The Sound of Them: Book One

Cristina

Our last trip on the canoe. It's so sad. I love this kind of transportation. I was so nervous at first, but Lianne reassured me that it was safe. She went on a boat before in Israel.

Today, I enter with certain steps and find the same stop. Lianne sits next to me before checking the ground for any insects. I laugh at her worry and say, "Don't worry. I checked already."

"Make sure Tori doesn't sit near me. Now I know she would forget about me in an emergency."

I laugh at her words and Tori's eyes grow wide when she passes by hearing this. "I promise I didn't know you were there! I'm sorry!"

"That's okay!" Lianne says. "Now I know though."

She playfully pouts and we share a laugh. The boat starts and we happily wave at the rest of our team on the other boat. I happily let the wind through my hair and closed my eyes for a moment to soak in the warm weather with the cool breeze.

"Cristina!" I open my eyes and look at Lianne. Her sweet smile makes my heart fly with the wind as she takes out her phone. "Pictures!"

I smile at her and she takes pictures. I laugh because of her wide smile despite her exhaustion and she records these small moments of happiness we silently share.

As usual, the soft rocking of the boat and the warmth from the sun blazing on the water made me fall asleep. Lianne was right. The sound of the water is the most amazing sound I have heard. Whether it is the crashing sound of a waterfall or a smooth melody from the river, it is like music to my ears. The best kind of natural music and it always seems to put me to sleep. Lucky for me because nausea has tried to mess up my trip.

I'm jerked awake at one point and I sit up straight with wide eyes. I look around as people start to giggle and nervously whisper. I look at Lianne and she quietly looks around as people make their nerves more visible with jokes and laughter.

"What's wrong?"

Lianne looks at me and smiles. "Nothing. We're just trying to go against the current. It's quite strong today."

A strong bump makes us all gasp and Lianne only quietly looks overboard. She gives me a smile with excitement in her eyes. I scoff at her odd reaction to the commotion but eventually, we stop at a small piece of land. Dr. C stands from her seat up front and says, "We will wait for the current to calm down so we can continue our way. It should only take a few minutes."

We all nod and some start to talk to the students that have arrived right next to us. They make jokes about drowning here or being left stranded to never be heard of again. I ignore their jokes and turn to Lianne as she continues to look at the waters rush by.

"Hey, baby."

She turns and chuckles. "Hey, babe."

"Were you able to fall asleep? I know you're very tired today."

"I tried, but you know I can't fall asleep during transportation."

"A girl drooling on my shoulder midway through the plane ride might say differently."

Her eyes grow wide and it makes me laugh. "I don't drool!"

"Don't worry, honey. I was able to clean it off afterward."

She playfully frowns and quickly says, "Well, at least I don't speak in my sleep."

"Hey now!"

She giggles and my heart jumps at her sweet laugh. The boat begins to move and we both look out. I catch a glance at Lianne and smile when she closes her eyes and lets the wind hit her. She may not be able to sleep but at least she can rest with the beauty of nature.