far from home. peaky blinders

𝑇𝑊𝑂

"Are we still going up today?" Anna asked, and Robert turned to her with wide eyes as he beckoned for her to quieten her voice. She blushed, before repeating herself with a whisper.

He nodded. "We should go now, while we can."

He was already sliding to his feet, offering a hand for her to take and pulling her to stand beside him. Edging forward, they manoeuvred between the heaps of blankets and bodies that were scattered across the creaking floor. They reached the ladder that Anna had hobbled to during the storm and Robert stuck his head up first, glancing around before pulling himself up the rest of the way.

His hand was held down for her to take, but the image of the previous night flashed by her. A hand, pale unlike his dark and chubby hands, hurrying down to her. The icy water damp beneath her hands. Anna shook the thoughts away, taking his hand as he pulled her up beside him, and she toppled down not once.

The floorboards beneath her hands and legs were smooth and new, nothing like the ones they slept on below. There was no where to grip, her skin hands not thin enough to hold between the boards as she got used to the swaying of the boat. It was a different kind of movement up here than it was down there. There were no hurled and forced switches and stood, only a rhythmic jostle of the deck.

Anna looked up as Robert urged her to move on, in fear that someone would spot them. She had to blink against the light, her eyelids feeling bulky as she squinted to see around her. Despite the fact that she had boarded the boat in this way, she could remember none of it. On that day there had been no sun, no chestnut coloured flooring to follow and no space to move around in. All she could she was the bustling bodies of the huge group that were being rushed under deck- she could almost feel the hits of bony shoulders against her own.

However, she could remember the railing, though not from a memory, but from a day dream, the one she had the previous day through the storm. Gingerly, she inched toward it, feeling the flat run of the wood beneath her fingers. The water was straight below and Anna found it hard to convince herself that it was really there, readying to grasp her fingertips.

The perfumes air played at her nose, tickling it lightly and making her want to sneeze. It was a funny smell, she thought, and nothing like the beach despite it being the sea. It was true. The ocean had a stronger smell, of singularly salt but the beach, which she had only visited a few time, had the scent of sea weed and cooked fish and sand.

On this boat, the stretch of ocean seemed much more foreboding and long, as if the watery horizon was never ending and they were sailing in a straight loop. Anna wondered how it could be in such a tranquil state after a night of monstrous anger that pounded the ship.

"Do you smell that?" Robert asked as he appeared by her side, leaning against the rails.

She shook her head, smelling nothing over the sea air. He was moving them along, leading them toward a door. They turned away from the railing. It was like running away from the tiny lapsing waves on the shore when she was little, the water licking at her heels as he back was turned to the water. She remembered the only day she had like that- it had taken her and Josephine most of the day to get to the beach despite leaving during the dark and they feared the journey back, yet in that moment, with the sea chasing their dresses, they couldn't have cared less.

Robert had already ducked his head through to ensure it was clear, and he was somehow guiding them down the corridor to a destination that she didn't know. He stopped by a small squared window, one with the glass that was foggy so you couldn't see in. But it was just clear enough to recognise a hustle and bustle of workers, of what was presumed to be a kitchen. Anna watched with wide eyes as he edged forward, sticking a single arm through the door beside it, his hand returning filled by a plate a freshly prepared food.

She gasped as he offered it forward and Anna picked up a single chip. Battered fish had always been a luxury, having never lived straight by the sea side. The greasy smell filled her nose, and any other time she would have gagged but her mouth watered and stomach growled.

Neither felt guilty about stealing food- especially from a steaming kitchen when they were fed stale bread. Thievery wasn't a new thing to Anna either. Though she hated doing it, the act was necessary, and nothing would be missed.

The door was left ajar, and through it, Anna peaked a glance, her mouth filled with a chip. She could see straight through to the dining hall, a large gap in the wall opposite where the dishes were served to the waiters. She could see the the windows, overlooking the railings and out over the sparkling sea that they sailed through, and within seconds Anna was hurrying lowly through the corridor, making Robert panic into following behind her.

"Anna, what are you doing?" His voice was quiet but still managed to carry through the cool air as she stepped outside.

Once again, she was crouched down by a window, which was freshly cleaned of salt and grime from the nights storm. She watched through as the groups of upstairs passengers as they settled straight into their seats, their sumptuous skirts and fancy hair drowning the posh, felted seats that surrounded large round tables. She watched as they laughed and gossiped, their clear skin glistening in the soft stream of sunlight that soaked through the windows. Anna watched entranced as they ate slowly, barely touching their plates as they kept good posture, their chests raised and waists clenched.

She felt her own stomach. It was flat, though disgustingly out of malnourishment rather than health like the ladies at the table. As she pushed her hand up, there was no change, no smooth and attractive bump of breasts like they had. And her face, she pulled her hands back from her oily face, feeling the dirt and sweat clunk under her nails.

Turning away dismayed, Anna continued down the outdoor corridor, her head ducked below the glass. She paused slightly, allowing Robert to go in front and lead them in silence back toward the ladders. He didn't say anything, seeing the frown in her lips and curves of her eyebrows, shadowing her eyes.

Anna staggered to her feet behind Robert. To her right was the vast ocean, to her left a plain white wall. They were fine now, with no one to the front of them and no window in sight. The glint ladders was only a few meters in from, across the open deck. She smiled- it had been like a little holiday. That was until she heard a shout behind her, noticing a man running down the edging, hand skimming the tail and a dark glare in his face. Robert pulled her forward.

"Run forward, Anna," Robert said.

Anna cried out, shuffling forward across the thin walkway. She knew they were done. On a boat in the middle of the ocean, where could they run? They could slip down the ladder and below deck, but then they would follow after them, cornering the two of them or searching face by face until they found them amongst the crowded floor space.

As Robert dived forward, a tall man stepped calmly out in front of him, blocking his way with an emotionless stare. He stumbled backward, almost straight into Anna, who stopped with a skid as her heels dig into the ground, and stared up at him with a horror filled gaze. The man raised a brow, his chin raising as he looked down at Robert with distaste, completely ignoring the girl behind him.

"Mr Elsner, sir." The first man that had spotted them had finally caught up, his chubby cheeks red and face pulled in a constant expression of shock. "I found these two spying on the upstairs guests and sneaking around the walkways."

Anna turned to glare at the man, her nose turning up in offence. Why was it, that everyone seemed to look down on others when they gained even a tiny bit of superiority? The boat worker looked no different to her or Robert, so why should they be treated any less than human beings as they were below deck? Mr Elsner nodded, turning thoughtfully between the two.

They were all silent for a moment, as the man smiled, his perfect teeth pulling to show. He motioned between Robert and the man behind them before moving to place a hand on her shoulder. Before she knew it, Robert was being pulled away by the boat worker, around the corner and out of her view.

☾