Young Writers Society

Note: This is a do-over of a previous storybook. Due to the limited space, this is only open to those who were in the previous SB.

Plot

You've been selected by the United States government to embark on a dangerous journey to the Gulf of Mexico. You will be searching 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 Institution in Washington, D.C.

You meet your fellow crew-members on they day of your departure, and all is well. But when you depart on a tiny motorboat, some of the crew members begin to think differently. In their mind, they don't see why the government should get the treasure--If they're taking all of the risks, shouldn't they get the rewards? But there's still those who wants to honor the government's wishes. And when the former announces their intentions, hostilities between the crew form. Neither can control the other; you're cramped on a tiny ship, you have no weapons. In addition, you need the knowledge and assistance of each person aboard the crew so that the ship can function properly. But can you restrain yourself until you return to Washington?

The Ship

-Name: The S.S. Harmony
-Type: Motor-Boat
-Picture:


The Crew
-Daniel Albert Williker, Captain
{JabberHut}

-Robert Nicholas Smith, Navigator
{Kitty15}

-Allison "Allie" Maria Brown, Historical Consultant
{Elinor Brynn}

-James "Jax" Pasquilo, Deckhand
{Skins}

-Gabriel "Gabe" Slate, Stowaway
{Kara Hargreaves}

Rules

-Before introducing major plot threads, including inevitable deaths toward the end, to the SB, please discuss it with us. We want to make sure that everyone's on the same page and that the story is clean. The DT is here.

-Each member of the crew will keep a diary, and this will be the format in which you are writing your entries.

-Since a lot will be going on with the SB, I'm going to create "tasks" that should be completed by the crew as a whole. When they are, new tasks will be added, all leading up to the goal of finding the treasure. For instance, the first one will be along the lines of "Get to know your crew and form your beliefs." One down the line might be as small as "stop at port to collect food". This is an attempt to get the storybook led in the right direction so it doesn't deviate or die out.

Character Sheet

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Job:[/b]
(Navigator, Captain, Deckhand)
[b]Side:[/b]
(Black Market or Smithsonian)
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

Once everyone has posted their character sheets, we'll begin! Like last time, we will start on the day of departure.

Same profile as last time

Name: Robert Nicholas Smith
Nickname: Smithy or Bob
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Appearance: Well maybe he looks like this:
Clicky!
Job: Navigator
Side: He's leaning toward Black Market but could easily be persuaded to join the Smithsonians if the pretty boy asked nicely *points at Jab's character*
History Bob has spent most of his time on some ship or another. He grew up in a small fishing village and as a boy went out with the boats and came back reaking of fish. It wasn't much of a charm with the ladies but it was an alright life. Then one day, a ship dropped anchor at the docks and its crew stumbled into the pub. Bob was about fourteen and with his dad at the pub when the captain started asking after a new Deckhand. Robert gained his father's permission and immediately put himself forward. A few hours later he found himself leaving home. Life was one crazy adventure for a while. Since then he's been aboard more than thirty ships, some for a few months and others for a year or two. He showed an affinity for navigation at an early age and quickly became very skilled.
Other Some might say that Bob's only love is the sea but a more sensible person would observe that he finds the manly figure very pleasing to the eye. He hasn't done more than kiss the occasional male on those long sea voyages and he has slept with women so he doesn't completely shun the opposite sex but a good looking man always sends shivers down his spine.
Personality Robert's a good man. He's solid and generally reliable and until now he's been content with the adventure of sailing but all that treasure is very tempting. Robert doesn't want to live his whole life on the sea. In the past it might have worked very well when it was just men against mother nature and when it was a more common enterprise but in modern times the sea just isn't a home for a man. Still. He doesn't want anybody hurt which puts him in quite the awkward position and he always was a sucker for a good looking man.

Name: Captain Daniel Albert Williker
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Appearance: Funnily enough, he kinda looks like this kid:

Job: Captain
(Navigator, Captain, Deckhand)
Side: Smithsonian
(Black Market or Smithsonian)
History: Dan's been in the navy for a good five years before he decided to stay on reserves and go to uni for an archeology major. He never married since he's always called back to the navy for some mission or another. This is his current project, to lead this group of historians (as far as he knew) to find a lost pirate ship.
Personality: He's a loyal navy officer who works for his country. He's quick to making decisions, the typical brilliant leader who doesn't waste time and can, many times, rely on his instincts. Off duty, he's much more carefree and laidback. He always enjoys a good beer with his mates and can be a flirt with women.
Other: Nope. If you want to know if he's up for love, he's clearly single. I'll let Captain Williker decide if he's going to fall in love with yours.

Name: James (Jax) Pasquilo

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Job: Deckhand

Side: Black Market

History Jax was born in England after his parents illegally immigrated there from Pakistan. When he was ten years old, his family were caught and they were sent back to Pakistan. They lived there for six years and experienced some horrible things. When Jax turned sixteen years old, he fled from Pakistan and moved to England once more.

After living in England until he was twenty one, Jax decided to move to the United States. There, he worked as a barman until he was selected to help find the lost treasure of The April Hawk. Jax was more than happy to find the treasure. Although, his intentions are to keep it for himself. He would love to use it to get his family out of Pakistan.

Personality: Jax comes across as very selfish and very cocky. He's very outgoing and always stands up for himself. Although, he does this an extremely obnoxious way. The reason he behaves like this is because he doesn't like anyone knowing his true feelings. He hides behind his rude, cocky personality. Jax is actually a very caring guy and when he gets to like someone, he is extremely protective over them.

Other Up for love. Jax will not talk about his life in Pakistan or his family.

Name: Alison "Allie" Maria Brown
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Job: Historical Consultant
Side: Smithsonian
History: Allie was born in San Francisco, California, where she grew up. Her parents, both doctors, earned a modest amount of money. Although elsewhere Allie would be considered rich, the high cost of living left her out of doing many things with her friends.

She first became interested in history in eight grade, when she watched a video on the April Hawk in her social studies class. Afterward, she tried her hardest at not only history but at her other subjects as well, so she would be able to get the grades to be admitted to Harvard. She was accepted and, with the help of a scholarship, studied there until graduating at the age of twenty-six. She wrote her dissertation on the history of piracy.

Afterward, she moved to Washington D.C. and got a job at the Smithsonian, where she was constantly enthusiastic about history. She is honored by the government appointment and wants to everything she could to live up to it.
Personality: Allie is a very enthusiastic young woman, always eager to share her ideas. She is a little shy, though, and often keeps to herself. She is very brave and dedicated, and always believes in honesty.
Other: Walks with a slight limp due to a go-kart accident when she was 19.

Name: Gabriel Slate

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Appearance:


Job: Stowaway?

Side: Smack dab in the middle, as he doesn't give a crap as of the moment.

History: Gabe was a street urchin once, but was picked up by a con artist who he tried to pickpocket. His smooth charm quickly made him a staple in the con artist's group. He doesn't only do cons - he also steals paintings, statues and larger items along with his trusty group of friends. His being on the ship is a coincidence. He was never after anything onboard, nor did he even plan to be on the ship. He simply boarded the wrong boat, went downstairs looking for his room and realized that he was on the wrong boat too late.

Personality: Gabe is dramatic, extremely so. He's loquacious, loud, pragmatic and narcissistic. Even killing an ant can become a sin with this guy. He's got a flair for drama and theatrics. Nothing is in between - everything either fascinates or devastates him. No such thing as boring with this guy. As a friend he's loyal and charming, sweet and friendly.

Other: His being a thief is merely a coincidence. Otherwise he's just a regular stowaway. He is, however, a kleptomaniac and will often steal insignificant things without really meaning it.

Cool, everyone! We're starting. I've posted the first task in the DT!

Allie Brown | May 1st
4:43 PM, Day 1

This day has definitely been one that I will never forget. I woke up, grabbed my bags and left fairly early, at about nine. We were to load our bags onto the ship--which was patiently waiting for us at dock, and meet for lunch around eleven, at a seafood place just down the road. I'd been the third to arrive. Daniel Williker, our lovely captain, and the navigator (Bob? Brett? I forget his name) were already there, figuring out food storage, sleeping arrangements, and anything they could think of to get the ship going. We would, after all, be out for quite a long time--4 to 5 months at minimum. They asked me why I was there so early, but I didn't answer, instead saying that I would see them at lunch.

I got off the ship at sat on the dock, wanting to savor my last moments on land, at least for a while. I had to keep telling myself that this really was happening, that I really had been selected for such a task. I didn't know what the next couple of months would hold, but I knew, somehow, that it would be wonderful--to come back and be welcomed like a hero for returning the lost treasure. I wondered again what it would be like, to be Madeleine Grey. And know that her possessions were valued by the government. As we've only just set off, I can't say much yet, but hopefully her soul will watch over our crew and guide us in the right direction.

During lunch, I found myself a lot more hungry then I had thought. I downed a whole bowl Alfredo Pasta with shrimp and even found myself trying some of Dan's salmon. I didn't talk much throughout--it was mostly just Dan and our navigator blabbing about times they had spent in sea. In addition, James, the younger deckhand, didn't seem very talkative. Then, when we got on the ship, he flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. As I write this entry, he still is--I wonder if he even wants to go on this journey.

Dan and our navigator are upstairs by the wheel now, but we'll all come out on deck and enjoy a small dinner soon, so that should be nice. I'm hoping I can talk to them a bit more about the historical details of the treasure we're going after when dinner comes around. For now, I think I'll rest a bit.

Gabriel Slatel Day 1l 1:00 PM

Gabriel frowned, looked around, and wrinkled his nose. This certainly wasn't the cruise ship he was expecting. Where were the people? The extravagant rooms? The sparkling chandeliers?

Hell, where were his friends?

Step, step, stop. The ship lurched and Gabe held the wall for support. Pause. The ship went on its merry way, stopped swaying. Step, step, step, step, step. Pause. Shuffle forward. The ship jumped. Gabe stumbled backward, grabbed a doorknob in his attempt to maintain his balance. The doorknob swung and the door slipped open.

Gabe was still on the floor, on his backside, when the door opened. He blinked. Odd. He expected fancier doorknobs for cabins. Were these the cabins? He'd thought they were supply closets or something. Some exclusive luxury cruise this was turning out to be.

Maybe he was on the wrong floor, and these were the waiters' quarters. Gabe waited for the ship to calm down again before crawling on the polished wooden floor towards the open door. He then straightened himself, brushed the dust off his clothes and burst into the room with a flourish.

"Excuse me, but might I know precisely where the cabins are? I'm afraid I've gotten lost," Gabe proclaimed with his most charming smile.

Huh. All that energy wasted on a performance for thin air. Gabe scowled, but then he caught sight of the figure sitting up on the bed, startled. The man had to be his age, or maybe younger by a year or two. Gabriel grinned. Finally! Someone to help him.

Captain's Log
01MAY10 2330 Hours

It's day one of our mission, and with only four people in the crew, I wonder just how important this mission is. As much as I tried to convince them to get me more men, they insisted that the four were enough. I suppose it'll be a lax journey since there doesn't seem to be any quarrels as of yet. Though perhaps I shouldn't speak too soon since we've already encountered our first breach of security--or I suppose, outside the navy, it's just a misunderstanding. However, as captain, I can't assume that.

It took most of the day for us to load the ship with sufficient supplies and our own luggage. Smithy helped with that though, and I feel a lot better about our small numbers knowing that I'm not the only one with experience out at sea. He and I shared quite a few stories, and I know I can trust this man. We had some extra help as well from sailors who were willing to assist; it's a shame they won't be coming with us.

The paparazzi wouldn't give us any space though when it came closer to departure. Though many of them came to me with their interviews, only one of us was more than willing to talk. Jax, our deckhand, is quite rambunctious, but that shouldn't be new considering I've worked with hundreds, even thousands, of men just like him. He does seem to twist a few simple facts though, such as calling Smithy an "old" guy who "couldn't remember his real name" or "eat an apple without first taking a nap." I've a feeling he and Smithy will have an interesting relationship.

I have yet to mention our fourth crew member, which is a sin unto itself. Allie Brown, our historian, is a spunky brunette who also, like many ladies, falls for a good charming smile from myself is an intelligent woman and also rather hyperactive. I talked to her tonight after dinner for a brief time, and she did mention a bit about the treasure we're searching for. What I need to know is what kind of ship The April Hawk is and what kind of traps we may run into. Hopefully, she'll have some knowledge of that, but it's not as important right now since we have to actually find it first.

It was four o' clock when we set sail, and already our mission turned into a more exciting adventure than I hoped. I was up with Smithy when I heard a commotion inside the ship. I was already running down when Allie nearly ran into me, coming to report what was happening. I pulled out my handgun and followed Allie's report (She had said Jax was lying on his bed before the commotion started.) into the cabins to find Jax and holding a stranger against the wall, Jax's arm across his throat. I had pointed my gun at the boy, but he seemed harmless and more frightened than threatening. I couldn't let my personal opinions cloud my leadership abilities, and so the boy was tied up and set in the corner until we figured out what to do with him. Jax was right in saying I couldn't trust this stowaway, but I'm not a pirate. I wasn't going to kill him on the spot. In the navy, we would have locked him up until we could get him into the hands of the police to be tried. I figured that's what I would do with him, but I wouldn't make any decisions until morning when the crew was calm. With the boy tied up and put aside, we all had dinner and the rest of the night in somewhat a relaxing way.

Day one, and this crew's proven a bigger task to handle than some units I've worked with in the navy.

Daniel Albert Williker
S.S.Harmony, Captain

Smithy. 1st May. 8:10 PM

Ruddy reporters and the damn cheek of that Jax fellow. I'll give him old man. Why, if the storytelling is left to the likes of him, I'll be fifty, balding and have led them in all the wrong directions before I've even got my hands on the tiller. And they say all fishermen are liars, hah! Then again, this little boat doesn't have one of course, a tiller that is. She's a wheel an' steery alright. Nice and easy as she goes. I'm sitting at the wheel now and a lovely thing it is, not like some of the boats I've been on. I've got myself a good, comfy seat, the ocean wind in my hair and she sails with the Queen's Grace.

The captain and I enlisted a couple of sailors to help board her up. It was good, companionable work and I'll be cursing the lack of such men once we're properly out to sea. Oh she'll not take much caring for I'll admit but it's a shame even so, I do like to have them what've got their sea legs about them on board. If it goes the way of this morning though I'll be a happy man. The captain stayed up top with me a while and the other two disappeared down under until all this business of the stowaway turned up.

I'm wondering what the captain's going to do with him in the morning. He should count himself lucky. In my da's day he'd have been chucked overboard but I suppose we don't do that one now. He'll probably get himself meals and passage free of charge until we can dump him on some bit of land. Well if I have any say in it, he'll eat stale bread and ship's biscuits and he'll muck in with the deck scrubbing if he wants anything better. But ah, I think the captain's a right gentleman. Has that look about him though I don't mind his way of speaking none. I think he'll take pity on the lad, what a shame.

The other member of our crew I didn't meet properly until the dinner as I spent most of lunch wagging tongues with the captain. She did come by while we were stocking up but again, I'm afraid Daniel held most of my attention. He's got a pretty face on him he has and a corker of a smile. Anyway, at the dinner, we changed places around and I was sat between the boy and Allie. I asked her a few friendly questions about what sort of treasure the April Hawk might hold. She answered with a growing enthusiasm and I found her to be quite as palateable as the food.

Well now. My light's dying on me so I'll be off now. I'll set her on course at a steady pace and then relax for a few hours before getting me some kip. Let's see what tomorrow holds for us.

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

Jax, May 1st
8:20 PM, Day 1

I've only been on this ship for a day and I'm already dying of boredom. There is absolutely nothing to do here. The people on here aren't too entertaining either. If I hadn't found that stowaway, I probably would have jumped over the edge of the boat by now. Sorry, I can't say boat, it would probably offend the Navigator or something. Talk about 'old sea dog'. Apparently, he's only something like thirty years old, which I find pretty hard to believe. He's clearly pretty old fashioned when it comes to the sea and working on a ship. He'd probably marry the sea if he could.

It's only around half past eight and I'm shattered. I have no hope in getting to sleep tonight though, the swaying of the ship isn't making my stomach feel too good. If I throw up, I'm not cleaning it up. I'll leave that to the girl or something. They like cleaning, right? Speaking of the girl, she's probably the only one who hasn't annoyed me as of yet. I haven't said much to her though, so I can't really judge her yet. To be perfectly honest, none of the guys on this ship seem very interesting. I'll end up having to make friends with the stowaway at this rate. He seemed interesting enough. Mind you, I don't want to make friends with anything. I can't be doing with messing things up with people, too much hassle.

I used to try and be friendly with people, but it was pointless. I only ended up screwing things up. That's why I don't bother anymore. Besides, treating people like dirt has its advantages. To begin with, no one ever likes me. Therefore, it's impossible for me to permanently hurt them. Plus, it's rather fun taking the mick out of people. Mum would kill me if she saw me behaving like this though. Mum isn't her though, so I don't need to worry about that. As long as everything goes to plan, she will eventually be here. She'll finally be out of that disgusting, horrible place. That's why I've got to suck all of this ship business up; for her and the rest of the family. They're all that matters.

I need to stop thinking about them now, I hardly want tog et myself worked up. But what if this doesn't work? What if we never find the treasure? What if I don't get any of it? Crap. I'm forcing myself to not think about that. Part of me is wondering why I'm even bothering to keep a diary, it's not like I'm some hormonal girl. Mind you, I'm starting to feel like one. Writing in here lets my emotions out, I guess. It's better than showing any weaknesses to the crew. I can no way allow that to happen. The confident, happy, careless tough-guy thing seems to be working quite well so far. If I even show a sign of cracking, it will all fall apart.

This ship is seriously getting on my nerves now. If it doesn't stop swaying in the next ten minutes, my dinner will be all over the floor. I'm going to have to stop writing. Looking at all of this writing isn't helping with the whole sickness thing. I am going to have a very strong word with the guy who's steering this boat ship.

Captain's Log
02MAY10 0835 Hours

Woke up to a loud thump outside the cabins, as did Allie. Smithy wasn't in the cabins, but Jax was still fast asleep. I left the room (gun in hand) only to find the boy, who was still tied up to a chair when I left him, missing from the room. It was pretty clear where he was though since the constant rustling still hadn't stopped. Allie had found the kid in the food storage, pathetically eating up food with his mouth off the floor. I stuffed my gun; Allie was quick to help the kid set his chair upright, ignoring his constant jabbering.

Then Smithy had come down, growling about the loud kid disturbing his peace up top. It was at that point I had to make the decision. There was a strong chance the kid was telling the truth and it was all a misunderstanding, and so I decided we would drop him off at the next port. In the meantime, he is to volunteer as a deckhand--notice I said volunteer. With that, the kid was untied and fed (since he didn't get any dinner last night, it was understood how hungry he was). I left Allie and Smithy then with the boy to come and get my jacket. Jax is still sleeping (he's going to have to get up at some point); I figured I would log what had happened before I forgot any details.

Captain Williker
U.S.S.Harmony

Allie Brown | May 2nd
9:17 AM, Day 2

This one is a short entry, but I just have to get this out. I absolutely cannot believe that what has happened today is real and not just a figment of my dreams. Never after receiving this assignment had I imagined that anyone could slip past the hordes of paparazzi and security onto this ship. Why our food? Why bother us--what does he expect to get out of it? Volunteering to work as a deckhand? Why, why, why on earth would Dan let him, after he stole our food? Why does this stowaway even care about what we want to accomplish? Eh, maybe he'll prove himself to us, and I'll look back on this journal entry and laugh about how stupid I was. But for now, I'll paint a target on his back so he doesn't get away with anything too fishy.

Smithy. 2nd May. 9:20 AM

Someone's having trouble finding his sea legs and I don't mind telling you who. That Jax fellow, aha! Came to me last night he did and demanded that I stop the boat from swaying. A boat he called her! Now, I might have made the same slip up myself, she's a dinky little ship after all but the way he said it really got my gullet. He's got no respect for the sea and if you ask me, he's a cocky little bottom feeder. At first, I gritted my teeth and tried to be pleasant. Afterall, the lad's probably having trouble enough with that stomach of his. That's just her way I told him but would he listen? Oh no. He started throwing accusations around, first saying I was doing it on purpose and then insisting that I didn't know squat about steering a boat.

Well, I told him he would just have to lump it and that the movement would only get rougher as we got further out to sea. He turned a little green at that and then turned away and stomped off back to his quarters.

Left in peace, I settled down on the bed next to my helm - found a nice blanket in one of them compartments - and got some shut eye. I woke up nice and early. The wind had shifted a little so I had to re-align our course but we'd made some progress so I was happily navigating the ship when I heard a loud crash from below and a lot more noise to boot. Well that just wouldn't do. I went down there myself and the captain got it all sorted out. None too soon either. A good man he is and it's not his fault but I can't be having the hassle of that lad every morning.

Apparently he's going to work as another deck hand. A good thing too. We'll need the extra one what with that other complaining of sea sickness and not even up yet. A slacker if I ever saw one and I didn't mind telling the others I thought so. Back to sailing eh?

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