Chapter 4

Idipped my toes into the moonlit white sand. Rummy pulled at my palm. "The ocean is so gross and dirty. There are creepy things in there, too. Stay on land with me?"

"For a price," I smiled sweetly.

Rolling her eyes, she let me ease her forward and we kissed. Under the moon's glow, by the beach foam, and the skittering crabs, we kissed for the last time.

I wish I'd known it would be the last time.

A tap, tap, tap, vibrated the wood beneath my cheek. My bones creaked in pain as I wretched myself up off the wooden deck, meeting the beady eyes at a flapping fish. Why was a fish flapping on deck? Unless it had washed onto the ship from the storm, or something… I rubbed my forehead, squinting in the bright light and trying to stand but toppling over. We'd survived the storm, thank the gods. Pulling myself up by the side of the boat, I looked out over the ocean, half expecting to see… something…. Anything different. Anything except the blank and same expanse of water. No wonder the crew went crazy, it was as if nothing ever changed out here. There were no mile markers, no guideposts. For all your mind and body knew, you'd sat in the same patch of ocean every single day without moving an inch.

Oh, my gods, the crew.

"Hello?" I called out over the sloshing waters as the boat rocked. The captain's wheel was vacant of Fig and his grey beard. There were no crew atop the poles, and the ropes fluttered in the wind with no one to tie them. The sails flapped idly with every errant breeze. In a panic, I stumbled down the stairs and back up, finding nothing but emptiness. Slumping down under the mighty captain's wheel, I held my knees.

The crew was gone.

And I was alone on an unmanned ship.