The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER TWELVE:

STEP TWO: DON’T DIE

-Arya-

The storm came for us slowly, and then all at once. From the frenzied shouts and screams coming from the life boats a little way from ours, we knew our situation was dire. Every face I looked at seemed worn out and strained, and I could only imagine that my own did as well. We had all tethered ourselves to the boat in one way or another using the seaweed ropes I had fashioned; the ropes made me feel proud, I very rarely used my abilities. Being an earth born had never been desirable in our society, we were looked at as weak, our powers forgettable. The storm reminded me of that feeling now, its dark presence foreboding and intimidating. I felt Darnell tense next to us, he had tethered himself next to Fish in a somewhat protective manner, giving soft reassurances to the group. I closed my eyes and listened to his voice, its dark baritone comforting to my ears. That inner calm only lasted a moment until the storm finally reached us, seemingly enraged that we would dare find peace in its presence. The rain pounded the roof of our boat, hard slaps that echoed and made it hard to hear anything else. The wind came next, rocking the boat violently, making us grip our tethers tighter. I heard the little girl screaming as our boat was thrown back and forth among the waves, the man with her clinging to both her small body and their rope.

The wind howled and screamed around us, pushing our lifeboat farther and farther from the others. It felt like hours went by as my hands began to go numb and I sobbed with the effort of trying to keep myself stabilized. Darnell had put an arm around Fish who looked like she was on the verge of another emotional break, she had been trying to keep the boat stable like before, but the effort was quickly taking a toll. The waves crashed against us, both in rhythm with the wind and not, taunting her efforts to quell its power. A particularly nasty wave threw itself into our boat, causing it to roll multiple times. I smelled vomit in the air as we turned in circles and knew from the loud clatter that some of the ropes had come loose and people were tumbling around. Others that were still tethered lost their grip, and dropped from their anchor points, their bodies jerking with the force of the ropes catching them. Bile slowly rose in my throat from the constant turning and thrusting of our small boat, my chest heaving with the effort to hold on. I concentrated on my hands and arms, willing myself to focus my energy and ignore the pain that had evolved from my desperate attempts to keep from being flung around.

All around me were the sounds of sobs and screaming, the wind mocking us with its gleeful cries while the rain pounded on the roof and sides. At some point Fish had passed out from the effort of using so much of her power, and Darnell held her to him, his eyes closed while he weathered the storm for the both of them. I am sure one of us would have heard it if there hadn’t already been so much noise; we could have made an effort I am sure, if we had noticed it happening. We didn’t hear the creaking of the plastic as cracks formed along the top, we didn’t hear the winds whistles getting louder as air breached the hold, nor did we feel the extra water flowing in along the walls and pooling at our feet. When the top of the boat tore away into the sea, it was already too late for half the passengers. I saw the shadows of their bodies flying through the sky, their voices swallowed by the wind as they were swept away. My sobs intensified with the chaos and the physical effort that I was demanding of myself. My feet, hands, and arms kept slipping while I tried to keep my footing, the water making everything slick. My limbs were weakening, and I struggled to keep my hold with the onslaught of the water from above and below us. With a final cry I lost my grip, and went tumbling across the floor, water sloshing over my body while I flailed. My rope finally caught my waist, my vision blurring at pain in my hip from the sudden impact. Despair took over me as I choked on the water that seemed to be everywhere, the salt stinging my throat and eyes. This is it, I thought, this is where we die. I tried to get a grip on my rope again, but my hands would not obey me; I had no strength left to fight the waves bombarding me. The boat rose and fell, and I was tossed back into the wall where my rope was still attached. My head slammed back against the hard siding, and pain shot through my body in a sharp arc. My last thought before the darkness took me, was how much I wanted my mom.