TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains a murder, mentions of punishment, and puking. Scroll until the end of the chapter, it'll have a little summary

1772

Lily clutched her doll as she read through her book. I sat next to her, sewing Lily a new dress. I kept accidentally stabbing my finger with the needle, but her dress would finally be finished. The fabric held a plain blue hue, Lily's favorite color.

Mr. Daniel came in a few minutes later, asking us to step out as Mrs. Mary joined him. I quietly stepped out, bringing Lily with me so they could get dressed. It continued to be silent as Lily stepped in a moment later to change.

It had been a week since we stepped onto the boat, and my sickness hadn't gotten any better. Had I gotten whatever the slaves down below had? Abigail told me that many of them didn't look like they'd make it.

"Are you going to go puke again?" Mr. Daniel spat as he waited on Lily.

I gulped and nodded as my mouth watered up.

"You're going to go sleep out there tonight. I don't care if you get soaked," Mr. Daniel all but yelled.

"Yes, sir," I whispered.

"Get out of my sight." He pointed, and I walked out as quick as my legs could carry me. I took the dress with me, intending to work on it while I sat out there.

I collapsed against the edge of the boat, getting splashed by a small wave. I sighed, picking up Lily's dress. The waves seemed especially rough tonight- I might get sick with something else too.

It took a few minutes, but as soon as the sun had fully set on the horizon Alexander appeared from below the deck with his copy of Clarissa.

"Finally," I said softly.

Alexander laughed, "Not my fault you were early. Everything okay?"

I shrugged, "Mr. Daniel kicked me out to the deck for tonight."

"That's bullshit!" Alexander whispered, holding a hand out.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you doing?"

"You're sleeping in my cabin tonight," Alexander explained.

I shook my head, pressing myself further back. What if Mr. Daniel came out to look and he didn't see me? I'd get whipped!

"Okay, fine." He plopped next to me, opening the book. I leaned back, taking a shaky breath as he continued to read to me.

I awoke the next morning to a wave overtaking my body. I squealed, getting soaked. Alexander jolted up next to me, getting equally wet. We looked at each other and laughed a little, before realizing that the sun had just appeared over the horizon.

"Alexander, you need to go to your cabin!" I said, shoving him gently.

Alexander stood. "You're sure you'll be okay?"

I nodded, "Yes, I promise."

With that, Alexander took off. I looked back to my project, sighing at the fact that it had stretched a bit through the night. What would I do about the dress now? I bit my lip, continuing to sew. I at least needed to get this done, and hopefully, it would shrink as it dried.

Mr. Daniel came up from below the deck, took a quick look at me, and then took one of the deck hands back down. What was that about? I shrugged and continued to sew, slowly getting more and more worried as I thought of the possibilities. Had they found out about me and Alexander? The prospect terrified me.

My question didn't get answered until Mr. Daniel and the deck hand brought up a slave between them. I could see their ribs from here, and could probably hear their coughing from a field away. One of the sick ones?

As they approached, I focused on their face to see who it was between their arms. Soft nose, sharp lips, hollow cheeks.

Abigail.

What were they doing to her? I stood, watching as they approached the edge. No, no, no. The mantra played in my head as they lifted her up, and tossed her over.

Her scream echoed as it got followed by a splash. I dropped to my knees, gasping. She hadn't been coughing that badly when I spoke to her yesterday. What happened?

Why couldn't I breathe? I grabbed my throat, then my chest. Is something wrong with me?

Mr. Daniel came over to me, "Do not say anything about that to anyone. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from the spot where they tossed her, "Yes, sir."

He grabbed my jaw, "Look at me when I speak to you!"

"Sorry, sir," I whispered.

Before I could register, Mr. Daniel had grabbed my arm and had begun dragging me away. Shit! He brought me below deck, to the room next to the slaves' hold. He shoved me in and grabbed a whip from the table next to the door.

"Strip."

As I laid on the floor, I could barely breathe. Each inhale and exhale made pain lace up and down my body. The coolness of the floor helped ease the pain, but only slightly.

I rolled onto my stomach, gently pushing myself up onto my hands and knees. I groaned, falling to my elbows.

"Fuck," I whispered. I stood anyway, moving onto my butt to try and release some of the pressure from my back. The room filled with my groan as I stood, attempting to get dressed.

The door opened, and there stood Alexander with a wrap.

I quickly pulled my clothes close to my body, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you," Alexander said, moving behind me. He didn't say anything as he began to wrap around my torso. I occasionally bit my lip, but only when Alexander wrapped too tight. He helped me get dressed, then pulled me out and into his cabin.

As Phibbah is sewing Lily's dress, Mr. Daniel sends her to the deck to sleep for the night since Phibbah continues to get sick. Alexander comes out to read to her after sunset and they fall asleep together. The next morning, Mr. Daniel throws Abigail off the side of the ship for reasons unknown just as they're about to reach New York. Because Phibbah saw what happened, Mr. Daniel punished her. Afterwards, Alexander comes in to help her clean up.