Ch2: The Last Of Arcadia
She tossed and turned. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the dream.
It was a memory, that's why.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
"BRYANA!"
Bryana jerked awake, hearing her mother's voice.
"Coming!"
"You're gonna miss your father!"
"COMING!"
She jumped out of bed; missing her father was a bad thing. He had volunteered to take her sailing, even though she was four years old. She was very excited.
Running downstairs, she grabbed her coat and kissed her mom goodbye. As she ran out of the door, Aika called, "Be careful, sweetie! Love you!"
"I will, Mom! Love you too!"
She tripped and bumped into a boy her age. It was Scott.
"Oh! Sorry!"
"It's ok. Sailing with your dad today, huh?"
"Yeah!"
"Excited?"
"Yeah!"
"Wanna take me too?"
"Ye-no! You can't trick me again, Scott."
He laughed. "Fair's fair."
She ran off to the lower cavern dock. Bryana waved to Scott and headed below to her father's ship. Inside, she saw her father and waved to him.
Vyse waved back.
On the way down, Bryana ran into her best friend Sarc. Sarc was Scott's twin sister.
"Sarc! Good morning!"
"Good morning! Oh my God, I am SO HAPPY we're gonna sail together!!!" The two jumped up and down, shrieking with happiness and thrill.
"BRYANA!" Her mom was down there too, bidding her father good luck. The crew was getting impatient.
Bryana and Sarc jumped down from the platform and landed in front of Vyse and Aika. Vyse laughed.
"Just like us when we were young."
"Got that right." Fina called from the deck. "Now are they ready for the adventure of their lives?"
"You bet!" The girls said in unison.
"Then c'mon!" Vyse jumped up onto the deck.
Aika grumbled. "Man, I wish I could come. Too bad I'm five months along." She indicated her large stomach.
"But you can't."
"Vyse."
"Yes?"
"Shut. Up. Now."
"I don't think so."
Bryana gave her mom a final hug and sped up the ladder. Sarc was lucky; her mom was coming with her on the journey to visit Valua and raid black pirate ships. Fina had lost her husband before Sarc was born, when he died by a guardian when looking for treasure.
Aika waved, turned green, and ran toward a bathroom. She stopped and turned around before heading inside.
"Bye, Bryana! Good luck on the treasure, Vyse! Fina, make sure-"
Vyse shook his head. "Good BYE, Aika!"
Fina yelled back at her. "WE CAN HANDLE IT! GO BEFORE YOU-" Aika burst into the bathroom and shut the door.
The sails raised and the ship lunged forward. Vyse proudly took the helm and steered it out of the cavern. Bryana and Sarc were left on deck, gazing back at Crescent Isle, their home for many years. Bryana saw their house. Then a dark, sickening feeling sprouted up inside of her.
"I have a feeling we won't be coming back."
Sarc giggled nervously. "Silly! You father is very careful. I'm sure we'll be okay. After all, he does have two four year old on this big, vast ship. He OUGHT to be careful! Or else your mom is gonna get on his case!"
"It's not that I think we're gonna crash."
"Then what is it?"
"It's even deeper...like this is gonna be the last day for me to live on Arcadia."
"That's stupid!" Sarc shook her head, her blond locks leaping around in the wind. "Just enjoy the wind! Enjoy the ride and help out!" Sarc laughed and ran around.
"Sarc!"
"What?" She stopped running and gazed worriedly at her friend.
Bryana looked at the clouds, which were the whitest white. "It feels like it's the last day on Arcadia for ALL of us, not just out ship and crew."
"Whaddya mean by ALL?"
"Everyone on Arcadia."
"That's dumb!" She pulled on her sleeve, egging her to come play in the wind with her. "Let's enjoy it while we can before our parents make us do work."
Bryana gave in and ran around, feeling the breeze in her long red hair. It didn't take long before Vyse's head popped out and said "Girls! Come inside, please!"
"Aw, man, that was fun!" Sarc gently nudged Bryana. "Wasn't it? Weren't you glad you did that?"
"Yeah." A smile embraced her face. They went inside. They could tell that something was wrong by the look on Vyse's and Fina's faces.
Fina bent down and held them both. Bryana was confused. 'What's going on?' From the look on Sarc's face, she could tell she wasn't alone.
"Daddy, what's wrong?"
Vyse stared sadly at her. He pulled her over and pointed at a map.
"Bryana, do you see this Quika map?"
"Yeah. It tells sailors where there's wind right?"
"Yes."
"So what's wrong?"
Vyse pointed again. then she saw. White(which meant mild wind) was nowhere. Only black(heavy wind and possible hurricane) was seen. She couldn't even see any islands.
"That's bad, right Daddy?" She only said Daddy or Mommy when she was really scared. Like she was now.
"Very."
Suddenly, the whole ship rocked. Fina leaped over to a window and gasped. "Our deck! A moonstone hit it!"
"Impossible!" Vyse looked, too. His jaw dropped. "No way."
Bryana screamed as a moonstone blasted through the wooden bridge, nealry hitting her by a few inches.
Sarc was crying. She had been hit, Bryana realized. By instinct, she ran out onto the deck. Vyse yelled out to her. "BRYANA! COME BACK HERE!" but she couldn't hear him. she was struck with awe when she saw the silver moon.
So beautiful.
So close.
Too close.
Above, the red moon was nearly on top of them. to her left, the blue moon was more than a speck in the distance. The green moon was not the size of a blade of grass.The yellow moon was like a brighter sun, and the purple moon seemed like a cave.
All the moons were ever so dangerously close.
Moonstones of all six colors rained down upon the ship and through the sky. Holes were ripped through wood that not even a machine could cut. Flames littered the sky.
Sarc.
Bryana lunged for the cabin door, pulled it open, dodged another moonstone, and saw Sarc.
Sarc, her best fried ever.
Sarc was dead. It was clear by the fact that a large red moonstone had struck her in the neck.
No more tears could flow out. She gaped in silence at Fina, who was slumped against the wall, her left arm missing; and Vyse. Her father.
Daddy.
He was dead, too.
A yellow moonstone, a long one, impaled Vyse right through the heart.
Bryana kept screaming and screaming, even when the roof caved in on her.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Again, she woke up screaming. Guilt washed over her.
'If only I had told Daddy about that empty feeling I had.'
She had survived by being outside. Everyone else on the planet had been too scared and stayed inside.
She tossed and turned. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the dream.
It was a memory, that's why.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
"BRYANA!"
Bryana jerked awake, hearing her mother's voice.
"Coming!"
"You're gonna miss your father!"
"COMING!"
She jumped out of bed; missing her father was a bad thing. He had volunteered to take her sailing, even though she was four years old. She was very excited.
Running downstairs, she grabbed her coat and kissed her mom goodbye. As she ran out of the door, Aika called, "Be careful, sweetie! Love you!"
"I will, Mom! Love you too!"
She tripped and bumped into a boy her age. It was Scott.
"Oh! Sorry!"
"It's ok. Sailing with your dad today, huh?"
"Yeah!"
"Excited?"
"Yeah!"
"Wanna take me too?"
"Ye-no! You can't trick me again, Scott."
He laughed. "Fair's fair."
She ran off to the lower cavern dock. Bryana waved to Scott and headed below to her father's ship. Inside, she saw her father and waved to him.
Vyse waved back.
On the way down, Bryana ran into her best friend Sarc. Sarc was Scott's twin sister.
"Sarc! Good morning!"
"Good morning! Oh my God, I am SO HAPPY we're gonna sail together!!!" The two jumped up and down, shrieking with happiness and thrill.
"BRYANA!" Her mom was down there too, bidding her father good luck. The crew was getting impatient.
Bryana and Sarc jumped down from the platform and landed in front of Vyse and Aika. Vyse laughed.
"Just like us when we were young."
"Got that right." Fina called from the deck. "Now are they ready for the adventure of their lives?"
"You bet!" The girls said in unison.
"Then c'mon!" Vyse jumped up onto the deck.
Aika grumbled. "Man, I wish I could come. Too bad I'm five months along." She indicated her large stomach.
"But you can't."
"Vyse."
"Yes?"
"Shut. Up. Now."
"I don't think so."
Bryana gave her mom a final hug and sped up the ladder. Sarc was lucky; her mom was coming with her on the journey to visit Valua and raid black pirate ships. Fina had lost her husband before Sarc was born, when he died by a guardian when looking for treasure.
Aika waved, turned green, and ran toward a bathroom. She stopped and turned around before heading inside.
"Bye, Bryana! Good luck on the treasure, Vyse! Fina, make sure-"
Vyse shook his head. "Good BYE, Aika!"
Fina yelled back at her. "WE CAN HANDLE IT! GO BEFORE YOU-" Aika burst into the bathroom and shut the door.
The sails raised and the ship lunged forward. Vyse proudly took the helm and steered it out of the cavern. Bryana and Sarc were left on deck, gazing back at Crescent Isle, their home for many years. Bryana saw their house. Then a dark, sickening feeling sprouted up inside of her.
"I have a feeling we won't be coming back."
Sarc giggled nervously. "Silly! You father is very careful. I'm sure we'll be okay. After all, he does have two four year old on this big, vast ship. He OUGHT to be careful! Or else your mom is gonna get on his case!"
"It's not that I think we're gonna crash."
"Then what is it?"
"It's even deeper...like this is gonna be the last day for me to live on Arcadia."
"That's stupid!" Sarc shook her head, her blond locks leaping around in the wind. "Just enjoy the wind! Enjoy the ride and help out!" Sarc laughed and ran around.
"Sarc!"
"What?" She stopped running and gazed worriedly at her friend.
Bryana looked at the clouds, which were the whitest white. "It feels like it's the last day on Arcadia for ALL of us, not just out ship and crew."
"Whaddya mean by ALL?"
"Everyone on Arcadia."
"That's dumb!" She pulled on her sleeve, egging her to come play in the wind with her. "Let's enjoy it while we can before our parents make us do work."
Bryana gave in and ran around, feeling the breeze in her long red hair. It didn't take long before Vyse's head popped out and said "Girls! Come inside, please!"
"Aw, man, that was fun!" Sarc gently nudged Bryana. "Wasn't it? Weren't you glad you did that?"
"Yeah." A smile embraced her face. They went inside. They could tell that something was wrong by the look on Vyse's and Fina's faces.
Fina bent down and held them both. Bryana was confused. 'What's going on?' From the look on Sarc's face, she could tell she wasn't alone.
"Daddy, what's wrong?"
Vyse stared sadly at her. He pulled her over and pointed at a map.
"Bryana, do you see this Quika map?"
"Yeah. It tells sailors where there's wind right?"
"Yes."
"So what's wrong?"
Vyse pointed again. then she saw. White(which meant mild wind) was nowhere. Only black(heavy wind and possible hurricane) was seen. She couldn't even see any islands.
"That's bad, right Daddy?" She only said Daddy or Mommy when she was really scared. Like she was now.
"Very."
Suddenly, the whole ship rocked. Fina leaped over to a window and gasped. "Our deck! A moonstone hit it!"
"Impossible!" Vyse looked, too. His jaw dropped. "No way."
Bryana screamed as a moonstone blasted through the wooden bridge, nealry hitting her by a few inches.
Sarc was crying. She had been hit, Bryana realized. By instinct, she ran out onto the deck. Vyse yelled out to her. "BRYANA! COME BACK HERE!" but she couldn't hear him. she was struck with awe when she saw the silver moon.
So beautiful.
So close.
Too close.
Above, the red moon was nearly on top of them. to her left, the blue moon was more than a speck in the distance. The green moon was not the size of a blade of grass.The yellow moon was like a brighter sun, and the purple moon seemed like a cave.
All the moons were ever so dangerously close.
Moonstones of all six colors rained down upon the ship and through the sky. Holes were ripped through wood that not even a machine could cut. Flames littered the sky.
Sarc.
Bryana lunged for the cabin door, pulled it open, dodged another moonstone, and saw Sarc.
Sarc, her best fried ever.
Sarc was dead. It was clear by the fact that a large red moonstone had struck her in the neck.
No more tears could flow out. She gaped in silence at Fina, who was slumped against the wall, her left arm missing; and Vyse. Her father.
Daddy.
He was dead, too.
A yellow moonstone, a long one, impaled Vyse right through the heart.
Bryana kept screaming and screaming, even when the roof caved in on her.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Again, she woke up screaming. Guilt washed over her.
'If only I had told Daddy about that empty feeling I had.'
She had survived by being outside. Everyone else on the planet had been too scared and stayed inside.