Getaway

[11] Modern World Crisis

Mango-toned bikini adorned, Sapphire and Aspen are wearing crop tops tied up under their breasts, and shorts. As they lean over the balcony, Jayla undoes the lock which leads to the life-boat port.

"You know what I think would be fun," she breathes, leaning out to the ocean.

"What?" Giggles Aspen pretending to push Sapphire into the water.

"To go for a swim!"

Phoenix walks silently across the deck just at that moment, making Sapphire and Aspen jump as he puts his arms around them both,

"Arghhh," he chuckles, "Haha, Jayla."

"What?!" She pouts, "Hm?" Sass radiating from her as she crosses her arms and gives him a stare.

"Hey," he laughs, "Just saying, um no matter how tempting it may look to swim in there, it's like jumping into a fucking bucket of ice."

"Oh yeah!" That reminds Aspen. "We saw that video of you, Raven and Blu having that water fight, you know?"

"Oh yeah," Says Phoenix a bit miffed. "Yeah, that was kinda scary. We didn't make that actually someone just filmed us without our permission and put it up." Phoenix tosses the empty beer bottle from his hand into the sea and it bobs back up to the surface for a bit before filling up with water going under completely.

"You didn't even know they were filming you?" Jayla is now distracted from her idea of swimming, and turns around from staring at the sunken bottle.

"Nope."

"Oh my god," she exclaims, "What if someone is filming us right now!? And we don't even know??"

"Haha," Phoenix shoves his fringe aside and stops texting on his phone, and stands next to the girls, resting his arms on the railings. "No fucking way," he indicates to the different points of the ship, port, starboard, cabin, stairway, "We built this fucking ship ourselves... and do you see anyone?"

"But what about the invisible people!" Aspen retorts.

Phoenix just laughs even more.

"There could be hidden cameras," Sapphire makes a fair point.

"No," Phoenix shoves it aside, "It's m-"

Crash, crash, crash.

Raven and Leya come panting up the stairs and slam the door dramatically open.

In the exact same position, they hold their heads, staring down at the wooden planks.

Everyone aboard the ship has eyes and ears, all senses geared on them. Except Blu, who was yet again driving, completely unaware.

"We're fuckin' doomed," glooms Raven in a booming voice and runs over and flings his laptop and several hundreds of pieces of paper in everyone's face, some falling off board and into the sea below, toppling like oversized mathematical summer snowflakes.

"What, what is it?!" Screams Jayla, panicking.

"Oh my god, no shit," laughs Phoenix in a sarcastic, fuck it way.

He is holding one of the pieces of paper, "Look, it says here, 'On 25th July, on the same day and same time, at around 3.40pm, CCTV cameras captured a boat covered in graffiti leaving the secret beach, Antango in LA, California.'"

"See, shit, guys, we're doomed!" Raven says in despair.

"Yeah, but why?" Says Sapphire. "I don't get it."

"Yeah," agrees Aspen, "Me neither, on the same day as what? Phoenix, what else does it say? Does it say something before that?"

"Umm, yeah." Phoenix looks at the page number, 8. Scrabbling for 7 he can't find it, but picks up another piece instead. A newspaper website this time, for The New York Times. Just the most popular newspaper in the world.

One of the headline stories, and there he is, his face and Raven's plastered to the front.

"What is this shit?!" Phoenix spits at the page as he scours it for information.

"Okay, it says," he clears his throat, trying to hold back his obvious rage. Raven is basically crying, sitting on the edge of the ship, Leya sitting beside him, comforting him and probably crying too. "These recent disappearances appear to be no coincidence. On 25th July at the same time, Death to the Skies members, Raven McQueen (real name Raphael Rodrigo) and Phoenix Von Dohren (real name Phoenix Emery) along with Blu Lawless of band Golden Atlas went missing. On this same day and at the same time, four girls who previously had arrived in LA Airport that morning, failed to report to their hotel. Paparazzi have caught photos of these same girls at the airport with Lawless. We can only say this is a mystery half solved."

Phoenix begins to cry too.

"This is insane!" Yells Jayla, running to hug Phoenix.

"Yeah," agrees Sapphire, getting up to join in the hug, "We didn't even book a hotel, that's bullshit."

"Some stupid person just got some pictures of us at the airport with Blu and couldn't resist the reward of money so couldn't keep the gossip to themselves. Selfish bastards," spits Jayla full of a bitter cold anger now. "Our parents agreed to us going on this holiday... even if they thought it was to Spain... So why are the news reporters acting like this is some kinda kidnapping?"

Leya walks over carrying Raven's laptop and a video starts to play of the LA News.

"These four girls have not been answering to any phone calls, emails or texts. It appears they have been kidnapped. Our reporter, Ellen, takes a closer look at the scene."

The camera changes from the red sofa studio and city skyline to an abandoned dusty beach and a silver car.

"Oh my god," Jayla gasps. "That's Blu's c.."

"Yeah, we know," says Sapphire cutting her off.

"Hello, yes it appears, that here is the culprit's car. Blu Lawless, of the Indie band Golden Atlas," and they cut to a clip of the music video for Time With You, Blu so utterly adorable and talented you could never imagine him doing anything wrong, "Was caught hours earlier at LA Airport with these same four girls." And an image flashes up of them all hugging, bags flying out to the side.

"Unfortunately, if we take a closer look, it appears some of the very bags these girls were carrying, are now left in this car, which the number plate is registered in Blu Lawless' name." The shots cut between zooming in on the image of the bags and live filming of the car through the windows.

"All four girls have been reported missing along with the singer and two members of infamous Death to the Skies. We can only hope the girls are alive and well. We continue to investigate."

And it cuts back to the news room, "And now for local news," the lady announces.

Phoenix pauses the video.

"What!!! 'Now for local news'," he imitates the ladies voice in a high pitch annoying as possible impression.

"It's global." Says Raven standing. "It's fucking global fucking news."