CHAPTER 27

TW: Sexual assault

Within a week, Jamie, Claire, Skylar, Ian and Lesley were on their way to River Run. They had asked around the harbor if anyone had a boat that could take them and if they would be willing. They found a man called Captain Freeman who said yes to both.

A couple days before they left, Jamie wrote a letter to his Aunt, telling her that they were coming to visit for a while and explained their story of ending up here. He paid a messenger extra to get it to her as fast as he could.

When the day came for them to leave, Fergus and Skylar refused to have any sort of emotional goodbye. She would be back in less than two weeks, and that's when the hard separation would happen; which they both ignored and didn't mention. Though she would see him again soon, this would be the longest they would be parted since they met and it felt very strange.

They had been on the boat now for not more than two hours. And, even with both Ian and Lesley rowing, they were moving at what seemed to be a snail's pace. But Skylar didn't mind it. It was very calm and relaxing, and to not have to be in any urgent rush was a welcome relief to her anxiety.

She was sitting against the outside wall of the cabin, facing out at the side of the boat where Ian was rowing. Rollo sat up next to her, appearing to enjoy the peaceful ride. She could hear Jamie tell Claire about his Aunt Jocasta and how she had gone through every man on the Cameron family tree as husbands, taking a new one after the previous one died.

"You don't think she, like, got rid of them herself, on purpose, do you?" Skylar felt the need to ask.

Jamie laughed lightly at her comment. "No. Me Aunt was never one te have it in her te intentionally harm someone; physically, that it. She does have a rather sharp tongue when she needs it."

"Well, I hope the messenger arrives with your letter before we do," Claire stated.

"He'd arrive before we do if he crawled on his hands and knees," Ian spoke, not liking the slow speed as much as Skylar. She laughed at his annoyance.

Jamie also found it amusing. "Well, keep goin', lad. I expect ye'll have us in River Run before nightfall."

"Come on, Youngin'. How hard can it be to pull a little stick through some water?" Skylar teased, grinning at him.

"Would ye like te try te have a go then, Yank?" he shot back.

She faked a gasp and put a hand to her chest like that was the most absurd idea she had ever heard. "I am but a woman. I am not fit to do man's work."

He playfully tried to kick her in response, but she blocked him with her foot. They both chuckled and smiled at each other, then he put his focus back onto his job.

"Poor man deserves a rest," she heard Claire say. She looked to the top of the cabin where Claire was looking as well and understood what she was talking about. The two women had noticed immediately upon boarding that Captain Freeman had a slave working at steering his boat. Claire seemed to react with a silent fuming over it, while Skylar felt more guilty over having to agree to ride the boat the man was enslaved to. She had considered making some kind of comment about it, but she didn't feel it was her place and she absolutely would not be listened to. She was glad Claire said something though.

"Shouldn't have elderly slaves on their feet all day," Claire said to Jamie, but making it loud enough so that Captain Freeman would hear. And he did.

He took a few steps towards her and said, "Needen't worry yerself, Madam. He earns a fair wage fer his work. Isn't that right, Eutroclus?"

"Yes I do, Captain," Eutroclus answered back.

"You mean to say that you're free?" Claire asked, clearly taken aback at that.

"Yes, Madam."

Captain Freeman then went on to explain, "He used te be me slave. Til one day I fell asleep wi' the lamp still burnin'. The cabin caught fire and Eutroclus pulled me out in time. After that, I petitioned a court fer his release on the grounds of meritorious service and offered assuredly fer his freedom. Been workin' fer me ever since. Best waterman on the river."

"That's incredible," Skylar remarked. She looked up at the ex-slave.

How do you save the life of someone who once couldn't have cared less about your own and viewed you as property? she thought.

She knew from learning about them that there were some slave owners that treated their slaves more kindly and humanely than others, and Captain Freeman had probably been one of those few.

But still.

She looked at Ian who was concentrating hard on dragging his pole through the water, trying to get them to move any bit faster.

I hope Ian would let Geillis burn and die rather than try to get her out. I would just add more fuel to the flames.

In the week since he had told her everything that happened with him and Geillis in Jamaica, he hadn't had anymore nightmares. She was more than relieved about that, and it was clear he was happier too. She just hoped it would stay that way and no more would come back.

Around midafternoon, Captain Freeman had taken over at rowing from Ian for a while, and he and Skylar were sitting on the cabin roof eating some of the bread and cheese they had packed. Of course, Rollo was lying next to them. Eutroclus was behind them teaching Claire how to steer the boat; which turned out to be much harder than it looked.

Looking at the water, Skylar said, "Every time I see a log I have a mini heart attack because I think it's an alligator."

"What's an alligator?" Ian asked, his curiosity peaked at another new American thing to learn about.

"You've never heard of them?" He shook his head. "It's an animal that lives here in the southern part of the country. They're reptiles that live in water. They're green and scaly and have crazy sharp teeth. Some can grow to be over 6 feet long. They're extremely dangerous."

Ian's eyes widened. "Do ye think there are any in this river?" He wasn't wondering out of fear, but actually wanting to get to see one.

"I really hope not."

"Did ye ever see one when ye lived here?"
"I lived in the north and there aren't any there. But my mom and I came down here once and I saw a couple then. They're terrifying."

"Ye've been in North Carolina before? And ye came from father north? How did ye get down here, and how long did that take ye? It must've been somethin' like six months."

"Um…ye-yeah, yeah. Something like that," she stuttered, trying to find some nonsuspicious answer.

She was saved when Jamie called to Ian, "Alright lad, it's yer turn at the pole."

Dropping the subject, Ian rubbed Rollo's head and pecked Skylar's cheek, then went back down and took up his job again.

Skylar stared at him for a bit, then moved her head to watch the trees crawl by on the shore. She absent mindedly pet Rollo as she started to think again on what she had been debating with herself over for months now.

I need to tell him where I'm from. I can't keep lying to him. But what the hell do I even say? So, Ian, by the way, I'm not from this century. I actually fell through some stones and came here from the year 2019. Just thought you should know. Yeah, that doesn't make me sound crazy at all.

She had been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. She was terrified that if she were to tell him, he would up and leave her. He would think she was insane and not want anything to do with her. But when she thought this, she also remembered how scared Ian was to tell her about Geillis because he was so sure she wouldn't love him anymore. And he had been so wrong about that.

Could he possibly understand? Does he love me enough to maybe actually believe me and not think I'm a witch to burn at the stake? I mean, it worked out for Claire and Jamie.

Claire had told her the story back at Lallybroch about the witch trial she had been a part of and how it led her to needing to tell Jamie about being from the future. She said Jamie had reacted shockingly well and believed her without any doubt, and it had only helped their relationship grow stronger. Skylar wished there was a way of knowing if Ian would be the same. But there was no way to know until she did it, and she couldn't avoid it much longer.

If I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, he needs to know. But, God, if he left me over this, it would fully destroy me.

She kept this thought in the back of her head for the rest of the day and up until they went to bed.

Captain Freeman and Eutroclus camped on the shore while the others stayed inside the cabin of the docked boat. Skylar and Ian were on the wooden bed that jutted out from the wall with Rollo sleeping below them, Claire and Jamie laid on some blankets on the boat floor, and Lesley was on the bench on the opposite wall from the younger couple.

Even with the gentle rocking of the boat, Skylar still had a hard time falling asleep. She had gotten better at getting into a regular sleep pattern, but some nights she still had a hard time sleeping. And with it being so sweltering hot at near July in North Carolina, this night was particularly difficult. She decided to try sitting outside for a while. She tried to move as quietly as possible to not wake Ian. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

"Somethin' wrong, Yank?" he asked, his voice groggy but concern still present in his tone.

"I'm fine, Youngin'," she whispered back. "I can't sleep. I'm going on the deck."

"I'll come with ye." He started to sit up, but she stopped him.

"I'm fine on my own. I'll just be a few minutes. Go back to sleep." Too tired to argue, he laid back down. Skylar kissed his head then walked outside.

She sat at the back of the boat against the cabin wall and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could smell the imminent rain. She was looking forward to the rain. They would finally be able to cool down.

She had nearly started to drift off, so she didn't notice the man until he was standing above her.

"Well, hello again, beautiful," an Irish voice spoke down at her. Her eyes shot open. There was Stephen Bonnet; the moonlight hitting his face in such a way that there was an eerie glow around him. The expression he was wearing now was almost unrecognizable as the man who had hid in their wagon. In the two seconds she stared at him in stupefied fear, she could finally see the darkness in him that her gut had warned her about.

She immediately tried to stand and run past him, but he caught her around the waist and locked a hand over her mouth. "Ye try te scream, and I'll slit yer throat," he said so plainly that he may as well been offering her sugar for her tea. He pushed her against the cabin, his hand still on her mouth, pressing her head against the wood. He smiled an unpleasant smile and said, "Let's have some fun shall we?"

His hand went under her skirts to her thigh and forcibly pulled her leg around his hip. He attached his other hand to her clothed breast and went to work on her neck. She could feel him biting and sucking on her exposed skin. Somewhere in her mind, Skylar knew she needed to scream. She needed to wake up the others to let them know what was happening. But she was frozen. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she was hardly breathing. She knew what was coming and she couldn't stop it. She just prayed it would be over soon.

Bonnet dropped her leg to use both hands to rip open the front of her dress, fully exposing her chest. He started attacking her there as he had her neck, taking her waist with an iron grip, and pressing himself against her. She had no experience involving anything below the belt, but she knew at once what was poking into her stomach. Then, he kissed her.

This was nothing like when Ian kissed her. Ian kissed her passionately at times, but still gently and full of love. Bonnet was rough and was only full of lust. He drilled his mouth into hers and forced his tongue down her throat which made her gag. He tasted like cheap tobacco and bad rum.

The kiss had lasted for what felt like an eternity before he went back under her dress and grabbed her rear, pulling her against his hips and rubbed himself against her.

Skylar was starting to go limp and she could feel herself leaving her body. But she was brought back when she heard Rollo barking from inside the cabin. He must've been able to sense that something bad was happening on the deck. It distracted Bonnet as well and he looked up towards the noise. In that split second, Skylar shoved him as hard as she could and started to run to the cabin door at the front of the boat.

"Ian! Ian! Jamie!" she finally screamed.

Bonnet caught up with her in an instant though. He pulled her back by her arm and smacked her hard across the face, throwing her to the floor.

"AH!" she cried out when his hand made contact.

She looked up at him and pushed back away from him as he gave her a look that made her think he was about to kill her. He then turned to the shore and yelled, "What are ye waitin' fer? Come on!"

More men appeared seemingly out of nowhere and boarded the boat. Bonnet had obviously told them to wait and give him time alone with Skylar. He must have thought she was no longer worth the trouble though, as he turned his back on her and went about with his original plan.

Skylar ran back to the back of the boat and made herself as small as she could in the darkness. She wasn't crying. Her body wasn't able to. She felt like she was no longer a part of reality, like she was in some other world. She felt paralyzed.

She could hear Rollo still barking amidst the shouts and chaos. She could also hear Ian above the noise, though to her he sounded very far away and in slow motion.

"Skylar!" she heard him yell. She tried to open her mouth to answer but no words came out. With few places to look, he found her.

"Skylar," he said, kneeling in front of her. She couldn't look at him. "What happened?" He touched her shoulder and Skylar immediately pulled away from him, bringing herself back to Earth. He pulled his hand back, confused. He quickly looked her over and what he saw answered his question; her holding her ripped dress together, the red handprint on her cheek and she was shaking violently. Rage filled him instantaneously. "Did that bastard hurt ye?" he asked, already knowing the truth.

She made herself face him, and the look on his face was something she had never seen from him. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm not hurt. Help Claire." He seemed very hesitant to leave her. "Ian, go!" she demanded. He leapt up and ran.

Skylar sat there, listening to everything play out. And after what seemed like hours, everything went silent. Bonnet and his pirates were gone. She heard the sound of three sets of footsteps coming towards her.

"Skylar," she heard Claire's calm voice say. The woman knelt down to her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I stopped him," the girl answered, still looking down. "He tried…he-he wanted to…but I stopped him." It was so quiet after she said that, they could only hear the ripples against the boat and the gnats flying around their faces. After a full minute of silence, Skylar decided to stand up. She pushed herself up and slowly came to shakily standing.

Ian took a step towards her, obviously wanting to help her balance. But when his hand touched her arm, she shouted, "Don't touch me!" and pinned herself to the cabin wall, eyes closed and grasping her torn dress against her chest. She knew right away she shouldn't have done that. She opened her eyes and looked at Ian. He looked terrified and brokenhearted, though not for himself like she thought he was. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears starting to sting the corners of her eyes.

"Come, let's get you inside," Claire said softly. "Is it alright if I touch your back, to guide you?"

Skylar took an enormous breath in and let it out slowly. She nodded and peeled herself off the wall. Claire's touch was gentle, but still made her tense up.

Walking to the front of the boat, she saw the aftermath of the attack. Broken bottles and empty bags and crates littered the deck, showing obvious signs of a struggle. There was also a large long object covered with a blanket. A boot stuck out at the end and an exposed hand laid still.

"What's that?" Skylar asked. Nobody answered her.

Claire led her inside the cabin. It was just as bad a mess as it was outside, but with the addition of blood on the floor. But Skylar didn't pay any attention to it. She just went where Claire led her.

Claire sat her down on the bed and then turned to Ian and Jamie who had followed them into the cabin. Claire said something to them, but Skylar wasn't focusing on it. She only heard bits and pieces.

"…can't be around…not okay…has to recover."

Jamie apparently understood and went back outside. Ian stood his ground. Again, bits and pieces.

"…canna leave her alone…need te be with…see she's alright."

"Ian…be around men…not okay…and traumatized."

Ian must've finally relented because when Skylar tuned back into reality, he was gone.

"Do you want to change into a shift?" she heard Claire ask her.

"Yes," she answered.

Claire helped her change into one of her own under gowns as the one Skylar was wearing under her dress had been torn as well. As she did, Skylar saw the expressions Claire tried to hide. There must've been marks left behind that she knew would form into bruises. Claire saw the bite marks on her neck and chest, and where his nails had dug into her thigh. But neither said anything.

Skylar felt more comfortable in the cool light fabric of the shift rather than her heavier dress. Once she was changed, Claire dabbed some cool water on her face, neck and chest, and gave her some to drink.

Exhaustion suddenly overcame the younger girl and she felt her eyelids start drooping.

"Do you want to sleep?" Claire asked. Skylar just nodded.

Claire helped her lay down and before she was fully horizontal, she fell into a dark, dreamless sleep.

There are parts of this story that are more difficult emotionally and mentally to write, and this was definitely one of them. Though it wasn't a dictionary definition version of a rape scene, assault is assault and trauma is trauma (as will be discussed in next week's chapter), and if anyone was negatively affected reading this section, I sincerely apologize.

If any of you ever need someone to talk to, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline RAINN at ***800. (4673)***

I love you all verra much and I will see you next week. Stay safe and healthy.