Phantom Universe (7 page)

Thanking the Captain for his pet peeve of never having a squeaky door, she pulls the door forward when the man’s back turns to her. There are a few lights out on the deck which makes excellent shadows for her to hide in. She hugs the wall and scoots along, her fingers outstretched for the broom’s handle.

The man pivots back around, and she freezes. Her breath is already heavy from running down the hallway, but she doesn’t want to move her hand to cover her mouth. Her lips seal in an attempt to make herself as quiet as possible. Her heart slams into her ribs roughly as the man’s eyes—almost glowing in the dark—rake over the shadows. A bead of sweat rolls down her face as he focuses on a spot next to her. Tears fill her eyes in an effort to hold her lips shut. Her lungs feel like they aren’t receiving enough oxygen, and her muscles are pulled so tight in her current position that she’s waiting for them to rip and tear free from her bones.

The man shrugs, lights a cigarette, and turns back around. She is so relieved that she almost collapses. She continues to hug the wall until her fingers find purchase on the broom. Most of the cleaning supplies on the Cosmos are old and worn down. There isn’t a broom on the whole ship that doesn’t come apart at the base. This is the first time she doesn’t mentally complain about the crappy cleaning supplies—she’s actually thanking the Captain again.

This is the hard part. With more grace than she even knows she has, she squats next to the broom. Afraid it’ll make a noise, she gently holds the base and the stick, her lips still sealed to prevent any excess noise. Another bead of sweat rolls down her nose and plops onto the ground. Then she begins to twist the stick until it breaks free from the base. She softly lets the broom lean against the wall. Her heart’s palpitations speed up, and her eyes dilate as she holds on to the wall to help her get up.

In mid-motion, the man turns around again, tapping the ashes free from his cigarette before he takes another drag, the tip lighting orange in the dark. His eyes trace over the shadows again, but this time he thinks he sees something. She’s so convinced it’s her that she grips the stick with overwhelming force; her fingers ache from it. The man slowly makes his way over to her, though he seems to be unsure of what he’s looking at. When he’s merely a few meters away, Summer raises the brooms stick and brings it down over the man’s head.

There’s a grunt as he falls to his knees, though he’s still conscious. She starts shaking at what she just did, but knows if he’s given a chance to call out he will. She brings the stick back down on his head with a
thwack
that reminds her of the whip cutting viciously through the air. Tears burst from her eyes as she hits him one last time before he collapses onto the ground, blood soaking his nice coat and hair. The stick drops from her hands and clanks on the deck, bouncing a little. She can’t believe she just did that.

Heavy footfalls echo not far away. A woman’s frenzied voice calls out to the man, and Summer’s eyes snap up from the unconscious man. The shadow of the woman extends across the deck. She has no idea where the light is coming from, but it’s insanely bright.

Summer takes off up the stairs, her footfalls muffled by the fact she isn’t wearing shoes. Each breath brings in the smell of smoke, and she tries not to cough and bring attention to herself. She’s now at one of the highest points of the ship, and up here she can see where the kitchen is at on the other side. She’s so mesmerized by what she sees that she forgets about the woman that is just now rounding the corner.

The ship is on fire, a glowing beacon in the ocean’s wide abyss. She also notices there is another ship, and it’s partially sticking into the side of the Cosmos, which is much lower in the water than Summer’s ever seen.
We’re sinking
, she realizes in horror, frozen in place. If the woman looks up she’ll be able to clearly see Summer standing there. A few seconds pass with her mouth wide open, her mind frantically trying to put the pieces together. But all she can think about is Landon and if he’s okay.

Unexpectedly, arms wrap around her and fling her backwards into a room.

“
It’s me,” Landon whispers when she starts to fight him, a movement she knows would warrant a punishment. She quickly relaxes in his arms and knows she’s going to be safe now. Landon never punishes.

When she looks around she notices that they are in the room that’s filled with the small boating supplies. Landon reaches into a box and pulls out a life vest.

“
Put this on,” he commands urgently.

She does as she’s told, but looks up at him questioningly. He’s covered in black ash, and his hair is partially singed. On his left shoulder is a horrifically nasty burn that’s gone through his shirt. After this she quickly looks over him for anymore damage, but he seems to be okay.

With the vest on, he says, “I lost Jaden. I need to find her.”

She grasps his lower arms and shakes her head.
You can’t leave me again,
she tries to convey with her eyes.

“
Listen, Ducky. Ye need to go to the boat that hangs off the side of the ship. Wait there for me, okay?”

Tears litter her eyes as she hangs her head as it shakes back and forth. He snatches her chin and makes her look at him. “Be strong for me. I know ye—the pepper story is legendary.” He smirks down at her. “Put on that brave face and go!” He points toward the door.

She gives a tight nod, takes a deep breath, and holds out her chest.

“
That’s it,” he says proudly.

Summer opens the door, and just outside is the woman. Summer backs away and into Landon who seizes her and moves her to the side. A gun flies up and points at Landon’s head.

“
Give me the girl,” demands the woman in a cold voice.

“
Hell no!” he spits.

The gun clicks as she holds it steadier in her grip. “Fine. You mean nothing to me—your life is forfeit.”

Right before she is able to put pressure on the trigger, Summer pushes Landon into the woman. She stumbles back as the gun goes off and parts of the ceiling rain down on them. Landon is able to yank the gun from her grip as he punches the woman in the stomach.

“
Go, Ducky! Run!” he shouts.

Summer jumps over them and down the stairs. The man at the bottom is sitting up, dazed, holding his head. She kicks him in the gut—though without shoes she’s not sure how much it actually hurts. He grunts and falls back down to the ground anyway.

She feels silly wearing the life vest as she rushes towards the side of the ship where the boat overhangs. Before she can reach it something explodes, and she’s thrown overboard. Her hair flings wildly into her face as she flies through the air backwards. It happens to quickly that she isn’t sure how to react, then her back smacks against the ocean water. She plummets several feet into the depths until her life vest yanks her back to the surface. She spits salty water from her mouth and goes into an immediate coughing fit. The water is a little chilly, but it’s not too cold. Her biggest fear? She can’t swim.
Silly
, she realizes,
considering I’ve lived on a ship in the middle of the ocean for most of my life
.

She glances up to the ship that is now halfway in the water, the other half an insatiable, eager fire. The dining table drifts by, and she attempts to swim over to it, all the while thanking Landon for making her put the life vest on. Perhaps he knew the ship would sink. It takes several tries before she is able to get onto the table, but she finally does. She drifts for a while, wondering where Landon and Jaden are and hoping they aren’t hurt. Hoping they’ll find her before she drifts too far from the wreckage.

To her chagrin, the ship breaks into several pieces until it’s overtaken by the ocean’s fearless water, swallowing every last inch of the fire with it.

CHAPTER
8: BEACHED

15 years old

The sun embraces the water and brings the ocean alive with orange, red, and pink. Clouds scatter in the sky, burning with the sun’s rays. Summer’s lips are cracked and bleeding; she is so thirsty she considers drinking the ocean water even though she knows it will only hurt, and her skin is so burned she is not sure if she can suffer through another day at sea. The sight of the sun should be a relief because now she can see farther out, but to her disgust there isn’t land in sight. She flops back against the dining table and wonders where she is, but mostly where Landon is. He saved her life and now his might be . . . forfeit, just as the lady said.
Surely not, though
, she tries to convince herself.
It’s impossible
.

She drifts over wave after wave and considers speaking again. There isn’t a soul out on the water—nothing to be anxious about. She mouths several words but none of them are verbal. She tries again and again, but continues to fail. She yells at herself internally for being such a stupid coward. She has no excuses anymore, yet she still can’t form a single syllable. Hours pass as her mind wanders onto other subjects. She daydreams of a merman coming to her rescue and falling in love with him, only to be separated by land.

At that thought she begins to wonder what it’s like to actually be on solid ground. She pictures digging her toes into the sand, and the smell of grass on the breeze. She wants to climb a tree and smell a flower. The water seems to turn from a dark blue to a light green. She can almost see to the bottom of the water it is so clear. She lies on her stomach and watches schools of fish swim past in rippling patterns.

Another hour passes when suddenly she’s thrown off the dining table, flips through the air, and lands with a splash in the water. Her feet immediately find purchase under the water. The life vest forces her to float as she gasps for air. Another wave quickly sends her sailing forward. When she comes up for air the second time, she realizes she is on a beach. It’s the most beautiful sight she has ever seen, though it’s not exactly what she had pictured. It’s always been marinas and shipyards—now it’s endless sand.

The beach seems to go on forever in both directions. Palm trees dot the area, and in the distance there are patches of green and brown. Once on land, the sand is too hot to stand on and she runs through it until she reaches a shady spot. The sand there is cool and squishes between her toes. Thirst momentarily forgotten, she can’t help but be fascinated with this as she wiggles her toes over and over, finally digging her feet deeply into the sand. She wishes she could share this moment with Landon.

The sound of the water crashing against the shore is so relaxing that Summer begins to think of sleep. She finds the perfect spot between two palm trees and curls up on the sand, her head in a patch of grass that smells so wonderful she puts her nose in it. Exhaustion eats at her, and soon her eyes droop until they close in sleep. She doesn’t care that her resting place is on a deserted beach. She’s too tired to.

“
Summer?” Someone shakes her. “Summer? Wake up!” The voice is relieved.

She pops open one of her sapphire blue eyes and meets Jaden’s smiling face. Her other eye pops open too as she takes in her features. Jaden’s skin is burned, but not as badly as her own, and Jaden’s hair’s in a wild fit of tangles around her face. Just like Summer did in her room, she latches onto Jaden and hugs her so closely she’s sure it’s cutting off Jaden’s air supply. Jaden returns the hug for a moment before they both pull away. Summer immediately begins scanning the area for Landon.

“
I haven’t seen him,” she admits, frowning now.

Summer’s eyes snap back to hers with raised eyebrows.

“
I’m sorry. We were separated, and I never found him.” She plops down next to her. “I’ve been searching the beach all morning and nothing.”

Summer’s shoulders slump in disappointment.

“
Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure he’s fine.” It sounds more like she’s trying to convince herself than anything. “Anyway, the sun’s about to set. I think we should go find some wood and start a big fire. If he’s still out to sea he’ll be able to find us.”

Summer nods enthusiastically.
Why didn’t I think of that?

First, they find water inland, much to Summer’s approval. Everything on land fascinates her. She can’t help but touch every plant she comes across and smell the wild flowers growing everywhere. Though it’s uncomfortable to walk without shoes when she’s not on the sand, she can’t help but find even the ground enthralling. Jaden laughs at her several times and even has to remind her to pick up dry wood to burn. She’s not sure how they will start this fire, but Jaden probably knows. Right?