Departure was a shit show, none of the crew seemed to know where anyone was supposed to go. Most of us were still left standing on deck waiting to be assigned a room when the ship left port. We'd somehow managed to finally get through one line, where we presented our tickets and Ids only to be shuffled into another line to find out where we would be staying on board the boat.

Part of the problem was that no one knew who the plus ones of the lottery winners would be. So they had to split us up into male, female, or married on the spot. Of course, you couldn't have unwed young ladies rooming in the same area with uncontrollable lusty men. If I could roll my eyes any harder I would.

I'd assumed that Mom and I would be together, but since she was a widow she was deemed elderly enough not to be a temptation and placed in the area with the couples. They were doing that with a lot of the more elderly members, I guess a crooked back and a sagging butt just weren't all that tempting. I'd been placed in the young ladies cabin.

I would have preferred being placed with the elderly and married couples. I'd rather have chanced seeing a wrinkled old dong than have to put up with vapid women talking about how many feathers or ribbons they could fit on their new straw hat. One more second in that cabin and I'd pile up every hat on the boat and burn them. The ashes would make for good soap.

I hadn't seen Annie. She wasn't in the same cabin as me. I wondered if she was even on the same boat. To my surprise, the dock had five huge boats ready for us. All we had to do was get into the line with our lottery number. They were probably boating nearly three hundred and fifty people to this island. The size of it was crazy. I hadn't thought there would be so many winners.

We were packed in too. Their bunk beds had three beds in a row instead of two. Smash us in here like pickles in a jar. So many people left me feeling panicky. Everyone seemed to want to engage me in conversation about hats, ribbon, and feathers. All the girls seemed like they were quickly becoming the best of bosom friends. I seemed to be the only one who thought it was all just nonsense. There was no way any of these people would stay in touch with each other after the trip was over.

That's how I found myself sitting on a chair on deck, my unadorned straw hat on my head and my knitting in my lap. I felt uneasy leaving my bag in the room with all those featherheads, but it's not like they'd go through it. It was made very clear when we stepped on the boat that anyone found breaking any of the rules on the ship or The Island would immediately be sent home without pay and would be made to pay back any compensation the kingdom had provided.

My bag was safe enough, no one wanted to risk being expelled from this trip.

K5, YO, K5, K2T.

"Hello there!"

What was it about wanting to be alone that attracted people to you?

"Hi." I looked up blocking my hand from the sun. A very tall brunette with an insanely manic smile was standing above me. She was a healer, that was obvious from the white apron she had on, but since she didn't have any vestments I couldn't tell from which temple she came from.

Why was she just standing there?

"May I help you?" I finally asked putting my knitting down.

"Oh! I hope I can help you. Are you settling in nicely?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Go away. I gave her a fake smile.

"I'm Ann!" She practically jumped at me in order to grab my hand. "I'll be handling the medical assessments of everyone aboard. Since you seem to be free would you like to get yours out of the way now?"

"Medical assessment?"

"We are trying to get an idea of how far we need to go in order to maintain our guests' medical needs in the future. Right now we are basing our standards on temple protocol, but seeing as this is going to be a different environment we hope to pinpoint where our trouble spots are. As our first guests, you will help with that. I'm afraid it's mandatory." She frowned as if she was sorry about that last part.

"Ok, fine." I knew this trip wasn't going to be a free ride, but I wasn't happy with my medical situation being examined.

"Please follow me," she waited while I gathered my things, then she led me to a room with an examining table.

She did the normal healer things, then had me sit up so she could ask me questions for her paperwork.

"Do you know your joints are swollen and you have a burn on your left arm?"

Did she think I was an idiot?

I explained to her about my accident yesterday, how I was on medication for my joints. Yes, I brought it with me. Yes, I planned on using it. No, I wasn't a drug addict. Yes, I was aware that I shouldn't drink and take the medication at the same time. I agreed that swimming while on it was a bad idea.

"Now for the fun part," she said readying her pencil to check off the next box on her list.

"Are you sexually active?"

"What?" What sort of out of the blue question was that and what did it have to do with my health?

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"Could you be pregnant?"

"Um, no." Ok, I could see how that would be something they needed to know, but wouldn't she have caught that during her exam?

"Do you have any plans to become pregnant while on this trip?"

"I don't see?"

"It's ok dear, I have to ask these questions. Some newlyweds may try for a baby and we need to be prepared in case the worst happens. It is a three-week trip," she gave me a knowing look. Oh, she meant that someone could miscarry.

"I don't have any plans," I told her.

"Well, I have to tell you that if you do find yourself in that situation the medical stations around The Island are all equipped with contraception." She looked down at her paper and flipped the page.

"Ok, good to know," not that I needed that information.

"Do you need counseling on women's health?"

"No," I was pretty sure I knew how all that worked. I'd been seasonal help to the local shepherd's for years getting their shearing done and helping them pen off their ewes for mating. I got a discount on the wool.

"Are you feeling depressed?"

"No," not exactly true, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Alright," she made another note on her paper. "So we've covered medications, so the next thing is your vaccines."

"Vaccines?"

"Normally, we would have guests get these beforehand at their expense, but since this is our first expedition we are providing the vaccines free of cost."

"That's not what I meant. Why are we getting vaccines?"

"Oh, it's a tropical island with that comes tropical insects and tropical ailments. You'll have your first round of vaccines now, and your second round when we get to The Island. Then you'll be less likely to fall ill." She turned and held out a tray lined with various powders folded up in paper cones. There was also a glass of water. "But you'll have to wait to take any Vallerian for at least 8 hours after taking these."

"Got it." I picked up the first packet and the glass of water. I hated taking powder medication, it was always so damned bitter.

Ann waved me off, and she wandered off to hunt down her next medical victim. Hopefully, now I could get some knitting done.

K5, YO, K5, K2T.

"Hey, there lovely I found a nice quiet place we can go and talk." This coming from blondie with the crooked nose. He reached out and stroked my shoulder.

K5, YO, K5, K2T.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Brown hair, with more muscle than brains.

K5, YO, K5, K2T.

"You know you should smile more, you'll be even more pretty." Black hair, perfect teeth.

I think I would be perfectly within my rights to stab these idiots with my needles. They were rather pointy and wouldn't actually maim them, I didn't think. Maybe I should get my knives out. They were in my bag. A plan formulated in my mind when I came to the end of my row and I was beginning a color change. Heh.

I dug into my bag and instead of pulling out the dainty pair of clippers I normally used to cut my yarn I dug out one of my knives. I unsheathed it slowly. Making eye contact with each of the idiot trio. I then cut my yarn with a vicious swipe, I smiled all crazy manic teeth. Then laid the open knife on my lap while I worked on attaching the new color.

Perhaps the idiot trio weren't so idiotic. They quickly left. Good.

Maybe there was a good reason for the crew of this ship to separate the males and females. Still, I think I'd rather be bunking with the old people and newlyweds rather than the feather brains in my cabin. I'd gladly listen to some old codger complain about his gout. It would be preferable to the color of ribbons that were in this season. I could relate to pains, I couldn't relate to nonsensical things like trying to tie feathers to sun hats.

"Miss," a small crew member came up to me. Standing behind him were the idiot trio. "We've had a report of you threatening these men with a knife?" He sounded like he didn't believe it, but was staring at the knife in question.

"I was using it to cut my yarn. Color change, see?" I held up my knitting. "Maybe those gentlemen should be more discerning before trying to talk a lady into a secluded place on board or touching her without permission?" I smiled at the crew member. All innocence and charm. I picked up the knife, put it back in its sheath, then made a big production of strapping it to my wrist. "I don't think you've taken enough precautions if young men are able to wander on deck and try to talk innocent young ladies into compromising positions. You can never be too safe with one's chastity, is what my mother always says." I smiled at the crew member again. Was he buying my sweet tea act?

"I see miss, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll have a talk with these gentlemen. I'll see that you aren't bothered again." He turned and glanced at the young men. All of them were looking shamefaced and embarrassed. Bastard should never have touched me. "Gentlemen, please follow me."

"Haven't even been on board a few hours and you've already threatened those nice boys off with dismemberment. What am I going to do with you, Rille?" Mom pushed her walker up beside me and took a chair. She also pulled out her knitting. "You're never going to get married at this rate."

"I don't plan on getting married, dating, or having children. You should know that by now, Mom."

"You say that now, but you'll change your mind when the right man comes along. They won't come along if you throw sheep shears at them, smack them with fishing rods, or threaten to poke a few holes in them. You should give men a chance."

"Not interested."

"A woman then?"

"MOTHER!" Gods, I was happy she was trying to be progressive but did she have to be so embarrassing? I wasn't interested in a girlfriend either.

"I just want you to be happy, Rille."

"I'm fine, really."

"You dropped a stitch." She pointed it out.

"Damn," I swore. Luckily I didn't need to frog it, I just had to work the row backward to get to the wayward stitch.

"That's what happens when you start feeling stabby," she said in her all-knowing mom voice.

"I'm sure the gods aren't paying attention to punish me by having me drop a stitch."

"You never know, gods are odd in ways we can't understand. There might be a knitting god out there somewhere." Then she started to laugh.

"Can you imagine?" I giggled.

"His symbol would be two giant needles and he'd be followed around by sheep."

"This is probably blasphemy you know?" I couldn't help laughing at the image.

"Well, let's hope the gods have a sense of humor," she said sardonically.

We were left in peace for nearly an hour. Then Ann spotted Mom and had her go with her to do the medical assessment.

I decided to pack up and take a nap. Hopefully, the girls had vacated the room and I could get some sleep. All the excitement of the past two days had left me feeling exhausted. My hips were starting to ache sitting in the chair for so long. It was time I laid down.

There was only one other person in the room and, thankfully, she was reading a book. She glanced at me gave me a head nod and went back to her reading. Good, she didn't want small talk. I could just take my nap and be up in time for dinner with my mom.

I moved my bag to its hook beside my middle row bunk and climbed in. I hadn't managed to get a bottom bunk, but at least I didn't have to climb to a third-row bunk. The mattress was flat and unforgiving and the provided pillows and sheets smelled of industrial cleaner. At least it was a bed and we didn't have to sleep on it for no more than one night.

After some tossing and turning trying to get comfortable, I finally fell asleep.