THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND

The Sea never sleeps. Even when the ship hums even when moonlights string across the deck like floating stars, I can still feel it as cold night wind hit my back.

I adjust the strap of my halter top for the third time, checking my reflection in the small mirror clipped inside my purse. Everything feels too white tonight-my long skirt, slit on both sides that sways with every step and floral embellishment on the hips for a tropical fantasy touch, the halter Neck Cowl Top and the apron-style cloth that connects it neatly at the bottom and hid my belly button. The chain at my back and a belly chain along with my belly button jewelry glints faintly when I turn, catching the moonlight and giving the illusion that I'm walking with something delicate and dangerous wrapped around me.

Backless vibes, Emma had called it when I tried it on earlier.

My white sneakers squeak softly against the polished deck floor as I step out of the corridor. The ship is already alive-music spilling from the upper deck, glasses clinking somewhere near the bar, bursts of laughter rising and falling like waves.

Emma's birthday party. That thought alone pulls a small smile out of me. She's going to love this surprise party.

"Loren! Finally!"

I turn my head just in time to see Ophelia waving dramatically from near the railing,her curly crimson red hair tied in a bun and her forest green eyes looking straight at me as she wore red bra top and long flowy skirt flowing behind her like she's already part of the wind and silver chain around her belly sparkling under the moonlight. Beside her, two others men from our group are leaning over, laughing at something I clearly missed.You probably don't know but both of them are her boyfriends. Yup the trio of our group.

I lift my hand in response. "I'm here, I'm here."

"You look like you belong in a magazine," Ophelia calls out as I walk closer.

I roll my eyes, but my cheeks warm anyway. "It's just white fabric."

"Lies," she says instantly. "That's art."

I laugh softly, shaking my head as I join them. The ocean breeze hits my face then, cool and sharp, pulling a few strands of hair loose from where I'd tied it back. Somewhere behind us, the moonlight reflect on the water like a peaceful lovely night.

We walk in the room.

The music changes to Get On The Floor song. A beat drops, and someone cheers near the upper deck stairs. After a while I glance up, expecting to see her, but she isn't there yet.

"She's late," someone says behind me.

"No," Ophelia corrects immediately, grinning. "She's making an entrance. There's a difference."

My fingers lightly touch the chain at my belly without thinking, grounding myself in the small, cool detail. The ship tilts slightly with the waves.

I look out at the sea through the window, something feels wrong.

Then the crowd shifts again.And someone starts screaming her name. The first scream out from the direction of her entry didn't feel real.It sliced through the music like a wrong note in a perfect song-sharp, sudden, impossible to ignore.

Then came another.

And another.

Until the entire room stopped pretending it was a party.

"What did they say?" someone shouted near the bar.

A man stumbled up the stairs from below deck, breathless, face drained of color. "The ship-" he coughed like the words were too heavy to carry, "-the ship is sinking."

For half a second, no one moved.

Then chaos broke open.

"No, that's not funny!"

"Where's the crew?"

"Emma-where is Emma?!"

My chest tightened at hearing ship is sinking and I couldn't think about anything else now. Not when the ship beneath my feet suddenly felt... wrong. Not stable. Not steady. And It's sinking.

A deep, groaning sound rolled through the hull. Metal complaining. Wood shifting. The kind of sound you don't forget. My body moved before my thoughts did.Don't panic. Don't freeze. Don't.

"Illegal vehicles!" someone yelled from the lower deck stairs. "They overloaded the cargo! That's why it's-!"

The rest disappeared into screams. So that was it. A floating ship hiding a illegal Vehicals. I turned sharply, heart hammering against my ribs. The lights above flickered once. Twice. The ship tilted just slightly, like it was reconsidering staying upright. That was enough, I ran. My sneakers hit the floor harder now, no longer squeaking but striking. People shoved past me in every direction, laughing turned into crying, dancing turned into falling. Someone grabbed my shoulder by accident and I nearly stumbled but I reached near my bedroom.And a thought cross my mind, my Backpack.It has all emergency stuff in it. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped the key card twice. The door clicked open.Inside, everything looked stupidly normal. My bag still leaned against the bed like I had all the time in the world. I grabbed it. No hesitation. No thinking. Just movement. When I stepped back into the corridor, the tilt had worsened. Now it felt like the ship was leaning away from safety.

People were screaming names.

Running.

Slipping.

Somewhere far off, I heard "lifeboats!" shouted-but it didn't sound like rescue.But it sounded more like abandonment.I frowned, but didn't stopped. Because when I reached the upper safety deck.

There were no crew members.

No instructions.

No calm voices.

Only chaos.

And empty space where authority was supposed to be. My breath caught. "They're gone..." someone whispered nearby, staring at the lifeboat stations. "They already left..." I didn't want to believe it. But the signs were everywhere. Unlatched doors. Discarded walkie-talkies. Half-used ropes. They hadn't just failed us.No emergency Boats. They had escaped first. My stomach turned. So we were never passengers. We were... just an excuse to smuggle their illegal stuff.How are we gonna survive? My eyes darted across the crowd, searching faces I knew. Ophelia! Emma! Anyone! Nothing, just strangers and panic.

Among them a face I recognized. A memory flashed. A quiet moment near the side rail, when I'd almost slipped and someone had steadied me without a word. No flirting. No questions. Just a firm grip and calm eyes, Caspian Beckett. He was there again. And for the first time tonight, something in my chest stopped shaking. I didn't even think-I moved toward him. "Caspian!" I screamed out of my lungs, but my voice barely survived the wind and noise. He turned instantly. Like he had been expecting it. Before I could even reach him, he was already moving toward me.Before I could say anything he grabbed my wrist. His grip was steady-not painful, not gentle either. The kind that doesn't ask permission because permission doesn't matter right in this situation. "We need to go" he said.

"I-what? Huh?"

"Later" he cut in. And then he pulled me.Through the crowd. We Past screams that didn't have names anymore. We Past the deck that kept tilting like it was trying to shake us off. My bag slammed against my back as I ran beside him, barely keeping up. "Where are you taking me?!" I shouted over the chaos. Caspian didn't look back. "Out." That was all he said. Just one word. Like the rest of the world didn't matter enough to explain. We turned a corner and then I saw it.

A wooden panel. Floating debris already breaking loose from somewhere above-large enough, flat enough... enough for five people and some stuff already on it. No one was in this area. It drifted near the side of the ship like an answer the ocean had thrown back at us.My breath caught. Caspian stopped. For the first time, he looked uncertain. Not afraid. Just calculating. Then he glanced at me. And the ship behind us tilted again.Harder this time. The crowd that we left behind screamed. Caspian pulled me closer to the edge. The wooden panel bumped against the hull. Waiting. I swallowed. And then.

The ship lurched violently to one side.

~~~