A/N: Smithy- Thanks for the idea, but I can't do that... I don't think my mom would like that very much. lol. Maybe when I get older I can, though. :)

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, sorry. I can only borrow them, sadly. Only Kristie, Robert, Jonathan, Sarah and any others you don't recognize belong to me. But those ones are MINE! So stay away from 'em, ye scallywags! (beats scallywags off with stick)

Friday, September 27th

Dear Diary,

It is late, so I don't have much time to write. From the crow's nest, I can just barely see the shore of Tortuga in the distance. When I look over and see this place, my stomach feels as though there are a hundred butterflies flitting about in it. Last night I had a terrible nightmare- a strange, obviously drunk man with a greasy-looking, scraggly beard and long, tangled grey hair tried to grab me. It sounded like he was saying something, but he was so full of rum that his words were no longer understandable. As he stumbled towards me, I felt sick to my stomach. I tried to scream for Mum and Father, but my voice betrayed me and I only managed a pitiful squeak. I lifted a mug from a nearby table and was about to hit him with it, when I was awakened. Never before have I been thankful for Kristie's snoring, which brought me out of that dream, much to my relief. I was terrified- it all seemed so real! (Although I must admit, I was the slightest bit disappointed that I didn't get to hit that awful man with the mug.) Common sense tells me that such a thing is highly unlikely, that I shall constantly be with my parents. But still I am jittery about this trip.

Nightmares aside, this trip has been quite pleasant thus far. I apologize that I have not written for a few days. I simply could think of nothing to tell you of. Everything is going well, other than the extensive damage done to the starboard side of the ship. I had not a single interesting thing to write

Uncle Jack told me we should arrive in Tortuga at around dawn tomorrow. I do not know whether to be thrilled or to cringe at the thought. I suppose I shall find out tomorrow.

Always,

Sarah Turner

The next morning, Kristie was awake and alert before the sun's rays had even begun to climb over the horizon. Try as she might, she was unable to conceal her anticipation. Danger and risk thrilled her, and Tortuga promised plenty of that. The previous night, before scrambling up the rickety ladder to her bunk, she had laid out her favorite shirt, a tomboyish style in a plain brown that was the slightest bit big on her, next to a pair of old trousers. Alongside these she placed her beloved black pirate boots and her sword, which she had crafted herself with some help from Sarah's father. Finally, she laid her beloved bandanna out, ready for use.

She had hardly been able to sleep that night, her brain was so full of exciting thoughts. While she lay awake, staring at the ceiling, she could hear Sarah tossing and turning in the bunk below her, though she guessed her friend's insomnia was for far different reasons than her own. Sarah tended to be quiet and reserved, taking in every minute detail from the sidelines. While there was no doubt in Kristie's mind that the youngest Turner was just as brave and tough as her parents, she also knew that she hated to endanger anyone. True, Kristie's fiery ways and outspoken manner often got them into trouble, and without Sarah's calm, observant demeanor to keep her own temper in check, she would probably be in terrible shape. But still, even after being as close as sisters all their lives, Kristie failed to understand her friend's lack of enthusiasm for their upcoming adventure.

Now, as she almost fiercely knotted her hair back with the blue bandanna, she glanced over to find her friend still buried in the blankets, the pillow over her head as always. Why was she still asleep at this hour? Surely it must be 6:00 by now! Shaking the lump she assumed to be her shoulders, first gently, then more vigorously, she whispered urgently, "Sarah! Wake up!"

Sarah uttered something along the lines of "Mmph uggghh uh," before rolling over and burying her face deeper in the mattress. Frustrated, Kristie shook her again, harder this time, and spoke aloud.

"We're almost there! Please get up." Her voice was almost pleading.

With a groan, Sarah extracted her head from beneath the pillow and disentangled herself from within her blankets. Sleepily rubbing her half-closed eyes, she asked, "What is it?"

"We drop the anchor in a few minutes!"

When it dawned on the older girl just what was going on, she sat bolt upright, all traces of grogginess having vanished from her face, and sprang to action. She clumsily tried to grab her clothes while diving behind the changing screen, not wanting to be still abed when the Pearl docked in Tortuga. Hurriedly throwing on a plain white tunic and brown trousers, she snatched up the worn canvas bag containing her diary and slung it over her shoulder. As the girls made their way down the creaky wooden floors of the damp corridor, she ran her fingers through her hair in an unsuccessful attempt to comb it out.

As the pair poked their heads out the hatch and scrambled up onto the deck, the morning's first light was just spilling over the silvery waves. Before their eyes lay Tortuga, and it was everything they had imagined- loud, dirty, chaotic, and simply reeking of danger, as well as rum. Sarah recoiled slightly at the sight. Kristie leaned eagerly over the railing, curious anticipation apparent on her features.

"Well, there ye 'ave it," Jack said gallantly, waving an arm clumsily in the direction of their destination. "Ole' Tortuga, in all 'er splendor." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Sarah bit her lip somewhat anxiously. Will glanced at the older pirate, amused at his fondness for the filthy place. Kristie grinned smugly, thrilled at the prospect of seeing what she had so far only heard stories of. Anamaria hardly even took the time to look up, for she was trying to pry Jonathan's wooden toy sword from the toddler's surprisingly firm grip. Robert smiled softly, but the reason for the smile was anyone's guess, such a quiet character was he. They prepared to go ashore.

"But, Mom!"

"You 'eard me! You are not goin' ashore, it's too dangerous! Robert 'ain't even comin'."

"But why not?"

"Kristie, yer only ten, 'n that's a mite young for the streets of Tortuga."

"Almost eleven. Anyways, you grew up there, an' nothin' bad came o' it!"

"Kristianna Sparrow, yer stayin' on the ship. Subject closed." To accentuate her point, waved her hand like a director silencing his orchestra. Kristie opened her mouth to protest, but remained silent at her mother's warning look.

Sarah stood meekly off to the side, feeling a bit awkward witnessing an argument between mother and daughter. Although she too was disappointed, she knew it was improper to argue with the adults. Unless, that is, it was Jack and he had imbibed too much rum recently. In that case, her parents agreed it was perfectly all right to ignore him.

From her place off to the side, she tentatively spoke up. "Kristie, perhaps your mother is right. Besides, someone must watch Jonathan." The other girl glared at her.

"What about Pintel and Ragetti? They've taken care of him before," she pointed out, hoping to change their minds, but they all knew it was a weak argument. Heaving an overly dramatic sigh and rolling her eyes, she finally conceded. "Fine," she muttered.

"That's my girl." Ana nodded in approval. "Trust me, ye won't be missin' out on much." Kristie glanced at her skeptically. "An' besides, ye'll be old enough 'fore ye know it. Enjoy yer childhood while ye still got it," her mother advised.

Pursing her lips and shifting her gaze towards the sea, Kristie asked, "How long will ye be gone?"

"We gotta fetch some new supplies, an' we gotta find us a couple more deckhands- two made a run fer it when we pulled in just now, n' Flanders is sick n' goin ashore," Ana looked thoughtful for a moment, as though calculating in her mind the time all this would take. "That'll prob'ly take about five, six hours. Once all that's done, we gotta drag yer Papa an' Gibbs away from their rum, which'll prob'ly take about half an hour. So, no more 'n six n' a half, seven hours."

"Savvy," Kristie replied. Sarah glanced suspiciously over at her friend. Seven hours was a long time, especially for one so active as Kristianna Sparrow. For her to agree to this so willingly without first concocting some mischievous plan was highly unlikely. She wondered just what might be brewing in that unruly mind.

She was to discover this sooner rather than later, for the moment she decided the adults could no longer hear her, she shifted Jonathan to rest against her left hip, then turned to Sarah, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Get whatever ye need ta bring. I'll git Robert."

"What?" Sarah was taken aback. "What for?"

"Why, ta go ashore, wot else?" Kristie replied over her shoulder. By now she was already striding towards the hatch; Sarah still stood at the rail as though in a daze. When she heard the distinctive creaking of the hatch opening, she snapped back to attention.

"You know we can't do that!" she exclaimed. Yet she was excited by the thought, and impulsively followed her friend down to the corridor below. After all, she had to convince Kristie not to follow through on this, right?

Catching up with the younger girl, she tapped her shoulder. "Wot?" she asked, turning to face Sarah.

"What about Jonathan? We can't simply leave him unattended," she pointed out. Kristie glanced down at the child she still held, then to Sarah, then back again, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Looks like the kid's gotta come wit' us," she decided, turning away and reaching for a canteen and bag of biscuits slung over the bedpost. Sarah had not noticed these supplies hanging there before now, and paused briefly, vaguely curious as to why they were there. In all likelihood Kristie had placed them there so they would be readily accessible in just such a situation as this. Mistaking Sarah's pause for agreement, she turned back and said, "Savvy?" It was spoken more as an order than as a question, leaving very little room for argument.

Curiosity and common sense dueled for control in Sarah's mind. While she knew it was wiser to remain on board the Pearl, when would she have another opportunity such as this? If she failed to seize this chance, there was a possibility that she would never see Tortuga. This thought was her undoing, and before her mind had a chance to react, the response escaped from her lips. "Savvy."

"This was a bad idea," Sarah muttered as she and Robert, who was dutifully carrying little Jonathan, traipsed along behind Kristie. They had been exploring the streets of Tortuga for about half an hour now. No longer was Sarah intrigued by the chaotic place. No, she had had her fill of this disgusting place within about five minutes of taking her first steps therein. The crowded, noisy taverns, the drunkards roaming the streets in a daze, and the thick, revolting stench of rum and unwashed bodies wreaked havoc on her senses and made her feel like vomiting. Surely this was a terrible place for one so young as Jonny! She had continuously berated herself for agreeing to Kristie's plan, who, on the other hand, insisted that they continue their adventure

Sarah's nose crinkled up in utter disdain as she glanced down to find some unidentifiable brown muck caked onto her left boot. She knew naught what it was, and had no desire to learn. "I'm hungry," she piped up, in hopes of distracting Kristie from her unquenchable curiosity about this place.

"Me too," Robert murmured.

"Well, wot are ye gonna do if ye get hungry later if ye eat up all the food now?" Kristie reasoned, turning to face her grumbling companions.

"Later?" Sarah asked incredulously. "Just how long do you intend to wander out here?" She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Don' know. 'Nother couple hours maybe?" In response, Robert raised his eyebrows. It was clear that he had no intention of remaining here much longer. Sarah looked back and forth between the two and shook her head. She had never imagined twins could be as different as these two were.

"I say we turn around and go back to the ship this moment," Sarah announced, planting her feet firmly on the cobblestones and putting her hands on her hips.

"I'm wit' Sarah," Robert spoke up. "Not tha' this ain't fun, but I think it's best we head for the Pearl."

"Wot, are ye scared?" Kristie asked in mock sympathy.

"No, of course not," the other girl retorted indignantly. "But Kristie, be honest with yourself. Is this the best place for your little brother to be exposed to?"

"I was four when Papa firs' lemme see Singapore, 'e'll be jus' fine."

"Kristianna Jacquelyn Sparrow, you can't simply ignore us! Three of the four of us wish to return to the ship, meaning only one prefers to continue exploring. It seems quite obvious what we ought to do." Sarah was growing angry now.

"'Tisn't as if I forced ye to come along," the younger girl shot back. "Ye agreed ta come!"

"Well, if you won't come with us now, you shan't have any companions for the rest of your little expedition, for I intend to go back whether you are with me or not." Sarah did not honestly intend to leave her friend, but she assumed her words would convince her of the foolishness of her plan. Sure enough, at Sarah's declaration, Kristie's fiery temper cooled off the slightest bit. As much interest as she harbored for this rowdy little seaport, the thought of braving it alone caused even her to think twice about venturing further. Even in the short time they had been there, they had seen seven fistfights and two deaths, been threatened by drunkards twice, and had seen only one other child younger than thirteen or fourteen.

At length, she relented. "Savvy." Her voice betrayed the slight sting of loss she felt in leaving so soon, but somewhere in her reckless heart she knew it was best that they leave. She wouldn't want to lose her parents' trust. After all, their confidence was incredibly valuable when it came to negotiations and haggling her way into things- like trips to Singapore, her favorite destination.

"Well, then, let's go, shall we?" Sarah said cheerily, eager to leave Tortuga and it's foul stench as soon as possible. Kristie nodded, and dismally turned to head for the ship. She and Sarah abruptly halted when they heard a muffled sound from Robert which was somewhere between a yelp and a gasp. The girls spun on their heels, half expecting him to be in the iron grip of a drunken sailor. Rather, they found him simply staring at the top of a simple wooden barrel on the side of the street, his face blanched and his jaw hanging slack.

With a slowness that rivaled that of a snail, he turned to them, mixed terror and guilt plastered across his paled face. "What- what's wrong?" Sarah inquired hesitantly, not truly wishing to know the answer.

His voice trembling, he managed to utter three words that would be the start of a great adventure. "Jonathan is gone."

A/N: Dun-dun-dun-DUUUUNNN... Whaddya think? Let me know! :D

I'm having WAY too much fun with Sarah and Kristie. It can't be healthy... But I gotta write more! Aaaahh :D Now, off I go to write chapter five! Alas, my children, this is the day you shall always remember as the day you almost- (trips and falls flat on face) Inkyfingers... 999... I shall be back! (pulls cape over shoulder and disappears using epic ninja skills)