Heirs to a Nothing Throne

Chapter 1

A single, unprompted explosion filled the air, tearing me from pleasant daydreams to savage reality.

The cruise ship rocked violently, the blast deafening despite the soundproof walls. I was knocked partially off the bed, bewildered and barely able to process the situation. Realizing the deck would be my safest option, I fled into the hall. There were a few other students running with me, scared and confused. I looked around for Jasmine without success and prayed she would be up on deck when I got there. Nearly tripping over the chaotic flow of passengers, I ended up beside Andrey. Another explosion knocked me against the wall, and I stumbled over one of the workers. Taking the time to help him up, we ended up towards the back of the main student group.

I saw our group intercept with the girls' ahead, and thought I caught a glimpse of Jasmine at the lead. I wasn't sure; everything was moving so fast. Andrey and Lexa sought each other out and latched on to one another, falling behind me. I yelled for them to hurry up, voice faltering as the ship lurched.

The exit found us in less than a minute. It felt like another explosion could vaporize us at any moment. The thought drove me to the front of the crowd, where I was relieved to find Jasmine. She smiled sweetly at my appearance.

We burst out into the open air and were hit by the dry heat of fire. Too panicked to see where it came from, I hurried Jasmine to the lifeboats. A moment or two after I had passed the exit, a blast erupted from behind, knocking me and several others over. The entrance was collapsing, trapping the screams inside. Before they were cut off, I heard something else, like faint laughter, inhuman and... frighteningly joyous. I attributed it to my confused state of mind.

Before turning away, I spotted Andrey, clawing at the burning rubble. I ran to him and saw his face contorted and wet with sweat and blood. My stomach twisted and as I realized what happened.

"Lexa! Lexa! Lexa, please! Lexa!" He kept screaming over and over, out of his mind. He bloodied his fingers in his frenzy, ripping up the tips and completely tearing off a nail. He seemed not to notice, though, and only recoiled at the heat momentarily.

I didn't know what to do. How could I drag him away from this? Instinct my guide, I attempted to pull him away. I didn't even see him knock me to the ground; the heat was getting to me. The worker who'd been preparing the lifeboats saw my plight and ran over, helping me to grab him, still screaming madly, and toss him into a lifeboat and over the side. Jasmine was in there with him, and she tried to calm him down. Her eyes caught mine. Her smile calmed my nerves, and I found myself able to return it.

Jasmine embraced me, and I held her as though I was the one comforting her. I was scared. My head spun the more I thought about those trapped inside. There was probably another exit, but no way to know if they'd make it or not. Everyone was silent, save Andrey.

The worker, the last one on deck, didn't live to be rewarded for his selflessness. He disappeared from our view momentarily. A sudden scream was the last evidence of him, short and wearied, before there was only silence. One last explosion, and the boat sank quickly. Even though we could only watch as it disappeared in the depths, we couldn't see his body among the wreckage.

Hours later, we were still dumbfounded. The suddenness of it all made it impossible to process. Seven students remained from my class, split between two life boats. Several other boats were scattered about the open ocean.

We sat in silence as the sun fell, a silence as empty and voluminous as the ocean around us. Even though I felt someone should stay awake to look for ships, I didn't feel up to mentioning it at the moment. Sleep beckoned me, like a voice in my head. Too drained after all that had happened, I obliged.

"Stephan... Stephan, wake up! Faster, c'mon."

I stirred slowly, painfully, shading my eyes from the blinding sun. Jasmine knelt at my side, grinning, unable to feel the sadness of yesterday's tragedy. I had never heard a full explanation for it, but her parents claimed her unceasing good cheer had been a trait since infancy. After years of knowing each other, I had never even seen her cry. She had picked up on the mood the night before, but at the dawn of a new day, she had yet to be reminded of it. Nevertheless, it pierced through the cloud of grief I felt, at least a little.

She helped me up and I took in my surroundings, a bit too groggy to feel any wonder. We were on a beach, a bright and unclouded sun shining behind me. The sand stretched a ways from the sea before being met with thick forest, not quite jungle but lush with large, drooping leaves and huddled trunks. The growth covered everything under the trees with heavy shade, and spots clear enough to peer very far in were rare.

"You're the last one awake, by about an hour. I was the only one who slept without constant shifting." She took my hand and I followed her to a small group of people, all of the survivors, who were standing or sitting around in the sand. "I decided it'd been long enough, and that you'd be helpful in figuring out what to do. The rest of us weren't making too much progress, after all. Our two lifeboats were the only ones to land on this island." We drew near and I finally could see everyone.

Andrey sat off to the side, staring away at the horizon, understandably not in the mood for conversation. His short, usually neat blonde hair was a mess of sweat and sand. Blank eyes unwilling to focus on anything accompanied a frame that devoid of its usual confidence.

It was impossible to sympathize with him, he and Lexa were so close. Just how close they got was a common joke, as well as their casualness regarding it, but we all knew it reflected an emotional bond also. I wondered how long it would take him to function again.

Victor and Raven also had an air of isolation, even if they were willing to stand with the others. That was nothing new; the dark-haired, fair-skinned couple always preferred to spend plenty of time with only the other as company. Neither was very expressive, and Raven especially always had a serenity to her voice.

Eva clung desperately to Jasmine, her darker, shorter brown hair brushing against Jasmine's golden tone. She was soft in her speech and hesitant in her actions, made that way, perhaps, by a history of familial troubles.

Angelique stood out easily, a tall, muscular girl built like a wrestler. Knotted blonde hair was crudely cut to barely hang at all, atop a tanned face that expressed less sadness than anyone except Jasmine.

"Finally awake, Jesus..." she muttered as she folded her arms, glaring at me.

I faked a light-hearted chuckle, avoiding direct eye contact. "Well, it was a rough night... didn't really get a good sleep."

"Because of the waves?" asked Jasmine.

"The waves... the what?"

"You didn't sleep well because of the waves? On the boat?"

My mind reeled. "Sure. Anyway, now that we're all here, let's figure out what we'll do. I know it seems rushed, but there's not much time to waste."

"We'll need houses or something, right?" interrupted Angelique, taking the ideas from my mind. "Or at least a fire. I can get on that if some of you wanna help." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"And we'll need food, right? Something to eat." Jasmine suggested, and I nodded slowly.

"True," I said, "but we don't want to spread out into the forest. It'd be dangerous to rush into that."

"I'll do that, then," Andrey said, surprising all of us. "I can hunt, or at least take a look around the island to see what's there."

"Andrey..." I thought hard, trying to understand him. His eyes were still so cold. I took it as a good thing that he wanted to help, but couldn't help but feel nervous. Maybe he was just doing it so he wouldn't feel like useless, but that seemed out of character. "Are you sure? Isn't this way too quick?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure, I'll be fine," he reassured me, putting a hand on my shoulder, although still without a smile.

"I can go with," Raven said, smiling at Andrey."We'll be alright." She gave the silent Victor a good-bye hug.
"We'll report back here after a while, before dark," Andrey headed off towardsthe trees, Raven following at his side. "Good luck on this end." I nodded.