Captivation

29: Speculation

I will be double updating today, because this is a short chapter, and not a whole lot happens in it, and I would feel bad if I just left you all with this. So today's a two for one :)

***

Speculation (noun): the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

All of Henry’s family, even the older brothers that I wasn’t fond of, walk us to the pier. They call out goodbyes and wave as we get back on the ship. We are the first there; Henry told me that the crew should be here soon.

Henry looks at me “So, are you still sworn to hate me for all eternity?”

“I am a woman of my word. If I swore to it than it is as good as gold.” I smile at him, just to get under his skin.

“You value me.” Henry winks at me.

“Hardly.”  I roll my eyes.

“Well,” He says and leans on the side of the ship, “I’m not done with you yet, Madelyn.”

“I’m quivering in fear.” I say dryly. Henry looks over at me with a smile on his face then he shakes his head. We are quiet for a moment until I speak up. “Where do we tell everyone I was? Alone? With you?” I ask.

“The truth?” Henry suggests.

I laugh, “Sounds good.”

“I never disarm you, do I?” Henry asks me, to what I feel is out of the blue.

“No,” I pause, “I’m never armed around you.” It only takes me about a second to realize what I just admitted, and I see Henry try not to smile and I hate myself.

***

“So you played girlfriend?” Jamison asks me, a mocking smile on his face the next night.

“I did a fantastic job, I might add.” I toss my hair, in a way that is so very uncharacteristic of me. Jamison laughs and then shakes his head.

“You sure you were acting?” He asks.

I look at him surprised. “Yes…”

“We’ve all speculated…” Jamison explains, “I mean, every one of us, really.”

“Henry and I are not like that.” I tell him.

“You sure?” He asks.

“It was all pretend.” I say.

“Ah,” Jamison says, backing away from me slightly, “But are you really sure about that?”

“I am.” I say too quickly.

“Henry said that exact same thing.” Jamison says, “The thing is, that you’re both acting right now, and you’re awful at it, so I’m guessing that if his family believed you were both romantically interested, you must have been.” And then he walks away, and I hate him for not giving me a chance to respond.

***

Henry and I have gone four days now without seeing each other much, I’m doing it on purpose and I believe that he is doing the same. Someone speculating that we are actually interested in each other, and not when it’s just the two of us joking around, has freaked us both out.

By day five I’ve decided to forget Felticion, and anything that happened there, because it just makes my life much more complicated. Also on day five I get a gigantic splinter in my finger.

I sit on a box and look at the splinter that is lodged pretty deep into my middle finger of my right hand. I try to pull it out but it’s in too deep and it hurts too badly for me to try to dislodge myself.

Bradley notices me first. “Ah, the ship finally got you.”

“You make it sound like it was a purposeful act done by an inanimate object.” I say.

“Give me your hand.” He says.

“If you hurt me I swear I will – ” I begin.

Bradley cuts me off. “Choke me to death.” He looks at me and smiles. “Gotcha.”

I roll my eyes and give him my hand.

“Where were to touching to get this?” He asks me.

“I don’t know. I’m just going about as normal and then there is a piece of wood lodged deep in my flesh.” I say.

“Deep is an exaggeration.” Bradley tells me.

“Shut up.” I tell him.

He sighs and shakes his head, and he starts to pull the splinter out of my finger. I yank my hand away in reaction to the pain. Yanking my hand only makes the injury hurt worse.

“Madelyn!” Bradley says. “You have to hold still.”

Now my finger is bleeding and I think the wood piece might have stuck itself in deeper, or sideways now.

“Let me get Henry, he’s good with splinters…” Bradley says, and then mutters, “…and he’s got an iron grip.”

“No!” I say, not wanting to interact with Henry.

 “Yes!” Bradley mocks, “Or you get infected.” He walks away to get Henry, and I do my best not to look at my bleeding splintered finger. The less I acknowledge it, the less it affects me.

I look up when I hear Bradley’s voice. “And she yanked her hand away,”

“Of course,” Henry says.

“So now it’s bleeding, and I think it’s stuck in sideways.” Bradley finishes.

“It’s a splinter for heaven’s sake.” I murmur. “It should not be a group effort.”

Henry looks at me, and I can tell he heard me, and that he also knows that I’m moody. I’m sure he knows that it is because I am now uncomfortable interacting with him.

“Let me see.” Henry says.

I fling my hand out and look away, resisting will only make this all take longer.

Henry spreads my hand out flat, and holds my hand firmly. He slowly starts to pull at the splinter.

I start to pull my hand away, just out of a reaction, but Henry is holding my wrist too tightly.

I bite my lip as I feel the splinter come loose and then blood run out of the spot where the splinter was. He releases my hand and I yank it back and look at my bleeding bloody finger.

I stand up, about to get a first aid kit. “Thank you.” I say briskly. Bradley has long since walked away, and now it is only Henry and I together.

Henry grabs my arm, and I turn to look at him, only to see the same reserve that I know is in my eyes mirrored in his. “You’re welcome.” Is all he says, and then he walks away, up to the wheel of the ship that he taught me to use three and a half weeks ago.

It takes me a minute but I finally go and clean my splinter wound, wondering what to think about Henry.