The night is bright, the moon at its peak and the stars twinkle like diamonds in the sky. The boat rocks under my feet, and I love the feeling of floating--of feeling weightless. I sip my bottle of orange soda remembering how the water earlier was a rocky nightmare, and now it's as calm as it can be. Little crests of tiny white-tipped waves peak out in the dark water because of the slight wind. Standing at the railing at the front of the boat, "The Wine Knot" I look at the horizon, and the setting sun. The colors are tremendously beautiful, an array of oranges, reds, and pinks, and a plethora of sunlight fading into the horizon. I'm glad I went with my friends boating today, otherwise I wouldn't have seen this.

            "Hey! Clare! Get your little butt over here, we need your help!" Viviana shouts to me. I whirl around surprised, almost spilling my soda, and shout back to her.

            "Ok, Jesus! You don't have to give me a heart attack! Like, next time I'm spacing out I am just going to flop overboard!" I laugh and yell back.

            "Please help us take all of this soda to the chest." I near her, and she leans her red head down to my raven covered one and says, "Just remember who is on board with us." She looks to the cab of the boat, at who is steering it and she smirks as I redden. "He'll save you, and you will just love how he will hold you in his arms, and-" I glare at her. "Ow!" Viviana hisses as I punch her in the arm to get her to shut up.

            I sneak a glance towards the wheel of the ship, when I start to walk towards the front of the boat again, to enjoy the sailing.

            Before long, the ship's captain, Catcher, comes over to my spot, and leans on the rail next to me, his hair blowing in the wind. I eye him sideways, and feel eyes on my back so I turn around and sure enough, Viviana is watching us. Or should I say-me. I turn back towards Catcher, and I find him staring at me. "What are you staring at?" I ask wearily, a few butterflies hatching in my stomach.

            "Nothing much, I'm just enjoying sailing with my friends. And, enjoying the view," he looks at me sideways once more and then returns to watching the horizon.

            I have liked him for a while, and have been spending a good amount of time with him, and love it. We have been ice-skating, bowling, we went out to eat and so much more. It's like we're dating but not quite past the "just friends" zone. Well, to tell the truth, we're not even close to dating. It's all in my head, we went bowling with Vi, and a couple others attended on the other outings. I stare out to the endless sky, and take in the beautiful landscape so many other lives have touched, and am saddened at the fact that I will not be here to see it all the way through. "And to think that one day, this will all be here still, and we will be the ones washed away," I mutter to myself.

            "Yeah, I know." Catchers states, "Don't think about it like that though. Stay in the present, like what are you doing standing at the front of the boat all alone?" His question catches me off guard and I'm at a loss of what to do. So he speaks up again, "What I meant to say was, why didn't anyone come with you?" He smiles at me lightly.

            "I'm just enjoying the view as well, taking it all in so to speak," I pause to catch my breath. "Why not? Anyways what are you going to do now that you're up here with me?"

            Catcher shifts to face me, and smiles big. "What I should have done a few weeks ago." I stand staring at him, pondering what he could mean.

            I open my mouth and say, "Meaning?" Then to my surprise, Catcher cups my chin and neck with his hands, and brings his lips to mine. The sensation is one I have never experienced, and it feels good. His lips are warm on mine, and I find it hard to breathe so I pull back.

            It's everything I'd imagined it would be and I blush just thinking about what he just did. "That."

            "Uh-huh, I see, now. So what? You liked me a few weeks ago?" I ask sheepishly.

            "Yeah, I did and I still do," he laughs at my rose colored cheeks, which only makes me redder. I am glad it's getting darker.

            "Oh thank the Lord." I laugh too, "Cause if you didn't I might have had a heart attack getting rejected. No, but I feel the same way."

            "Really? You do?" He questions me, "That's a relief since, it would have been embarrassing if you'd have rejected me."

            "Yeah. It really would have, do you want to go join the others?" I ask, waiting for his response.

            "No," I look up, confused. "I want to spend some time with you if that's fine?" He turns around and sits on the deck, and I do the same. I sit crisscross-applesauce, as does he. I turn to him, and risk taking his hand in mine, and he lets me pull it onto my lap.

            "Yes, that's fine with me." I scoot closer to him, and rest my head on his shoulder, and lean on his strong frame. The wind billows around us, tugging and pushing on our hair, the wind singing. 

            A couple hours after sunset, we are headed back to shore when a boat next to us, shuts down. I look at it skeptically, and see they are just floating like we did earlier. The lighthouse shines it's lights over the harbor, and I see a rainbow-ed reflection out over the water. That's odd, I think to myself, it's almost curfew so why would they anchor away from shore? Oh, they must have had a engine failure or whatnot.

            There is movement to my right, and I turn around. Aiden, and Jackson are messing around with a cigarette, and I don't realize how dangerous that is until it's too late. Aiden draws his hand back over the side of the boat, holding a lit cigarette, and keeping Jackson at bay. Jackson jumps to reach it and Aiden drops his cancer stick. I jump up and shout "No!" as it hits the water. I watch frozen as the cigarette falls in slow motion, it's light catches flame with the oil in the water, and the flames engulf our boat. The screaming starts with Viviana, and ends with me crying out at last, not frozen anymore. The flames grow ever the more bright, and lunge towards the sky, eating oxygen.

            "What the hell??" Jackson shouts, and looks around anxiously for a way out since the flames are higher now.

            "There was gasoline or oil in the water I think," I shout to be heard over the roaring of the flames, "Must have come from that boat that was down, so it must be leaking!" I don't know what to do but Catcher is all action.

            "Hurry, everyone put on a life jacket now! And get fire extinguishers and cut the engine!" Catcher screams, and everyone scatters on the deck. It feels like one hundred and twenty now, and I'm worried I'm going to pass out. "Alright, now we are going to jump out over the flames and land in the water on the other side. So, try to extinguish flames on one side, and only one spot so we can all jump. I will be the last to go." I stare in horror realizing what I have to do.

            "No! That's suicide!" I scream, afraid as everyone grabs fire extinguishers and I stand dazed-scared.

            "Listen to me! If you don't want to die then you will have to jum-" Catcher is cut off as the fire leaps onto the boat and finds the gas tank. There is an explosion, and shrapnel explodes everywhere. I duck and it clambers to the deck and there is a sickening squish like thud. I look up in time to see Aiden stuck through with a piece of the boats interior sticking through his stomach and gag. "Aiden!" Catcher shouts, and runs to him. "Everyone, do it now, go!"

            "What about you!?" I cry, I don't want to leave him, I know it's selfish but I don't care I won't lose him. "Viviana, please take Jackson, Sarah, and Lila and jump. I'll stay and help with Aiden!"

            "No! You are coming with, this thing can blow any moment. And I'm not losing you!" She is so stubborn, but I have no time for this.

            "Go, so help me if you don't, you're going to get yourself killed! Please, go for me!" I push her towards the rail, and trip, as a board comes loose. Catcher is suddenly behind me with Jackson holding Aiden and he kicks me.

            "Clare, get up and help me get these people off of this boat!" The worry in his voice makes my own voice shake.

            "O-ok, I w-will." I get up and end up helping Sarah and Lila off when there is a loud creak, and we turn to see the mast starting to fall. Panic eats at me, "Go! Go! Go! Don't look back!" Viviana looks at me incredulously before she jumps off the boat, warring with herself whether to stay until I jump too, into the hazardous water below. I watch over the edge to make sure she gets off safe, and I see her bobbing just outside the flames, waiting.

            "Hey, we are all going to throw Aiden, so he can get off. I pulled the metal from him so we have little time, so we have to do it now. Clare, I'm going to need your help too." I stand up again, backing away from the railing and take a deep breath. I look into Catcher's hazel eyes and I know he needs me.

            "Ok, lets go." I walk to Aiden, and look away when I see his stomach is literally almost hanging out, but it's die here or get off with a few scars. "Uh, where should I hold him?!" I shout to Catcher.

            Jackson answers for him, "Just under his arm, drape it over your shoulders. Then Catcher will get his legs and we will throw him. I know it sounds bad but it's the only way." He smiles, with sadness, and I nod.

            "Ahhhh!" There is screaming in the water, and I run to the rail to see what is the matter. Lila's hair has caught fire, and she is screaming and trying to put it out but the water is making it worse.

            "Swim to the shore, now!" Catcher screams, "Then take anything and wrap it around your head like a blanket, it will cut the fire's oxygen off!" Lila swims blindly to the shore and rolls around in the sand, and she sits up holding her head when the flames are gone.

            Smart, I think. I grab Aiden, and we haul him off the boat and he lands past the fire. Phew! I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that no one has landed in it. "Now, who is going next?" I ask, wondering if we will all jump together, "Together?"

            "Together," Jackson, and Catcher say at the same time. I sigh relieved and make my way to the edge with the others. We all turn around as a huge crack! rumbles through the ship. It's the mast again and I look up with fear. "Jump, now!" Catcher and all of us hold hands and brace ourselves to jump. They jump, and I make to jump too, when all of a sudden my shoe gets snagged on one of the broken wooden boards, and I trip.

            "Uh!" I shout as I see them careen past me, and I turn around just in time to see the mast come down, and pin me under it. The weight is unbearable, and I cry out in anguish, in pain. 

            "Clare!" Catcher shouts somewhere in the distance, and then everything goes dark.