Chapter 2: Making a Choice
For the next hour, Rose and Artemis were playing their favorite game of hide-and-seek. The chameleon crawled down the stairs and headed into the living room where Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow were sitting on the sofa waiting for their adopted daughter to join them.
The chameleon crawled up the wall towards the window and hides in front of a flower pot, blending into the color, brown. Mr. Arrow noticed the lizard crawling up and gave a smile. Rose headed down the stairs and went into the living room.
"Ah, Rose darling," Captain Amelia said. "I'm glad you could join us."
"Are you ready for the talk?" Mr. Arrow asked.
"I'll be with you, as soon as I find Artemis. I wonder where she could be hiding?"
"I'll give you a hint. She's near the window, but you may not find her there," Mr. Arrow said smirking and pointed over to the window.
Rose walked over to the curtains and quickly pulled them apart, "HA!" There was no sign of the chameleon, but a flowerpot. She pulled back a strand of her red hair and sighed.
"Hmmm. Well, I guess Artemis is not hiding right here," she said out loud giving a smirk and walked away with her hands behind her back.
Artemis gave a chuckle, thinking she won. Without warning, the chameleon was grabbed from the tail and hoisted upside down looking in the large blue-green eyes of her mistress.
"Gotcha!"
The lizard screeched, turned back to her normal color, and blew a raspberry. One of these days, she vowed to beat her mistress at hide-and-seek. Rose set her pet down on her palm, and pushed back a strand of her hair.
"Well Artemis, it looks like I have twenty and you have four," she said.
The chameleon pouted at her mistress, heaving a breath. One of these days, she vowed to beat her mistress at hide-and-seek.
A cough came from behind her, and she turned back. Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow were waiting sternly, but patiently for Rose to join them. The girl took the signal and headed over, sitting in an armchair. A maid brought over a tray of tea and coffee over and set it down on the coffee table. The three prepared their beverages and the redhead decided to finally ask her adopted parents the question.
"So Mother, can you please tell me about the voyage you mentioned earlier?"
"A financier by the name of Dr. Delbert Doppler has hired an expedition that will go to a planet that holds a special treasure," said the Captain. "Do you remember us telling you the legend of Treasure Planet when you were young?"
Treasure Planet? Rose thought. "Yes, I do. I did remember my late parents telling me the story, even you. Does this mean it's real after all? I thought it was only a legend."
"We're not entirely sure, we saw the offer of an interview and we wrote to him that we would gladly come. He's also looking for a nurse to do medical treatments on the voyage for the crew," the Captain added.
"A nurse for the voyage? Who?" the girl asked sipping her tea.
"You."
At the mention of her going, Rose's eyes widened and almost spit out her tea, and covered her mouth with a napkin. The redhead stared at her adopted parents in horror, forcing the hot tea down her throat.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Did I hear you correctly? You want me to come along with you?"
"Yes," Amelia said, nodding.
"Are you kidding me? But why?"
"Rose it's time you get out of this place and get into some new people, to visit a new world. You haven't been outside for nine years," Mr. Arrow said firmly. "Darling, do you know that you're fifteen years old and have never been…"
"Outside of the walls of the mansion?" The girl said, her voice matching Mr. Arrow's words.
"Well, you haven't," the First Mate said chuckling.
"Oh I don't know," she sighed looking away and combed her fingers in her long auburn hair.
"This may be the good opportunity for you to experience the adventure of a lifetime Rose," the Captain added.
"We'll be leaving in two weeks, and you don't have to make your decision right now," Mr. Arrow said.
"Oh great." She felt her heart pounding faster and started to breathe shallow. Rose also suffers from anxiety, and sometimes would go into panic attacks. Mr. Arrow came up to the girl, and placed his hands on her shoulders to help her calm down, and said, "Breathe Rose, breathe."
The redhead followed her second guardian's advice and took deep breaths to calm down. She managed to regain her cool to look at her adoptive mother.
"I don't know about this Mother," she replied nervously. "What if this isn't my path?"
Captain Amelia stood up and sat next to the petite auburn-haired girl.
"I know this is unexpected darling, but you need to step out of the borders and you could do great things to help around, there's a hole missing in your soul and you need to find a way to fill. It's your choice. You have forty eight hours to make the choice, think about it."
She got up from her chair and picked up Artemis. "Well, thank you very much. I think I'll go to the garden and debate with Artemis about it."
Rose exited from the parlor and hurried out of the doors and went to her private place in the garden. The garden was the only place when the girl would ever go outside to breathe in the air and admire her sweet-scented roses. She sat on the bench and that was near a pond. She looked up at the sky, knowing there was a world out there, but for some reason, something in her head told her not to.
"They want me to go on this voyage? Artemis, what am I going to do? How could they expect me to go on this voyage and be their nurse? I feel that things are going to get worse, if I do go. What if I lose them? What if no one likes me?"
Artemis sat on the girl's lap and continued to watch her mistress thinking about the offer. Thoughts were brimming hard in Rose's mind, and hadn't stopped thinking as a few minutes passed. Then she heard footsteps coming over, and the redhead turned back to see two older girls coming towards her.
They were Lorraine's daughters, Hazel and Willow. Hazel was tall and had her long light brown hair pulled back in a red headband, with blue eyes and fair skin. She wore a yellow off-the-shoulder shirt with three-fourth quarter sleeves. An orange corset was wrapped around her middle with gold stripes and an orange belt, a long dark green skirt, and red boots.
Willow was petite with her long black hair tied up in a ponytail, along with tan skin and brown eyes. She wore a long sleeved blue shirt, a dark blue bodice, and a light blue skirt with tights and black flats. The girls have been friends with Rose when they were little. Though they went to school, Rose stayed inside due to her fears. Hazel was jealous at first, but as she got older she began to understand Rose.
"Hi Rose," Hazel said.
"How are you today?" Willow asked.
"Okay, I guess," Rose replied simply.
The sisters noticed the redhead's distress and sat down on the bench. The eldest sister took Rose's hand into her own.
"I guess that you had the talk with the Captain and Mr. Arrow, right?" asked the brunette.
"I guess so, though I don't wish to go outside. There's a voice that has been telling me this isn't what I want, and it encourages me to leave and see what's out there. But I don't know how to do it."
"Oh Rose," Hazel said. "I get that this was really unexpected, but you don't have to make your decision now. Mom told me and Willow, that we should debate about this with you, and see what you come up with."
The petite girl looked away, almost all her life of isolation did she never step out from her home since her parents died.
"It doesn't make sense, maybe I shouldn't go out there."
"Well, I hate to offend you Rose," Hazel said. "But I think you're wasting your opportunity for the chance of a lifetime."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, from what I've heard this voyage would go to a planet that no one has ever found. Although we have other things to help around, it wouldn't be fair if you turn it down and not travel through space. I'm sure every person or alien wouldn't ever want to miss that chance."
The redhead looked down at her feet. She thought long and hard about the brunette's advice and her eyes tilted up to the sky. Out there, was the Etherium, leading to many galaxies filled with known and unknown planets and stars. Rose admired the scene and grew curious to see what was out there. She felt her stomach crumple, and gave a sigh of nervousness.
"I would, but… I just don't feel like going out to space that's all," the redhead admitted.
"Did you ever think about going out there instead?" Willow asked.
"Sure," Rose replied. "But I wouldn't fit in out there. I'm not… normal."
Hazel and Willow did their best to reassure the redhead and continued the debate. Lorraine came up and listened to the debate between Rose and her daughters. The governess appreciated her daughters for being friends with the girl. She knew that Rose has a hard time coming out of her shell and admitting her insecurities.
"Not normal?" the governess said, surprised. "Now why would you think of such a thing like that Rose?"
The three girls looked back to see the dark-haired woman coming up to them.
"Hi Mom," Hazel and Willow greeted nervously.
"Oh hi Lorraine," Rose added. "I don't know what's wrong, I feel that no one would accept me for who I am."
"Now Rose, you can't always be too sure about yourself. You don't want to spend the rest of your life in isolation from the world without socializing with other people," she said.
"As your friends and sister figures, we insist you go on the voyage," Hazel replied.
"Me?" the redhead asked in surprise.
"Absolutely," Lorraine said. "There'll be lot's of opportunities when you're traveling to an unknown planet, and during those times, crew members may get into accidents or feel sick and need time to rest. You can use your training to take care of them due to your compassionate and patient nature. Despite your position of being a nurse, you can be useful around the ship."
"Looking out for stars and battling pirates!" Willow exclaimed.
Rose trembled at the thought of "pirates", remembering the time when her parents were involved with them and lost their lives.
"Now Willow," Lorraine said firmly, "Don't go overboard about pirates. It may be less likely for her, the Captain, and Mr. Arrow to encounter pirates. You remember what happened to her mother and father years ago?"
"Oh, yes Mom," Willow nodded, her expression turning to sadness and remembered the tragedy. "Sorry Rose."
"It's fine," she said.
"Look Rose, take my advice, life is always not a spectator sport, if watching is all you're going to do, then you're going to watch your whole life go by without you," said Lorraine.
"Besides, you're a somebody," the dark-haired preteen added. "With long red hair, beautiful eyes, and great intelligence that will be very helpful in the healthcare field. Wouldn't you agree sis?"
"No kidding, even a guy would like you for not the way you look, but because you're a kind, loving, and generous person."
"So Rose," Lorraine added. "Meet up with the Captain, tell her your decision and…"
"Thanks for the encouragement, but you're all forgetting one big thing."
"What?" Hazel and Willow asked in unison.
"My fears," she said.
"Oh, right," the girls frowned remembering what their mother told them. Lorraine nodded, as she remembered another time Rose experienced a disaster with fire that scarred her to the bones.
"Look Rosie," the brunette said, "You can't always let your fears get in the way of doing the right thing. You'll have to find a way to dodge them and not let them take you down."
"It's only for a few months," Lorraine said. "After all, no one wants to be cooped up forever."
Rose thought long and hard about the advice, knowing they were right. The redhead knew that despite doing her best at home, no one would knew about her if she never went outside to make a difference. She knew that sometimes, she would have to follow her heart and make a good sense of herself.
"I don't get it. Everyone on this planet knows their path, place, and goals in life, but I don't. I've learned a lot through out my childhood, but I wish I know what's missing, and I feel so loss. After all, this place has been my sanctuary."
The redhead looked up at her reflection in the pond, which reflected the sky, sun, and clouds. She looked up with Artemis perched on her shoulder, as she gazed at the walls surrounding the gardens and began to sing:
"Out There"
(Rose)
"Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone
Gazing at the people down below me
All my life I watch them as I hide up here alone,
Hungry for the histories they show me"
She began to think about her life in isolation and would often sometimes gaze out from the windows to see most of the humans and aliens. She began to imagine what life would be if she were involved.
"All my life I memorize their faces
Knowing them as they will never know me
All my life I wonder how it feels to pass a day
Not above them,
But part of them."
The redhead began to feel hope in her heart as she slid down from one of the trees, landing on her feet, and hugged both Hazel and Willow. The girls smiled to see how Rose was feeling hope.
"And out there,
Living in the sun
Give me one day out there,
All I ask is one
To hold forever, out there
Where they all live unaware
What I'd give,
What I'd dare,
Just to live one day out there!"
She took a peer from the wall to see some humans and aliens walking by, and what they did. They were laughing, arguing, and going about their business.
"Out there among the millers, and the weavers, and their wives!
Through the roofs and gables I can see them!
Ev'ry day they shout and scold and go about their lives,
Heedless of the gift it is to be them!
If I was in their skin,
I'd treasure ev'ry instant"
She hurried over to a small waterfall, and splashed some clear water on her face. She looked out at the view to see a large river flowing through the mountains and made it breathtaking in her eyes.
"Out there,
Souring by the stars
Taste a morning out there,
I'll go very far,
Who freely fly about there!
Just one day and then
I swear I'll be content"
Aside from facing difficult times, Rose promised herself not to let her fears get in the way and find her true path. She hurried to a hill and raised her arms, singing the last note as she looked at the view;
"With my share
Won't resent
Won't despair
Old and bent
I won't care,
I'll have spent
One day
Out there!"
Lorraine and her daughters smiled to see Rose's confidence coming back. Once she finished her song, she turned back and said, "I'll do it. I'll go on the voyage!"
Hazel and Willow grew surprised at the redhead's unexpected decision. The dark-haired widow nodded and took Rose's hands, and asked the girl with concern, "Is this what you really want to do Rose?"
"I do," she said, but then hesitated. "I know I may sound impulsive, but I think I'm starting to understand that I need to make a change. Although I'm not sure going out into space will make my life better."
"Well, you're never going to know unless you try," Lorraine said, firmly. "I know that making choices aren't easy. But you'll have to stand up against fear and find your faith. I think you should tell the Captain and Mr. Arrow about your decision and accept the offer."
Rose hurried back to the mansion and entered the living room, with Lorraine, Hazel, Willow, and Artemis following. Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow were in their seats and saw the girl entering, with her hands folded together. The Captain gave the girl a concerned, but kind expression.
"Rose. Mr. Arrow and I are curious to learn about your decision," she said.
"Yes, Mother," Rose said, giving a heavy sigh and she looked up at the guardians who cared for her since she was six years old. "I know that I've always turned you down on going outside of my home. I know that I've let you and Mr. Arrow down, but you're right." Captain Amelia's emerald eyes softened, she never heard of her adopted daughter admitting the true point of leaving the mansion. "As much as I want to go, I always have turned down the offers. I often thought about them, but my conscience always tells me no sometimes, and my heart urges me to do it. But…. I keep ignoring it due to my head telling me, no." She sighed again and looked back at them. "I want to make a good sense of myself."
There was a brief pause, and Mr. Arrow stepped in.
"Amelia, can I have a word?" Mr. Arrow said.
The two adults stepped away, with the first mate taking the feline's hand into his rough one.
"You said yourself, we've tried everything. A few months in space will do her some good and help her grow up."
"Are you sure Arrow?"
"I'm sure about it."
The adults turned to the petite girl and she looked down nervously.
"I'm sorry Mother. I am also a bit nervous to join. I may not like it, but I'll do my best."
"It will be something you must get used to." Amelia crossed the room and placed her hands on the girl's cheeks.
"Listen dear, I know getting out in that world isn't easy and leaving Mr. Arrow and I. But we'll always be here for you, Rose. But you can't always stay indoors all the time, that's not living Rose, that's shutting yourself off. Mr. Arrow and I thought it would be best for you to go to the outside world."
The first mate came up and took the girl's hands and held them gently. The rough skin on his enormous hands engulfed her pale, and tiny ones. She looked up at him and her innocent eyes were filled with love and respect for the first mate.
"After all, your mother and I want to see you at least go on one voyage. It will be a good place to start, and experience it outside from your home planet. But, we both want to you to try at least to be a little social. You could even make some new friends," Mr. Arrow added.
"I guess so," the redhead nodded giving a small smile.
"Well then, let's prepare for the voyage and soon we'll be off to the spaceport," said the First Mate.
Author's note: The song, "Out There" belongs to another Disney film, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", with a few lyric changes.
