Disclaimer: (insert pathetic attempt at humor here) I don't own pirates. (Seriously, guys, I'm getting sick of writing these things.)

The next morning, Sarah made a valiant effort at dragging herself from bed before Kristie. This proved to be a challenge as the younger girl had taken after her mother in one respect- she was usually up before the sun. Shortly before dawn, Sarah forced herself to move to a sitting position, despite the fact that she was still incredibly groggy. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she slid out from between the blankets, shivering slightly at the sudden loss of warmth as she left the cozy comfort of her bunk and her bare feet made contact with the icy floor. She rested one knee upon the thin mattress, reaching behind the bed for her bag. Opening it, she rifled through its contents, eventually extracting a tiny box containing the locket. Removing the necklace, she rested it in her palm. She glanced apprehensively at Kristie's sleeping form buried beneath the blankets upon the upper bunk to be sure that her friend was still asleep. Seeing that the girl remained in peaceful slumber, she returned her focus to the simple locket in her cupped hand. She lovingly ran her thumb over the initials engraved upon it, feeling very proud of her work. Granted, her father had done much of the actual work, but she was pleased with herself nonetheless.

Though it was still dark out, Kristie was already beginning to stir in her sleep, alerting Sarah to the fact that she would wake within a matter of minutes. Hastily returning the necklace to its box and tucking the leather cord neatly beneath it, she dropped it back in her bag and hurriedly grabbed her deck attire, getting dressed in record time. With a smirk, she considered how her friend might react if she not only awoke before her, but was above decks by the time Kristie rose. She grinned at the thought, and scurried for the door, slipping outside into the dark corridor.

She poked her head out the hatch and peered about the deck, noting that she had arisen not only before Kristie, but before anyone else. She bit her lip. She had rather hoped that someone else would be awake by now, and for once she was grateful that Kristie would come up soon. As she settled down on the stairwell, it occurred to her that this might be her only opportunity to write today, and seated herself on a stair, pulling book and writing utensils from her satchel.

Wednesday, October 2nd

Kristie and Robert turn eleven today! This morning I woke before her, which is a rare occurrence as she is always up before the sun. I assume that by now she is up and getting dressed. I am writing this by the pale gray light just beginning to creep up on the horizon. I am surprised that Father is not here yet; he usually is awake at dawn, and Mum is up a few minutes later. Well, I do know that Father had to work on deck quite late, so perhaps he simply needed the extra rest. I can't say as I blame him. I myself am just now fully awake!

By the way, I learned yesterday what Robert hides in that little book of his. He seemed thoroughly embarrassed when I first looked into it, but I know naught why. He does not write, as I had originally assumed, but creates positively wonderful drawings. There was one of Uncle Jack, one of Mum and Father, one of Kristie and I up in the crow's nest, and countless others, including one of Anamaria holding Jonathan. That was the last I saw, as I could no longer focus on the artwork. Anyway, they were quite remarkable. Who knew he was such a talented artist?

I must go, surely someone will be up soon.

Always,

Sarah Turner

Returning her writing supplies to their home in her bag, she stood and ambled away from the steps, not having any particular destination in mind. Suddenly she shivered, and it occurred to her that the day was quite brisk. She chided herself on not wearing something better suited to the weather, but decided that she simply could not return to the cabin to fetch anything, lest Kristie accuse her of lying when she said she had awoken first. Rubbing her arms in attempt to generate heat, she allowed her dark eyes to wander over the deck, taking in the sight of the morning's first light. After all, she would likely never see it again at this time of day! Her gaze stopped short as she caught a glimpse of something- or rather someone- on the top deck. She silently tiptoed towards the figure. Upon getting a closer look, she realized with a start that it was Jacob. Who else wore a hat like that?

The boy stood motionless at the railing, staring out over the ocean. Abruptly, he jumped nervously, whirling about to where he nearly was looking Sarah straight in the eye. She thanked God for giving her quick reflexes as she dropped swiftly to a crouching position, narrowly escaping Jacobs wary gaze. She remained there behind a barrel with bated breath for what seemed like an eternity, before he hesitantly turned back to the sea, once again leaning against the walls of the ship. Still on her hands and knees, she began slowly making her way towards the hatch nearby. After just a few yards, however, she stopped. It had occurred to her that he would surely hear the distinctive creaking sound created by the hatch as she opened it, but how had he not heard it when she first came outside? Her heart skipped a beat. Either he had been asleep, or he knew she was there. She simply sat down, trying to figure out what to make of the situation. After a few moments' consideration, she decided to act as though nothing was wrong at all. Scampering back to where she had sat just a few minutes hence, writing in her precious diary, she took her place there upon the steps as though she had never moved from that spot. She paused a few seconds for good measure, then stood, pretending to tuck her diary into her bag. She stole a fleeting glance at Jacob, mildly disappointed to note that he still failed to acknowledge her presence. She took a few tentative steps in his direction, then stopped. She craned her neck, trying to see his face. When at last she caught a glimpse beneath the wide brim of his hat, she froze. His eyes were red from crying.

"Sarah! Yer up!" Kristie greeted her cheerfully, scrambling to the deck and letting the hatch slam shut behind her, causing the older girl to wince at the loud noise. Stealing one last glance at the mysterious deckhand nearby, she turned back to the birthday girl.

"I'm surprised ye could get up that early, but I gotta admit I'm kinda sad I didn't get ta wake ye up," Kristie admitted as the two headed down to the galley. Sarah merely smiled in response, unable to hide the fact that she was at least a bit proud of such an accomplishment. The younger girl continued yammering on about something, but no matter how she tried, Sarah could not focus on her words, instead finding her restless mind wandering. Jacob thoroughly baffled her, more and more with each passing day. He was even more of an enigma than Robert, if that was at all possible. He had left home because of family issues, disliked for anyone to see his face, had an odd accent, apparently had some kind of connection to Jonathan's kidnapper, kept a comb in his possessions, hid said possessions in a corner of the galley, and was obviously very depressed. She had absolutely no idea what to make of it all.

"Sarah? Sarah!" Kristie's sharp voice penetrated her thoughts, and she snapped back to attention.

"What?"

"You haven't 'eard a word I said!" she accused. The older girl winced, wondering how long she had neglected to listen to her friend's chattering.

"Sorry," she muttered halfheartedly.

"No, yer not," her companion declared. Then, after a brief pause, "What's on yer mind? Spill it."

Sarah took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Who better to confide in than Kristianna Sparrow? She couldn't tell the adults; they were far too stressed already. Robert made her nervous with his quiet, stand-offish ways. Jack was usually drunk. "Jacob," she replied simply. The other girl nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, 'e's a more 'n bit strange. Wot did 'e do now?"

"Well, I came up here this morning as the sky was just beginning to get lighter, and after a few minutes, I noticed him over at the railing. When I got a closer look, I saw that he- he had been crying."

Kristie stared at her, dumbfounded. "But why?"

"How would I know?"

"Hmm. Maybe 'e found out we searched 'is stuff?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I doubt that would make anyone cry, Kristie. He would probably be upset, but I highly doubt that he would be in tears over it."

"Well, it was the first thing I thought of," Kristie retorted. "Why else, though?"

"I don't know." Sarah sighed, staring off into space once more. "I just don't know."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, their minds drifting to thoughts of Jacob and of Jonathan, as well as of their connection to each other and to this mysterious Ivan.

At length, Kristie broke the silence. "It's my 'leventh birthday, and no one's even outta bed yet 'cept us and the mystery kid out there," she huffed.

Sarah couldn't help but smile at her friend's antics. She was about to suggest that they awaken Robert- after all, it was his birthday as well- but changed her mind. "Would you like to open your gift now?" she inquired, smiling hopefully. Kristie tilted her head to the side, regarding her with curiosity.

"Ye got me a present?"

"Of course!"

Her eyes lit up, and Sarah smiled to herself, rifling through the contents of her bag in search of the little box. At last finding the object, she extracted it from the satchel and looked proudly at it before depositing it in Kristie's outstretched palm.

Kristie stared eagerly at the item for a few moments, enjoying the curiosity of it all. She was quite curious at this point, for it looked as though it would contain some type of jewelry, which both girls knew very well that she would never wear. Sarah stood by, waiting patiently for her to peer inside. She knew this routine all too well- Kristie thoroughly enjoyed simply staring at something, letting the anticipation build. It was a rather unusual habit, but no one would ever accuse her of being an ordinary child.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, she anxiously pulled the lid off of the box. At first her brow furrowed, and Sarah began to worry that perhaps she did not like her gift after all. These fears dissipated, however, when Kristie slowly, almost reverently, lifted the pendant by its leather cord, admiring its intricately engraved markings. "Do you like it?" Sarah inquired tentatively.

"Nah," she replied nonchalantly. She looked up to see her friend's shoulders droop in disappointment. "I love it," she finished with a grin. A huge smile broke out on Sarah's face.

"That wasn't very nice," she chided teasingly.

"No, but it was fun," Kristie answered with a smirk. Sarah glared at her for a moment before throwing her arms around her neck in a happy embrace. At first the younger girl stiffened a bit at the sudden contact, but just as quickly she relaxed.

Pulling back, Kristie grinned. "Let's go wake up the others, savvy?"

Sarah smiled in return. "Savvy."

The rest of the day passed pleasantly enough, especially considering the harsh reality. Kristie and Robert's friends and family did their best to make their special day an enjoyable one, though no one could possibly silence the nagging worries about the next day from their minds- a fact evidenced by the tension filling the air even in their most carefree moments over this past week. Robert, now at least somewhat more confident in his artistic abilities, presented his twin sister with a sketch of her standing at the wheel of her own ship, which she promptly tacked to the wall beside her bunk. In return, she gave him some colorful wooden beads, telling him it was about time he started braiding them into his hair and that he would look more like a pirate if he did so. Jack and Ana gave Kristie a map of the entire world, something she had wished for for many months now, and a ship's log in which to record her travels and such, and gave Robert the compass he had pointed out a few months before. Though far more quiet and reserved than his siblings, he did enjoy adventure.

Evening found Sarah and Kristie on the top deck, playing the latter's favorite game, liar's dice. Kristie eagerly eyed the pile of matchsticks they were playing for, contemplating what she could do with them if she won- no, when she won, she quickly corrected herself. About a year before, they had agreed that with the matchsticks they won, they could pay the other for the right to decide a day's activities. She stole a glance at her dice before turning back up to face her opponent with a disarmingly confident expression. She continued to stare her down as she deftly scooped her own dice into the container, spilling them out on the deck before her and concealing them with an arm, tallying up the results, skillfully hiding any emotion behind a mask of indifference. When one played against a Sparrow at a game of deception on a regular basis, one had to learn well or be made a fool of with every game. "Full house, fours over twos," she announced, her voice laden with confidence. With a satisfied grin, Kristie straightened out.

"Yer bluffin'," the younger girl stated simply.

"Oh? And what would make you think that?"

"Yer eye twitched again," she said with a smirk.

"Did not!" Sarah retorted, indignant, though her voice betrayed her amazement at her friend's keen observation.

"C'mon, lemme see 'em," Kristie prodded teasingly. "Ye know the rules."

Disappointment surfaced on Sarah's face as she removed her arm, revealing not a full house, but rather a two, a three, a four, a five and a six- a high straight.

"Hah!" Kristie yelled gleefully, pointing at her friend. "Caught ya!" Sarah merely smiled and shook her head in wonder. This child was second only to her father when it came to this game, she had to admit. She gathered up the dice and returned them to their proper places in the old dish for the next game as her companion happily claimed her prize.

As Kristie became engrossed in counting up her loot, Sarah's thoughts inevitably drifted once again to the absent member of their happy little family. Her eyes wandered to the full moon overhead and she absently murmured, "I wonder if Jonathan will be as good as you are when he gets older."

Kristie continued counting out the matchsticks, though much more slowly now as she too thought of her younger brother. "We'll git 'im back tomorrow." Her words were uttered stoically, and she did not even look up. Sarah nodded in agreement, and they sat there in silence for a few moments as the last edges of light disappeared over the horizon, cloaking the Pearl in darkness.

That night, sleep evaded those aboard the ship, leaving them to wrestle with their fears and uncertainties in regard to the events looming ahead of them the next morning. Sarah and Kristie both tossed and turned into the wee hours of the morning, the obnoxious creaking of the bunk bed not aiding them at all in their attempts to obtain a night of rest. Meanwhile, Robert lay awake behind the next door, the emptiness of the trundle bed beside him haunting him. He was consumed by an overwhelming sense of guilt when he so much as heard his brother's name or laid eyes on his possessions. Jack and Ana both lay awake, simply unable to close their eyes. Will and Elizabeth were the only ones who actually managed to sleep that night.

Finally, at a little more than three hours past midnight, Kristie whispered, "Sarah, ye awake?"

"Of course I am. I haven't slept a wink," she muttered.

Thus reassured that she would not awaken her friend in doing so, Kristie scampered down the ladder. Surprised at the sudden action, Sarah sat upright and hesitated a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"

"Gettin' up," Kristie replied calmly, as though there was nothing unusual about it.

"Dare I inquire as to your intentions?" Sarah drawled, one eyebrow quirking up.

"If I can't sleep, I might s'well go explorin'," she reasoned, slipping her bare feet into her worn leather boots.

Sarah was about to ask what there was left to explore, seeing as she had lived on this ship most of her life, but bit her tongue. Truth be told, since she could not sleep a wink, she herself wished to escape the cramped cabin and stretch her legs. Perhaps she ought to join her friend. She considered the option for a brief moment, then climbed out of the lower bunk, shrugging into her coat and tugging on her own brown boots.

She silently closed the cabin door behind her as she stepped out into the hall, finding Kristie waiting impatiently for her. Looking up at her expression, she could easily tell that there was a smart remark on the tip of her tongue. However, it was nigh onto three- thirty in the morning, and she did not want to put up with any teasing at this hour. She shot Kristie a warning look, and she responded with a piteous look. She sighed. Another perfect comment snubbed.

They crept down the hallway, careful to avoid those sections of the floor that creaked when forced to bear their weight. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a faint rustling noise, followed by a creak, coming from behind the door to her left, which led to her parents' cabin. Motioning for Kristie to stay put and remain silent, she stepped out of her boots and tiptoed barefoot up to the door. She doubted her mother and father would appreciate their daughter roaming about the ship in the dead of night while they slept, and prayed they had not heard her footsteps and been awakened. Edging closer, she bent to peer through the keyhole. In the darkness she could see her parents sleeping peacefully, Elizabeth snuggled up under Will's chin, his arms wrapped protectively around her. She smiled to herself at the sight. She highly doubted that they would awaken anytime soon.

She inched quietly away from the door, then turned to Kristie and signaled to her that all was well. When they reached the hatch, they opened it as slowly as possible, then closed it in the same fashion when they were above decks. When it shut with nothing but a gentle clicking noise, Sarah let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Almost as one unit, they turned to the ship's wheel, only to find the hand who was supposed to be steering with his hands on the spokes, his head hanging, asleep. With their shipmates on the opposite side of the closed door, they were free to raise their voices just a little bit. "So what you want to do, now that we're up here?" Sarah inquired.

"One, see if Jacob's up 'ere. Two, watch for land." The older girl looked at her skeptically.

"I doubt we'll find him."

"Why not? He was out 'ere when you woke up 'fore the sun yesterday."

"To be an early riser is one thing, to stay up all night is another!"

"If ye don' wanna come, why don't ye go back below, then!"

Sarah grimaced. Unfortunately for her, Kristie always knew just what to say to make her change her mind about matters such as this, and it could get quite annoying. "How about you go look for Jacob, and I'll go see if I can spot the island yet," she proposed.

Kristie made no reply, but simply shrugged and strode off to scour the ship for the crew member in question. Sarah meandered over to the railing, taking her time. Despite her lack of rest, she was only the tiniest bit sleepy. Resting her forearms against the weathered wood, she leaned forward, squinting at the sea stretched out before her. Though it was dark out, the lights on deck allowed her to see fairly well at least a short distance in front of her. At first she could not see anything at the horizon, save for a light misting of fog adorning the water's edge. Not willing to give up just yet, she let her eyes rove over the scene, anxiously searching for any sign of their destination. Suddenly a small object in the water below caught her eye, and her brow furrowed. She took a few steps to her left, peering down at the curious article. Upon closer examination, she discovered that it was a twig, complete with a few green leaves. An elated smile spread across her face when she saw this. Such a branch meant that there was land nearby, for that was the only place such a tree could survive. Then a voice spoke from just a few inches behind her. "What're ye lookin' at?"

Sarah spun around quickly, not having heard anyone behind her. "Kristie! Don't scare me like that!" she scolded. The younger girl grinned mischievously, then moved to stand at her side and look down where she had just seen Sarah gazing. Though the branch had drifted away on the current, she managed to catch a glimpse of it just before it disappeared from view. She raised an eyebrow at her companion, wondering how on earth such a thing could make her so happy. Suddenly her jaw dropped and she grinned happily as she suddenly realized the twig's significance. "So did you find Jacob?" Sarah asked.

"No," Kristie muttered, kicking at the ground, hating to admit that she had been wrong.

"Well, I couldn't see land, so neither of us found what we wanted to," Sarah said gently, not wanting to see her friend unhappy.

"No, but ye saw signs o' land, an' that's close enough."

Sarah made no reply, silently conceding that this was true. "We should get back to our cabin before someone finds us," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Kristie admitted. With one last look out at the ocean, the two headed for the hatch. When they climbed back into their respective bunks and closed their eyes, each fell into a restful sleep, content in knowing that by this time tomorrow, little Jonathan would be safely aboard the ship once more. Little did they know that their adventure was far from over.

(A/N:) Ehh, not too much going on in this one. I promise chapter nine will be more exciting. :) Thanks to all my readers for sticking around so far, especially those who reviewed! You guys are awesome, and I really appreciate your support. This is by far the longest thing I've ever written, and it's nice to know people like it. The next chapter should be up by Thursday of next week.