p class="MsoNormal"I woke up, a great ache inside my cranium. I thread my fingers through my overly messy mahogany hair, remembering it's shortness. I tried to stand up must banged my head on something. Ringing returned to my ears and I plopped back down onto the dirty ground. Letting my emotions get too involved, fear rushed through me. I blindly thrashed through the darkness, screaming as loud as I good, while making sure that it sounded manly enough. I did not know what was going on but being 'male' might come in handy./p
p class="MsoNormal"Just then light flooded in from above me as a trap door opened. A large hand grabbed my shirt collar and lifted me out of my pit. The man who lifted me up with ease was big and burly, with a smashed up face that made him look like a pug. He was wearing a bandanna around his head, a few hairs on his mostly bald head sticking out. He also had a peg leg./p
p class="MsoNormal"The air around me was crisp and fresh with a salty bit. I was obviously out at sea. The man threw me onto the deck. My body was not amused. I groaned and the pug man laughed. I heard more laughter join him. I am surrounded again, I sighed in my head. Today is not going as style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut hey, you wanted adventure so here ya' have it./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whatcha name boy?" the pug man asked in a rough voice. The men around him echoed his question. Looking around I noticed that all the other men were missing limbs or eyes, and teeth. They all were wearing canvas shirts and had swords and old fashioned pistols strapped to their belts. If I needed any more of a hint of who had captured me, a large Jolly Roger flew at the mast. I was on a pirate ship; surrounded by pirates. I couldn't decide whether to be absolutely terrified or to be brave and amazed. I, using all my my training mind skills, finally decided on the second option./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The name is Edward Hayes." I answered in a low voice. Kingsley had taught me before we left how to amplify my voice and other skills to sound more manly./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe pirates laughed again. I guess that is why their symbol is called the Jolly Roger, I chuckled to myself./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's a fine British name ya' got," a pirate with a hook hand jeered. Another yelled while brandishing his sword, "Ya got any money rich boi?" The pirates grinned at this./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe pug man laughed at this. "We already looked for money, ya scallywags. This boy was servant; a poor sorry soul."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTired of their weird banter and not overly pleased with the strong hand placed right near my neck, I spoke up. "So whatcha gonna do ta me?" I said, trying to both appear very tough, poor, and illiterate as they thought me to be. The pirated stopped laughing and turned to each other discussing my fate./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I say we throw this weakling overboard!" One yelled. Another suggested that they tie me to the mast. Another said to shoot me full of lead. I didn't like the sound of any of those propositions./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI spoke out again. "Oi! Just let me be a pirate!" I yelled. "I'm skilled with a gun," I lamely added. The pirated chuckled, assuming that I was joking. The pug man looked skeptical but did not laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Here boy." The pirate handed me one of his pistols. I tried to hide my utter shock. "See that bird on the mast?" He pointed at the little speck of a seagull, dumbly sitting on the mast that towered above us. I nodded. "I given you one chance. Shoot it dead or I shoot you." He gestured toward the other gun on his hip. "Try anything else and y'll be a dead man too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I gulped, took the gun, and then channelled my energy. Please, I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAn amateur could hit that bird. I checked the gun to make sure it had ammo in it. There was just one bullet in the smooth wood and metal frame; just one shot, just one chance. I aimed the gun up toward the bird, took a deep breath, blocking the pirates' jeers from my mind. I pulled the trigger, noticing the wind and every little movement that the twitching bird made. I released the trigger, hearing the familiar bang. A few seconds later the bird dropped from the mast, right at the pug man's feet. My bullet had gone right through it's heart./p
p class="MsoNormal"Everyone was silent now. The pirates stared at me with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and annoyance etched on their faces. The grinned. "Good job kid." He patted me on the back, and though not violently, I still felt the wind escape my lungs from the force. Then he picked up the bird and yelled toward the crew. "Oi! All of ye! Stop lollygagging and get back to work!" The pirates scattered, returning to their work positions. The pug man then turned to me. "Ya one of us now mate." He took a bandana out of his pocket. I began to hand his gun back to him but he interrupted saying, "keep in and here mate, here's a sweat mopper." He handed me a thing of bullets and the bandana. I took them awkwardly, tied the bandana around my head, the bullets in my pocket, and the gun on my belt. The pug man continued. "I'm Second Cap'n Fierce Face. Ur on the The Rage of Atlantis, the mightiest pirate ship on every ocean in every realm. U'll be workin fer me now boy. Swabbin the deck and such but fightin too. U'll be a good sneaker when gettin treasure." He tossed me a mop and bucket filled of mucky water. "O'course that'll be latter. Ya swab the deck now. When done, get yer grub and report back to me. Yer lucky to be alive, and if ya don't work hard enough, ya won't stay that way." Cap'n Fierce Face walked away with that eerie line, leaving me to clean the large ship's floor until the stars were my only companions./p
p class="MsoNormal"Just then light flooded in from above me as a trap door opened. A large hand grabbed my shirt collar and lifted me out of my pit. The man who lifted me up with ease was big and burly, with a smashed up face that made him look like a pug. He was wearing a bandanna around his head, a few hairs on his mostly bald head sticking out. He also had a peg leg./p
p class="MsoNormal"The air around me was crisp and fresh with a salty bit. I was obviously out at sea. The man threw me onto the deck. My body was not amused. I groaned and the pug man laughed. I heard more laughter join him. I am surrounded again, I sighed in my head. Today is not going as style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut hey, you wanted adventure so here ya' have it./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whatcha name boy?" the pug man asked in a rough voice. The men around him echoed his question. Looking around I noticed that all the other men were missing limbs or eyes, and teeth. They all were wearing canvas shirts and had swords and old fashioned pistols strapped to their belts. If I needed any more of a hint of who had captured me, a large Jolly Roger flew at the mast. I was on a pirate ship; surrounded by pirates. I couldn't decide whether to be absolutely terrified or to be brave and amazed. I, using all my my training mind skills, finally decided on the second option./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The name is Edward Hayes." I answered in a low voice. Kingsley had taught me before we left how to amplify my voice and other skills to sound more manly./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe pirates laughed again. I guess that is why their symbol is called the Jolly Roger, I chuckled to myself./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's a fine British name ya' got," a pirate with a hook hand jeered. Another yelled while brandishing his sword, "Ya got any money rich boi?" The pirates grinned at this./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe pug man laughed at this. "We already looked for money, ya scallywags. This boy was servant; a poor sorry soul."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTired of their weird banter and not overly pleased with the strong hand placed right near my neck, I spoke up. "So whatcha gonna do ta me?" I said, trying to both appear very tough, poor, and illiterate as they thought me to be. The pirated stopped laughing and turned to each other discussing my fate./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I say we throw this weakling overboard!" One yelled. Another suggested that they tie me to the mast. Another said to shoot me full of lead. I didn't like the sound of any of those propositions./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI spoke out again. "Oi! Just let me be a pirate!" I yelled. "I'm skilled with a gun," I lamely added. The pirated chuckled, assuming that I was joking. The pug man looked skeptical but did not laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Here boy." The pirate handed me one of his pistols. I tried to hide my utter shock. "See that bird on the mast?" He pointed at the little speck of a seagull, dumbly sitting on the mast that towered above us. I nodded. "I given you one chance. Shoot it dead or I shoot you." He gestured toward the other gun on his hip. "Try anything else and y'll be a dead man too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I gulped, took the gun, and then channelled my energy. Please, I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAn amateur could hit that bird. I checked the gun to make sure it had ammo in it. There was just one bullet in the smooth wood and metal frame; just one shot, just one chance. I aimed the gun up toward the bird, took a deep breath, blocking the pirates' jeers from my mind. I pulled the trigger, noticing the wind and every little movement that the twitching bird made. I released the trigger, hearing the familiar bang. A few seconds later the bird dropped from the mast, right at the pug man's feet. My bullet had gone right through it's heart./p
p class="MsoNormal"Everyone was silent now. The pirates stared at me with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and annoyance etched on their faces. The grinned. "Good job kid." He patted me on the back, and though not violently, I still felt the wind escape my lungs from the force. Then he picked up the bird and yelled toward the crew. "Oi! All of ye! Stop lollygagging and get back to work!" The pirates scattered, returning to their work positions. The pug man then turned to me. "Ya one of us now mate." He took a bandana out of his pocket. I began to hand his gun back to him but he interrupted saying, "keep in and here mate, here's a sweat mopper." He handed me a thing of bullets and the bandana. I took them awkwardly, tied the bandana around my head, the bullets in my pocket, and the gun on my belt. The pug man continued. "I'm Second Cap'n Fierce Face. Ur on the The Rage of Atlantis, the mightiest pirate ship on every ocean in every realm. U'll be workin fer me now boy. Swabbin the deck and such but fightin too. U'll be a good sneaker when gettin treasure." He tossed me a mop and bucket filled of mucky water. "O'course that'll be latter. Ya swab the deck now. When done, get yer grub and report back to me. Yer lucky to be alive, and if ya don't work hard enough, ya won't stay that way." Cap'n Fierce Face walked away with that eerie line, leaving me to clean the large ship's floor until the stars were my only companions./p