Melanie's P.O.V.
I take a deep breath, holding onto my luggage with white knuckles as I walk out of the airport. It's hot and humid, and I'm almost immediately drenched in sweat. A smile breaks out on my face once I see several other people wearing black Sea Shepherd shirts. Most of them have the sleeves and sides cut out of their shirts, which seems to be a good idea.
A boy with bright blue eyes smiles and says, "Hi. My name is Laurens." He's about four inches taller than me, and his brunette hair is shaggy and falling in his eyes. He has a beautiful smile that lights up his entire face.
I smile back and say, "I'm Melanie." Laurens places a hand on the small of my back and ushers me towards the rest of the volunteers. I start to feel a bit panicky, and I guess Laurens notices. He gives me a reassuring smile as we join the group.
"Guys, this is Melanie. Melanie, these are the rest of the Sea Shepherd volunteers. Chris Aultman, Peter Hammarstedt, Molly Kendall, Pottsy, Savannah Roberts and Shannon Mann. We've all been on other campaigns before, save for Savannah, so you two are the only newbies. We're supposed to meet the captain and the other organization that we're working with at a house in the woods, so we'd better start going." he says.
The entire group starts walking with their luggage, and Laurens stays by my side. The other newbie, Savannah, falls back to join us. She gives me a small smile, and we continue walking in silence. Within thirty minutes, we finally make it to the massive building. Everybody is soaked with sweat, and my pale skin is starting to turn red. I feel the hot sun assaulting my skin through the fabric of my shirt.
It's considerably cooler inside the house, and the air feels less sticky. A man with grey hair and a beard is talking to a younger man without any hair. The chatter of other people drowns out their conversation, but they both look up at the same time when they realize that we've all walked in. The bald man walks off after giving us all a smile.
The older man smiles and says, "Hello, everybody. It's so nice to see so many familiar faces, and even a few new ones. For the two newbies, my name is Captain Paul Watson. I'm the one that founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Please, don't hesitate to ask me questions or anything.
"Everybody, I'm sure you already know that we're going to be working with another organization for this campaign. My friend Pete Bethune is the leader of said organization, called Earthrace. Their members are referred to as 'The Operatives,' and they are all former members of the military. I expect you all to play nice. Now, Pete here will show you all to your rooms."
The other man, Pete, smiles and says, "Alright, boys, follow me. Girls, follow Charissa." A girl with short brown hair smiles as she walks into the room.
"Hey, girls. If you will, please follow me upstairs." she says. Molly, Shannon, Savannah and I follow Charissa upstairs. The entire upstairs is one large bedroom with six beds and a separate bathroom. "This is where we'll be staying. The kitchen is downstairs, and all the food is vegan, of course. I'm sure you guys are tired from your flights. There's supposed to be a safety meeting downstairs in a few minutes, but after that you guys can go to sleep until dinner." We all thank her and claim beds before going back downstairs for the safety meeting.
YOU ARE READING
Last Chance (Laurens de Groot)
FanfictionMelanie Laurel is just an average girl from a small town in England. She's been passionate about animals and the Earth since she was a little girl, and now that she's eighteen, she's ready to do something good. She volunteers for a Sea Shepherd camp...
