said from behind her.

Sky jumped, startled. She looked behind her and saw only Lani. "Oh. Yes."

Lani joined her at the rail. She wore a nightgown similar to Sky's. Her long hair was down and tangled, not a hairstyle Sky had been allowed to wear before her kidnapping. "I don't know if I can convince you, but you wanna know my advice?"

Sky listened.

"Piracy is fun, it truly is. Yes, it's dangerous, but would you rather go back to Warbler? Your island has the highest expectations for girls in your society. Why go back? Why marry someone you don't know?"

Sky sighed, looking at the other girl. "Well, that's my home. That's my life. You guys were the ones who kidnapped me, for reasons I still don't know why. The life I live has a lot of rules to follow, but that's where I grew up. I can't abandon my family, and I can't give up on them."

Lani was staring at the water. "I know where your coming from. But sometimes you have to do the things you truly want to...to get the right results."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you don't want to go back to your old life. You want to save your family, but you don't want to marry Aaron, do you?"

Sky looked down, careful with what she was about to say. "Marrying Aaron was never my choice. It was a surprise. I don't know why you guys don't want me to."

"That's for Alex to say," Lani told her simply.

"How...how do you know so much information about me? Even things I haven't told anyone..."

"Because four years ago," Lani said quietly. "I was a lot like you."

Sky looked up in surprise. "You mean..."

The girl nodded. "I lived on the island of Quill, the same island Aaron lived on. I was twelve, and I longed for adventure. I liked to sail when no one was watching. I loved the ocean and it always, well, seemed to call me to come be on it. At an early age, I taught myself to swim because I knew how many girls couldn't. I hated the way society shaped me to be, and after my..." She swallowed and almost looked like she was done speaking. "After my mother died, me and Henry got on a sailboat and started voyaging to different islands. We were recruited by Alex a few months later."

"How old was the captain when he stared his piracy?" Sky asked. She was utterly surprised that Lani would share so much personal information with her.

"Thirteen," Lani replied. "But you know what? None of us regret it. Society out there shapes you to be something you don't want. Arranged marriages...they just lead to unhappiness."

Sky nodded, thinking of Aaron. If she agreed to marry him, how long would it be before the boring routine settled in? She would be forced to obey him and stand by him, not able to speak her mind. Here, speaking her mind seemed like no issue.

At last, she said, "But what of your father? He is alone?"

Lani bit her lip. "I'm not sure any more. I suppose so...but it's complicated. I found out that he was a spy of some sorts. I never found out who he was spying for, but I knew what he was doing was bad."

"But that wasn't the reason you left," Sky guessed.

"No," the girl agreed. "My mother pushed me to be the person I am. She encouraged my love for the ocean and adventure, and before she died she made me promise I would go. She didn't want me and Henry to live a life we didn't want."

"Did..." Sky trailed off, a new thought forming in her head. "Did Henry ever have many birthday parties?"

Lani gave her a weird look. "Yes. Why?"

"My brother..." Her voice caught. "My brother, Crow, mentioned going to birthday parties every year for a boy named Henry. He never let me come with him."

Lani laughed softly, shaking her head. "That would definitely be Henry. He makes row down to a cove in Warbler island every year so he can host his silly birthday parties with friends he's made. It's a small world that your brother, of all people, attends them."

Sky smiled fondly at the thought of her brother and Henry celebrating a birthday party in a cove. Now she really wished she were invited.

"I think I'll consider it," she said slowly. She looked at Lani, her expression turning serious. "The piracy, I mean. But my choice won't stop me from saving my family."

"Good," Lani replied. "I would be as driven as you to save my family if they were put at risk, I promise you that. But if we go now...especially without a plan, we'll all be dead. Captain Baldhead is not a pirate you want to cross."

Sky released a deep sigh. "I know. But if I join your crew, we have to try. We have to."

"No arguing against that."

Lani pulled her into a side hug, making her feel not only that she was safe, but she had just made a very wonderful friend, and there was no polite small talk involved.

It was that following afternoon when Sky had made her decision. They were two days away from reaching port, which meant there would be a lot of time to get started in the pirate business.

She wondered what was wrong with her. Before arriving here, she looked, sounded, and acted like a respectable woman of society, and on the outside, there didn't seem to be a remnant of a child left in her. The young women admired her etiquette, and the young men adored her beauty, yet Sky felt that something was missing.

Maybe this was that something.

She was smiling, but not at the warmth of the temperature or loveliness of the breeze. Sky was smiling at the thought of rebellion. It would mean nothing for a stranger but everything for her family, and she hoped they wouldn't hate her for it. No proper lady she knew had ever become a pirate or dared to step away from the clutches of society.

She emerged from the kitchen and had just eaten lunch with Meghan and Lani (who she grew closer with every passing hour) to find the captain. A bunch of the crew was out and about, some practicing sword-fighting, others laughing or hanging out. Many of the crew looked at her as she passed by, and a few of them smiled politely.

Sky spotted Captain Alex at the wheel, sharing a conversation about direction with Sean and Carina. She picked up earlier that Sean and Carina were married, since they both had rings on their fingers and both shared the same cabin. It gave Sky hope to know that two pirates could be in love without an arranged marriage needed.

Approaching them, she leaned against the rail and stood at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for the group to finish. At last, Alex made eye contact with her and excused himself. He closed the distance between them in a few long strides. Sky did not know why, and she never would have admitted it, but the sight of this young man made her feel short of breath, something she surely had not felt with any other.

"What's up?" Alex asked, fingering his belt.

"After much thought, I made my decision," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Oh," he replied, his eyes boring into hers. She knew he was expecting her to say no. "What is it, then? Your not going to join because you don't want to get dirty?"

"Oh, ha ha. Funny," Sky sneered. She licked her lips and furrowed her brows, a small, nervous smile creeping onto her face. "What would my mother think of my becoming a pirate?"

His expression brightened, a smile blossoming on his face. "You-what? Why the change in heart?"

She laughed for the first time in weeks. "Not a change of heart. Just a change of direction."

Alex beamed and unsheathed his sword. He took her hand and laced her fingers over the handle. The coolness of the blade and the touch of his hands greeted her with a warm satisfaction. "Then a pirate you shall be. How does tomorrow morning sound for our first lesson?"