So, this is a story Arabella and I have been writing. Enjoy, and please give us feedback.

(Oh, it's not finished yet. New parts will be added as soon as we write them. )

***

Jo Jo poked his scruffy head up from the seat, peering along down the aisle of Wisdom, the spacecraft his sister was currently piloting towards the planet of Ky'tal. His bright, curious brown eyes darted to the windows lining the walls, where he could see millions of stars and asteroids careening past. Jo Jo shook his mop of black hair out of his eyes, and then froze, listening. His sister didn't know he was here, and he wasn't exactly supposed to be here anyways. Jo Jo turned his attention back to the windows, staring at the beautiful world of space outside. He never thought he'd be here, seeing all these insanely cool sights.

He sneezed, taking even himself by surprise. His sister was bound to hear that, Jo Jo knew. He was going to be in trouble. . .again.

"Steady..." Bridget mumbled to herself as she steered the massive spaceship. It was her first time flying one of this size on her own, and she was more than a little nervous about it. Not to mention the fact that this was her first solo mission. Well, assignment, technically. She was just delivering some supplies to Ky'tal, after all. Anyone could have been picked to do it. But to Bridget, the fact that they had chosen her meant something. It meant that someone must have seen some potential within her, must have believed she could do it.

Now she just had to believe it too.

An added bonus, of course, was the fact that the trip would get her out of her house for a while. Mum had been hovering over her again, never giving her a moment to herself, and her brother...Bridget sighed, shaking her head. Why did he feel the need to follow her wherever she went? Jo Jo was getting way too old for that kind of clinginess, and he was making Bridget a joke among her friends. Yes, a few days away from home would do wonders for everybody.

A sudden noise caught Bridget's attention, and she froze. Every muscle in her body tensed as she slowly turned around, her eyes scanning the interior of the vessel. Nothing.

Putting the ship on autopilot, Bridget slowly stood up. "Hello?" she called, trying to make herself sound confident and important--like somebody that no stowaway would want to mess with. "Is there somebody in here?"

Jo Jo wriggled under the seats, watching his sister's feet pass by him, tapping their way down the aisle. he lay still, hoping his scruffy mop of black hair (which was slightly visible) blended into the smooth, shiny interior of the wall. Or that Bridget just wouldn't look down this way at all. He peeked over the rim of a seat, ducking as Bridget turned back his way. With a jolt, he remembered he had forgotten to take his backpack with him. It was probably still sitting on the seat, where he had been sitting.

His backpack was the most noticeable thing on the ship, with it's brown leather and black gleaming buttons. What's more, Jo Jo had left it open. He had been reading his Smallville comic books when the ship had taken off, and he had forgotten to close the bag. Clark Kent, Chloe and Lex Luther were probably all over the seat by now, giving Bridget a direct clue that Jo Jo was here. He couldn't help himself! Why would anyone pass up an opportunity to see space, and maybe go to new planets? It was amazing, just being here, and being able to see the stars go careening past, their light blinking like a million tiny fireflies.

Jo Jo wrinkled up his nose as he felt another sneeze coming on. He would not, he would not, he would not--too late. The sneeze forced Jo Jo's head back against the wall, causing a dull whack. And Jo Jo couldn't help going,

"Ow!"

Slowly, Bridget crept along the passenger corridor, on alert for any and all signs of movement. It seemed deserted enough, but she was sure she had heard something. A sneeze, maybe, or a rustling...either way, someone was on board her ship who shouldn't have been.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bridget spotted something, and she turned to see a backpack on one of the chairs. It looked familiar, and she furrowed her brow as she walked towards it. It couldn't be. It was just a similar-looking bag, that was all. Tons of kids had to have backpacks just like that. Just a random kid stowing away on a spaceship, running away to try to escape their dull lives and see the universe...

"Ow!"

Bridget saw red for a moment as an agonizingly familiar voice met her ears. She crouched down and reached under the seat, grabbing a handful of the fabric of her brother's shirt and dragging him out from his hiding place. "Jo Jo!" she yelled. "What are you doing here?! Are you trying to get me fired?"

"No--no!" Jo Jo yelled back at his sister. "I'm sorry, Bridget! I just wanted to see space and everything, I don't want to get you in trouble!" He looked up at Bridget's face with wide eyes, wondering what she would say.

His thought process was interrupted, however, by a beeping from the front of the ship, and then an automated voice.

"Unknown ship sighted. License 2215-A, type 14, Battleship. Armed."

Jo Jo looked back at his sister, his eyes growing even wider. "Battleship?! Bridget, why would a battleship be near us?!"

"I don't know!" Bridget snapped, walking briskly away from him. "Maybe they've come to put you out of your misery, because believe me, once Mum finds out about this..."

Her pace quickened until she was seated at the captain's chair again, putting the headset over her ears. "This is Wisdom,requesting more information on the sighted battleship. Please respond with coordinates and instructions ASAP."

There was no response.

"Repeat, this is Bridgit of the starship Wisdom, requesting more information and possibly backup. Do you read me?"

Jo Jo leaned over Bridget's pilot chair, gazing at all the blinking lights and buttons situated on the wide, sleek control panel. He pointed at a bright yellow button, which was flashing alternately. "What does that do?"

He didn't get to ask another question before there came a crackle of static blaring over the intercom. A raspy voice breathed in and out, making the hairs on Jo Jo's neck stand straight up. He thought the voice sounded like Darth Vader from the old Star Wars movies, though that was impossible.

"Captain Bridget Jane Alastor," the voice began, cold as a knife sliding over a piece of metal. "We mean you no harm. We, the sailors of the Old Queen Mercy just want what is rightfully ours. I have reason to believe you are carrying something that is very dear to us: the last orb of Mysali."

Jo Jo looked at Bridget. The last orb of Mysali?! But that was a legend! And legend told that it could be used to create new species, just by thinking about what you wanted. Who were these people?

The unknown voice continued, "If you do not give it up to us, we will have to take drastic measures, I'm afraid. In five minutes time, if we do not have the orb, we will board your ship and take your younger brother hostage. Five minutes, Bridget Alastor. And then you will see what we space pirates can do."

Bridget's blood ran cold, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Old Queen Mercy, this is Bridget Alastor speaking. Your message has been received, but I am afraid your information is false. I'm merely piloting food and supplies to the base on Ky'tal. I have a full list of the inventory here, and your orb is not on the list. Please cease and desist or I will be forced to involve the authorities."

The voice over the intercom laughed, chilling Bridget to her very bones. "I'm afraid that, out here, we are the authorities. You have four and a half minutes."

The line of communication went dead.

Bridget sat there for a few seconds, breathing hard and staring straight ahead into space. She couldn't see the Old Queen Mercy, but that hardly mattered. It was out there, and it was after them.

"Go to the cargo hold," she hissed to her brother. "Now!"

Jo Jo scrambled to obey, running down the aisle, stopping only to grab his pack. He unlatched the door, pushing the heavy metal bar out of the way and pulling open the door. Jo Jo grabbed a flashlight out of his bag, switching it on so he could see through the gloom. Looking down, he glimpsed some stairs leading down to the cargo hold. Jo Jo took them one at a time quickly, finally getting to the bottom. He tripped over the last step, though, flying through the air and landing on a heap of boxes. His flashlight went tumbling from his hands, the beam going wild all over the ceiling and floor. Jo Jo extricated himself from the boxes, pushing them to one side and clambering down the pile. He reached a hand out for the flashlight, grabbing it and then swinging it all over the room. Someone may have been able to sneak up on him, he thought desperately.

Jo Jo jumped as the unknown voice slashed through the ship's speakers. "Bridget Alastor, your five minutes are up. And still we do not have the orb. I am very sorry, but now we have to board your ship and take your brother. We know you have hidden him in your ship, but you are just prolonging your suffering by forcing us to find him."

Bridget swallowed, her palms starting to sweat as her stomach turned backflips. They had never thought to cover anything like this in her training. A quick job, that's what this was supposed to be. A quick, easy trip to Ky'tal and back--drop off the supplies, re-fuel, and then back home to her mundane life. Space pirates and a stowaway brother had not been part of her plans.

The Old Queen Mercy. Bridget had heard the stories, of course, of whole starships disappearing from the galaxy thanks to that vessel, but she had never once thought to think that they might be true. They were the stuff of legends, that was all. Fairy tales, children's stories, no different than the pirates in the pages of the Peter Pan stories she had enjoyed as a kid.

Apparently not.

"Old Queen Mercy, you are in violation of several intergalactic laws. I've already told you, the Wisdom doesn't have the cargo you're looking for. I have nothing to hide, and I suggest you take my word for it."

But it was too late.

Bridget fell to the floor as she felt her ship collide with another object, followed by the sound of what could only be grappling hooks attaching the other ship to hers. The pirates were beginning to board.

"Jo Jo..." Bridget whispered, "You better have found a good hiding place, or I swear I'm going to kill you."

Jo Jo peeped up from the boxes, his brown eyes darting around the cargo hold. He flinched as a heavy thump rang out behind him, apparently the sound of something latching onto the tiny vessel. What did pirates usually use to board a ship? Grappling hooks. The pirates were using grappling hooks to come onto the Wisdom and search for him because of the orb of Mysali they wanted.

He was trying very hard not to panic.

Jo Jo dared to look behind him through the porthole that gave him a glimpse into outer space. He looked away for a moment, thinking he had heard footsteps. When he thought it was safe, Jo Jo looked back to the window. He jumped back in surprise, sending more boxes to the floor and causing a great commotion. He couldn't help himself, because right outside that window was. . . .well, a pirate.

The man wore a yellow bandanna on his head, his dark black eyebrows wiggling at Jo Jo like very strange caterpillars. He had a slight beard, and when he smiled he revealed several gold teeth. The pirate raised a rusty cutlass, and proceeded to cut off the glass covering of the porthole and squeeze himself into the cargo hold. Fortunately, the Wisdom had a minor gravity field around it, so Jo Jo wasn't worried of not being able to breathe. He was more worried of the pirate. Jo Jo inched his way backwards, skirting around boxes and dragging his pack with him.

Jo Jo was suddenly yanked up by his arm, and he hovered there, dangling a good few inches off the floor, his bag just scraping the floor. Jo Jo looked up into a proud, haughty face which was looking him up and down, as if deciding how much he was worth. The man's long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which sat underneath a wide, burgundy old-fashioned pirate hat, with a flourish of a white feather poking out from the top. This pirate finished studying Jo Jo with his light green eyes, and nodded approvingly.

"This is him," he said, and Jo Jo had to resist a shudder. This was the same pirate who had spoken over the intercom to Bridget. As Jo Jo was thinking this, the pirate raised a small, grey communicator and began to talk into it.

"Bridget Alastor, we've found your brother. Any last word to him, or on the orb before you tell him good-bye?"

"Jo Jo!" Bridget yelled, running down the corridor towards the cargo hold. A pair of strong arms grabbed her and held her back, laughing menacingly in her ear. She tried to twist around to see her captor, but he held her so tightly she couldn't move an inch. With trembling hands, Bridget raised the communicator back to her lips.

"Tell him that I'm going to find him. Tell him to bring his backpack with him, or else Mum will get angry. And tell him that I'm sorry. You wanted an adventure, Jo Jo, and it looks like you're going to get one. Just remember those stories Mum read us when we were kids. The pirates never win in those stories, Jo Jo."

The pirate holding her snickered, and Bridget elbowed him in the side, seizing the opportunity to escape. She flew down the corridor and into the cargo hold, nearly tripping as she crossed the threshold. She met her brother's eyes and, quick as a wink, gave him a hug before she was torn away from him. One arm was wrenched painfully up behind her back, and Bridget cried out in pain before she was thrown roughly to the floor.

"Shame," the pirate captain said, looking down at Bridget with distaste. "I had hoped for more cooperation, Bridget Jane Alastor. No matter. Maybe after we've kept him for a few days, you'll see reason. Let's clear out, gents."

Bridget could only watch as her idiotic, reckless, wonderful brother was taken away. Watch, and hope that no one had seen what she had slipped into his backpack.

"Tell him that I'm going to find him. Tell him to bring his backpack with him, or else Mum will get angry. And tell him that I'm sorry. You wanted an adventure, Jo Jo, and it looks like you're going to get one. Just remember those stories Mum read us when we were kids. The pirates never win in those stories, Jo Jo."

Jo Jo released the playback button on the small grey communicator that Bridget had slipped into his backpack before he had been taken away. He looked down at the communicator quietly, wishing that Bridget was actually here instead of just a recording held in his hand. After a few moments, he stowed it back in his bag, taking out one of his comics instead. Jo Jo opened it up and began to read, but he wasn't really concentrating. Who would've thought that the Old Queen Mercy was actually a pirate ship?! The old-fashioned kind you'd see in the Peter Pan novels, with huge billowing sails and cannons on the side and big, stately wooden rooms with velvet maroon draperies over the windows. A classic Jolly Rodger, complete with a crew and everything. Boys his age generally dreamed of being in space, never mind on a real pirate ship. But Jo Jo didn't think they'd like to get kidnapped. Jo Jo sniffed, laying down his comic book, standing up and walking over to the window. He pushed aside the huge curtain, blowing away the dust that billowed out. Outside in the skies were millions of stars all roaring their light, but now that sight wasn't amazing to him. Bridget was out there somewhere in space, but Jo Jo didn't know where. She was searching for him, and that thought gave him some comfort. Jo Jo pulled up one of the plush chairs embroidered with gold thread so he could sit and watch the stars go by. Maybe he would see the Wisdom, with Bridget right on these pirate's tail. Jo Jo rested his head on his arms, staring out into space.

Soon, he fell asleep, lulled by the gentle rocking of the Old Queen Mercy.

_________________
AKA Crutchie


Click here to visit my site!

Second Part:

Bridget had stayed there for a little while, lying on the cold white floor of the cargo hold as she listened to her heavy breathing and tried to think of a plan. She had to find Jo Jo, that much was obvious, and that was why she'd slipped the communicator into his bag. Hopefully, her navigation system would be able to zero in on the coordinates from that. But then what? She was just one person. How could she ever hope to battle an entire shipfull of space pirates, save her brother, and figure out this whole Orb nonsense?

That was what puzzled her the most. Clearly, they had been tipped off by someone that she had this last Orb of Mysali, the stuff of legends and fairy tales, but how? By who? It was all nonsense. It had to be. Bridget had checked the list of inventory herself. It was all standard items--provisions, oxygen supplies. Things that the base on Ky'tal would need. No Orb. So why did that crew of pirates seem to think she had it?

Bridget raised a hand to fiddle with the necklace that hung around her neck, seeking comfort from the purple crystal. Slowly, she stood up and made her way back to the control room.

She made a face. The pirates had trashed her ship, perhaps in search of the nonexistent orb. The seats had been torn apart, stuffing hanging everywhere, and many of her controls had been destroyed, including her main line of communication to her superiors. Clearly, they wanted her to be alone.

The navigation system was intact, though. They apparently wanted her to follow them. Slowly, she raised her communicator to her lips. "Jo Jo?" she whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Jo Jo woke up with a start, looking behind him at his bag. He climbed off the chair hurriedly and running over to his pack, pulling out the communicator. He held it up to his mouth, hoping beyond hope that he really had heard his sister.

"Bridget? Is that you?" he whispered just before he heard footsteps padding their way down the hall. Jo Jo stuffed the communicator in his pocket quickly, standing up just as the doors to his room opened. The pirate captain himself walked in and stood to one side, gesturing with one hand the way out of the room. He apparently wanted Jo Jo to follow him. Jo Jo did so cautiously, walking out and down the hall a little ways. he barely had time to decide if he should take a run for it before the pirate captain took hold of his arm and began to guide him through the ship. Jo Jo was apparently being held on the lower level, with it's plush couches and curtains and carpets. Picture frames adorned the walls, along with flowers and maps and old, unused decorative swords. Or maybe not so decorative. It was every inch how a pirate ship ought to be, in Jo Jo's opinion. The pirate captain drew in an intake of breath, and Jo Jo twisted his head upwards to look at him, his big brown eyes full of curiosity. The captain just looked annoyed.

"I am Captain Nickolas Swordslasher," he began, "And while you are on my ship you shall call me sir. How old are you, boy?"

Jo Jo swallowed his nervousness. "I'm 10. . . .sir."

Nickolas looked down his sharp nose at the boy, and then returned his attention to surveying the hallway. "Your name is. . .Jo Jo?"

"Yes, sir."

The captain nodded. "Give me the communicator that is in your pocket."

Jo Jo froze. "What. . .I don't know what you're talking about."

Nickolas gave him a sharp look. "Everything that happens on my ship does not go unnoticed, boy. Give me the communicator. I would so enjoy a chat with your sister."

Jo Jo slipped a hand into his pocket and gave the captain the communicator.

"Yeah, it's me," Bridget responded, closing her eyes with relief. Her brother was all right, at least. It made sense. If the pirates were planning on using him as a bargaining chip, they couldn't afford to mistreat him. "Are you okay? Where are you? Has anyone spoken to you? Jo Jo, listen to me. They've disabled all of my main communication systems, so I can't send for help right now. I need you to get to their control room and do it for me, okay? The first chance you get. I don't know why they think I've got the orb of Mysali, but I don't." She sighed. "You're gonna have to be brave. Can you do that? Don't worry. I'm coming to get you."

Suddenly, Bridget heard what sounded like footsteps, followed by a rustling sound. That must have been Jo Jo hiding the communicator. She hoped he'd be able to keep it a secret for a little while longer--long enough for him to sneak in and send out a distress signal, at the very least.

While there was still silence on the other end of the line, Bridget turned to her navigation systems, frantically typing in information on Jo Jo's communicator into the database. There was an infuriatingly long wait while her ship tried to hone in on his coordinates before they flashed across her screen. Bridget stared at it in shock. It couldn't be--they were nearly a full parsec ahead of her! The Old Queen Mercy was just as fast as the stories said, it seemed.

Bridget set a course after the pirate ship, leaning back in her chair as space sped by her once again. She sat there thinking for a moment, trying to remember all she had heard about the mythical starship. It was responsible for the disappearances of so many space travelers, it was said, and it was also rumored to be impossible to catch. Perfect.

Suddenly, Bridget heard more rustling, and the sound on her communicator was amplified, as if it had been removed from a pocket. "Jo Jo?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Jo Jo began hopefully, but the captain silenced him with another sharp look and raised the communicator to his mouth. It hovered there for a minute, as if Nickolas was deciding whether or not to talk to Bridget. After a moment, he tossed it back to Jo Jo, who caught it with a grateful glance and just a bit of surprise.

"Bridget, I'm here," Jo Jo said, greatly relieved. "But. . .the pirate captain's here. I mean," he broke off and looked at the captain shyly. "His name's Nickolas Swordslasher. He--he's taking me somewhere, I don't know where, though."

Bridget's heart sank, but she forced herself to stay calm for the sake of her brother. "It's all right. Just do what I told you to do before. You're going to be all right. Did they say where they were taking you? Or why they think I've got something that doesn't actually exist?" She sneered, even though the pirate captain could not see her. "I feel you've been misinformed, pirate. The orb of Mysali? That's a fairy tale."

Jo Jo looked at the pirate worriedly, wondering if the captain would do or say something, well, pirate-ish. Something mean, like maybe grab the communicator out of his hands and throw it to the ground, dashing it to pieces. But no, Nickolas Swordslasher just put a hand on his face, rubbing it tiredly.

Jo Jo raised the communicator to his lips. "Um. . .no, he hasn't said where I'm going."

"My cabin," Nickolas interrupted. "And then the control panel."

"Alright," Jo Jo said. "Did you hear that, Bridget?

Bridget gave a heavy sigh, leaning forward and burying her face in her hands. Her body shook with frustration, both with her brother for being so thick and herself for allowing him to get captured. "Yes, Jo Jo, I heard that. I can basically hear everything you can hear, all right? Now, why are they taking you to the control room, and why do they think I have the orb? For goodness sakes, let me talk to that bloody pirate right this minute!"

Jo Jo handed the communicator to Nickolas tentatively. He didn't seem like a very mean pirate, in fact, the captain seemed to be wrestling with a decision to be nice to him. But that thought was blown away from Jo Jo's mind as Nickolas began to speak.

"Bridget Alastor, you would do well to not speak so rashly if you wish your brother to live to see another day."

The colour from Jo Jo's face drained, but Nickolas ignored him, turning his head away. "We know you have the orb, and we will keep your brother if you do not give it up to us. Search your ship again, maybe. We know it is with you."

A pirate entered the hallway, the one with the yellow bandanna that Jo Jo had seen earlier. He smiled crookedly, leering at Jo Jo.

"Is the boy givin' you trouble, cap'n?"

"No," Nickolas responded. "I am perfectly fine, Ravish. We are just going belowdecks."

Jo Jo looked at him curiously, but still the captain avoided his gaze. Ravish nodded.

"To see the other children, I see."

The captain nodded, and they left Ravish behind, continuing their way down the hallway. Each step felt to Jo Jo like a step nearer to some unknown, horrible fate. Other children? What other children? Where was he going to?

Jo Jo didn't see Nickolas drop the communicator as he opened a large, wooden hatch. Jo Jo looked up at the captain, nervous and confused.

"In you go, boy," the pirate captain said as he pushed Jo Jo down the hatch. Jo Jo fell to the bottom with a thump and lay there for a minute. A few moments later, almost as an afterthought, the communicator dropped on top of Jo Jo's head. He couldn't see anything in this dark, gloomy and foul place, but soon he saw a flickering light making it's way towards him. It was held by a child's hand, and by this light, Jo Jo saw many other children, his age and older, all wearing chains on their wrists.

Bridget smirked. "And you won't kill him if you want to see your precious Orb, captain. I'm smart enough to know that much." She forgot for just a moment that she didn't actually have the Orb, so focused was she on getting information from the Captain. "Now, I've already told you that I don't have it. And clearly, you're not going to be easy to catch, so I figure I have enough time to ask you again, why do you think that I do? You want me to search my ship? Fine. I'll do it. But know I'm coming after you, Captain, even as we speak. All I need to know is how much time you're going to give me."

She heard another voice, gravelly and much, much less friendly than the captain's, if one could call his behavior friendly. "Captain?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. No response. "Captain? What are you doing with my brother?"

More voices, something about "other children." Bridget's blood ran cold. She didn't like the sound of that. "Captain!" she yelled, quickly losing her temper once again. "I demand an explanation! What are you doing? Jo Jo? Are you there? Jo Jo!"

"I--I'm here," Jo Jo stuttered as he looked around the hole with wide, scared eyes. "But. . .I'm not--not alone. The. . .the captain pushed me into. . .someplace, and there's. . ." He swallowed, trying desperately to regain control of his voice. "There's other kids. Like me. They. . .they're my age, and some of them are your age, too. They're all wearing. . .chains, Bridget."

"Chains?" Bridget said, gripping the communicator in order to hear him better. He had apparently gone deeper into the belly of the ship, and their connection was interrupted every now and again with short bursts of static. "So they're holding other innocent children prisoner? What is the matter with these blokes? Jo Jo, I've got the ship in my readings and I'm following you as fast as I can, but...remember the stories of the Old Queen Mercy? They appear to be true, at least the talk about how fast it is. You might be there for a while."

There was another crackle of static, but afterwards the connection was stronger than before. "Try to talk to the other kids. See why they're being held captive. They can't all be there for the same reason as you. Make friends with them if you can." A tiny smile flashed across her face. "You can be like the Lost Boys on Captain Hook's ship, Jo Jo. Overthrow those pirates and show them what you kids can do."

A new voice came over the communicator then. It was a male voice, sounding maybe like the speaker was around Bridget's age. And he didn't sound friendly.

"Who are you?" Bridget heard him demand.

Jo Jo turned to the person who had come up to him, and admittedly backed away a few steps. The newcomer was tall (taller than Jo Jo at least, but he was very short), and very muscular. His handsome features were smeared with dirt and grime, and his brown eyes were looking Jo Jo up and down, as if evaluating him. The boy had on a light blue shirt, with a patterned blue vest over that. His pants and boots were brown, and they seemed perfect for being on a pirate ship, unlike Jo Jo's blue and green striped collared shirt and jeans. The boy also wore a blue cap, from which he measured Jo Jo up and down.

"I--I'm--" Jo Jo stuttered, and the boy sighed.

"Don't be shy, kid. Speak up."

"I'm Jo Jo," Jo Jo finally got out. The other boy nodded, and spat on his hand, extending it to Jo Jo. Jo Jo looked down at it, and, after a moment's hesitation, took the offered hand.

"I'm Jeremy," the boy said. "Welcome to the Old Queen Mercy."

"Jo Jo?" Bridget said as her communicator was bombarded by a chorus of kids chiming in with their own names. Ben, Kara, John...she gave up trying to keep track after a few moments and settled for sitting there awkwardly listening and trying to gather as much information as she could. She thought about going up to search the cargo hold, but she couldn't afford to be away from the controls in case the pirates decided to change course. Where were they headed, anyway?

"What are you here for?" she heard one of the children ask.

"Aw, Lewie, don't be rude," Jeremy said, though his eyes were on Jo Jo. "'E needs some time to adjust, you know? 'E probably left someone behind, like all of us did."

"No, it--it's fine," Jo Jo said quickly, eager for a conversation. "The pirates said that my sister has something called the last Orb of Mysali, and when she didn't give it to them, they took me."

Jeremy sat down in a chair and leaned back, his hands folded behind his head. "And does your sistah have this Orb whatchamacallit?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. You could ask her," Jo Jo said, handing the communicator out to Jeremy. He took it, raising it to his mouth.

"What's your sistah's name?" he asked Jo Jo in an undertone.

"Bridget," Jo Jo responded. The hold was all quiet as everyone concentrated on Jeremy, Jo Jo and the little communicator.

"Listen, Bridget. Don't worry 'bout your brothah anymore. 'E's in safe hands, with us around. We'll take care of him, even when the pirates take us to new planets or somethin', to be sold."

Jo Jo looked at Jeremy with wide, alarmed eyes. Sold?!

Another kid came up and put his arm around Jo Jo's shoulders, steering him away from Jeremy who was still talking with Bridget.

"Listen, kid, I'm Tommy. I'll make sure you stick with us, no matter what. You won’t be sold on my watch, hear? Jeremy's trying the best he can to lead us all, but sometimes 'e needs a little help, and that's me. I'm Jeremy's right-hand man, sorta. The point is, you aren't goin' anywhere without me. Do you 'ave a brothah?"

Jo Jo shook his head no, and Tommy smiled.

"Then I'll be your new brothah, 'kay? All of us will be your brothers now. Well, ‘cept Kara. She'll be your sistah."

Bridget, who had been leaning back in her chair, started forward when she heard Jeremy say something about being sold. "What?" she demanded, her stomach lurching. "Sold? Jeremy--that was your name, right?--what are you talking about? What do you mean, sold? What are these pirates after?"

"They're aftah gold, Bridget," Jeremy said. "An' they get it from sellin' us on different planets and such. I dunno what this Orb nonsense is about, but you can be sure they won't sell your brothah quite so soon. My bet is they still want that Orb from you, and they're holdin' your brothah to see when you'll crack and give it to them. Aftah a while, they'll just get tired of holdin' Jo Jo here while the rest of us get sold, and they'll sell 'im too. But don't you worry, it won't come tah that. We'll take care of him for yah."

"Those monsters," Bridget breathed, shaking her head. "How many children are down there with you? How many others had been stolen from their families?" She sighed, tears filling her eyes. "This is all my fault. I should have checked the ship more thoroughly. I should never have let him get away with trying to stow away on board. And now..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I have to get him back. But the only way to do that is to give them the Orb, and I don't have it."

"At least..." she trailed off, glancing back over her shoulder to the cargo hold. "I don't think I do."

"Listen, Bridget," Jeremy said after a while. "The Orb doesn't mattah now. What mattahs is your brothah's safety, and how we're goin' to keep 'im safe. There's probably, oh. . ." Jeremy trailed off, looking over the crowd.

"Back off so I can count you!" he said, waving them away. Everyone more or less settled themselves into a line, and Jeremy began a headcount.

"Ben?"

"Here!"

"John?"

"Right-o."

"Kara?"

"You know I'm here, Jeremy. I'm the only girl."

"Right. Lewie?"

"Here, Jeremy!"

"Matt?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Aaron?"

"Over here."

"Markie?"

"Up here!"

Jeremy looked up to see Markie hanging out from one of the hammocks.

"Okay. Tommy?"

"Here, and Jo Jo's with me."

"Great. Ryan?"

"Present."

"Aw, there's no need to act so formal 'bout it. Kyle?"

"Yup!"

"Mikey?"

"Here. . ."

"Don't act so depressed. Stuart?"

"He's sleeping," Tommy interjected, and Jeremy nodded.

"Brendon?"

"Ugh, what?"

"Headcount, Brendon. Pay attention. Nick?"

"Here."

"And then there's me, too. 16 in all, 'cludin' your brothah, and me. All of us have a person or two that we were taken from. Me, I lost my brothah Andrew. Oh, and Mikey and Brendon are brothahs, so suppose they've stuck togethah this while. But we've all become a big family now, so we look out for each othah. Jo Jo'll be fine with us, it's not your fault at all. It's the bloody pirates fault, and someday we're gonna do something 'bout it."

"But now now!" Mikey whined. "I'm tired. . .and besides, we can't do anything 'gainst Nickolas Swordslasher, or Ravish. Ravish 'specially. He's the one we have to watch out for."

Jeremy sighed. "Well, you're right 'bout one thing, Mikey. We should sleep on it, see what we can come up with in the mornin'." He tossed Jo Jo back the communicator. "Tommy, find Jo Jo a place to sleep. We all want to be rested for tomorrow if we follow through with this plan of ours."

"What plan?!"

"Shuddup, Brendon! Go to sleep!"

"Sixteen," Bridget repeated, closing her eyes. Sixteen innocent kids who had been stolen from their families, trapped on some pirate ship headed for who knows where. Sixteen people that she was now responsible for rescuing, somewhere in this galaxy.

"So you do have a plan, then?" she asked Jeremy, lowering her voice. "I have no idea how long it will take for me to catch up with them, and there's only one of me. They've disabled all my communications systems except for this one, so I can't call for backup. I'm all by myself here, but I am coming to get him, I promise. And when I do, I'll bring all of you back to your families, if I can. I really will."

She glanced over her shoulder again. "I just can't figure out why they targeted me. Why they thought I have something that shouldn't even exist. It's just a legend! Words in a story! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Well, Bridget," Jeremy said, holding the communicator again. "Words in a story can be pretty powerful things, sometimes. Now, I'll give this back to your brothah. And then we'll all sleep on it. Good-night, Bridget."

Jeremy handed the communicator back to Jo Jo, who took it and then was lead away by Tommy to his new sleeping spot. Kara gently gave him a blanket which he took too, drawing it up to his chin. This was the first night he had spent away from his family, ever. He had always refused to go on those overnight sleepovers at his summer camp back home because he had been so lonely the first time he had tried it. He had missed his sister, and he did now, too. But everyone here seemed very friendly, especially Jeremy and Tommy. Jo Jo rolled over onto his side, whispering into the communicator.

"Bridget? I'm scared."

"I know," Bridget said as a wave of guilt washed over her. She was scared too, but she couldn't possibly tell him that. She was the one who had to rescue him, after all. She was his older sister--the responsible one, the brave one, the one that was supposed to come in and make everything all right again. She couldn't tell him that she wished someone would come along and rescue her too.

"But it'll be okay. I'll be there sooner or later, you hear me? I'll get you out of there. And then people will be telling our story five, ten, twenty years from now. We'll be the famous adventurers who overthrew Captain Swordslasher and the dreaded crew of the Old Queen Mercy. We'll be more famous than Peter Pan and Luke Skywalker combined, Jo Jo. People will stay up late at night listening to the tale of Bridget and Jo Jo. 'Once upon a time, there was a girl who was sent to another planet to make a delivery. It was her first solo mission, and she was very nervous. Her name was Bridget Alastor, and she thought she was all alone. What she didn't know, however, was that her brother Jo Jo had stowed away on board her ship...'"

Jo Jo smiled as he listened to his sister's story, his eyes closing ever so slowly with exhaustion. At last, he fell asleep, completely reassured that Bridget was going to find him. She would rescue them all, was his last thought before falling into a dream involving pirates, newsboys, princesses and witches.

Jeremy, however, was still awake. He hung in his hammock, unable to close his eyes and get some proper rest. It had been so long since they had a newcomer on board, and Jo Jo just made him so homesick. For everything: his mom, dad, and his brother. Jeremy couldn't help reliving the day the pirates had come to take him away. . .

It had been an early morning when Jeremy had woken up, yawning and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He slid out of bed, walking to his window and drawing back the curtain to let the fresh air and sunlight inside. Jeremy looked outside to see the sun rising over the skyline of the city Takah, on the planet of Victoria, where he lived. He was so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed his brother walk up the stairs and sneak up behind him ever so quietly. Jeremy turned around and jumped back into his closet, his heart pounding. After a few moments, he grinned and started to laugh, looking at Andrew, who was also grinning. He was already dressed, of course. He was usually the one telling Jeremy to get a move on so they wouldn't be late for school.

Jeremy shook his head, walking out from his closet and grabbing his shoes. He sat down, lacing the black boots up. He had slept in his clothes for today, because his parents couldn't afford to use the community washing machines down at the Hall, expensive as it were. But Jeremy didn't mind. He was lucky to have his family at all, especially Andrew, with his gimp leg. Usually, children like him were taken away to the cells, where they would be locked up and never seen again. But Jeremy's mom and dad had paid for Andrew to not be taken away, and Jeremy was really very thankful that they had done that.

"C'mon, James!" Jeremy only let Andrew call him that. "You need to be fastah if we're going to catch the bus, yah know."

Jeremy stood up, grabbing both their caps from a rickety table in the corner of his room. "Relax, Andrew. The bus doesn't come for at least, oh, 20 minutes or so."

"Yeah, well, I just don't want to be late. Mr. Dossell said he'd give me extra voice lessons durin' lunch. He said you could come, too, if you wanted."

If there was anything Jeremy and Andrew were good at, it was singing. Kids at school called them the Dynamic Duo, the way they were. Jeremy and Andrew had also been in several plays at their school, and that had earned people's respect. Of course, Jeremy also beat up everyone who bullied his brother, so that helped too.

Jeremy and Andrew walked out of their house after eating a meager breakfast, Jeremy helping his brother down the wide stone steps carefully. A few minutes later, the bus came. Jeremy helped Andrew climb on that, too. People gave him high-fives as he walked down the aisle, all the while making sure that Andrew didn't trip or fall.

It was when the brothers got to school that everything changed. The pirates came up behind Jeremy, dragging him off and away from the crowd of schoolkids. The last image of his brother he had was of Andrew sprawled out on the ground, where one of the pirates--Ravish, he knew now--had kicked his legs out from underneath him. Poor Andrew had tried to stop the pirates from taking Jeremy away, holding onto their arms and yelling for a teacher. But no one had come, and Jeremy had been forced onto the ship, away from everything he had ever known. He never did find out if Andrew had been all right, or if he had had those voice lessons during lunch.

Maybe Jeremy would never know.

_________________
AKA Crutchie


Click here to visit my site!

So far great, Crutchie! I love the characters and the story

_________________