Stowaway

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Olly Mumford was an idiot.

To be fair, after three hits of whiskey, anyone could be considered an idiot. Thea Monroe quickly discovered that Captain Bane was, in fact, taking on a few new ship hands, and that Olly was in charge of hiring them. And once Olly's face was rosy with the alcohol, Thea swooped in.

With her dirty hair tied in a knot and stuffed into an old baseball cap, the dirt on her face hid her gender rather well. At least well enough to fool Olly. After getting him a fourth drink, she was hired, the drunk crew welcoming her with open arms.

"What's your name, Sailor!" one of the younger boys asked cheerfully, a hiccup escaping his lips as he took a swig from a beer bottle.

"Monroe," she said, her voice rougher as she tried to make it an octave lower. There was a small cheer of 'Monroe' as another round of drinks were passed around. Olly Mumford sat next to her, his eyes twinkling. He was rather handsome with sandy, curly hair that reached his chin and blue eyes. His smile had dimples and there was a twinkle in his eyes from the liquor.

Soon his smile grew drowsy and he leaned against Thea for support.

"And that's why you can't write a girl poetry!" he was saying. "They'll just laugh at you!"

Thea gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. "There, there, Olly," she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Can't believe I wasted my time," he was shaking his head as he reached for his whiskey.

Thea snagged it first. She needed him to show her where the ship was and he couldn't do that if he was passed out drunk. "Hey, Olly, why don't we go for a walk? You can tell me more about the girl and you can show me around the ship."

"Sounds wonderful!" he said happily with a hiccup. He got to his feet, stumbling then swaying slightly. He towered over her. Thea followed after him, glancing over her shoulder to see if Bane had noticed. He was currently sitting in his booth, speaking with someone she hadn't seen come in. They looked to be arguing.

Good, Thea thought smugly, he won't see me sneak out with his crew.

Olly started to sing, his voice breaking as he shouted, "Yo ho!" Thea did her best to support them as they stumbled down the street, his arm thrown over her shoulder. They walked towards the docks, the smell of saltwater in the air, the summer night balmy. A thin layer of sweat clung to Thea's forehead.

"So what way is the ship headed, Olly?" Thea asked as they passed a sailors who were coming in from the docks. Thea nodded at them, keeping her head low.

"South," he started, "America!"

"What cities?" Thea asked. It wouldn't do her any good to pretend to be a ship hand only to wind up in the wrong country.

"Let's see....there's Venezuela," they turned a corner, "that's where we get our oil...can't forget to stop there..."

"How bout Cuba? Do we stop in Cuba?"

Olly nodded. "Oh yeah. We always stop in Cuba! What a beautiful place. With beautiful women."

Thea let out a relieved breath.

"Well there she is!" Olly threw his arm out, "The Baneblood!"

The Baneblood wasn't what Thea had been expecting. If she was being honest with herself, she'd been picturing the ship from Pirates Of The Caribbean. Structured like a small cruise ship, the Baneblood was sleek and white, large enough to carry Bane's crew of twenty four. There were large crates packed on it's deck that looked out of place on the luxury yacht. A walkway had been made off to the side, resting on the dock.