Just hearing Katie say that they were considering what the captain proposed made Mia hardly able to control the tears. The instant terror in her heart was almost too much to bear. Deep down Mia always knew it was a possibility that when you belong to someone else you have to go where they say. You will have people enter your life and leave you out of your control. When they are owned as well sometimes, they are taken away from you and they do not want to go either. Mia knew that Miss Kathy or Mistress Snow would never do that to any of their girls. But that didn't mean that if Katie and Gina wanted to go, they would stop them. Mia knew that they would just let them go so that they could be happy. The fact was that Mia knew that they would do everything that they could to help the girls go.
Mia did what she could to hold back the tears, but they were still seeping through the cracks. She didn't want the others to know how upset she was. It was just that she didn't know what to do. She knew that she loved both Miss Kathy and Mistress Snow they had been nicer to her than anyone else in her life. But she loved Gina too, she knew that she loved Gina more than she had loved anyone before. If Gina left Miss Kathy and Mia went with her, she would have to give up the security that Mia had by being owned by Kathy and Snow.
Then Mia thought about Gina leaving without her. She didn't know how she could get up to face every day without her being there. To go back to the loneliness that she was feeling all the time and became worse through the night. Just thinking about being alone all the time was enough to make her want to drop to her knees and start crying but she knew that she had to be strong. She knew what she had was love because she was willing to endure a lifetime of pain just to see Gina get what she wanted to be happy.
Mia knew that she would fight someone to keep her. Or if it would save her life, she was more than willing to give up her own. In a way, this was no different, she was giving up her happiness just to give Gina a chance to find hers.
Mistress Snow knew that something like this could happen as soon as the thoughts of the girls were invited on the ship. Snow knew that Mia would do about anything to be with Gina but the same was not said for Gina it was not that Gina didn't love Mia as much or the same way. Gina just seemed to love everyone the same. Snow knew that she would change eventually but it was okay for now the way that she was.
Snow looked over at Gina and saw that she was really young and happy most of the time. It was not like she had not seen Gina sad, it always seemed to be just under the surface always hidden, but just waiting for her to be unguarded enough to let it out. Snow knew the pain that she was still going through and knew that the trial was going to help her. Even if it didn't fix it, it was going to give her some resolution that she needed.
Snow looked at Katie and saw that she was growing into a woman in front of her eyes. Snow knew that most of that was because Jake was around, and he was giving her plenty of reasons to become one. Snow was not sure just how much control she should try and keep over Katie after all she was with the other girls, but she was like a guest not one of the family really. She had taken and worn the collar but that was only so that she could be brought onboard the ship and because they insisted that she do so.
Snow knew that she was going to walk a tight line with her because the others loved her like a sister. She was still planning on protecting her, but it was going to be more complicated this way. It didn't matter how much she wished that the girl would just mind. Snow knew that Katie was going to do what she wanted to do, and it didn't matter to Katie if that was what Snow wanted her to do. But for now, her main concern had to be Gina and Mia and Mia looked like she needed help.
Snow called Mia over and she was reluctant to come close, she was afraid to show just how sad she was feeling.
Snow whispered to Mia to try and not stress over anything. Things will work out just fine. Then she looked her right in the eye and said, "I can't see Gina being happy just staying on the ship, especially knowing that she would be giving up you and Miss Kathy and the rest of the girls that she now thinks of as family." She knew that would be very reassuring to Mia.
Mia looked up at her and tried to give her a smile, but Snow could tell that it was forced. Snow gave her a consoling hug and a loving pat on the head. Snow knew that she was not ready to be consoled just yet, but she also knew that it could help a little and was better than doing nothing and just watching her get overwhelmed by it.
Gina was surprised that Katie was so excited about being asked to stay on the ship and to cook for them permanently. Gina knew that it was great seeing them all again and it was great cooking for them. She just loved the attention as well as the feeling that she got from having them all love her food so much, but she knew that she could never stay on the ship. She would miss everyone else way too much for that. Gina knew that Katie did not like everything the way that it was on the island, but she didn't think that Katie hated it enough to leave. This troubled Gina, she didn't know what she could do to make her feel better, or even what she could do to change her mind if she decided to stay.
Gina felt a twinge in her heart, she didn't know what she would do or how to truly feel about this. On the one hand, she knew that Katie's motives for wanting to stay were because of the love that she had for Jake. That was something that Gina never wanted to interfere with. She knew that part of her wanting to stay was the way she was feeling for the ship's crew. Then she knew that part of what was driving Katie away was the way that she felt about Slavers Island. At no time did Katie try and hide how appalling it was that they captured people and made them slaves to do anything that they wanted to them even if it was short term, it was no way to make money.
Gina could not help but feel conflicted on the one hand she wanted nothing but the best for Katie. She wants nothing but for her life to be filled with joy. At the same time, she didn't want Katie to go away from her. It was like Katie was the last piece of family that she had left, and she had just fought so hard to get her back.
Gina knew that the new family that she had would support her and help her get through whatever she faced, but she didn't know how she was going to face that Katie did not want to be by her side. No matter what she was going to have to make sure that Katie was not going to see her sad about it. No matter how bad it was hurting. She was not going to keep Katie with her just because she was sad and hurting.
Gina did her best to put a smile on her face knowing that at least Katie couldn't do anything till after the trial. Gina knew that it was going to be hard for both of them to face. She knew that she needed to hear every detail so that she could put it in her past. Even though she didn't think that the pain that she was feeling would ever go away. Gina knew that the pain that Katie was going to be feeling was going to be worse in some ways. Not only was she losing the people who treated her like their daughter, she knew that her dad was part of it all and he was in prison now.
Katie looked around the room as it seemed like things had changed, but she couldn't help but be excited knowing that she had just been invited to stay on the ship. It would take her everywhere and she would be able to be with Jake as much as she wanted. Katie knew that they would be put in charge of the galley, letting them run it however they wanted, getting what they wanted for it. Katie thought that this was the sort of thing that they really needed to make their own way in life. She knew that they had this big company that at this point was giving them tons of money so really, they would not have to work, but they both loved cooking and they knew nothing of running the business.
Katie thought about Jake and then wondered if she could have him moved to where he was only in the galley so that she could be around him all the time. She grinned at that and thought of a lot of things she would like to tell Jake to do. Then she wondered if they could train him how to cook like they taught Tug. To her, there would be nothing better than being able to cook with him every day. Then she saw the others and started to wonder if this was going to be something that they were going to want to do too.
Looking at Mia she really didn't think that she would fit in at all. She did fine in a small kitchen when all she had to do was wash a few dishes and put things back away just to help out. But in a busy kitchen or the galley, Katie was thinking that she was just going to get in the way of more than help. It seemed like most of her time was spent looking at and watching Gina. Katie knew that Gina didn't mind, in fact at times it really looked like Gina was loving it too. Katie didn't really understand all of that, but she wanted Gina happy, and it really didn't matter to her who it was with.
As she looked at the two of them chatting and just being happy together, she remembered how distraught Mia gets when Gina isn't there and how much her attitude changes as soon as Gina is around. Katie knew that Mia was in love with Gina. Because it was the same thing that she felt for Jake. In fact, it seemed to be more than she was feeling for Jake, but that was just because they were not around each other that much. Katie was thinking now that they were back together it should get more intense, that is if she ever gets to be alone with him.
Katie knew that it was going to be hard as long as Snow was around, but she knew that if she talked to Gina, they would be able to distract Mia and Snow if it was needed so that she could get some alone time with Jake. Thinking of Jake and Gina made her remember that she was going to have to talk to Jake about the kiss and what happened. He would have to make sure that he knew who he was trying to kiss before he did it.
Katie looked closely at Gina as she thought about what Gina had told her about how it was dark, and he grabbed her from behind and felt her up as he kissed her. She believed that Gina didn't do anything wrong but by the way that she was feeling so guilty Katie knew that she had liked it or at least part of her did. Katie thought she was going to talk to Jake about it and she was going to see if she really did knee him in the crotch and then push him away.
Snow saw that the three of them had everything put away and that this room was just too small to stay in, so she said, "Okay you three. I am going on deck for a while. But you all know the rules. No matter what you must stay together, or you will have to stay with me. No one is allowed to be alone. We don't want any of you disappearing."
The girls looked at each other with a smile like they just have been set free. Snow gave them all a stern look and shook her head slowly letting them all know how serious that she was, but she knew it was not like the crew was going to try and kidnap them and try to smuggle them overboard.
With a raised brow and a final shake of her head Snow left the room and closed the door. She had no idea what those three were going to get into, but she was sure with them all on a ship that she would find out.