I woke up to a light shining in my face.

"Wake up! Bloody hell, wake up!"

"Hmm..."

"Jessica!"

"Nooo..."

"Cap-n, should we just leave her?"

"No, you blithering idiot! Wait, Smee, she's waking up! Get me some water!"

I blinked, and raised my hand to block the sun from my eyes. From the light appeared a vague figure, of a tall man dressed in all black and leather. Glinting from his right hand was a silver hook. "Captain Hook?" I asked, dazed. "Yes, Jessica!" Hook looked relieved. "What..what happened?" I said, not remembering much. "You um, well actually, come here with me, love."

He took my hand and pulled me up, leading me into the captain's quarters, where I stood in front of a mirror. A white shirt had been haphazardly thrown over me, hiding the marks on my back. I took the shirt off and held one arm across my chest, turning in the mirror to stare at the bloody red lines criss-crossed over my back. I went to touch one, but it stung so much that it brought tears to my eyes.

I collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

"Hey, okay, no, I didn't save your life for you to cry on my floor," Hook was rolling his eyes, not wanting to deal with my episode. I bit my lip, stood up, and glared at him hard. "I would like to join your crew." I said, flatly. Hook laughed. "Love, you wouldn't last a day."

I gestured at my reflection is the mirror. "I lasted through that, didn't I?"

Hook seemed to rethink his position. "We'll talk about it."

I wasn't sure how long it had been. Three, four days?

Hook and his crew were taking care of me, but that wasn't what I wanted. What could possibly be better than being a swashbuckler, right? Sailing the high seas and defeating enemies?

Hook said that wasn't how it worked. "Do me a favour," he told me, "and scrub the dishes in the scullery will you?"

He tried to walk off, but I grabbed his sleeve and forced him to look at me. "Hey!"

"What now?"

"I grew up doing two things- swimming or surfing, and making music. If anyone knows their way around water, it's me!"

"That's funny, love. Hilarious, in fact. You don't know what's in these waters."

"Then teach me! Hook, I need this!"

I watched him look out at the ocean and sigh. "My brother Liam, he thought he knew what he was doing. Turned out he didn't."

"I'm sorry."

Hook turned around and looked at me. "First of all, you will call me 'Captain.' Second, you will spend upwards of a week learning how to navigate the seas, this ship, and the use of a sword before you are trusted with anything. Tomorrow, we will be docking outside of a city, where you will come with me to get you a more suitable outfit."

I looked up and down myself, bare except for boyshort-underwear and a shirt.

"Yes! Yes, thank you!" I yelled, and threw myself up and onto Hook, giving him a hug. He cleared his throat and peeled me off of him. "Tomorrow."