Sunset Valley

Chapter 7.

It felt like a millennium, but Leaving Day finally came. After school and dinner, I snuck out into the canyon with my flashlight and backpack, and went to the old beach. It was really beautiful with the sunset, even if your could barely see it's fading neon pinks. I could see Jem packing the medium size ship to it's rims. It's shillouette looked like an acrylic painting.

I walked up to it and shrugged off my backpack, then throwing it on deck. It was suprisingly heavy and landed with a "thunk". I climbed up using the rope ladder, and saw Jem still packing away, beads of sweat on his neck. I almost felt sorry for him.

"Just leave it," I told him. "Go below deck and get some sleep. I'll stay at the helm for a while." He looked like he was about to refuse, but left anyway. I sighed and marched up to the steering wheel. I felt it's cold, untouched, wooden pegs. I was really doing this. I've dreamed of this since who knows when. So this is what it feels like to follow your dreams. Is it? No, I haven't even left home yet. I still have a long way to go. Man. I don't wanna wait for this thing much longer.

~~~

Hours later, and I'm sailing in the middle of nowhere, even though I'm following the exact quardinations on the GPS. Waves lapped up against the sides of the boat, rocking it like a crib. I could barely keep my head up, I was so tired. I wish we'd brought a third person to sail the ship for us, I was completely exhausted. My eyelids drooped and my head dipped with the waves, one moment barely awake, the next I'm half asleep.

I accidently fell asleep for who knows how long when I was awaken by a crack of thunder and a rush of adrenaline. My eyes flew open, and they opened to a dark, storming sky and bright threads of lightning. Shoot.

Waves rocked the boat, no longer gently, in a violent, I-swear-I'm-going-to-kill-you, kinda way. As if on cue, Jem came up from below deck, looking just as frightened as I felt. The wind whipped his brown hair around his face, and he came dashing up to me.

"I'll take over from here," he said, and jerked the wheel so it barely missed a huge wave that could have possibly tipped us over. Icy chills crawled up my spine. The huge turn knocked one of the boxes over, and it landed with a bang and a loud (even in the noisy wind), "Ouch!" Startled, I looked at it, and sprawled across the floor, holding her arm in agony, was none other than little Freya, who was tipped out of the box.