Black Cloaks

Fourteen - Storm

        "Why did the chicken run onto the football pitch?....Because the referee called for a fowl!"

        They all groaned while Amory bounced happily in his seat. They were sat in the ferry's restaurant waiting for their food to be brought to them. Amory had noticed that there was no entertainment and that just wouldn't do, so he decided it was his responsibility to change that.

        "What did the sea say to the sand?.... N-"

        "NOTHING! IT JUST WAVED!" Imogen squealed excitedly, but Amory just grumbled at his joke being ruined.

        Jade grinned but didn't say anything. She found herself laughing a few times at the terrible jokes, and Imogen's ecstatic interrupting when she knew the answer before Amory got around to saying it. Jade felt a warm feeling inside and the smile on her lips seemed to be permanent when she was around everyone.

        'This must be what it's like to have friends,' she thought.

        "Guys! When is the food going to be here? I'm starving!" Isabelle demanded loudly.

        "How are we supposed to know!" Melanie sighed.

        They were the only two that didn't get along okay. They were always biting at each other's throats every chance they could get. Jade found it amusing at first, but now it was just irritating.

        "Jaaaaaade, I'm hungry!" Imogen looked up at Jade with her big, blue eyes.

        "The food will be here soon," Jade said gently and Imogen rested her head on Jade's arm.

        Imogen had turned into a limpet ever since they had rescued her from the black room. She stuck to Jade constantly, always talking to her if she had a problem, and barely talking to anyone else apart from her and Jodie.

        "Do you wanna go outside?" Jade asked. Imogen's head shot up quickly from her arm.

        "Yes please!"

　

         ***

        Being outside made Jade feel slightly light headed and each gentle rock of the boat sent a lurch through her empty stomach.  It was her first time on a boat and she had discovered what it felt like to be sea sick. She clasped Imogen's hand in hers as they walked slowly along the deck. The boat cut effortlessly through the water like a knife through a slab of butter, but the sky seemed to darken slightly every time she looked to the sky.

        'A storm..?'

        "I love the sea!"

        "What?" Jade was pulled out of her reverie by a tug on her arm.

        "I love the sea!" Imogen repeated, "I like to watch the waves in the water, it's so pretty!"

        "I suppose it is," Jade replied absentmindedly.

        'The sky shouldn't be so dark...'

        It was five-thirty PM in the middle of Summer, normally the sun would still be shining in a bright, blue sky. Today, the sky was turning a dark grey and the clouds were a foreboding dark, purple colour.

        Imogen let go of her hand and ran to the wooden steps that led to the bow of the boat. She leaned over the edge of the boat.

        "Be careful!" Jade called, but she showed no sign of hearing.

        Jade ran to where Imogen was standing with a puzzled look on her face.

        "Jade, the waves are getting bigger!" She exclaimed.

        Jade bent over the side of the boat to receive a face full of salty, sea water.

        "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" She yelled and lifted the sleeves of jacket to dry off her face.

        "Are you-hahahah-okay-heheh-Jade?"  Imogen asked and laughed at the same time.

        Jade reached her hand down to cup some of the water before flinging it towards Imogen.

        "HEY!" Imogen screeched, but Jade just shrugged her shoulders with a smirk on her face.

        "I'll get you back for that!" Imogen shouted with a big grin on her face.

        She went to reach her hands into the water when a big wave washed over the side of the boat. Jade grabbed Imogen and they both jumped back in surprise. A deep rumble rocked through the sky and the clouds surged dangerously. The water continued to jump eagerly at the side of the ship, sometimes going over and spreading across the deck.

        "You need to come inside, a storm's coming!"

        Jade turned towards the voice and saw John's head poked around the glass door. His black hair swept over his face as the wind picked up, but she could see the worry etched in his green eyes. He emerged from the restaurant with Melanie, Isabelle and Amory at his heels.

        "The captain sent out a message, we need to go back in to our rooms, a bad storm is coming!" He said loudly through the cracking in the sky and crashing of the sea.

        'It's already here...'

        In the corner of her eye, Jade saw the wooden pole of the sails swinging sideways. The ferry didn't actually use them to sail, they just used them as decoration. It moved side to side in the harsh wind, before it began to move around, gaining speed, towards where John and the others were walking.

        "C'mon, lets go, we can't stay out here!" Isabelle said but the roar of the wind swallowed her words before they could reach anyone.

        Jade watched as the pole moved closer and closer. John was out of the way, so was Melanie, so was Amory, and her and Imogen were safe but Isabelle was still behind.

        She watched until the wooden pole came a few metres away from Isabelle, who hadn't noticed anything.

        'I couldn't save my parents, but I can do something this time...'

        "MOVE!" Jade screeched, running forward. She pushed Isabelle out of the way and screamed when the pole caught under her arms and tossed her over the edge.

 

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Dedicated to Jade_Dark for making my previous cover that's on the side.