Dark waves crashed into each other under a dark sky. In the distance, those with keen eyesight could see the shadow of a dark island. Bodie leaned forward against the metal railing of the cruise ship and watched the waves do battle. It was a frigid temperature, yet the palms of his hands were sweating so much it was as if he was holding the hand of his crush, Alice. Alice was in 8th grade, two grades above him, and had no idea a boy named Bodie Allen even went to their school. Bodie was fine with that. He was fine with a lot of things. He was fine with getting called a retard by the kids at school for not understanding math as quickly as them. He was fine with his foster-parents threatening to send him back if he kept getting bad grades. He was fine with having no friends, being completely, utterly, alone. When he was 6, Mrs. Urta had told him that as long as he kept his heart still and his mouth shut, nothing could ever hurt him, it would all wash over him, like rain drops off an umbrella, and he would be fine.

“You're not supposed to be out here, ya know?”

Bodie jumped in surprise. Well, internally he jumped. He had gotten good at keeping calm, so in reality, he slowly turned his body to look at the shrill voice.

She looked about his age, with long black hair and a tiny delicate face. Her arms were crossed in a disapproving manner over a frilly purple dress. Why she was wearing a frilly dress at 3am, Bodie was unsure. To him, she seemed the type that always got whatever she-

“Hey, you heard me, didn’t you?”

He had already prepared an excuse in case he was caught.

“I know I’m not supposed to be out here.”

No, that wasn’t what he had prepared. Why did he say that?

A few seconds passed. The waves continued to do war in the silence.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m out here?”

He was curious.

“No.”

“Hmmph!”

The girl jutted her chin out and walked to the railing, a few feet from him. He turned back to watch the waves.

2 seconds passed before she spoke again.

“Are you sure you’re on the right boat? My mom told me hobos sometimes hide on these and sneak out at night to eat all the food.”

“You…think i'm a hobo?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Yea.”

“I’m not.”

“Whatever you say…hobo boy.”

Bodie decided to stop talking to her.

“What are you staring at?”

He wasn’t going to answer that.

“Do you see that island?”

The girl put her hands over her eyes like binoculars. “Oh, I hadn’t even noticed that. It really blends in with the water.”

“My plan was to jump into the water, and hope the currents bring me there.”

“That seems like a pretty stupid plan.”

“Yea.”

“I think I’ll join you.”

Bodie stopped looking at the island and saw the girl place her slippered foot on the lowest bar of the railing.

“What are you doing?”

She lifted her body up.

“St..Stop, uhm, whatever your name is!”

She looked at him, hands on the top bar of the railing, feet dangling in the air.

“It’s Cassie.”

“Stop Cassie!”

“Why?”

None of it had washed over him. Instead it had pooled inside, and now the tears and words came flooding out.

“Be..because I made that up about the island. I’m actually hoping… I’m hoping I’ll drown.”

Cassie smiled at him. The only time a girl his age had smiled at him. It was the saddest smile he had ever seen. She spoke so quietly, he almost didn’t hear her over the waves.

“Yea…me too.”

“Wait…”

“It was fun talking to you, hobo boy.”

Before Bodie had time to move, she jumped over the railing.

“CASSIE!”

He looked down at the dark waves, but didn’t see her surface. His mind raced with thoughts of guilt, thoughts of what he should do. The loudest thought though was this: “I hope you're okay, Cassie.”

Bodie jumped into the dark uncharted waters.

.

.

.

He dug his fingernails into the sand and clawed his way forward. The water was choking him, freezing him, pulling him back in. Finally, he crawled out of the current. His body shook and his lungs rattled as he coughed up the remaining liquid inside. Bodie collapsed onto his back, each breath seeming like an impossibility.

As he struggled to breathe, he also prayed. He prayed Cassie had washed up here too. God had never done him any favors. This seemed like the least he could do.

Bodie tried to get up. His body told him that wasn’t going to happen. The night sky was black, with only the soft light of the moon to hint that it could hold anything but darkness. A seagull flew gracefully high above him. It flew in perfect circles and smooth curves that cut through the black sky, a truly grand show. After a few minutes it stopped. Then, it dove towards Bodie, a white bullet piercing through the air towards him. Just a few feet above him, the bullet slowed, and gently landed on his chest.

Bodie tried to slowly crane his neck so he could look at the bird. Did seagulls do that? Fly in circles and then land on someone? They do not. They also do not pull their wings in front of their chest and bow like a gentleman. This one did.

‘Welcome to my Island, Bodie.”

Bodie’s mind attempted to process the fact that a seagull was talking to him. It did as well as a fish would in the desert.

“I hope your trip here was not too arduous.” The seagull spoke with the accent of an old englishman.

“Uh, how-”

“Am I a talking seagull? This is my Island, Bodie. What I wish, is. And I currently wish to be a seagull that can talk. Have you never wished for such a thing?”

“Uh…has a girl-”

“Washed up here? No, I’m afraid Cassandra has not. Rather unfortunate that is.”

“Oh.” Bodie let his head fall back down to the sand. He had just wanted to kill himself but he had killed someone else instead. Cassie. He would've bawled his eyes out if he wasn’t so exhausted.

“But, my dear Bodie, she has washed up on the Island just past this one.”

Bodie jerked his head up.

“Really?! Could you-”

“Bring her here? No, sadly, I have no control over Islands besides mine. There is a way I could help you though. If you were to reach the end of this Island before anyone else-”

“Anyone else?”

“Don’t interrupt, Bodie. It is very rude. There are a few others here. Nothing to worry about. As I was saying, if you reach the end of this Island first, I will bring you to Cassandra.”

“Really?!”

“Certainly. Tell me, Bodie, do you agree to this deal?”

“I’ll do it!”

“Wonderful!” Out of thin air, a leatherbound book appeared on Bodie’s chest. The seagull used its beak to pull out a pure white feather from its wing.

“This may sting a bit.”

The seagull, feather in beak, stabbed the end of the feather into Bodie’s arm for the briefest of moments before taking it back out. It felt just like a flu-shot. It then used the blood tipped feather to write something in the book.

“All finished. Let me show you where the path begins.”