Hoist the Black Flag

Chapter 1

Peter should have felt bad about what he was doing, but in all honesty he didn't. If anything, he was kind of excited. He liked it when the crew complimented him on his skills, and on top of that, he was getting paid. He didn't know what he would spend it on, since the captain usually didn't like him to get off at the good harbors, but all the same, he wanted the money.

It was a busy day on the docs, so it was even easier than usual to slip by all the honest workers unnoticed. To find what he was looking for, he would have to make it into the deeper part of town. He already had his sights on a nice, tall house peeping over the others, very close to the church. As he wound his way through the streets, he couldn't help but be a little appreciative of the pretty town. He tried not to be, since he thought that these kind of thought were too girly for a strong pirate like him, but he couldn't help it. Italy was a beautiful place.

He shook his head. Focus.

Peter easily found the house he was looking for, peered into the garden from behind the nearest building. There, two girls were tending to a patch of tomatoes. They looked really similar, save their hair color, so Peter figured they must be sisters. One of them, the one with lighter hair, laughed and hugged her darker haired counterpart. The dark haired one pushed her off and cursed in Italian. They were both very pretty... He wondered if they were old enough to be betrothed.

The dark haired one picked up a large basket of tomatoes and headed inside, leaving her sister alone in the garden, happily fussing over some vines. This was his chance!

He stumbled out of the shadows, looking around wildly. "Oh! Oh, miss, miss! Can you help me, please?"

She jumped, startled, then turned toward him, questioning. "Who are you? Where are your parents?"

In his mind, he gave a silent thanks that she spoke English. "M-My name is Peter. My parents are on a ship in the harbor. They told me not to go too far, but this place is so pretty I had to look around, and I got lost!"

The lie slipped out of his mouth with ease, and he glowed at his handiwork when she practically melted. "Ve! Of course I'll help you! My name is Feliciana, Peter."

Feliciana took Peter's hand and began the walk back to the harbor. He smiled and chatted easily to her, telling her about he never would have gotten lost back in his hometown back in Great Britain. He played the part of innocent little boy quite well, he thought. As they came to the docs, where it was still bustling with activity, Feliciana released his hand.

"Here we are. Can you get back from here?"

Psh, of course I can, I'm not stupid. "Actually, can you come with me?" Peter shuffled his feet and tried to look embarrassed.

Feliciana bought it without question, and smiled. "Sure!"

Continuing to chat with her, he hesitantly led her across the docs, stopping every once and a while to pretend to think about his way. Finally, he arrived in front of his ship, the Water Sprite. This was the hardest part, he knew, but he had chosen the right girl. She obviously wasn't too bright. He batted his eyelashes and looked up at her with his pretty blue eyes.

"Thank you so much, miss! I'm really, really sorry to ask you this, but will you come on board with me for just a few minutes? I want you to meet my parents 'cause you were so nice to me!"

Peter realized this was a stupid lie, but again, Feliciana bought the it wholeheartedly. He felt guilty for half a second, taking advantage of her like this, then remembered the praise he would get, and it washed away instantly.