First of all, thanks for the reviews – it took a bit longer than I thought to get a second chapter up. I hope the story starts pushing forwards – please tell me If I'm lagging off!

Constructive criticism is still loved!

Chapter Two: Life at Sea.

That evening, as I scrubbed dishes from dinner (having made a sort of truce with Lumpy that he could kick me out only when I was in his way), I noticed that a number of upper class passengers had joined us on board for our trip, bringing ridiculously sized trunks along the way. They scrunched their noses each time they passed us in the galley. Lumpy snorted after them.

'They wont be minding us when we're they're only source of food, now will they!'

I was beginning to grow used to the steady sway of the water and the rumble of the engines that shook the ship. I hadn't known even where we were going before the ship had taken off earlier. I asked Lumpy if he knew anything.

'Singapore. Somewhere in the East, Skipper told me.' Lumpy didn't seem to care about where we were going, only that we were going, and it was about time.

The first few days on the Venture passed easily, a routine quickly settling in.

Evenings were filled mostly by stories and poker games with the crew, who were surely enough growing used to a female being part of their group, and a late retreat to my small room. The nights were long and cold. Lumpy's snoring filled the already cramped area around me and the springs in my thin mattress poked at me incessantly. In the mornings I was either serving porridge or shaving the crew's faces – whichever Lumpy didn't feel like doing, I did. I cleaned during the day, chatted and joked with the crew, and if everything was done, pulled out those sketches.

One lazy afternoon, a few days after our departure, I sat at a table in the mess and drew Lumpy fiddling about in the kitchen as he usually did. His rough, weather beaten face was already a favourite of mine, and catching him where he was happiest was easy to transfer to the page.

Jimmy was sitting in the corner, reading his book with his feet up on the table. This was slowly becoming usual of him, joining us in the mess when he was done the things that Mister Hayes would assign him to every day.

Every once in a while, I could see his face flicking in the my direction through the corner of my eye. I grinned inwardly.

Lumpy stopped his fidgeting. He looked at me, then over at Jimmy. He turned his head back in my direction and I quickly tried to look more focused on my drawing, biting my lip and staring down the lines.

Lumpy chuckled, shook his head, and snorted, 'Kids,' under his breath.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, pretending not to notice the situation in the room. I gathered my supplied together and stood. As I made my way out of the mess, I glanced as discreetly as I could towards Jimmy once again.

His blue eyes were once again peering over the edge of his book, looking intently at me. As soon as my eyes met his, they shot back into his book. He shifted his weight uncomfortably.

I grinned to myself and looked up to push open the door through to the hallway. I was a bit too slow.

Wham.

Lumpy erupted with peels of laughter, almost as though he was expecting something like this to happen.

'Watch yourself there, June,' He wheezed, 'there's a door in the way.'

I glanced back to the old cook, rubbing my forehead where I could feel a goose egg growing. Jimmy was holding back his own laughter in the corner.

'Thanks for the warning.' I mumbled unhappily.

The days on board continued to tick away. I'd gained friendship with more or less the whole population of the boat. The whole crew had realized who's daughter I was by now. I reckoned that the basis of their friendliness towards me was because of that, along with the fact that I'd begun convincing Lumpy to put something different than walnuts into his meals once in a while.

I'd even struck up a firm friendship with Ann, the star of the motion picture that was now being filmed on the ship. I would sometimes sit with her in her room as she'd pull curlers through her hair before shooting a scene. I was envious of her silky blonde hair and beautiful dresses. My scrubby brown hair was always pulled into a messy bun on the back of my head, and I rarely wore anything more than an old pair of trousers and a scratchy shirt.

I'd just as quickly lost that one-time awkwardness with Jimmy. While continuing his visits in the galley, he's talked and joked with Lumpy and I whenever he could. When we played an evening game of poker, he'd sit next to me and sneak an occasional hint on what to play.

One afternoon, I sat on a barrel on the foredeck of the ship and drew the cheerful dolphins that were often skipping around in the wake the bow created.

The familiar tune Jimmy often whistled and the rhythm of his footsteps came up behind me. He stood beside me, looping his thumbs through his suspenders. He peered down at my tablet and held a deep, smooth note. Kicking a barrel of his own over, he sat down next to me.

'Mighty nice, June. Looks just like the real thing, eh?'

He leaned over and pulled the table from my hands, flipping through the various pages of things I'd sketched. There was everything in there – members of the crew doing their daily duties, Ann sitting in front of her mirror, applying blush to her cheeks and Captain Englehorn grasping the ship's wheel up in the Captain's quarters. There was one of Jimmy, dancing on the stern deck, the crew laughing and clapping in a circle around the two.

Jimmy flipped to that drawing and held it open.

'This one's my favourite.'

'Hah, figures! Looks who's in it!' I laughed.

Jimmy closed the pad shut and stoop quickly from his barrel. I looked up at him, startled.

'Well then, where are you off to?'

'Who said I was going anywhere? I'm just thinking.'

'All that fuss, just to think a little – woah!'

Jimmy had grabbed me by the hand and pulled me up off the barrel, my charcoals flying and scattering about the deck. I looked at him incredulously.

'That day was fun, eh?' he asked, his eyes sparkling, smile flashing. 'All that dancing at singing?'

'Jimmy, my charcoals!' I complained, half seriously.

Jimmy laughed and pulled me off with him to an open space on the deck.

'Come on dance with me!'

I laughed with him, but tried to pull my hand out of his.

'I can't dance!' I insisted, 'I'm no performer. Jimmy!'

He continued pulling me around with him, dancing like that had that afternoon with Ann, who had kept right up with him. I tried my best to follow his sporadic movement. I could vaguely hear Mister Hayes and the Skipper laughing from the Wing bridge.

Jimmy was exploding with life. His smile was everywhere, echoing like sound in an empty room. He howled with laughter at my foolish attempts to keep up. Members of the crew had begun to gather around us, clapping at cat-calling as Jimmy spun about, his feet hitting the wooden deck rhythmically.

There was a moment where he had his back turned, dancing for a moment in front of the cheering men. I tried my best to snake away, knowing how much of a fool I was making of myself – but at the last moment, a pair of strong hands were on my waist, pulling me into the air.

I shrieked with surprise as Jimmy hauled me onto his shoulder, spinning around in circles. I grabbed at the material on his back in a last-stitch effort to save my life. He then spread his arms out to his sides, letting go of me completely, but still spinning like a top. The crowd around us turned into a blur of faces and sounds, mixing with Jimmy's howls and my shrieks.

Abrupt end to the chapter, eh? Sorry about that... if you read, please review. Don't be shy, and really, if it wasn't good, speak up. I want the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.