I am now 13 , next year I will be able to explore on my own. I have been waiting for the moment I turn 14 my entire life. I have got stronger, smarter, and faster. I have figured out exactly where I am going to go, on a boat. That’s where my adventures will begin.

I  woke to someone picking me up and all I saw was darkness. I was in a rough, bag. I heard men grunting. I couldn't pick up what they were saying. I was stuck in an uncomfortable position while I was in the burlap sack. I was being kidnapped! I tried moving but I was stuck. “For once, I am beaten. I am trapped. I cannot get out by myself while in this bag. I am in a really sticky situation,” I thought to myself. It wasn’t that long of a trip from my, what should I call it, home, shelter, hovel, I don’t know? From there to wherever these men were taking me wasn’t very far. I could tell we were near the ocean. The smell of fish and salt was more powerful than it usually is. I was being taken on a boat, of some sort. I was itching to get out of the bag, literally, it was itchy. I also wanted to see where I was being taken. A slave trader boat, maybe a group of kidnappers who sell kids for ransom, or maybe this, or maybe that, I had no idea. I was scared, very scared. For once I was scared. I have been scared before, but not like this. This is like all of my nightmares come true. I was so close to being able to get a job, be on my own, do what I want, earn money. But now, all of my dreams are gone and I am being carried on a ship to who knows where. I spent so much time thinking that I realized that we stopped moving. I could hear people talking but their voices were too quiet and gruff for me to hear. A few seconds later, the man holding me dropped me. I quickly scrambled out of the bag to see that men with swords and guns were standing there, pointing their weapons at me. One of the men was talking to another.
“Don’t say a word or move a muscle, or we’ll shoot,” one man said. I stood silently that I was in far worse trouble than I thought possible. I was on a pirate ship. The church will ring its bells if any pirate ships are in the area. It is the signal to hide and hope you aren’t found. They rarely enter the town but I had heard rumors about other towns being pillaged, plundered, and ransacked by pirates. Few survived the attacks, but lucky for us, pirates haven’t done any of the sort in our town. Pirates are notorious for kidnapping children and then they are forced to do all of the cleaning for a year, then when the pirates find a new boy, they let the other one go. As in letting them walk the plank. I was so scared, I nearly had a heart attack. One man came up behind me and lifted me up. I didn’t struggle because it would only make matter worse. He took me into a lower deck. The smell of rum, salt, fish, rotten food, rats, and, well, numero dos, was overwhelming. He then hefted me to a top bunk of a bunk bed. Without a word, he hit me with the butt of his rifle, knocking me out. Leaving me there unconscious.

“(Thump) Ow!” I said groggily. Something jerked me awake. I soon recalled that I was kidnapped the night before and that I was on a pirate ship. I am going to die, I thought. Pirates are dangerous. I looked around. I was in a room covered in men from head to toe. I couldn’t see a way through without stepping on anyone, and it also smelled terrible. So many men who hadn’t taken a bath in days, months, and possibly even years. What will they do to me? I thought.
“Wake up, all you slumburin’ baboons. WAKE UP!” said a man from above. All of the men started waking up, slowly.  I just lay in my bunk, which also reeked, as I watched the sight. Men were falling over each other, others had to be pulled up. Some men were having a fist fight. The man from above came down and had to break it up. As the men started clearing out I still was lying on my bunk.
“Hey you, watcha’ doin just starin’? Get to work,” the man said.
“Uh, uh, uh, what am I supposed to do?” I asked.
“What do ya think? You little….” the man  mumbled.
“I’ll show ‘im what ter do,” said another man who looked much more friendly.
“Go ahead Elias,” the man said.
“So, come on up here kid,” the man named Elias said, “I’m gonna show you what ter do ‘round here.” I hurried to catch up to him.
“So,” Elias said as we walked up to the top deck, “We need a lot of clean up ‘round here because of our crew, ya see?”
“Wait, what?” I said.
“I mean, we sort of make a mess quite often,” He said.
“Ok, I see,” I said.
“Here ya go,” Elias said as he handed me a mop and a bucket full of water.
“But,” I started to say.
“Arguin’ ain’t a bright idea lad,” Elias said.
“Fine,” I said.
“Oh, and one more thing, the captain been wantin’ ter see our new recruit,” Elias said as he winked.
“Why would he want to see me?” I said.

“Why would he want to see me?” I asked.
“Don’t you question the Captain’s orders,” Elias said. “Well don’t just stand there, go on in.”
“Ok, I will,” I said. I started towards the Captain’s quarters, when an immense fear swept over me. My legs felt like jelly and my brain was mush. I thought it was going to kill me, before the Captain probably would, yet somehow I was still able to move forwards. I opened up the door, and inside I saw the Captain, who I could tell was the Captain because of his fine dress, handsome face, yet young. He had a presence of authority about him. Beside him, another man I hadn’t seen before was talking quietly to the Captain. When they saw me, their eyes widened, and the strange man left the room, pushing past me.
“Ahhh yes, our new recruit. Opening the door before knocking, rookie mistake, but I understand that you must be confused, scared, you name it, I’m here to help you out,” the Captain said. The Captain was a clean-shaven guy with strong features. He looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties, possibly even thirties. He didn’t sound like the other crew members who seemed like the “Yo-ho, storybook” pirates. The Captain seemed like he was from a Colonial family somewhere in Europe. “So son, what’s your name?” My mind was racing with the many thoughts that flew through my mind, I almost forgot my name.
“Jack…Sir,” I said quietly.
“Speak up man,” his voice was kind but also commanding.
“Jack, Sir,” I said, louder this time.
“Ahhh, that’s better, someone who has a voice,” Captain said. He walked over to his chair that was a t the head of a table covered in maps and books, but very tidy. “You know Jack, all these crew members started out like you. Left alone, maybe parents killed, maybe even both, so my family decides to give you a better life, one filled with adventure, riches, and mystery. My grandfather was prince of Wales, soon-to-be husband of Queen Mary the First, when his twin brother, who was born second, acted as my grandfather, and he married Queen Mary. Oh how my father hated his brother. He deserved to be King of England because he was born first. My father decided to become a pirate. He attacked his brothers navy fleet as much as possible. This boat, has been passed down from my grandfather to my father, then to me. I would love to keep the tradition going. Don’t be afraid son, you’ll be safe with us,” he finished. He smiled at me, which made me feel comforted.  “Well Jack, training begins tomorrow, are you any good with a sword?”

“Wake up you filthy dogs, wake up!” Apparently this is the day I start training.
“Lass, you ready to start yer trainin’?” Elias said.
“Not really,” I said.
“That’s the spirit,” he said jokingly. He then led me upstairs, which was the deck. The ship had a large deck, making it a suitable place for training.
“Ahh, Henry will train you. I’ll introduce you to him,” Elias said. We walked over to the man standing by some battle gear.
“Henry, this dear boy is your new student. This is Jack,” Elias said to Henry.
“Hello Jack, my name’s Henry,” Henry said to me.
“Hi,” I said, not very enthusiastically.
“Ready to start,” Henry asked.
“No, but there’s no stopping it,” I said. Henry began to show me the basics of fighting when I interrupted him.
“I know all of this,” I said.
“Do you?” Henry asked. “Well let’s see. I’m going to duel you with a wooden sword, as will you. You said you knew this, ok, let’s see.” Henry came quick, attacking, parrying, defending, but I knew how to fight. We struggled back and forth, when the fight started heating up.
“Stop, or else I’ll have to beat you, which means hurting you. That is not my intention, but you are very good with a sword. I know your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your habits, allowing me to seize openings easier. Be careful not to fall into a pattern. When you duel for that long, your opponent will be watching. He will notice your little habits. You always tend to parry left, then right, then jab. I noticed it was your best attacking move. You were much better at defense. That can allow an attacker to feign a lot to tire you out, making you more sloppy, allowing them to seize an opening. I can help you with this, but today, we’re going to work on that attack of yours. For the rest of the day, he taught me feigns, attacks, moves, counters, and many more things. At the end of the day, he said I did good.

“So how was yer’ first day o’ trainin’? Elias said as we slowly walked toward our sleeping quarters.
“Good, but I’m exhausted,” I replied wearily.
“Well, ya’ better get used to it. We all had to get used to it,” Elias said. “I remember my first day aboard this ship. I was a wee boy, younger than you. I vomited multiple times because of fear and seasickness. You’ve held up surprisingly well. Most of us vomited for weeks when we first came aboard,” he stopped. There was a long,silent pause in the conversation. “Well, we better get to sleep. Remember how tired ya’ were? You’ll be more so without any sleep. C’mon, let’s go,” Elias said.
We headed back down the rickety stairs below the main deck. I had to silently tip-toe back to my bunk. I hadn’t even met the man beneath me, but I realized now wasn’t the best time. I plopped down on my bunk, careful not to hit my head again. I lay in bed for quite a while. My body needed sleep, but my mind resisted. I tossed and turned for quite a while. I felt uneasy about something but I couldn’t tell what it was. Whenever something bad was about to happen, I felt uneasy. Something terrible was going to happen soon, but I had no idea what it was. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about my uneasy feeling. Something was definitely wrong. I was scared that I was in a whole lot of danger.
I got out of my bunk, noiselessly creeped upstairs to the deck. I walked toward the bow (which is the front of the ship for all of you who don’t know) where I could see the small ripple of waves as we sailed by. I sat down and just looked at the silver display in front of me. The light of the full moon gave everything a silver tint. I stared straight ahead, trying to see if anything was there. I sat near the edge of the ship. I listened to the slight sound of the small waves crashing against the hull. At some point I dozed off because I woke up to the sound of men shouting and running around.
“What’s going on?” I asked groggily.
“Enemy vessel off the port (left) side!” A man shouted. I looked in the direction he was pointing and I saw a large, black vessel, headed straight for us. That’s when my life changed, forever...