world, only a thrashing in an abyss, and time seemed to stand still.
The heart-wrenching impact of the storm’s fury came as the sky exploded in jagged fingers of lightning, unleashing the boiling rage of the tempest beyond. Furniture came unfastened, crashed, bounced off walls; glass broke and shattered. There were more screams in the distance, above the storm, as passengers became terrified by nature gone wild.
Jade fell to the floor, roughly tumbling head over heels as the ship seemed to turn on its side. She attempted to right herself just as the ship pitched in the opposite direction, sending her spinning backward. She had to get out, get to the deck, to a lifeboat, lest she be trapped here when the ship went under, as she knew it would!
She groped in the grayness to the door leading to the outside of the cabin. The ship lurched in that direction aiding her by slamming her against the wall. Her head struck hard; she was dazed, but rational enough to still feel the burning, shrieking command within her soul to get out…get out or be trapped forever at the bottom of the ocean.
On her knees, she wrapped both hands about-the door handle with all, her might. The door flew open just as the ship careened in the opposite direction, a giant wave dancing over the railing to wash her backward like a rag carelessly sloshed from a bucket of dirty rinse water. Again her head cracked against the wall. The ship bounced up, then down, and she was catapulted once more, this time out the door and onto the deck. Smacking against the railing, she grabbed it and held on with both hands, the sounds of her terrified screams for help lost in the cacophonous shrieks of the storm.
From the cabin came the sound of Colt’s shouts as he entered from the other side, calling her name. He fell, fought to stand up, and, in terror, realized the door leading to the promenade deck was open and banging…and Jade was not in her bed. “God, no, Jade…” He fought with all his strength against the bucking and bobbing to get to that doorway.
Jade’s grip was weakening. Suddenly, just as she heard Colt, the ship was caught in a grinding, twisting whirlwind that sent it careening straight upward. Just as abruptly the ship fell with a resounding thud that tore loose a crate of stored deck chairs. It shot like a cannon straight down the deck—toward the railing where Jade clung for her life.
Colt reached the doorway, clutching it with both hands as he fought to stand, but he slipped, fell. Jade watched in horror as the crate smashed into his head, and she had one heart-stopping glimpse of blood spurting before the crate continued on its way and hit the railing right beside her, wood splintering as the railing gave way.
The crate flew into the wind and waves, and the gray fingers of the sea reached out to grasp it and pull it ever onward.
The railing to which Jade clung was subsequently torn loose, and she followed the tumbling, tossing crate to whatever fate awaited.
When Jade fell from the ship, her mouth was open in a soul-wrenching scream, causing her to swallow water as she hit and sank beneath the churning, foaming surface. She felt herself slipping away, being sucked into a dark, cold abyss that was taking her down, down, down. It was so easy to just relax, to allow herself to be carried away, the water twisting and turning her body in frolic, like happy children playing.
It would be easy, her mind told her through the panic, to let the sea have its way…and her life.
But she did not want to die.
The salt water was burning her throat, her nostrils, and she felt herself suffocating. With the lithe and muscular legs that had taken her to ballet stardom, Jade began to kick and thrash. Her head ached. Her chest felt as though it were going to explode. She strained, stretched, flippered her toes as never before…and began to thrust, to project herself upward.
Her head reached the surface, and she coughed, spit out the salty water, gulped
The heart-wrenching impact of the storm’s fury came as the sky exploded in jagged fingers of lightning, unleashing the boiling rage of the tempest beyond. Furniture came unfastened, crashed, bounced off walls; glass broke and shattered. There were more screams in the distance, above the storm, as passengers became terrified by nature gone wild.
Jade fell to the floor, roughly tumbling head over heels as the ship seemed to turn on its side. She attempted to right herself just as the ship pitched in the opposite direction, sending her spinning backward. She had to get out, get to the deck, to a lifeboat, lest she be trapped here when the ship went under, as she knew it would!
She groped in the grayness to the door leading to the outside of the cabin. The ship lurched in that direction aiding her by slamming her against the wall. Her head struck hard; she was dazed, but rational enough to still feel the burning, shrieking command within her soul to get out…get out or be trapped forever at the bottom of the ocean.
On her knees, she wrapped both hands about-the door handle with all, her might. The door flew open just as the ship careened in the opposite direction, a giant wave dancing over the railing to wash her backward like a rag carelessly sloshed from a bucket of dirty rinse water. Again her head cracked against the wall. The ship bounced up, then down, and she was catapulted once more, this time out the door and onto the deck. Smacking against the railing, she grabbed it and held on with both hands, the sounds of her terrified screams for help lost in the cacophonous shrieks of the storm.
From the cabin came the sound of Colt’s shouts as he entered from the other side, calling her name. He fell, fought to stand up, and, in terror, realized the door leading to the promenade deck was open and banging…and Jade was not in her bed. “God, no, Jade…” He fought with all his strength against the bucking and bobbing to get to that doorway.
Jade’s grip was weakening. Suddenly, just as she heard Colt, the ship was caught in a grinding, twisting whirlwind that sent it careening straight upward. Just as abruptly the ship fell with a resounding thud that tore loose a crate of stored deck chairs. It shot like a cannon straight down the deck—toward the railing where Jade clung for her life.
Colt reached the doorway, clutching it with both hands as he fought to stand, but he slipped, fell. Jade watched in horror as the crate smashed into his head, and she had one heart-stopping glimpse of blood spurting before the crate continued on its way and hit the railing right beside her, wood splintering as the railing gave way.
The crate flew into the wind and waves, and the gray fingers of the sea reached out to grasp it and pull it ever onward.
The railing to which Jade clung was subsequently torn loose, and she followed the tumbling, tossing crate to whatever fate awaited.
When Jade fell from the ship, her mouth was open in a soul-wrenching scream, causing her to swallow water as she hit and sank beneath the churning, foaming surface. She felt herself slipping away, being sucked into a dark, cold abyss that was taking her down, down, down. It was so easy to just relax, to allow herself to be carried away, the water twisting and turning her body in frolic, like happy children playing.
It would be easy, her mind told her through the panic, to let the sea have its way…and her life.
But she did not want to die.
The salt water was burning her throat, her nostrils, and she felt herself suffocating. With the lithe and muscular legs that had taken her to ballet stardom, Jade began to kick and thrash. Her head ached. Her chest felt as though it were going to explode. She strained, stretched, flippered her toes as never before…and began to thrust, to project herself upward.
Her head reached the surface, and she coughed, spit out the salty water, gulped
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