Chapter 2
Joanne sat up on the bunk and noticed her shoes had been removed.
“My bag,” She thought out loud.
“Where is it?” She panicked noticing it was on her back anymore.
She moved her legs off the side of the bed and banged into something.
Looking down, she saw her bag and shoes.
“Thank God,” She mumbled.
She put on her shoes and picked up her bag. Unzipping it to look inside.
“Where is it?” She said searching through her bag. She was still looking when she heard the door open.
“You’re awake,” A soft yet masculine voice spoke.
She looked up behind a small piece of hair that had fallen out of her hat and groaned, “Er, it’s you! I was hoping that was a nightmare.”
But Andrew didn’t seem to hear her, he was too in awe with this strangely feminine looking boy in front of him.
“You are very pretty boy,” He said out loud without thinking.
Joanne raised her eyebrows ‘boy?’ She thought amused but somewhat angry.
Yes, she was a tomboy but never once had someone thought she was one.
‘Just play along,’ something in her head told her. “You like pretty boys?” She asked trying to hide her amusement when she saw his eyes widen in realisation, “Are you homosexual?” She quickly added.
His mouth gulped like a fish, “No no no. I just… I… I just meant to look very feminine,” He tried defending, “I have a younger brother your age. I would never do anything like that. I plan to marry and have children one day.”
“You have a fiancée?”
“No. But I will when I find the right girl.”
She wanted to laugh, but then remember what he said, “Little brother?”
“Yes. He isn’t here with us. It is only us men this trip. My father thinks he is too young to come. He is only thirteen,” He told her.
She was about to argue and tell him she was not thirteen nor a boy when she again realised what he said.
“No women?” She asked a bit too softly for a boy, but Andrew brushed it off as his age.
“No…” He paused as if thinking.
“Well, there is a working girl down in the lower decks that the men think my father doesn’t know about. But he does,” He said as though thinking.
“A working girl? You mean a prostitute?” She asked shocked.
“Yes. Dad said if it keeps the men happy and out of trouble on long trips then he will turn a blind eye.” He told her nonchalantly.
“The only women you have working on board ever is a prostitute?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Yes. What other reason would a woman be on a fishing boat for?” He sounded honest.
“Maybe to fish,” She exclaimed throwing her arms in the air, “What is this 1890s?” She asked rhetorically.
“No, 1875,” He said giving her a worried look. “Are you alright, boy? Have you hit your head?” He asked reaching out his hand to move her hat.
‘Don’t let him!’ Her logic told her.
She knew she had to continue making them think she was a boy at least until she could get to land. God knows what they would do if they knew she wasn’t. She didn’t want to take that chance.
“I am fine,” She pulled back out of his reach, “What are you talking about 1875?” These guys were either going all out to scare her the hell out or she had lost it.
“It’s 1875,” He pointed to a small numeral date calendar on the wall, “See.” She stood up and looked closer. Then quickly went back to her bag throwing things on the bed whilst looking for her phone.
“Aha,” She pulled it out, not noticing Andrew looking at the foreign items on the bed.
‘No service,’ The screen read.
“Why aren’t you working?” She mumbled shaking the phone.
“What are these?” Andrew asked getting her attention.
She groaned and looked up from her phone. Her eyes widened ‘Crap crap crap crap,’ Her brain repeated. She quickly snatched the box from his hand and dumped that along with everything else that she had put on the bed inside her bag again.
“That is private,” She grumbled in reply throwing her obviously not working phone in her bag with everything else but not before turning it off to save battery.
“It said ‘Tampax.’ Is that some kind of new sweet or something?” He asked her not giving up.
“Or something…” She replied almost inaudible, but he heard her. Thankfully, he was too busy looking at the other things to even notice her phone in her hand.
‘If this really is 1875 then of course my phone wouldn’t work… Plus it would probably freak the locals out,’ She internally laughed.
“So, Mr fisher man. What’s your name?” She asked trying to change the subject.
“Andrew Young junior, my father is Andrew Young senior. What about you?”
The name seemed familiar, but she couldn’t remember where from.
“I am Jo…” She cut herself off.
‘You are meant to be a boy,’ She told herself.
“Joe?”
“Yes. Jo Harris,” She said tucking In her loose strands of hair back into her hat.
**
Andrew watched Jo intently as though he was some kind of puzzle. He felt that something was off about the young boy, but he couldn’t tell what.
“My dad wanted to speak to you when you awoke,” He told the boy.
“Your dad?…” Jo paused as if thinking, “You mean the scary captain guy?”
Andrew couldn’t help but chuckle at the comment.
“I do not think I have ever heard him described like to that. Most people find him likable and a good captain.”
“Well, they wasn’t yelled at by him obviously,” Jo said with a yawn, standing up and stretching his body.
Andrew, who was still watching him, was taken back when he noticed two small swells on the boy’s chest when he stretched. ‘Probably just his undershirt bunching up,’ He tried to convince himself.
“Andrew?” Jo said trying to get his attention. He shook his head and looked at the younger boy. “Sorry. Did you say something?” He asked snapping out of his daze.
“I said, are we going to see him now?” He nodded his head, “Yes. He is just in the next room,” He stood up from the bunk he had sat when Jo emptied out his bag. Jo stood up and grabbed his bag.
“You can leave that here if you want.”
Jo looked unsure.
“No one will touch it. I promise. The only people who can get in here are me and my dad,” He explains.
Jo followed as Andrew got up and walked behind him to the door.
Stopping suddenly when he reached the door causing Jo to run into his back.
‘There it was again,’ He thought. But this time he felt it. Jo was definitely a girl.
Still thinking she was only thirteen or so due to her small stature.
Unsure why she was here or dressed as a boy he decided not to say anything for now. The small girl was probably scared about being on a ship full of men. Especially after he was foolish enough to tell her about the men’s ‘entertainment.’ He internally scolded himself.
“Sorry, Jo,” He said with double meaning.
He could help but wonder what her name was. ‘Annabelle maybe.’ She looked like an Annabelle, young, sweet and innocent.
Opening the door, he took a step back and held it open for her. Then led her over to where his father was waiting patiently.
“Dad,” He greeted, “This is Jo. Jo, my dad,” He introduced the pair.
The captain stood up. “Nice to meet you, Jo. It would’ve been better to met you under different circumstances.”
“Yes, Captain,” She mumbled looking at the decking.
“Dad, I need to have a word with you in private.”
He nodded to his son. Before either could say anymore, Jo started to move away. “I’ll just go back in here and give you a minute,” She said disappearing into the previous room without another word.
Andrew senior frowned, “That boy is strange.”
“That’s the thing I wanted to speak to you about,” Junior started.
His father looked at him intently.
“I don’t think Jo is a boy.”
“You don’t think?” He looked at his son unsurely.
“I know… Unless young boys have started to develop breasts?”
His father looked at him with confusion, “How do you know?” He asked accusingly.
His son held his hands up in surrender, “It is not what you think. I just noticed when she was stretching…”
“That could have just been a bunched up shirt” His father quickly said.
“Yes, that’s what I thought. But just a minute ago I stopped suddenly and she ran into me and…. I think you get the idea,” He trailed off.
“Are you sure?” The captain asked him.
“I am positive. I just don’t know why she is here,” He thought out loud.
“Let’s ask her shall we…” And without another word Junior got up and had Jo re-entered the room.
“Take a seat,” Andrew senior told the girl.
He watched her walk over intently, he could tell now easily now that she was a girl. But couldn’t understand why he couldn’t before. The only masculine feature about her was her clothing.
**
Joanne felt the heat of their eyes burning into her as she walked through the room and sat down in a chair opposite the two.
She couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, even more so than the last time she was in the room only minutes earlier.
Something had changed she just didn’t know what.
“Why are you here?” The older man asked her.
“I don’t know… I was on the old one at the centre studying… But then, bam, I fell over and you were there.”
It was obvious by the men’s expressions they didn’t understand a word she said.
“You speak strangely,” The younger one said looking some-what amused.
“You are a student?” His father asked her.
Forgetting for a moment where she was, she clicked her tongue. “‘Course. I am in my final year of a degree,” She internally slapped herself for letting her mouth runoff.
Both men looked surprised, “A degree, as in college?”
She didn’t answer straight away, she was too busy internally scolding herself.
“You are in college?” The captain asked again.
She slowly nodded. Looks of realization hit their faces, “That is why you are pretending to be a boy?”
Her eyes widen they knew, ‘Crap! Shit! Bollocks!’ She cursed inside her head. They knew, what would they do now.
“I wasn’t pretending to be a boy,” She mumbled.
They didn’t look convinced. “Then why are you dressed like this? Because we know you aren’t a boy, little girl,” Andrew Junior said with a smirk.
“Have you ever thought maybe I just like wearing these and as for being here…” She said pushing up her too long sleeves up her arms.
“…If I knew how I ended up here I sure as hell would have gone home hours ago. My dad is going to kill me, but my brothers they are probably too busy drinking and fucking randoms to even notice,” She exclaimed.
“You have foul language. Has your mother and father never told you ladies shouldn’t swear?” Captain told her hiding a smile.
“Mum’s dead and my dad doesn’t mind. My language is better than most,” She told him.
“What is randoms?” His son asked with a puzzled look.
“Women or strangers, it depends on the contexts of the sentence. In this case women,” She explained.
He looked deep in thought and repeated her words, “Fucking randoms?” He questioned.
“Sex,” She told him nonchalantly. Shocking both men at how bluntly she put it.
“You definitely are not a normal young girl. I am certain if your mother heard you speak like that she would scold you,” The captain tried to sound firm.
“Where are you from?”
“Grimsby…” She answered.
She knew where this was going, “I would tell you more, but if what your son has told me I am sure you would think me insane.”
The captain looked at his son, “What did you say to the little lass?”
Junior shrugged, “I have no idea.”
“Is it true it’s 1875?”
