"So, (Name), how do you like it here?" your father asked you one morning in the inn room you were still staying at.
"It's been okay father. I feel really different from the others—like I don't fit in. I only have two friends: Olivia Overland and Elizabeth Adamson. Jackson doesn't really help with getting me acquainted with others. He mainly just spurs on more teasing," you told him, sighing afterwards. It was already December and snow was all over the place. It had only been two months, but you felt completely out of the picture. What you told your father was only skimming the surface of your problems. People your age tended to avoid you because you were educated. Not only were you educated, but you weren't educated out of the Bible—something frowned upon in Burgess [1]. Education was also something for the middle-class and rich. Because your father had taught you so much, many people also thought you were pretentious. Aside from being educated, Jackson could almost be considered a bully towards you. You don't know why, you probably just rubbed him the wrong way when you first met him. Maybe you shouldn't have threatened him and just left him alone. Maybe you also shouldn't have continued to retaliate his bullying, you couldn't help that you were headstrong and that you fell to the vicious cycle of revenge. Anyway, because Jackson was popular among both boys AND girls, everyone jumped on the bandwagon and liked to tease you. You would get girls insulting you about your clothes, or boys throwing snow at you.
Olivia didn't know about the bullying at all, and you didn't have the heart to tell her because you knew she would be mad at her brother. You may not have liked Jackson, but you grew very close to Olivia and you knew how much she loved her brother so you didn't want them fight. Your other friend, who you mentioned earlier, was Elizabeth Adamson. She was different too, mainly because she came from one of the richest families in Burgess. She was the daughter of the mayor, so she too was ostracized for being educated. You met her in the marketplace on day when she saw you being bullied and she told you that she knew how you felt. After that, the two of you clicked. She was the same age as you too. She was always busy though, her mother was always making her meet other aristocratic boys for a prospective future marriage. You pitied her for that. At least you knew that you would probably never get married because you never had enough time to settle down because of your father's job.
"Hey, (Name). (Name)! Are you okay?" your father suddenly asked you, snapping you out of your stupor. You didn't even realize that you had been lost in your own miserable thoughts.
"Yeah, Daddy, I'm fine…I just hate feeling alone. I miss mom and all the comfort she used to bring whenever I was sad," you told him, finally letting the tears come through. You never called him "Daddy" unless you were emotionally distraught. Sensing this, he pulled you into his arms and hugged you tightly.
"(Name), how would you like to go hunting with me? I was going to ask when you were older but I think you're mature enough to come with me this time. I know you're upset about being new, but I really think getting out for a week will help you feel better. What do you say, kiddo?"
"Sure Dad! I'm so excited! I've never gone on one of your trips before. Does this mean I get to wear breeches?" you asked excitedly. It would be something new to you, and you beamed up at your father.
"Yes, (Name), you get to wear breeches," he chuckled, while ruffling your hair. You squealed in joy, hugged your father, and rushed out the door while telling your father that you were informing your two friends of your week's trip.
You were walking along the roads to the more rural areas of Burgess to wear Olivia lived. You had been to her house before—when Jack wasn't there—and you loved her parents. Her mom was so kind, she reminded you of your own late mother. Her father was also an easygoing man as well. Mr. Overland was a strong built man who also seemed to mean the world to Olivia. Once you saw the Overland's home in view, you picked up your pace until you saw Jackson step out with his father. You dived into some nearby bushes, not caring if you got leaves in your hair, and peeked out between the branches at the duo. You saw them walk off into the fields, probably to herd sheep and take care of the other animals because of the cold weather. As soon as the coast was clear, you rolled out from under the bushes and closed the short distance between you and the Overland's house. After you knocked on the front door, Mrs. Overland greeted you with a warm welcome and called Olivia. As soon as Mrs. Overland said your name, Olivia scrambled out of her room and crashed into you with a hug.
"(Name)! Good morning!" she said happily. She then looked up at you and her eyes widened when she saw your appearance. Wondering what she was staring at, you asked her, "Hey, what're you looking at, little one?"
"YOUR HAIR! AND CLOTHES! THERE'S LEAVINGS ALL OVER THEM!" she yelled, and then laughed. You turned and looked down at the skirts of your dress. After seeing how disheveled they were, you joined in on her laughter. After the laughter died down, Olivia took you to the table and made you sit down next to her. She then asked you, "So, (Name), why are you here so early in the morning?" It was around eight at the time.
"Well, I wanted to tell you that I'll be gone for a week or so with my father. I'm going on a hunting trip with him. I'll try to see if I can barter something of my own on the trip for you."
"Aw, okay…I'll be sad that you're gone though. Now only Jack will play with me! I was going to try to make you two friends!"
"Ah, um, I'm sorry I'm missing that! I have to go now, though. Don't get into too much trouble Olivia!" you told her hurriedly so you could escape her antics to make you friends with Jackson once more. You bade Mrs. Overland a warm farewell and left to go to town to look for Elizabeth.
You looked around the marketplace, hoping you would see her with her mother. In order not to be recognized and bullied, you pulled your hood up around your head so it would shield your face. You then spotted the extravagant clothes of Elizabeth Adamson and made your way towards her. You didn't see her mother around her, so you assumed that she was off looking somewhere else at things. Once you were in speaking distance of Elizabeth, behind her, you let your presence be known by saying, "It's not every day your mother let's you be alone." She gave a gasp and turned around, startled and looking for a familiar face. Once she managed to recognize you, she sighed and put a hand over her heart and said, "Oh! Thank goodness that's you (Name)! You had me so frightened; please don't do that again,"
"Why all the formalities 'Lizabeth? It's just the two of us," you reminded her.
"Because mother is around and you know how strict she can be!" she chided you.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Anyway, how goes it with the courting?"
"(Name), please don't remind me of that torture! Every other week it's some other boy. I'm just a girl," she sighed in defeat.
"Hey, Elizabeth, it'll be okay. It'll turn out for the better. At least you'll actually get married. Anyway, I have to tell you that I'm leaving town for a week. I'm going on a hunting trip with my father. In a way, I'm happy because I'll be out of here for a little while. I'm also sad, because the animals never did anything wrong. It pays though."
"You have always wanted to see your father on the job, right?"
"Yeah, I have, but I'm just scared that I'll detest what I see. I hope I won't. I'll see you in a week! I have to get going now!" You hugged Elizabeth and then ran off to the inn to meet up with your father again to pack up.
Once you were all done packing your light load of supplies, you put on some leggings, breeches, a shirt, a hunting shirt on top, your coat, and at last, your shoes. When your father came to get you, he was surprised that the clothes fit you perfectly. He told you to put your hair up so it could hide under the hat he gave you so you could pass as a boy. It was technically "improper" and almost against the law for girl or woman to be involved in any manly activities, unless she had no husband and she had to do the housework herself. You then started your journey with your father into the wilderness.
After your journey, you learned several things. First, your father had great skill at what he did and was an expert at it. Second, you were great at using a sling, a weapon that he gave you to try. Third, you would only hunt in times of need, like if there was a food shortage, or if your father could not hunt. You didn't completely hate hunting, but you felt bad putting an end to another being's life. You told yourself that a quick shot would be better than being eaten so that made you feel better about your actions. Shuddering at the images of dead beavers and raccoons, you shoved those images out of your head and proceeded to the journalist's shop that you had visited your first day. You promised Olivia that you would bring her something after your trip. After your visit to the shop, you carried a brand new journal with a leather cover. Olivia loved drawing, and you loved teaching her, so you decided that a new journal would be the best gift for her. You then told yourself that after visiting Olivia, you would then visit Elizabeth, and try to see if you could visit her between her busy, aristocratic lifestyle. You also then realized that Olivia and Elizabeth had yet to meet and that you would have to arrange a meeting in the future. For now, you were glad to have an internal peace. You then stopped in the middle of your walk to the Overland's house. You just acknowledged the face that you glad to be back in Burgess, with Olivia and Elizabeth. You were glad that you had them and you realized that you didn't care anymore about what other people thought of you. Finally, you had found your place. Too bad your stay here was only temporary, because you knew that you would have to move out in a couple months because of the trade. For the time being, you would relish it as much as you could.
[1] I'm sorry if you're not Catholic/Christian. It doesn't imply that you are but colonial America was very religious and it was "sacrilegious" to not have at least one Bible in your house. Again, I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable with this.