I decided to continue the last chapter. Since we never learn Newkirk's first name and made one up for him that I thought suited him.

Richard had been beginning to enjoy his life on the flying whale. Climbing topside was still terrifying and the beasties would never be acceptable. Even so, he was finally starting to feel like part of the crew. The other men knew his name and addressed him with respect. There was something strangely heroic about being called "Mr. Newkirk" instead of Ricky or Richie. He also had begun to make friends onboard the ship. He would have easily considered Dylan a friend, perhaps one of his closest friends. Dylan may have always been closer to Alek, the Prince, but that had never made Newkirk like the other middie less. Little did he know that Alek and Dylan were much closer now. Too close for a normal, healthy friendship.

An image of the boys entwined together, their bodies tangled between the sheets of Dylan's bed as they kiss floated into Richard's mind. He coughed and gagged for the hundredth time, clutching the rail with white knuckles and threatening to toss his body overboard after the vomit he had spit up a moment before. The vision of it was stamped forever in his corneas. What could he do to banish such sinful and disgusting scenes from his mind?

"Newkirk?" Said a voice from behind him. He quickly turned around to face the speaker. Dylan was nearly ten feet away which was still too close in Richard's opinion.

"Stay away from me!" He yelped. "Don't come any closer, you devil!"

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Calm down, you ninny. If you let me explain…"

"NO!" Newkirk backed himself into the rail so he was still facing Sharp but at as much distance as possible. "I will not let you fill my mind with your sinful filth! Stay away from me!"

Dylan, however, did not look at all threatened by Richard's screams. He was actually stepping closer to him.

"Listen, Newkirk, I'm really sorry that we frightened you. But there's something I need to tell you so that you'll understand."

Obviously just speaking to Dylan wasn't going to convince the boy to leave. Richard had to think of something boulder and more physically threatening to scare him away. He puffed up his chest, flexed his arms, puckered his lips and spit a mouthful of saliva at Dylan's face. Yet Richard had never been a strong spitter so the spittle just landed a mere foot and a half away from him as a small blob of wetness on the ship's deck.

Dylan snorted. "Trying to spit at me, aye? Wow, you really are a brave one, Newkirk."

"SHUTUP!" Richard shouted. He shoved his hand foreword and pointed directly at Dylan's face. "My Mum warned me about sinners like you! You heretics that sleep with other men! God is ashamed of your actions Dylan! I hope you know that you're going to hell!"

Instead of looking at all ashamed Dylan bent over in laughter.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The other boy wiped away a tear after he could catch a breath from the laughing. "The monkey luddite is a Bible Hugger."

Furious, Richard mouthed a curse and threw himself toward the other boy.

Yes, he was a Christian. Richard Newkirk grew up in a good town with a good family. He was always a good boy who went to church every Sunday. He said grace before every meal, he counted his blessings, he never used the Lord's name in vain and he always gave his spare change to the beggars on the street. He also loved kittens and baby bunnies and liked to knit with his grandmother. But you didn't need to know that.

Richard Newkirk was a good boy who would grow up to be a good man. He couldn't stand around and let the Dylan Sharps of the world ruin their futures.

Suddenly he was on top of the other boy and had shoved him to the ground by the shoulders.

"DON'T DO THIS, DYLAN!" He screamed in his face, shaking his friend hard by the shoulders. "I can't let you burn in hell!"

"NEWKIRK! GET OFF OF ME!"

"You need to stop your heresies now so you can be forgiven!"

"I'm serious, GET OFF OF ME!"

"Not until you repent."

"RICHARD, YOU'RE CRUSHING ME!"

Frankly Richard had never noticed how much bulkier he was than Dylan. The boy was very skinny. The only fat on him was in the pectorals on his chest. It was something he would never have noticed until now with his hand up against the boy's heart. Surprisingly, the lad was rather squishy and filled out in that specific area.

A bizarre idea ran through his mind and he wondered if a woman would have similar anatomy.

Yes…..a woman would have very similar anatomy.

Crap.

Newkirk leapt off of Dylan in an instant.

"YOU!" He pointed dramatically at the midshipman's chest. "YOU'RE A…"

"Well, I tried to tell you decently but of course you had to screw it up, dummkopf." SHE brushed herself off and stood. "I guess I should have told you sooner, but I never thought it would be a problem."

"But why?"

Dylan seemed surprisingly calm. She shrugged and walked to him, offering him her hand to help him stand.

"I wanted to fly." She said simply. "And they don't let girls into the service much, in case you didn't notice."

Richard shook his head. "I guess I never thought of it that way."

"You wouldn't need to. You hate flying."

They both laughed then.

"Say Dylan."

"It's Deryn actually."

"Deryn, right, does Alek know?"

She scowled and smacked his head.

"Blisters, Newkirk, are you daft? Of course Alek knows. You think I'd be snogging his face off if he thought I was a chap?"

"OUCH! Calm down, I was just making sure." He smiled at his friend. "And I'm glad you're a girl. That way I know that your soul is not in mortal danger."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes again.

"You're a loon." She began to leave.

"Oh, and Deryn, just remember that intercourse before marriage is also a sin."

Her face went pink and she was almost about to smack him again but stopped when she thought of something better.

"Oh, aye!" She laughed. "And grabbing my diddies while pushing me on the ground isn't a sin?"

He gulped and ran before she hit him again.