Freedom's Horizon (WLW) (Full Trilogy - Ongoing/Editing)

Book Three: Part Five: Chapter Eight

The Alboran Sea, November 1928, Far Off the Coast of Melilla

Gabby opened her eyes as she felt her bed swaying from side to side and recalled the events of the last four days. Her mind whirled at all she'd seen as she was reminded her new sleeping arrangement. Her bed was a hammock tied along one of the banisters of the larger than average yacht and the beam for the mainsail. Her sister still slumbered in the hammock set up a few feet away from hers and didn't stir as the boat rocked with the winds of the sea. The sea... Gabby was finally in it, traveling along its length like Margaret had described during one of her many tales with which she regaled herself and her sister. Margaret. Gabby swiveled her head around and looked over the upper deck of the ship.

To her left was her previously established sister, finally beginning to yawn as she rolled over in her hammock and to her right was Ricky, who partially hung out of his hammock with his feet dangling. He sat there running his eyes over the vast watery expanse and a companion on the wooden floor of the deck who leaned his back along the main mast nearby. It was the East Asian man, Hyeon-Ju. Over the last three days of journeying to rendezvous with the remainder of Margaret's people, Gabby had noticed the two men spending quite a bit of time together and learned that it was precisely what Genny hoped might happen when the two met.

They were another like the captain and her significant other. In fact, so was Genny and her mate, as she liked to call her, Ines. Disrespected and unaccepted by society, the only place they all felt like home was wandering the enormous seas wherein they might be themselve far from any suspecting eyes. According to Genny with whom Gabby had spent a rather large amount of time as well considering all she was willing to reveal, they had more members of the crew in the past that weren't of the same persuasion, but most were either gone with the times, or had fallen in battle. All aside from Felipe and Colel, however, who happened to be the elusive couple that attacked them in the seaport of Monaco.

They were their friends, which meant two of their core members had left their makeshift family and stolen Gabby's. When she confronted Genny with the fact that it didn't exactly paint all the rest of them, who were still very new to herself and Noemi, in a very good light, she'd been met with sorrow. Now she truly believed Genny, right along with the rest of her crew, hadn't an evil bone in their bodies. From what she'd learned over the last few days and read in the book Genny and Ines showed her, Felipe and Colel were possessed, though they had no idea how it could have happened.

Even with all that and the threat that their once friends, now enemies possibly showing up again, Gabby felt unusually safe in their company. Typically it took ages for her to warm up to anyone, but being with this crew, even without them being complete, felt right. On top of that, they'd made quite the impression on her. Not only had they protected Gabby and her sister, but they'd also begun teaching them to defend themselves. They wanted the women to be more capable to hold their own if they were ever incapacitated, though they had left the choice entirely up to them. Ines had even begun teaching Noemi how to fish first thing for the last two mornings and there was already a bright bond forming between the two.

Gabby smiled at the memory of her sister's first catch and how accepting she was of the people around her. Noemi always had been in the past and Gabby hadn't anticipated that changing. Although, she did worry that she may be bottling up her more sorrowful emotions. She knew she was in order to get by herself and for someone like Noemi, that wasn't the best choice of action. She was a rather free spirited person who wore her emotions on her sleeve. Keeping them at bay, even with how darkened and forlorn they might have grown, was never a great idea for her.

Still, Gabby hadn't pushed and it wasn't as if she was extremely welcoming to the idea of speaking about her innermost turmoil either. Her family was gone. The authorities thought she and her sister were involved. She could never return home again and her greenhouse was nothing more than ash by now if the fire had spread into the backyard of their rather large estate. Everything she ever loved and had was gone save for one person. Her sister. Gabby would protect her at all costs and had also taken to the jousting lessons, even going as far as to learn more about the rifle Genny used. She was teaching her how to clean and use it and apparently she'd taken to it like a fish in water according to the crew.