Take My Hand (Thomas Brodie Sangster)

Part 4 Thomas

I unpacked everything and my father insisted we Go on a tour with a bunch of other high class people most of them in the suites surrounding us, I followed along like a well behaved puppy infact one of them had a puppy and it got more attention then I did. The ship beginning is way out into more open waters but I avoided the views because they just made me sick. We toured the ships first class amenities with these people for a good while. The spa. The pool. The barbers. The dinning hall. The various cafés. Smoking rooms and parlour spaces. It honestly just felt like any hotel, even if I admit it was all very grand and impressive. We went out onto the private first class deck mostly so they could all admire the views but I kept myself out of it. I grabbed my cigarette box from my pocket sneaking one between my lips quickly lighting it inhaling the sweet smoke and letting it relax my very soul. I hid my box and lighter away leaning on the railing to look across the ship. As I did I caught someone's eye.

I saw a girl, she couldn't have been too far off from my own age, unchaperoned and infact utterly alone, She had her boots against the deck, a long grey vertical striped skirt the stripes so thin you could barely notice them from here, a wide belt, a long sleeve white blouse with some gentle embroidery, her hair pinned up with a metal hair pin, in her hand a brown leather bound book, our eyes met for a moment and she sweetly smiled at me.

And I felt warm. I felt cosy. 

Of all the hundreds of smiles I'd seen today hers was the first that... felt real. Genuine. Like there was something more behind her smile. I smiled back as best I could even if I didn't have the heart for much but the moment I did I felt his hard hit on my arm not enough to make me react in public but enough to hurt. His warning shot. He forced me to turn away and ripped the cigarette from me pressing the still lit end into my hand 

"What did I tell you." He snapped quietly I meerly bit my tongue he pulled the ciggette away and threw it over the side "come on, before you cause us any further embrassment"