The Belladonna

Chapter 2

The trip home seemed shorter than usual in the early hours of the morning. The rest of the town sleeping and silent as the dead. It was dark with only the moon shedding light over the island. Sky had heard the officers telling the men who had signed up that they had one day to organise themselves and then they were to meet at the dock in two days' time. If they didn't show up they were left behind and that they received their fist pay once they'd boarded the ship.

Sky was a little worried that her plan wouldn't work and she knew the consequences if she failed. How bad is death though if you have nothing to live for? She told herself this logic over and over with each step until she was at her door.

Her father's house was large; as an ex officer he had spent his money on his home and family making it large enough to fit four or more people. But when Sky's mother died giving birth to her the house seemed empty and hollow with only three people to occupy it. As Sky walked into the living space she took in all of her childhood home.

According to her brother it had been filled with furniture and paintings but her father had sold them all to live a life with only the necessities. Now the room held a large dark wooden table with a few chairs and a large stove over in one corner of the room. Off to one side was a bookcase filled with maps and other things her father had kept form his service.

Sky moved to her room and removed the outer layer of her dirty dress and laid it out on her small bed. She grabbed her rag cloths dreading the days she would need to use them and the day after when she would have to wash them. She could only hope that she might get a moment away from the rest of the men to deal with the problem when it arises. And that her womanly cycle would not be her undoing. As she unlaced the back of her bodice with nimble fingers she made her way to her brother's room passing her fathers closed door.

She remembered the day she had taken all that she needed from the room and had shut the door days after his death. She hadn't opened it since and knew she probably never would again. Opening her brother's door she saw the room as it had been the day he left. Her father had wanted to change it and clear his things but Sky had insisted he would need it the same when he came back. Her father had looked at her and smiled agreeing. Sky only realised now that he always knew her brother was never coming home.

His room was a little larger than hers but had a similar lay out with only a small bed and a big dresser that held all his cloths. She opened the third draw and removed one of his shirts along with a pair of brown light weight pants he wore when they were at sea in case he had to swim. Pulling her slip over her head Sky began ripping it into a long strand to bind herself with. She was thankful for her small chest and knew it would be a lot harder to be a boy with a curvaceous body.

Once she had a few long strands of cloth she began to wrap on around her body sure to make sure it would hold no matter how much she moved. When she was finished she was please to find it limited her a lot less than her bodice did. She checked the mirror that sat above her brothers dresser and saw her profile was flat. Satisfied she pulled on the cream colour shirt and pants. James had been about her size when he had worn them so they fit her well with enough bagginess to not cling to her body and show her shape. She looked at her hair curling down one side of her shoulders and sighed.

Men could have long hair, but maybe not this long, besides, she reasoned with herself, it would be a distraction in a battle and it's safer either way to have it shorter.  Looking back over her shoulder she scanned her brother's room for anything she might need then shut the door.

Back in the kitchen she removed a knife from the draw and grabbed a large hand full of hair. She thought about using her father's sword that rested against the bookshelf but decided against it as not only was it rusty with age and most likely blunt but it was also too long to handle and Sky was afraid she would slice her neck open. The knife felt heavy in her hand as she lined it up to her face.

"It's just hair." She told herself before she began cutting. As curl after curl feel to the ground it became easier. She cut it short enough to be tied back behind her neck and long enough to have at least a few curls down her face. For now she tied it back and prayed no one would see right through her disguise.

She walked over to the shelf and gently ran her fingers over her father's maps wishing she could take them all. In the end she knew she could take none and moved on. She reaches the end of the shelf and picks up her father's compass. The one he would always give her on their trips. Next to it was her brother spyglass. It was small but could see things just on the horizon clearly; the problem was being able to see them in the first place. Sky and James had made it a game as to who could see any ships first and much to James' annoyance his little sister always beat him. Though he could beat her at tying knots and when her father let him spear the fish he got them no problem. Her father always said that his aim and reflexes were extraordinary and if he had the right training he could master any weapon given to him.

Sky pocketed the compass and spyglass. She looked at the sword and knew that because she couldn't use one having it would just be extra weight she didn't need. Lastly she picked up her father's fishing hat and pulled it over her head tucking her hair under it. Having collected the only things that mattered to her Sky shut the door to her childhood home and didn't look back as she made her to the dock wondering if James had felt as frightened as she did now.