The boy that was afraid of drowning

Everyone woke up with wet beds and floating luggage early in the morning. People tossed through the water; their hands filled with whatever they could manage to pick up along the way. They tumbled along the deck of the ship, gripping the rails to keep as stable as possible.

"She won't make it!"

...

Lucca and Aria stood patiently at the foot of the dock next to their parents patiently as the line up towards the Costa Concordia moved achingly slowly. It was their first time going on a ship and it would be their first time tagging along with their mother and father on one of their adventures.

Aria turned to her younger brother who had sweet dripping off the point of his chin. "I know you're terrified of water, but you won't even be in the water. Mamma says that it's impossible for the boat to sink"

"Yes, but mama didn't watch that documentary with me."

Aria turned her head up to the cotton candy sky and said nothing. She just breathed in the scent of salty seas and uncooked fish. She just wanted to get on board.

Lucca shook his head as he mumbled to himself for another hour, until they finally got on board the giant ship.

...

"She has to make it! If she doesn't, everyone will die"

"We'll all die if we stay on this ship. Lower the safety boats! We need to get off."

After hearing the captain's words, the crew scrambled around, trying to keep everyone calm. Children cried into the arms of their parents. Mothers held their children close. Fathers assured them that everything would be alright. The captain stood in his glass office, writing a letter to his wife and children. The chef hung by his neck in the storage room. Two siblings held onto each other as they made their way up the drowning hallway, their tears only making the ship sink faster.

...

In the restaurant the children sat across from each other, their parents planning out the next day's schedule beside them while Lucca and Aria tossed peas at each other using their spoons. They ignored the warning glare from their mother.

"Both of you, enough! We're in public and this is not the time to be making a mess. Eat your food."

Lucca glared at his sister as she giggled cheekily. "But mama I don't like peas. Aria does, so she should eat my peas."

Aria gasped, kicking Lucca under the table. "That is so unfair, mama. I have my own greens to finish. That's so unfair. Tell him! Tell him!"

Their father sighed, proceeded to fix the feather that pointed out of his hat, then wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Okay, that's enough. We've all had a long day so why not just finish your food, stop complaining and we can go to our room and get some rest. Sound good?"

Both children agreed, not speaking to each other until they got back to their room..

...

Both their visions were blurred as they tugged each other through the water.

"Lucca, we need to be brave and go up to the top of the ship by ourselves, okay?"

"I can't! I need mama and papa."

Aria held her brother close against her chest as she looked frantically around the hall. For anything. Anyone. Her eyes widened as her stomach dropped to the bottom of the ocean. Lucca pulled away from their embrace to see what Aria had been so fixated on. There lay a man, feather in hat, blue and face down in the growing water.

Both of them stood paralyzed as the water swayed around them. They were in so much shock that they hadn't realized that the water had reached their stomachs, eventually coming up towards their shoulders. Aria grabbed her brother and began to pull him through the thick water towards the nearest ladder. He felt heavy as she dragged him behind her. There was still hope that mother was waiting for them on deck. After what had felt like days of pulling and kicking, she was finally met with a staff member.

"Where are your parents? Are they okay? Did you get lost? Forget that. Come with me, I need to get you on a safety boat quick."

Aria cried from fear as she was dragged behind the lady in uniform, placed in a safety boat, and seated next to another girl her age. She turned to her brother, still not letting go of her grip. However, in her hand was not her brother, but a soaked jacket, heavy enough to feel like a small boy being dragged through water