Silver Lining

PART 1 - CHAPTER 0NE

I shielded my eyes from the rain that pelted off the deck of the boat, looking off into the distance for our destination which had yet to rise upon the horizon. My hair stuck to the back of my neck as it soaked my family and I, having no forgiveness for our travels across the water.

"Are we nearly there yet?" I had to yell over the fierce weather to be heard by my father, a flat cap covering up his sandy hair and a yellow star emblazoned on his chest.

"You know I hate that question, Darling. A ferry ride is no different than a car." He replied over the loud din of the rain. I had no idea why we didn't just go under some kind of shelter. If we were not close, what was the point in watching out for the island rising from the waves?"

"Why did we even had to leave, are we going on holiday?"

My brother had posed a good question. The day before we had been merely told to pack our bags and only bring what we could absolutely not do without. I had brought a couple of books regardless of which weighed by arm down every time I had to move my case. I was sure that Abe had brought a couple of packets of cigarettes too, not that he could buy them with our parents over our shoulders.

Our parents looked pointedly between each other, wordlessly deciding who was to answer the question before my mother started speaking. "You'll be on holiday for a while with children your age. There are monsters in Poland-"

"I'm twelve, I don't believe in monsters anymore." I pouted, stomping my foot. "Lydia said before she left that her parents wanting to get away before the Nazis-"

"You'd do well not to listen to every word that insipid girl tells you!" My father snapped and I fell silent. I flinched and stormed away, resting my arms on the slippery metal balcony around the ship as I looked off into the distance.

If I squinted, I was sure that I could almost see Cairnholm in the distance, but it was gone as my brother sighed beside be, snapping me out of my concentration.

"I've told you not to do that."

Abe ignored me. "They're just trying to protect us, you know.

I sighed, wiping some of the water from my face. The rain had begun to let up, the sun poking out to say 'hello' from behind the clouds. "I know, but it feels more like they're trying to get rid of us. They're shipping us off to a home in Wales."

"They're going to be living nearby."

"It won't be the same," I replied, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. A thought occurred to me and worry swirled around in my stomach. "Wait, you don't think they know, do you?"

"How would they know?" Abe hissed, lowering his voice. "You haven't been practicing, have you?" I kept quiet and he cursed at me. "For God's sake, what if they saw you?"

"Nobody saw me." I snapped, tightening my grip on the metal barrier as the boat swayed. The feeling in the pit of my stomach was now from nausea instead of worry. I hadn't been on a boat before.

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I just do." I was articulate as ever. "I never practiced when anyone was home, I kept an eye on them while they were away to make sure I was safe. There is no way that they know."

Abe narrowed his eyes. "Did you ever keep an eye on me?"

I nodded, laughing. "I did, but after a while, I had to stop. There's only so much of your life I want to know about, and watching you awkwardly flirt with the other girls at school was not something I was interested in." Abe's face coloured at this, trying to splutter out some kind of excuse but to no avail.