Chapter 9

"Everyone is thinking what I'm thinking right?" Nathan asked. 

"That we were put on the island to save us," Kathy said. 

"Or we were put on the island so we didn't break out after the explosion and wreak havoc on the cities," Madelyn theorized. 

"We're not Godzilla," Carter laughed. 

Nathan and Liam looked at each other then simultaneously mimicked dinosaurs. They stomped around and made dinosaur sounds. It made everyone laugh. 

"That is so unbelievably old," Kathy laughed. 

"I know," Nathan said as he stopped his dinosaur impression. Liam stopped shortly after that. 

"So, what are we going to do about this? Doesn't this mean the land is too dangerous to live on because of the radiation?" Liam asked. 

"Do you remember in History when they taught us about Hiroshima in World War 2?" Madelyn asked. 

"Yeah?" Liam answered out loud, everyone else nodded. 

"Well after that, people still lived there, they weren't allowed to but still did," Madelyn explained, "They were able to live fine."

"Madelyn those people died of violent cancer 20 years later," Kathy pointed out. 

"Yes but I'd rather live 20 more years on the mainland then live on a boat for the rest of time," Madelyn argued. 

"We have children on the boat Madelyn," Carter snapped, "I'm sure they don't want to only live  to be 25 or 30."

"I'm going to have to side with Madelyn," Nathan said. 

"Me too," Liam agreed. 

"No, this is ridiculous," Carter explained, "You're choosing to live a really painful life."

"It's either this or we turn around," Nathan explained. 

"That's not true," I said quietly. 

"What?" Nathan asked. 

"What if we went further south, like South America. We know that the United States is probably dust now, what if South America is still okay?" I ask. 

"Theoretically the nuclear blast wouldn't reach South America," Madelyn explained. 

"What if they were bombed too?" Carter asked. 

"We don't have proof that South America was bombed too, they might still be a functional country," Nathan explained. 

"What if they aren't?" Carter asked. 

"Then we turn around," Kathy said. Nathan walked away. 

"We are not doing that," I demand, "I will jump off the boat and swim to land before I go back to that island."

"What if we got to Hawaii instead of America?" Liam asked

"Not far enough away," Madelyn explained, "Even if it was, the nuclear blast would've plunged it underwater."

"So where are we shooting for?" Kathy asked. 

"Ecuador?" Nathan said while holding a map in his hands. He put it on the ground and pointed at a little country in Central America, "Would that be far enough away?"

"Just barely, but yes," Madelyn explained. 

"At least it's somewhere," I said relieved. 

"Yeah, and it's safe," Carter said. 

"Hopefully the people there don't care too much about us coming into their country," I pondered. 

"Well it's not like they stand a chance if they don't want us there," Liam laughed as he playfully flexed his arm. 

"We all know that Carter would be better at that," Madelyn laughed. 

"Liam and I wrestle all the time and the winner changes almost every time," Carter argued. 

"Let's go into this peacefully but with a game plan if it ends up not being so peaceful," I explain. 

"Good idea," Nathan said. 

"See you are useful," Kathy said. 

I smiled and looked around at my friends. Everyone was smiling and laughing at one another. 

Madelyn started to talk, "We should all get some sleep, it's late and we have another 4 days of sailing ahead of us. We need to be rested and ready to go when we get to Ameri-" She paused, "Ecuador."

We nodded and everyone picked a spot on the deck of the boat to lay down. Nathan walked downstairs to get blankets he came back up with 4 of them.

"These are the only ones left," Nathan said while standing in the center of the boat. Carter and Liam declined blankets and just laid down on the cold wooden deck. Nathan took his blanket up to the raised platform and sat down. 

I sat down and stared at the stars for about an hour, I couldn't sleep. I looked at the heavy blanket that was covering me, it was made from cow fur and was really warm. I looked over at Carter and Liam who were laying a few feet apart. Liam had steam coming from him. Carter was shivering. It only took me a second to decide I was going to give my blanket to Carter. I walked over with the blanket in my hand and draped it over him. He woke up. 

"No Carla, it's yours," He tried to hand it back to me. 

"No you need it more," Carter explained. 

"Um, no. Your lips are literally blue, you're starting to look like an icicle," I protested, "Take it."

"No you nee-"

"No I don't," I interrupted. I smiled and walked away before he could give in back to me. He curled up and fell back asleep within a few minutes. I sat and looked at the ocean waves hit the boat. I thought about how we'd survive on the mainland if we even made it there. I was afraid that the people there won't like us and we'll have to fight our way somewhere that we were liked. I laid down with my back turned to my friends and looked out at the ocean with my head on my arm like a pillow. I started to drift off to sleep when I felt someone walking by touch my leg. I slowly opened my eyes. Someone was extremely close to my face with their colorless eyes unsettlingly open. I scrambled backwards quicker than I've ever moved. Nothing was there. I quickly looked around, nothing. I took a deep breath and brushed it off as a nightmare. I stood up and walked back to where I had laid by the mast of the ship. I laid back down and used my arm as a pillow again. Just as I drifted to sleep I felt the same brush on my ankle. I opened my eyes to the same straining, colorless eyes. I had the same reaction as before. I rolled my eyes. "One more try, if it happens again then I'm not sleeping tonight," I muttered under my breath as I walked back to my sleeping spot. I laid back down in the same way, put my head on my arm, and started to drift off to sleep once more. This time I put a small rock from my pocket into my hand so I could fight back if it was someone messing with me. For the third time I felt a brush on my ankle and shuffling footsteps. I opened my eyes and started swinging. I pulled my knife out of my thigh holster. The person started yelling. 

"Ow!" The person yelled. I could tell it was a guy's voice. 

I took a step back, I could hardly see the figure standing there in the darkness. 

"What is your problem!" He yelled, " I was just trying to give you a blanket!"

The person's yelling woke up my friends. Carter ran over with a candle. The candle lit up the face of Gordon, one of the adults. His face was covered with and dripping blood. His face was already starting to bruise. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you," I apologized as I put my knife back in its holster. 

"Well here's the dang blanket," Gordon angrily said as he threw the blanket in my direction and walked off. 

"I'm sorry I woke you guys up, I didn't mean to," I apologized to everyone who had gathered around me. After I apologized, everyone but Kathy, Nathan, and Carter had went back to their spots and fell back asleep. 

"What happened?" Carter asked, "You're never aggressive."

"I don't know. Whenever I would fall asleep I would feel something touch my ankle, after that I would open my eyes and someone would be right in my face. It happened twice and the third time it ended up being Gordon."

"So you had a nightmare," Kathy said. 

"It was almost to real to be a nightmare though," I said as I folded the blanket. 

"Was it a vision?" Carter asked. 

"I'm not sure," I said, "If that's a vision, then I'm going to be very upset when it actually happens."

"It wasn't a vision," Nathan said. I looked over at him and he seemed to be fading in and out of existence. 

"Wait, Nathan are you okay? What's going on?" Kathy frantically said. Her voice carried on enough to wake Liam up.

"I.. Can't... Control... This," Nathan managed to say in between the pulsing of his fading. 

"It's okay, it's okay, you'll be okay," I repeated as I sat him down and ran to grab some water for him to drink. I came back and Carter was sitting with his head in his knees on the floor while Kathy had her hand laying on air. 

"What're you doing?" I asked. 

"My hand was on his shoulder when he disappeared, it still feels like he's here," Kathy explained. 

Tears started to run down my face when I realized that Carter was crying. I handed him the cup of water to help him calm down when I tripped over something and almost face planted. 

"What the heck?" I said as I turned around to see what I tripped over. Nothing was there.

I walked back over to Carter and tripped again in the same spot. "What is going on?" I laughed. 

I ran my foot around where I tripped and in the thin air, my foot hit an object. I went to poke it, it was bony, like a leg. It felt like a shoe. "Guys this happened in my vision," I frantically said as I put two and two together. Carter lifted his head and looked at me, "What vision?"

"When I was in a coma... I had a vision," I said. 

"You didn't tell us?" Kathy snapped. 

"I was going to tell you all in the morning," I answered, "But Nathan went invisible in my vision. Madelyn had a concussive blasts, Carter could shoot lasers from his hand, Liam had steel skin, and you had super agility," I pointed at each person as I spoke. "Maybe everyone has an extra power they have no control over."

"Goodie," Carter said, "So you don't think he just disappeared?" 

"No I think he's just invisible," I answered. 

"How do we know?" Liam asked. 

I thought for a moment, walked in front of where Nathan last was, then held out my fist, "Nathan grab my wrist, I need to know you're here so we can figure out how to reverse it."

It scared me when it actually started to feel as if someone was holding my wrist. 

"Okay," I said, "Kathy hand me that blanket right there," I pointed to the blanket that was laying a few feet away. She quickly got the blanket and handed it to me. I put the blanket on Nathan and it started to float midair. "Keep this on okay? Until we find out how to fix this," I explained. The blanket shifts from one side to the other as if Nathan was looking at everyone. 

"I hope it's not permanent," Liam said. We were all thinking it, I'm just glad someone said it. 

"Carla's visions aren't permanent so I doubt this is," Carter nodded and he stood up and looked at the blanket, "You're gonna be okay, we're going to find out how this works and how to make it so we can see and hear you."

I walked over to where Madelyn was sleeping, "Wake up, I know you're tired but Nathan needs you smart cookieness at the moment."

She didn't wake up. 

"Madelyn we're at Ecuador, wake up," I said. 

She still didn't wake up. 

"Madelyn watch out it's a shark and it's going to eat you!" I laughed. 

She still didn't wake up. 

"Madelyn if you don't wake up at this very moment or I'm going to put a salamander in your ear!" I laughed. 

She jolted awake. "You're not doing that to me again," She sleepily said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

"I promised 3 years ago not to do that again, I keep my promises," I laughed. 

"What's wrong," Madelyn asked, "Why did you wake me up."

"Nathan needs your help."