Lost (Parrlyn)

Chapter 32

A/N: Sorry for the infrequent updates. Also, happy Easter!

Dawn came too soon for my liking.

It had felt like I had only just shut my eyes before I was being roused from my slumber. Half conscious and half asleep, I pulled myself together and finished the final preparations before our long voyage to America. 

My new home. 

Although as nervous as I was, it was impossible to not get carried away from the laughter and excessive chatter by the other passengers boarding the same boat. Most of them were lovely, open, warm people who were more than happy to engage in conversation with Anne and me. 

I stepped out of the tent, armed with a rucksack crammed with most of our belongings. My first reaction was to laugh. Not because I found something funny, but because of how free I felt at that moment.

No more Henry. No more poverty. No more stealing. 

What more could I want?

Seagulls squawked noisily in the sky, lifejackets were being passed and thrown around all over the place and last minute changes and arrangements were being negotiated. It was chaos. But it was the type of chaos that I liked.

"Come on," Cath smiled, grabbing me gently by the arm, "Let's put the bags onto the boat!"

We both hurried down to the shore, our feet drumming into the gravel paths. The wind was whipping my hair, the cold was making my cheeks tingle but none of that mattered. I was so exhilarated and taken in by the adrenaline of finally leaving England, I couldn't think straight.

As we approached a large black raft, I stifled a gasp. It was something that I could never be able to describe with words.

A huge, vast, ebony raft was anchored in the shallows. It was attached to a large, pearly-white engine that balanced precautiously at the back of the boat. It was no luxury cruise ship but in my eyes, it was perfect.

At the time, I should've been thinking about safety. It didn't look or wasn't safe under any conditions. Those should've been my first thoughts upon seeing the boat. But, it wasn't.

Just mere days before we were due to leave, I felt terrified about leaving but now that it was actually happening, I couldn't contain my excitement. This was a fantasy come true. 

The final hours fly by faster than I could count. Before I knew it, I was sat in the boat surrounded by almost my whole family (minus Lizzie and Anna). We were sat shoulder to shoulder; there was hardly any room and I had a fluorescent, orange lifejacket fastened to my chest. It wasn't exactly comfortable. 

At that time, comfort wasn't my priority. Or anybody else's. We were all mesmerized by the vast ocean of blue that made the boat rise and fall.

That was my first time on a boat. 

I could hear cheers erupting from the onlookers standing on the shore. Their shouts and words of comfort filled me with enough happiness to wave merrily over to them. The happiness radiating out of everybody was infectious - it was impossible to not feel excited. 

Then the engine began to whirl. We were going, drifting out across the seas to a brighter future. 

I squeezed Anne's hands as tears of happiness formed in my eyes. I didn't stop waving until England was nothing by a mere dot on the horizon. 

"To America!" Edward yelled, punching his fist into the air. It was followed by more cheers and enthusiastic applause. 

"I can't believe we're doing this," Anne laughed, resting her chin on my shoulder, "This is so crazy!" 

"I know right!" I replied.

"I want to become a doctor," Mary was saying to Jane, "D'you think I can become one in America?"

"Of course, sweetie," Jane reassured, "We can do anything in America. America's the country of dreams and fresh starts. We're going to have the time of our lives there, I can assure you."

I smiled and smiled until the muscles in my cheeks ached.