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"Monty!” Percy wakes me with a jolt. He often wakes me for a kiss goodbye when he has to go somewhere before I’m awake. And then I typically go back to sleep for hours, because I don’t get back from work until at least three in the morning. But this isn’t Percy’s usual, gentle wake up. His voice is tense and urgent.
I sit up, nearly smacking heads with him, as he had been peering over me. “What is it?”
“Felicity’s gone.”
My heart sinks to my stomach like a heavy stone, as dread and panic wash me over. “What? What do you mean gone? Are you certain?”
He nods. “She wasn’t here when I woke up a minute ago, and it’s before dawn. And all of her things are gone.”
“Goddammit, Felicity!” I mutter, then tell Percy, “I know where she is. She told me last week she was going to go to Stuttgart with that girl from Scipio’s crew. To go to the wedding and find that doctor.” I stand up, my fear turning into rage. “I told her she couldn’t go! It’s a terrible idea! I honestly believed she was smarter than that.”
“All right, you need to calm down,” Percy says, placing a hand on my shoulder, although I’m certain I saw his eyes widen in fear just now.
“I cannot believe she would do something so dangerous and stupid!” I vent, getting dressed.
“Where are you going?” Percy asks.
“To the port,” I reply. “I’m going to stop her.”
“Monty, wait!” he says. “Can we talk about this first? Before making any rash decisions.” But I’m already pulling on my boots, cloak and hat.
“I’m trying to prevent my sister from making a rash decision!” I snap, scowling at him. He looks a little hurt by my tone, which would normally make me feel awful, but right now, I have more important things to worry about. “I’ll see you later.” I tell Percy, sharply, leaving the flat and shutting the door behind me.
The morning is gray and frigid, and Christ, I am not used to being awake this early. Carriages are not something we can regularly afford, but it’s a long way to the port, and I have no chance of catching Felicity before she boards her ship if I travel by foot.
By the time I get there, thick crowds of people swarm the dock. It’s going to be impossible to find my sister among the mobs. I wander around the port for a while, scanning the masses for Felicity. I tread upon some fish entrails, and beside me, a man slips on them, dropping the trunk he’s carrying and grabbing onto me for support. “Sorry,” he mutters, picking up his now slimy trunk off of the ground. Where is Felicity? Eventually, I find the passenger ship heading to Calais, which she would definitely have to take to get to Germany. Unless I’m too late and she is already on the boat, I’ll catch her boarding if I wait here.
All of a sudden, a clamour erupts a few feet away from me. I look to view what’s going on, and see a young man wearing a long brown cloak covered in wine. In front of him stands a mangy looking sailor who has marks made with blue ink all over his coat and neck. He’s holding a mug that I assume must have contained the wine the other man is sporting down the front of his cloak.
The sailor looks anxiously behind him. I follow his gaze and see them; my sister and the girl from Scipio’s crew. I don’t remember her name. I hurry toward them, but out of nowhere, the sailor lunges at me, hitting me in the side with so much force that we both end up plunging into the frosty, putrid River Thames.
The freezing water feels like thousands of glacial needles penetrating my skin. I’m so bloody cold, I’m not sure I’ll ever be warm again. A couple sets of strong hands pull me from the river. I’m dripping wet and shivering so hard, my teeth chatter loudly and uncontrollably, but all I can think about is Felicity. She cannot get on that boat. I start running toward where I last saw her, but with my wet boots and the icy ground, I slip.
Someone catches me under my arms before I can fall face first into the dock. “Monty!” the person who caught me exclaims. It’s Percy. I fight his grasp, which is not something I could ever conceive myself doing, but I need to save my sister. Frustratingly, despite my best efforts, he manages to keep a firm hold on me. When I finally stop struggling, he pulls me in close. I turn around to face him, shove my frozen hands into his coat pockets and bury my face into his warm neck. His body heat is a welcome relief from the brisk wind whipping right through my soaking body. “Darling, you’re shaking!” he says, wrapping his arms around me.
“D-don’t you h-have a sh-show to g-get to?” I shiver.
“Well, I did, but seeing how distressed you were leaving the flat, I couldn’t let you be on your own.” he explains. People are beginning to stare. Not only am I completely wet, but Percy and I are standing way too close to each other than what is acceptable for two lads in public. We must look especially suspicious with my hands in his pockets. I don’t care. If we’re called out for it, we can say I need the heat.
“I l-lost her.” I choke. “She’s gone.”
“I know.” Percy soothes, rubbing my back. We’re really risking it now. We’re much too far from home for me to make it there without thawing out first. The water on my clothes has already started to harden into ice. We set out walking to find the nearest public place with a stove.
Luckily, we find an open pub with an owner kind enough to let me warm up before the stove, as long as we buy something. This isn’t a problem, as neither of us have had breakfast and we’re both rather famished. Percy makes me have some soup.
“You think Felicity’s going to be all right?” I ask Percy once we’re comfortable, looking for reassurance.
“I don’t know,” he answers, honestly. “What I was going to say, before you stormed out earlier, was that I think we should talk to Scipio.”
I’m confused. “Why?”
“He hired Sim, didn’t he? His crew could tell us more about her, let us know if she’s truly trustworthy or not.”
I nod. I have to admit, it’s a good idea. “But even if she is, Feli’s plan to impress that doctor fellow into giving her a job at his own wedding? It’s a ridiculous idea, and she’s going to be taken advantage of, I know it.”
Percy frowns. “There’s not much we can do about that. But remember, this is Felicity we’re talking about. I don’t think she’ll let people take advantage of her too easily.”
I sigh. “I hope you’re right.”
We sit in silence, eating our meals, until I say, “I’m sorry you had to miss another show. It’s going to be difficult to afford rent this month.”
Percy reaches for my hand. He usually worries about money more than I do, but he looks into my eyes and says, “We’ll work it out. We always do. On a different note,” he adds, his mouth curling into a mischievous smile. “There are some upsides to your sister no longer staying with us.” I beam. I am so hopelessly in love with this beautiful boy, and it is abso-bloody-lutely wonderful.