Captain England (Post 5)

The woman, Kat, sauntered in carrying a pile of clothes which she promptly dropped on the table. Before she could head out the door, I ventured, “Excuse me?”

She turned to look at me haughtily, setting her hands on her hips.  A strand of dishwater blond hair fluttered into her eye. I cleared my throat. “Um, would it be possible for me to wash up?” I felt like I needed to add, “With some clean water? And soap?”

Kat pouted, her eyes shining with disdain. “Soap! What do you think this is, the Royal Court?” Before I could answer, she’d left, snickering to herself. I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples, willing myself not to lose it. I had begun to lose hope that this was all a bad dream. The panic bubbled within me, threatening to seep out in the form of a blood-curdling scream, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Best case scenario: I keep it together and figure a way out of this mess. Worst case scenario: I’m considered dangerous to a bunch of lunatics and killed. So far, I had Edward England on my side, it seemed; I had to make sure I didn’t lose him.

Kat carried a bucket of water into the room and practically dropped it at my feet, water sloshing from it. She glared at me as she said snarkily, “Anything else for your ‘ighness?” She shook her head as she stormed out. A rag was draped over the side of the bucket. I stared at it for a moment, wanting to cry. How was I going to get clean? Clearly, I wasn’t. Just as well, I told myself. Maybe the stench of my own filth would overpower the stench of the others. How was I going to survive around here if I constantly wanted to throw up? I grabbed Tanya’s makeup bag, rummaging through it. God bless Tanya and her constant one-night-stand preparedness! She had a small travel toothbrush and toothpaste. After all the puking, I needed a good teeth-brushing. Too bad she hadn’t included soap, deodorant, shampoo…

A crash of thunder distracted me from my lament. Rain. Nature’s shower. England had told me not to leave the house, but I couldn’t think of anything better than letting the rain wash the past few days from my skin. Had it been days? I didn’t even know. It had felt like years. I suddenly began moving with urgency. I would leave everything here, and after soaking in the rain for a few minutes, I would come back. I froze, thinking about my plan. Eh. Leaving the house in my clothes was a bad idea. I glanced at the clothes Kat had left for me: a white linen shift with full sleeves, a brown corset and petticoat, and a faded blue gown. Beneath them were two straight leather shoes with pointed toes and a slight heel.

God almighty, where was the underwear? And how the hell was I going to get that corset on without any help? I thought about the sullen Kat pulling the laces of my corset tight around my torso. She’d have a bit too much fun with that. Hang the corset. I’d throw on the shift, petticoat, gown and shoes and let them get washed too. I’m sure they needed it. I struggled into the smelly clothes and rushed out of the room into the smaller adjacent one, where Kat was sitting. I barely looked at her as I breezed by, mumbling something about being back soon. I doubted she would try and stop me; she didn’t seem fond of me or the attention Captain England was giving me.

The rain had just started, and the fine mist quickly became heavy drops. People rushed into the hovels and simple homes, not paying any attention to me as I sighed, turning my face up to the sky. I walked slowly, willing the water to wash away the filth. What I really needed was to take off the clothes, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen… unless I could find somewhere secluded. And even then it was probably a really bad idea. If I really was in 1718 (what an absurd thought! I laughed nervously just considering it), then men weren’t used to seeing women’s calves around here. On the other hand, if I really was in 1718, people were afraid of water and fresh air, thinking it made one vulnerable to illness, right? Awesome. So long as it rained, I would be alone. I had never wished for rain so hard in my life.

I walked aimlessly down the road, past the glowing huts and taverns, until I saw the beach, not vibrant with pirate activity as it had been before. The men had sought shelter in their tents, and the beach lay deserted in the pounding rain. I blinked through the water, looking for a private spot to sit. Just on the strand, I saw an overturned canoe, abandoned to rot in the tropical brush on account of a gaping hole in its bottom. I made my way through the wet sand and, making sure I was alone in the immediate vicinity, sat carefully on the canoe behind several palmettos and sandfly bushes. I was soaked, but not brave enough to disrobe.

I had so much to think about. I didn’t know where to begin. For starters, I missed Sophie something fierce. I also missed Jake, in spite of myself. I missed Sky and Tanya, and hoped they were ok, wherever they were. What had happened to me? What? I ran through the memories sequentially. Was I forgetting something?

You have displeased your loua… Something big is about to happen to you…

I shuddered. Was Dieujuste in on this? What was going on? I felt myself start to lose my grip on sanity and forced myself to focus. Shutting my eyes, I took several deep breaths. I was good at focusing on the task at hand – it was how I’d climbed the corporate ladder. Single-minded focus. I had to use it now like I never had before.

For some reason, I thought of The Truman Show, with Jim Carrey’s character living a fake life in front of the cameras but not knowing it. Maybe if I kept walking I would reach the end of the movie set, the end of the glass dome. Instinctively, I looked up into the palmettos for hidden cameras. I groaned, raking my fingers through my wet, tangled hair. Focus! Focus, Sabrina. I had to pretend, at least for the time being, that I was in the early 18th century. How was I going to cope? I thought about all the things I needed but didn’t have: personal hygiene items, my Blackberry, cotton underwear, multivitamins, Lexapro… Oh, shit! My Lexapro! That was going to hurt. Come to think of it, part of the incessant nausea and dizziness might have been SSRI withdrawal symptoms, not just because the people reeked. How was I going to DO this without my happy pills? I hung my head, the tears stinging my eyes.

Focus, Sabrina. You can do this. Chances are, you’ll be so busy trying to get out of here alive that you won’t have time to be depressed.

On the bright side, my vision was 20/15. I’d had LASIK a year ago, thank God. I couldn’t imagine being in 1718 (or a place that, for all practical purposes, was like 1718) and needing contacts or glasses. I’d already be dead, I’d guess. Completely crazy, for sure. Another plus: I was up to date on all my vaccinations. Of course, I was still susceptible to smallpox and all that… Yikes. Ok, I wasn’t going to let my thoughts go in that direction, it would do no good.

The rain had slowed to a fine drizzle. I shivered, wondering how things were going at the firm without me. Had the merger gone through? I imagined my secretary, Linda, frantically fielding calls from our clients, desperately trying to find me. I felt a knot of anxiety in my gut at the thought. At least I didn’t have to worry about Sophie’s welfare – Jake always did everything for her anyway. In spite of myself, I began to sob. I would focus in a second. But first I had to cry my head off. I wailed aloud, letting the tears stream with abandon down my face, letting the sobs shake my whole body. It felt good.

“Well, now, ‘allo, poppet!” A male voice, too close for comfort, made me jump up and spin around.