Bee and the Boy

Chapter 9

Skater

"You have to eat something." The cook shoves a plate of oatmeal into my cell. "We need you at your best for our buyers."

 I crawl over and knock the bowl over. "You don't deserve any of the tokens that I'm worth."

After he leaves, I wait a few seconds before salvaging what I can off the floor.

~

I wake up to Beatrix holding a hand over my mouth, signalling me to keep quiet. I nod my head as she takes my hand and we sneak up the steps to the deck.

"You came back for me," I whisper. "Why?"

"Not now. We need to get off this ship."

As I follow her up the stairs, she stops suddenly and is ripped away from me.

"Here is our stowaway." the quartermaster has both arms gripped around her arms. I see the fear in her eyes as he shakes her. "You thought this pitiful disguise would fool us." he laughs as he takes off Beatrix's hat and throws it into the sea. 

"I hoped it would." Beatrix snaps back.

"Let us go," I demand, my voice growing weaker from fear.

He laughs out of amusement. "No." He says nothing more before dragging us back down to the cells.

I flinch as the metal door of our cell slams shut behind me. Turning back, the quartermaster flaunts the keyring in front of me before pocketing them. "We will deal with your little friend in the morning." I look to her, pacing the cell.

'She's not my friend, she hates me.' I think to myself. 'But then why would she come all this way just for me?' I sit down in a damp puddle on the stone. 

She pauses and finally sits down across from me.

~

"The circus animals are all okay. I told a group of people about what was going on." She blurts out.

"And you didn't go with them?" I ask at the sudden break in our silence.

"I had to make sure you were okay." She leans back against the prison cell bars. "Skater, I'm sorry." She withdraws into herself in the corner. "I'm sorry for never thinking things through.

Taken aback at her apology, I scoot over closer to her. "I'm sorry for pushing you."

At this, she smiles. "I needed to be pushed. It's been a while since I had a real friend."

"Me too," I say, and without thinking, I'm wrapping her up in a hug. I'm nervous that I might be overstepping again, but she reassures me that I'm not when she reciprocates the hug. I think that I might love this girl, wings be damned.

We stay like that for hours until we fall asleep beside each other.

~

Several men and women hold me back as I watch Beatrix being forced onto the plank. "Marina, don't do this," I call out before a gag is tied around my head. Beatrix smiles at me before she is pushed over into the sea below.