Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
We spend the next morning making sure everything is in order.
The guys go and deal with the bodies of the pirates, and see what carnage was left over. I choose not to ask questions, I don’t want to know where they are putting them, what they will do if one is still alive, or anything else to do with it. So the five of us girls and Adrian stay on the ship, and do the best we can to prepare it for our attempt to get home.
Aggie and Rachel clean, Tatiana and Kaylee organise and restock the kitchen with as much as they can, and Adrian helps me wash every single sheet and blanket on the ship, because none of us will be sleeping another night on this thing without a clean bed. There is no washing machine, but there is washing soap so we bundle everything up and take it to the watering hole on the island and begin scrubbing and cleaning.
It takes hours, but it is a bright sunny day and so when we are done, we string everything up between trees to let the sun and wind dry it, before moving on to anything else that needs to be washed. It’s strange, really, because I never thought I would enjoy washing, but being able to do it and knowing we have actual soap feels like some kind of miracle.
“I have raided every single fruit tree I can find,” Tatiana says, appearing out of the trees with an armful of papayas. Kaylee is following behind with some green bananas and coconuts. “It’s not much, but at least we have something extra.”
“Did you take stock of the ship and work out how much food is on there?” I ask, tying a blanket by the corner so I can hang it up.
“There is actually quite a supply,” she nods. “Kaylee said they just restocked. If we are careful, and ensure we aren’t eating it all quickly, we should have four to six weeks’ worth of dry supplies and tinned food. There is a freezer full of meat, frozen vegetables and bread. Some fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge, plus condiments, milk, cheese, things like that. Hell, it’s more food than we have survived on out here so far.”
My stomach rumbles and Kaylee smiles, tiny, but a smile. “Stella, the woman who was on the ship, was only good for one thing and that was making sure we had enough supplies for a few months on the ocean.”
I’m glad to know that, because it is apparent she was good for absolutely nothing else.
“There is also a shit tonne of weed and alcohol,” Tati points out and my eyes widen.
“No shit,” I grin. “At least we can enjoy ourselves a little.”
“I hope so,” she nods, then turns to Kaylee. “Come on, let’s put all of this on the ship and see if we can catch some fish for the freezer.”
“I am returning to the ship to prepare lunch now,” Adrian says, but there is an empty tone to his voice that is worrying. “Once you’re done, come and have some.”
Tati nods, smiling at him before disappearing back into the trees towards the shoreline.
“You good?” I say, turning to Adrian. “You don’t seem that happy for someone who could be going home?”
He pauses, scrunching a heap of water out of some towels. “Home. I don’t even know what that is. Being out here, it made me realise I have nothing, no family, few friends...”
That actually hurts my heart, mostly because I have never sat and actually asked Adrian about his life. None of us have. He has always just been so odd, such a loner, but we have done him a disservice not finding out who he is as a person.
“You have no family?” I go on, casually, trying to push the conversation further.
“My parents died a few years ago. Both of them, cancer.”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I say. “That’s a lot.”
“They were horrible,” he shrugs. “After I burned the house down when I was eight, they really didn’t like me much.”
Oh boy.
“Well, you were just a kid.”
“A smart kid,” he goes on. “Either way, I don’t have much at home.”
“You’re a super good tech guy, right? Isn’t that why you are here?”
He adjusts his glasses on his nose and stares at me. “That is hardly enough reason to look forward to going home, Grace.”
He has a point.
“Well, there has to be something there... a girl, maybe?”
“I’m not much into girls.”
“Oh,” I say, nodding. “A guy, then?”
“Not into them, either.”
Awkward.
“Ummm, so you don’t, ah, like anyone?”
He shrugs. “Nope.”
Right.
This isn’t going as well as I would have hoped.
“So, you don’t want to go home?”
He stares at me, for an uncomfortably long amount of time. “I don’t know. I kind of like it here, it feels like I can be whoever I want.”