A/N: Apologies for taking so long to update. But I have recently joined the Wattpad Creators program, so expect more regular updates from now on.

Chapter Two

The loud caw of a seabird jolted Vera awake. Her eyes were matted and blurry, but as she sat up her surroundings came into focus and her memories of the storm returned. Somehow she and the baby had made it to shore alive. Which shore she wasn't certain, but the storm had passed at least. The baby slept soundly in her arms, no doubt exhausted from the whole ordeal.

Panic made Vera's blood run cold as she realized none of the other ship passengers were nearby. There was no sign of any wreckage either. She could make out the vague shape of a landmark in the distance and decided to walk toward it, hoping someone would be there to help.

She tried to stand and winced at how sore her legs were from swimming. From now on she promised herself she would do more exercise to be better prepared, though she hoped she was never in that situation again.

Vera trudged forward and shielded her eyes at the glare of the sun on the sand. She had never experienced anything like it. The heat, the dry air. One never would have assumed there had been a storm recently.

She positioned the baby under her traveling jacket, hoping that being underneath her duster would protect it from sunburn. Unfortunately, she would not be as lucky, and likely already had the beginnings of one. Only a few palm trees were scattered about and none were big enough to provide shade.

She was unbearably thirsty and hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. She would need to find civilization soon or both she and the baby would be in trouble.

Unfortunately, the farther she walked, the farther away the landmark in the distance seemed to get, which made no sense. Vera continued to trudge on, despite her lack of success.

The baby woke around midday, and not surprisingly, cried itself hoarse.

"You poor thing," Vera tried to soothe. "I'm sorry, but I have nothing to give you and I have no clue where your mother is."

She squinted into the distance again. "I've walked for miles! How can it still be so far away?"

The sun was high in the sky and she had sweated through all her clothes. Her drive to keep walking was quickly diminishing and exhaustion was setting in.

"I will only rest for a moment," she bargained, plopping down under the slight shade of a palm tree. "Then I'll work twice as hard."

She rocked the baby, trying to soothe it, but it continued to cry. It was hungry, thirsty, and its diaper was probably wet and dirty, so she didn't blame it. She kind of wanted to cry too, to be honest.

"We can at least change your diaper," she told the baby. "I have a handkerchief we can use as a temporary replacement."

As she expected, changing the diaper didn't stop the baby from crying, but it made her feel like she was doing all she could to help.

Looking up, Vera sighed in disappointment. "I suppose these are a different kind of palm tree than the ones I've read about. They don't seem to have any coconuts, baby. Not that you're old enough to have one anyway."

A surprisingly cool breeze blew in from nowhere and lifted a few curls of hair from her neck. The baby stopped crying and gave a soft sigh of its own.

"You were just hot and miserable, huh?" She said, rocking it again. "Me too. We've got to get out of this sun."

Standing up on shaky legs, her feet unsteady in the sand, Vera squared her shoulders and determined she would continue marching forward. No matter what. Not until they reached some kind of settlement or water.

Or until her legs no longer supported her weight, which is what happened  several hours later when she sank to her knees in exhaustion.

The sun was going down soon, so thankfully it would be cooler, but Vera wasn't sure how long they would last even if it wasn't hot. Neither of them had drank any water all day and both of them had been sweating profusely.

Propping her back up against some rocks, Vera removed her traveling coat and made a makeshift bed for the baby next to her in the sand. "At least one of us should be comfortable," she murmured and smiled at the sleeping baby.

It wasn't long before Vera drifted off to sleep herself, hoping when she woke that they could find some water.

"...Vera!"

Her name echoed in her ears, and the voice sounded far, far away. She struggled to open her eyes to respond but she was too exhausted.

"Vera, wake up!"

Another voice cut over the other. "We should just put her in the wagon. Don't waste time trying to wake her. She needs medical attention."

"I can't believe she ended up this far away from the rest of us." She finally recognized her father's voice as saying. "Do you think she will be alright? After a full day in the sun?"

"I'm sure she will be fine," the other voice assured. "She just needs rest. And water."

Vera could feel herself being lifted and carried, but still could not open her eyes or react in any way. It was almost as if she was paralyzed. She felt herself slipping back into unconsciousness and tried to fight, but eventually she drifted back to sleep.

The next time her eyes opened, Vera was in an unfamiliar place. She had never seen this room before, but some of her things were in it. Her books lined the shelf, one of her dresses laid across the changing screen, and her trunk sat at the foot of the bed. Somehow, she must have finally made it to her destination!

Her throat was dry and her lips cracked when she tried to call for her father. So instead, she guzzled down the pitcher of water at her bedside and decided to set off in search of him.

"Vera!" A voice called as she stepped out her door.

Halsten, her father's valet and the family butler, had been waiting in a chair outside her room. By the look of the bags under his eyes, he probably hadn't even slept.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he scolded. "You need rest."

Vera rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she croaked, obviously lying. "I was going to see my father. Is he here?"

Halsten nodded. "I'll fetch him. You go back to bed."

"Yes, mother," Vera quipped and stuck her tongue out at him.

Though reluctant to seem fragile, she was still quite tired, so she crawled back under the covers gladly. She was also glad to be inside, away from the sun and sand for a while.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" Her father announced upon bursting into the room. "We were so worried when we couldn't wake you."

"I was just tired, Papa," she said, trying to sound tough. "I had been walking all day in the hot sun."

Her father chuckled, and his mustache twitched as he tried to hide a smile. "Yes, hmm, you've got quite the sunburn, dear."

Halsten handed her a hand mirror and she gasped upon seeing her reflection. Her face was as red as blood.

"If I'm this bad, how is the baby? Did me shielding it from the sun help it any?"

Her father and Halsten shared a confused look.

"What baby?"

Vera frowned. "The baby with me in the desert. It belonged to a woman on the ship with us. It was floating on a piece of broken wood from the shipwreck and I saved it."

Vera's father looked concerned. "There was no baby when we found you. You were alone in the desert."

Halsten looked uncomfortable and shifted his weight toward the door.

"What is it?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it just as quickly.

"Halsten, what is it?" She demanded again.

"Nothing," he said, gesturing toward the door, "I'm going to fix some tea. I think that would make you feel better. Thomas, will you join me?"

Her father's eyebrow rose, but he didn't argue and moved to follow him outside.

"Now, wait a minute," Vera snapped. "Anything you can say to him, you can say to me. I'm not a child any longer. What is going on?"

Halsten still looked uncertain, but her father nodded. "You might as well tell her," he added. "You know she will keep pestering you until you do."

Vera huffed in aggravation, but didn't disagree. She glared at Halsten until he continued.

"There was a lady in the shipwreck who said her child was missing. We never found it, even after looking all day for it and you."

Vera nodded. "That's because we were together! I'm telling you, the baby was with me. I wrapped it in my travelling jacket to keep the sun off it. Did you find my jacket?"

Halsten shook his head. "No."

The room began spinning in front of Vera's eyes and she found it hard to breathe. "Easy there, it's alright," her father soothed, placing a hand on her knee.

"It's not alright!" She said through gasping breaths. "I never should have gone to sleep. Animals must have carried the baby away!"

"That's not your fault, Vera," Halsten argued. "You can't help what happens when you're unconscious from exhaustion and dehydration."

She threw off the covers and staggered over to her trunk. "Well, we just have to go find it, no matter what. I'm sure it's weak and thirsty, but we can still save it!"

Her father and Halsten protested, but she refused to listen. Instead she ignored them by gathering all the things she would need that she hadn't had the day before. Hat, water canteen, and some extra cloths in case the baby needed a new diaper. And, although reluctant to admit she might need it, bandages and other items in case the baby was injured.

A heavy weight settled on her stomach and her hands shook as she packed a bag. This was her fault. How could she let this happen?

She also needed to find the baby's mother. Vera cringed at the thought. How could she tell this woman it was her fault the baby was missing? Regardless of the consequences, she would. It was her responsibility and she would own up to it.

"Take me to the lady with the missing baby and then take me to where you found me," she insisted to her father. When he wouldn't listen or cooperate, she marched out the door, determined to find the baby even if she had to do it by herself.