Chapter Sixteen
‘Desperation can make a person do surprising things.’
Veronica Roth, ‘Allegiant’
I opened my eyes and blinked at the world around me. My panic entered full-swing a moment later, seeing the frozen wave beside the boat. We had no chance against it if I couldn’t hold it, but if everyone was out of the boat, we had a chance of survival. Xanthias breathed in deeply beside me, scaring me. I looked at him with wide eyes and noticed a moment later that Lainie and Chrysabelle, too, were able to move. They all stared at me, their mouths open wide in shock. Chrysabelle was the first of three to break out of her stupor and looked around the boat, looking for life jackets and inflatable rafts. Xanthias simply watched me and I grabbed his shoulders, digging my nails in.
‘Xanthias,’ I told him, my voice calm despite what was running through my body. ‘You have to help Chrysabelle get the people off the boat. If I can’t hold it, the glass will break and most people will die.’ He nodded, the urgency of the situation kicking in. He followed his mother, gathering as many life jackets as he could and shoving them over the heads of the frozen. He tried to offer me one but I shook my head and walked over to Lainie. I placed one on her and strapped her into it, her eyes wide and focused on the wave behind me as I worked.
‘You … you … you stopped the wave!’ she shrieked hysterically, pointing over my shoulder. ‘You freaking stopped the wave!’ I settled my lips into a thin line and slapped her across the face, my hand stinging from the impact. She stared at me in shock, her mouth a perfect little ‘O’ as she reached up to her throbbing, red cheek. A moment later, she was glaring at me and flinging threats, and I knew I had my sister back.
‘Stop complaining about something I had to do and go save somebody!’ I shouted at her, trails of sweat running down my face as I threw her a spare life jacket and she hurried down to the lower deck. I grabbed another life jacket and clambered outside, my shoes slipping on the ladder as I hauled myself up to the driver. He wore a raincoat, his hands raised as though the gesture would save him from the gigantic wave before him. I didn’t waste any time. My feet moved quickly and I slid to a stop as I shoved the life jacket over his head. I was tightening the last strap around his broad chest as movement alerted my senses.
It was only slight, the tiniest movement of the wave as it loomed a little closer, and I knew that my power was weakening. Leaving the driver there, I quickly jumped off the driver’s deck and down to the main deck. As I slid open the door, my ankle clicking painfully, I noticed that more people had been moved into the main deck - and every single one wore a life jacket. Even Xanthias and Chrysabelle wore them, the last one in Xanthias’ hands as he moved toward me. I slapped it away, though, moving toward a girl who appeared lighter and thinner than me. I lifted her uneasily, her body giving only slightly as I hauled her toward the exit.
‘Grab whoever you can and get them outside!’ I yelled, the water now beginning to slowly dribble down the windows. ‘Get them outside and they stand a chance!’ Chrysabelle, Xanthias and Lainie didn’t waste any time, grabbing whoever was nearest and dragging them to the outside decks. They were like over-sized dolls that barely moved at our touch. Xanthias doubled my count in no time, and eventually there were only three people remaining that Chrysabelle, Lainie and I were trying to drag outside. Xanthias ran over to me as Chrysabelle and Lainie exited, leaving the room empty aside from Xanthias, the person I’d been dragging and me.
‘Go,’ he demanded, pointing to the life jacket that I had thrown aside. I nodded, skidding as the boat tilted further, time returning to normal. I refused to thaw, though, until Xanthias had escaped and I screamed as my mind tore from the mental strain. My body tensed, my hands unable to move the life jacket. The slow sound of smashing glass formed in my ears, the water droplets slowly tickling my neck and the glass slicing my skin. Warmth wrapped around my body, surrounding me in a cocoon of protection as the magnificent wave swallowed the boat whole, reminding of a painting by a Japanese artist whose name I could never remember.
Ringing echoed through my head as my vision blacked out, my neck stinging where the glass had sliced through my skin and left little incisions. While I could breathe underwater, I was blanketed by something warm and smooth, and I looked up to find Xanthias’ eyes locked on mine. It was only then that I saw the remains of the boat, sinking to the sea floor below as the current swept us to the side violently. I felt safe in his arms though, the muscles tight around me as he pulled me toward the surface, my fins brushing against his. A moment later, we broke through the surface but the danger wasn’t over yet.
Thunder rumbled far above, streaks of lightning drawing the attention of the screaming students. I swam over to my sister, dragging Xanthias along by his hand and I grabbed her by the shoulders. I looked into her eyes as screams erupted all around us, stealing her attention away from the danger. Her fins worked to keep her afloat, her arms around Starden as she kept his unconscious form above the surface. Xanthias moved forward to take hold of him, freeing my sisters hands for what I was about to ask her to do. Lainie’s bottom lip quivered as she looked at me.
‘Is he alive?’ she yelled, another wave crashing above us as she waited.
‘Yes,’ I told her, even though I wasn’t sure. ‘Lainie, remember how you forced me to leave you alone the other day?’ I watched her closely, her eyes darting toward the newest threat before she looked back at me. She nodded.
‘I was mad at you,’ she recounted. I nodded encouragingly.
‘How do you feel now, Lainie?’ I asked. ‘You were angry and wanted me to go away. How do you feel now and what would you want to happen to fix that?’ She looked at me in fear, but as her mind processed this information, she quickly connected the dots.
‘I’m scared,’ she told me. ‘I’m scared and I want the waves to stop.’ I nodded, offering her a thin smile. She’d got it. Now came the difficult part.
‘Lainie,’ I addressed her. ‘You need to use your power of persuasion to manipulate the waves.’ She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes and I realised just how unprepared she was. Of course she was unprepared. I wasn’t even prepared, and now I was expecting her to be? I shook my head at my own absurdity but knew there was no other way to save these people. We’d got them off the boat, but that was just the start of our quest for survival. Now it was Lainie’s turn to save us. I knew how unfair it was to ask her to do this, but if she didn’t soon, these people could all die.
I met Xanthias’ gaze as another wave plummeted toward us, crashing down with enough force to almost knock me out. I fell back, stunned and Xanthias grabbed my wrist to keep me above the surface. With my ears ringing, I looked at my sister and decided my final course of action. It was a difficult one, and one that I wasn’t sure would work, but I had to try. Looking at my sister, I narrowed my eyes and shot a look at Starden. He’d been nothing but loyal to her while she messed with his head, and probably even knew it. He loved her to a fault, and he would give his life to keep her safe. He was her Achilles Heel.
‘Look at Starden,’ I ordered, watching her head swivel around. ‘He loves you, while all you do is screw with him. He is willing to die to protect you. Can’t you at the very least allow him to live?’ Lainie looked at him with tears fresh in her eyes. Yes, I had hit a nerve but one that I hoped would keep us alive. Xanthias, Lainie and I would live, but the others were in immense danger. Biting down on her lip, Lainie turned to face me. The first of her tears fell from her cheeks, glistening in the light of the moon. A moment passed as it fell to the ocean below, rippling through the currents. As the final giant of a wave loomed over us, Lainie’s other tears moulded with the water and she shut her eyes, using her power to calm the waters.
Though she was unable to stop the wave from crashing over us, she was able to ease its fury. By the time it reached the screaming bodies, Lainie was in control and softened the blow, the effect leaving the water washing over us like the softest of feathers. The powe
r she wielded continued on, until she had control of all the waves within the immediate vicinity of us. The people from the boat looked around, their mouths open in awe as they watched calmness surround them. I was just as amazed, but a moment later Xanthias grabbed hold of my wrist and squeezed.
‘We have to get Starden back to shore,’ he told me, the urgency clear in his voice. I turned to Lainie, wondering if I was going to regret what I was about to ask her to do. With my hands on her shoulders, I looked her in the eyes once more. This time, I smiled.
‘Lainie, you did well,’ I told her, squeezing her shoulders. I looked over my shoulder at Xanthias and he nodded me on encouragingly. ‘Lainie, I have to go with Xanthias to get help. Keep everyone in a group and maintain the waters. Keep enough distance that they cannot see your fins or their light, and stay calm. We’ll be back soon.’ She stared at me with her mouth wide open, but she shut it a moment later and nodded. She kept a brave face, her jaw set in determination. I nodded once in understanding and released her, turning my back so I could follow Xanthias below the surface.
Despite having to carry Starden above the surface, Xanthias moved with speed and precision. I had to work to keep up with him, occasionally surfacing so I could see where he was. When I caught up, I breathed deeply and the ache in my fins deepened until it was almost unbearable. Still, the longer I saw Xanthias’ fins flitting through the roughness of the waves, the more I pushed myself to swim faster. Soon, the docks came into view and Xanthias slowed significantly, his legs returning where his fins had been and he coughed on the salt water. He struggled to reach the docks, shoving Starden’s body sluggishly onto the edge. His arms shook as he tried to pull himself up, his strength lower than it had been when he was finned. I watched him curiously and shook myself from my stupor when he reached down to lift me out of the water.
He sat me down beside Starden as my fins gradually returned to my usual legs and I stood quickly, pulling down my dress. I kept my eyes averted from his body, his trousers hanging in tatters where his fins had formed. He quickly gathered Starden’s body, his breathing ragged and shallow and I followed him up to Macy’s. Surprisingly, the lights were still on and he simply strode inside, meeting her at the door. She moved some stools out of the way, unsurprised to find him in such a state. I stood awkwardly in the doorway, my hands working to keep my arms warm as goosebumps rose.
Macy grabbed a blanket from behind the bar and snatched a cushion from one of the seats, leaving it under Starden’s feet to ensure his blood circulation. She turned him on the side, leaving him in the recovery position. Xanthias checked his pulse and nodded to Macy, who stood by the side of the bar with the phone at her ear. She threw Xanthias a spare pair of boxers and trousers, both Macy and I turning away as he stripped from the tatters around his hips and into the new clothes. He cleared his throat and we turned around, the new trousers a perfect fit. Macy gave the ambulance our address and told them of the accident, relaying the details as Xanthias told them.
When she hung up, she placed the phone back in its cradle and knelt beside Starden, her hand resting on his arm as she watched over him. She looked up at me and offered me a little smile. ‘Iris,’ she addressed me with a nod. She turned to Xanthias. ‘You should wait here and get checked out by the paramedics. Don’t go trying to be a hero.’ She looked at me again. ‘You either, lass.’
I bit my lip and looked at Xanthias. He nodded slightly toward the door, letting me know that we were, indeed, going back out.
‘Who ever said anything about trying to be a hero?’ he asked. He paused at the door and looked at Macy, offering her a wink. ‘I am a hero.’ I stared at him, noting how confident he was now in comparison to when we were about to kiss. He’d completely changed, two separate Xanthias personalities in a single body. I quickly followed after him, biting my lip as he stripped back down to his boxers and dove into the water. When he surfaced, he returned his untouched boxers to the trousers and Macy quickly grabbed them. She hurried up into the boat, yelling after him.
When she returned to the door, her hands free of the clothes, she shouted, ‘One day, Xanthias Adair, I won’t be around to air out your dirty laundry!’ He laughed suddenly, splashing the side of the boat with his fins and I dived in after him. He waited until I surfaced before we took off towards the survivors, the sounds of ambulance sirens following after us. We dove deep under the surface, Xanthias’ body close to mine as we swam. He looked over at me, his expression serious.
‘We have to make sure that we stay out of the view of any approaching boats that come to rescue them,’ he informed me. I nodded. ‘We also have to make sure that no one in the water notices anything about us.’
Obviously, I thought. I turned my gaze on him, taking in the way his muscles flexed through the water. His hair was darker and streamed with deep red and dark brown strands of hair. The water swirled around us, rocking us violently about even in the deep waters. My head swirled just as violently, my ears ringing from what I could only describe as a concussion. Xanthias powered forward, his body strong and capable, but I hadn’t been finned for long, lagging behind. My body wasn’t used to this much exertion, even during swim meets when Coach Marston made us swim laps.
Xanthias slowed, noticing my lagging body. He seemed to be higher up in the water, looking down at me. As he came closer, my fins touched the sea floor and I realised just how exhausted I was. My sight became blurry, leaving my body disoriented. Xanthias swam under me, gathering me in his arms as the currents rushed at us from all angles. The thunder above caused the water to tremble, and I eventually no longer had the energy to move my fins at all. My head lolled against Xanthias’ shoulder where it remained until we surfaced. Lightning pierced the sky, and we were still nowhere near my sister’s protective ring of calm currents.
From where I rested against Xanthias’ shoulder, I could see their heads bopping through the waves and a rescue boat approached them. I could see Lainie, her wide eyes focused on the spotlight that searched through them. She was at the outer edge, her fins flicking water into the air as she dove under the surface and out of view. Her power, however, remained as each of Xanthias’ guests swam for the boat. Chrysabelle was the first to be lifted out of the water, and from where she stood, I could see the glare she gave me and feel its heat burn into me. Xanthias held me tight as my vision began to fail, my breathing turning shallow as I fell unconscious.