Chapter 2

"Oh mother, please!" Olivia whined, "please, please, please, please?"

"Olivia…" Johanna said tightly, getting a little more than irritated with her daughter, "We have been over this almost a thousand times-- no!"

"But mother!" Olivia huffed, stomping a foot on the floor and glaring at her mother, arms crossed over her chest. "It's my birthday, isn't it?!"

"Yes…" Johanna said, rubbing her brow, trying to remain calm, "but you know I really don't revel in the idea of going anywhere near there…"

"Your mother is right, Olivia," Anthony interjected from behind his book, "and I must say, this isn't exactly the best request for a gift."

"And why isn't it?" Olivia asked her father, "I have never once asked for anything for my birthday! Never! This is the one wish I've had since I was six!"

Johanna nodded. It was true that Olivia never asked for anything; she was always an extremely selfless girl- except when it came to this. It had been almost twelve years since Johanna and Anthony welcomed their beautiful daughter into the world, and every second had been a treasure. Anthony had provided their family with a beautiful, quaint country home, as well as a steady job as a merchant. However, this one plea from Olivia never ceased to cause a riff between everyone in the household. When Olivia was six, Anthony completed his last endeavor as a sailor and had returned home to the small town of Plainswright from his travels to be with his wife and young daughter.

"Olivia dear, Why is it you want to go to London so badly? There are plenty of other places we could sail to! Take Paris for example! Or Dublin! We would even consider going to America for you! So why do you want to see London so badly…?" Olivia looked at her father with her large, pale eyes. Then the slowly fell to the ground. "I…. I don't know…" Olivia said quietly. "I've never really thought about why I want to go so badly… I just do…!"

"Olivia, do you have any idea of who dangerous London is? Or how the people in that city behave and think? That city is so much larger than Plainswright is!" Johanna said.

"But mother," Olivia pleaded, "aren't you from London? And I wouldn't be alone- you and daddy will be with me! And I won't stray from you or--"

"Enough Olivia!" Johanna yelled. Her daughter jumped a little at the sound of her mother's raised voice. Johanna narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Enough…" she said through clenched teeth. "I've told you before, and I'm going to tell you again… there is no place like London…No where in the world… and I do not want you there…! Do you understand?!" Olivia looked at her mother and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Y-yes mother…" "Go to your room Olivia- I will deal with you later," her mother said, moving over to a chair to sit, still rubbing her forehead.

Olivia laid on the end of her bed and tried to fight back her tears. Why? she thought, Why is London so horrible? People in Plainswright travel there all the time and all of them have come back safe and sound! Why is my mother so afraid? Olivia sat up and looked out her window. The sun was setting and dusk was setting in. The leaf-less trees of November made patterns reaching toward the sky, and the moon that was rising coated the landscape with a pale glow. I wonder… Olivia thought, Can people in London see the same moon and sky as I can…?

Olivia… a voice called. She spun around to see who was in the room with her, yet she was completely alone. She had definitely heard someone calling her; yet it had been so quiet and distant… almost a whisper. Olivia… it called again, Go to your other window, Olivia… Looking around for the source, she slowly made her way over to her window which faced the main street of Plainswright. She saw a local carpenter loading slabs of wood into a horse drawn cart. His wife came out of her house and began talking to him. "Martin, when are you going to be back?"

"Well, probably within the week. I only have to drop this wood off for some bloke in London- 'pparently he wants to fix up some tavern or something… I dunno, but I'm getting' paid extra to bring it out so far, so I can't afford to turn down his offer." Olivia felt a ping of sadness and anger He's lucky… it's easy enough for him to get out there and back…

"When will you be leaving dear?" His wife asked, "You're not going to be leaving tonight, are you?"

"Of course not! It's too late now; the sun's almost completely gone. I'll be setting off first thing in the morning. 'Sides, I have more wood to load up…"

"Are you sure you can handle all of that lifting?" His wife asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to ask a neighborhood boy to help you out?"

"Well, I'm hoping one will show up tomorrow morning- I'm even willin' to pay the first kid to volunteer! But if they don't show up by tomorrow morning, I'll be loadin' up and headin' out alone."

Olivia's eyes widened. How perfect! She could go to London with the carpenter! Wait… She thought, He's looking for a boy to help him… he'll never accept a girl… As her mind drifted, she heard footsteps coming toward her room. Quickly, she jumped into bed and pretended to be asleep. She heard the door open, and then her father sigh. "Poor girl…" Anthony said, "that's all she's wanted for so long…" "I know," her mother whispered to him. "But I…I just can't let her go back there, Anthony… I can't…!" "I know, Love, I know…" Anthony whispered back. "Hopefully this will all be forgotten by morning- let's let her just rest for now…" Slowly, the door closed and when the sounds of footsteps could no longer be heard, she rose from her bed. During the time her mother and father talked, she mulled over in her head a way to join the carpenter on his journey to London.

She rushed to her closet and pulled out some of her older, more worn out dresses; one dark brown, one a grayish blue, and the other a pale cream color. She gathered the clothes and carried them to her small vanity that stood beside the window faceing the moon and trees. Olivia opened one of the vanity's drawers and pulled out a small bundle of cloth, string, needles and a pair of scissors. She then lit a candle and smiled to herself. I'm going to need that light… She thought I've got some work to do.

Through most of the night Olivia toiled over her old clothes; cutting, sewing and stitching pieces of this and that together to make a slap-dash boy's outfit. When she was finally done she stood before the small mirror hanging above the vanity. The outfit was as close to authentic as it was going to get- she fashioned a pair of stockings, breeches, a white shirt and blue vest. "Perfect!" She whispered to herself. Only one thing left to do… she thought. She grabbed her scissors and grabbed a handful of her dark blonde hair. Do it… the whisper said. Do it Olivia- it's the only way. Olivia nodded to the unseen speaker, and closed her eyes as she cut through her hair. After a while, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was amazed- she really did look like a boy now.

That's the way, Pet… the voice said, Your almost there…

"Your right…." she said to no one, "Whoever you are… your right… I am almost there…!"