𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

one hundred seven.

─☼☼☼─

"THEY'VE BEEN DOWN there a long time," Charlotte said, pacing nervously from one end of the boat to another. "What if something happened?"

In actuality, they had only been down for fifteen minutes, but each minute that passed felt excruciating to Charlotte, like each passing moment was a stab to her heart. She hated them being down there...hated not knowing what was going on. 

"They have 45 minutes of air," Pope reminded her. "They shouldn't be too much longer."

But 45 minutes felt like an eternity. Charlotte let out a deep exhale, lowering her jittery body onto the bench. Looking up into the night sky, her eyes caught on the fog that was rolling toward them, basically encasing them in a cloak of invisibility. She knew Sarah and Cleo would be having a hard time keeping eyes on them. "Is no one else nervous?" She wondered, looking to the two boys. 

Pope and John B shared a brief look before Pope spoke, "I'm feeling quite nostalgic."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the lack of moral support she was receiving from her friends, but she wasn't entirely surprised. She always was the high-strung one. 

John B looked down at the depth reader, his brows pinching for a quick moment before he shook the look. "Charley, you're going to make yourself sick if you keep worrying. JJ's got Kie, they'll be alright."

Too restless to continue sitting, Charlotte came and joined the boys at the wheel. She was silent for a moment as she glanced down at the reader. "We're drifting," she suddenly announced, nerves resurfacing. 

Pope followed her gaze, letting out a quiet curse. "She's right. Bring it back to starboard." 

John B cranked the wheel, bringing the boat the other way. "Your other starboard," Charlotte snapped, pushing him out of the way as she cranked it the other way which earned her a glare from the younger boy. 

"Sorry," Charlotte muttered, "I'm just a bit stressed."

"We know," Pope and John B deadpanned. 

Ignoring them, Charlotte refocused on their coordinates, brow furrowing, "The tide is changing," she announced, the fear crawling its way up again. 

"And the fog is getting thick," John B agreed. "They have fifteen more minutes."

John B was right, the fog had almost completely engulfed them at that point, making them near invisible, but also making it hard for them to see anything. 

With their lack of visibility, all of their other senses were heightened, meaning when the sound of a boat engine in the distance met Charlotte's ears, she felt her heart plummet. "Do you guys hear that?"

Pope and John B were quiet for a moment before both of their faces dropped. "That's a boat engine," Pope declared.

John B did his best to remain calm. "Chill." He instructed, keeping his eyes locked forward. "Just chill."

"Cut the engine," Pope ordered, taking the less calm route. "Cut it!"

Charlotte squinted through the fog, looking for any sign of who was coming toward them. She could see nothing, but could hear whoever it was getting closer and closer.