Lovebeam

Chapter 16

Fireworks were wonderful, but it's starting to rain.

"Let's go." Nana says.

Dad nods. Everyone agrees. Dad go to the boat.

He's there for a good fifteen minutes.

"Hey guys, I have some bad news." Dad says.

"What?" Brody asks.

"The boat won't start."

Everyone phones have either died or we're left at the house.

"Let's go look at it." Brody says.

He goes with Dad to the boat.

They're out there for a while, and soon enough, they discover that it's out of gas.

"Alright." I say. Everyone is starting to panic. "Let's all stay calm." I say. "We'll start a fire."

So we do.

I grab a flashlight and climb a tree and watch for someone.

<><>

I was up there for hours. We ended up sleeping at the island. It's morning and I'm hungry.

"Alright, that's it." I say. I remove my dress. "I'm swimming to shore."

"What?" Brody asks. "No!"

"It's either that of we all die of starvation."

I get in the water.

People hesitate, and they decide to just let me go.

I know the way. While we're far enough that we can't see land, we're close enough that we can get home. Plus, accord to Brody, the earth's crust bends at 3.1 miles out of sight.

<><>

It took me two hours of swimming nonstop to even see land.

The second my feet hit land, I almost die. I climb the latter up the dock, ready to fucking die.

I drank so much salt water by accident that I'm dehydrated and feel lightheaded.

I stand up, and then I feel myself falling, and the world goes black.

BRODY'S POV

The sun is going down and Dani still isn't back.

"Guys, it's been twelve hours. She could've gotten there and back by now." Jonathan says quietly.

"I'm going after her." I remove my shirt.

"Brody, don't be stupid." Mrs. Riley says. "It's about to be pitch black. You won't be able to see anything."

"We're not losing someone else if we lost Dani." Jonathan adds. "You're my baby bro, man."

I knot my fingers in my hair.

"Guys, I'm freaking the fuck out." I say.

DANIELLE'S POV

The sound of lapping water against the seawall wakes me up.

I lift my head and find blackness all around me.

I can see lights coming from Brody's grandmother's mansion.

I drag myself up. I wobble slightly, and climb up the wall. I drag myself in through the backdoor, and I down a gallon of water, literally.

When I'm feeling better, I get the keys for the only boat left, and I grab my phone from the guest room I'm staying in with Courtney, since nobody would let Brody and I have a room, Courtney and I share a queen.