Was it possible to forget how to sleep? You wondered, as you lay upon your bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was not something you had normally struggled with, but for the first time in your life, insomnia had taken a hold of you, coiling itself around your very being and constricting you tightly. There was no obvious escape from it, so you continued to lie there, listening to the ticking of the mechanical clock in your room...tick...tock...tick...tock...tick...tock...
    Switching the bedside lamp on, you pushed yourself up and sat, gazing upon the darkened skies outside your bedroom window, the shimmering half moon reflecting off of the surface of the sea. Living by the oceanside was truly picturesque, but its beauty seemed to wane on you that night. Sighing, you turned to the picture frame beside your bed. Picking it up, you felt your bottom lip tremble ever so slightly. No, you would not cry. Putting the photo frame back down, you closed your eyes tightly.
    Your parents had been missing for a week now. They worked in a trading business so you were used to them leaving you for weeks at a time, however this time was different. You knew something was wrong when they did not arrive home Thursday evening the way they had promised they would. If there had been delays, they would have written to you to tell you so but no letter or phone call had been received. Radio silence. Contacting the authorities had done little to help.

“If they travel and trade for business then they probably got caught in a storm or are somewhere remote. Give it a few more weeks. If they don’t turn up by the end of the month, then come back. Until then, just sit tight and wait.”

    That was the advice you had been given by the police. It had infuriated you how relaxed and nonchalant they were about the situation at hand, but what could you possibly do? Not knowing where they had gone for business, you could not exactly follow after them. Sitting and waiting was all that you could do, much to your frustration. Your parents were out there somewhere, perhaps stranded on an island or lost at sea or maybe even injured...it was probably because of this unease and worry you had not slept well for days.
    The clock chimed four in the morning. You were not even a little sleepy. This fact annoyed you tremendously. Climbing out of bed, you tip toed to the door, gently opening it so as not to make a creak; you were alone in the house yet you were still in the habit of creeping quietly in the middle of the night. Grabbing your hooded jumper, which had been carelessly thrown upon the sofa the day before, you put it on and then padded across the corridor to the back door. Converse sneakers on your feet, you unlocked the back door and stepped outside.
    There was a soft sea breeze, whistling in your ear but you welcomed it after having been in such a hot and humid room. You began to walk down the path, out onto the sandy beach. Shoes sinking with each step, you began to jog down to the water’s edge where the sand had hardened. Standing a little way from where the waves lapped the shore, you stared out to the horizon. Your parents were somewhere out there, lost in the wilderness of the world. Hugging yourself, you shivered.
    Just as you began contemplating heading back to change from your pyjama shorts to something warmer, you felt a hand grab you from behind, taking you by surprise. You struggled, trying to fight whoever it was off, but it was then that you realised that they'd covered your mouth with a handkerchief, drenched in chloroform. Moments later, you had drifted off into a deep sleep, deeper than any sleep you had experienced in quite some time…

There was an ache at the back of your head, a crick in your neck and a dull pain on your arm when you woke. Wincing, you went to cradle your arm but found you could not. You patiently allowed your eyes to focus properly, realising how you were waking from a dull, numbing sleep. Looking down, you saw how your hands had been bound tightly with thick, coarse rope. You tried to move your feet but found that those too were bound.
    That is when you noticed your surroundings.
    You were in a small, confining store room, with wooden crates piled high in a haphazard manner; net canopies hanging from the ceiling and filled with various fruit, such as apples and orange; barrels randomly placed here and there, overfilled with more produce and even carpentry materials. Honestly, you were surprised you had not been crushed by anything. Whoever had stacked the contents of this store room had done a terrible job of it. Suddenly there was a jolt and you felt yourself fall sideways. The entire room moaned, its contents shifting in the same direction as you had, a few crates tipping their contents with one barrel falling to its side before they settled once again.
    There was no window so you could not see what had just happened, but part of you was convinced already; you were on a ship. Looking down at your bound hands and feet, you twitched your mouth to one side in contemplation. Judging from your current predicament you would even go as far as to say that it was a pirate ship. Who else would have tied you up and thrown you in a closet? The coastguard had been warning the community for weeks now about pirates lurking dangerously nearby. Taking a walk in the middle of the night was asking for trouble, but you had not really expected yourself to actually be captured by one of them. It was naive to think you would be immune and safe just freely traipsing the beach so late at night; you made a mental note to yourself that once you escaped you would not do that ever again.
    The door swung open and you felt yourself freeze up. Whoever it was that had captured you was about to walk into this cluttered room in a moment. You expected someone who looked vicious, perhaps with a scraggly, bushy beard, possibly even a peg leg. However the first person who walked through the door could not have been far from what you'd imagined.
    A tall, young boy stepped in, ducking underneath the overhanging net canopy, his short, dark brown hair a contrast to his pale skin, his features softly defined. He looked at you with his almond eyes, his soft, rosy lips moving as he spoke with a deep, calming voice. For a moment, you felt yourself quite taken by him, wondering if somehow you'd found yourself captured by angels.
    Another tall boy appeared at the doorway, a fraction shorter than the first boy, shoulder-length blonde hair, tied in a ponytail with a side fringe. His eyes were bigger but there was an innocence to them; a beauty which matched that of a blossoming flower. He too spoke, his voice not as deep as the first boy’s but it still filled you with warmth and safety.
    "The captain would like to see you," The boy with the dark hair told you, however you were too mystified to speak.
    "Do you think the captain was mistaken?" The blonde boy asked, leaning in and whispering in his ear. "She's not replying. What if she can't speak?" The taller, dark haired boy grimaced a little before crouching down beside you.
    "Can you talk?" He asked gently. You nodded, not trusting yourself to actually say anything out loud. Looking up at his blonde companion, he shrugged. They both mulled over what to do for a moment before crouching down either side of you and hoisting you to your feet.
    "WHHHH-ERE are you taking me?" You asked, finally finding your tongue as the dark haired boy untied your feet so you could walk.
    "Oh, she can talk!" The blonde haired boy beamed. "Like we said, the captain would like to see you. I would tell you more but it's better if you hear it from him." You felt the charms of the two boys wear off as they pushed you forward, out of the door and into a long corridor.

    The walls were bare and uninteresting you noticed as you followed after the blonde haired boy. save for a few electric torches hanging, flickering every time the ship seemed to jolt suddenly. Scanning the hallway, you found your gaze wandering back to the boy in front of you frequently. He wore a dark brown coat, the length of which reached his knees, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There were a pair of goggles hanging around his neck and black boots with thick soles upon his feet. It was strange; pirates did not tend to wear such warm clothes since they sailed warmer climates...
    Perhaps your hooded jumper had offered you enough warmth before when you had been locked in the small, boxed room, but now you were shivering profusely, your pyjama shorts offering little relief from the cold.
    "She's cold," the dark haired boy behind you stated.
    "Is she?" The blonde haired boy stopped and turned around, twitching his mouth to one side. "I'm sure the captain wouldn't want her getting sick. We do need her after all."
    You looked from one boy to another, frowning at the way in which they spoke about you whilst you were stood right there. It was difficult for you to be angry at them though, especially when the dark haired boy quickly went back into the room in which you'd been locked, retrieved a spare brown jacket and returned, placing it around your shoulders carefully. Thanking him, he smiled before ushering you onwards.
    You found yourself at the front of a small staircase. The two boys helped you up the first few steps and before you had a chance to thank them, the hatch above you had opened.
    "Hurry up! The Captain's waiting-oh, hello!" An expression which could only be likened to that of a happy puppy was staring down at you. The blonde boy stepped out of the cabin and allowed this new boy to help you on to the deck. You could not see him very clearly as he had a hood over his head and it was also very dark, but what you could tell was that he was very strong and well built. He smiled once more, his eyes crinkling together as he helped pull you to the deck of the ship. Somehow, his sweet smile seemed like such a contrast to his strength.

    As you appeared on the deck of this ship, something became very apparent. There was a lot of wind present, too much wind in fact that it was making it very hard to stand upright. All sounds were distorted, a concoction of noise whistling past you. Ears and nose stinging from the cold, you shrank under the jacket, desperately wanting to be in the warmth once more. Standing in the centre of the deck, you looked around, noticing just how dark it was outside, despite the moon shining up ahead. What kind of ship was this and where were you exactly?
    "Captain's just coming," a fourth boy appeared from a decorative door in front of you, leading down to what you could only presume was the captain’s cabin; he was the shortest of them all so far, the same height as you if an inch taller. "She hasn't been difficult, has she?" He asked pulling his hood down as he stood right in front of you, a smirk upon his face as his short hair was pushed back by the wind. Eyes glinting playfully; the way he looked at you making you feel ever so uneasy for a moment. It was then he reached out, pulling the coat which the tall, dark-haired boy had placed over your shoulders together, buttoning the top two buttons.
    "Who gave her the coat?" He asked.
    "She was cold," the blonde haired boy told him, retying his hair as it had become disheveled in the wind. "Minhyun found it for her."
    "Of course he did,” the smirking boy chortled. “He's not earned the title of 'mum' of this crew for nothing!"
    "Well if she caught a cold, then the captain would get mad," the tall dark haired boy, apparently called Minhyun, explained, causing the smirking boy to chuckle some more before patting Minhyun on his shoulder.
    "Sure, sure. Should've buttoned it up though," he stuck his tongue out childishly at the taller boy, who simply sighed in response.
    "Captain's here!" The boy with the bright puppy-like smile announced.

    Immediately, the four members of the crew lined up beside you in height order, the shortest one standing next to you. The chiselled wooden door in front swung open and you held expectations, this time of seeing a stern faced captain appear with a parrot upon his shoulder. However for the second time that day, your predictions were proven wrong.
    The captain stepped out, a young face with a button nose and deep brown eyes, wearing an emerald green coat, golden ribbon at the cuffs and around the collar, thick soled brown leather boots, a grey waistcoat with a beige shirt underneath as well as a pair of golden coloured goggles upon his head, thick, dark waves of hair peeking through them; no parrot on his shoulder. He looked at you with a neutral expression, but one look into his eyes and you could sense his authority; the charisma and charm oozing from them.
    A shiver ran down your spine as he stepped forward, his movements precise and practiced. It was only now did you begin to truly wonder why you were within their grasp. One of them had said that you were needed, but whatever for? They all looked so young, more than likely your own age, maybe younger, so what could they possibly want with you? There was nothing you had, was there?

    "Crew," he nodded towards them, and they replied back with a, "Captain."
    "Is this her?" The captain asked, stopping right in front of you.
    "Yes, sir!" The crew replied.
    "Although we should really think of an appropriate title for her," he mused out loud, tapping his chin with a finger. "We'll get to technicalities later...!" You raised an eyebrow as he dithered away to himself. "My lady, do you know why you're here?" He asked you.
    "I don't even know where 'here' is!" You sighed, looking around again. "Are you pirates? Is this a ship? If so, what kind of ship-" You were about to bombard him with further questions when he raised a hand to stop you.
    "You're only half right. I think it's best that we let you look around properly," he took your hands gently into his own, then swiftly pulled a small knife from his belt and sliced through the rope which had been binding them together.
    "Thank you," you said to him, nodding curtly, although quite frankly you were even more unsure of your position there than before.
    "Feel free to look over the rails, but I do warn you; it's windier there." A small smile formed on his face as you stepped forward cautiously towards the edge. "One more thing-you aren't scared of heights, are you?"
    "Why?" You asked as you reached the wooden railings along the ship's edge.
    "Because we're a few hundred feet up from the ground, that's why.”

    Your eyes widened in shock. The moment he had revealed this information, you had looked over the edge and there below you were pockets of lights, glittering like stars in the sky, except you were looking down at a city-scape, not up. Clouds appeared, obscuring the view and you felt yourself rendered speechless. There was no water. There was just air and a very long way back down to earth.
    "What-is this?" You span around, looking across at all five of them.
    "Welcome aboard, miss. I am your captain, JR, this is my crew. We are sky pirates, sailing these skies upon the newest, most established and stylish ship you will ever come across; The NU'EST, and you are cordially invited to join our crew."
    "What?" Was the only word you could respond with, stunned by the idea of being captured by sky pirates.
    “You’ve met the crew already. Minhyun, the ship’s navigator and master gunner. Without Minhyun using the stars to guide us to our destinations and making sure we’re always well armed in case of an attack, we would be very lost,” the tallest boy who had draped the coat over your shoulders nodded at you, smiling slightly, his cheeks a little flushed from all the praise..
    “Ren, the ship’s quartermaster. He keeps things moving along here, makes sure everyone is always motivated and following orders. Without him, things would probably fall apart,” the blonde boy flicked his hair, trying to tame it in the windy environment.
    “Baekho, the ship’s boatswain and carpenter. He’s in charge of looking after the ship, maintaining it and ensuring everything is...well, ship-shape! If you ever spot any problems or have any questions about the ship, he’s your guy!” The puppy-dog smile boy beamed at you and you could not help but smile back.
    “And finally, Aron, the ship’s chef and cooper, here for all your food and storage needs. Without Aron, we would starve and more than likely run out of stock and make very bad trading deals. If you ever get hungry, he makes a great pasta!” The boy who had done the buttons up on your coat saluted.
    “You’ll be working alongside us all so best to make yourself acquainted with everyone,” Captain JR told you as he walked over to the ship’s wooden railings, glancing out towards the sky.
    “It’s...it’s very nice to meet you all,” you began, acknowledging the crew, “But can we back track here?” Standing there with a very perplexed look upon your face, you stepped towards the Captain. “So-you’re all sky pirates, you kidnapped me and are now telling me that I have to ‘work alongside’ you all, doing what exactly?”
    "Well," the captain turned back around to face you and nervously stepped forward, tugging at his sleeves, “We didn’t want to kidnap you exactly, but circumstances meant we didn’t have much time left, but-there’s something we need your help with and I do think that you could do with our help too.”
    “Your help?” You furrowed your eyebrows. “What would I need your help with?”
    “Why, with rescuing your parents!” JR chuckled to himself, as if it was the most obvious thing to note, but when he saw the shock in your expression, he knew instantly that you were indeed clueless. “You didn’t know they had been kidnapped, did you?” Shaking your head, you felt your knees go weak. He rushed forward, grabbing your arms and helping you sit down upon the stool Aron had found for you.
    “But...kidnapped? They were just travelling, trading and selling like always. Why were they...how do you know?”

    “Miss, your parents are not simply tradesman,” JR began, looking up at his crew nervously. “They’re...guardians of something most important, treasure which is so special and rare...you didn’t know?” You shook your head, tears forming in the corners of your eyes as you processed this new information. “This treasure has been guarded by your family for generations. It contains magic so powerful, anyone who holds it could, well, they could do anything!”
    “Ho-how do I know...you’re telling...the truth?” you asked shakily.
    “Did you often move around, never settling in the same place for too long?” Aron asked. Upon reflection, you realised you had never stayed in one town, city or village longer than a year.
    “We did...but I just...thought it was because of the trades business.” JR grimaced before removing a piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to you.
    “This appeared in the Sky Daily newspaper yesterday.” Gingerly, you took it from him and opened it. Gasping in surprise, you saw the photo of your parents captured by menacing men, their hands bound by rope, enlarged on the front of the sheet, the headlines ‘GUARDIANS OF THE PAINTED CRYSTALS CAPTURED BY NOTORIOUS SKY PIRATES’ accompanying it.
    “My parents…” you felt your heart sink. “We need to find them. We need to save them!” You looked up at the crew of the NU’EST and they all looked back at you with gentle, solemn expressions. “We have to…”
    “This treasure your parents have been guarding, that you family has guarded for generations, stories about it have been passed down from pirate to pirate too. You really don’t know anything about it?” JR gently asked.
    “She clearly doesn’t, Captain,” Minhyun told JR. “We should let her go.”
    “But if we let her go then what will happen to her and her parents?” Ren asked in concern.
    “Ren’s right. What if other  pirates come along with the same idea and capture her?” Aron added in.
    “They probably wouldn’t be as nice as us either,” Baekho mused out loud. “We’d willingly set her free. Those other pirates would probably ki-”
    “Baekho!” Minhyun hissed at him, “Not in front of her.”
    “Sorry,” Baekho apologised sheepishly.
    “I think that’s settled then,” JR nodded. “She stays with us, as part of our crew until such time she is safe to return home. We will aid her to rescue her parents too and that’s final,” JR held his hand to you and smiled warmly. “So long as you are on this ship, you are free and we will protect you. As captain, you have my word and a captain’s word is their life.”

    You watched them each in turn, unsure of how you felt about the current situation. You had been kidnapped, taken on board a sky pirate ship, informed that your parents had been captured themselves for not being tradesmen but for being guardians of some sort of magical treasure, called ‘the painted crystals’ and now you could not go home because it would not be safe? There were so many mysteries to solve, especially that of your parents, who had kept things hidden and secret from you all your life. You knew they had not told you anything to protect you, keep you safe, but how could you protect them back if you did not even know the truth?
    Within hours your life had taken a different turn and who was to say what would happened next? Although they had kidnapped you, the crew of the NU’EST had made you feel welcome. They had conveyed that they needed you for something but what exactly that was, you did not know. You barely knew these sky pirates but for now, you had no choice but to trust them. The cost of placing your life in their hands would be paid for in the future.

    Tentatively, you placed your hand in JR’s and thus was the beginning of many an adventure...