Young Writers Society

Premise

You've been selected by the United States government to embark on a journey to the Florida Keys in search for the sunken remains of The April Hawk, a once majestic pirate ship rumored to still be carrying a priceless amount of treasure. The government wants you to return it to them in hopes that it can be put on display in the Smithsonian.

On the day of your departure, you meet the five other crew members who you'll be traveling with and are briefed with details of how The April Hawk sunk. It was late at night in December of 1722; the ship was heading to Newfoundland, Canada, for unknown reasons. A terrible storm struck and the ship sank extremely close to shore; there were only two survivors.

When you depart on a tiny boat, half of the crew members begin to think differently. Why should the government get the treasure? Being from 1722, this stuff must be incredibly valuable. And if you're taking all of the risks, shouldn't you be rewarded? But there's still the other half who wants to honor the government's wishes. And when those who don't announce their intentions, hostilities form. Neither can control the other; they're cramped on a tiny ship, they have no weapons, and they need the knowledge and assistance of each person aboard the crew, otherwise, they would die.

Rules

-This storybook is rated 16+, so minor language, violence, and sexual activity is allowed, but I stress the word minor, so please don't turn this into 18+.

-When the time will inevitably come, don't kill off any characters without their permission and first notifying us in the DT. If you do so you will be kicked from the storybook. This goes for regular changes

-If you have something to say that doesn't have do with your characters, preface it with OOG (Out of Game) or OOC (Out of Character).

-I want to make sure that this is a quality storybook and that the members are committed to it. Because this storybook is limited to six people (3 Black Markets and 3 Smithsonians), I'll be taking character applications in the DT. After a bit I'll announce who got picked and who didn't. Remember that this storybook is limited to six characters, including my own. Multiple people may apply to be captains and navigators, but keep in mind I will be picking one of each. I need at least 3 deckhands. My character is a historical consultant, and that position is not up for grabs. I've listed the requirements as well as the character stencil in the DT.

Good Luck, Everyone! I'll be looking forward to joining you all at sea.

Save me a Smithsonian spot.

OOC: Sorry guys, but I forgot to mention in the PM that I sent you that I wanted the entries to be in journal format. This means first person, third tense and including the day (Like Day 1, 2), date, and time at the beginning of your post.

-

Allie Brown, Day 1
May 7th, 4:04 PM

We've just taken off after a scrutinizing two hours at the docks. I finally understand why celebrities hate being celebrities-the media is annoying. They were asking me about being a so-called "legend" with veteran historians, and that I'd even been offered a high-ranking job at National Geographic. None of this true, by the way. How can stuff like that spread? I hate it.

However, this trip is doing a bit of good, especially for my future career. If the other crews members like me and I do a good job, this will get me serious respect and I can eventually work toward my dream job of being a historian. I am a little excited, too. Everyone on the crew seems really nice-and the captain is a little cute. He's only a few years older then me, too.

I hope things work out alright. They're all waiting for me up out on deck where we're going to have a light dinner of stuff we packed.

(OOC: Quick note. Since the captain's a navy guy, the date and time are in Navy format. Just so no one gets confused by that. xD)

Captain's Log
07MAY10 1600Hours

Finally made it to good ol' Harmony, about to set sail on yet another crazy adventure. Good weather with a good breeze to give our journey a good start. We've got quite the crew too, a good mix, if I do say so myself. The numbers are small, and I've hardly ever dealt with numbers less than ten, let alone less than hundreds. But it's not as if we were going to war, right?

The media were all over me when I was boarding Harmony. As the captain, I guess I was the first one to approach when it came to interviews. Naturally, I answered as many as I could before I finally had to let them go. I was as bummed as they were when I left them.

Smithy, our navigator, was more than prepared to set us off. I like that in my officers: loyalty. Though with a crew of six, we hardly have any officers, but I'm still pleased with it. I know I can trust Smithy to do his job right. Of course, a captain can't be too careful when it comes to a new crew. I've a feeling this adventure is going to be much more exciting than it appears to be.

Daniel Albert Williker
S.S. Harmony, Captain

Gabe - Day 1, 4:20 PM

For a ship set for such a huge mission, their security sucks. Wait, no - the security on the ship sucks, period.

This has to be the easiest break-in I've ever done. All I had to do was walk in like I belonged and they let me through. No body checks, no metal detectors, no nothing. The hardest part of getting in was not laughing out loud.

I wander into the a cabin and scan the room. Okay, I honestly don't know why a bunch of dirty boxers are lying on the bed, but I'll let it pass. In fact, I have a feeling I ought to move to another cabin before I run out of time and get stuck on this ship.

Anyway, I only have one more cabin to check before I decide that this ship has absolutely nothing worth stealing apart from the shiny rocks I picked up in the captain's cabin.

The ship is eerily quiet now. Weird, because just a few minutes ago everyone was panicking and reporters were screaming questions as people boarded the boat. But hey, who am I to complain? I've got about ten million dollars worth of rocks sleeping in my pocket.

When I enter the next room I see this chick writing in her diary. What? Shouldn't she be upstairs, on deck, answering questions?

Oh crap. My stomach wrings itself dry. She looks up from the diary and raises an eyebrow.

Outside her window I see no docks, no other ships. Just plain blue sea.

Yeap, I'm screwed.

Jax
Day 1, 4:15

I have mixed feelings about all of this. The ship itself is pretty darn nice! It is compared to my apartment, anyway. I haven't met the other crew members yet, but I've seen a few of them. They look all right, and most importantly; they look like they'll be easy enough to lie to. Plus, there are a few nice looking girls on here.

There were crowds of people outside the Harmony. To my liking, there were also loads of people from the media. Obviously, they talked to me first. I am the most interesting person on the ship, after all. I don't need to meet the other guys to know that. Although, they did spend a lot of time talking to the captain. That's understandable though, I suppose.

I think we've left the shore now, I can feel the ship swaying slightly. It's relaxing. It reminds me of my life as a child in England. The way my mother used to hold me tightly and sing until I fell into a deep sleep. The way she would rock me back and forth, kissing me on my forehead ever few minutes.

I miss her. I miss all of them.

Smithy. 7th May. 4:30 PM.

Day one. I'm recording these adventures for one of those scurvy reporters. He'll get an edited version of course and he'll lump it for the measly sum he's paying me. I'm not sure what it is he wants me to record. He approached me in particular so perhaps his interest lays in the maps and that's fine by me. They're in my possession now, spread out before me. For the first few days, our journey is very straight forward and with this wind, we'll have smooth sailing. A good start to the voyage.

I've integrated myself with the crew nicely. They're a very pleasant group of people, companionable. Not quite like the rough and tumble folks I'm used to but I suppose I am to be sophisticated now. I've been working on my writing style you know. I think I sound quite elegant but consistently masculine. I don't suppose you get the same impression huh?

The captain's a solid man. Very solid. Firm, nicely built and a pretty face. It will be a pleasure to serve under him if you know what I mean, haha. Anyway, I've a few things to do before we eat dinner. The work of a navigator would be of little interest to the general public, I expect that the reporter is hoping for a scandal of some kind. Let's try not to disappoint.

Robert Nicholas Smith,
Navigating the S.S. Harmony.

Shayne
May 7th (Day 1) 4:34 pm

I think the ship just set sail a little while ago. But being the idiot of the ship, I'm not exactly sure of that. See, I know about starboard and port and aft and stern...I just don't know which they are. I'm thinking I might need a translator for all these terms.

There's another thing I'm uncomfortable with...I'm one of two women on this ship. I just keep thinking, anything can happen here, and if it's something awful, I'm going to have to carry it with me the rest of the way. And this will be a long trip, I'm sure.

Nonetheless, I do feel lucky to be getting this opportunity. We're going to look for treasure, and I know I want it. And there's news coverage on it, so I'm sure to be known somewhere, eventually. All I know is that I felt damn good when those reporters were asking me questions as I had begun to board. Never had I ever felt as important as I had then.

Also, I have my eye on this guy. I'm not sure what his job is; we haven't met. I've never exactly been the hopeless romantic type of girl, but this guy just looked nice and gee, I don't know...he was very attractive...well at least from the side, I only got a side view. He looks like the kind of guy that I could-wait, what am I saying...I trust no one.

(OOC: Hopefully, I got your characters right. Just let me know if I'm off about something!)

Captain's Log
07MAY10 2230Hours

The Harmony is now set sail, and everyone's settled in. It's a clear night, the stars bright and the moon glowing that yellow-white color which makes it look like a giant cookie. We set the boat on autopilot, moving in a general direction. I had insisted everyone gather for food on our first night together. I'm still willing to admit we've got a good crew here.

Before dinner, everyone was pretty quiet about things. I made sure to meet every single person on the boat before enjoying the ride myself. The young man Jax Paskeelo (I hope I spelled that right. It sounds foreign.) has quite a bit of energy which will undoubtedly come into good use later on. He seemed rather jumpy when we spoke, but whenever he was alone, he was much calmer and in deep thought. Something is on his mind, so I had best keep an eye on this one. Nonetheless, he is a good young man, and I look forward to working with him.

Then there's Shayne Fletcher who is very quiet, and her face was bright pink the entire time we spoke. It took some time before she was finally able to talk decently with me, but our conversation didn't last long. I still found out enough to know that she was new to the sea, and thus, she'd probably need some assistance in learning the methods of a sailor in case of life-threatening situations. She seems like a good kid though, going to school and all that. She'll catch on pretty quickly. She'll get used to everyone as well and won't seem so shy. A bright, sweet kid though.

I had a downright hard time finding the only other female on our crew, Allie Brown. I had finally found her inside, and I seemed to have frightened her when she finally noticed me. But overall, she was much more open and kind-hearted, and she definitely has a passion for history. She seemed to have a lot to say about the April Hawk, and I was very much interested in what she had to say. It will be good to have her on the team. And to see that she trusted me with all this information just on the first night, I look forward to getting to know her working with her.

But then there's good ol' Smithy. He's the stereotypical sea-man, but I can already tell we'll be good pals. His knowledge with the sea will most definitely be useful, but he's a reliable man too. We've already shared our own stories from our past adventures out at sea, shared some laughs too, all while he steered the ship and I stood next to him. I wouldn't mind sharing a beer with this bloke, that's for sure.

When everyone gathered at the dinner table, it was awkward at first. But people started opening up. Even Shayne seemed to put in a word or two, though she mainly spoke to Allie, who would encourage her to speak. It was a jolly good time! Smithy and I shared more sea stories, and even Allie enjoyed our discussions. Jax also seemed to fit right in with the talk, much unlike our discussion up on deck, but again, first impressions are deceiving. I always seemed to have this kind of affect on people, I suppose. Getting them a beer or flashing a charming smile can get me almost anything. But that's what makes a sea voyage more fun, right?

And to close the ship log for today, it was a quiet night of introductions. Everyone found their quarters alright, the two ladies were untouched (so far), and hardly anyone seemed uncomfortable. However, I still conclude that the two young members, Jax and Shayne, I will have to get to know better. They may be young, and youth is a very useful thing, but their attitudes are what concern me; however, since it is the first night, I'm sure they'll lighten up soon. We'll just have to help them get to know the ship and its crew members better.

And finally, don't mind the pen scratch-outs.

Daniel Albert Williker
Captain of the S.S. Harmony

Allie Brown, Day 2
May 8th, 6:05 AM


I don't really know why I'm up so early. I've never been a morning person-usually I'm the last one up. Even though I am tired, for some reason I just can't seem to get to sleep.

Is it because of the water? Now that I've come to think of it, the only time I've ever been on a boat was when I was spending my summer vacation before ninth grade in Disney World, and we would take the ferry from our hotel to the parks.

If this is what this entry is making out to be, I'm not scared of the water. It's just...different, you know? I better get used to it; I'm going to be living on this boat for a long time.

I do hope the others will get up soon, though. I'm hungry but last night we decided that we would eat all of our meals together. Speaking of them, I really like the crew. The captain is more lovely than I had imagined at first-I was glad to tell him all I knew about history. I hope I don't come across as too nerdish to him. And Shayne, the other girl, is very sweet. She reminds me of the way I was about ten years ago-eager. Hopefully I'll get to spend some more quality girl time with her.

I think I'll try to shut my eyes while I wait for the others to get up.

Jax
Day 2, 6:42 AM

I'm feeling a lot better this morning. I'm not too sure what was up with me yesterday, I just couldn't stop thinking about my family. I'm all right today now though. In fact, I feel pretty darn good!

I just bumped into that Allie girl. She seems a bit boring to be honest. Although, she's pretty nice looking. Anyway, as I was saying. I literally bumped into Allie. Well, she bumped into me really because she wasn't looking where she was going. I obviously had a go at her for being so careless. She apologized quickly before continuing to walk down the hallway. She looked rather angry at me. Pfft, touchy.

I'm not sure if there's anyone else awake yet; I haven't heard anyone moving around anyway. I've got a bit of a headache at the moment. I'm not sure why though because it's not like I had loads to drink last night. Speaking of last night, it was rather interesting.

The other guys seem nice enough. They're not all that interesting though, it's a good thing I'm on this ship. Otherwise, this place would be seriously boring. The captain comes across as a pretty happy bloke. The two girls, Shayne and Allie, hardly said much though. The guy called Smithy knows a hell of a lot about the sea! I swear he knows more about it than an actual fish. The Gabe guy seems pretty cool though, someone I could definitely be friends with.

I think I just heard something outside and I'm pretty bored of writing now. I'll write sometime later. Well, I most likely will anyway. I should probably start including the dates in this. Ah well, I'll include the date next time I write.

Smithy. 8th May. 7:00 AM.

She's holding her path steady, a real beauty this ship, takes little more than a brush across the tiller and her rudder comes about. I suppose that don't make much sense to you ignorant scum huh? I'll explain myself in the other version when I'm good and ready. I guess that really I'm talking to myself here. Well, no need to be shy about it. I'm going to outline the other crew members on this ship as I see fit. I think it's a good time to get those first impressions down while they're fresh in the good old noggin.

I've been steering since first light so I couldn't tell you the morning habits of them as sails with me, but I can tell you their dinner habits. The captain stood out most at table and rightly so. He was loud enough to be companionable and not so stiff as most of them navy officers. I find I rather like him. Usually I'm a man as likes some light conversation while I steer and already the captain's stood with me once. We shared some of the old tales, a bit of this for that, tit for tat as they say. He was good and lively and there's a spark of brilliance to him. An educated man I reckon but not snobbish toward us simple folk.

The rest of them have kept their distance. Oh I do expect they'll be curious sooner or later and come to ask some small question of me. How long do I estimate it, how far have we travelled, how will the sailing be? As of yet they're happy to leave me alone though. The first of the deckhands as stands out in my mind is the Jax fellow. I don't know as I likes him much. He's an abrasive man who needs to learn how to do his job. I don't think he's ever worked the ships before. It strikes me that they should have been more selective, we've only got the two deckhands and I sure as hell aint doing their job. I'll say this much for him though, he knows how to handle his drink and he sure is lively. Without the captain and him it would have been a blooming boring dinner.

The other deckhand is a quiet woman though I wouldn't call her flighty. Speaks her mind that one does. I'd say there's more to her than meets the eye. Pretty hair mind, very easy on the eye, mind. It doesn't quite make up for her equal youth and incompetence. I think I'll be voicing my worries to the captain. I'm not looking for extra work but I'm not ready for drowning either.

Then there's the historian. A perky, self contained woman. She had enough to say but most of it was about the Hawk and its treasure. If you ask me, that one will be the first to start with the questioning. She'll probably give no care at all to this ship but will be impatient to reach the grave of the other. Probably hasn't even wondered how that one ended up on the ocean floor, I bet she's not ever seen a storm in action. I have a feeling I'm going to miss having sea-faring men about.

There's possibly a sixth member to our crew. No official announcement as yet but I have a nose for stowaways and I over-heard a name. Gabe. Some of the crew clearly know about him. I'll be bringing this up with the captain as well, if we've got a plus one he can muck in with the rest of them and keep this vessel ship-shape.

Robert Nicholas Smith,
Navigating the S.S. Harmony.

Allie Brown, Day 2
May 8th, 7:23 PM

Smith just woke up a while ago, and he tells me that he thinks that there is another person on board-a stowaway who somehow must have breeched through security and boarded the ship. I told him that such a thing couldn't have happened, but then I thought again. We had been busy with interviews-someone could have easily slipped passed us. If that is the case, I am eager to meet him or her and know what they want. If this does turn out to be true, what will we do? We're in the middle of the ocean. He'll be stuck with us.

Captain's Log
08MAY10 1230Hours

Talk about a rough morning, but that's something I'm used to after all these years.

It was about eight in the morning when Smithy barged into my quarters, Allie close behind him. He mentioned a sixth member on board, a stowaway, and Allie was quick to confirm the suspicion. Needless to say, I didn't even get my shirt on before I grabbed my gun from beneath my mattress and left the room.

I had also banged on Jax's door, but he wasn't inside. He was already up top, and I tossed him a gun, telling him about a possible stowaway. Jax didn't seem to understand what I had meant though. He said something about there always being six members. I had assured him that only five was assigned to this mission and listed the members. Supposedly, Jax had met a man named Gabe.

So from that clarification, we moved on to hunting down this stowaway. Shayne joined us on deck as soon as we finished the discussion, so we split up into two groups to search for this intruder: Allie and Smithy came with me, Jax and Shayne went another way.

As soon as we broke up and Jax and Shayne were out of earshot, Smithy voiced his concerns about Jax and Shayne not knowing their way about a ship. He seemed to have noticed the same thing I did last night, so we'll just have to whip them into shape. We would do that later, though. This intruder was our first priority.

We managed to find a thief rummaging in the food storage. He was armed with a dagger, but things didn't get too messy between him and I before Smithy tackled him down with some rope. We emptied his pockets of belongings he stole from the crew, then dragged him out here in the main room for interrogation. By the sounds of it, the thief didn't realize the ship left when it did, calling this an accident. I let him have the food he was digging for, having his hands untied, of course, but I don't think I can trust him that easily.

There wasn't much he could do with five other people on a small boat, so I decided to let him go, but he and I had a nice long talk. He'd end up doing ship duties with Jax and Shayne. As a thief, he would have some basic knowledge of a ship if he planned to fend for himself on one. Jax and Shayne are now the least of my worries with finding this Gabe character snooping about my ship. If anything goes astray, he'll be the first I confront.

And that rough morning put me here at the table with the crew. I have my shirt on now, and I grabbed my journal to write this down before I forgot any details. I could use a bite to eat though, so I'll stuff you back in my jacket before I bury myself in food.

Bottom line: Watch Gabe.

Daniel Albert Williker
U.S.S. Harmony, Captain

Gabe - May 8, 3PM

At least the ship is quiet now. It's not as if I'm having fun. Everyone except for those two who have been teaching me treats me like I'm about to steal something from them. Can't blame them, honestly. What's a thief if he can't steal?

The only thing I have to be grateful for is my revolver. Somehow, those morons missed it while searching me. They got the dagger I stole from this ship, but I don't think they knew I got it from here. They probably think I brought it onboard.

I have no idea where this ship is going - all I know is that it's on a treasure hunt. And treasure hunts are always good things. There will always be enough to go around if it's a big treasure. If it's not, then I'll have to wait for them to kill each other before I get my paws on that treasure.

But I don't think I have to wait long. From what I saw of their food supplies, it's sorely lacking. As if they left half of it behind. The food is minimal and at the rate they're using it, it appears as if they don't understand that there isn't any extra food. I'm not even sure the food will last the trip.

I suppose I ought to talk to the captain about this, as they're most likely to kill - or starve - me first. But this time I didn't do it. Honest to God. Not that the captain will ever believe me. He's pretty pissed at the idea of a stowaway on his ship.

But for the last time, I'M NOT A STOWAWAY. I just lost track of time. Simple as that.