Lost

Chapter 18

The dark hold of the ship lost at sea was something that would stay in my memories forever. The monsters prowled outside, their angry hissing filling the air with tension. Even so, we lit a small fire in a metal bowl and sat atop old crates, pulling our feet up out of the water. As I looked around at everyone's dimly lit faces, I relaxed. A light, fuzzy feeling pushed its way into my chest and I smiled slightly. We were all together. We could do this. I wondered why I hadn't realized it before. The fact that I had such great friends, the fact that they would stick by my side, even if it meant possible death. Each one had their own color, their own personality.

There was Alex, the strong, brave, adventurous soul who would do anything for us. Her laid back demeanor and her ever present machete made me feel safe. She didn't care how I looked. She didn't care what I told her. No matter how strange or lost I was, she wouldn't care. She was a true friend.

Then there was Irene. Bouncy and full of life, though in the midst of sadness, anger and confusion, she shook it all off and tried her best to make us smile. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to keep us all together, safe from the beasts. She was an irreplaceable friend.

My eyes strayed to Rachel. She was sitting with Nadia, holding her hand, her face white with fear as she listened to the monsters circling is. She was braver then she seemed at first glance. She worked hard every day to keep her emotions in check. She cooked our dinner almost every night before we started running for our lives. She was silly and kind and gentle but she had a temper roiling just beneath the surface, one you wouldn't want to arouse.

Bradley sat awkwardly on the other side of Rachel. He seemed to know her the most at the same time as being the farthest from her. He was determined and loyal, never straying far from her, even though she seemed nervous of him.

Nadia, who had clasped Rachel's hand tightly in the darkness of the ship's hold, was her best friend. She was soft and sweet, her voice always carrying through a crowd because it was so lilting. Every time we sang around the campfire, her singing rang out the loudest.

Isaac was sitting with Drew and Will, staring into the fire. He was the one who always said things like, "should we really be doing this?" Or, "is this really a good idea?" He was hardworking, never failing to find a new way out of a sticky situation. Once he found a passion in something, he never stopped working at it until he had mastered it.

Jewel was sitting between Nadia and Bree. She was surprisingly strong and extremely funny. Her laugh was contagious and her entire being full of fun. While being chased by bloodthirsty beasts might have dimmed her enthusiasm a little, she still never failed to make us laugh.

Bree was perky and seemingly carefree but she had a deeper side to her which I hadn't had the chance to delve into. She tried her best to act like she was completely fine even when she really wasn't. She would stay strong to the breaking point.

Kate was in her twenties, but she still took the time and effort to get to know us and to be close to us instead of just being our leader. Sometimes she got frustrated with all of us, but she never got truly angry. She let us roam the island freely and she didn't care if we stayed in camp or not. She let us make our own decisions. But if we were under her care, we were sure to be safe. She reminded me of a big sister to all of us.

Drew was lazy and kind of boring sometimes, but he and Will were always doing crazy things together, things that didn't even make sense to anybody else. He was confusing and weird. He had that bored outlook on life that most teenagers have but sometimes he could be surprisingly funny.

And then there was Will. He was outgoing, not caring how he looked in front of everybody. He had jokes that were completely confusing. Sometimes I thought that only he knew what was funny about them. He was short for his age, not much taller than me, but he made up for it with energy.

Reed resided only in our memories. He was lazy and seemed to find it simply too tiring to speak, staying silent for most of the time that I had known him. But when he did speak, it was usually hilarious nonsense.

Sitting in the dark belly of a lost ship, surrounded by amazing friends, I wondered how they saw me. Was I simply the shy girl in the corner? Was I the one who had to be in a life or death situation to actually take action? I probably was. After all, I only voice my thoughts when no one else will and I only come up with ideas when I have to. I'm simply to scared to live to my full potential. I was then and I still am. So I guess the shy girl image is accurate. After all, that's what I am. Terrified of strangers, even sometimes scared of my friends, I really am shy. But everyone's lives go deeper than their images. I may think that I know my friends, but I don't really. Do I know their thoughts? Do I know their deepest secrets? Do I know their fears? Of course not. At least not everyone's. But I love them all anyway. Every day, I treasure my memories with each of them.

"Should we try to find this key?" Isaac snapped me out of my thoughts. He was examining the map, tracing the symbols with his finger.

"But how? The monsters are still out there. Two of us are badly hurt and the rest of us are tired," Bree spoke up, "it'll be a miracle if we get out of this alive."

I shivered and pulled me knees up to my chest.

"The...things are too close for us to shoot." Said Bradley, motioning to the dormant cannons.

"I know where we are on the map." Kate said, "the key isn't far away. It would take us about five minutes running full speed to get there."

"That's good, but how do we get out of here?!" Jewel burst out, her light brown hair tossing back in the weak firelight.

"I know how. Just...follow my lead." Rachel cried suddenly.

I couldn't help but feel left out of the group as they discussed an escape plan. I didn't have an idea. No ideas were coming. All I could think was that it was my fault we were trapped in the first place. Would we ever escape, not only this boat, but this island?