Life After Us

1 - Lela

I am alone on the boat, which is strange as people don't usually just disappear in the middle of the sea. I shout for Adrian; I am met only with my own echoes and the shrieks of seagulls. It would seem at a first glance that everyone had evacuated the boat due to some emergency or another, but leave me behind? I'd like to think that Adrian wouldn't let that happen. The more I wonder where my friends have gone the wilder the waves get; sea foam washes over the deck like hands trying to drag the boat down into the deep blue waters, with me still on it. I attempt to cling to a rope but it swings unbearably out of my reach and the catamaran lurches violently to the left. I fall to my knees and slide across the deck, trying desperately to hang on to something for support. As I look up, I am greeted by a number of hailstones in my face and ominous grey clouds wherever my gaze lies. With a jolt, I realise that the ship is gradually sinking; I will end up being dragged down with it. It gives one final, shuddering grumble and gives in to the crashing waves that are constantly attacking it. My frostbitten skin meets icy water, which feels like a thousand needles are piercing my flesh at once. I scream for help - somebody, anybody to free me from this pain - but salt water fills my lungs; I sink below the waves and my eyesight is blurry. Eventually, all I can see is the deep blue of the ocean. I hear someone calling my name but it's too distant to recognise...

"Lela, Lela! Wake up, Will says he's seen an island ahead!" Peri's shaking me awake, freeing me from the nightmare. I open one eye, then the other: it's a bit hazy but I can still make out the catamaran, safe and sound with everyone where I left them.

"I'm awake, I'm awake. An island? I thought we were in the middle of nowhere?" I fail to stifle a yawn and Peri giggles, brushing her overgrown fringe out of her eyes.

"That's what Gemma thought, but I guess not! C'mon, we're going to check it out, we should get there in about fifteen minutes." She says excitedly and skips off to chat to someone else.

I must have slept through the night, last I remember the sun was just going down. Now the skies are tinged with varying shades of pastel pink and orange; I look around and see I'm not the only one just waking up from a deep sleep. Maisie is stretching and rubbing her eyes, her hair sticking up everywhere. Drew is on the floor: he probably fell off the sofa in the night and is now upside down. I try and spot Adrian but to no avail. I stand up, wobbling a bit, and finally spot my best friend, beaming ecstatically at the thin strip of land ahead. Will's attempting to explain some sort of ship-talk to him, but I can tell from the look in Adrian's eyes that he's not taking in any of it. 

"Well look who's here, it's sleeping beauty! How're you doing, Lela?" Drew grins, hands in his coat pockets.

"I think you're the only sleeping beauty round here. Do we know if the island's inhabited?" I ask him, returning the smile. He shakes his head.

"Nah, not yet. Will's good but he's not that good," Drew, ever the clown, winks at me suggestively. It's hard not to laugh when you're with him. "I guess we'll only know when we take a look, right? Though god knows what we're going to do when we get there."

"We could always live in the catamaran." I suggest, but Drew shakes his head.

"We couldn't, we'll need to put the boat away sometimes, especially during the winter. We'll probably have to build some shelters or get some tents or something. Plus, once Mindy and Tia have given birth, it won't be the ideal place to raise children. Either way, it's a hell of a lot better than how we used to live."

"How far along are they, anyway?" I ask him. I look over to see the two mothers-to-be chatting animatedly. 

"No idea. That's Riaja's area of expertise, right?"

And with another grin, he goes off to discuss something with Gemma. I feel someone tapping on my shoulder; I turn around to see Adrian, looking pensive, but still with a slight smile on his lips.

"Looking forward to exploring far-off lands?" I ask him dramatically.

"Ah yes, the world-famous research crew about to discover a new island in the middle of nowhere, led by the renowned Dr Adrian..." His voice trails off; I can tell something's not quite right.

"What's wrong?"

"We don't have surnames."

"You're only realising that now?" I tease him, but he still looks serious.

"No, it's just.... we could have new names if we wanted to. We're not the hospital's property any more; I guess I just wish I could find out what I would have been called if we hadn't been given up to those monsters." My best friend's eyes are on the floor, hands in his pockets.

"Look, as much as I hate the hospital for the years they've taken away from us, we probably would never have met if we weren't given up. Besides, I think we're both too used to be just Adrian and Lela to change ourselves," I sigh and shield my eyes from the sun. "Feels weird to not be worrying about it any more, doesn't it? The hospital, I mean."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to being free. We'd barely seen anything other than what we could see from the window and in a matter of weeks we're off finding islands. Don't you feel like it's all too much to take in?" Adrian asks me, his wide brown eyes anxious and looking for reassurance.

I know exactly how he feels, but don't reveal as much to him. Instead, I pat him comfortingly on the shoulder and try to convince him that we'll never have to worry about Dr Magannor ever again; in reality I can't help but feel that they're watching us - that he's watching us - no matter where we try to run.