“KEEP A WARM BLANKET over him Anna, the Captain will get pneumonia if we do not warm him up. Though be careful of his back. Sarah bring the bucket of water over. No that’s the dirty water, the other one.” Aden grunted as a warm blanket was placed over top of him while he slept. He felt the burning embers of the fire but no one had placed him next to it.

“Tyler you really know what to do in a pinch don’t you?” Anna giggled while Tyler felt a blush creep up his cheeks.

“I learned first aid through a satellite campus of The Academy.” He stuttered bashfully before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “At any rate Damien can you flex your foot for me?” Aden was lying on his stomach on what felt like leaves but he couldn’t move from that position. It was awkward to even attempt to move but he turned his head to open his eyes. The darkness was hard to fight, but he had to see what his crew had been taken down to.

“Bloody wonkers that is painful.” The blonde grimaced again before doing as Tyler instructed.

“Half your quad was ripped and all you say is painful,” spoke a bemused Xavier. He was sitting with a stick in his hand poking at the embers. “I don’t know how Tyler did it but I felt like throwing up as you stripped your breeches.  Your leg is gnarly.”

Markus, who had awoken, sat with his back against a palm tree and his arm slung in a makeshift sling. “I think the worst injuries are by far Damien’s and Aden’s. That wicked gash across his back would make anyone cringe.”

Aden grunted silently. No wonder his back was burning like hell.

“Damien you’re turning pale, are you alright?” Sarah reached over to the male with a wet cloth to dab his forehead but he shook his head.

“Fine.” He gritted out through his teeth before Tyler instructed him to breathe slowly.

Xavier sighed before turning back to the fire. “I probably should have had Elliot install that stupid baromatic on board. We could have known about the squall ages before it happened.” Shaking his head he looked endearingly into the fire.

Tyler shook his head, “Barotropic meter Xavier, Sir. Barometer is something else entirely.”

“I’m exhausted so give me a break.” Xavier sighed out to prove his point. “And drop the sir. Just Xav or Xavier is fine.”

A groan from one of the unconscious brought the attention of those who were still awake.

“What good would that have done us?” The voice was quite strained, but it showed that he was awake long enough to hear their conversation.

Aden! Sir Aden! Summerfeld!

They all had cried out in an ensemble that the Captain didn’t know whose voice was whose but that didn’t deter him from checking the collateral damage they received from the storm. “How many were killed?”

Xavier pursed his lips. “Three known casualties: Hodge, Wolfe, and Micah. Everyone else is either here or missing.”

Damien bit his lip before exhaling. “Leo and Jakob are preparing the proper pyres for them.” He grimaced as his leg was being cleaned by Tyler again. “We’ll burn them early in the morning when we are all rested.”

Aden nodded before staring intently at Damien’s injury. The leg wound had already been stitched up in a meticulous matter. He wondered whether or not he too supported those same stitches on his back.

“Y’all look like hell.” Aden grimaced before attempting to pull himself forward. Every muscle and bone in his body was aching for him to stop. All of the crew cried out in concern as he moved. They were telling him not to move and lay still but he paid them no mind.

“Sir you should remain lying down. Your wound on your back could re-open.” Tyler paled when he saw the raven haired male start to breathe heavily. “Anna, help him back down.”

Aden snapped a glare stopping the blonde haired girl from approaching. “I’m fine.” He muttered out but the crew knew otherwise.

“Lay back down bruva. You just escaped Davy Jones and all; let’s not add to our death count.” Xavier stood up from where he was sitting. He was only half a head taller than his persistent younger brother.

“I have a crew to lead. I don’t have time to sleep.” Aden muttered darkly.

“We all get plenty of sleep when we’re dead. We all know it’s not your time yet. Come on,” He walked over to the boy but was given the same dark look Anna received. “Ooo, like that is going to terrify me. We’re related, remember?” The ragged Xavier crooned.

“I’m just worried. Who else are we missing?” Aden sighed suddenly as he was slowly rising up from the ground as the blood rushed to his head. He felt his eyes begin to blur and it was all the emerald eyed male could do to remain standing.

Damien, in an attempt to appease Aden so he would lie back down: “Some of the crew members that were below the deck.”

“And Lottie’s gone missin’ too.” Xavier replied sullenly next to the kindling fire.

“Who?” A new voice intercepted their conversation.

Aden turned around slowly to see five new people approaching their motley crew. Leo and Jakob were leading the group with ropes tried around their wrists. Tyler gave a gasp, Damien swallowed uneasily and Xavier’s eyes were wide open with surprise.

Boring his emerald orbs into her calculating amethyst ones. “Cheric.”

“Answer the question Summerfeld: who?” Her goggles were aloft on top of her head while she blithely pulled on the ropes for the two gentleman she had. “Unless you want Jakob and Leo to face my wrath.”

A woman with straight blonde hair with a blue strand immediately had run over to where Anna was sitting while a taller gentleman with a medium built body crossed his arms ruefully before walking straight to Xavier. The man in question brought his hand up behind his ear to scratch in embarrassment.

“Sorry for not telegramming, I must have had you worried.”

“You bet your ass I worried Xavier. I’m just glad you’re safe and sound, Cheric permitted me to accompany her in search for you.”

Leo and Jakob both sheepishly shrugged their shoulders as they nervously laughed from where they were at while Sarah could only shake her head at the two. Of course they would be captured and treated like Prisoners of War. “What did these two numbskulls do now Missus Cheric?”

The lady in question tugged the rope with poise. “They made me drop my root beer, but back to my question from before. I see that my secretary made it safely, did you pick up any other strays Summerfeld?”

“There was a girl named Lottie, but she got swept up in the rogue tide like all of us did.” Damien answered in response for Aden, and she turned her attention over to the injured lad on the ground.

“Tyler.” Olivia moved her attention to the sandy brown haired male with glasses. “Move them onto the ship, the host of the ship will show you where you can go. There should be supplies there for treatment as well.” Tyler nodded at the order, ushering both Damien and Markus up with the help of Leo, Jakob, and Sarah.

Xavier was about to follow after the group, but the man who approached Xavier pulled him into an embrace. “Gods don’t do that to me again!”

Sheepishly Xavier returned the embrace and smiled to his companion. “I missed you too Dean. It’s been ages since we last saw each other!”

“No thanks to you.”

Xavier ‘eep’ed while he looked down to Dean: “It’s been busy.” He repeated quickly to emphasize the busy part but he would hear no word of it. Raising his free hand he decided to lightly flick Xavier in the face and shook his head in relief.

“Too busy to contact your fiancé? I should have hit you harder you son of a bitch.” Xavier nervously chuckled before steering the both of them back to Cheric’s vessel.

“I’m sorry! I was following some leads and doing some investigations. I also picked up hitchhikers; you should have seen Zaine flee the way he did!” Dean merely followed after him while chuckling at his explanation.

Olivia ignored the romantic duo in the back before turning to Belle and Anna. “Belle, please help her with the supplies back onto the ship. Then configure Radium the host to medical examiner so she may administer health examinations of all of the crew.”

Belle saluted to her with a bright smile and dragged her sister back to where Anna had left their supplies. All that were present on that beach now were Olivia and Aden.

“What is the girl to you Gizmo Queen?” Olivia glared at him.

“Maybe a friend.”

Aden continued staring at the woman with the short cropped black hair and disproportioned goggles on top of her head. “Who is she?”

Olivia gave a puzzled expression. “What did she tell you?”

“That her name was,” Aden paused remembering the girl stuttering out Charie before correcting herself with Lottie. He figured she was lying about her name, but he did not want to play all of his cards just yet. “Lottie Lionsheart, do you know her?”

He was judging what her actions would be and whether or not to trust her. Olivia, in the meantime, was confused. Charlotte was a common name and knowing her truthful friend, she wouldn’t be persistent enough to lie about her name without getting caught up in it. She also wouldn’t be able to come up with a different surname on the fly. Not thinking of it for another second she shrugged in nonchalance. “I don’t know who that is.”

“Who’s the girl you’re looking for then Cheric?”

Olivia ignored him as she continued back to her ship. She didn’t need to say anything more, after all the Fleet Admiral had actually been wrong.

Summerfeld followed after the woman only to wince in pain. His back was burning like hell, and it was one thing to stand for a period of time, but it was another to actually walk. Grimacing in pain, the emerald eyed male silently went.

It was his gut feeling that was telling him that there was more left to discover about their mysterious girl though.

۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞