Adrift

Valerie clutched the doorframe, tore the headphones from her ears, and tried to think. There had been an announcement earlier, but she'd been listening to her music, and had missed the instructions. The unholy lurching and leaping of the ship made her suppose that something must be done, and rather smartish, too, but what did one do on a cruise ship? Would it be better to be on deck, or in the cabins, if the ship was to be upset? She ran, (actually it was more of a sliding weave) down the hallway, up the stairs, hoping to find a handy passerby to ask. There were none. Not in her wing, anyway. All the doors were shut. She decided that the deck was a good place to go, and staggered up, her notebook in her pocket and her hoodie zipped up close, up to her throat. The ship bucked again, and sent her tumbling against the wall.
What was that? An eruption of shouts and screams from the deck... splashes...
On rubbery legs, and with a queasy stomach, Valerie ventured out to see what had happened.
'Perhaps...' she said to herself, struggling wildly to be optimistic, 'Perhaps someone spotted a whale...'

***I'll be gone, keep me alive.**

Lorna Jones

She scrambled for the light that was twinkiling at the surface of the water, as the boat created a sinking swell, pulling her further down under the murky black water. The surge of panic almost made her gasp for breath, but her brain kicked in and powered her legs, making her struggle to the surface.

When she broke through the lapping waves, her lungs automatically filled with relieved breaths. It had all happened so fast! Where was she, where was the boat?

She squinted through the storm to see the lights of the ship zapping on and off with an effort to stay on. She swam about helplessly, looking for any signs of her fellow pasengers when she saw the faint but sure signal of some sort of land.

Come on, she willed her legs as she tried to defy the tides that were dragging her further ashore.

Lorna Jones

She coughed up the remnants of the sea from her lungs and looked around bleary eyed. The sun was brighter than she thought possible and her back was gradually growing hotter.

What the heck? She thought with a wince, as she tried to lift herself from the sand.

Her eyes were taking their time to focus, as was her brain as she struggled to pull through some sort of knowing of where she was. The last she remembered...

Oh, the cruise. The fact was so simple in her brain it almost shocked her at how calm she seemed. Making her eyes focus, she studied her surrounding. Now, this would have been a great holiday, she though, smiling wanly at the irony. The beach was that you'd see in a brochure for the Carribean, and she could hear the gentle lapping of waves behind her, tickling at her toes.

Where was she?

**where is my person????***

**Right where you left him. I've skipped the story a bit to them actually being on the island.**

Fianna-

She shook as the cool breeze brushed past her. Looking up she took in the scene of the ocean before her, glaring she pulled out a pocket knife, "If the ocean were a person...I would have killed it by now," she proclaimed out loud.

Glancing over her shoulder she saw a pair of eyes staring at her, "I'm not crazy if thats what your thinking..."

Ryder-

Ryder finally got the last person to shore. He drug himself up on the sand, chest heaving, muscles burning, and gasping for air.

"I really need to swim more." He groaned to himself. He laid there just looking up at the sky regaining his breath and hopefully the pain in his muscles would leave too.


***Sorry short****

Lorna Jones

Heaving herself from the floor, she groaned and lifted herself onto her weary feet. She could see a few people scattered in the distance and she hoped to God they were alive. With an unhealthy shudder, she began to make her way over the beach towards them, trying to lift her heavy arms and wave to them.

"Hey," she wheezed, her throat sore and her lips chapped.

David looked out into the sea on the cruise ship...But they weren't on the sea...

They were on the a island. And the ship has somehow managed to Get cradled bewteen a jag of rocks.
" That's just perfect." David growled.

Valerie was sitting in the sand, her arms wrapped around her knees, just close enough to the ocean that the water wet her toes, and stole the sand out from under them. She'd kicked her shoes off in the desperate swim to shore. She was trembling and wet and exhausted, and wished very much that she had made a friend or two before they'd wrecked, so that she'd have someone to talk to right now.

She licked the salt on her dry lips and watched as the last weary survivor collapsed on the sand. The sky was an intense gray, and the sea nearly matched, the clouds and water swirling together in sickening throbs. Valerie rested her forehead on her knees, and burst into quiet tears.

Trapped on an island. She'd seen the movies. This wouldn't be easy.

Lorna Jones

She fell beside a girl, exhausted and soaked as she coughed a little, trying to catch a sign of her normal voice.

"Where are we?" She croaked as she looked out to the now calm blue ocean.

** Sorry, short **

Valerie did her best to smile at this new person. It hurt. Her lips were cracked. She wiped her eyes.

"East of the sun, west of the moon, perhaps." she said, sniffling away the last traces of her tears. "Or somewhere between the north and south poles. Above the ground and below the sky. That's pretty much all I know."
What a wretched thing uncertainty was.
"On a beach. We'll say that. Yeh?"

There was a thoughtful silence.

"I'm Valerie."

hey TN, can you bring me in? im sorta lost again.

***Of course***

Ryder---


RYder slowly stood up his muscles still burning. He saw Mary Anne laying down on the beach a few feet away from him and he quickly walked to her side shaking her shoulders.

"Wake up!" He said, her eyes slowly fluttered opened and he sighed, "How do you feel?"