Operation Ludendorff: a Leviathan fanfic

Chapter Ten

"What!? How in the world did that sodding–?"

Deryn was certain something far ruder was going to erupt out of her mouth when Alek's hand flew up to clamp her mouth shut, thoroughly ending her words. The action came as a surprise, and before Deryn could stop herself, had bitten down hard on his fingers.

"Sorry," she mumbled as Alek wiped her spit on his pant leg.

All she'd been able to do was cause trouble lately. Armbrust had seen through her disguise in less than a week, and now she was screeching at the top of her lungs in a barking train compartment of all places. And to top it all off, her stomach just wouldn't stop churning. It was like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

It took her a moment to compose herself before asking, "What made it so lacking?"

Alek looked to be picking his words very carefully before he'd answered. "He didn't say."

It took all of Deryn's willpower to stop herself from punching the wall. So she punched her pillow instead; the seams tore marvellously. She sighed once before lying down onto the mattress, the springs groaning.

Her eyes closed automatically, her head sinking into the ruined pillow. It felt like years since she'd had something soft to lie in; that's what sleeping in an alley made it feel like, anyways.

"It would've been close to impossible for Armbrust not to notice, really. He is a spy." Alek said after a few minutes.

The girl propped herself up on her elbows before opening her eyes and scowling. "That's all well and good. But if a stranger can see through my disguise within three days, how long would it take for the boffins back at the Society to figure me out? And what would I do then?" Deryn bit her tongue before any more words came flooding out; they were beginning to get higher pitched the more she talked.

She knew it was useless complaining. But her whole life was dependent on her being a boy, and she didn't want it ending any time soon. It had seemed so easy before, but Dr. Barlow had mentioned that she was going through some sort of growth spurt lately, and she'd started tightening the bindings around her chest since her sixteenth birthday had come around.

Deryn rolled out of the fold-out bed, ready to apologise when she saw the look of utter shock Alek was wearing. He looked pale enough to have been dead.

"What?" She almost didn't want to know the answer.

He didn't answer at first, and took to getting paler and paler until Deryn was sure all the blood in him had drained out. The words came eventually, though stuttered and halting: "Mein Gott, Deryn. Look down."

Deryn did look down, and felt her face flushed the moment she did. Of all the blistering days...

Back on the Leviathan, she was always careful of her monthlies, whenever they happened anyway. It seemed foolish to even call them monthlies when they happened barely twice in half a year. But with all the excitement she'd forgotten they ever happened. And like the ninny she was, had gotten herself into another problem.

She was fairly certain her whole face was beet red by the time she'd looked back up. "I reckon I'm going to need help cleaning this up."

And Alek, like the daft prince he was, looked like he barely understood before nodding.

"I can get the new sheets." The words were barely out of his mouth before he shuffled to the sliding door of their train compartment. He paused before pulling it open though, and Deryn thought he would say something. But he didn't, grabbing Bovril from his bed and stuffing it down his coat.