Free Port of Spies by Brian James

Chapter 1
    Anchors Away!
    â€œArrr! Last one there’s a rotten fish!” I shouted to my mates at Pirate School. Then I held on to my pirate hat as I raced across the deck of the Sea Rat.
    â€œYou better start swimming then, because that’s going to be you,” Aaron said.
    â€œNot if you slip on the slimy boards,” I yelled back.
    Racing across the deck was dangerous. It was really easy to slip and crash into a really big ouch !
    But sometimes, being a pirate meant ignoring danger. Even the ouch kind of danger!
    This was one of those times.
    I stuck my hands out in front of me and grabbed the railing just in time to stop myself from sliding overboard. “I win!”
    Aaron and Vicky got there next, at the same time. They’re twins, so they do a lot of things the same. They even look the same, only Vicky has long hair.
    â€œI’m second,” Aaron said.
    â€œWe tied!” Vicky argued.
    â€œArrr! That’s only because I slipped,” Aaron grumbled.
    I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Aaron was a sore loser.
    Just then I saw the most amazing sight. “Shiver me timbers!” I shouted. “There it is! King’s Island, dead ahead!”
    King’s Island was the most famous port in this part of the sea.
    â€œBlimey! It’s the biggest town I’ve ever seen!” Vicky said.
    â€œAye!” Aaron shouted. Even though Aaron liked to argue with Vicky, he had to agree about King’s Island.
    â€œI’ve been a pirate my whole life, all nine years and three-quarters, and I’ve never seen an island like that,” I said.
    Just then, Gary came running up. He was my best mate at Pirate School. He was also the clumsiest pirate kid on the seas. He slipped right into me!
    CRASH!
    â€œSorry, Pete,” he said.
    â€œArrr! That’s okay,” I said, helping him up. “If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have been shark bait for sure,” I said.
    â€œAye!” Gary said, putting his pirate hat and his glasses back on. He sure was lucky to have a best mate like me!
    We went back to looking at King’s Island as the Sea Rat sailed closer. The island was polka-dotted with stores and houses. They were all painted bright colors. Some were green and others were purple. Some of them were even pink.
    â€œKing’s Island sure is one pretty place,” I said.
    â€œAye!” my friends agreed.
    Then I scratched my head and looked around. Seeing all the pretty buildings made me think of Inna. Inna loved pretty things. But she was nowhere in sight.

    â€œGreat sails! Where’s Inna?” I shouted. “I know she wouldn’t want to miss seeing this!” I was about to go belowdecks to look for her, when all of a sudden she came walking up the galley stairs. She was wearing a fancy dress and her hair was all shiny. She must have taken a bath, because her face looked squeaky clean.
    â€œArrr! What took you so long?” I asked.
    â€œI was making sure there were no wrinkles in my dress. And then I brushed my hair twice and tied it with a new ribbon,” she told us.
    â€œWhy’d you do all that?” Aaron asked.
    Inna made a huffy noise. “Because I want to look my best when I go into town.”
    We all rolled our eyes. Inna was the only pirate kid in the whole world who liked to get dressed up.
    Inna’s big blue eyes got even bigger as she saw the town for the first time. She clapped her hands and shouted, “It’s the most beautifulest place ever!”
    We couldn’t wait until we dropped anchor and got to explore. None of us pirate kids had ever been to King’s Island. The ships we had been on before we came to Pirate School never even sailed close to it. But Captain Stinky Beard told the crew that our ship was going to dock there for a whole day to get supplies. Pirates don’t get to see big towns very much, so this was going to be a special treat.
    â€œI heard you can get anything you