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

"Nate! Nate slow down. I don't even see them!" I try to calm my frantic brother pacing back and forth on the ship's deck. "No, no! They were there! Howell saw them off the bow! Six of them! One with bright red hair!" he snarls. "There! There!" and with a bang he shoots off his brand new gun he bought off the Black Market. "Damn! I missed! I need more practice!" sweat clings onto his ragged black hair and drips down the sides of his face. His golden eyes darting side to side, wildly looking for the invisible creatures. He lets out a yell of angry frustration and shoots off his gun again in the air. "Nate! Stop! Please. You're shooting at nothing." I grab his arm and push it down. "Howell probably saw them and they saw us so they ran away. Please calm down." Panting, he looks me in the eyes and I see his twisted pain. I feel it too, the same deep pain that we share. The loss of a man that we looked up to be our father for