Becoming Peter

Chapter 5

"But Miss Genevieve! I don't want to get up! Tell Mama I don't want to go to school!" Delvin squirmed, still half asleep. Brewster came down and started yelling at and kicking us. In all modesty, it seemed familiar.
    Grumbling and sniffling in the chilly air, we got up off our feet. It was a huge effort. My muscles were sore from the wood planks. Spencer yawned and stretched his arms above his head.
    "Breakfast." Brewster grumbled, drowsily. He tossed a brown sack at us. Out tumbled dried biscuits. "One each. Any more and you'll have nothin' for tomorrow. Waters over 'ere." With that, he stomped effortlessly up the stairs.
    Two uneventful hours passed after that. We ate numbly, not tasting and not quite full. The air felt stuffy around me and I eagerly wanted to go back upstairs. I sat on the bottom step after checking a few times if it was locked.
    After a while, Sully joined me.
    "Hey, Peter." He laid back and rested his hands behind his head.
    "Hi, Sully." I mumbled. "How long do you think it will take to get to where we're going?"
    "I don't know. Depends on where we are going. I've studied some maps so when we do, I can figure it out." He smiled cheerfully. Sully was very proud of his geographical knowledge. He told me that it was empowering to be able to understand. That's why he keeps encouraging me to let him teach me to read. But I've tried and the letters just keep switching and tricking me. I hated being tricked more than anything.
    Sully sat up and spoke more quietly. "I managed to sneak a book with me." He pulled it out of his jacket. "You want to try reading few pages?"
    I shook my head. "Nah. I just get frustrated."
    "Okay." He sighed. "But I don't think you will have a chance when we arrive." Sully handed the book to me. I took it and flipped it over. There wasn't a picture on the front. Four words were in the center and I tried to read it. I really did. I got the letter "A" for sure, a "M", maybe a "S", and a "D" or "O".

    A loud creak interrupted my thoughts and everyone looked up. Black boots stomped down and Sully and I scrambled out of the way. It wasn't Brewster this time, but a thinner and younger man stepped down. He had the least facial hair so far, with only slightly too long stubble on his chin and above his lip. It was dark but not quite black like the ruffled hair on his head. I noticed a small silver ring pierced into his ear. Compared to Brewster, he was scrawny but he walked confidently. His brown eyes traveled to all of us in turn. 

    "Which one of you is the smallest?"
    I tried not to. I knew it couldn't be anything good. But I couldn't help it. My eyes darted towards Max. A few others did too. The man's eyes followed. He smiled when he landed on the tiny seven year old shrinking under our gazes.
    "Come on, kid. The rest of you can watch if you like." He grinned and climbed back up the stairs. Hesitantly and after a little nudging, Max followed. All of us were right at his heels. The moment we stepped foot on deck I felt my lungs open up. The vast open sea was calm and I couldn't help but feel small. The empty vibrant sky was comforting but it wasn't the same as back at the orphanage. This sky was clean and free.
    The other men on deck laughed and watched closely. A few shook their heads and continued their work. I glanced behind me and saw who I assumed was the Captain up above behind the wheel. His hat was much larger than anyone else's and he sported a thick black beard and mustache. The clothes on his back matched the rest of the crew, but his was nicer and cleaner. Rings clung to his fingers and a gold hoop hung from his ear. He caught my eye and I quickly turned away.
    "Alright kiddo! What's your name?" He said sarcastically, bending down to meet Max's gaze. The man laughed.
    Max whispered his name with eyes glued to his bare feet.
    "Max!" The young man cheered. "My name is James and I have a very important job for you."   
    James put an arm around Max's shoulder. "Normally we would have Mister Jeff do this, but we thought it would be more... entertaining if you did." He nodded towards a short man with a hideously long beard filled with dirt and grime. The old man grinned, showing off several missing teeth but also a gold one near the front. "What we need you to do," He walked Max toward the mast. "Is shimmy up this pole and tug on that rope there to release the sail." Max's eyes uneasily followed his finger upward.
    "He looks like he is going to puke." Spencer whispered, leaning towards me. Max's face had gone deathly pale and his knees were quivering. That just made the crowd chuckle widely again.
    "Come on, kid! Let's get moving! The winds'a blowing and we need to catch it." He shoved Max roughly, almost knocking him over. Cautiously, Max moved towards the mast. He placed his small hands around the wood.
    "Get on with it!" Someone yelled.
    Slowly, Max put his feet on the thin metal poles that jutted out of the wood. They were spread about a foot and a half apart along either side and were six inches long. His right foot slipped a few times because of his thin shoes. Right as he got up a few poles, both of his feet gave way and he collapsed down on his back. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
"I can't do it." He whined and started to sniffle.
"You will. Try again!" James insisted, pulling him up again.
Max started to cry and whisper that he can't over and over. But he walked over to the pole again.
"Go!" James yelled.
"I'll do it!" I spouted off without thinking. I almost regretted it instantly. James smiled, clearly entertained by the turn of events. I walked over towards Max. James slapped my back roughly.
Max gazed up at me with big doughy eyes. I cleared my throat and whispered with a smile, "It's fine, Max. I got this." Gently, I pushed him away. A few men hollered as I placed my hands on the metal poles. One by one, I pushed myself upwards. My heartbeat marched with the wind to create a new melody. My lungs filled with new-found air.
I reached the tangled rope that trapped the sail in place. I tugged a few times but it didn't budge. It made no sense to me how to fix it. I yelled down that it was stuck.
"Pull the rope!" James yelled up. I tried again, but nothing happened.
"No! The other one!" A little farther to the right was a thicker and older rope. I yanked on it hard. It fell along with the coarse white sail. The crowd cheered. I knew it was nothing grand. If any of the crew had done the same task, it would be no spectacle. But dragging some kid to do something dangerous was better than any play.
I jumped down the last few pegs. James slapped my back before the swarm of boys could surround me, proclaiming how crazy and brave I was. It felt like nothing, but Max's small smile gave me a good feeling in my chest.
"Alright! Alright!" Brewster stomped in. "Show's over. Head back down below!"
I didn't want to go back down there. It felt too cramped and stuffy compared to the chilling air soaring above my head. Subtly, I came up next to James and tugged on his sleeve.
"What do you want, kid?"
"Could I stay up here? Maybe do some work or something?" I tried to look a bit taller, but it was obvious that I wasn't the strongest of the group.
"Sea air is nice, huh?" He smiled while nodding. "Well, maybe you could do some mopping on deck..."
A giant of a man came up behind James and smacked the back of his head. "Those are your chores! You're less than a cabin boy!" He laughed from his gut and walked off.
"Listen to me, kid-"
"Peter."
"-yeah, Peter, whatever.  Anyway, listen. Do whatever it takes to get into a place where you don't have to take orders from anyone. Always be your own man." James rolled his shoulders as if trying to shake off his carefully wrapped anger.
I sensed that James's advice was more for himself, but I took it in anyway. Annoyed, I shuffled along with the other boys. The space below seemed smaller than before. I was the last to step through, but not before James grabbed my shoulder and whispered, "Tonight I'll take you on deck. You can bring one other kid, if you want."
I was about to ask why he would be so kind, but I was herded down the stairs before I could.

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Yay! This one is so much longer than the last one ♥♥♥
Next update will be the 13th, Tuesday (That's in Salt Lake, Utah. I don't know where you guys are from). Comment your favorite character so far :) (and vote please.)
Thank you for continuing to read my story