CHAPTER 50: Aboard The Weatherer

"There's a basic space formation around this area."

As soon as she said that, it became quiet, and I looked at her in anticipation while I waited for her to expand on her statement.

Instructor Megan then clapped her hands and nodded at the deck.

"That's it. Head on up."

Alex looked at her with furrowed brows.

"That's all you'll say? No explanation on how it works?"

Instructor Megan shook her head.

"Nope, you should learn it soon enough anyway."

She then lightly pushed Alex toward the pier. "Go on."

Alex stumbled before regaining his balance.

"Straight ahead?"

"Yep," Instructor Megan nodded her head. "Straight ahead."

'I guess I'm heading up there.' Alex then proceeded to walk down the pier.

Alex could feel his apprehension growing and swelling with every step that took him closer to the ship.

*CREAK, CREAK, CREAK*

The wooden boards of the pier squeaked and creaked with every step Alex took, intensifying the sense of seriousness and anticipation Alex was experiencing.

Alex reached the end of the pier and stood in front of the gangplank. He inhaled the salty air and took his first step onto it.

With every diagonal step Alex took upward, he could feel his heart rate increase, until he was one step away from seeing onto the deck of the ship and stood still.

Alex put his hand on his chest and felt the neck breaking pace of his heart. He then turned around and scanned the dock below for Instructor Megan. However, he soon realized that she had seemingly disappeared.

'That's not disheartening.' Alex thought, then with a sigh he took a step forward with an expectant look in his eyes.

Sadly, he was bound to be disappointed, as there was nothing to be seen on the ship.

Alex's gaze slowly raked the length of the ship, from the main deck to the upper deck. But his first impression was correct, as far as he could see there was no soul aboard on the ship.

"Hmmm, nothing." Alex took a few more steps forward until his foot left the gangplank and landed on the deck. "Absolutely nothi...SHIT!"

Alex's eyes widened in disbelief as the scene in front of him shifted dramatically. The moment his foot had made contact with the ship's deck, everything had changed. Instead of being deserted like he had seen from the gangplank, the deck was now occupied by a crowd of people.

This abrupt change left Alex staring at the deck with a shocked and dumbfounded expression as his brain tried to process what was going on.

"Look at his face! This has to be the best one yet."

'I know that voice.' Alex thought even as he was still in a state of confusion. His head turned toward the sound of the voice. 'Isn't that...?'

"Leon?" Alex's eyes widened in surprise as his eyes landed on Leon's arrogant smirking face.

Leon was surrounded by a group of people while leaning against the ship's main mast. He then suddenly raised his hands then with a great flourish began clapping.

"Congrats Alex. You're only part of the last few people to make it here." Leon's eyebrow then arced in mock surprise. "I have to say, I'm quite shocked. I was certain you wouldn't make it back."

Alex hurriedly stepped back in surprise with his face pale and his heart racing a mile a minute. 'What's going on here? Shouldn't he have long since gone back to Freest....wait what?'

Suddenly, right before Alex's very eyes, everything, including Leon's smirking face and the people on the deck of the ship vanished.

This new and confusing development came as such a great shock that Alex took a few more steps back risking tripping and tumbling back down to the pier.

'What was that?' Alex rubbed his eyes and stared upward toward the deck. 'Could I possibly be losing it?'

Alex listened very carefully but he could no longer hear anything.

'No way.' He slowly walked back up the gangplank. 'I'm neither tired nor insane. It must be something else.'

*CREAK, CREAK, CREAK*

The apprehension and tension Alex experienced as he walked the few steps until he was at the top of the gangplank far surpassed what he felt the first time he went up.

'Ok.' He took a deep calming breath before slowly lowering his foot onto the ship's main deck.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The instant Alex's foot made contact with the deck, his view abruptly changed and he once again saw Leon and the group around him laughing hysterically.

"Oh this is too good.' Leon was now slumped against the mast with his hand covering his laughing face. "I can't take it anymore, I need to stop."

Leon then removed his hand, exposing his tear stained face. "Shit, I'm even tearing up now."

Alex raised his foot.

Leon and the people aboard the ship disappeared.

He lowered his foot.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Alex raised his foot.

Everything, including the laughter of Leon and the people around him disappeared.

Alex lowered his foot.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The boisterous laughter resumed.

Alex ran his gaze over Leon and his cronies. 'Is this a formation?'

Leon wiped away the tears on his eyes. "Alex you've got to stop this, it's too funny."

The shocked look on Alex's face slowly faded away. It was replaced by an expressionless one.

He then blocked out the laughter and focused on the rest of the people aboard the ship.

Instantly, Alex realized something.

'They're all in my class.'

Alex could at the very least vaguely recall the faces of every person on the deck.

'That's number one hundred and eighty-three in the class rankings.' Alex's eyes landed on a dark haired male before moving on to a red haired girl. 'And that's two hundred and seventeen.'

His attention then returned to Leon's group. 'Everyone there is in the top hundred of the class rankings.'

Alex then remembered what Leon had said earlier. 'Didn't he say something about me being one of the last people? What could he have meant by that?'

Despite his burning hatred for Leon, the pressing need to understand the strange events taking place took precedence over his intense emotions.

With gritted teeth, Alex walked over to Leon.

"What's going on here Leon? It's been more than a month, shouldn't everyone have gone back to Freestone already?"

Leon stopped laughing and raised his eyebrows. "Was that how long it was for you?"

A puzzled expression appeared on Alex's face and he scratched the back of his head. "What do you mean by that statement? Hasn't it been one month?"

Leon's infuriating smirk once again appeared and he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't."

Alex clenched his teeth so hard that for a moment he was worried about them breaking.

"You've always been an entitled little prick." He said with a stiff tight-lipped smile.

The laughter abruptly stopped and Leon's eyes turned stormy. He then stood up and stepped closer to Alex.

"And you've always been a weak little punk."

Alex took a few steps forward until he was standing nose to nose with Leon.

"Rather that than a tiny dicked bitc..."

*PAT*

From absolutely out of nowhere, a firm hand gripped Alex's shoulder.

A strong feeling of irritation overcame Alex, and his head sharply swiveled around.

"Who the fuck is...?!" Alex suddenly stopped and as he recognized the person behind him his eyes widened. "Alistair?"

However, Alistair's eyes weren't on him, instead they were fixed firmly on Leon's face.

"Sorry about that, Lord Leon.' Alistair said with a pandering look in his glasses-covered eyes.

He then tightened his grip on Alex's shoulder. "My friend here must be having a very stressful day, I'm sure you forgive his rash words."

With that he proceeded in pulling Alex away despite his struggles.

"Leave me alone," Alex whispered fiercely. "I won't take his bull today."

*SQUEEZE*

Alex winced as Alistair's grip on his shoulder tightened even further.

"There is a time and place for that, this isn't it." Alistair said under his breath. "Just look around."

It was that Alex realized that everyone on the deck was staring at him.

This caused Alex's head to cool down, and he regained his calmness.

Alex then breathed in deeply and stopped struggling. "I've calmed down, you can let go now."

Alistair's hand loosened and he glanced at Alex. "You sure?"

Alex nodded his head. "Yeah."

Alistair raised his hand from his shoulder and beckoned Alex to follow him.

They walked across the deck until they reached the far end of the ship, around the bow area, before Alistair inclined his head at the deck there.

Alex sat down with a sigh and momentarily closed his eyes.

"We need to talk." Alistair said grimly.

Alex opened his eyes and turned to look at him. "Yeah, we do."

Alistair raised his hands and calmly took off his glasses, exposing his piercingly pale blue eyes. "Let's get some facts down first."

He then leaned back against the railing before turning to Alex. "Just how long were you in The Senseless Coast?"