as we fall ✤ octavian

eight

"You're going to crash!" Octavian cried, not for the first time in the hour or so since they began sailing away. There was no way they'd be caught now, Laoise figured, they'd strayed so far from the dock they'd initially stolen the boat from, that hopefully no one would come looking for them if the boat was reported missing.

"I'm doing my best!" She screamed in response, swerving to avoid another boat, only just missing them. She heard one of the men atop the narrowly missed boat shout a swear word in her direction, to which Logan responded with an outraged cry.

"If we crash, you're dead, Campbell! Dead!" Octavian's angered response caused her to clench against the steering wheel until her knuckles went white.

"I'm not going to crash, Zoticus! And I'd like to see you do better!"

"Tell my mommy I love her!" Logan wailed as she took yet another sharp turn, the speed of the boat far too fast to be safe. Water roughly splashed against the shell of the boat, but otherwise, they were fine, if not a bit damp, both from the river and sweat.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Laoise let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head in disbelief as her hands trembled against the steering wheel. "I can't believe I stole a boat."

"We stole a boat," Octavian corrected. "I deserve half the credit."

"A third."

"Fine, a third," he shot a glance at Logan, who was clinging to his teddy bear as though his life depended on it. "We wouldn't even be on this quest if it weren't for the kid, so I suppose he deserves a slice of it."

"So is the goal to switch drivers every half a day?" Laoise asked, slowing the speed of the boat ever so slightly. "Because I'm going to need to sleep."

"We can't just drive a boat all night. I'm pretty sure that's against the law."

"Stealing a boat was against the law," she pointed out. "And so was attempting to jump the border. Since when do you care about legality?"

"We'll need to refuel at least once a day anyways. Maybe it's best we stop every night, board a dock, and recharge. We can't just...drive day and night."

"Do we have enough time to waste?" She cocked an eyebrow.

He let out a breath, shaking his head. "No, we don't."

"When we're on foot trekking across the Yucatan, we can take breaks for the night. Especially considering we'll be in a jungle," Laoise said. "We'll take turns driving the boat. Switch every twelve hours or so. How's that sound?"

"It's fine," Octavian began to fiddle with his compass, watching as the dial moved ever so slightly back and forth, moving as Brigid did miles and miles away. "Just don't bother me when it's my turn, yeah?"

"Whatever you say," she rolled her eyes. "We'll need to stock up on food, though. And water."

"Give it a few more hours, then we can pull into a harbor, and find a store. I assume we'll be robbing them as well."

"We have some money left from what my dad gave me. But we probably shouldn't let it go to waste," she pressed her lips together. "We'll see how expensive it is," she settled on.

"Can we get donuts?" Logan asked from his position on the floor of the boat.

"If they have them, yes," Octavian agreed instantly, and Laoise shot him a furious glare. "Oh for the Gods sake, what did I do this time?"

"He hasn't had any vegetables today, and you want to get him donuts?"

"I'm not going to punish him with broccoli, especially after the rough few days he's had. What kind of person do you think I am?"