13. From Bad to Worse
Later that afternoon, Silas and Kota had dug out their compasses and decided that we were drifting in a general northeast direction. Their skill impressed me. I didn't understand how they could have figured our course. No matter where I looked there was just an endless horizon of blue. Blue water. Blue skies. Not even a cloud to break up the monotony. There was nothing, to my knowledge, out here but us.
"Fucking shit. This is boring as hell." Gabe threw his head back in frustration as he broke the settled silence. "Let's fucking do something. Play a game or some shit." Luke perked up at the suggestion of a break in the monotony.
North groaned in protest. "Damn Gabe. Why does everything have to be fun and games? We need to get our shit together and figure out a plan."
"Look around you North!" Gabe threw his hands out to the side. "There's NOTHING around us. There's fucking NOTHING to plan for! We're in the fucking middle of NOWHERE." He sat back with a huff and North just shook his head, grumbling under his breath.
Mr. B straightened up, if sitting even straighter than before were possible. "Mr. Coleman, settle down. As we already know, getting upset in survival situations does nothing to benefit our position. Arguing and fighting won't change our circumstances. That being said, Mr. Taylor, there is nothing wrong with trying to keep up morale by playing a game." Owen's eyebrows rose as if his last comment surprised even himself. "What did you have in mind, Gabriel.?"
Gabe had perked up over the course of Mr. Blackbourne's little speech. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together as if plotting something sinister. If that wasn't bad enough, he gave a little chuckle. "Hmmmm…. I'm thinking it needs to be damn good. Give us something to fucking think about besides," he gestured around us, "all this."
"Alright Gabe. Tell us what ya' got." Dr. Green looked amused. "I think that we can take it."
Gabriel started laughing, which for some reason made me a little nervous. "Ok, Doc…" He paused, "Strip Two Truths and a Lie." Gabe's smile was bigger than I'd ever seen as he waited for our reactions. North was the first to react.
"Fuck no!" North extended his foot around Nathan and Sean to kick at Gabe. "No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to be stripping off anything. And I mean it, Coleman. Pick something else before I throw you overboard." I didn't think North was serious, at least not one hundred percent. He was just teasing, right? I'd make sure to keep an eye on things, just in case.
Through his giggles, Gabe conceded. "Damn, North. Why you gotta be like that?" He sighed. "Ok, ok. Just plain ol' boring Two Truths and a Lie, then. Shit." After a few giggles from the others, Gabe continued to explain the game, which I'm assuming was for my benefit because I'm sure that I was the only one who didn't know how to play. "Y'all get two minutes to come up with two truths and one lie about yourself. Everyone is going to take a turn to tell the rest of the group, who have to guess the lie. If the group can guess your lie, you lose and we determine your punishment." He gave the guys a look. "And we have it extra fucking hard because not only do we NOT know Sang, but we know the rest of us so fucking well that it will take some crafty thinking on our parts in order to trick each other. This time, we're gonna start with Sang, and go clockwise, ending with Mr. B." Why did I have to go first? Even though it was just a game, I panicked. "Two minutes to think. Go."
I wracked my brain trying to think of some information that I wouldn't mind sharing and then a lie that could trip up the others. After a couple minutes of thinking, and only seconds before Gabe called 'time's up', I was ready.
All eyes turned to me. "Ready Cupcake?" Across from me, Luke nudged me with his toe and smiled widely. "Give us your best shot."
Taking a second to gather some courage, I gave myself a little pep talk. I'd swam in the middle of the ocean with these guys, while in my underwear for goodness sakes! I had no reason to be nervous around them any longer, but unfortunately, they still intimidated me. I took a deep breath, mustering some courage that wasn't there. "Ok…Ummm… I've never had a pet, I can speak three languages and I have a tattoo."
It was silent for several seconds before everyone started speaking at once. They had to decide the lie as a group and they spent several minutes arguing amongst themselves before coming to a decision. They ducked their heads together and spoke in hushed whispers. I tried my best not to listen and let them converse. As I waited, I let my head fall back against the suitcase behind me and peeked out from under the canopy the boys had built, watching the clouds and thinking about as little as possible. Mentally and physically, I was exhausted. Several minutes later, I was brought out of my daydreams when someone shook my leg. When I sat up, Luke gave me a big grin. "Wake up, Buttercup." I couldn't help the blush that spread across my cheeks as I situated myself and got comfortable.
"Ok, ok… everybody quiet down. Time's up. " Kota focused their attention and quieted them down. He looked at me and grinned. "Alright, Sang. Let's see if we're as smart as we'd like to think." The guys grinned at Kota's words, several of them laughing with another. My eyes traveled the group and my eyes caught with North, who winked teasingly. For some reason the butterflies in my belly started to take off. And were my palms actually sweating? Gross. I was nervous… again. Gathering my bent knees with my arms, I curled into myself. I wanted to impress these men. I wanted them to like me and I hoped that by being good at their little games that would someone endear me to them. Would that even work? I sure hoped so.
Kota continued on, "So here's what we've decided… One." He held up a finger as he spoke. "You look like you're in high school and everyone has to take languages in high school, which means more than likely you can speak more than one language, but three? That takes dedication, but you seem smart enough." His smile turned into a smirk as he added another finger. "Two. You seem a little shy, and not to mention young, to have gone and gotten a tattoo. It seems unlikely." Again he raised another finger. "And Three, everyone's had a pet at one point in their life, even if it was just a pet worm or a ladybug." Kota dropped his hand and continued on. "Either you've given us three lies, or you're a rather fascinating person. "You didn't make this easy on us. And we're actually pretty spilt as a group as to what your lie actually is. So, Dr. Green and Victor think that your lie was never having had a pet. Mr. B, Silas, Nathan and I all think that speaking three languages is a lie, and North, Gabe and Luke think that you'd never get a tattoo. So, tell us… who's right?"
They were all looking at me, waiting for me to tell them who were right. Face flushing, I released the breath I had been holding. "I actually only speak two languages but I do use a third to write in code. It's kinda silly really." I felt utterly geeky telling them that. Who does something like that anyways? It wasn't until I just admitted it out loud that I realized how lame I was. Seriously, could I be any more embarrassing? Probably not.
Silas and Nathan high fived, while Kota and Owen just smiled and nodded. I had a feeling that those two were hardly ever wrong. Gabe and Luke were incredulous. "You have a tattoo!?" They shouted in unison.
"Holy fuck. I wanna see it! You gotta show me that shit, Trouble!" Gabe's face was priceless. He looked stunned for a few seconds. "Seriously. I want to see it!" North reached over and flicked Gabe's ear, but he remained unaffected. Suddenly, Gabe's small smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Where is it? I didn't see it earlier. Did any of you see it?" Everyone else just shook their heads. Of course they hadn't seen it, and I wasn't so sure any of them ever would.
Before the game could move on, all the guys wanted answers and clarification.
"So you've really NEVER had a pet? Ever?" The incredulous looks on several of their faces told me what they thought about that little tidbit. I was a freak, an anomaly. With every piece I revealed about myself I felt as if I were pushing them further and further away.
"Nope. Never." Please don't think I'm crazy.
"Not even a worm or a ladybug? A butterfly? Nothing?" Nathan was smiling at me. "Don't all kids have an insect as a pet at one point? I must have had hundreds of bugs as pets." He reached out and wiggled my knee, showing that he was just teasing me and not trying to hurt my feelings.
Shaking my head, I tried to move the game along. "Ok, ok. I'm a weirdo. I know. We just weren't allowed as kids and I was always too scared to break the rules." I cleared my throat. " Shyly, I turned to Silas. "Your turn Silas."
Before the game had even really begun, I'd come to the conclusion that any 'game' with these boys quickly turned into a shouting match, and a one-upping contest. In the middle of debating whether Victor's never composed his own music, only ever had two real girlfriends or chased off an actual stalker who managed to pose as an employee in his home, Luke had acutally put Gabe in a headlock and Nathan and Sean were heatedly recounting every girl they'd thought Victor had gone out with that they believed qualified as a girlfriend. As nearly every round before, Owen and Kota silently debated back and forth before carefully coming to a decision. North muttered to himself over his brother's antics and Silas just smiled, watching the craziness unfold before us. He caught my gaze and shared a smile with me. He nodded to me, answering the question in my gaze. Is it always like this?
A crack of thunder in the near distance silenced the cacophony under the canopy. It wasn't until the chaos inside the raft was silenced that we noticed the rapidly darkening skies. The thundering of my heart competed with the skies above us. I never really did like storms. Shifting focus, the guys turned to watch the horizon. I could tell from their tense backs and shoulders that we'd all been caught off guard. As they all turned back around to face the middle once again, the looks on their faces caused my pulse to pound in my ears. Glances were exchanged around me and for once, I didn't care what they were saying. Dread was threatening to choke the life from me and if it failed, the swiftly churning waves promised to do the job. I grabbed Silas and Owen in a death grip. How did this happen?! Where did this storm come from? How were we all caught unaware?
"Ms Sorensen. Sang, please take a breath. Please calm down." Wasn't I breathing? The rapid rise and fall of my chest told me that I was. But it didn't seem to be enough. Owen's lips were so close, just barely grazing my right ear, but even their pull was overshadowed by the strength of the storm. "Sang! Focus. Breathe with me." He forced me to look at him, and the strength of the steel in his eyes drew me in. Centered me. "In. Out." He exaggerated his movements, showed me what to do. Slowly but surely, I was able to mimic Mr. Blackbourne. In and out. Deep breaths. As I returned to my senses, I realized that the weather around me was picking up. The skies had opened up. Waves were crashing over the sides of our craft and we seemed to be heading straight into the worst of the squall. The wind was picking up, tearing at our canopy, and shredding the last of our shelter. The rain was coming down in sheets now and visibility was nearly nonexistent. The boys were shouting orders now. Stay together. Grab a cushion- anything that floats, and thread your arms through the straps. Keep in a group. Stay together. I nodded along, allowing the boys to secure a partially inflated life vest around my neck and a seat cushion around my arms. I was grateful, so grateful, for their knowledge and expertise. I trusted them implicitly. They would lead and I would follow. For now, there was nothing to do but wait. For what? Not a one of us were sure.
Just when I thought the storm couldn't get any worse it seemed to attack with a vengeance, as if we alone had wronged Mother Nature in some horribly cruel way. As if our very presence was a personal slight against the sea itself. Rocking waves turned in to rollercoasters. Heavy rains turned into waterfalls. Our small raft, secured together by strips of fabric, didn't stand a chance. What was worse, there was nothing we could do to prevent the inevitable. It was only a matter of time before the Atlantic swallowed us. At one point I looked up and caught, what I thought were the gazes of Sean and Luke across from me, but as I took a second to scrutinize their horror struck faces I realized they were staring behind me, just beyond my shoulders. I turned around in plenty of time to watch the cataclysm barreling down upon us. A wall of sea water, nearly 3 stories tall, was rushing our small raft. I only had seconds to register the strong hands grasping at my body before the sea crashed upon us, shattering our group into pieces.
Despite the sting, I watched underwater as we were all tossed about. It was like watching a violent washing machine assaulting it's dirty laundry. Somersaulting and twisting, we were all shaken about and torn from one another. I was so tossed about I lost track of up and down, panicking because I didn't know which way to swim. My chest burned with the need to breathe. Just when I began to think all was lost I felt a tug on the strap of my tank and realized that Silas was pulling me towards the top. I kicked and pulled with all my might, fighting against the strength of the current; doing my damnedest to live.
Greedily, I gulped in lungs full of air as I breeched the surface of the Atlantic. Instantly, I clung to Silas beside me, wrapping my fist in his shirt. We would not be separated again. Frantically, I searched for the others. I counted my men as they swam towards me. One. Two. Three. Four, five. Six, seven, eight and Silas made nine. So far, we'd managed to stay together. It was a miracle.
In my relief, it took me a moment to realize that Owen was giving us instructions. "Secure yourselves to each other boys. Grab clothing or flotation devices. Stay together." He took a moment to look at each of us, encouraging us with his gaze. "Whatever you do, don't let go. This is how we'll survive, by staying together."
Somehow, Nathan had found my other side and I could feel him wrap his hands in the waist band of my shorts. At the same time, Silas had twisted his hand into the side of my shirt.
"Sorry, Aggele. But I don't want to lose you again." Silas' words were apologetic but the look in his eyes was anything but. I turned to meet his gaze. There wasn't time to reply before another wave came and the shouts of our band were smothered by the raging of the sea.