Forgotten Truths (The Forgotten Truths Series)

by Justine E. Domke

  “It didn’t hurt.” He shrugged and started to get up. His eye was completely black now as he held his hand out to me.

  I did not deserve this. Why wasn’t he mad? There was something really wrong about this, but I was too confused to worry about it long. I got up alone and started back toward the room but tripped. James caught me at the last second. I immediately jumped away from him.

  “Don’t touch me.” I placed my hand against the door to support myself. I sounded weak, which wasn’t something that happened often.

  He stood quietly for a moment. “Would you at least tell me your name?”

  I turned my head toward him but kept my face expressionless in contrast to what was really going on inside of me. As I found the latch with my hand, I whispered, “Don’t ask me that again.”

  ~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~

  For the next few days, James stayed in the room but didn’t talk. When I woke, he would be sitting in the chair he had pulled further back to give me space. When I moaned, he’d place a damp cloth on my forehead. When my stomach growled, he brought me food. He kept a glass of water by me, filled at all times. I never made eye contact with him. I could tell when he was looking at me because he would take in a breath as if about to say something but he would pause and let it out. I didn’t acknowledge him. When he moved toward me to move the cloth, I closed my eyes. The silence was getting on my nerves, and one of us was going to break it soon. The tension in the air was so thick that we almost needed to open the door to let some of it out.

  One afternoon, I was staring up at the ceiling, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw James stand up. In response, I closed my eyes. I felt him standing right next to me, and after a moment he sat down on the bench. I was very aware of his hand right next to my knee, but he didn’t touch it. He cleared his throat, which I ignored. He cleared it again and again until I finally opened my eyes and looked at him. He still didn’t say anything, and when he reached his hand toward my forehead, I didn’t flinch. It wasn’t until he bypassed the cloth and moved his hand under it did I realize why he waited until my eyes were open. I immediately tensed, but stayed still. He didn’t press his hand to my forehead; he barely touched it, just as he had when he had placed it on the back of my head when I hit it against the wall.

  Before I knew it, my mouth was open and told him my name. “Andrea.”

  He lifted his hand away. I saw that there were scratches and calluses all over it that I hadn’t noticed before. He reached beside him and took hold of a wet cloth to replace the one on my forehead.

  “But only my father calls me Andrea. Everyone else calls me Andy.” I noticed my voice was very raspy as the cloth was put back in its place.

  He leaned toward me, but was reaching for my water glass next to my shoulder. At the same time, I sat up a little, which brought myself closer without meaning to. He caught my eye and froze. His eyes were much darker than I had thought. The hair that hung on his forehead was very thin and had light brown streaks in it from being in the sun, or so I assumed. I wondered what he noticed about me this close.

  His hand suddenly appeared between our faces. It took a moment for my eyes to focus on what he was holding. It was my water glass. I shouldn’t have been surprised since that was what he had been reaching for. I didn’t take my eyes off it when I held it and put it on my lap. I wasn’t thirsty anymore.

  He stayed where he was, however, and I still felt his eyes on me. “You’re head is still a little warm. How are you feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “Are you dizzy or lightheaded anymore?”

  “No.”

  He leaned back. “Look, about the other night, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry.”

  I glanced at him. He seemed honest and as he stared back at me, I could tell he was hoping I would respond instead of remaining quiet. “Can I ask you something?”

  He nodded.

  “Why did you take me if you didn’t even know who I was? You didn’t know anything about me, so did you just see me and decide that I was in danger or something that I didn’t know about?”

  “I was under orders. We’ve been doing this sort of thing for a few years.” He spoke slowly and kept his eyes locked on mine. His voice was soft when he said, “I told you this before.”

  “I know, but I’m still trying to understand. I mean, kidnapping girls from their lives? What do you do with them once you’ve got them?” I was genuinely confused and curious, even if it felt like we kept going in a circle.

  “Well, most of the time they’ve been kidnapped by pirates, so we put them back with their families. For the ones who don’t remember their families, we do what we can to find families who have lost a child and who are willing to take someone in and care for them.”

  “And what about girls like me?”

  “We haven’t had a girl like you before.” He took the glass out of my hands since I wasn’t drinking it. “So in this case, you’ll come with me and Captain Brown. This way, even if you don’t like me, you’ll be with someone who isn’t a stranger.”

  “How much longer is it until we dock?”

  He looked out the window. “Soon.”

  “How soon is soon?” The moment it was out of my mouth, I heard the ship moan and then a shudder ran through it as we came to a stop.

  He looked back at me with a small smile. “Now.”

  “So, now what?”

  “We’ll wait a little bit for the crew to unload cargo and then we’ll leave.”

  How was it that he had time to sit in here with me all day, every day, and didn’t have to help with unloading or regular maintenance? My father would never let any member of his crew get away with it. They’d be gone in the blink of an eye.

  “Is there anything I need to do?”

  “Well,” His focus went to something off to the side, and I followed his gaze to a box by the door I hadn’t noticed before. “It has been suggested…”

  “What has?” I sat up straighter.

  He looked back at me. “That you come off the ship wearing a dress.”

  I must have made some horrendous facial expression because he started to laugh. I turned back to him.

  “Are you serious?” I snapped.

  He stopped laughing quickly. “You’ll look just like everyone else and you won’t be bothered with strange stares and attention you don’t want.”

  “Absolutely not.” I folded my arms across my chest.

  “I thought you would agree,” he mumbled as he stood.

  I got to my feet too. “Why on earth would I agree to something like that?”

  He continued over to the box.

  “Did you hear me? I will not wear a dress. You cannot make me.”

  “Actually I can, but I don’t think you want me to.” He stopped at the box and pulled the lid off. I couldn’t see what was in it, but it was obvious that it was the dress in question. He pulled it out and shook it. It was a pale red color with a high neck. It looked fairly simple, but I still thought it was hideous.

  “No. I won’t do it.”

  He set it on a chair and walked back over to me. I straightened up; bracing myself for whatever it was he was going to do to me. He stopped right in front of me and locked his eyes on mine. I stared right back. I was waiting for a struggle or a hand grab or anything.

  “You’re a beautiful lady.”

  I blinked. Nobody had ever called me beautiful before, let alone a lady. “Excuse me?”

  “There is nothing to compare you to. Not a sunset over the ocean; not a lone flower in a field of dirt, although that one is slightly closer.” He tilted his head. “Why do you want to hide it?”

  I stepped back. I wasn’t sure how to take what he was saying, even though I knew he was just trying to convince me to put the dress on. I was quickly becoming flustered. “Stop that. I will not wear that dress, no matter what you say to me. Maybe to you I’m beautiful, but to me, I don’t see it nor do I care.”

  “Why not?”

>   “I go around wearing men’s clothing on a regular basis. I’ve seen women in other towns, and I look nothing like them. I’m not beautiful.”

  “I think you are.”

  “I don’t care what you think.”

  He groaned. “Please just put it on?”

  “No.”

  He sighed again and lowered his head. He slowly took a step closer, and then another until he was so close I could feel his breath on my face. He lifted his eyes to catch mine, and I noticed he wore a softer expression. It was mesmerizing. “Please?”

  It took me more than a few seconds to realize that I was nodding. I quickly snapped out of it and shook my head instead. “I can’t.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with wearing a dress?”

  “I just can’t.”

  “Can you at least try it on? Would that really be a problem?”

  I tried to step back, but I was up against the bench. I sat down instead and leaned back against the wall. “Yes, it would be a problem.”

  “Please?” He sat down in the chair.

  “What is it with you? I won’t wear it. I can’t wear it! Stop asking me.”

  He sighed again. He seemed to do that a lot. He still wasn’t frustrated though, which made me think that maybe that was his way of avoiding it. “You won’t give me a valid reason. I can’t stop until you agree with something.”

  “If I agree, but don’t put it on, will that stop you?”

  His lip twitched, and I knew he was trying to hide a grin. “I have to see you in it.”

  “That isn’t part of this bargaining. You never said you had to see me in it.”

  He put his head in his hands. “You’re head is going to start hurting.”

  “I don’t care!”

  “If you faint, you will wake up with the dress on. So either way, you are going to be getting off this ship in a dress.”

  “Why do you want me in that dress so much?”

  He lifted his head and sat for a moment. Then he stood up and came over to me again. “Captain Brown will not tolerate a female who isn’t in a dress. If you come with me dressed in that,” he pointed to my outfit, “he won’t let you in the house. And you need to stay with me if you want your father to find you.”

  So he had figured it out. He was smarter than I gave him credit for. I wasn’t sure what to say to it though. He took one step closer. “I’m helping you if you help me. Please just put it on.”

  Chapter III

  I stepped out on the deck and found James waiting for me. He was fiddling with his fingers and didn’t see me. I took this quick opportunity to check myself. I refused the shoes, preferring to stay barefoot. The dress was a little too small around my body and too long, which surprised me since I had always considered myself to be tall. It flowed down past my feet onto the deck. There was a little black lace around the cuffs of my sleeves, which itched, as did my neck where the high collar scratched me. I’d never worn anything that was this tight to my body. I was not comfortable by any means, but I still cleared my throat to get his attention.

  He looked up and his hands froze in position. He blinked a couple times. I shifted from foot to foot under his gaze. I’d been used to the new guys on the ship looking me over, but this was more severe. I cleared my throat again and took a step back. He looked me in the eye for a moment and then shook his head.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “I’m uncomfortable enough in this dress without feeling your eyes judging every aspect of my body.”

  “I said I was sorry. I’m completely honest when I say I didn’t expect the dress to look so good on you.”

  I looked away and shifted my feet again. “It’s too tight and I’m very uncomfortable in it. How long do I have to wear this again?”

  “Today. Then we’ll figure something else out. We want to give Captain Brown a good impression of you.”

  “Because it’s so important to me,” I said sarcastically.

  “Maybe not now, but you’ll want to make a good impression with him.”

  “What’s he like?”

  He came over to me and started to play with my hair. I took a step back out of his reach.

  “We need to fix your hair so it fits the dress.”

  “I asked you a question.” I ruffled my hair. It may have been longer than his hair cut, but it was still too short to style in any way.

  “He’s a very nice man. He has a strict way of handling things. But he’s very giving if the situation calls for it. You being in a dress can only help your status under his eye.”

  “Will it? How much will it benefit me?” I looked down at the dress again. “Is it really worth all of this?”

  He sighed. “Right after you meet him, I’ll escort you to my room and give you some of my clothes.”

  I nodded. “Are we ready to go now?”

  He looked over at the side where some men were still carting stuff off. “A few more minutes.”

  “Good.”

  We waited a little while longer until most of the men seemed to be off the ship. I wasn’t sure if this was to benefit me or James, but I wasn’t going to ask. I was just glad that fewer people would see me in this monstrosity.

  I did notice that he kept glancing at me but when I’d turn my head toward him, he’d quickly look away. I wasn’t sure how I felt about how he was having trouble keeping his eyes off me. Sure I was uncomfortable, but I was used to being looked at. I just hadn’t been in a tight dress those times, which I knew was the reason for the discomfort. But the fact that he was struggling to keep his attention elsewhere, and failing, meant that I must have looked decent, maybe even pretty. I looked down at myself again. It didn’t matter. I wanted to get out of this thing and into baggy clothes again.

  We stood in awkward silence for what seemed like years when he finally stepped out of the shadows and looked around the deck.

  “Come on. We can’t wait any longer if we expect the carriage to wait for us.”

  “How far is it to walk?” I asked as I followed him over to the side where the ramp was.

  “Several miles. You can see the town from the house, but you can’t see the house from the town.”

  We walked down the ramp and found the carriage he had mentioned waiting for us. James nodded at the driver before turning to me with his hand held out. I just looked at it.

  “Play the part, Andrea.”

  “I have to hold your hand?”

  “It’s out of courtesy. I know you can make it up yourself. But you need to act like you’re just a regular female if you’re going to avoid being the center of attention.”

  I looked at his hand again. It was only a hand. And maybe it would be different if it was me touching him. He wasn’t about to try anything. I looked around to see how many people would notice me if I didn’t do what James suggested. For all I knew, it would have made a big scene if I didn’t put my hand in his. And I didn’t want that, not in this dress. If word got out to my father that I had been making a scene in a dress, I’m sure he would have been laughing at me. So maybe making a little bit of a scene really wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. But this dress... I just wanted to get out of it. There were several people around, but no one was paying attention to us. I glanced at his hand again and then at his face. He was waiting patiently, still no sign of anger or frustration. He knew that I’d do what I wanted to do no matter what he said.

  I placed my hand in his and looked him in the eye. “Don’t call me Andrea.”

  He bowed slightly but otherwise didn’t do or say anything. I stepped up into the carriage and moved back against the side. It was covered, which was nice. Fewer people would see me than in an open carriage. I looked out the window at the trees, glad to have my hand back. My heart wasn’t racing, which was different, but I assumed it was because I had willingly put my hand in his. I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead and in my palm. I rubbed it against the seat trying to get it off just as James stepped in. He sa
t down next to me and hit his hand against the outside. We started moving and he relaxed beside me. I sat as close to the side as I could to avoid any more contact.

  I snuck a peek at him once after he had been quiet for some time and saw his eyes closed. I tried to relax and went back to looking out the window. There was forest on my side of the carriage, which was pretty bland but still a nice change in scenery. I turned my attention to the other window and saw the ocean. The sun was starting to set which made the ripples in the water catch the sun when they peaked. It was a sea of sparkles. It was so mesmerizing that it took me a few minutes to realize that James had opened his eyes and was staring at me. I tried not to notice, but the longer I felt his eyes on me, the more I noticed how close he was to me. I shifted a little, meaning to move away, but it brought me a little closer to him. He didn’t move.

  Now I was really uncomfortable and wasn’t even focused on the water anymore. I tried not to show it as I moved again. I leaned back at an odd angle against the back of the carriage. I closed my eyes and let the relief of having some distance between us come over me.

  I felt the seat shift and dared to open my eyes. James was leaning a little closer with his hand poised above my face. He kept it hanging for a moment before he slowly lowered it onto my forehead. “Are you all right?”

  “What?” I felt my pulse racing but couldn’t move. I wanted his hand off me, but I couldn’t feel my hands. Then I realized that I was sitting on them. When had I done that?

  “You’re sweating bullets.” He moved his hand a little. “And you’re turning red.”

  “I’m fine.” I managed to get one of my hands free and placed it around his wrist to move it away from me. I wasn’t forceful by any means, not how I normally was.

  He took the hint and started to pull his hand back himself. He looked at it, and then at me. “Are you sure?”

  “Does anyone else live with you and Captain Brown?” I tried to change the subject to distract him.

  He glanced at his wrist again and then back at me. “He has a son my age. You won’t see him much though. I rarely do.”