Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
☾ 𝑆𝐼𝑋𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁
A sharp trail of shivers were sent up and down Anna's arms. She brushed her hands up and down, creating as much heat as possible, but God were her hands bony! Her movements felt so brittle as she watched herself shake, the spray of the ocean as she waited at the dock too far reaching to ever miss her spot. The social worker that stood behind her, blocking her to the floor, didn't seem to care.
She remembered this day. Though it was a dream, her cheeks still felt sticky from the hot tears that must have fell from her blurry eyes only that morning. The large and scuffed boat was familiar enough- she was sleeping on one similar at that moment after all, though their destinations were split.
Anna thought often about the day she left for Australia. She was dragged from Mr Kinney's home early in the morning, leaving Josephine with a kiss on the cheek and a letter in her hand. It was better than nothing, she had told herself. It was better than the goodbye that Will had been allowed.
She was heading to a fate that would be much similar to his, she thought, but Anna could only hope that soon she would be in England once again, where she was supposed to be. Having only turned sixteen a few weeks ago, she still felt powerless, as if she had no control over her own life.
They soon entered the ship, shoving through the crowd until they were in the middle of the deck. The social worker left her with her bag, and Anna followed after the wave of people as she was told. She neither had the energy nor the enthusiasm to make a run for it. She would have gotten far anyway- Anna didn't know where she was and how she would get away.
The room the first wave of passengers, most of which were put there by the government, were shoved into a single room. They shivered in sync with the cold, the floors they sat on already damp and mucky. Anna sat down, pulling her slim suitcase below her. She couldn't afford to lose it.
She felt a nudge to her arm. A man smiled down at her, eyebrows drawn together. He already seemed to have given his blanket away to the woman and child beside him, as they sat smiling down at him. Anna blinked wearily, pulling her arm back.
"Are you alright, Miss? You don't look well." He asked.
Anna watched him carefully, choosing not to reply. He looked friendly enough, but if she was going to get through any of this, she couldn't risk a thing. But the man smiled even broader as she stayed silent.
"Well, I'm Robert, in case you need anything."
The man turned back, sorting the few possessions he had into the cranky space he claimed. Anna swallowed- he was kind enough, surely.
"I'm Anna."
☾
She had woken early that morning. Early enough to sneak out upon the top deck and lean against the railing, watching as the sun soon began to spread out from the horizon, painting the rippling sea a golden orange. It evoked a specific feeling; one of immense freedom that had her toes tingling in anticipation. Soon she would be home again, having gotten their on her own.
Anna couldn't count the amount of mornings she had woken, thrashing about, sure of the fact that the boat was being turned over by massive waves. But not a single storm had past them and the harshest weather was merely a strong wind, no quicker than the usual pulling of the waves.
The wind had picked up over the last few days though. It was far too mean for her face to withstand, the bitter tendrils of the air nipping at her nose, so she turned, gazing down the exposed corridor that wrapped around. But at the bottom of the hallway... She blinked and blinked again. Anna was sure she had seen... but she couldn't have.
"Will? Will!" She shouted as she hurried forward, apron curled up in her hand so she could run.
The sea salt scrubbed her lips and cheeks as she ducked around the corner to where she was sure she saw her old friend. But when she stopped, expecting to see him, she was greeted by empty space, sheltered from the sun and the wind.
"Will?"
She shouted his name again but there was no answer. Anna knee she was seeing things- Will hadn't really been there. But perhaps it was the guilt, probing her into feeling. After all, she hadn't seen Will since he too had been sent to Australia and she suspected that he hadn't been as lucky as her in getting out.
☾
An incredibly short chapter, I apologise but it's basically a filler, I won't lie. Two chapters left until part 2!!
