Felicity was awoken by an unfamiliar voice. It was highly unusual for him to hear after having been so accustomed to the same four voices for so long, and immediately, his brain was on high alert, his body on edge and anxiety-riddled. He sat up, wiping away the sleep from his eyes with his hands and then looking around to search for the new voice. The sky was grey, the morning dark, yellow, and humid with the remnants of a warm storm. Felicity considered for a moment if the warm, humid temperatures could produce a hurricane or tropical storm; though, upon dipping his fingers over the edge of the boat and into the actual ocean water, he found the water to be icy cold; he decided it must have been too cold for any sort of substantial cyclonic storm to form, and with that came a shallow sigh of relief. His eyes were wide and watchful as he peered around, looking at the ocean and the half-submerged houses, the hills that peaked out of the water around them, and the persons in the boat, whom all seemed wide awake and on high alert just as he was. The voice echoed again.

A very simple shout, "Hey!"

At this point, all except for Marina was standing in the boat. Far off in the distance was a house partially submerged in the water; the entire top floor was exposed. A slim but tall figure stood on the roof, silhouetted by the white, damp skyline and the hills in the farther distance behind him. Felicity narrowed his eyes, as if that would some how make his irises zoom in on the figure the way a camera lens could. The man waved his arm in the air, shouting something else that they couldn't quite make out.

Huan, having the heaviest and loudest voice, stood at the edge of the boat (nearly tipping the whole thing with his weight) and shouted back, "Who's you?"

"Mareno!" he called back with a very heavy mexican accent, the r rolled. The man was older than Felicity and seeming older than Tati and Zephyr, but he was clearly inexperienced and immature, thin and gangly, likely no older than mid twenties just based on his composure, voice, and lack of caution when calling to the stranger's group. Or perhaps, he was simply desperate. Felicity hated having no privacy, but he was grateful for his group, and knew he would never survive alone. Perhaps Mareno had been alone for too long. Huan dove into the water, and then began to push the boat from behind, kicking his legs like he never had before. It was still slow, but much faster than using no paddles, and the boat creaked loudly as it was thrust through the water by his force.

Zephyr, still standing, hollered back, "We're on our way, Mareno!"

"Are you help?" he asked back loudly, hands cupped around his mouth to accentuate the sound. His accent made his words a bit difficult for Felicity and Zephyr to understand, but they did their best to decipher his voice from the distance.

"Not help," Zephyr called, "We need help. Are you a friend?"

"Friend?" He asked. "Friend, good! Need uno more!" He seemed to have trouble communicating with the english-users. Zephyr seemed a bit uncomfortable with the entire situation, and Felicity shared that discomfort; they had to be careful to not say the wrong thing nor with the wrong tone of voice in an effort to communicate clearly to Moreno. Moreno continued to wave them over. He seemed friendly enough, but still, Felicity was wary.

So, Felicity joined Zephyr at the front of the small boat, to Tati's visible dismay, and he called, "Are you alone?"

"Sorry?"

He seemed confused, and Felicity tried again, "Are you in a group? Friends?"

"Ah, si! Si!"

"How many?"

"Euh... Six? No, cinque," he held five fingers up for them.

"Five?"

He nodded, "Si! I tell them you're here!"

"No, no!" Zephyr said. "No!"

"Problem? They buenos people. Get enjada conmigo if I do not tell. Uno memento, porfavor!" Zephyr's eyes were wide. The inability to communicate correctly was, for lack of a better term, freaking him out. Felicity stood beside him, noting his stiffness, his panic, and took it upon himself to take the reigns for the group. The boat was close enough now that they no longer had to shout.

"Moreno!" Felicity said.

"Que?"

"No habla spanish!"

"Ah, ah. Si. See."

"We want to know what you want!"

"We have... We have..." Moreno side-stepped frustratedly, struggling to think of the word, then pointed at Felicity's group, "barco!"

"Group?"

"No, no. On water. Barco en el agua!"

"Oh, oh! A boat!" Felicity spoke fast and excitedly now, her initial panic and caution and distrust flying out the window the second the word was spoken, instead replaced with careless excitement and the prospect of hope. "Mareno, you have a boat? Your group has a boat?!"

He laughed, "Ah ha! Si! We have boat! Big boat! Need someone to control for us! No habla ingles, instructions ingles."

"You need a driver?" Felicity asked.

"Ah, driver! Driver! To control baco- boat. To control boat." Felicity turned to Zephyr, and their grins matched in width.

"Zephyr," Felicity said, exasperated. "We found a boat!"

And his smile beamed, "We found a boat!" They took each other's hands in their own, swinging arms in a small, giddy dance, laughing playfully, excitement and hope suddenly turning them into little kids again. The boat slowed to a stop right beside the building that Mareno occupied, and then it rocked sharply as Huan breathlessly pulled himself out of the water and into the rowboat. The force of the boat tipping pushed both standing Zephyr and Felicity overboard, one on top of the other, into the cold, black waters. Still, this did not dampen the mood, and they helped each other back into the boat, Huan laughing at them cheekily. Felicity's hair hung directly in front of their eyes as it was wet, bothering him greatly. There was a tender moment in which Zephyr pulled the strands away from his eyes and tucked them behind his ears, but it wasn't long before they annoyingly fell back into place, blocking Felicity's vision once again. Mareno had left the roof, climbing down some stairs in the back of the house to let his friends know that he had found help. It was lucky for the group that Zephyr and Tati had grown up on the water and could pilot any boat known to man, so their english reading skills were not their only use to Mareno. Mareno did not return to the roof; instead, he swam out to greet Felicity's ragtag group, offering them the staircase behind the house to climb into the second story floor. They followed his lead, and at the back of the house was a backdoor in front of the flimsy metal stairs. From there, he led the way into the house, and even gave Huan some rope to tie their boat to the stairs outside. The group hopped from the boat and onto the stairs, most of them getting their pants wet in the process. Kiui held a restless, thin dog in her arms. He whined, uncertain with himself and frustrated with the unfamiliar people. She shushed him softly, words lingering with love. And then, the group made their way inside the unfamiliar place.

In doing so, Felicity was struck with a sudden overwhelming anxiety, his heart in his throat. His mind was plagued with worst case scenarios. They did not know this new group of people at all; for all Felicity knew, they were going to be slaughtered like sheep the moment they stepped inside of the unfamiliar house. At the door, he hesitated, but Zephyr ushered him inside with a tender hand on his back, and through the door Felicity nervously went. He instinctively took Zephyr's hand, desperately needing something to hold to keep him grounded. The group flooded into the room. It was a large, open concept kitchen, and behind the counter stood five persons. Each had dark tan skin, a variety of sizes and ages, but no variety in gender. A heavy set man walked forward to Mareno who had led the group inside with a prideful smile on his face, and sharply smacked him across it. A few of Felicity's group gaspedor whimpered, and Felicity himself felt harshly taken aback, stepping back a few paces and clinging tightly to Zephyr's arm.

Mareno held a hand to his reddened face with a wounded expression, whining, "Que occure?"

The man shouted angrily, "Estupido! Pedimos un solo conductor..." He spoke further, though no words that Felicity could recognise. He knew that the buff man was insulting Mareno, but that was the extent of his knowledge. The man was large, muscular and round, with a lack of hair on the top of his head but plenty under his nose and chin. His entire face creased with angry expression, his mouth growing and jaw widening as he shouted. He turned dark, fiery, slanted eyes towards Felicity's group. "Cal puede conducir?"

"No habla spanish," Huan huffed to him.

The man chuckled lowly, "Patetico. Aye, Mareno. Traducir."

Mareno protested, "Tengo un pobre ingles."

"Mareno!"

"...Si, Jesus."

The man cleared his throat, then spat something long and twisting in the foreign language.

Mareno sighed shakily, turning to Felicity's group and saying, "Jesus want only uno to drive on agua. Rest stay here."

"Either our whole group goes, or none of us do," Zephyr said.

Mareno translated, and Jesus replied in harsh spanish. Mareno hesitated, reassuring himself with soft spanish words, and then spoke hesitantly, "You don't have choice."

Zephyr glanced at Felicity and then at Tati, eyes wide with concern and worry, and then back to Mareno's own frightened expression. "We don't want to," Zephyr tried again.

"Aye, si, si, though not me. Not my choice. Your choice none. Our choice none." He pointed to the large man beside him, "Jesus choice. Leader of friends."

"Those aren't friends," Zephyr said frustratedly. "They're more like a gang."

"Eh, gang?"

"Bad."

"Bad friends? Eh, si. Bad. I no choice. You no choice. Jesus choice. Jesus choice. Drive on agua, good friends leave. Us stay safe."

Felicity stepped forward again, "And if we don't?"

"Euh... No se? Bad."

"What bad?"

"Hurt you. Jesus."

Zephyr glanced sideways again at Felicity, and the two locked eyes.

"We have to get out of here," Zephyr whispered.

"But how?"

Mareno hesitated once again and then spoke up, stuttering tenderly, "Jesus cannot ingles, but I can! I want to help. I take you to boat to scope out. Tell Jesus we look to decide who stay, to decide who best driver for type of boat. Instead, uno driver take the boat, rest follow. Leave bad friends here, euh?"

Zephyr and Felicity's minds were connected, and both felt heavily relieved at Mareno's allyship. Still, Felicity doubted, and spoke up quietly, "Mareno, why do you want to help us?"

"Por que? Euh... I want way out of group."

"We'll help you," Felicity said, "But you have to promise to be loyal to us."

He shook ever so slightly, "Loyal? An if I don't?"

"We won't hurt you," Felicity assured him, "But we need to be able to rely on you and trust you. You're safe with us, but we need to know that we are safe with you."

"I'll be safe. For you."

"Perfect, then. Take us to the boat."

Mareno nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips with the prospect and hope of such a plan being successful; still, he was a generally nervous and honest individual, and this showed with the incessant fidgeting of his hands and worrisome glances at Felicity. Felicity did not know, but Mareno perceived him to be the leader of the group and thus looked to him for affirmation when he was feeling nervous, which happened to be most of the time, so Mareno was staring at Felicity often. He managed to hold down his nerves long enough to speak to Jesus. He said something in spanish and Jesus huffed, eyed the group, and then agreed sternly with a tight nod. Mareno obscured his excitement although not well, and rather giddily led Felicity's group out of the backdoor that they had come out of, and then swam through the water to the other side of the building, where a large white boat was docked. Kiui led her poor frightened dog along, and he doggy paddled the entire way. Jesus watched as they swam, standing on the metal stairs in front of the back door and careful to not get wet, listening intently as the seven bodies disappeared around the corner of the house. He was sceptical, rightfully so, and listening for any sign of scheming or of a motor starting.

Felicity was unfamiliar with boats, much less ones containing a motor. The boat was a dirty white, with brown leather cushioned seats lining the shallow walls of the back. The front part held two seats, one in front of a steering wheel and some controls, such as a type of stick shift, and the other by itself. A flimsy clear plastic screen protected the driver and passenger from the elements of nature. Zephyr pulled himself out of the water and climbed a small metal ladder into the boat, helping Felicity out of the water next. Tati gumbled as she came up third, and then Felicity and Zephyr helped Marina and Kiui out of the water, followed by an anxiety-ridden Mareno. Huan came up by himself and last. The group sat down on the leather seats in the back of the boat, but Zephyr immediately made his way up front to the hull. He had an air about him that Felicity had not seen before. Suddenly, being on a real boat, Zephyr's demeanor changed and blossomed into something warm and beautiful, his face brightened by a wide, true smile as he softly touched the wheel and seats and shift with a sense of familiarity, a sense of nostalgia, a sense of confidence, authority, and authenticity. He was, suffice to say, delighted, and made himself right at home in the driver's seat. Tati stepped forward to sit in the passenger chair beside him, but to the group's rather shock, he stopped her by holding up a pausing hand, and gestured for none other than Felicity to come over.

Felicity paused himself, standing and hesitating, "Me?"

Tati hissed, "She knows nothing about boats."

"Good thing that passengers don't drive," he said sternly. "I can teach him how. Either way, it's better for someone who can't drive to be up front so that they can grow familiar with it."

"You sure you don't want to just be close and comfy to Felicity?" Tati spat, heaving heavy footsteps as she walked to the back of the boat.

"Gross, Tati, and enough! There's no reason for you to act this way. Felicity is my friend and more of a sibling to me than you ever will be."

Tati looked shocked and genuinely hurt, her face creasing from wide, teary-eyed surprise and then turning downwards into a bitter scowl.

Zephyr paused and then said, "I'm sorry, Tati. That was cruel and untrue. But right now, we can't make amends and deal with your drama. We have people watching us, and people chasing us. We have to get out of here right now." Felicity reluctantly sat beside him, disliking the attention. He could feel the eyes of the small crowd boring into the back of his skull, and he shifted uncomfortably in the seat, the tan leather squeaking beneath him. Tati huffed and sat down with the others. Zephyr reared the stick shift, and the boat's engine sputtered alive, rumbling and vibrating. A shout from Jesus was heard from the other side of the building, and then more noise followed from the rest of his group. Zephyr drove the boat away from the house as quickly as possible, then, took off in the direction of the canyon where they were headed, leaving a trail of white frothy foam on the surface of the disturbed water. One of the men pulled open a front second-story window as they drove away, holding up a very clear weapon in his hands with a determined scowl written on his face. He aimed, pointed, and fired with an exceptionally loud bang! That echoed throughout the half-submerged community. The bullet struck through the air faster than the boat could run on water, and in a split second, several shrill, panicked cries rang out. Felicity had seen none of it, facing ahead at the water as their boat bumped over the surface of it with velocity; he had only heard the cries, and turned around in his seat to face the group. Marina was struck in her shoulder, dark blood spewing from the wound and all down her front, onto her neighbours, and spilling onto the textured white floor of the boat, collecting between the no-slip lines. She looked even more pale than usual, her face creased in agony, leaning back and sobbing breathlessly, hands on her wound. She gasped several times.

Felicity watched in stricken horror, wide-eyed, unsure of what to do. The sound of the grumbling motor, of the splashing water, of Kiui and Marina crying and the rest of the group shouting and talking all at once... It all faded and blurred into clear, white-noise silence, like a portrait mode picture: the background blurred and bokeh. The only clear thing was the look of anguish on Marina's face, and the wet fear on Kiui's. It came as a shock to Felicity, the whole thing, and everybody paused for several seconds, confused and shocked and loudly unsure of what to do. Felicity had to react, and forced himself to do so. Life felt dreamily blurred, but he stood in slow-motion, forcing his heavy feet to walk forward to Marina and he leaned down in front of her, eyeing the damage. Huan caught his eye, and helped Felicity turn Marina to a slight so that they could see the back, where she had been struck. The exit was sharp and precise; no need to try and get the bullet out. Instead, Felicity took his shirt off (although still wearing a bra), and wrapped it tight over her shoulder without tearing it. It immediately filled with blood, but the flow slowed and haulted eventually. He comforted her and Kiui for a moment, and then walked up front to Zephyr once again, leaving the rest to Huan.

Felicity spoke softly to him, over the roar of the boat and rushing water but quiet enough so that the others could not hear, "We need anti-biotics. Desperately. We all feel woozy these days, but Marina desperately needs them."

"And you, too." He glanced away from the wheel to look up at him sideways, "You've been pale and sickly since your dive underwater. You're good at hiding it, but I've noticed you feeling worse." Felicity hesitated, thinking about their physicality. Nausea, aching, headaches, and lethargy. They hadn't paid much mind to it with everything else that had been going on; amounting it all to simply being seasick with time.

"It's not as important, but I suppose you're right. Marina will die, though, if we don't get her medicines. You know that as well as I do. You're smart enough to know her wound will get infected."

"I know. Okay, let's scavenge. Ask Mareno how familiar he is with these parts, maybe he knows a good place for it or which houses haven't been searched yet."

"Okay." He walked to the back of the boat, holding onto the rim for balance as it drove. Then, he sat down beside Mareno and asked him about the situation.

"We search lot of these houses," he said, "Euh, one we cannot search. No upstairs windows. Downstairs windows only, cannot atravesar. Eh, entra."

"Ingles, Mareno."

"Si, know. Not that good wth ingles."

"That's okay. You've been helpful. Think this house has good stuff inside?"

"Si, rich neighborhood. Lots houses lots goods."

"Can you show us where it is?"

"Aye... How will you... search? No window."

Tati, Huan, and Kiui turned to glance at Felicity, and Felicity sighed, "I can swim."

"Aha!" Mareno cheekily applauded, "Aha. Buenos, buenos!" His thin face was stretched with a bright smile and light eyes that wrinkled at the edges as he stood and pointed to a close house that they'd yet to reach, with dusty blue walls and a brown shingled roof. Felicity moved to the front of the boat again, explaining to Zephyr and pointing to the house. He turned the wheel, and the rudder moved, the boat turning with it. Still, Zephyr seemed uncertain, his face gently creased with worry.

Finally, the tension broke, and he said, "Felicity, you really shouldn't be diving."

"I'm a little sick, but its fine. I can still help."

"Have you eaten today?" Silence. "Thought so. Eat something."

"We don't have much."

"You can take my share."

"You're thin, too."

"Not as much as you are," he said. His eyes glowered, and he glared at Felicity now, "You have to be careful before you push your body to its death."

He shrugged, "I never liked it anyways."

Zephyr slammed his hands on the wheel, and snarled, "Felicity, this isn't some big joke!" He could hear the group at the back's voices shut off as they heard his harsh yell. Both harsh and yelling was unusual for someone as calm, collected, and kind as Zephyr.

Felicity hissed, "Zephyr, it's fine. I am fine."

"Fine, think that. I can see you. It's just frustrating that you don't care. You don't give a damn how it would affect us if something happened to you. Do you care at all?"

"I do care. I care so much that I'm pushing through my ailment to do this for you guys. To get anti-biotics and food and supplies for us. What, you want me to give up and let you suffer?"

"Give it to someone else, you don't have to do this!"

"I have to, Zephyr, I have to! Someone else would get sick if I didn't."

"So you're okay with dying? With getting more sick?"

"You're being ridiculous, I'm not going to die, I'm barely sick at all!" Zephyr pulled to a slow and then parked beside the house on the water.

He stood to face Felicity with pure anger and frustration hiding the true concern in his eyes, hands in fists at his sides, "Felicity! It doesn't matter! You aren't being careful with yourself, you're going to exhaust yourself. I can do this instead!"

"No, Zephyr."

"What do you have to prove?" he asked angrily, though lowering his voice yet, growing self aware of his cruelty.

Felicity spoke lowly, "I have to make myself worth something."

"You are worth something. You don't have to kill yourself to prove it."

"I have to be valuable, an asset to the group. I can't... I can't be a burden..."

"You are an asset! You are valuable, no matter what you do or don't do! But you won't be if you're dead!" Felicity eyed him silently, feeling the tension fill both of them and connect them to one another. The frustration of caring, the hurt in love. That's all that this was. Love.

"Okay," Felicity finally said, exhaling deeply. "Ok. I trust you. You can do it?"

"Yes, I can."

"Maybe try to keep your eyes closed while you do. I had to open mine. I think it's what made me sick."

"Okay, I think that the water here is shallow enough I could scope out an entrance from the boat." He stepped along the edge, narrowing his eyes at the green rippling water. It looked like creek water, murky and dark and muddled. Felicity admired his concentrated reflection as it warped across the active ocean's surface. Even hardened and alert and wary, his face held a softness to the edges that his personality mimicked. A softened jawline, large rounded nose, eyes, and full lips all created his round, soft look. His curly hair had grown as unruly as Felicity's straight hair. It looked more like an unkept afro, going in tight curls in every direction. Felicity stepped behind him and pulled his hair backwards, tying it up with a hairtie they kept on their wrist. Zephyr stood and thanked him gently. Then, he said, "I see a window down there. It's familiar, so I can open it. Nobody dive in after me, okay? I'll be fine." The group murmured agreements, wished him good luck and gave some varied advice and compliments.

"Be quick," Huan said.

"I will," Zephyr said. Then, a bit more quietly, he turned to Felicity, a look in his eyes that sparkled effervescently, his face animated and illuminated with a look of both grief and hope and warmth. His eyes softened, staring at him, lips parted so subtly that Felicity wondered if he had noticed at all.

"Good luck," Felicity said. The moment was short, but it felt as though it could last forever. Felicity almost wanted it to, seeming startstruck with his black as night eyes, and his equally dark skin that glowed like golden honey with the setting sun dousing him with brilliance. The sky had been dark and yellowed and drowsy all day; yet, as the sun began to set, it seemed that the clouds had parted long enough for Zephyr to be coated in the golden luminescence. He was vibrant and radiant and beautiful and perfect all at once in that short, tender moment.

"I'll be back."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Felicity..."

"What is it?"

"Your hair glows like an angel with the sunlight like that behind you."

"Oh." He wasn't sure what to say. Zephyr peered down at his feet, then back up at Felicity. And Felicity did not know, but his own wide, blue eyes shone like precious gems under the light, refracting and shimmering like amethyst or diamonds or clear quartz, like softly blue sea glass that had been held up to the sunlight for the first time since the 1800's. Worn, weary, and beautiful. Felicity began to feel faint, the slowness and tenderness of the moment allowing his over-exertion and exhilaration from the day to catch up with him. Zephyr took his hands in his own, eyeing him still.

"It's not been much time since I've known you," he said softly, warmly, gently running his thumbs over Felicity's palms. "But I feel like it's right." Felicity hesitated, uncertain and suddenly overwhelmed, the throbbing ache of his forehead and stomach distracting him. The moment crashed and ended, and Felicity took a step back, away from Zephyr. Zephyr's eyes shifted from wide and then to dull as he registered what had happened, and his mouth pursed thinly and subtly with hurt.

He gave Felicity a few moments, and once recollected, Felicity softly responded, "Hurry." He wasn't sure what to say, but with each passing moment the sky grew darker; they could talk about this later. Felicity was a fool and in love with the future; he did not consider that later may not come.

"I will," Zephyr said. Then, he turned, and leapt into the water from the boat.