“You’re well-travelled, Aaron.” She forced a fake smile. “Tell me, what was Poland like?”
The odd flicker disappeared from his eyes.
“Poland was beautiful, until it wasn’t.” His ashen face sagged in strange place. “There were people there that wanted to hurt my family, hurt me. I learned how to barber, then we all moved to London.”
Katie tried to follow along with his fragmented story, but it jumped all over. Knowing better than to pry, she simply smiled broadly and nodded, as though he was making perfect sense.
Aaron continued as they strode down the street. “We moved to Whitechapel in London. There were dregs there too. So many dregs. But now there aren’t so many.”
Katie nodded and stared ahead. Where are the docks? Please come into sight soon.
“Remember,” Aaron continued, “good girls stay home at night.”
Thankfully, there it was. The ocean just at the end of the street. Thank you, God.
Aaron suddenly stopped walking, jerking Katie to a stop too. “Are you a good girl, Katie Knepp?”
The way he said her name turned her stomach. She tried to free her hand again, but his arm tightened like a vice. “Are you?”
“I try to be, Aaron.” Katie sighed and let out a shuddering breath. Specks of fear flew all around, like embers from a campfire. However, it was the truth in her heart that burned the brightest. “But I’m sure I’ve failed.”
She didn’t meet his poring gawp, because if he was looking at her with the odd flicker in his brown eyes, she would freeze. And who knows what would happen next. So she spoke to her hand, trapped in his arm, instead.
“I’ve hurt people that I love. I’ve been selfish and self-centered. I’ve disappointed God, my family, and myself. ” She shrugged. “But I’m trying to do better, each minute. And of course, I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done. So, Aaron, I don’t know if that makes me a good girl or not.”
Finally, she looked up at him. Sure enough, he was staring at her with those snake-like eyes. Paralyzing. Terrifying. Hungry. Fear sparked to life within her, brighter than before. Katie thought quickly and stammered over her words. “But, at least I stay in at night. I don’t go out at night.”
Aaron licked his lips. “Good.”
Without warning he started off walking in the direction of the ocean, dragging Katie along with him.
“That’s good, Katie Knepp.” He walked faster and faster, until they were almost sprinting. “Stay good, Katie Knepp. Stay good and don’t let them feed you. Ever.”
Once they were at the docks, he released her hand. “Here you go, I got you to the docks.” His face glowed with sweat and his breathing was coming fast and hard. “See, I’m good too. I kept my word. I’m good, Katie Knepp.”
Katie’s heart thundered in her chest as she gripped the railing to the docks with both hands. The sea, specked with gulls and giant boats, lapped before her, like a sea foamy beacon.
Thank you, God.
She dared a peek over her shoulder. Aaron shuffled off toward the tar-paper shacks. He stopped at a trash bin and peered inside. He stuck his hand inside and pulled out a half-eaten portion of someone’s discarded meal. He glanced over at Katie and made eye contact before shoving his newly acquired meal into his mouth. Still, he stared at her.
Katie shuddered and looked away. It wasn’t his obvious lack of manners that disgusted her. It was something else. Something in the way he looked at her as he shoved the spoiled food into his mouth. Something...indescribable. Unable to help herself, she glanced back over her shoulder toward the rubbish bin. Nobody stood where he’d been standing only moments before.
Katie released a relieved breath.
Thank you, God. I don’t know what just happened, but thank you.
She reached to wipe the sweat from her eyes and only then did she notice she was trembling. A ship blew its foghorn, pulling her out of her reverie.
She opened her eyes. A giant ship cut through the water, gracefully before her. She watched until the name appeared. Augusta Victoria was clearly emblazoned on the side.
Something inside Katie deflated as the giant ship glided across the water, drowning her hopes of traveling the world. She planned on telling Nellie Bly goodbye and returning the dress, but now she couldn’t even do that. So she waved instead. She waved with all of her strength, all her heart.
Goodbye, Nellie Bly.
Goodbye, world travels.
Goodbye, reporters and fame.
Goodbye, English world.
Thank you, Father Plant, for giving me a moment of silence in God’s house.
Thank you, God for guiding my steps and making sure I am falling back in line with Your will. Thank you.
She was so involved with her mental prayer she didn’t hear footsteps behind her. By the time she smelled the foul odor of rotting food, it was too late. One bony hand covered her face, and even if she’d been able to suck in a breath to scream, nobody would have been able to hear it.
Chapter Thirteen
New York City
“How do the women in this town walk around, looking like their feet don’t hurt, in those giant, tall shoes?” The trip, coupled with exhaustion and a bit of impatience, had brought out Rebekah’s candor.
“Judging, Miss Stoll?” Joseph’s jocular tone irked her.
“No.” She held her quilting bag close as she trailed along behind Peter and Joseph in the early morning sunlight. Something told her to keep it near, keep it safe. “Just an observation from a fellow girl whose feet are crying and begging for mercy. And I made these shoes, with Ma’s help, to fit my feet special. I can’t imagine walking in those.”
Peter checked the docks just prior to sunrise, and was satisfied that Katie was not there. “I asked a sailor, though,” he assured them. “And he said most ships set sail in the late morning. English certainly aren’t efficient users of time. They could get so much more done if they just got up and got started earlier.”
