Anamaria collapsed on deck, her hair coming loose from its pigtail, out of breath. She opened her clenched fist and let the coins roll out on to dark planking.

There was a gentle thud, and booted feet landed next to her. She looked up, and met Jack Sparrow’s laughing dark eyes. He threw a gaudy necklace into her lap.

“Present, love.”

“Got my own,” she said, showing him the treasure she had taken from the merchant ship the Black Pearl had raided.

“What did you think?” Jack asked, sitting down beside her and tucking his dagger into his sash. “Your first time taking a ship?”

Ana picked up a coin and touched the embossed surface. “I didn’t think it would be like that,” she said.

“What did you think it’d be like?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Less … how do you say it? Less exciting. Less …” she turned her head, and grinned at her friend. “I loved it.”

“Knew we’d make a pirate out of you,” Jack said, with satisfaction. “Let’s hope that raid was the first o’ many.”

“I hope so too,” Anamaria returned. “The first of many.”

© Joanne Harris 2004