I felt trapped in Charlotte Town. There was nothing for me there, no room to grow.
So I cut my hair, changed my name, and got a job on a steamship.
I didn't expect to fall in love with Gilbert Blythe.
The only problem is, he thinks I'm a boy.
[gil...
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Heat is something Sydney Salem always despised.
A sunny day with a slightly chilly breeze is like a dream to her. But a blistering hot sun and suffocating wind cause sweat to drop down her forehead and her clothes to uncomfortably cling to her skin.
This is exactly how Syd felt every day on the steamer. Except it had no upsides. She couldn't lay down on the tickling grass, look up to the bright blue sky and point out fluffy clouds that looked like people or animals. She couldn't run through fields, stopping every once in a while to smell the exquisite flowers that stood out against the meadow.
Instead, Syd was sweaty and dirty as she "fed the lady" and whispered back and forth with Gilbert.
Syd had recently realized that Gilbert was her greatest source of comfort.
She enjoyed occasionally stopping at beautiful countries and sometimes sneaking up on the deck with Gilbert to watch the sunset, but working on the steamer was exhausting. So Syd especially loved the late-night chats between her, Gilbert, and Bash.
All three of them had such bright personalities that worked so well together.
Sydney hadn't made any more friends on the ship but some of the workers had nicknamed her "Blondie." Syd couldn't decide whether they were making fun of her and just simply giving her a cute nickname. Considering the men that worked the ship didn't exactly seem like the cutesy type, she guessed it was former.
Now Syd was once again feeding the lady as the fireman shouted in everyone's ears and workers yelled out to pick it up.
Syd pushed back the soot-covered hair that fell over her eyes and wiped the dripping sweat off her forehead. Sydney's hair had been growing slowly, the blonde hair had started falling slightly below her chin.
She hadn't planned on cutting it as Syd thought it didn't matter. That was until Flint teased her, saying Syd was started to look like a girl. For a second, Sydney panicked, thinking she had been caught but when she saw Flint's bright, teasing smile, she knew he was only joking. But after that, Sydney stated getting paranoid and cut her blonde hair even short than before.
From beside her, Bash stood up, his back making quiet popping and cracking sounds from being hunched over, and he wiped his forehead from ash and sweat.
"Feed the lady, Trinidad! No one's payin' you to take a vacation!" The fireman's booming voice scolded the tired man. Syd scowled at the fireman's sour temper.
Gilbert raises his eyebrows and pats Syd's arm and cocks his head towards the bitter man. Sydney snickers as she awaits whatever Gilbert is about to do to get on the fireman's nerves.
