A/N: Okay, so I thought I'd start a new story. I saw Nim's Island opening day and then went out and got and read the book. I liked both (and I LOVE Gerard Butler), so I came up with a fict. Lemme know what you think! (No flames, though, unless constructive...I may be a little bit of a pyro, but I don't need you to add to it. K? Thanks.)

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Colleen Giuseppe was a very smart woman. She had graduated as one of the top students in her class from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography where she received her Ph.D. in biological oceanography. She also had a degree as a veterinary assistant…which came in handy when working with some marine animals.

Through her work in oceanography, which included extensive research in the aquatic plant and animal life in the Pacific Ocean, Colleen was able to come up with enough money to buy her own boat. Her crew was friends and colleagues eager to also research the unknown in the Pacific.

With her crew of six, including herself, they set sail from southern California and headed west, towards the horizon.

Colleen's crew for this run included herself, a professional captain named Joe, three other researchers named Tabitha, Edmund, and Mindy, and an underwater photographer named Jim. The researchers were old acquaintances from GSO (Graduate School of Oceanography) and had accompanied Colleen on more than a few missions to gather information.

The information they received about the weather came from a reliable resource, so they trusted it. The weather was supposed to be beautiful for the length of their three-week trip at sea.

By the end of the second week, the team felt they had enough samples and data to do some significant research back on dry land. They were, however, behind schedule and much, much further from California than they wanted to be.

When Colleen woke up one morning towards the end of that week, she threw on a pair of black Adidas pants with white stripes and a navy blue tank top with a gray short-sleeved, button up shirt over it (leaving it unbuttoned). She had a pair of old sneakers on as well.

Walking out of the bunk and onto the deck, Colleen spotted Joe at the wheel along with Mindy, Edmund, and Jim; she walked over to them.

"Good morning, all." She said.

"Morning." Came their replies.

Joe handed her a cup of coffee, which she took with a 'thanks'.

"Now that all of you, with the exception of migrained Tabitha, are here, there's something that should be told." Joe said, then paused before continuing. "It's going to be an extra few days before we reach land again. Those heavy winds last week blew us off course."

"So, what do we do with the extra time?" Mindy asked.

"Enjoy it." Joe said simply.

"I have family to get home to." Edmund muttered.

"We all do, Ed…well, except Coll, who can't hold a boyfriend for more than two dates." Mindy said with a laugh.

Colleen forced a grin as the others laughed. Life doesn't always revolve around relationships. She thought. Setting the half-drunk cup of coffee down on the deck, she excused herself and walked over to the starboard side of the boat, a short distance away from everyone else. She looked out over the clear, blue water, thinking on her findings. Jim walked up next to her, changing the memory card out of one of his underwater cameras.

"What's on your mind, Doc?" He asked, using one of his nicknames for her.

"A lot, Jimmy." She replied, using his hated nickname.

Jim glared at her, but his heart wasn't in it; he could never be mad at her since she had been calling him that since they were in grade school together.

"I just have a deadline to beat and being out here longer isn't helping." Colleen said, then paused before continuing with a smile. "Not that I mind being out here."

"I get ya." Jim agreed, closing the hatch on the fresh memory card. He held the old card out to Colleen, who looked down on it. "Take it." He said.

She looked from the card to Jim. "And just why are you giving me a memory card?" She asked.

Jim slung his camera strap onto his shoulder, then patted down his pants. "No pockets." He said with a grin.

Colleen laughed. "Ah, I see." She said, placing the memory card in her breast pocket.

"Hey Doc!"

Colleen and Jim turned around to look at Tabitha, who had come on deck after Colleen had walked away.

"Looks like a storm's coming. And a nasty one at that." She continued, pointing to the sky off the port side of the boat.

The sky was growing dark, and not just gray, but an almost black sky. By the time it would reach their position, the sky would turn into night, but it would only really be about mid day. The calm blue sea would turn into a churning mass of walls of dark blue water.

"Get everything tied down that isn't and make sure all our discoveries and data are safe!" Colleen called as she headed down to the bunk to grab her own waterproof camera and put the memory card in it. When she had the card safe, she put the camera in her pants zip-up pocket, then ran back out onto the deck to help secure everything.

The next time she looked up to the sky, the darker clouds were overhead. As Colleen looked straight up, a raindrop hit the center of her forehead.

"Everyone get ready! This storm is going to hit very soon!" She called as she strapped down a crate filled with full sample jars.

Within minutes, the sky opened up, pouring rain and seawater down on the small boat. Joe did his best to keep the boat on course, but the wind and rain made it difficult to steer and see where they were headed. Everyone else on board tried to keep their footing on the slippery deck as they strapped the last of their belongings down.

Colleen had her back to the deck as she pulled and tied off a rope. "Is everything…?" She started to ask as she turned to face her crew. A huge wave about double the height of the boat rose on the opposite side. "Everyone take hold of something!" She shouted loudly so they could all hear her.

Jim, Mindy, Joe, and Tabitha all grabbed onto one of the larger crates towards the middle of the deck, but Edmund had slipped and fell face first, hitting the side of his head on the deck.

"Edmund!" Colleen yelled as she ran over to him to help him up.

She noticed that when he sat up, he shook his head and looked a little out of it. Kneeling down next to him, she saw that there was a cut on his temple and blood was starting to trickle down the side of his head.

"Are you all right?" She called over the elements.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He replied, then Colleen quickly helped him up and over to the crate.

As soon as they grabbed onto the crate with everyone else, the wave hit the boat, sending water on the deck, and tilting the boat on its side.

Everyone lost their grip on the crate and slid down the deck, tumbling overboard and into the rough waters of sea.

When Colleen surfaced, after flipping over the railing and heading into the sea head first, she gasped in a lung-full of air and looked around for her colleagues. She saw them floating a little ways away. They were shouting towards her and flailing their arms, but she couldn't understand or hear them. Then, Jim's voice carried above the others and the storm.

"Colleen! Look out!"

She followed his pointing arm, that she was only able to see because of the lightning, to where they fell off the boat and saw the mast coming straight for her as it started to capsize. Gasping, and taking in a mouthful of seawater as she did so, Colleen stared up at the mast as it came down on her. Before she was able to move out of the way, it beamed her on the head, rendering her unconscious.