Your name was Jane Crocker and you loved this boat. You and Jake, as well as your grandson, John, and Jake's granddaughter, Jade, proudly called this modest yacht your home.
Usually, the boat was hitched to your dock in the warm bays of Florida, but sometimes, you liked to go on trips.
This summer was hotter than most, and as you and Jake sat and watched Jade and John splash around in the clear waters of the bay, you told him that you want to sail out into the Atlantic. He was surprised by your demand at first, but didn't hesitate to agree. Jade and John seemed thrilled for their first major boat trip in years, as well.
So as you and Jake packed enough food and water and clothes to last for at least a month, John and Jade were sleeping, readying themselves for a great boating adventure. You left Jake to finish up the last of the packing and walked into John's room to check on him.
John had a content smile on his face as he slept, obviousy having good dreams. His magic chest was open and his props and prank books were scattered across the room. You smiled fondly at the movie posters plastered on his wall as you quietly picked up John's things and deposited them inside his chest. With a whisper of, "Good night," you flicked off the light and gently closed his door.
The door to Jade's room was half open, light flooding out from the opening. You peered in to see a head of dark chocolate-brown hair tossing fitfully in her sleep. Pencils and pens and many other drawing tools were strewn haphazardly on her bed. Several Squiddles and electronic parts were lying on the floor, and among them were a handful of drawings. You'd never seen Jade express much interest in drawing before. In fact, you had never seen her sitting at her desk to draw at all. Curious, you picked them up. They were all rather crumpled, as if she had left them on her bed and accidentally sat on them.
The first paper was a sketchy pen drawing. You couldn't make out many details, but it almost looked like a tiny boat in the middle of a giant storm at sea. The second one was in colored pencils. There was a boat in the center, capsized and breaking apart from the sheer force of violent waves crashing around it. It almost looked like your boat. Lightning flashed in the drawing's background and two little figures were threatened to be swallowed whole by the waves. Looking at the drawings left a bad feeling in the bottom of your stomach.
You heard Jade whimper and stir in her bed, and you instantly placed the stack of drawings on her desk. You sat down next to her and soothingly stroked her hair, shushing her and telling her to stop tossing. Her troubled breathing began to even out and you smiled softly to yourself. Jade turned again, and her arm escaped from beneath her blanket, a crumpled sheet of paper falling from her hand.
Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you picked up the paper and carefully straightened it out. On it, in great detail and color, were two people you had never seen before. A girl with short blonde hair and magenta eyes smiled with black-lipstick covered lips. She looked to be around Jade's age and was holding the weirdest looking pair of black and pink daggers. Beside her, a tan blond boy stood holding a sword. His eyes were hidden beneath dark sunglasses. They looked like siblings and wore the same clothes— orange t-shirts, jeans, and a leather necklace strung with wooden beads.
You left the drawing on Jade's desk and spared one last look at her. She was sleeping peacefully. You quietly left the room and turned off the light, a relaxed smile gracing your face. You arrived as Jake finished the last of the packing and told him that John and Jade were sleeping soundly. He smiled back at you and told you that he would start sailing first thing in the morning. You bade him goodnight and went to your room. That night, you dreamt of clear skies and perfect oceans as you, Jake, John, and Jade sailed along the golden horizon.
Your name was Jake English and something about the eerily calm waters around you seemed ominous. It was cloudy and the waters were a dull grey-green. Darker clouds were rolling in from far away. John and Jade sat against the railing, feet dangling over the edge of the boat as they watched the fish swim by beneath them.
You didn't hear Jane walk up behind you until she spoke.
"Something wrong?" she asked as she rested a light hand on your shoulder. You frowned.
"I don't like the look of this weather," you replied. "Tell John and Jade to go inside. I think we're in for a storm." A look of worry clouded Jane's face, but you did your best to reassure her, telling her to stay below deck as well. She led John and Jade down, and you left for the cockpit. Minutes later, you heard footsteps and turned around to see Jane standing behind you, an encouraging smile on her face.
"I'm not going to leave you alone to steer us through a storm," she told you matter-of-factly, arms crossed and no room left for argument. You wouldn't have made any move to argue anyway, and allowed her to stand beside you as you piloted the yacht.
The rain began to patter on the narrow tin roof within minutes, and the boat slowly became harder and harder to keep afloat. Thunder and lightning crashed and you heard little screams and rushed footsteps. Jane's voice screamed at the kids to go back below deck, but you couldn't risk turning around.
You were surprised by the ferocity of this violent storm as it rattled the tin roof above you, but you refused to let it get the best of you. Jane was standing beside you the whole time, even when the violent winds ripped the old tin roof right off the deck. The ground grew wet and slippery beneath your feet and Jane was reduced to grabbing onto the wheel as to not be thrown off the side of the boat. Despite the craziness around you, she tried her best to help you steer as well.
Water was flooding onto the boat and trickling below decks. You didn't want Jade and John to come up and see such a chaotic scene, but you knew that they would eventually.
"Jake!" Jane screamed in your ear, and you whirled your head around barely in time to see a giant wave flying at you. There was no time for a reaction as the icy cold water threw you and Jane off the side of the boat, crushing the air in your lungs and wrenching you under the water and farther away from the boat— and more importantly, John and Jade.