And so it was, the horrors of a vacation gone under, with the terrors tainted in their innocent minds, blinded by death and screams. For their hopes had been destroyed so soon in the events, while through the endeavor they learned fending for one's self could be the cause of a major death. Yet in the process it could be sticking together blossoms a survival, only to depend on one person's bravery to risk his or her life. A father gone, leaving a tormented daughter distraught in the realization of never seeing the man again. If she had not protested with Christian's quick choice of fate to undertake the dare of stopping the propeller, her father would not have gone off to do so while the boy cooed the frightened dear. Nothing from the past mattered any longer, for it had been so, the future could do nothing to change what had happened. The few survivors— Dylan Johns: oh, without him every single one of them would have perished. He had truly been the leader, and if it not for him, the woman thought back and realized she would have been dead long before the disaster became worse; Maggie James, with her precious son, Conor, both tenacious and brave in what way such a young child had lived along with a few other adults, with her mother who never let her hope die; Richard Nelson, so elderly and fragile, yet able to pull through with the tasks of escaping; her dear fiancé, Christian only for he she truly attempted to live. He was strong in what way he kept her alive; and Jennifer Ramsey herself. Delicate in profiles, yet a disposition of a Queen: Brave, strong, loyal, and buoyant—only few of those to live from the tsunami. Others had indeed, yet the entourage had no idea.

It was only a few months while the next proposal came to be: to proceed once more onto the haunting decks of a ship, embarking on a simple but dangerous quest once more to diminish the omnipresent fears that stained their hearts. Because of these phobias, the miniscule idea traveled from young Christian's head and emerged from his mouth no more than a few days after being rescued. The surviving five—without Nelson, who made his own way—had decided to reside together, to keep the peace and comfort one another until the feelings passed into nothing but memories; when they could no longer feel the cold water on their skin every day; when they could no longer shed any more tears for those lost, and the bodies of those lost that they held. There was little time they spent alone. It was a quiet day when Christian thought it up and spoke it freely out to the others. The plan was elaborate for the minds of those simplified by the past events, but in reality it was very mediocre.

Jennifer recalled that his exact words were, "There's only one way to get rid of our fears of boats and oceans now. We go on another cruise." The blank and apprehensive stares alike were all averted toward him in undivided attention. "There's one coming up in April—it's perfect. We go on a boat, nothing happens, our fears are lifted." It was bold and strange, but Dylan had to admire the bravery of even bringing up the suggestion. Agreeing with the execution of the plan, he amended his ways and decided to join the man. It took Maggie a little while longer, having to make the choice for both her and her son. Conor, still small and naïve couldn't see why they would try to take the chance again, or that tsunamis happened very seldom. Weak and willing to do anything to cure their "disease," (of which Dylan had named "irrational fears" after a while of being irritated with Maggie's whining and griping about the proposal to begin with) she also joined the group going on the trip. The hardest to persuade: Jennifer. Though she saw the point of view coming from her fiancé, she had lost the greatest deal and amount a young woman should never encounter. The loss of a mentor—whether or not he had been as patronizing as she said; perhaps it was because she was his only child left, and that had to be worth something—, a guide, and a father would forever plague her. She wasn't convinced that Chris's idea was the only way to "cure" the severity of her "disease."

Four months' time was a long while, though, and eventually, the trip was booked. There was an extra ticket for Jennifer, of which she accepted once she realized that she would be home by herself while the rest of them were on the boat. If something is to happen, she figured, I don't want to be the one not there while the rest of them suffer. And I can't stand to be alone anymore. "Chris, I'm coming," she announced softly to him a week before their departure.

And a tense departure it was. The gentle Ramsey never thought that her hands could be so clammy, her throat so closed and dry, body so violently trembling. "Chris, I'm scared," she whispered raggedly to him, looking up with her chocolate eyes to his pale blue ones. Her body was pressed firmly against his side, holding on tightly to his arm. Christian felt himself stiffen and his rubbed his legs together. Purposely, he cupped his hand around her side.

"I know, Jen. I know." His stomach churned. "But we'll be all right. Don't worry, okay? I'm here."

"We're all here," interjected Dylan, coming to the side of the young ones. "For each other. Come on. They're boarding." His gaze evasive of the ocean surrounding him, he decided to fix his eyes on Maggie. That slender, figured woman a little larger than Jennifer. She clutched Conor tightly to her breast, the boy's face buried in her shoulder.

And then they boarded Athean.