Chapter one

Allie's mother died when she was six. It was from some kind of disease. She didn't remember what it was, maybe no one ever told her. Allie didn't miss her mother much anymore. She barely remembered her. Except she had green eyes and brown wavy hair. She liked to look nice all the time too. Allie remembered that most.

She'd turn over in her grave if she knew Allie was running around in those ragged boys clothes with spots of dirt on them.

Her father left when she was barely a year old. She could only remember her father through the frequent dream she kept having about him.

It would start with her sitting on the floor. It must've been wooden. She was very small. And someone, a man, with black hair and hazel eyes, like hers, would come and lift her off the floor and he'd say something. She never could remember what it was, but he sounded sad. He would kiss her on the forehead and hand her to her mother. Then he'd leave. Everything would vanish, and she'd wake up crying. Was she crying in the dream, perhaps? She never remembered that part. The dream got more and more blurry as she got older.

Now all the family she had was Gabrielle, who was seven, and Dylan, who was five. She found them a year ago, after they'd been abandoned. Allie envied Gabrielle because she had long curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. Allie could see that she would grow to be perfectly lovely. Dylan had short straight blonde hair and big blue eyes. Allie tried to imagine him grown up, but it seemed like he would stay five forever. She almost wished he would.

"You're a pirate, right Allie?" Gabriella asked Allie that night as they walked down the street. Allie sighed; she had to go through this conversation again.

"No, I'm not a pirate."

"But you said that your mother told you that your father is Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl, which is a pirate ship."

"She said a lot of things, doesn't mean they're all true." Allie said as they reached the dock. This ended the short conversation.

"I'm tired." Dylan complained.

"We'll sleep here, tonight." Allie said, and laid down against the stack of barrels.

Two hours after she was asleep, she felt herself being shaken.

"Allie! Get up!"

"Huh…what? Why?"

"Ship in the bay. It's big, with black sails…and there are boats coming from it. They're coming this way!"

"Allie sat up and stared out at the ship in the night. It was a pirate ship.