Chaos

Everyone was screaming. Jess and Caden were excitedly looking at books, and yelling with glee over a picture Caden had taken of it. Everyone else was not as happy. Brooke and the guys were all complaining and telling the instructors I almost died to that thing, and they needed to call off this stupid thing before one of us actually died.

Joshua was clinging onto Brooke as she screamed. He may have been crying.

Nick and Drew were also yelling, trying to get Brooke to calm down, and trying to talk sense into the leaders on why we can't do this anymore.

I was just sitting.

They'd passed me mounds of towels and blankets, giving me more and more until my teeth stopped chattering and I stopped shaking. But, I wasn't shaking from the cold. I was just staring, staring at the waves that I could have been floating in, without a heartbeat. I'd never been scared of the ocean, but right then, I would have gladly sworn to never go back into it.

Eventually, the screaming calmed down. They turned to hushed whispers, probably trying to not let me hear if I'd have to do it again. But it looked to me like the instructors weren't backing down. This is what they had wanted all along, even if it isn't how they planned to get it.

My eyes were heavy, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Every time my eyes closed, I'd be back under water, with the monster I'd thought was seaweed wrapped around my ankle. Except when I dreamt it, I didn't come back up.

Not long after, Nick came up to me, holding soup.

"Eat this, it might make you sleepy."

I stared at him and took it. "That's not exactly what I need help with," That's when he noticed the bags under my eyes. I saw a flash of anger cross his face, then it was back to soothing.

"We're not going to let them make us go back into the water. None of us will let this slide, or happen again to any of us."

I gave a small, sad smile. "You know we don't really have a choice. We can't just leave. We're practically kidnapped."

"Not practically." He breathed.

He moved to sit next to me and I laid my head on his shoulder. I knew I'd fall asleep, but I had to eventually.

"I know we're pretty much strangers, but we're in this together now. We'll stick together. Even if we can't go, nobody else will get hurt. Especially not you," He added.

"You can't promise that," I said tiredly right before slipping into sleep.

An expression of sorrow appeared on his face. He whispered, "I promise."