Chapter 1

Running down the pier, the cold night air smashes against my face turning my cheeks bright red. My long black hair whips behind me as I laugh with glee at my latest steal. A golden necklace with big and shiny red rubies studs and a matching bracelet lay in my leather pouch tied to my side.

Captain Nate will be pleased.

I keep running towards the boat yard where I will easily lose these dimwitted guards. They are chasing after me as hard as they can to try and catch me. I know if I were to be caught, I will be immediately hanged. Not for stealing though, stealing gets you 30 whips in front of the entire town; and that's nothin'!

"Stop, you filthy girl!" a guard cries out into the night. Filthy? That's insulting. I bathe regularly...

"Disgusting pirate! You will be hung for your crimes against the King! Your body shall rot in front of the entire town! Even if you're a girl!" Another spits out. I leave behind another trail of careless laughter. It's slim that they'll catch me, the guards never do. My laugh echoes into the deep night, overlapping the sound of the guards' thudding boots on the wooden docks. The guards are starting to tire and I hear them slowly fade away and then eventually stop as I have gotten too far ahead of them. I laugh once again in triumph. I have always loved getting away from the guards, it gives me such a thrill.

I turn to the right and run into a sleeping neighborhood. I silently jump onto a crate of wheat and hoist myself onto a straw roof. I lay in the straw sweating, panting, and waiting until the coast is clear. Only once, the guards walk past the home, still looking for me and then disappear down an alley. I wait a few minutes before moving and my stomach growls hungrily.

I could use a midnight snack before I get back to the ship.

I slip on my black hood and climb down from the roof. I look inside the window and I see a plate of half eaten bread and a wedge of cheese. It's not much but it shall do for now until I get back.

I crawl through the tiny window and reach the kitchen undetected. As I reach for the bread I see it is stale and hard and the cheese has started to mold. Disgusted, I throw the food down and start to look for fresh food. While looking, I start to take in the home. It's a small, poor looking, cottage with only one couch and a small table with four chairs with nothing more for decoration except a small, handmade-looking green rug.

"Stop! Please. Take what you want. We are nothing more than humble villagers. Please, we have nothing more than one silver and three copper. Take it and leave my wife and children alone!" a shaky, male voice barks out from behind me. I turn to face the voice and see two young children, too skinny to be called healthy, hiding behind a worn down young man who all gasp when they see I'm a pirate. A frail woman is silently crying and peaking out from a door frame. They're starving. My heart instantly reaches out to the children. Memories of my own starving childhood flicker into my mind.

The endless nights of being chilled to the bone and so, so, hungry. Begging the rich for one copper coin but all I ever received from them are the same pitiful looks. That's why I steal from the rich and never the poor.

I remember my prizes in my pouch. Nate only expected a necklace from the nobel daughter's... "I won't hurt you and I won't steal from you, if only you let me go quietly. Do not call the guards." I look at the children again, "Your children, how old are they?" I ask.

"My oldest is eighteen who is out for work, my middle child is seven, and my youngest is three." the man nervously says.

I smile, "My brother is twenty-three and I am seventeen." The man simply nods, clearly unsure what to do. I reach into my pouch and take out the gold and ruby bracelet. "Here. Please take it to a man named Gruff down by the Dark Piers. Tell him..." I pause before saying my name, "Charlie sent you. He will help you trade the bracelet for money."

"You're a pirate. What are you playing at?" The man suspiciously asks me. "I will not take it. I will not owe my debt to a filthy pirate!"

His words stung my heart and sadness overtakes me for a split second. Is that what people really think of me? I already knew the answer. Yes. Everyone hates pirates. "I may be a pirate but, I have me a heart." I leave the bracelet on the small table and run out the front door. Sprinting back to the ship as fast as I can as I doubt the man shall honor my request to keep quiet to the guards.

Walking back to the ship, dawn breaks and the cool air lifts. The smell of freshly baked bread rolls fill the air of the small town and the first rooster calls out in the morning telling everyone it's time to wake up. For me, it's almost time to go to bed.

Yawning I reach the end of the Fiona Piers and start to climb the rocky shoreline to a small cove where our ship is docked. Being apart of a pirate crew means we can't dock at piers; not unless we want to be hung or we are raiding an entire town. Reaching the top of the rocky cliffs I walk for another mile before reaching the small cove. The landscape around me is a dense forest with huge elk herds hiding behind the trees. The only clue that they are even there are their calls to their members of the hood. I pause and watch a mother with two freshly born fawns play with each other. I laugh when the fawns run into each other and they both fall to the ground. The mother over hears my laughter and quickly herds her babies away from me. I continue walking and finally the land dips down and start to reveal our hidden cove.

Huge black and silver sails peak out from the cove and as I walk closer, the entire ship comes into view. My heart starts to race and I break out into a smile as I catch my brother commanding the crew. Effortlessly commanding our 40 men crew into preparing the ship to leave.

"Oy! Cap'tn! Is that Charlie up 'dere? We best be leavin' if'n that's her." Nate's first mate, Howell O'Mally, calls out. "We've been 'ere for four nights already. The guards will be catchin' onto us." He was always a nervous wreak.

"Yeah! It's me!" I call out. Once again I climb the rocky cliffs down to the ship.

"Then you best be hurrin'! We be settin' to leave!" he yells.

I shake my head. "Like you'd leave without me!" I see him smile his goofy smile. He's missing four teeth in the front and has two silver teeth in the back. His greying hair is tied clumsily behind a dirty and worn down green bandana, making him look like a crazy old man. He may look crazy, and is crazy, but he has the biggest heart out of anyone. He's treated Nate and I like his very own children for years now. Ever since our first captain, Black Blood, was fatally injured during an on-going war and in his last dying breath named Nate the new captain. Black Blood took us to be his very own children since he never had any of his own. The memory of him brought tears in my eyes but I quickly wipe them away.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of climbing over huge, sharp, rocks I reach the ship and climb up the ragged rope latter. Strong hands help lift me onto the deck and I see it is Gin and smile thanks. Gin isn't his real name. In fact, we have no idea what his real name is. We call him Gin because thats what he drinks everyday and he seems to like the name. He had his tongue cut out and again, we have no idea why. From his gestures, we assume he spoke out against a high ranking person and therefore his punishment was his tongue being cut. A terrible fate for anyone.

I look around and do not see Nate anywhere. "Where's Nate gone to?" I ask him and he points to the Captains Quarters. "Thanks!" I turn to go see Nate but Gin grabs my hands and grunts. Shaking his head and looking me in the eyes worriedly. I sigh. "Is he angry today?" Gin's eyes turn sympathetic and he looks down. "Thanks again Gin. I'll just be heading to my room now."

He lets go of my hand and I walk to my own private quarters. I'll give Nate the necklace later. The rest of the crewmen respectfully say hello and I politely smile and personally make eye contact with each one of them. We are the most fearsome crew in the whole seven seas but we treat each other like family. A bond stronger than blood. We have all lost and gained comrades in the never ending wars.

I am the only girl on this ship and I am fiercely protected. No other girls are allowed but since I am Nate's sister the crew learned to tolerate it since Black Blood took me and Nate under his care. Nate has been so angry for so long since Black Blood died in his arms. Nate believes it was his fault that he died. His fault that our only father figure passed under his care. It was the first week of Nate's training to become captain of his own pirate ship. Black Blood was training him to gain his own ship and crew and never expecting to pass so early. He was murdered by something other than human.

I finally reach my quarters and plop down on my queen sized bed. My room is simply magnificent. A big french window off to the left side of the room and a large wardrobe directly across the window. A deep crimson rug with gold trimmings and details lay in the center of the room matching the crimson curtains that lay over the window. I feel my crimson with white decal silky covers under my fingers and inhale the smell of light lavender. Howell never fails to make his special perfume out of lavender and lightly spritz some on my blankets for me. He knows it's my favorite. Howell used to make perfumes and sell them in a little shop in the city of Greensburg, off the coast of the Caribbean Islands. He joined Black Blood's crew when his wife was murdered by...

I hear muffled yells above deck, interrupting my day dreaming.. Then Nate suddenly bursts into my quarters with a panicked expression.

"Gods! Nate! You know you need to knock! You scared the living soul out of me!" I yell at him. "Here's your dang prize! Is that what you want?" Yes I was being harsh but I do not like being scared!

"Get. Up. On. Deck. NOW." Nate firmly says.

A slow understanding dawns on me. They're back again. I slowly nod my head and grab my long thin duel swords and follow him back up on deck.