Saint Kitts

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Port Royal

Port RoyalBy Luke Gustafson

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Port Royal

Chapter 1

Late fall in a small town

The icy wind whipped through the thick winter coat Charles wore,

piercing him with cold. He shivered as he trudged slowly along, coming home

from the final performance of the high school play he was in. At this moment, it

was hard to see much at all, since it was an almost pitch-black night. The only

light came from the stars overhead. As he walked, he thought about the cup of hot

chocolate he would make when he got home. His mother had recently bought

French vanilla hot chocolate mix at the grocery store, and he could not wait to

have some. Up ahead, he could see a street light, meaning his home was only a

few more houses down the street. He pulled his arms further into the sleeves of

his coat and sighed, his breath puffing out like steam. Then someone stepped in

front of him. Whoever it was appeared to be a man, and when Charles tried to go

around him, the person grabbed his arm. “Come with me. I need your help.” The

man whispered, and dragged Charles into a nearby house.

Closing the door behind them, the man flipped a light switch. The lights

turned on, temporarily blinding Charles. Who was this man, and why would he

want help from a fifteen-year-old? When he could see again, Charles looked

around. The man was fairly young, maybe in his thirties. The house was a

normal place, the walls were painted gray, and the floor had blue carpet covering

it, though it needed cleaning. The man took off his jacket, and hung it on a rack.“You can put your boots and jacket over there,” He said, pointing to a corner next

to the door. “I’m sorry I dragged you in like that, but I have been watching you

and you would be perfect for my project. Come with me.” Charles tossed his coat

into the corner, putting his boots next to it. Then he followed the man down some

stairs to a large room, with computer internals and tools everywhere. Along one

wall was a large case, a flat panel computer monitor, and a two chairs with wires

laying on them, one end attached to the case.

The man walked up to the case and patted it. “This is my invention. It is

the first true time machine.” He said, a small smile showing on his face. “Youare probably thinking, ‘this guy is insane’. No, I am perfectly sane. My time

machine does not truly send you back in time; it only sends your mind. You

would not be truly in the early seventeen hundreds, but right in one of those two

chairs. You would only think you were in the seventeen hundreds. Not only

think, but feel .”

Charles stared hard at the man. Then he asked, “So why did you bring

me here? To brag about your wonderful machine? That’s great, but I should head

home.”

“No! Don’t go yet. I want you to come over here tomorrow. I need

your help testing it on a human. I will pay you well.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You don’t need to. That babysitting job you did four months ago only

paid six dollars an hour. This is easier, with better pay. Please, you must!”

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“I’ll come tomorrow, but I may only come to see what I will be doing.

Goodbye.” Charles said, heading for the door.

“Wait! You need to be able to find your way back. Here, I’ll write down

my address. You may be staying here for a couple of days while testing it.” He

jotted down quick directions on a notepad from his pocket, ripped the page off andhanded it to Charles. “Be here at two o’clock. I will be waiting. Oh, I almost

forgot. My name is Mark Ivanson. Goodbye, Charles.”

Charles said goodbye, pulled on his jacket and boots, and walked out the

door, still wondering how the man knew so much about him.

Chapter 2

Another Area of the Town, That Same Day

Skye had just arrived home from her final performance of a play, the

very same play that Charles had been acting in. As she took off her jacket, hat

and mittens, you could see that she was about the same age as Charles. Through

the messy entranceway, her father was sitting slouched on an e-z chair, watching

television on their expensive widescreen TV, a can of pop in his hand. His other

hand was holding the remote control and resting on his belly. Skye walked past

the room he was in and into the next room. In that particular room, papers where

scattered across a computer desk, and on the floor. Slumping into an office chair

that sat in front of the computer, Skye pushed the papers off the keyboard onto the

floor, and kicked them aside. After this, she started up the Internet, and openedher e-mail. She read through a few letters from her friends, typed a quick reply to

one, and opened another. Then her eyes grew wide. Here was the perfect job,

right here in her hometown! Good pay, easy, and less than two blocks away from

her house! Then she leaned back in her chair. How did this man know so much

about her? Ah well, with a job offer that great, did it matter anyway? She

thought, reading the letter once more. A noise behind her caused her to jump with

fright and spin around. Her father stood there, reading over her shoulder.

“Ya getting a job then? Good, yer getting in my way, not enough ta do.

Earn some cash while yer at it. Do ye good.” He said. Then he wandered off tothe kitchen, mumbling, “Get outta my hair, maybe ya could even move out

sooner. Sooner th’ better, ya know.”

“Leave me alone!” Skye yelled after him.

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She waited until he was out of sight, then sat back down, and typed an

answer, quietly saying aloud what she typed. “Dear sir, I am very happy you have

chosen me for this job. I am willing to come tomorrow, but I was wondering why

I have never heard of your company before. Thanks a lot, Skye.” It seemed

strange for her to be sending such a formal e-mail.She clicked “Send,” and smiled to herself. That man wanted her at two

o’clock? She would be there. Then she had an idea. She opened the search

engine, and typed in the man’s name, Mark Ivanson.

Chapter 3

The Next Day

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” The alarm on Charles’s watch woke him up. He

looked around. It was still dark. Then he saw, standing in the doorway, Mark

Ivanson.“Two o’clock. Time to go.” Mark whispered, shining a flashlight in

Charles’s eyes. They walked over to Mark’s house, and entered the basement.

Mark had Charles sit in a chair, and did something with the wires behind Charles.

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Then he walked to the monitor, pressed a button, and turned back to Charles.

“Don’t get yourself killed.” Then Charles felt himself falling.

Thump! Charles sat up. What had happened? He looked around. It was

broad daylight, the sun streaming in through the frosty windows. It had all been a

dream. Or had it? He got up off the floor, and tossed his blanket back on his bed.He had almost decided that there was no such person as Mark Ivanson, when he

remembered his watch. Had he really set it for two? He quickly checked when

the alarm was set to go off. Two o’clock. He knew that he had set it for five

yesterday, when he had to go to his final play performance. It had happened last

night. He did have a new job.

Later that day, he sat on the living room couch, reading. He was just

thinking of calling his dad’s cell phone, if only to let them know what he was up

to, since his parents were on a cruise together for a week. Today was Saturday,

and they had left yesterday, meaning they would be home Friday. He checked hiswatch. One o’clock! He had an hour. He put down his book, and went to the

kitchen to make himself some lunch. He set a pot on the stovetop, poured in some

water, and turned the heat on. He wondered what it would be like, thinking you

were in another time period. Feeling it all happen to you. Then the thought struck

him. What if you died? Would your body just fail, or your mind shut down, or

what? He would ask that at two o’clock.

* * *

A few minutes before two, Charles put on his jacket, hat and boots. He

scribbled a quick note on a page of a notebook, ripped it out, and dropped it on the

counter so when she got home, his sister would know where he was. Then he

walked out the door. It had snowed during the night, and a thin layer of snow

covered the ground. When he arrived at the house, he noticed that there were

tracks going up to the door. They were too small to belong to an adult. He hit the

doorbell as he thought about it. Perhaps Mr. Ivanson had received a delivery.

However, that was impossible. To be able to deliver things, you had to be an

adult. Then the door burst open, and Mark Ivanson stood there, in the same outfit

that Charles had seen him in last night, only he wore a long-sleeve T-shirt instead

of the sweater.“Welcome back, Charles. Come in.” He said, letting Charles inside, and

closing the door behind him. “I hope you had a good rest last night.”

“Yes, I did, thank you.” Charles answered, while the two walked down

the stairs. Then he saw why there were tracks in the snow. Skye! She was sitting

in one of the two chairs, watching him. He knew her from the play, though only a

little.

Skye stood up, and walked over to Charles. “Hi, I didn’t think you were

the other person helping. I guess that’s okay.”

Mark Ivanson cut off whatever she was about to say. “I already knowyou two know each other, so no need for introductions. I will give you a quick

idea of what you two will be doing. This system was designed by my father, and

finished by me after his death. It is not unlike a video game, except you will not

be using a controller to move your digital self. You will be using your brain to

control your self in the computer. You won’t be looking at a screen; your eyes

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will be there own ‘screens.’ You will be able to feel, taste, see, hear, and smell

whatever your digital self can see, hear, taste, feel, and smell. I will be able to see

and hear also, but only through my computer speakers and monitor. I have tested

the system before, so you don’t have to worry about that. I am also the only one

who knows how to bring you back to the real world, and run this computer.”“What did you use to test it?” Charles had to ask. “And what if we die?”

The answer was swift and sure. “Don’t get yourself killed and we won’t

have to find out. And I used a dog.”

“Where is it now?”

“I gave him away. Now, before I connect you to my machine, how much

do you know about the Caribbean in the early seventeen hundreds?”

“A good amount. Why?”

“Because that is where you and this young lass are going.”

Skye looked worried for a moment, then smirked. “I know tons aboutthat! This should be interesting!”

Charles looked at her. “I hope you know enough that you won’t have to

follow me everywhere.”

“I know so much that you’ll follow me around!” She retorted.

“Good for you.” Charles could tell that she was lying.

Mark stopped the argument. “Sit down, you there and you there. I’m

going to connect you to the computer, and being attached to wires could hurt, so

here’s some painkiller.”

He handed them each a couple of tablets, and they swallowed them.

“Would it hurt that much?” Asked Skye, looking at the wires coming

from the computer.

“Well, I will be sticking those wires into your skin. I had to give the dog

some of them too.”

Then Charles had an idea. “What about our real bodies? They still will

need food and stuff, won’t they?”

Mark already had a plan for this. “While you’re attached, your bodies

will shut down, only keeping a few necessary functions going. I think it’s about

time you two go to the Caribbean.” He walked over to Skye and took a wire, then

looked at his computer monitor, then put it carefully in the back of Skye’s neck,followed by some more, and a string that kept them from falling out. He did the

same with Charles, then walked to the keyboard of the computer, and hit a key.

“Don’t move for a while yet, the computer is very fast, but loading this

still takes time. If you really want to come back, write ‘There’s no place like

home” on something. Write good and big so I can see it, but if it’s at night I may

be asleep, so you may have to make some loud noise too.”

Then Charles could feel that his limbs would not move, and his vision

went black.

Skye fainted.

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Chapter 4

The Caribbean

Skye woke up. Where did the computer go? She wondered, looking

around. What happened to the wires in her neck, and how did she get to the

beach? It was a beautiful place, with palm trees swaying in a light breeze, and the

clear blue water sparkling in the morning sun. Then she remembered. Mark

Ivanson’s machine had worked! She looked down at herself. She was wearing a

dress! If there was one thing she could not stand, it was dresses! However, it did

not truly look awful. It was actually a nice, light blue color. Then Skye noticed

Charles, sitting with his back against a tree. He wore brown pants, and a white v-

neck T-shirt. He had been watching her and smiling.

“What’s so funny?” She asked angrily.Charles laughed. “Just you. I see you dislike the dress Mr. Ivanson gave

you to wear.”

“Shut up! I hate it and I hate you!” She screamed, and stormed off down

the beach. Charles stood up and followed her.

“Actually, if you wear anything different, you would be far more

noticeable, and I think we need to blend in,” He called after her. She ignored him,

and began to walk faster. Charles jogged after her, knowing that they should stay

together.

* * *

Back at Mark Ivanson’s house, Mark watched on his screen all that was

going on, laughing to himself. So far, other than the dog, everything had gone

perfectly.

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* * *

Skye was tired of running. She looked around, and found a rock to sit

on. As she sat, breathing hard, Charles walked up and sat down in the soft sand

cross-legged. “Well, Skye, where do you want to explore next?” He said,smiling. “We could go for another nice jog if you want.”

Skye just sat there, still panting. Then Charles spoke again, this time

seriously. “Seeing that we have absolutely no idea where we are, we probably

should stick together. Perhaps we could find a town, and get jobs or somethingfor

a short time. After all, we will need money to pay for food and stuff. What do

you think?”

Skye looked at him. “I can do whatever I want- without you!”

“If you really think that’s the best way to figure out where the nearest

town is, go ahead and leave. The flaw in that theory is that if we go separateways, only one of us will find the town today, and the other is trapped alone on a

strange island. Your choice.”

“You just like ruining other people’s plans, don’t you?” Skye said

angrily.

“Yea, I suppose. It comes from playing war board games. I guess it is

fun making someone’s plan completely backfire on them.”

“Well, then where do we go first?”

“You already chose that when you came here. We might as well

continue down the beach.”

Skye stood up. “Then let’s go.” And they did, Charles walking a few

feet behind Skye, leaving footprints far behind them.

Chapter 5

Saint Kitts

Charles and Skye had been walking for about half an hour. Charles was

now leading them, when up ahead he noticed some buildings through the trees.

“Aha!” He turned to Skye, pointing. “I knew Mr. Ivanson wouldn’t put us on anuninhabited island!”

Walking quickly towards the town, they watched as the buildings seemed

to grow larger. Then they could see people walking, working, and talking with

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bit like Mark Ivanson. “Are you the first human to test my computer?” He asked,

looking worried.

“How did you get here?” Skye said.

“I’m not Mark, I am his father. I programmed myself into the computer.

Are you the first?”“Yes- well, me and a boy.”

“Where is he?”

“He went to find a job. I don’t know where he is now.”

“We need to find him.”

“Why? We’re going to meet at the square at noon.”

“Good. The sooner the better.”

“Why do we need to meet up with him soon?”

“Better sooner than later, like I said.”

Skye began to get worried. What was going on that they needed to findCharles soon? It was very strange.

Mark’s father said, “Come with me.” And they began walking.

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Chapter 6

What Happened to the Dog

Charles’s bread had worked. It was a bit like normal wheat bread, butmore moist and sweet. The cook had let him go at noon to meet Skye, and given

him some money. Charles had then gone to the Town Square to wait for Skye.

She had beat him there, and stood waiting with Mark’s father. She called to him.

“Charles! Come quick!”

“Aye, what is it?” Charles said, jogging to them. Then he saw Mark’s

dad. “Mr. Ivanson?”

“Not the one you know, I am his father.”

“I thought-”

“You where right. I am dead. Before I died, I designed and programmedmyself and added myself to the computer, so I guess you could say my mind is

still here. But you two must come with me.”

They followed him to a fair sized house, which he entered, and they

came after him. Then he sat them down. “We have some important things to talk

about. First, why are you testing this machine?”

Charles and Skye told their whole story, and Skye added in something

that was completely unknown to Charles. This is what she said: “I searched for

Mark Ivanson on the Internet, and learned some very interesting things. He is

rich, because his dad was a professor at a big university, and invented something.It also told me he earned a master’s degree in science, history, and anatomy. He

had all three when he was twenty.”

Charles was stunned. “He’s a genius! How could someone do all that in

under twenty years?”

Mr. Ivanson senior knew. “He started school a year early, and skipped

multiple grades. The truth is, public school is not what it used to be. You two can

stay here for the night, but tomorrow you should go home. Our computer is

extremely powerful and brilliant, but as you probably know, there are still bugs.”

Skye looked up. “Why would we know that?”

“Because that is how the dog died.”Charles and Skye exchanged worried glances. Charles had to ask. “How

do you know?”

“It found a hole in the ground. The hole was invisible, but the dog

stepped in it and fell through. The ground appeared unaffected. Mark fixed that

spot, but there may be more, and they could be deadly.”

Charles thought for a moment. “So this is like a huge computer game.

There may be problems, but they aren’t easy to find. There may be others that

would affect us differently, I suppose.”

“Exactly. Would you two like to have your first full meal in theCaribbean? I have over a hundred different types of food to choose from.”

Skye was no longer hungry. The constant threat of death made her just

want to go home. She was about to suggest it, when Ivanson Senior spoke again.

“I would have you go now, but you haven’t tested the programming much yet.

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We especially want to test the minds of our people. And see how our world does

with real humans. He programmed it, then let it run free, so it will be interesting

to see what happens.”

In the morning, they would go home free. But for now, they would be

careful so as not to witness another bug in Mark’s program.* * *

Meanwhile, Mark had decided they would be safe for the day, and had

gone to get groceries at a local store. He pulled out of the driveway in his small

white car, and started down the road. He could see the grocery store, and was just

about to slow down to enter the parking lot. A bright red car, with the driver

talking on their cell phone, smashed hard into Mark’s vehicle. It went spinning

off the road, and the side crashed hard into a tree, crushing the door in on Mark.

Mark’s head smashed into the window, and his legs were snapped like toothpicks by the door. An ambulance soon arrived on the scene, along with a fire truck and

policemen. The firefighters pulled Mark from the wreckage, and loaded him into

the ambulance. He was then rushed to the hospital. When he finally awoke, he

was told he would be living in the hospital for at least two weeks. Mark became

worried at this news. If Charles and Skye wanted to get back to the real world, no

one would be there to let them!

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Chapter 7

Captain

The next day, Charles woke up in a large bedroom, alone. He got up andwalked out the door. There he met Ivanson Senior, who brought him downstairs

to a dining room. Then Mr. Ivanson ran back upstairs, and came back down with

Skye, who seemed very tired. They had a good breakfast of pancakes, after which

they went outside and wrote, “There’s No Place Like Home” on the street with

charcoal. Charles sat down to wait, as did Skye. They waited. And waited. Was

Mark not paying attention, or what? Mister Ivanson went inside to try to contact

Mark via a microphone and digital cameras, which is how he told Mark about the

“Hole.” He came back five minutes later, with a worried look on his face.

“Mark isn’t in the computer room, and I can’t get a hold of him.”Skye put her face in her hands. “Now what?” She said.

Charles stood up, and said, “I’m gonna explore the town. If you want to

come with me, go ahead.” And he began walking down the street.

Skye soon followed, and asked him, “Where are we going?”

“I suppose we could explore Main Street, you know, search the shops.”

“Sure!”

“I don’t have much money, and I’m not going to waste it.”

“Are you accusing me of wasting money?”

“Perhaps. It depends if you do or not. I really don’t know you, so I wasonly suggesting- after all, that is what girls are believed to do.”

“Well, we don’t!” Skye angrily replied.

“Maybe you don’t. My sister does.”

After this, they walked in silence. Soon they arrived at the Town Square.

They walked by a few shops, and entered one. Charles soon was searching

through hats, hoping for a good tricorner to buy. Skye was going through the

dresses, wishing she could wear something else. When they left about fifteen

minutes later, Charles wore a dark brown tricorn hat, and Skye wore a frown.

“All those dumb dresses and nothing good.” She sighed.

Then a man stopped them. He wore a red long-tailed dress coat and asword. “Stop there! I recognize you. You’re the governor of Port Royal’s

children! No, don’t try to escape. I know you two. The governor will pay me

well for your return. He is offering a reward.”

Charles exchanged worried looks with Skye, and then answered the man,

“No, I’ve never been to Port Royal. I haven’t even been on a ship before.”

The man nodded knowingly. “That proves my point. No one who lives

in the Caribbean hasn’t been on a ship. You live on a island!”

“I am not going to Port Royal for any reason whatsoever!”

“You have no choice. The governor was wondering where you went.Come peacefully and we won’t have to drag you.”

Skye was mystified. “Why don’t we just humor him? Is it far?”

“Port Royal is not a place any sane human goes to- unless they are a

pirate, or a murderer, or a thief.”

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The man grabbed each of them by an arm. “You are coming now.” He

pulled them forcefully down the street. They soon arrived at a big pier. The man

dragged them to a large rowboat, and pushed them in. Then he climbed in

himself, tied their hands behind their backs, and left.

Skye watched him leave. “Why did he just leave?”“Probably to find his crew. He can’t row this by himself!”

Skye thought for a moment, then asked, “What will they do to us?”

Charles lifted himself onto his knees. “Take us to who they think is our

dad. The governor of Port Royal.”

“Why don’t we want to go there?”

“Because it’s the most evil place on earth. The English own it, but it’s a

pirate city. They think the pirates will protect them.” Then Charles began

shuffling around in the boat, looking under seats, in the bow, and in the stern.

“What’re you looking for?” Skye asked, sitting up.“Something sharp. We have to get away quick.”

Skye began searching the dinghy herself. Then Charles found

something. It was a rusty oarlock, but so worn that it was fairly sharp. He began

sawing at the rope that bound his hands, working as fast as he could. It took

almost five minutes to break the rope. Then he started hacking away at Skye’s

rope. He had almost broken through when he heard a voice.

“You aren’t going anywhere. Just a little too slow, eh?”

Charles looked up. The man that had captured them in the first place

stood there, with a group of rough-looking men. He snapped the remains of the

rope that where still on Skye’s hands. Then he whispered to her, “When I say

‘run,’ I need you to run like your life depended on it. Actually, it does.” Then he

stood up and looked hard at the men. “You had no reason to kidnap us like this.

If you don’t let us go, I will call the police.”

“Ha! You can’t trick us. Don’t worry, the governor will be very happy

to have you back. Oh, and the police can’t help you when you’re at sea.”

“Well, then, I guess I have no choice. RUN!”

And he grabbed an oar, swinging it hard at the legs of the men. A few

fell down, and in the confusion that ensued he leapt onto the pier and began to run

down the street. Skye followed, but as she ran past the men the captain pulledhimself off the ground and began running after them. His longer legs and stronger

muscles quickly had him overtaking the two escapees. He soon had the two tied

up again, and they where loaded back into the rowboat. Then they were brought

to a brigantine that was harbored in the port.

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Chapter 8

Aboard the Brigantine

Charles and Skye were locked in a small cabin. It had very little

furnishing, but there was a table with two chairs, and a bed. There was also a

single porthole window, although it was quite small. The bed had only one

blanket, and no sheet. There was also an old dresser, but when Charles searched

it, he found it empty. He sat down on the bed, and placed his chin in his hand. He

was thinking. Skye sat on a chair, and watched him. Then she asked, “Why did

you try to help me escape back there? I never did anything nice for you.”

Charles looked up. “I guess I don’t know. Maybe it was just natural

reflexes for me.”

“I want to go home.”

“Mark will bring us home whenever he gets the chance. I just hope it’s

not too late.”

“Same here.”

Shortly later they heard the anchor chain being reeled up, and someone

shout, “Make sail!” Then they heard footsteps. The door was unlocked, and the

captain walked in. “Now, I hope you are comfortable, because it will take about a

week to arrive at Port Royal. I will see that you are fed soon.” Then he left,

locking the door behind him. Skye looked back at Charles. “Well?”

“There’s not much we can do now. I think for now we should plan for anescape, though. Can you swim?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because we’re at sea. Sure it’s not huge, but we will still have to swim

a good long distance to escape to shore. For now, you get the bed, I get the

blanket. Are you fine with that?”

“Uh, yea. What do you want the blanket for?”

“A bed for now. Maybe later it will be an important escape tool, but for

now it’s better than laying on the floor.”

The door opened again, but this time it was a crewmember bringing two bowls of some type of soup for them. Charles was soon eating it happily, though

Skye didn’t seem as excited by the food. When he had finished, Charles spread

the blanket on the floor, and lay on his back with his hands under his head. He

had to think.

* * *

The next day was slow in coming. There wasn’t much to do in the cabin

they were in. Charles had explored the edges of the room, found some wood

chips, and made a little board game with them. Skye watched for a while, but was

soon confused, and sat on the bed staring at the ceiling. When it was finally dark

outside, they each lay down in their respective places and fell asleep.

* * *

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When Skye woke the next day, Charles was standing at the porthole,

scanning the water. She walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. He

spoke without turning. “Good morning. Beautiful day, if only we could be out in

it.”

They where quiet after this, each wishing to be home. Charles madeanother game with the wood chips. At about noon, a cry above deck made them

jump. “Sail ho!”

They heard a stampede of feet, and another shout. “Pirates! Load the

cannons!”

Charles heard some people running past the door. Now was their chance

to escape.

Chapter 9

Pirates

Skye ran to the porthole. She could see a ship coming towards them with

full sail. Flying from the masthead was a black flag. It was highlighted by white

skull and crossbones. Charles looked out the window and said, “It’s a schooner.That’s normal for pirates, they like fast, maneuverable boats. Now’s our chance.”

He ran over to the door. Shaking it, he held his ear against it. “I don’t think

anyone’s out there, and the bolt is right here. Here I go!” He stood back and

kicked the door hard where he knew the bolt to be. The door shook, and he heard

a crack, but it didn’t open. He gave it two more good hard kicks and it burst open.

Then he stepped out and looked around. Everyone was apparently up on deck.

He beckoned Skye to follow, and began to jog down the passageway. He checked

each room that they came through, until he found the arms room. He walked in,

looking around. It was almost empty, but there were a couple pistols, some

daggers, four swords, and a single musket, which was apparently broken. Hegrabbed two daggers and shoved one into his belt, and the other he hid in his hat.

Then he took a pistol, loaded it, and handed it to Skye. “You may be

needing this soon, just don’t get it wet. Pull this thing back to cock it, aim

carefully, and pull this trigger. Have you ever sword fought?”

Skye gingerly took the pistol. “No, never.”

“Well, take a sword anyway.” Charles took a sword for himself, and

handed another to Skye. “Now we should get out.” Then they heard a loud bang,

followed by more in quick succession. This was followed by a crash and scream

on deck. They heard the captain yell, “Fire!” and the thunder of cannons. Charles began running down the passageway. Suddenly a man wearing a blue shirt and

tricorn hat came running down the stairs. When he saw them, he stopped. “I was

coming for you. Shhh! Don’t make a noise. Come quickly.” Then he began to

go back up the stairs.

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Port Royal

Charles began to follow, but Skye was not sure it was safe. She followed

Charles and asked him, “What if he leads us to the others?”

“He already knows we’re here, we don’t have a choice.” They continued

after the man. When they got up on deck, they could see that the battle was not

going well. The pirates were closing in. The English ship’s sails were shredded,and the deck was covered in mast fragments. Charles gave Skye some quick

advice. “If you hear gunfire, lay down quick.” The man they were following ran

to the side of the ship that was away from the pirates. He grabbed the rowboat

that they had come to the Brigantine on, and began dragging it to the edge.

Charles was running over to help, when he noticed the captain. He drew his

sword and ran over to the man who was helping Charles and Skye escape,

shouting, “So it’s mutiny, is it? Running away from battle?”

The man straitened his back, and turned to the captain, who was holding

the sword to his neck. “No, cap’n, I’m not running away, I’m freeing your captives.”

The captain brought the sword back for a swing, yelling, “No! They’re

not going anywhere!”

The man whipped his sword out, ducking the heavy swing. He parried

the following onslaught, yelling, “Get the boat overboard! Leave! Hurry!”

Then a loud burst of cannon fire, followed by a crash, burst into their

ship. Someone yelled “Grapeshot!” And Charles turned. The pirate ship was on

top of them! He could see the pirates throwing grappling hooks onto the ship.

Some were firing muskets at the men on deck. Then he ran to the rowboat and

began dragging it slowly over the edge of the ship. “Skye! Help me get this thing

overboard!” He yelled, pulling as hard as he could. She rushed over to join him,

pushing the boat with all her might. They had it at the edge, but could not lift it

over the railing. Charles drew the sword he was carrying, and began hacking the

railing apart.

Skye turned towards the man who had helped them. He was still dueling

the captain, but was being pushed towards the edge of the ship. He was limping

also, a cut showing on his left leg. Skye pulled her flintlock pistol out, cocked it,

aimed, and pulled the trigger.

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Port Royal

Chapter 10

Torez

One of the crew on the ship dashed forward to help his captain. The

bullet that was meant for the captain struck him hard, and he dropped to the

ground like a rock. The captain looked to see what had happened, and the man

who had helped Skye and Charles saw his chance. He was on top of the captain in

a flash. He slammed the hilt of his sword hard into the captain’s head, knockinghim out cold. Then the man ran to help Charles move the rowboat. “Sorry I

haven’t introduced myself. You can call me Torez.”

Charles kicked a railing segment out, and answered, “And I’m Charles.

The girl that just shot that guy is Skye.”

Skye ran up to join them. The pirates had climbed onto the ship, and the

battle was raging. The pirates seemed to be getting the upper hand, since they

were advancing quickly towards the refugees. She joined Charles and Torez,

pulling the rowboat over the half destroyed railing, and said, “Would one of you

mind reloading that gun? I think we’ll need it very soon.” They had made

enough space to get the boat overboard, and began pushing it over the edge.Bang! A gunshot made all three of them look up. A pirate with a musket stood a

few feet away, grinning. They looked at the boat, and noticed that he had shot a

hole through it’s hull below the waterline.

“Do you really want to run in that?” He asked them, drawing his sword.

Torez turned to face the man completely, and laughed.

“You attacked your last ship, pirate.”

Charles wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but there was a blur by

Torez’s arm, and the pirate coughed twice and collapsed with a dagger sticking

through neck. Torez retrieved the dagger, wiped it clean on the man’s shirt, andreturned it to his belt. “Looks like we have a ship to protect.”

The pirates were overwhelming the English crew. They had advanced

halfway across the deck, and seemed to be losing very few crewmembers. Skye

handed her pistol to Torez, who quickly reloaded it and handed it back to her.

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Port Royal

Charles took the dead pirate’s musket and loaded that with powder and shot the

pirate had been carrying. That was all the time they had. The pirates had quickly

dispatched the last few crewmembers, and was charging towards them.

Torez drew his sword, with Skye and Charles following his example, but

only after Charles had shot down a pirate with the musket. Torez instructed themin strategy, “Back up to the railing, and keep close together. Don’t use your

pistols unless it would save your life, and keep your sword in your hand.”

The two forces clashed. Torez was fighting three pirates at once, all

while trying to protect Skye, who had no idea how to use the sword. Charles was

getting pushed quickly towards Skye and Torez, with two pirates attacking him at

once. Torez whipped his foot out, knocking one of his opponents down, and

yelled, “Finish him off!”

Skye did just that. She swung her sword down on the pirate with all her

might, killing him instantly. As he fought, Charles was being pressed backwards.He gave a quick slice to one pirate’s arm, when the other swung heavily at him.

Charles tripped on the man Skye had finished, sprawling over backwards. The

sword missed him, within an inch of his head. He landed hard on his back,

knocking the wind out of him. The man lost his balance and dropped his sword.

Skye leapt forward and dispatched him with a swift attack. Torez now had four

pirates on him, and it was all he could do to stay in one piece.

Charles was getting back up, when he felt a sword touch his neck. A

pirate stood over him, with his sword at Charles’s throat. Charles had to

surrender. Meanwhile, Skye had rushed to try and help Torez. She drew her

pistol, shot one pirate, and rushed with her sword at another. They were

outnumbered by the pirates, though, and one quickly moved behind her. He

struck her in the head with his sword hilt, and knocked her out. Torez leapt

backwards, pulling his pistol out, and killed the closest pirate with it. Then he

threw himself overboard. Some of the pirates ran to the edge and searched the

water, but he had vanished.

Charles was allowed to put his hat back on, after which the pirates tied

his hands behind his back. Then he was led into the same cabin they he and Skye

had been locked in earlier. Shortly later Skye was dragged in, still unconscious.

The door was again locked, after some repairs, and reinforced. But Charlesnoticed something different. There was someone else in the room with them.

The English captain!

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Chapter 11

Agreements

Charles stared. The English captain, here? He hadn’t been killed like the

rest of the crew? Then he remembered. Torez had knocked him out, not killed

him. The pirates must not have finished him off.

Then the captain stood, his eyes showing insanity. He walked towards

Charles and the unconscious Skye, a weird grin on his face. Then he shouted,“Captain! Captain! Come quickly! I can make you rich, captain!”

The pirate captain soon came walking calmly into the room. “Rich, eh?

How?”

“We must speak somewhere that we will not be overheard, captain,” the

Englishman said, looking towards Charles and Skye.

“Fine then. Come with me.” They left the room, locking the door

behind them.

Charles tipped his hat off onto the table, and turned so he could get at it

with his tied hands. He slipped his fingers under the edge and pulled out a knife,

using it to remove the rope from his hands. He also cut Skye’s bonds off, after which he shoved them under the bed so they would not be found. Then he

returned his knife to the hat and put the hat back on.

Skye woke up a few minutes later. She sat up slowly, wincing and

feeling the back of her head. “Where am I?” She asked.

“Back in our old cabin. The English captain was in here too, but he left

with the pirate captain. They were talking about giving us to the governor of Port

Royal.”

“I never thought fighting pirates would be so much fun- or be so

painful.”Charles thought for a few seconds. Then he again took out his knife, and

began using it to saw the leg off a chair. “We will probably need to do it again, so

we should have some practice.”

Skye smiled. “Oh goody! Can I help?”

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Port Royal

Charles suddenly realized something. “What day is it?”

“How would I know? And why does it matter?”

“Never mind- it hopefully won’t affect us. Hey! We probably have a

guard at the door. I’ll check.” He walked over to the door and knocked twice.

The answer came after a short pause.“Aye?”

Skye motioned for Charles to be quiet. Then she said in a polite voice,

“Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you knew today’s date.”

“Uh, I think it’s July third.”

“Of what year? I keep forgetting.”

“Sixteen ninety-two.”

“Thank you, sir.” Skye turned to Charles. “How’d I do?” She

whispered.

“Great. That’s all I needed. Let’s just hope we aren’t in Port Royal before the seventh.”

“Why not?”

“Because if arrive then, we’ll end up dead by the eighth.”

“How do you know?”

“History. On June seventh, sixteen ninety-two, Port Royal was destroyed

by an earthquake, followed by a tsunami. Three quarters of the city and three

thousand people were destroyed. It was said that the city was destroyed by God

because of its terrible wickedness, like Sodom and Gomorra.”

Skye was scared. If they arrived too soon, they would join the list of

dead. They had to escape!

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Chapter 12

Insanity and Masterminds

The next day, Charles woke up and walked to the wall of the cabin. He

made four deep gashes in it with his knife, thought for a moment, and made one

into a plus symbol. Skye stood up and came over to see what he was doing.

“Why did you make those marks?” She asked, looking hard at them.

“This is how many days we have to get out of here. If we get to the last

one, we’ll have to just break and run, though.” Then he hid his knife back in his

hat. “I wonder where the English guy went. I haven’t seen him today.”

“I don’t know. The pirates probably either killed him or moved him to

another cabin.”“Well, at least he’s not locked in here with us. He’s awfully annoying!”

After a short while, Torez’s head popped up in the window. Skye

quickly ran over and opened it. “Hi, Torez!” She said, smiling.

“Big trouble, you two. The pirates are headed for Port Royal and making

quick progress. We’re a little off course, but we’re through Mona Passage and

coming up on Windward Passage fast. The English captain has been transferred

to the other ship, since the pirates have kept both ships. We have about two days

‘till we arrive there.”

Charles had bad news for Torez, too. “If we’re in Port Royal on the

seventh, we’ll all end up dead. The port’s gonna be hit by an earthquake and atidal wave. Then it’ll sink into the sea like Atlantis, or at least most of it.”

Torez almost fell off his perch. “How do you know?”

“We’re being used as the first humans to test the computer.”

“Test the what?”

“Never mind. I can’t explain how I know, other than that I read it

somewhere.”

“Alright, then. It appears that I just attempted to rescue a prophet from a

terrible fate.”

“No, I’m not a prophet.”“But you can tell the future, and that makes you a prophet.”

“Let’s just say I’m well informed. Now let’s find a way to get out of

here.”

Torez thought for a moment. “Well, we could make an attempt tonight.”

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Skye looked skeptical. “Wouldn’t they be more prepared today than,

say, tomorrow night?”

“No difference most likely. They know that we are just as likely to try

today as we are to go tomorrow,” answered Torez. “So I have been getting ready

for a while, and here’s my ‘finds.’” The he pulled out a short sword, a piece of rope, two pistols, some shot, powder, and a big kitchen knife. As he pulled them

out, he handed them through the window. “I’m coming tonight, so be ready. We

don’t want noise, so be careful with the guns. Farewell!”

Then Torez disappeared from the window. Skye began picking up the

equipment that he had left on the floor. Charles lifted one end of the bed off the

floor, and Skye pushed all the equipment under it. Charles moved the bedding

that he had been sleeping on so that it hid the underneath of the bed. “Well, Skye,

would you like to join me in a board game?”

“What board game?”“Pachisi. I can teach you how to play.”

“Sure.”

Charles began drawing a board on the floor with his knife. He took six

wood chips, marked one side of each, and began explaining the basics of the game

to Skye.

“On your turn, you toss these wood chips, although shells would work

better. If three, four, or five are mark side up, you move that many spaces on the

board. If one is up, you move ten spaces and go again, if all six are up-”

The remainder of the day was spent learning and playing the game.

Chapter 13

Escape Attempt

That night, Charles and Skye loaded the pistols, armed themselves, and

prepared for Torez to arrive. Then there was a thump outside the door. The door

burst open and Torez ran in. “A trap! They rigged the entrance. The guard was a big scarecrow! We have to go quick!”

All three moved out the door as quickly as possible and ran down the

hallway. Torez told them, “Keep going. I have a quick job to do.”

Charles took the lead, and continued down the hall. He had just started

up the stairs when he heard footsteps behind him. Torez was running after them.

Behind him, the doorway to the weapons room had light coming from it. Torez

waved them on, pulling out his pistol. “We’re going up in about a minute! Run

quick!”

Skye pushed past Charles and onto the deck. Seven pirates stood on thedeck, each with sword at their side. When they saw her, they drew the swords.

She climbed out, and they moved closer to recapture her. Charles leapt out behind

her and fired his pistol into them. He then drew his sword and rushed at them.

The sudden attack stunned them, and three lay injured on the deck before they

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Port Royal

even had figured out what was going on. Skye yelled to Charles, “Come on! Run

for your life!”

Torez was just coming up when Skye shot another pirate with her pistol,

and began running for the edge of the ship. Charles followed, with Torez on his

heels. The remaining pirates began shouting the alarm, and more were comingout from below deck. All three escapees rushed to the edge of the ship and hurled

themselves off the edge. The pirates gathered at the railing. They began arguing.

“Well, aren’t you going in after them?”

“I can’t swim!”

“Go get a musket, idiot!”

Two ran off for ranged weapons, but the rest continued the argument.

“Can anyone here swim?”

“What’s the use anyway? We need more than one person to catch

them!”The two pirates who had gone for muskets came running back. “Fire!

The weapons are burning!”

“The powder!”

As the three friends swam for their lives, pirates hurled themselves

overboard, and some ran around on deck. A few logical pirates grabbed buckets

and started trying to put out the fire. The other ship could be seen in the light of

the spreading fire. Then there was an explosion. It was followed immediately

with two more, each making a blinding flash.

Chunks of wood, railing, rigging, and cannon flew through the air. Torez

began swimming as quickly as he could towards what appeared to be a darker

splotch on the horizon. He was followed by Charles, who was holding his hat on

with one hand, and Skye. The pirate survivors completely forgot about their

prisoners, and began trying to get to the other ship, which had begun to turn

towards them. The helmsman could also be seen, along with crew who ran around

the ship, putting out burning pieces of wood that landed on their ship.

Skye did not see any of this. All she could see was a fin, gliding through

the dark water towards the destruction. Soon more rose above the water, circling

the pirate survivors.

Skye yelled, “Sharks! Sharks are coming! Swim faster!”Torez turned. It was true! Some pirates must have been injured, and the

sharks would have been attracted by the smell of blood.

“Come on, Skye! We have to get away!”

Skye began swimming after Charles and Torez. Charles had only

stopped for a second, and now was swimming for the land. Skye swam after them

with the strength of desperation. Then there was a scream behind her.

“Sharks! Help! Help! Hel-” The screams were cut short.

Skye chose to keep swimming.

Many pirates were safely pulled onto the remaining ship, though otherswere not so lucky. The sharks had a big meal that night. Pirates on the ship began

firing into the water to try to save their shipmates, but it only worked up the

feeding frenzy more.

The captain walked up on deck. “Stop shooting! You’re only wasting

ammunition. There’s no saving them.”

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Port Royal

One survivor limped up to the captain. “Sir, the captives have escaped.

They are the cause of this disaster.”

The captain grabbed the man by his shirt collar. “You let them escape?”

“They had help, sir.”

“Who? Ah, never mind.” He punched the man hard in the face, causinghis nose to start bleeding, then pushed him overboard. “Failure is not an option.”

The man screamed as the sharks closed in.

Chapter 14

At the Island

Charles, Torez, and Skye waded ashore on the island. It was extremely

dark except for the small amount of fire left from the ship at sea, and the half moon overhead. Torez led them to a grove of palm trees, and they made camp for

the night.

“We can’t have a fire for long,” he said, “But for a little bit a fire

wouldn’t hurt, since they wouldn’t know if it was from their ship or natives.”

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Port Royal

They did light a fire, but they put it out when they could no longer see

any lights at sea. It helped them dry their soaked clothing and hair. Then they fell

asleep on the soft sand.

* * *

Torez had been up for a while when the other two woke again. Skye

looked out to sea and said, “The pirates are still there.”

Charles looked where she was pointing. Sure enough, the pirate ship lay

at anchor near the land they were on. “We probably should move then.”

Torez began walking. “Come on. The town is this way.”

They had not been walking long when they reached the town. It was a

fair size, with quite a few ships in the harbor. Some flew French colors, while

others flew pirate flags.

Charles knew instinctively where they were. He stopped Torez. “This isTortuga! We don’t want to stop here!”

Torez turned to him. “Would you rather wait for Port Royal?”

“No, I guess I would rather be here than there, but it still is not a good

place to be. But what are we going to do in Tortuga?”

“Get a ride to a friendly port. What else?”

They walked into the city. People were everywhere, most carrying

weapons. Torez led them straight to a tavern, and walked in. Charles and Skye

followed a short way behind him.

Torez went right up to the barmaid. “`Ello Alhaja, we need some food

here. How have you been lately anyway?”

Alhaja, the barmaid, smiled broadly. “I’ve been alright, though by the

looks of things you’ve had a bit of trouble pretty recently.” She pointed to

Torez’s ragged clothing. “Who were you fighting this time?”

“Pirates, as usual. Those pond scum never leave me alone. My captain

thought these two were the governor of Port Royal’s kids.”

“I’ll get you and your young friends some food, we can talk in a minute.”

As Alhaja walked off, Charles gave Torez a strange look. “How do you

know her?”

Torez grinned. “We sailed on the same ship for a couple years. Weraided quite a few ships in those years.”

Skye’s eyes widened. “Raided ships? You were pirates?”

“Aye. Pirates, privateers, no real difference really. We were privateers

for a while, but when we refused to give half the plunder to the English

government, they decided we were pirates. Well, we met up with a ship from the

Navy, and they sunk our ship. Me and Alhaja were the only survivors, because

we were sniping from the mainmast when it fell into the water. We succeeded in

swimming here. I ran off and joined the Navy, and she stayed here. I was going

to come back to get her. I haven’t got any promotions because of thatincompetent captain, so I never got hold of a ship, though.”

After this, all three sat around a table, each with their own thoughts.

Shortly later Alhaja came over to them with some food. “When you three are

done eating, I need you to meet a couple friends of mine.”

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Port Royal

“Everyone, take cover!” He yelled, and fired a warning shot towards the

pirates, intentionally missing.

The pirate captain reloaded his gun and issued quick orders. “You three!

Keep him pinned down in there. If he shows his face, blow it off. The rest of

you, grab all those kids and bring them to the ship. Wait! You and you, go findthe rest of the crew. We sail in one hour, and if you aren’t back with them by

then, I will find you and feed your mutilated bodies to the sharks. Go!”

The pirates began carrying out his orders. Charles and his friends were

all tied up and led away.

He pointed his pistol at Alhaja, who stood four feet away from him.

“And don’t you try anything. If you do, you and all your friends will be dead

before you can blink.”

Alhaja smiled disarmingly. “Why would I even attempt to stop such a

amazingly-” Her foot suddenly shot out like lightning and kicked the weapon outof the captain’s hand, and she followed up with a vicious kick to the side of his

head. The gun flew up into the air, and Alhaja caught it, grabbed the falling

captain by the arm, and held his limp body with the pistol to its head. “Stupid

captain?” She finished.

The pirate crew were stunned. Their captain had never been beaten

before, and here he was, beaten to a pulp by a barmaid!

Alhaja smiled at the crew. “All of you, get out or I shoot.”

They began leaving quickly, but Alhaja did not notice that the whole time

one had been behind her.

Torez rolled back out from under the table and shouted, “Al! Look out!”

Alhaja turned, but too late. The pirate punched her hard in the head, she

spun and fell. The other pirates grabbed the captain, Charles, Skye, Lauren, and

Keith. Torez let them escape. He ran over to Alhaja and checked her pulse. She

was still alive! He ran to the kitchen and got some water in a bowl. He brought it

to her and dumped it all on her face. She sat up immediately. “Hey! Ow. My

head hurts.”

Then Torez noticed that his arm was bleeding. “Aw, shucks. I forgot

about that.” He said, ripping of a strip of fabric from his already shredded shirt

and tying it on his injury as a bandage.“Torez, your luck is awful.”

“No, I’m still alive. It can’t be that bad.”

“Are we just going to sit here and clean ourselves up, or are we going to

go save those kids?”

“How much money do you have?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just tell me. How much have you saved to get the new ship?”

“Well, I have-”

* * *

Charles was dragged onto the pirate ship and shoved down into the hold

instead of a cabin. He could not use his hands to catch himself, so he landed hard

on his back. His hands were still tied, and he landed on top of them. The landing

also knocked his breath out. He was still gasping for air when Skye was pushed

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Port Royal

after him. They had untied her hands, but she could not stop her fall, only weaken

the landing. Whumph! She landed on the floor next to Charles.

“No more cabin, I guess.” She said when she had regained her breath.

“Oh well.”

Charles was about to answer when he looked up. “Look out! Herecomes the others!” He rolled out of the way, and was narrowly missed by Keith.

Skye stood up and avoided Lauren, who practically rolled down the stairs. Then

everything went dark. Someone had closed the door.

Lauren’s voice came out of the darkness. “What happened to Alhaja and

Torez?”

Charles was wondering the same thing. “I don’t know. I hope they’re

fine. Do you think one of you guys could untie my hands in the dark?”

Keith crawled over to him. “I can’t see anything. Tell me where you

are, and I’ll help you get untied.”“Keep coming. Here, I’ll try sitting.” He struggled upright. Shortly

later his hands were free, and he only had one problem left. “Have any of you

seen my hat?”

Skye laughed. “I can’t see anything, how would I see your hat?”

“What I meant was, has anyone FOUND my hat?”

Skye handed it to him. “You won’t be needing it when we get to Port

Royal.”

“I keep a knife inside of it. I may need that at Port Royal.”

It was inevitable. They were going to Port Royal whether they liked it or

not.

Chapter 16

Port Royal

The four friends stayed locked in the hold for the rest of the day, and the

following night. Towards three or four the next day, they heard a cry on deck.

“Land Ho! Port Royal, dead ahead!”

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Port Royal

A few minutes later, the hatch was opened. the small amount of light

that came through was blinding. A silhouette of a man came walking down the

stairs towards them. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, Charles

recognized him as the English captain.

“You four are coming with me.”They followed him up the stairs, and up on deck. Their eyes had to

adjust a second time to the new light change. The Englishman led them to a large

cabin and sent them in. Inside, the pirate captain sat at a table. Two

crewmembers stood behind him on either side, and a sword lay on the table in

front of him.

“Sit down. Which two of you are the governor’s kids?”

Charles looked at Skye, then turned to Lauren and Keith. They looked

right back at him. Skye began feeling nervous.

The captain took his sword and stood. “If you don’t give me an answer, Ican always say one of them died on the way over. In other words, I will kill one

of you if you don’t tell me which of you are the governor’s kids.”

They still gave him no answer.

“Very well. You have until tomorrow morning. If you haven’t changed

your minds by then, I will kill the two girls. Then you will give an answer, or I

will be forced to teach you a lesson with the Cat.”

They were again led to their prison.

* * *

When they were alone, they began thinking out their answer for

tomorrow. Charles had a plan.

“How about me and Skye tell them that we are the governor’s kids, and

that will let you two escape. When they discover that we lied, you will be home

with your dad. Then the pirates don’t get paid, and me and Skye can come help

you get away as soon as possible. What do you guys think?”

Skye had to think about it for a moment, but then she answered, “It’s a

great plan, but what about the-”

“Shhh! We have to hope it will come late enough in the day that we can

get out first. Keith and Lauren, what do you two think?”Keith answered for both of them. “We would rather not go back to our

dad, but it sounds like it might work. My only question is what are you hoping

won’t come too soon?”

“God’s judgement on Sodom- or should I say Port Royal?”

“Do you know when it’s coming?”

“Tomorrow, though I don’t know what time.”

Lauren was confused. “How do you know?”

“I studied it in history. You wouldn’t understand, but I read it

somewhere.”“How strange.”

“So we probably should get into the city and back out today, or we will

be four of the three thousand dead.”

“Then let’s give our answer to the captain now.” Said Keith.

Lauren gave them the usual advice. “Be careful.”

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Port Royal

Then Charles climbed the stairs to the hatch and pounded on it. “Anyone

out there? We give in! We’ll tell you everything!”

They heard footsteps above them, and someone yell, “Captain! They’re

ready for you!”

Shortly later the hatch opened and five crewmembers brought them to thecaptain’s cabin.

“Well?”

Charles took a deep breath ad stepped forward. “Sir, I am the governor’s

son. Please don’t kill my sister!”

Skye stepped forward next to him, looking very frightened. “He’s my

brother. What are you going to do to us?”

The captain smiled. “Good kids. You, bring the Englishman.” The

pirate he had ordered left immediately. “Now, what should I do with the other

two?”Skye looked shocked. “You won’t hurt them, will you?”

“Perhaps. You two, take them away and dump them on land.”

Keith and Lauren were led out of the cabin.

Then the crew came back with the Englishman.

“We’re leaving now.” The captain said.

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Chapter 17

Pirate City

Skye and Charles were rowed ashore by four of the crew, the captain,and the Englishman. Skye looked at Charles and could tell exactly what he was

thinking. She was wondering the same thing. Had the other two made it to the

governor yet? If they hadn’t yet, would they get to him before it was too late?

They were led through the city, and Charles realized that his worst fears

about the city were confirmed. The sin of the city was appalling.

Then they arrived at a huge mansion. There were guards at the door, and

the Englishman walked up to one and talked with him for a moment. “We need

to speak with the governor.”

“For what reason?”“We have found his children and are returning them to him.”

“Oh? Wait here.”

The guard went inside the mansion, and came back a few minutes later.

“The governor says he does not have any children.”

“What!”

“He says you may want the last governor, who had two children.”

“Ah, yes. That’s him.”

“He died last week.”

“He did?”“Robbed and murdered. His children had vanished shortly before that.”

“So then we don’t get our reward for returning them?”

“No.”

The Englishman looked like he had become sick. He walked back to the

crew. “The governor is-”

“Dead. I heard it all. You just wasted my time and effort.” Said the

pirate captain.

“Sorry, sir.”

“Sorry doesn’t change anything. You will never fail again.”

“I will try not to, sir.”“No you won’t. Dead men don’t try at all.”

“No! Please don’t!”

The pirate captain drew his pistol and fired. The Englishman dropped to

the street, a bullet through his heart. “Now, what to do with the cause of the

whole problem?” He turned to Charles and Skye.

“I would kill you too, but I have better things to do. If I ever see either of

you again when my gun is loaded, I won’t be so gentle. And if you ever get

within sword range, your heads will be fed to the rats.”

Skye nodded her thanks, grabbed Charles’ arm, and ran off down thestreet.

When they had left a good distance between them and the pirates,

Charles slowed to a walk, and Skye followed his example. “Well, we have some

friends to find now. Where should we start looking?”

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Skye thought for a moment, then responded, “We should hang around the

governor’s place for a while. Maybe they haven’t got there yet.”

“Good idea.”

So they walked back to the governor’s house, and found a place where

they could just sit and talk, while being able to see the mansion’s entrance.* * *

They had been waiting for almost half an hour, when they saw someone

they knew. It was Lauren! She was running towards the mansion, but Skye leapt

up and ran to stop her.

“Lauren! Wait!”

Lauren kept running, but changed course towards Skye. She slowed

when she was ten feet away, and walked quickly up to her, panting.

“I need help! Keith was arrested!”Charles ran over to them. “Why?”

“They thought he stole something, but he didn’t! I was going to get my

dad’s help, if he only would!”

“That isn’t a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Your dad isn’t the mayor anymore. Where did they take Keith?”

“I’m not sure. The prison, I suppose, but how are we going to help

him?”

“We may be able to find that out when we get to him. Which way did

they go?”

Lauren pointed back the direction she had come from. “This way!”

Skye said, “Then let’s go!”

And they all began jogging after Lauren.

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“Nobody would let us borrow money! We’re in Port Royal!”

“I never said we’d have permission.”

“Then borrow isn’t the right word. Steal is more like it.”

“True.”

“I don’t like the idea of stealing, even if we have a reason.”“Is stealing from a robber and murderer wrong?”

“It’s still stealing. Stealing is wrong.”

“Then I’ll do it.” Skye said, walking off back down the road the way

they had come. Lauren followed her, and Charles did not have much choice.

Then Charles realized where Skye was going. The governor’s mansion!

“Skye, are you insane? We can’t steal from the governor! We’d get

caught!”

“I know that. I wasn’t going to. But a rich governor will have rich

guests, with rich transportation. What do you think?”“I think I won’t let you do that. But also, I think I recognize someone

who seems to be going to the governor’s house. Be right back!”

He dashed off, and came back thirty seconds later with Torez. “Look

who I found searching for us!”

Torez smiled at them. “I’m always just a few seconds too late, aren’t I?

This is the second time you got away yourselves! How did you do it?”

Lauren beat them both to an answer. “They didn’t escape. There’s a

new governor, and they can’t get money with us anymore, so they let us go, but at

separate times. While we were trying to find each other, Keith was arrested for

stealing, though he didn’t do it. We’re trying to free him by bribing the guard.”

Torez frowned. “You kids just Can’t avoid trouble, can you? Ah well.

We need to get your friend and get out. We don’t want to stay any longer than we

have to. I’m guessing you want money.”

Charles answered this time. “Yes, we do. And it would be best if we

didn’t steal it.”

“Well, I don’t have much money. But I have a ship and Alhaja, and

perhaps our crew would like to join in a rescue attempt. I’m a captain now, you

see. The crew wasn’t quite ready when me and Alhaja told them it was time to

go, so we aren’t heavily armed or anything, but they’re happy to be off piratingagain. We can rescue you friend, though it would never work in broad daylight.

We begin at two o’clock. For now, let’s go get some food. After that you three

can tell Keith about the plan and I’ll prepare the crew.”

They went with Torez and ate some supper. Then they returned to Keith

in the prison and told him about Torez’s plan of escape.

“It sounds fine,” Keith replied, “But don’t we need to be gone by

tomorrow?”

Charles slapped his forehead. “Your right! Come on Skye, and you too,

Lauren. We need to find Torez and tell him!”They left the jail in a hurry, and soon found the docks. They continued

searching for Torez, but they did not find him until it began to get dark. Charles

estimated it to be eight or nine o’clock. They quickly told him their dilemma.

Torez frowned and said, “This always happens to me. I make a plan, and

it’s ruined before it even happens. Well, since it’s getting dark, I think we have to

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just stick with the plan. We will come an hour early, though. Do you know what

time the earthquake will come?”

Charles shook his head. “The book I found out about it in only gave the

date, not the time. I just hope it’s later in the day.”

They prepared themselves for the rescue and quick escape that night.Then the time came. One o’clock.

Chapter 20

Escape- Or Not

Torez led them all down the dark street. Five of Torez’s crew followed

him, including his first mate, Alhaja. Soon they arrived at the prison. Alhaja

brought forward some tools, and Torez used them to pick the lock on the outer

door. Then he slipped in, and motioned the four crewmembers to wait outside.

Skye, Charles, Alhaja, and Lauren went in with Torez.

A guard lay asleep inside, but they were careful not to wake him. Torez

softly removed the keys from a rack on the wall, and opened Keith’s cell. They

were leaving when a prisoner whispered to them.“Take me with you, or I wake the guard- and the whole neighborhood.”

Torez sighed and opened the door to let the man out. After that, the man

snatched the keys from Torez, and began opening all the prison cells, slipping in,

and waking the prisoner. Soon the whole prison was empty of criminals, and

only the guard remained. The first prisoner grabbed a chair and crashed it hard

over the guard’s head, knocking him senseless. Then he dragged the man to a

cell, shoved him in, and locked it. He motioned all the others to be quiet, and led

them outside, taking the keys with him.

“That was good thinking. They won’t look as hard for specific prisoners

if they lost them all.” Said Torez, motioning for all the escapees to follow him.They ran swiftly but quietly down the street, until they reached the docks.

There the group was met by ten more crew. Torez motioned everyone to come

closer to him.

“Let’s split up here. Me and my people will go this way, and you can go

that way.” He pointed down the street to the left. “How about it?”

The criminals had nothing else planned, so they did as Torez directed.

Only one did not go off with the others, and he was the one who had helped the

rest escape.

“Do you want to come with us?” Torez asked him.“Aye, you got me out, so I return the favor. I am under yer command.”

“I think you have another reason for joining me.”

“A good cap’n knows his crew. Aye, I have another reason. You have a

ship, or you would have gone the other way. I want to leave this accursed place.”

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“Good for you. Our ship isn’t big enough for all of you escapees, but I

can take you with me. We should wait ‘till the rest are farther away from catching

us, though.”

“A good plan, cap’n.”

“Why were you in prison anyway?”“For being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a long story, but I

s’pose we have time. First, my name is Dario.”

Charles did not stay to listen to the tale, since he decided they would hear

it again on their trip away from Port Royal. Instead, he wandered down the street,

looking at all the ships. Then he heard a boom. He looked out to sea, and saw

that a battle was taking place in the harbor. Two ships of equal size were firing

away at each other with their cannons. Charles ran back to the group, which was

just starting to return to the city, so that they would not be in range of the gunfire,

just in case there where some misses. They were not far from the town squarewhen Torez had them stop moving.

“We should be fine here. Continue your story.”

Then they were all knocked to the ground as it shook beneath them. It

was an earthquake!

Chapter 21

Earthquake!

The ground shook viciously, causing Charles, Skye, Torez, and everyoneelse to be thrown to the ground. About twenty feet away, a house began

crumbling, sending dried plaster across a large area. Then it fell over, almost

hitting another building. After shaking for a few minutes, causing much

devastation to the city, the ground stopped suddenly.

Torez picked himself off the ground. “You were right after all, Charles.

But we need to find a good, open area quick. Earthquakes have aftershock

sometimes, and it can be more powerful than the earthquake itself. Come on.” He

began jogging towards the main square of Port Royal. Everyone else followed,

and Charles grabbed his hat.With a sudden rumble, the ground shook a second time. This time it had

even more power. Everyone was hurled to the street. Then there was a deafening

crack. Charles lifted his head, only to see a crevasse open wide right next to him.

Three of Torez’s crew members shrieked as they fell off the seemingly endless

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cliff. Skye was on the other side, and began slipping. The ground stopped

vibrating, but Charles’s ears where still ringing from the noise. Then he saw Skye

slipping, holding herself up with both arms, but losing her grip quickly.

Charles stood up and took a few steps away from the crack, then ran full

speed towards it.Charles ran to the edge and jumped as high and far as he could, rolling

when he landed on the other side. Then he ran to Skye. She slipped, holding

herself up with her hands, and Charles grabbed her wrists. He began pulling,

dragging her out of the crevasse. When he had her halfway out, she pulled herself

out of his grip and rolled out of the crack.

“There you go again.” Said Skye, brushing dirt off her dress.

Charles gave her a strange look. “There I go again with what?”

“You tried to save me again. The difference is that this time-”

She was cut short by a crashing noise. When she turned to see what itwas, it was too late. They were hit by a giant wave, and thrown almost ten feet.

Skye tried to scream, but her mouth filled with water.

Soon the wave was past, but every survivor was soaked thoroughly.

Charles picked himself off the ground, then paused.

“We need to find something that floats- fast.”

He looked around, noticing that he and Skye were the only people in

sight on this side of the crack. Torez called to him from the other side.

“That could have been worse. After all, most of us survived that. My

big question is what next?”

Charles pointed towards the docks. “Now the city sinks. We need

something that floats, or an area that isn’t going to sink.”

They began running towards the docks immediately. A large portion of

the city was already sinking, and the water was soon soaking the feet of every

person on the street. The crack that had been caused by the earthquake was now

behind them.

Skye stopped running and yelled, “Who here can’t swim?”

Almost every member of Torez’s crew raised their hands.

“Never mind that. Who here CAN swim?” Torez, Alhaja, Keith,

Lauren, and two members of the crew raised their hands. “Good enough.Everyone else, try to get on the roof of the governor’s mansion. Fast! Those who

can swim, follow me.”

She began moving towards the now submerged docks. The water was

now up to her waist, and still rising. When they reached the docks only their

heads and necks where above the water. There was a ship just setting sail, riding

low in the water. Torez hailed the captain.

“Ahoy! We need a ride to my ship! Can you take us?”

“Get away from my ship!” The captain yelled, after which he drew a

pistol and fired it, but missed. “I’ll kill you if you take another step!”Torez looked at Alhaja. “It appears we need to find a different ride, or

swim for it.”

Alhaja nodded, then turned to Skye and Charles. But where were they?

They weren’t with the group.

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Keith and Lauren had also just realized that. Keith began wading in the

other direction. “Torez, me and Lauren are going to go search for them. When

we find them, we’ll go to the governor’s house, since we can all swim.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Charles and Skye were on the second floor of a house, tied

to chairs by the waist, arms included. The pirate captain had found them again,

and was feeling murderous. Two crew members guarded the broken door, and

Charles had lost his hat.

Chapter 22

The Last Day in the Caribbean

The pirate captain drew his sword and walked towards Charles and Skye,

twirling his sword and scowling.

“You two caused me more trouble than you were worth, and I didn’t

even get that. I brought you all this way, and get nothing, so I decided that I

would get one thing. Revenge.”

He walked towards them, still spinning his sword. He walked up to

Charles first, and drew back the sword for a decapitating blow. Suddenly Charles

kicked him hard in the shin, and while the pirate captain jumped on one foot in

pain, he leapt to his feet, still with the chair tied to his waist. Then he spunaround, knocking the legs out from under the pirate captain. The captain crashed

to the floor, sending the sword spinning across the floor.

One of the captain’s crew drew his sword and was about to run to help

his captain, but the other stopped him.

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“The cap’n wouldn’t want you to help when he can easily win by

himself.”

Charles tried to set the chair on the captain, but the captain rolled out of

the way and kicked Charles over onto his face. Then he ran over to his sword and

scooped it up. Charles struggled, but he could not get back up, instead causing thechair to tip on its side. The captain walked slowly back.

“You just added to your punishment, boy. Now you die slowly.”

“Only a coward kills someone who can’t fight back.”

“True, but I am not going to kill you. The sea will, when I am done with

you.”

He smiled, and gave a cut to Charles’s arm.

“And when I’m finished with you, you will wish for the sharks to speed

your death.”

He was interrupted by a loud bang behind him. He turned to see asoaked Skye holding a knife and a pistol, which was smoking from being fired.

One guard was already dead, but the second groaned and slid to the floor, a bullet

through his heart. Skye leaned over and took the nearest guard’s sword, leaving

her gun on the floor.

“Your ropes were a bit loose on me. I slipped right out, and went out the

window. You were so busy trying to kill my friend that you didn’t notice. Oh,

and by the way, the water is at the windowsill. Soon this room will be filled with

water.”

The captain pointed his sword at the girl. “You are asking for death. My

sword will soon teach you what that means.”

He rushed forward and gave a heavy swing, but Skye was ready and

ducked under it, deflecting it with her sword. The captain stepped back, then

began another onslaught of attacks.

Skye blocked and dodged as well as she could, barely keeping her

opponent’s sword from striking her.

The water began coming through the window, slowly at first, then faster,

the water getting deeper and deeper. Charles was slowly being engulfed by the

water. He began trying to pull his uninjured arm out of the rope.

Skye was losing the duel. The captain was battering her with endless blows, pushing her backwards. The water was at her knees, and over Charles’s

head. She tried to take a step backwards, but the water slowed her legs more than

her body, and she fell backwards. The captain leapt forward, stepping hard on her

sword arm, near the shoulder. Skye could not attack with her sword, and also

could not surface. Then reflexes took over. Using her free arm, she took her

knife and slashed the pirate captain’s leg hard. The pain made the captain stumble

backwards and drop his weapon. Skye leapt up, and thrust with her sword.

The pirate captain fell forward, holding his hand over the lethal wound.

He did not rise again. Ever.Skye dropped her sword and waded to Charles. Taking her knife, which

she had kept hidden, she sliced the ropes binding him to the chair. Then she

helped him out of the water, and he began gasping for air. It took him almost five

minutes to get his breath back, and when he did, the water in the room was up to

his shoulder.

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Skye began pushing towards the window, and Charles began to follow.

Then the building shuddered as something crashed into the roof, hiding the

window behind the broken remains of the ceiling. The house seemed to slide for a

few seconds, then stopped, but it was slightly tipped.

Skye turned to Charles. “Now what do we do?”“Go out the door. We’re going to have to swim.”

They walked to the door, but could not go through without going

underwater, since the house had tipped in that direction, and even in this room the

water was up to their necks.

Charles looked at Skye. “You ready?”

“No, but I never will be. So, as ready as ever. Let’s go.”

They both took deep breaths, and dove into the water, swimming to the

nearest window. Charles paused to grab the pirate captain’s sword, then swam out

the window in front of Skye.He began swimming for the surface, when he saw a shark. It was

swimming towards him, and coming fast. Then he realized why. His arm was

still bleeding a little. He held the sword point forward, aiming it at the oncoming

shark. He knew that he would not be able to swing it underwater.

Skye saw the shark also, and opened her mouth, losing almost all her

oxygen, and filling her mouth with water. Without the air to help her float, she

began to sink, even while she struggled to surface.

Charles managed to fend off the shark by giving it a slice on the gills.

The shark decided to try to find easier prey, which it could smell already. It swam

through the house window they had just left.

Charles surfaced, and looked around for Skye. When he did not see her,

he dove back underwater, and saw her sinking to the bottom. He swam as fast as

he could to help her. He dropped the sword to get rid of the extra weight, and

grabbed her wrist. Pushing off the ground, he struggled to swim to the surface,

with her trying to help.

With much struggling, Charles reached the surface, but could not get

Skye’s head over the surface. He swam over to the house, and grabbed the roof.

He used it to pull himself out of the water, then grabbed Skye’s wrist again,

pulling her just high enough to let her get a breath of air. Then she pulled herself out, laying on the roof of the house in the bright sun.

“That was close,” she said.

“I wonder how Torez is doing with finding the ride.” Charles said,

walking over to a small boat that had smashed the house. “’Cause we have one.”

They freed the sloop from the broken house, checked it for damage, and

climbed in. Charles searched inside the boat, but the oars had been washed

overboard, so he set the sail, which had been wrapped around the boom, and took

the tiller. “Where should we go?”

“Let’s try to find the governor’s mansion.”“Good idea.”

They sailed along, watching for the large roof.

Then Skye stood up and pointed. “Look over there!”

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Charles searched for what she was pointing at. Then he saw it. On the

roof of a house, not far away, stood Keith and Lauren. They were waving, and

jumping up and down.

When they reached them, Lauren told them, “There you are! We were

searching for you!”“What happened anyway?” asked Keith.

As they sailed along, searching for the governor’s mansion, Charles told

them the whole story since their capture, and Skye filled in any missed details.

They had just come to the point when they had swam out the window when Keith

interrupted.

“There it is!”

Everyone looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, a large roof

rose above the water. A small group of people sat on top. When they saw the

boat, they began waving. Soon Charles was sure it was Torez’s crew. But wherewas Torez?

Tying up to a decorative post, they climbed out of their sailboat and onto

the roof.

Charles looked around. “Torez isn’t here yet?”

The man who had joined them after they had rescued him from prison,

Dario, said, “No, he might be having trouble finding us. We have been watching

for a ship, but most ships probably will not fit in between the buildings. That is

most likely his problem.”

Charles nodded in agreement. “Skye must not have thought of that. We

could take almost half of you in our boat and look for him.”

Then another crew shouted, “Sail ho!”

Everyone turned to find the boat. There was no sail, but a small rowboat

was coming towards them. It was rowed by two people, one of which turned to

see which way they were going. It was Torez! The other person they recognized

to be Alhaja.

When the boat reached them, Torez jumped onto the roof. “Skye!

Charles! There you are! My ship couldn’t fit through the streets, so we took the

lifeboat.”

Soon everyone was loaded into the two boats. Skye and Charles were inthe sloop.

Skye looked over at Torez, who was manning the rowboat. “Race you to

the ship.”

“Al, you tell us when to go.”

Charles got ready to set the one sail.

Alhaja smiled and said, “Ready? On three- One! Two! THREE!”

And they were off. The rowers had an early lead, and were increasing

the gap quickly, when a light breeze picked up. The sloop began closing in.

It had just caught up when they reached the docks, and Skye yelled over to Torez, “Which ship is yours?”

“Dark hull, two upright masts, and she’s called the Dark Cloud !”

They continued along, when Skye spotted it. “Turn a bit that way.

Good! We’re headed right at it.”

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Torez was now about two feet behind, and slowly losing more ground.

Then the sailboat lost speed. The ships were blocking out the wind, and greatly

impeding the progress of the sloop. The rowboat began catching up again. The

sloop reached the ship only inches behind, but behind nonetheless.

Chapter 23

Sailing Away

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Torez and his crew climbed onto his boat, hoisting the rowboat up after

them. Meanwhile, Charles and Skye had a quick conference.

“Sometime we’re probably going back to the real world. I think we

shouldn’t be with them when it happens. They would think we fell overboard or

were kidnapped, and would search for us. Let’s take our new boat and leave.”Whispered Charles.

Skye agreed. “You’re right. I would rather not leave them, but it’s better

to do it now than unexpectedly.”

Charles climbed onto Torez’s ship and went over to his friends. “Torez,

me and Skye are leaving now. We decided to try to sail back home. You have

done more for us than we could ever ask, but we need one more thing. Can you

give us some supplies for our trip?”

Torez had seen this coming. “We can spare a good weeks worth of food

for two, but why not come with us? We can go to you homeland with you.”Skye stopped him from saying any more. “No, you have other things

you should be doing. We will be fine.”

Torez, Alhaja, Keith, Lauren, and Dario helped load the sloop with food

and water. Torez also donated a pair of oars.

“Goodbye, Charles. Goodbye, Skye. I hope we meet again.”

“Bye, Torez.”

“I hope we meet again, too. Goodbye.”

“Farewell, you two. I’ll miss you.” Keith told them, almost crying.

Lauren did not even manage to say “Goodbye,” because if she opened

her mouth, she would begin to cry. In fact, she did cry.

Alhaja and Dario waved as the small boat sailed out of the harbor.

Soon Charles and Skye could not see the ship anymore, or the remains of

the city. They sat in silence, sailing towards Mexico, so they could follow the

coast north.

* * *

They had been sailing for hours, and the sun was beginning to set.

Suddenly the boat tipped forwards. It fell- not sank- straight down, through the

bottom of the ocean, and into a white mist. Skye was screaming, and Charles wasyelling, as it fell through the mist. It was not a fog- fog is wet, and this was not.

It seemed to be nothingness. The small boat seemed to spiral as it dropped, but

they could not be sure, since there was nothing to see that would let them know

what was happening.

Suddenly they sat in two chairs, in the basement of a house. They were

still screaming and yelling, when they saw what had happened. They were both

breathing hard. Then Charles noticed something wrong. They were not alone in

the room, but Mark Ivanson was not there. Laying on the floor, after apparently

fainting, was a man dressed in black. He was holding a small bag, and next to himwas a pistol, which he had apparently dropped. He was laying in front of the

computer monitor.

Charles walked over to him and took the gun, putting it in his pocket.

Then he pulled the bag out of the man’s hand, and opened it. It was half full of

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small amounts of cash, and some trinkets. Charles laughed. “I think we just

captured a thief. Look at this.”

Skye walked over and laughed also. “Well! I think us busting back into

consciousness so noisily scared him so bad he passed out. That was great!”

They pulled the man off the floor and set him on one of the chairs. Skyeran upstairs, coming back shortly later with a cup of water. Charles took out the

gun he had taken from the man. Then Skye dumped the cup of water on the man’s

head, instantly reviving him. He sat up and looked at them, then put his hands up.

“Don’t shoot me! I was just- just- Please don’t kill me!”

Charles gave him a menacing look. “If you aren’t out of this house in ten

seconds, I will shoot you. Go!”

The thief leapt out of the chair and ran up the stairs and out the door.

They never saw him again.

Skye looked around. “I wonder where Mr. Ivanson is.”“I don’t know. We should go home, though.”

“Oh, great. I missed a week of school. I’ll never catch up!”

“Hmm. I’m home schooled. Maybe if you were home schooled it

wouldn’t matter as much. My parents should be home by now, and I could talk to

my mom-”

“I don’t think my dad would care. He never does about anything.”

Soon they were walking to Charles’s house. When they arrived, Charles

parents were glad to see him. They had just arrived at home two hours ago, and

asked him when he had left the note, and he looked at it. “It’s good I didn’t put a

date on there. I left last week!”

He asked them about helping Skye home school, and they agreed that it

would be a good idea. Charles gave Skye his telephone number, and she walked

home.

* * *

The next day, Charles got a phone call. It was Skye.

“Hi Charles. My dad was happy to see me! He never has been before. I

just don’t understand why. He also is letting me home school! Isn’t it great?”

“I think he may have been happy to see you because you were happy to

see him. Happiness is contagious. We have lots of books and things you can borrow for school. You can stop by tomorrow to pick some up.”

* * *

Later the next week, Charles received a phone call from someone else.

Mark Ivanson wanted him to come over so they could tell him how it went.

When he arrived at Mark’s house, he was led to what must have been the

living room, since it had four big, comfortable chairs and a fireplace. Mark was

on crutches, but was moving around quite well. He gave Charles a envelope, but

told him, “Don’t open it until you get home.”Skye arrived two minutes later, and was also brought to the living room.

Mark had them tell him the whole story, and also told them why he had

not been able to return them to the real world. When they were all finished, he

said, “I think that an internal program to bring you back would have been better. I

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will fix the bug you found, and add that in. If you ever want to try my time

machine again, I will be here.”

Then they said goodbye, and returned to their homes. Charles opened his

envelope, and pulled out the contents. Inside was a check for two thousand

dollars, and a coupon for a tricorn hat!

Documents

Saint Kitts