The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER TEN:

LIKE A LITTLE RUBBER DUCKY

-Arya-

The silence was almost deafening as we all sat inside the boat, the water gently rocking us back and forth in the ocean’s cold and unforgiving waters. In comparison to the hours of screaming and wailing we had all just listened to, this new quiet was eerie, filled with loss and disbelief. The ship had sunk a while ago, and though it seemed like hours had passed I couldn’t be sure with no clock or wristwatch to mark the time. Just like in the movies it had tipped to one side, until finally breaking in half to collapse in on itself in a tidal wave that seemed created out of vengeful godly powers. Those who were lost to the waters had given the last of their voices to the ocean’s depths. Even then, the screaming hadn’t stopped for us, we could still hear it over the lapping of water, floating like ghosts to haunt our ears. But now…now it was just…silent.

I vaguely wondered if they would be able to find all the bodies out here, or if they would sink down to the bottom to be picked at by sea creatures until nothing remained but bones. I glanced over at my friend, noting her exhaustion, and reached out to grab her hand. Fish had used up much of her strength to keep us from capsizing from the onslaught of waves as the ship crashed down; creating a protective bubble that had kept the worst of it from sending our little boat into another round of whirling and rocking. Thank the gods, because I don’t think I could have handled any more vomit at the time, or anytime at all if I was being honest. It all just seemed so surreal, things like this didn’t happen in real life. Maybe douche-dick Blake had roofied me and this was all a dream. I smirked to think that somehow being roofied was better; I must really be losing it. I thought back on all the tragedy I had witnessed; if only I had been able to do some magic seaweed shit and save everyone on board…but what would seaweed have done against the fire? Besides, I didn’t use my powers often enough to really know what I was doing, having avoided calling attention to the fact that I was an earth-born amidst a flock of wind and fire elementals.

How had the fire started in the first place, and how had it gotten so out of control? The crew had scrambled to organize itself and though they tried, they couldn’t get the flames out fast enough. I don’t know a great deal about fires, other than daydreaming about those who wield it, so I had no ability to do much but speculate on the matter. At some point we had opened the front hatch enough to let Fish, our only water-born onboard, a chance to bring in seawater to wash the inside of our boat free of bile. Afterwards she was able to create a small floating stream of water for people to rinse themselves off, and I tried not to gag as I pulled chunks of stomach contents out of my hair. From that point on we just sat in our own areas, silently waiting for something to happen. The crewman’s body was beginning to smell somewhat sour, and I averted my eyes in an attempt to make myself forget that it was there. Eventually, one of the male passengers walked towards the front and put his jacket over the top part of the crewman’s body, and I felt less a coward knowing it had bothered more than just me.

Where the hell was our rescue team? Shouldn’t someone have arrived by now? My irritation grew as I sat on the plastic bottom of the boat, my dress hiking up my thighs uncomfortably and my strapless bra beginning to dig into my skin under my breasts. I silently cursed every designer who ever put wires in their bras as I struggled to find a comfortable position for the millionth time. A distant rumble of thunder sounded, the skies darkening ominously in the distance. Unable to contain my restlessness anymore, I leaned towards Fish “Fish.” I said in a low voice, trying not to disturb the other passengers “What the hell are we supposed to do now? Where is the rescue party?” Fish looked at me, exhausted “I don’t know Arrie, I guess we just sit and wait.” Her voice sounded dull and lifeless, and I was worried about how much drawing on the water repeatedly had taken from her. Like me, Fish hadn’t practiced using her powers as much as she should have, trying to fit herself into a society that revered wind and fire born. Unpracticed wielders tired out faster and we were weak in comparison to those who used their abilities regularly.

I pulled her into my arms, our damp dinner dresses sounding like plastic as they rubbed up against each other. She laid her head against my shoulder and I leaned into her, resting my own against the top of hers. I was glad she had snapped out of her shock as we escaped the ship, I didn't know how I would have managed all of this if her mind had slipped. She was a sister to me, and I would never have been able to leave her behind. My melancholy thoughts led me to think about my sister back home, and what she was going to tell our mom when they found out our ship had sank. I pictured her hair tousled in the wind while at the park, whipping into her eyes while she scowled and searched for a hair tie. She had taken me every week when I was younger, pushing me on a swing or helping me build castles in the shade with little plants we grew together. My first memories of using my abilities all had my sister in them, and though we constantly argued, we had always been close to one another. I stared out at the distant storm, watching it with lidded eyes as it moved across the horizon. As the sun set and still no help had arrived, I finally gave in to sleep, still curled up against my best friend.