A Pirate's Revenge

Chapter One - Kat

   I was sitting in the hollow where the figurehead meets the railing, straining my eyes and ears for anything.

   "Kat! Kat, where are you?" I heard my brother Matthias yell.

   Silently, I made my way in his direction, sneaking up behind him in the dark. Holding my breath, I used one hand to cover his mouth, and the other to pull him against me.

   "Don't make a sound," I hissed in a mock-threatening voice.

   He started, but recovered quickly. As expected, he stuck his tongue out to lick my hand, something we had done since childhood. I let go and moved away, waiting for him to tell me what he needed.

   "Don't scare me like that; I thought I'd lost you," he said.

   "Where would I have gone?" I laughed. "We're on the ocean, too far away from land for me to swim, and I don't have a death wish."

   "I know you know how to do your job," he said, pointedly ignoring me, "But shouldn't you have a lantern? There's not even a moon to see by."

   "That's what ears are for, dear brother. And before you came blundering in, I was using mine quite well, if I do say so myself." I polished my finger tips on my shirt.

   He opened his mouth to shoot back a reply, but I cut him off.

   "Yeah, yeah, whatever. There's a ship of the port bow. Probably about the size of ours; no bigger, at least. Aboard, there is a foreign dignitary, at least two females, and someone named Kit, not to mention the crew. The makings of a good haul."

   He shook his head. "It never ceases to amaze me just how detailed you are in your reports."

   I casually walked over to the scuttlebutt. "Yes, well, it is in my nature to be as exact as possible. When it suits me." There was a pause as he and I both took a drink.

    "It's been a few long, uneventful weeks. How 'bout some plundering?"

   I felt a smile spread across my face as Matthias turned away and called, "All hands on deck!"

   Once everyone was assembled, we devised our battle plan.

   "All right, crew. You all know your jobs. Hop to it!" he said.

   To which we all replied, "Aye, aye, Captain!"

   Now, I know you've been wondering, 'What is this person's name?'          

   My name is Ekaterina Willison.