The Wasp Chronicles #1: Into the Hornet's Nest

After the Shipwreck

Clément: Water.  There was nothing but water all around me.  There was no distinction between up, down, front, back, sky, sea, Coke, Pepsi, or anything.  My limp body was Poseidon's plaything as the waves tossed me about.  I could hear nothing but the roar of the storm and occasionally something that sounded like buzzing.  I lost track of time.  I could have been adrift for ten minutes or ten hours.  It was impossible to tell.  Finally, I realized that oh I wasn't in the water anymore.  I wearily sat up.  I had been lying in the sand.  I reached up and pulled seaweed out of my hair.  On the end was a shrimp.  "Hello," I tried to say, but I realized how much dry salt was in my mouth.  "I'm thirsty," I told the shrimp, and threw him into the ocean.  Wait, ocean?  I noticed for the first time that I was on a beach: Ocean on one side, and... jungle on the other.  But it wasn't like a build a sandcastle-have fun kind of beach.  This beach was covered in rocks, shells, and driftwood.  Was I alone? I looked around.  I saw no one.  No sign of human life except...pink.  There was something pink protruding from behind some rocks.  I stumbled closer and recognized it as the pink and black angular pattern on Amy's hoodie. And sure enough, there was Amy, unmoving between two rocks. I reached down and gently turned her over.  She was unconscious, and there was dried blood streaked across her forehead.

As Louis told you, Amy was the girl we found in the office building; the one that Zeke scared off. Louis and I were able to coax her into telling us why she was in there in the first place. She told us a story about chasing a kitten; however, I'm not entirely sure she was telling the truth. First of all, if Mr. Creepy Bald Guy needed a crowbar to get in, how in the world did Amy get in before he did?  I mean, I know she couldn't have followed him in; one of us would have seen her. Second, why was she just standing there looking at the office that Creepy was searching?  The cat wasn't in the office, was it?  Still, I'm glad she told us anything at all.  She doesn't talk much, and she seemed grateful that I told Zeke to bug off, back on the ship.  Her eyes opened.  Her eyes focused on me.  "Clément," she said.  "Gandalf the Grey..." I said, pretending to think.  "Yes... that was what they used to call me."  I helped her to her feet. "Now, I am Gandalf the White."  She gave a faint smile and reached up to feel her head.  When she touched the place where her hair parted, she winced.  "You must have hit your head." I told her.  I reached up and gingerly parted her highlighted blond hair.  She reached up as if to stop me, then seemed to refrain and hesitantly lowered her hand.  There, on her scalp was a dark red gash about a centimeter long.  "You've got a small gash." I told her.  "It looks like it closed up, but it might get infected."  She nodded and looked around. "What happened to the ship?" she asked.  I glanced out over the ocean.  "I have no idea" I said. "I think it capsized." I looked back at the jungle.  "We need to find water."  Amy didn't answer.  She had picked something up off the sand.  It was silver and shiny.

"Duct tape." I said.  She caught my eye and looked away.  "You know that guy don't you," I inquired, "the bald guy."  "Vance Darkwile," she said without looking at me, then shut her eyes as if she wished she had remained silent.  "Vance Darkwile?" I repeated.  "That's his name?" She didn't say anything.  "So you do know him." Amy looked at me as if she wanted to drop the subject.  "Or is it none of my business?" She sighed. "No. You have a right to know. You're a part of this now. And you're... different.  You won't take anything the wrong way." That was the most I'd heard her talk.  And I didn't quite understand what she meant.  "Um, thank you." I said.  She turned and walked toward the jungle.  There was more duct tape hanging from a tree.  "Vance Darkwile was a scientist commissioned by the army to create a molecular growth... machine," She said, "and his colleague was another scientist named Professor Edin Nathaniel."  She saw more pieces of duct tape in a tree and started into the jungle.  I followed.  "Molecular growth machine?" I repeated. "Yes. I, um... don't know the details, but he tried to poison Nathaniel to keep the machine, and Nathaniel ended up going insane instead, and..." She stopped.  She was staring ahead.

 I looked, and there in a clearing was a spring forming a small pool... but bent over drinking from the pool was the bald guy, Vance Darkwile.  "Get down!" She hissed and pulled me down behind a bush.  Vance Darkwile wiped his mouth and rose.  He glanced around the clearing and looked right at our bush.  Did he see us? I couldn't tell; his eyes were hidden behind his black circular sunglasses.  He soon turned and vanished into the trees.  "I think it is okay now."  I said and walked toward the spring.  Amy hesitantly followed.  We scooped the water in our hands and drank.  It tasted bitter, but I was grateful to wash the dry, salty taste out of my mouth.  I looked at Amy's forehead.  "You've got blood all over your forehead" I told her.  "I do?" she said, glancing at her reflection in the spring.  "Okay" and she washed the blood off.  I think she wanted to follow Darkwile, but with some coaxing, I lead her from the jungle and down the beach.  We were looking for anyone else at all who has survived the shipwreck.  I was lost in my thoughts until I heard a familiar voice call, "Hey, are you alright?"  I looked up, and there was Louis, Lea, Sapphirine, Jacques, and Sophie further down the beach.  I looked at Amy, and then ran to join them.  She followed briskly.