The Unwritten Sin

Chapter 36

Wilder's stomach dropped as he vaulted over the edge of the ship. Gravity lost it's meaning. James' robe whipped all around him as the loose part of the curtain slipped through their fingers. The two of them fell through space, hurtling towards the ground at a hundred miles an hour. The ship had been positioned on the edge of Phase City during James' speech, and now as it rose over the city, it had taken a sharp turn over the sea. Wilder and James were falling increasingly fast towards the open ocean.

Wilder looked at James, whose face looked surprisingly calm and peaceful. He gave out a giggle as the last few feet of curtain slipped away from them. "Wilder, if this is meant to be it, I'd die happy."

Wilder let the last of the curtain go before it pulled his arm out of the socket. He wrapped both of his arms around the priest, and looked into his eyes. As the sparkling sea grew closer he said, "Do you know something?"

The air whipped past them, nearly deafening. 

"What's that?"

Wilder gave him the widest of grins. "I love you," he said. "I'm gonna find you! Even if we die, I'm not going to lose you this time!"

James's eyes welled with tears. "I love you too, Wilder," he said, his arms around the boy's neck.

"I love you I love you."

Wilder gave him a little smile. "Hold your breath!" he shouted, and both of them hit the water with a splash to humble Old Faithful.

The first thing Wilder was conscious of was the pain. The pain of hitting the water shot up through his legs, and he opened his mouth to scream, but icy cold salt water rushed in.

He tried to take a breath, and water filled his lungs. Wilder, realizing what was happening as the shock of the landing wore off, fought his way upwards. He kicked and kicked his feet, losing his shoes in the process. A second later, Wilder broke the surface. He took gasp after gasp of air as he fought to stay afloat. "James!" He screamed as the waves thrashed into his mouth one after another. "James!"

He saw a corner of the black robe James wore rising to the surface. Wilder snatched at the heavy wet fabric, realizing that there was no body inside. He took a deep breath, and dove into the surf.

He struggled to open his eyes underwater, the salt and bubbles obscuring his vision. He looked every way for any sign of James, but saw nothing. He surfaced again, shook the water from his eyes, and went down again. He dove seven times, feeling the strength surge out of him. He felt tears rushing down his face, mingling with the salt water. His lungs ached, his arms ached, and his legs felt broken. He knew they couldn't be, because he was able to kick and swim. He looked around him, as the waves gently bobbed him up and down in the middle of the sea, shimmering like a thousand suns. 

He looked up, seeing the ship still receding from the skyline. Adonis, Opal, and Neptune were still on the ship, and he had no idea where James had gone to. His body would have sunk if he was unable to swim for any reason.

Wilder focused on the shore, and with a heavy sigh of defeat, and began to paddle dejectedly toward it.

Wilder finally arrived at the shore; a concrete dock, which was rough and out of shape, but the solid land he had been looking for. With the last of his strength, he dragged himself to the flat area, and collapsed.

The sun was setting as Wilder stared at the sky. He breathed heavily, chest heaving. A few tiny clouds scuttled across the orange sky above him. The shooting on the shore had stopped, for the time being. Wilder sat up, and put his back against the concrete step. He skinned off his jeans, and sat in his underwear on the concrete dock, as the wind dried his skin. Wilder closed his eyes, feeling an amalgam of emotions rush through him just as the waves did. His mind was cluttered with thoughts. "The life we all thought we were living is a lie," he said quietly to himself. "The entire thing. A huge lie." He had a burning in his stomach to search through the Ministry's library, and then his mind turned to James. He was not going anywhere near the Ministry alone.