Against the Stars

Chapter 1

Williamsburg, Virginia 1775

The wind blew Ginny's hair into her face. She sighed as she took a deep breath of the salt air. Today was the day they were supposed to arrive in America. America! Ginny could not believe she was actually going to the new world. The land of hopes and dreams. All Ginny wanted to do was put her life in England behind her and this was actually the way to do it. New land, new home, new people, new life. 

"Oh Blithe, isn't it wonderful!" Ginny called, turning to her sister who leaned against the rail with her.

"Oh yes! We're going to land in America soon!" Blithe cried, sounding much younger than her nineteen years.

"How soon do you think we will land?" Ginny asked.

“Land hoe! Land hoe!” a crew mate cried, quickly climbing down from the crow’s nest.

“I’d say very soon, come let’s go get the rest of the family!” Blithe called, hiking up her dress and running towards the lower decks. Ginny laughed and followed her.

Ginny was a short girl, only about 5ft, if not less. She, of all nine of her siblings, was one of three to inherited her mother’s red hair, green eyes, Irish combination. Her red hair shone like a fire, and her eyes were the color of pine needles on Christmas day. Her skin was pale, almost white, the only color coming from the freckles that dotted her cheeks.

Ginny and Blithe dashed into their families section of the lower decks. There, the nine other Millers were.

“Land hoe! Land hoe! They’ve spotted land!” Ginny cried, bursting through the door.

Several small heads, popped into view.

“What! Can we see?” nine year old Ellen, or Nelly as she was mostly called asked.

“Can we see? Can we see?” Nelly’s twin, Edward, asked, jumping up and down.

“What’s going on?” six year old Elizabeth, Bess, asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Calm down, calm down. Yes you can all come and see, but I want you to wait until everyone’s ready,” Blithe said, her older sisterness coming into play.

Ginny smiled as she watched her siblings line up. Nelly, Edward, Bess, along with her niece, Rebekah’s daughter, Georgina, or Georgie as she was called.

“Stephen, Lottie, are you coming?” Ginny asked, turning to her two elder siblings.

“No, this book is quite fascinating,” Stephen replied, not looking up.

“Don’t call me Lottie, Virginia, I’m Charlotte now. And no. I am going to make myself look presentable before we arriving in Virginia. Blithe you should to,” Charlotte replied, making it sound like she was the eldest.

“Thanks for that advice Lottie, now all you fun loving children follow me!” Blithe cried, and the children cheered. After being stuck in a ship for three months they were all eager to run again.

The line set off, each child doing more of a dance then walking. Ginny noticed that little Georgie was lagging behind. She was only two after all. Ginny smiled, and scoped the young child up, hoisting her onto her shoulders.

Georgie squealed with delight as Ginny ran towards the bow. The children squealed as they leaned over the edge, each of them desperately looking for land. After months of just seeing water, land would be a welcomed sight. 

Ginny watched as each of the children searched for land, eager to be the first one to spot it. After nearly a minute of searching, Bess cried, “Land! I see land!”