by Tricia Barr
The pilot was the only one unaware of what Skylar was doing, and he gave a brief odd glance at Skylar before he began rummaging around for emergency evacuation supplies. He fumblingly fastened a life jacket around himself and looked at all of them.
“What are you all doing?” he exclaimed. “Why are you all just standing around?” He tossed life jackets at everyone.
Ayanna picked up hers and rushed to kneel down beside Skylar and place her hand tentatively on his back. She looked up at Sebastian. “How long can he keep this up?” she asked him softly.
“I honestly don’t know,” Sebastian said. “He’s never been able to lift anything heavier than two or three people before, and even then only for a short time. I wouldn’t put money on him carrying us to land, given how far out in the ocean we are. And with all the interference from the storm messing with him…I just really don’t know.”
Skylar’s breathing turned into panting with punctuated grunts. In all the pilot’s fussing about, he finally started to notice that the plane was steady and no longer tipping, and then his consternated gaze landed on the very noisy Skylar. He looked completely and utterly stumped as to what was going on, his face a question mark, and Phoenyx imagined that he was trying to find any other explanation than that Skylar was somehow keeping them aflight.
“Skylar, you can’t keep this up,” Ayanna finally said as beads of sweat dripped off of Skylar’s forehead. “You can’t keep us up forever. At this rate, you’ll hurt yourself and we’ll still crash.”
Skylar stiffly shook his head, adamant not to stop.
“The best thing you can do, for all of us, is give us a safe water landing,” she insisted.
Skylar peaked through his tightly wincing eyelids and his eyes darted at each of them. Sebastian nodded to him with an encouraging smile.
“You get us to the water, I’ll take it from there,” Sebastian said confidently.
Then Skylar’s darting eyes landed on Phoenyx, who by now was just as pale with fright as Skylar was with strain, but she nodded anyway, knowing he wouldn’t make it much longer this way.
Skylar nodded and shut his eyes once more, and then plane violently lunged downward before catching itself evening out into a steady downward slope.
Without any further prodding or questions, the pilot helped each of them into a life jacket. It took both Phoenyx and Ayanna to put the life jacket on Skylar; they needed to be as gentle as possible to not disturb his already tenuous concentration.
Phoenyx could feel the passage of each ticking second like a static shock to her entire nervous system. Any minute they would hit the surface. Any minute they would be forced to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. I would have preferred fire.
“We have to time the opening of the door just right,” the pilot was telling Sebastian. “Too soon and we’ll be sucked out by the change in air pressure, and too late the weight of the water will make it impossible for us to get out.”
“How do we know when is too soon and when is too late?” Phoenyx asked, her voice steady as always despite her own internal panic. “We can’t see how close we are to the water.”
“I can feel the water,” Sebastian said. “I’ll be able to open the door right before we land.”
She nodded, and the pilot didn’t even bother asking what Sebastian meant.
“How close are we now?” Phoenyx asked Sebastian.
“We are coming in close,” Sebastian said, looking straight ahead as if he could actually see the water approaching. “We have about two minutes.”
Just as the words left his lips, the plane took another nose dive forward, and this time it didn’t rebound.
“Less!” Ayanna yelled.
They looked in her direction, and Skylar was passed out in a loose ball on the floor. Before Phoenyx could process what his limp form meant, Sebastian hiked Skylar over his shoulder, grabbed her and Ayanna’s hands and dragged them all to the door, pushing it open seconds before water splashed up in high waves outside the plane. As they attempted to exit, water rushed in to fill the cabin, pushing against them so hard it was like trying to walk through a horizontal waterfall. But Sebastian held firm to her hand in front of her, and Ayanna had a death grip on her other hand following behind her. Sebastian pulled her out just as the water was about to rise overhead, and she took a final deep breath before emerging into the cold, blind, murky blackness of the ocean.
In this moment, she was completely powerless. She had never felt so vulnerable and insignificant in all her existence. She was surrounded in every direction by the one thing that nullified her. She was Fire, and being so submerged in her natural opposite had snuffed her out. She was dead weight dragging Sebastian down as he pulled himself, Skylar and her upward through the water. Panic was no longer an adequate word to describe what she felt. She was so consumed by the water, she felt as though she no longer existed.
Her state of nonexistence seemed to last an eternity until they finally reached the surface and her face broke through to the salty air, forcing her to gasp back into life, back into her senses, traumatized as they may be.
She heard a strange muffled rubbery sound through the splashing song of the ocean, and in the light of the lightning show above saw Sebastian lift Skylar into a bright orange balloon raft with the help of the pilot who was already in it. Sebastian then guided her toward the raft, and she used what few wits she had about her to pull herself up so that she could assist Ayanna and finally Sebastian.
Phoenyx and Ayanna were locked in a desperate embrace. Phoenyx hadn’t even noticed at the time that Ayanna had been pushing her up through the water just as Sebastian had been pulling her. After all this time, Ayanna was still the protective older sister, and Phoenyx was beyond grateful to have her comfort in this moment. The fact that she was drenched seemed to matter little as Ayanna patted her hair in a soothing manner.
Meanwhile, Sebastian performed CPR on Skylar. It only took one round of chest pumping for Skylar to cough up the small bit of water he’d inhaled, but he remained unconscious. The storm had really taken its toll on him, and it had apparently taken all his strength to carry them as long as he did.
So there they were, the five of them, floating on a raft stranded in the middle of the ocean. What the heck do we do now?
They had been floating on the raft all night and it was now morning. The clouds had cleared just as dawn had broken, and the unfiltered light of the morning sun as it rose higher and higher was enough to dry the night’s rain and salt water from their clothes and hair. None of them had slept, with the exception of Skylar, who was still unconscious. How could anyone sleep after the ordeal they’d been through?
Sebastian had spent the whole night spreading his senses through the water, searching for land or anything that could help them. Considering the impossibly large range he had to work with, Phoenyx and Ayanna gave him space to concentrate.
And the pilot, whose name she had learned was Ralph, had mostly been sitting quietly. Phoenyx could feel his scrutinizing gaze on her every now and then. It was clear that he knew they were all different, and he was trying to figure them out. She didn’t like it. It was as though she was under a magnifying glass, and anything she might want to say to Ayanna or Sebastian now seemed classified, like she was betraying their secrets to him if she voiced them in his presence.
“I found something,” Sebastian said, breaking the silence. His eyes were still closed, as if concentrating on something that was barely tangible. “There’s a ship of some kind a few miles south of us. They’re heading about thirty degrees to our right, but I think I can manipulate the tides to put us in their path.”
“Any idea what kind of ship it is?” Ayanna asked.
“It’s too hard to tell just from feeling the water around it, especially at this distance,” he replied. “But it’s the best shot we have right now, we don’t get to be picky. And don’t worry, these waters don’t see many pirates these days.” He opened his eyes to wink at
her.
Ayanna smirked and rolled her eyes. “I was just thinking of how much this reminded me of that incident, being once again lost at sea. Although I have to admit, the company is much better this time around. And so is the raft. Good thinking, Ralph.”
Ralph nodded and smiled. “I also remembered to grab these.” He dug into his pockets and pulled out a handful of granola bars. “I don’t know how long we’ll be stranded, so make them last.”
“Oh, Ralph, you’re a life saver!” Ayanna said, grabbing one and opening it.
Phoenyx took one and Sebastian took two, one for him and one reserved for Skylar. Phoenyx didn’t open hers yet; eating was the last thing on her mind. This crash had thrown a huge wrench in their plan. They only had three days left to find the other two pieces of the stone and get to Lily, and who knew how long it would take them to, for one, get rescued, and two, get where they needed to go to locate the second stone fragment? They simply didn’t have this kind of time to waste, and her stomach was twisting with the desperation of their predicament.
An hour had passed, and Phoenyx began to feel hopeless. She stared into the distance, staring lazily at a gray dot on the horizon to the south. With a gasp, she realized what that dot must be.
“Sebastian, you did it!” she exclaimed, jumping up and pointing in that direction. “Look!” Sebastian had managed to pull them into the path of the ship. She felt such joy at seeing anything coming their way that she wanted to leap off the raft and swim towards it, but her reluctance to ever get into the water again kept her at bay.
Sebastian smiled, all the while sticking close to Skylar like a lion protecting a member of his pride.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Ayanna said, brushing a hand through her golden curls that were shimmering in the sunlight.
Ralph, at least for the moment, had forgotten his scrutiny and was now watching restlessly as the boat approached. It traveling fast, and it wasn’t long before they were close enough to be seen by anyone on board. The boat was of medium size, slightly larger than a yacht, but clearly not built for leisure purposes. It reminded her of the boats from those reality fishing shows on TV, but it didn’t appear to have any crabbing cages or fishing nets on its deck. It was a spotless, glossy white, in pristine condition, and Phoenyx couldn’t help but wonder what its purpose was. There were no words or logos anywhere on it to give her a clue.
“Hello, can you help us?” Phoenyx called out once they were within earshot.
“Please, help!” Ayanna joined in.
A man appeared at the rail on deck and apparently spotted them. He shouted something back at them, but it was muffled by the wind, the waves and the sound of the boat’s engine.
In a few minutes, there were a handful of people on deck and a rope ladder had been rolled down over the edge of the boat. The man who first saw them was climbing down to help them. Sebastian easily maneuvered the raft up against the side of the boat where the ladder was hanging, and the man on the ladder secured the raft to the ladder with a piece of rope.
“What happened to all of you?” the man asked, brows wrinkling in concern. He was an older man with sun-darkened skin and his clothes—fitted black trousers and a tucked-in button-down collared shirt—spoke more of an office than the sea.
“Small plane crash,” Ralph summarized, his voice weary and dry. “We were lucky we didn’t lose anyone.”
“What about your friend there?” he gestured to the unconscious Skylar.
“He appears to be fine. No real damage, he just got knocked out in the crash,” Sebastian said.
“Well, come on up,” the man said with an eager wave of his hand. He took Ayanna’s hand and guided her to the rope ladder. “We’ll get your friend some medical attention. In fact, you should all be seen. I’m so glad we found you.”
“So are we,” Ayanna said, pulling Phoenyx up the ladder behind her.
Phoenyx climbed up and swung her leg over the rail to stand firmly on the boat’s deck. The boat rocked so much less than the raft did in these waters, and she was so grateful for that little change. The handful of men that were standing on deck waiting for them wrapped them in warm, dry towels and brought them glasses of water. The towels were wonderfully soft and fluffy, a godsend on her salt-dried skin. The men, who were politely bombarding them with questions about how they ended up on a raft in the middle of the sea, were all well-dressed like the first man, clearly not fishermen. Phoenyx was too exasperated to answer their questions.
Once Sebastian, Ralph and their rescuer managed to get Skylar onboard, two of the men took part in carrying Skylar’s weight and led Sebastian inside where Phoenyx assumed a medical examination would follow.
The other three men escorted Phoenyx, Ayanna and Ralph into a small lounge room with cushioned chairs and a table, and Ralph explained all about their crash, leaving out the suspicious parts of the story.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said a bearded man. “Sounds like you’re all lucky to be alive.”
“And lucky that you found us,” Ayanna said. “What brings your party out into these waters?”
“Research,” said the youngest of the men enthusiastically. “We’re marine biologists from the University of Tampa, we’re studying the migrating habits of the Caribbean Dolphin.” Only once he said that did Phoenyx notice the various drawn-on maps on the walls.
“Oh, sounds fascinating,” Ayanna said politely.
“Not just fascinating,” the young man said. “It’s also really fun. You couldn’t imagine how playful dolphins are. Swimming with them has been the most exhilarating thing I’ve experienced. It makes this more like a vacation than a research trip.”
“That’s because I haven’t seen you do any actual work this entire time,” the bearded man joked, and they all laughed.
“So, for your research, I assume you have diving equipment,” Ayanna said, giving Phoenyx a knowing glance.
“Indeed, we have the best there is,” the bearded man said.
“Why do you ask?” the younger man asked. “Do you scuba?”
“As a matter of fact, research is why we came here as well,” Ayanna said. “I’m an archaeology professor at UCLA, and my students and I were on our way to investigate a possible site near the Florida Keys.”
“Ah, how fascinating,” the bearded man said. “Well, we are scheduled to dock in Miami first thing in the morning to restock. Hopefully you will be able to rearrange your travel plans from there.”
Following Ayanna’s lead, Phoenyx reached a hand to lightly touch both the bearded man and the young man on a shoulder, pushed her will into them, and said, “But it would be so much easier, for all of us, if you aided us in our research for just tonight. As a matter of fact, doesn’t the dolphins’ migration pattern go right past the Florida Keys?”
“That’s absolutely right,” the young man said. “It shouldn’t be a problem at all to segue into the Atlantic just a bit before heading back to Miami, right Professor?” He looked over-eagerly to the bearded man.
The bearded man grew a jolly grin and replied, “Yes, we can absolutely help you with your research before docking!”
Ayanna lit up. “Fantastic! Thank you so much for being willing to collaborate with us. We would also appreciate being able to use your scuba gear. I could wire you funds if necessary.”
“As long as you credit the University of Tampa in the publication of your findings, we are happy to help you in any way we can,” he said. “If the universe put you in our path, I believe we must be able to help each other out.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Ayanna said. “Forgive me, what were your names again?”
“I’m Dr. James Rhodes, the man to my right is Dr. Thomas Thorne,” he gestured to the man next to him who had been standing by quietly all this time, “and the frat boy over here is Kevin Adams.”
“You’re just jealous because all your best years are behind you, old man,” Kevin teased. “And I assure you, I was never in a frat.”
James smirke
d and continued. “The man who helped you up the ladder is Dr. Paul Evenwood, and the man currently examining your unconscious friend is Dr. Lyle Gregory, the only actual physician on this boat.”
Ayanna nodded and introduced the three of them, and referred to the absent Sebastian and Skylar. Then they began discussing the plans for the day and the use of the scuba equipment. Phoenyx couldn’t believe their luck to have been rescued, of all things, by a research team. If they had been picked up by fishermen, who knows how long it would have taken them to get to where they needed to go? Not only did their rescuers have the equipment they needed, but they were going to travel right past Sebastian’s shipwreck site. Phoenyx could breathe a little easier knowing that they were making the best possible use of what little time they had left.
****
Skylar came to at around noon, at which time the research team put together a very large and much needed lunch for their rescued guests. Lunch consisted of ham and turkey sandwiches, potato chips, potato salad, assorted fruit, and, of course, beer, which the professors weren’t shy about tossing around. After being at sea for weeks on end, Phoenyx couldn’t blame them, she could barely stand being at sea for one day. Now that one kink in their plan had been worked out, Phoenyx was starving and ready to devour as much food as she could get to build her strength before going back into the water.
She didn’t partake of any of the beer, as she wanted to be fully focused for the upcoming dive. Skylar, Sebastian and Ayanna stayed sober as well, but Ralph drank like he was a fish out of water. Phoenyx was grateful for the social lubricant. It made the research team loose and amiable, rendering her powers unnecessary. Ayanna had brilliantly made up some rich story about what they were supposedly looking for—proof of pre-historic trans-Atlantic sailing—and the inebriated academics ate it up. While they were distracted by her professorly charm, it gave Phoenyx and the others time to recuperate and talk amongst themselves.
