Black Cloaks

Eighteen - Friendships

       "What?" Jade asked quickly, narrowing her eyes.

       Rob ran a hand hazardously through his dirty-blonde hair.

       "Well, um, they were going to be waiting for you when we arrived in England." He stammered and tripped over his words while Jade's expression changed from curious and annoyed, to angry and bewildered.

       "What! You were going to take us back to them?! What's wrong with you!" Jade yelled. "I bet that if I had never fallen overboard, you wouldn't have even said anything!"

       Rob's face fell and he looked down at the ground.

       "If you were in my position, and they threatened to kill everyone you love if you didn't do what they say, what would you do?" he said quietly. "I was just trying to protect them, I know what you've been through, and I'm sorry, but I've been there too."

       Jade just stood for a moment, not knowing what to say.

       'What would I do?' She asked herself.

       In all honesty, she didn't really love many people, so it may not seem like such a big deal. But the people she did love...she loved them a lot. She couldn't imagine just standing by and letting them kill Blue. She would do anything she could to keep them away, even if it meant her own life. And if her parents were still alive, then Jade would go to the other side of the world and back to protect them. John and Imogen too, Amory, Melanie and the others, even though she had never gotten along well with Isabelle, she just wouldn't be able to simply let them die.

       'But could I endanger the lives of anyone else...?'

       She just didn't know.

       "No, I'm sorry," she said awkwardly after a moment of silence.

       "Where are we going then? If we can't go home by this ferry?" Isabelle took a step forward from behind Jade, and Rob's eyes flickered to her, surprised, as if he had forgotten she was there.

       "Well, we can't go back by this ferry, that's for sure. They have cameras everywhere, and like I said, they'll be waiting where the ferry stops," Rob admitted after regaining his composure.

       "I saw some lifeboats of the side of the boat, we could use them?" John suggested.

       Jade turned to see him striding towards them, black hair mussed by the breeze and eyes sparkling.

       'He really does have nice eyes, and his hair's a nice length, and it looks so soft...'

       She cleared her throat loudly as if it would clear her thoughts. She looked up to see everyone was staring at her.

       "Got something to say?" John asked seriously, but his lips fought to stay in a straight line.

       "Er, no, sorry, carry on!" She answered cheerily and John gave her a strange look. She realised suddenly what had been proposed. "Actually, hang on. If we take the lifeboats and follow where the ferry is headed, surely we'll all end up in the same place anyway and we'll still end up where the Cloaks are?"

       "Ah," Rob mused.

       "If we lower the lifeboats and ties them somehow onto the ferry, so we don't have to paddle all the way ourselves, then we won't be on the ferry when the Black Cloaks search it. If the police don't arrive in time, we should have enough time to escape ourselves and then go to find the police," John explained.