Bee and the Boy

Chapter 12

"I don't think we can make it through this storm," Owen shouts over the roar of the waves.

"We will," Beatrix shouts back.

Just then a large hump arches out of the water. Beatrix stares in disbelief as it is then followed by a reptilian-like head. She ducks in fear when the creature lets out a deep growl.

"It's real?" Owen says softly, to himself. He pauses for a moment before reaching into his pack. He never really believed them, but his parents filled their heads with stories of the supposed myth in his youth, and he pulls out a rattlesnake egg that he found on the beach. It is bigger than his head, and it's heavy. "Hey!" he yells out. The serpent turns its attention to Owen, who is struggling to hold the egg up. "I got a sacrifice for you."

He loses his grip and drops the egg. It rolls away and hits the water with a plonk. Terrified, he looks up at the serpent, until it dives down out of sight. it bumps against the bottom of the raft and he kneels down and hugs Beatrix close to him. The serpent's tail lifts up on the opposite side of the raft, it hits the surface of the water, creating a wave. Owen pushes Beatrix down as they hit the deck, the raft spiralling away into nowhere.

~

Beatrix opens her eyes after they finally stopped spinning.

"Are we dead?"

Owen gets to his feet. "The mast is."

"Wait, I see something. There," he adds, pointing to a girl laying on a  door.

Beatrix gets to her feet. "Not something, someone. I know her." She hesitates to jump into the water after their recent event. Owen tosses her an end of the rope his parents wove together out of vines. She ties it around her waist and jumps in.

Owen pulls them in, helping pull Marina up. She isn't responding. He pushes away the wet hair covering her face. This girl is unlike anyone he's ever seen before. Beatrix comes up and shakes the girl. 

"Where am I?" Marina opens her eyes.

"Where's Skater?"

"Gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

Marina sits up. "The deal fell through. They took him and set fire to my ship. No one else made it." tears stream down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away.

"Marina!" Beatrix pulls her towards herself. "Where did they take him?"

"I lost my family!"

"So did I.," Beatrix says firmly, Owen mutters the exact same thing.

"I don't know where they took him." Marina lays back down and turns away from them. "Leave me alone."

~

Days go by as Beatrix and Owen try again and again to repair the mast. Marina finally gets up and tells them everything they are doing wrong.

"We don't need your help." Beatrix snaps.

"You do if you want to save your boyfriend." she sneers. Beatrix pushes her into the water.

"He's not my boyfriend." she watches as Owen pulls Marina up.

"Stop it. I want to get off this lake. and I can't do that with you two always at it. Whatever happened between you two, get over it." Owen snaps.

The two girls cross their arms, their backs to each other. Beatrix softens first and hugs Owen. "I'm sorry." Marina keeps her position, still frowning. 

Beatrix holds a hand in a truce. "Let's get to the mainland, and then we never have to see each other again. Deal?"

Marina eyes her outstretched hand. she glances at Owen, who gives her a small nod. she sighs and shakes her hand. "Deal.

~

The trio sails on after Marina takes the lead. "All I know is that the merchant works someone out of the mainland. That will take years to comb." She leans against the newly repaired mast. "Your best off just forgetting about him."

"No." Beatrix glares at her.

"Suit yourself." she turns to look to the island ahead of them. "Here's where we say goodbye. We're here."

Beatrix's eyes widen as she sees what she sees. The whole coast is packed with giant ones.

"We cant dock here," Owen states the obvious.

"No shit."

"There." Beatrix points out a vacant clearing free of any giant ones.

Marina reaches up and changes the direction of the sail. 

"She's amazing." Owen leans over to whisper to Beatrix.

"Hold onto something, we're going in fast."

The raft rams into the sand, sending Beatrix and Owen flying.

Marina steps off and walks to the others. "I said to hold onto something." 

"Shut up, Marina." Beatrix lifts her head before faceplanting back against the sand.

~

That night, Marina sits alone as the two sit in front of the fire. She draws her name in the sand. Throwing down the stick, she walks off to shrug off her loneliness.

"I did what I had to do." she kicks along a small pebble as she makes her way down the beach. She ducks behind a bush when she hears someone talking. Peering out from behind a leaf, Marina spots a juvenile giant one, maybe about her age. Curious, she watches as she talks on a cell phone. 

She seems distracted. Marina slowly steps backwards as the girl talks on. 

"I'm going to call you back." the girl's voice booms above Marina, who freezes when she hears the phone beep, signalling that the girl hung up. She looks up to see the giant girl looking down at her.