Maria placed her trunk down in the cabin of the ship. She was rooming with Mrs. Todd and Andrew. The room was drafty, so she grabbed her shawl.
"It's quite cold," Maria chuckled nervously.
"Yes, it is.," Mrs. Todd said in return.
"I've never been on a ship before...." Maria was so nervous and Andrew tugged at her sleeve.
"I'll keep you safe Ms. Maria!" He said sweetly.
Maria smiled and hugged him.
"I know you will."
All the sudden there was ring and a mans voice calling out their departure. Maria could feel the ship moving beneath her. She sighed and leaned into her cot and sighed.
A feeling of relief had washed over her that she was leaving the life of pain behind her. No one could throw venomous slurs at her anymore. She didn't have to worry about James coming after her. No one could rip her apart like a piece of paper anymore.
Maria knelt down and pulled out a book and an apple. She was trying to teach herself how to read and write since she wasn't very literate. Being a middle class girl, usually meant not much education came your way. She bit down on the apple and tried reading the schooling book a friend leaded her.

A few hours had past and Maria was changing into her nightgown. But it's when she caught a glimpse of the moon on the water, she decided to look outside her cabin window. A rush of cold air hit her face and she looked up to see thousands of stars.
A gasp slipped her lips as she saw the thousands of jewels in the deep blue void. Her brown eyes seemed to reflect the glowing specks perfectly. The moment couldn't be any more perfect.
Maria, for once in her life, felt a flickering hope. One like the stars in the sky on that cool, October night.

I'm so sorry for the short chapter. But I just needed a filler for the next one.

- ArtisticSunflower