Chapter 7: First Day and Second Task
Abigail could have sworn that she had dreamt about numerous photographs or portraits that came to life and spoke to her; but when she awoke, all she could think about having seen in her sleep was Sawyer. She smiled brightly at remembering him leaning out of an ornate bronze frame and telling her, in his adorable American accent, that 'she sure was the prettiest thing he ever saw'. Abigail pulled her hair behind her head and climbed out of the bed quickly. She yawned and looked around for a moment, trying to locate the uniform that Mina had removed from the dressing screen the night before. She frowned at realizing it was nowhere in sight. Mina approached her less than a heartbeat after her realization, already dressed for the day. Abigail took a step backwards and nodded politely.
"Good morning, Abigail," she said melodically. Abigail smiled back.
"Good morning, Misses Harker. I slept very well last night, did you?" she asked cordially. Mina nodded, noting that it was too early for the girl to make conversation other than what she had been taught was proper among her elders. It would take a little more effort to make Abigail feel safe around her. "I need to find my clothes, but they aren't where I left them."
"Indeed. That uniform is not something that would be suitable in the likely event of an emergency," Mina explained. "I hardly think it proper for you to be bound by wool at your knees and shoulders if you found yourself in need of running or hiding once again. Here," she reached to the nearest shelf in the section of the room behind her and picked up a small bundle. "This should fit you and make it a little easier to breathe."
Abigail unfolded the layers of cloth that she had been handed. There was a set of modest clothing for a girl her age, a sensible dress that was loose enough from the waist down to spread out like a set of wings and sleeves that hung like bells from the elbow down. The dress was an emerald green and the underclothes were white. Abigail frowned at noting how basic the undergarments were. There wasn't a corset or a petticoat, simply a slip and underwear. She looked up at the woman in surprise.
"This isn't quite complete, Misses Harker. Father wouldn't approve if he knew and grandmother would have a hysterical breakdown if she were here," Abigail said looking to the side.
"Well, then it is fortunate that your grandmother is not here and that your father will not be examining your underclothes," Mina replied. Abigail took a step backwards again, looking at Mina with suppressed excitement. "The rest of what is considered proper is, again, unnecessary. I think you'll find it quite liberating and practical to be without them. Go on," she said smiling brightly. Abigail turned immediately and set about dressing just as quickly as she had for bed. As soon as she had finished wrapping the two sides of the bow around her waist and tying it in the back, she stepped out from behind the screen and breathed an enormous sigh of relief. This cloth was also made of cotton, but the undergarments were of French silk. It wasn't likely that the vampiress had been given enough time to visit a haberdashery in the dead of night in Paris, but the streets were lined with laundry lines. Abigail felt it best not to ask exactly how Mina had acquired the clothing. In the first, she did not want to seem ungrateful; and in the second, she did not at all believe that Mina would have simply stolen without doing something to make it seem right to even the victims of the theft. "That suits you, and the rest is hardly noticeable," Mina said approvingly. "Come along, your father will want to speak with you at breakfast to make sure that you made it through the night."
Abigail nodded excitedly and followed after her new friend. Indeed, the word friend seemed more and more like it would fit the woman. She obviously seemed to have some sort of concern for her. The diningroom was already in use and filled with the conversation of men wandering what on earth each and every noise they heard during the night was. Abigail took a seat beside her father, thinking to herself that she hadn't heard anything at all. She must have been far too exhausted to have been alert enough to hear the creaking and groaning that nearly everyone else was going on about. Sawyer entered a moment after Mina and Abigail, taking the same seat that he had at dinner the previous evening. He and Abigail exchanged glances and smiles every few seconds. Allan turned towards the boy, frowning with slight irritation. The boy might have meant no harm, but he would do well to keep his distance from the girl if his intentions were pure. He sighed and watched his daughter, making sure that she ate enough before calling an end to their presence in the diningroom. After the meal had finished and the day was fully settled over the sea, Nemo alerted everyone in the league that they were more than welcome to go up to the deck while the Nautilus recharged its solar panels. On the way up the stairs, Abigail feverishly asked question after question to him about how the solar panels worked and how he had created them. By the time they were at the sun kissed edge of the deck itself, she was fully convinced that all of London could run on the sun's power for at least half the year and be the better for it.
"Imagine all of the things that could be eliminated with it," she said excitedly to the captain. "All of the people with weak lungs that cannot stand the use of coal wouldn't be sick any longer, and all of the money the poor would save on heating their homes and having to cook. It would change the world! You must tell someone how to use this!"
"Alas, no one listened when I presented it to the whole of Europe and Asia as a boy," he said looking sadly over the railings. Abigail looked up at him in amazement. He gave a half smile, noticing her sincere interest in the rest of that story. "I was actually your age precisely when I configured everything I thought I would need to run a ship like this one. Of course, there were things I added in time, but all of the science you see here right now was devised when I was very young. At age fifteen, I decided that I could help do away with disease in my country and others by introducing energy that would cost nothing and use only what the gods gave us. Poverty is, after all, the foremost cause of human suffering and war. Unfortunately, my age and station were against me. In time, there may yet be someone else who the leaders of the world will hear and learn from." He looked down at the girl with a brighter grin. "Someone who, perhaps, was brave enough to set out on their own and do everything they could for those they loved."
"If only bravery were enough," Abigail said folding her arms over the rails. "I'm beginning to think that I left a little ill-prepared."
He laughed loudly and patted her shoulder fondly. "I think you carried exactly what you needed with you, miss Quatermain. The rest will simply be details," he said as he strode away casually. Abigail smiled and looked to either side. Dr. Jekyll stood at the very end of the deck, admiring the numerous silver idols that rose from different portions of the ship below. Mina stood at another portion of the railing some distance away, also gazing out into the horizon until Mr. Gray approached. Abigail now heard her father's and Sawyer's voices from the other side of the large entranceway that stood like a tiny building between her and the two men. She listened carefully, unseen and wishing to remain unheard for a few moments.
"Then what is all this smiling and playful chatting with Abigail?" Allan asked firmly. "If you weren't interested then why pay any attention at all?"
"She's a cute little girl, Mr. Quatermain, probably as pretty as her mother. You must be very proud," Sawyer replied. Abigail felt her heart sink a few beats, slipping towards her stomach. "She's very young, though. Besides, I'm sure I've seen Misses Harker glancing my way as well."
Abigail felt fire begin to burn in her veins. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! After he had the nerve to invade her thoughts and dreams for the better part of a day and night! She had allowed him into her breathing and heartbeat! That insolent cad!
"She's out of your league, boy," Allan laughed.
Abigail turned back to see what Mina and Mr. Gray were up to. With any luck, Mr. Gray would be wooing her away from Sawyer entirely. It wouldn't take much, after all. Dorian was a handsome and witty gentleman with a good amount of wealth behind him as well. Mina turned away from Dorian and very loudly stated that he should learn humility before he drowned himself in his own flattery. Mina casually began walking towards the entrance to the stairwell. The woman stopped for a moment, noting the look of near heartbreak on the girl's face and frowning with a sigh.
"Well, they say that fortune rewards the bold," Sawyer said softly to Allan before approaching the entrance just in front of Mina. "If you require any assistance during the voyage, Misses Harker, just let me know."
Mina turned to face Abigail for a beat, gaging the girl's reaction. Abigail promptly folded both arms firmly and turned away. Mina lifted the side of her mouth into a slight grin as she turned back to the boy. "I'm curious as to just how you think you'll assist me, Agent Sawyer," she replied coolly.
"Heavy lifting," Sawyer said as he reached forward and took hold of the wheel that acted as a seal for the door and turned it, flexing all muscles possible in his shoulders and arms. "Light banter, an escort; I'm useful kind of guy," he replied with a playful smile. Mina smiled back and lowered her gaze.
"You're sweet, and you're young," she said kindly. "Neither are traits I hold in high regard, nor will I ever be inclined to again," she added casually and stepped into the entrance casually. Sawyer's smug grin fell to not only sheer disappointment, but near emasculation. Allan chuckled loudly as Dorian approached the youth, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder.
"Don't feel bad, old man. There are plenty of fish in the sea, you just haven't got a net," Dorian said as he walked past the boy and followed Mina down the stairs. Sawyer glared at him coldly as Allan moved to his side and turned towards the rest of the deck.
"Abigail?" he called loudly. Abigail appeared from the other side of the entranceway and straightened herself, hiding any previous expressions of disappointment as her father motioned for her to go down the stairs before him. She nodded and moved forward.
"Miss Abigail," Sawyer said kindly.
"Hmph,"Abigail said, ignoring him in a very obvious manner as she began descending the stairs. Allan laughed more loudly as he moved past the boy.
"And to think I was worried at all," he said jovially. Sawyer muttered angrily as Nemo called for the rest of the persons left on deck to hurry below as the ship went into a dive. The solar panels took little time to charge and the ship would take very little time in getting to Venice, the next port of call. Abigail went straight to her father's stateroom after retrieving the files from Mina's quarters. Allan recognized her knocking on the door without any further sign as to who was standing there. He called for her to enter and smiled warmly as she closed the door behind her. "You haven't had much time to look over those," he mused. "Is there something you've discovered already?"
Abigail drew in a deep breath. She wanted to tell him that she had discovered that her mind and heart were playing games with her and that Sawyer had been helping them do it, but she felt it a little out of place for the time being. She needed to focus on the task at hand. Her father had told both her and her brother repeatedly that focus was the key to accomplishing anything properly. She laid the files carefully on the end table once again and cleared her throat.
"I think we can eliminate Misses Harker; she seems to be no threat at all to the mission," Abigail said. Allan noted the words 'to the mission' bore a tone of slight resentment. He shrugged it away. Resentment was bound to occur between two females of no relation or closeness when forced into close quarters. Luckily, both Mina and Abigail seemed reasonable enough to overcome any bitterness or disdain that had no sound backing behind it. "Captain Nemo also seems earnestly dedicated to helping mankind without anything close to what this Fantom desires. He can be ruled out as well."
"So you've eliminated two people from suspicion, have you?" he said with admiration. Abigail had been given a gift at birth to know the hearts of men and beasts. Even away from Africa it seemed to be a useful talent.
"Actually all but two," Abigail said proudly. Allan raised a brow with interest. She set down another file, this one with the picture of Skinner on it. "Dr. Jekyll is far too meek to attempt anything so horrendous and Mr. Hyde wouldn't be interested in something so complicated. As for Mr. Skinner, I think he's simply a petty thief who was in the wrong place at the wrong time; he doesn't want to do any real harm to anyone, just take what he thinks he needs from them."
"But you said that you had eliminated all but two," Allan corrected. "Even though I highly disagree with your view on Skinner, you eliminated him, Misses Harker, Sawyer, myself, Nemo, and Jekyll. That leaves only Gray."
"Mr. Gray and one other," Abigail said looking to either side of them. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to her father. "Any of the men in the crew could be treacherous, father. Dr. Kruschev says that 'the wisest wolf knows that the greatest enemy is likely in his pack already'; that means that essentially only two people are in question, one potential traitor as well as Mr. Gray."
"I think Mr. Gray is too apathetic to be threat, Abigail," he replied scratching his head with confusion. He was sure that Abigail would have been able to distinguish a traitor from the pictures alone. Perhaps she needed more intimate knowledge to really decipher danger. Speaking to and listening to them might aid them. He thought for a moment. Simply being around them for the next few days should be enough. After all, if there was someone to be concerned about he would sense them by the time they reached Venice. He smiled and nodded to the girl. "Good advice, never the less. Excellent work."
"What should I do now?" she asked impatiently. He sighed and thought hard about what could keep her busy. He smiled brightly as a light went on in his mind. He may not have been distrustful of Dorian, but she certainly seemed to be. Perhaps if she busied herself talking with him then not only would her fears be put to rest, but she could find who was truly making her uncomfortable. He stood proudly and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"If your mind is telling you that Mr. Gray is a risk, then I suggest you take the next step; investigate him. Speak with him, perhaps ask him about the curiosity in the picture you found, and tell me what you discover after that," he said with a smile. Abigail frowned, sensing something odd about her father's request. He seemed too relaxed about it by comparison to anything else she had suggested or had been asked to do. She turned back to the doorway and took Dorian's file in her hand once again. "If anything else strikes you, Abigail, tell me; alright?"
She nodded and left the room quietly. She frowned, now feeling the burn of rejection again. She shook her head firmly as she walked back towards the room she shared with Mina. It wasn't really a rejection, silly girl, her conscience chided. You never made your feelings known and there was never anything that told you he felt tenderly for you. Besides, he is an American and mother and father would be terribly upset if you brought him home to meet them. You'd do best to keep to your plan of attending Oxford and then heading out to be a physician in Africa, just as mother did. Abigail repeated these words to herself resolutely as she tried to accomplish the next task her father had given her. For the remainder of the day, she did her best to try and speak with Mr. Gray alone, but was unable at every turn. Several times he had told the crewmen that he did not wish to be disturbed due to his need for private reflection, personal attendance, and beauty napping. Abigail felt herself growing more and more irritated with the man. Each and every excuse she ran across was nothing short of selfish preening. He even managed to weasel his way out of joining the others at lunch because of his need to rest after being for so long in the sun. Abigail had, at that point, asked one of the crewmen to convey her deepest concern for Mr. Gray who was obviously ill and more sensitive to the sun than even Misses Harker should have been. To her relief, there was no reply afterward.
For the rest of the afternoon following, she simply did her best to converse casually with as many different crewman as spoke English and tried to observe the rest. In this regard, she could fully rule out anyone working aboard the Nautilus. So far, even the gruff first mate, Ishmael, was on the up and up. Abigail couldn't recall having ever met a group of more loyal or capable men, but being so sheltered this was to be expected. Still, she had heard stories of the exploits of sailors and had been warned time and again by everyone above her that no sailor was ever to be trusted past getting to their port in due time. The warnings seemed pointless after meeting these admirable men. At dinner, Abigail continued her blatant silence towards Sawyer, keeping her head and voice completely away from him. Sawyer watched her with concern. She seemed angry at him, but he couldn't figure out why to save his own life. Women were strange creatures to begin with, and Abigail was only just making the transition. She would be extremely hard to read and even harder to speak with if she began to develop any more. Allan asked her about her findings at the end of the day. Abigail reported that, next to Queen Victoria herself, Dorian Gray had to be the most exclusive person in all of England and now the sea. She even spent a few moments ranting about her frustrations over being so turned away. Allan watched the girl, now relieved that her delicate interlude with infatuation had turned into perfect indignation. This would do for the rest of the journey, just as long as her anger did not escalate too far. She promised aloud that she would have a word with Dorian the next day whether it killed the two of them or otherwise. After that, Abigail had quickly left to return back to the room she shared with Misses Harker and try to elude the events of the day in sleep. She entered the room quietly and went quickly to the dressing screen after taking her gown from where she had left it beneath her pillows. She slipped into the gown, muttering softly to herself about the stupid men that were driving her mad. She collected the dress and undergarments that she had laid over the screen and moved towards her bed. A hand gently grasped her shoulder.
"You weren't yourself today, Abigail," Mina remarked with concern. Abigail snorted and walked past her to the bed. Mina frowned and walked towards the bed, watching carefully as the girl slipped under the covers. She seemed to be sulking silently about something trivial, and that could mean one of only a few things at her age. The woman calmly sat down on the edge of the bed, subconsciously consulting all maternal and sisterly instinct to deal with the situation. There would be no place for any distractions from the important task at hand, at least not in the form of silly anger or girlish indignation. "I said, you weren't yourself today, Abigail."
Abigail sat up and stared down at her knees, frowning and sighing heavily. "I don't think who I was made any difference. I can't get what I need or want accomplished," she complained. Mina lifted one brow, encouraging her to explain more fully. "I've conversed with nearly everyone and still need to speak more closely with Mr. Gray, my father's requested it for the good of the voyage."
"I see," Mina replied. "He's right in not trusting him outright. Dorian is a selfish man and selfish men serve a dangerous master." Abigail shook her head and looked away. "But that wasn't all, was it child?"
"I am not a child!" Abigail cried, nearly shrieking with indignation. Mina leaned backward a fraction, staring back at the girl in surprise. She turned her head away, feeling the urge to cry and fighting it vehemently. A grown woman would hardly be crying over something as silly as a few disappointments. She breathed sharply and drew her shoulders upward a moment. "I am just as capable as anyone else of most anything else. I just don't have anyone listening to me."
"Mr. Sawyer was willing to listen all evening. He seemed positively wounded that you didn't reply when he asked you about your childhood in Africa," Mina remarked. She noted the instant crimson that washed over the girl's face. "I see. Then it wasn't solely Mr. Gray that behaved out of character, Mr. Sawyer is also a cause for your anger."
"He is a perfect ass," Abigail said hotly. Mina sat upright, drawing in all authority possible at the moment.
"Miss Quatermain!" she said reproachfully. Abigail shrank a few inches, turning a deeper and far more humble shade of pink. Mina cleared her throat and leaned towards the girl. "Don't you remember? No one can perfect such a thing."
Abigail smiled slightly and then looked to the side once again. "I suppose I've been a little selfish, then. I should be focused like my father," she said. "He's almost always been focused."
Mina took note of the sadness that gripped onto the words 'almost' and 'always' from the girl. She nodded, realizing that something from her past had been terribly stained by a lack of focus or something similar. She reached forward and placed a hand comfortingly on the girl's shoulder.
"This must be most difficult of all for you, Abigail. Being called into a serious and quite weighty task just as your discovering the woman you'll become. I was only at finishing school at your age, not nearly in the same predicament. Still, imagine how incredible you'll be when this is all over. All the things you'll learn, the places you'll see, the things you'll do, and the stories you will have for the administration at Oxford," Mina said kindly. Abigail perked up and stared back at the woman in excitement. Someone was taking her dream seriously, someone other than Dr. Kruschev. "However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with also taking a few lessons about the opposite sex while your on your way as well. The more you know about them the better, since it will be hard enough to deal with them once your fully a woman."
"Didn't you hear him? That's quite a ways away for me. I'm still just a cute little girl," she said with hot sarcasm. Mina chuckled and took the girl's hands in her own, grasping them with firm affirmation of being understood by another female.
"That is the consensus of the majority of the crew, my dear, not Mr. Sawyer alone," she remarked. "So what you must do, is confirm, in small displays, that you are not a little girl."
"How do I do that?" Abigail asked in genuine curiosity. Mina leaned forward and spoke with conviction.
"By taking a few cues from someone who knows exactly that," she said softly. "Now, you'll need to be rested if you're going to continue pursuing a conversation with Mr. Gray and the appearance of a young woman. I will make sure that both are brought to you before the afternoon tomorrow. Goodnight, Abigail."
"Goodnight, Misses Harker," Abigail said, now smiling more brightly. She laid her head back against the pillow and welcomed sleep with the promise of waking as a new person with the same tasks.
