I heard the front door open with a creak, the sound of heels clanking on the dark hard wood floor following soon after. I was out in the living room, typing on my laptop a new poem that had popped into my head. I was always writing on my laptop, night and day. My father picked on me for it, teasing me about how I never got out and how I hadn't seen the sunlight in days; I mean, he wasn't wrong. Regardless, my father always supported my dreams of being a famous poet, like Edgar Allen Poe, or Emily Dickson, Maya Angelou, I could go on and on forever.
The sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention as my eyes flickered upwards to my friend Aurora, her ginger hair was tied into a tight braid that was tossed over her shoulder lazily. Her bright blue eyes flashed with excitement as she rushed to my sit, plopping down on the couch next to me. "Guess who's the bestest friend ever?" She asked, one eyebrow raised as her pearl white smile shinned.
Tapping my chin, I looked up at the ceiling in fake thought. Aurora was almost vibrating with energy, sucking in a breath as she waited for me to play along. "Is it-"
"Its me!" She shouted happily, reaching into her purse as she pulled out two tickets and handed them to me. At first, I thought they were concert tickets or something small; but my eyes widened when I realized that they were cruise line tickets across the Pacific Ocean. I was hesitant to react, looking back to my friend with nervous eyes. Aurora sighed as she put her hand on my shoulder. "I know Layla, but you shouldn't let your fear of water scare you from going to amazing places," she spoke, squeezing me comfortingly.
Aurora took her hand off my shoulder, a grim smile on her face as she laid back on the couch. "Think about all the parties, all the liquor, all the music," she then sat back up, getting close to my face. "All the boys," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows as I laughed. "All the shirtless boys," my friend added as she poked me. I laughed and pushed her hand away, making her giggle as well. "Come on Layla, I know you've been needing-"
"Wanting," I corrected her while putting my finger up.
"Wanting a man," she said with a smirk. "And hey, this cruise would be perfect for that, testing out all the flavors ya know?" Aurora shrugged.
Laughing, I shook her head at her, putting my forehead in the palm of my hand. "Flavors?" I questioned, eyeing her jokingly. "And last time I checked, you stiffen up harder than metal whenever a boy even breathes in your general direction," I mused, making her roll her eyes and put her hands up in defense.
"That's why my last name's Steel."
"Fitting," I said while brushing a strand of my brunette hair behind my ear. I gazed at the ticket again. Maybe she was right, it had been awhile since I had actually gone out and met anyone, given I know we were only eighteen, but most girls my age had been on several dates; I've yet to experience my first kiss. Even Aurora had a boyfriend at one point of our childhood! My nerves still told me this was a bad idea, especially since my mother's accident. Chill's suddenly flew up my spine as I gripped the papers harder.
Seeing my current state, Aurora slowly took the tickets from my grasp, putting them to her chest and held onto them tightly. "It's ok if you don't want to go, I understand," she murmured, sliding the tickets back into her purse as she got to her feet. "I'll give ya time to think about it, call me or text me if you need to talk. I gotta go to work though," she said with a smile, turning on her heels as she made her way back to my front door. "Love ya!"
"Love you too," I said back before she closed the door.
Was I seriously thinking about doing this?
--
I woke with a start, my hands reaching out and latching onto the blanket that covered me. Blinking a few times, I realized I was still on the small boat that was drifting off in the middle of the sea. Feeling nauseous, I couldn't help but haul myself to the side of the boat, hurling out last nights crackers. Groaning, I sunk back, putting my head in my hands as I tried to control my breathing.
"You ok?" Luke's soft voice cooed. I turned my head towards him, feeling utterly embarrassed that he saw me throw up all over the oceans surface. Pressing my lips together, I forced myself to give him a small nod, my throat already felt scratchy and sore, I didn't want to strain it anymore with simple side conversations.
Luke only gave a curt nod in response, leaning his head back against the boat as he ran his hands through his golden curly locks. His little sister was asleep on his lap, her little hands under her head and her legs were curled up against Luke; she looked so peaceful giving the current conditions. Luke's hands were running through Lily's hair comfortingly, as if to soothe her through the rocking boat.
Lifting my gaze back towards him, I brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "How's she holding up?" I asked him in a whisper, making sure not to talk too loudly. I hated that someone so young was stranded out in this ocean with us, though, it made me think of all the young children that didn't make it off the cruise ship to begin with. At least Lily had a chance, and I would most definitely do everything in my power to make sure she was safe; I was always protective with kids.
Luke shrugged his large shoulders, letting out a huff of frustration. "I keep telling her that we'll be rescued soon, only one more day," he murmured, his voice sounding doubtful as his free hand went to rub his forehead with stress. "One more day," Luke uttered out, his blue eyes shifted to his little sister.
Leaning forward, I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. As much as I wanted to believe it would only be one more day, I knew it could be weeks until we even got off this tiny boat. Pushing the thought aside, I managed to give Luke the best smile I could muster. "We'll be saved soon," I spoke, though I didn't know if I was trying to convince me or him at this point.
The sound of a dry laugh erupted, Bryce sat up as he shook his head at us. "Yeah right," he chuckled darkly, propping himself up on his elbows. His deep brown hair was messy with slumber, the buzzed sides that were supposed to fade were already starting to grow out. "We're gonna die here and you know that-"
Smack!
Harpers hand came out of nowhere, landing hard on the back of Bryce's head as she glared daggers at him. "Shut up you dunce!" She hissed lowly, annoyance stained her face like a wine stain on a white shirt. Her long black hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail, her golden light brown skin was almost gleaming in the sunlight. Harper crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Bryce glare back at her, now pissed off.
"What was that for Harper?" Bryce growled, rubbing the back of his head with a confused expression on his face.
Gritting her teeth, Harper looked as though she was about to smack him yet again. "Where do I begin?" She asked, tapping her finger to her chin in fake thought before she snapped her fingers. "Oh! I know! How about when you pushed Layla off the boat, or taking this whole thing as a joke, or or I know! How about having a bunch of supplies without telling anyone else on the boat?" Harper growled, her voice dropping flatly. Bryce looked stunned as his eyes shifted between me, Luke, and Harper quickly. His mouth was open slightly, as if he was trying to come up with an excuse, but nothing was coming out. "Don't act dumb, you seriously don't think I saw you hauling all of your supplies on the boat before we left?" Harper questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.
Before I could even blink, Luke was on his feet and had grabbed Bryce by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the side of the boat in pure rage. "Where are the supplies?" Luke shouted, now waking everyone else up on the small boat with a start.
Oddly enough, Bryce was chuckling as he put his hands up in defense, shaking his head at Luke. "Slow down big man, at least take me out to dinner first," Bryce taunted, his brown eyes flickering with amusement as he watched Luke begin to boil with anger.
"So help me if you don't tell me where they are I will throw you off this boat," Luke threatened venomously, shaking Bryce a little as he tried to get the information out of this idiotic boy. During all of this, Lily had woken up and latched onto me with fear; I'm sure she didn't like seeing her brother so furious, I didn't blame her, it wasn't a pretty sight.
This threat only caused Bryce to actually start laughing, it was a hardy laugh, a deep one that seemed to echo off the ripples of water. "What? You think I'd drown like your lady friend?" He asked, his eyes shooting towards me. I shifted uncomfortably, not liking that he was dragging me into this, not to mention making fun of me.
Luke put a fist back, making my heart sink as I watched the two boys brawl; I was shocked to see that Bryce hadn't even flinched, the only emotion on his face was a cocky smirk. Cole was fast to grab Luke's arm, hauling his friend back.
"Easy Luke! Its not worth it!" Cole shouted at his friend, but Luke only got more furious, struggling against Cole as he ripped his arm away from him.
"He has more supplies! He could have food!" Luke yelled.
Cole was quick to snap his attention back on Bryce, his face unreadable as his hands clenched into fists. Bryce matched Cole's expression, his laughter gone as he got to his feet, watching both Cole and Luke carefully. The air was so thick with tension, you could cut it with a knife. All three of the boys were at a standoff, waiting for the next move at each other.
A loud whimper was heard, making everyone stop in their tracks and turn their head towards little Lily, tears had filled her eyes as she cowered back even more into my lap. I held onto the child gently, my heart sinking as I saw the fear in her face. Glancing back up, I noticed that Luke had stopped moving altogether, clearly not liking his sister in this current state; Cole was doing the same.
"P-Please don't fight B-Bubba," Lily sobbed out, wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she began hiccuping. Luke was at his little sisters side immediately, rubbing her back with his large hand as I lower his head to her level, letting out a long sigh before he shot another glare at Bryce. Lily scurried off my lap and into her brothers arms, allowing him to soothe her gently as her sobs became more and more faint.
Everyone was still frozen in shock of what just happened, Cole had sat back down near Luke and I, Harper was still on her feet next to Bryce, her arms crossed over her chest as they gave each other dirty looks.
I didn't know how much longer I could stand this, how much longer the fighting, the hunger, and the fear would last. Days? Months? Bryce's words crossed in my mind of how we were going to die on this boat. Shivers flew up my spine as I shook my head, tucking my legs to my chest as I locked my arms around them, my stomach letting out a painful growl. My head fell back on the wooden side of the boat, my head started to pound with stress as I shifted uncomfortably.
Seeing my distress, Aurora made her way to me, sitting down as she began rubbing my back. Her blue eyes were soft as she gave me a concerned look; I knew she was worried about me, she was always worried about me since we were kids. "Layla," she started, but she didn't seem like she knew what to say; instead, Bryce came over to us as well, though his brown eyes were still watching Cole and Luke carefully, as if he was expecting them to jump him at any given time.
"Hey, I wanted to apologize for yesterday," Bryce murmured to me, his lips pressed together nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "I forgot," Bryce chuckled, but as soon as he saw Aurora and I's face, he immediately stopped laughing. Clearing his throat, he reached out and clasped his hand on my knee, giving me sincere eyes. "How can I make it up to you?"
"How about you show everyone what you've been hiding," I snapped, making Bryce rear back slightly, his hand leaving my skin as he let out a sigh.
Without hesitation, he gave me a nod, getting to his feet as he made his way to the back of the boat as he opened a latch that I hadn't noticed. Clever boy.
Pulling the latch upwards, Bryce began digging around before he pulled up a large crate, setting it down in front of himself as he looked back up at me. Bryce waved for me to come towards him, and I obeyed, my bare feet walking towards him as I gripped the crate, peaking into it as I gasped. There in front of me was only a few things; a hatchet, a first aid kit, a shovel, a small container of tablets that looked like they'd purify water, and lastly my eyes landed on a small handgun.
Glancing back up at him, I saw that he was uneasy as well when he noticed I spotted the gun. Shaking my head, I pushed the crate away from me, taking a seat next to Bryce as I put my head in my hands. I was shocked that no one else looked into the crate while it was out, but it had seemed that every ones exhaustion was settling in.
Luke was dead asleep yet again, his lips were cracked painfully and his tanned skin was so dry it was starting to peel. His blonde curly hair was matting up horribly, the sea salt had also dried it out, making it look like straw.
Harper was focused on her nails and cuticles, digging a knife into her nail beds as she dug out the cuticles; she'd even bite them and tear them off with her teeth. I had no idea where she got the knife from, but I was done questioning things; she had most likely gotten it from before the ship sunk like Bryce.
Aurora was keeping Lily busy, playing a game on their hands as she made the child laugh happily. Cole was looming above them, a smile on his own face. It seemed that Cole thought of Lily as a little sister as well, always watching her if Luke was unable to.
My attention shifted back towards the gun; was it something that Bryce had grabbed? Or was this just a kit that he snagged not knowing what was inside? My stomach churned uncomfortably as my gaze was locked onto the pistol, the sun reflected off the shiny grey metal of the weapon almost making it dazzle. Clearing my throat, I tore my gaze away finally, shifting my eyes with Bryce's as he raised an innocent eyebrow at me.
"How many bullets are there?" I questioned nonchalantly, trying to somewhat keep my cool, but I couldn't help the trickling unease of having such a weapon on board with us.
Bryce reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out five shiny bullets in his hand as he showed them to me. "Plus the two that are in there," he murmured before he stuffed them back into his pocket, resting his head on the side of the boat.
"Its loaded?" I exclaimed, shock laced my voice as I stared at him wide eyed. "Are you mad?" I hissed when he shushed me, obviously not wanting to draw attention to everyone else.
A chuckle left his lips as he shook his head, closing up the latch. "Calm down, there's not one in the chamber and the safety is on," Bryce explained, though it still didn't exactly make me feel much better. Reaching up, he patted my head as if I was a child, though the smirk on his face somewhat brought slight comfort as if he knew what he was doing. Perhaps I was being naïve, but I truly didn't think he had any bad intentions.
Before I could even reply, a shadow loomed above Bryce and I, forcing me to look up as I saw Luke towering over us, his light blue eyes in slits as he crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "So, what's in there?" He asked, his eyes burned into my own. Apparently his small nap was cut short.
"U-Uhm-"
"Water purifying tablets, a few tools, nothing to fancy," Bryce spoke, waving Luke off with a huff of annoyance.
Luke looked as though he was going to start brawling with Bryce again, but he took in a deep breath as he regained his composure. "I wasn't talking to you," he muttered bitterly. Luke's expression softened as he turned towards me once again, his hands falling to his side as he knelt down next to me. "Layla, please tell me what's in there?" He pressed, his face looked defeated, as though he was only moments away from giving up.
My palms began to sweat nervously, I was a horrible liar; but I knew if I told Luke about the gun, there could be a lot more problems aboard our tiny ship. "T-Tools, first aid-kit, exactly what Bryce told you," I said, avoiding eye contact with him as I bit down on my lip softly.
Luke frowned slightly, letting out a sigh as he got to his feet. "Ok Layla, I believe you," he said honestly, which only made my stomach spin even more. I knew I had now betrayed his trust, that is if he found out.
The utter feeling of anxiousness rippled through me, I knew this wasn't right. I had to tell him the truth, he did seem to be the most stable of us afterall. "Luke-"
"Land!" Harper blurted out, running to the front of the boat as she gripped the front of it tightly. "Guys! There's land!"