Episode 39 Presents (part 2/2) (Patreon)

Jack Routh

“Jacques Routh?” A French-speaking local greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the plane.

He had expected to pass through airport security and customs. This was his first international flight after all. Instead, airport officials boarded the plane, stamped their passports, and merely asked if they had anything to declare in their luggage without even looking at them.

Taylor seemed used to it, as well as Jessica. He figured this was how people flying on private jets were treated regularly.

“That’s me.” He stepped forward and looked around the airport. It looked like the ATC directed them to land on a private runway, opposite the main runway for international commercial flights.

“You made good time.” The man gave him a quick handshake. “I am Charles Marignan, and I help manage your family’s properties in Martinique. I have been given instructions to help in your arrival by your Uncle.”

“Thanks.” He replied. He couldn’t help but feel grateful for his uncle’s help in these matters. He realized he was starting to see the benefits of being associated with a royal family.

“These transports are arranged for your travel to the Villa.” The official gestured to three vehicles waiting on the tarmac. Workers were already transporting their luggage to the sole truck that had six wheels. The two 1968 convertible Shelby Mustangs painted green looked amazing, with the installed roll bar and auxiliary lights making them look more rugged and sharp.

“Would you like to drive? They’re modified for the steep mountain roads.” Charles offered with a smile. “You can just follow me. I’ll drive the truck transport.”

“That sounds fantastic.” He grinned and quickly accepted the keys, and headed to his wife and their guests.

“Who wants to drive the other car?”  He asked.

Nickolaj and Taylor’s hands immediately shot up.

“You drive.” Taylor tossed the key to Nickolaj when she saw it wasn’t using an automatic transmission.

He tried to open the door, and when it wouldn’t open, realized that it was modified that way to provide additional strength to the chassis. He easily threw a leg over and sat o the driver’s seat and turned the key, causing the engine to roar to life.

“Ehem.” Zoe stood in front of the passenger’s side door, one of her eyebrows raised as she tried to pull the door handle.

“Throw your leg over.” He told his wife. “It’s welded shut.”

“Throw my leg over.” Zoe repeated. She tossed him her bag and started to climb over the door. “Good thing I’m not wearing a skirt.”

 “Yeah, a real pity.” He put on his shades and ran a hand down Zoe’s thigh.

“Later.” Zoe pinched his arm.

Liz followed suit and settled in the backseat.

“This is amazing.” The brunette actress looked around.

It was around a thirty-minute drive from the airport, and they passed by a few local towns. In his rear-view mirror, he could see the second Mustang following closely, and he noticed that Taylor and Jessica’s hands were raised up. They were clearly enjoying the scenery and the people waving as they passed by.

Once they got out of the town, the view became even better once they crested a hill. It was breathtaking.

“Oh my god.” He heard Liz gasp.

It was a surreal moment as the blue waters of the ocean came into view. He now understood why the truck had six wheels. It needed the traction as the roads started to become steeper. It felt like they were driving straight to the jungle, and they even turned onto a gravel road that he would have missed if he weren’t following the truck in front of him.

The vegetation and the trees grew dense, with the thick branches of trees hanging over the gravel road like a roof. The air felt fresh and cool until he felt the sun kiss his face again as they reached their destination.

“That’s… ours?” Zoe said weakly.

A security guard opened the gate, and they drove through to what looked like a cul-de-sac with a fountain in the middle.

“Unbelievable.” His wife had even raised her shades above her head to take a closer look. It looked like some exclusive resort, with Creole-style design with lots of open verandas.

Charles gave them a quick tour while they waited for their luggage to be unloaded.

“The Villa is situated on top of the hill.” Charles began. “While the house itself is not big compared to other villas, the property itself is one of the largest properties on the island.”

“How big?” He asked.

“Big enough that we have total privacy here, and even your own private beach,” Charles replied. “It’s roughly five acres, from the edge of the Anse Maroquet road all the way to the coast.”

“So that’s why there are no signs.” He observed.

“Anonymity is one of the safeguards we use to keep the property secure.” Charles nodded in agreement.

He wanted to jump into the pool, with how clear the water looked when they passed by as they toured the property that included a separate structure for the staff house, another guest house, and a garage.

“The girls would have loved it here.” Nickolaj sighed. It was clear the man was missing his family, who were currently in their mother’s country visiting their relatives.

“They’ll be here soon.” Taylor gave Nickolaj a pat on the shoulder.

They all rested until noon, and he enjoyed seeing how his wife liked the food prepared by the villa’s chef. The girls were eager to explore the beach, and soon they were hiking down an extensive set of wooden stairs in their swimming outfits. He didn’t mind since he was due to meet his family the next day.

He looked around, and the small stretch of beach, around a hundred feet in length, was completely covered by sheer cliffs from both ends.

“This is sort of familiar.” Liz nudged him on the shoulder.

“It is.” He agreed, remembering the time he spent on that survival show with the brunette.

“What’s that over there?” Jessica asked, pointing to the island on the horizon.

“Charles said that’s Ilet Petite Grenade.” He replied. “Past that is another Peninsula, full of beach houses.”

“I’m convinced.” Taylor relaxed on her beach towel after she had finished applying sunblock. “I’m going to look for a property here.”

They had a snack break on the largest veranda on the ground floor, overlooking the entire property and the ocean. Dominique, the chef and staff member of the villa, prepared snacks and drinks.

You don’t have to, Mister Jacques.” The chef complained as he helped her with the trays of food.

“It’s fine.” He replied. “Besides, I’d like to get to know more about the people who work here.”

“Just let him do what he wants, Dominique.” Charles laughed. “It seems like Mister Jacques is a very hands-on person.”

The vibe in the villa was relaxed. It was clear that the environment was having an effect on his friends. Zoe still couldn’t believe this was theirs, and she constantly stared at their surroundings. He couldn’t either.

He spotted a beach volleyball net in the garage, and with Charles and Nickolaj’s help, they set it up. He and Nickolaj played for a few minutes before they were interrupted by the girls’ arrival. Zoe still looked amazing in a two-piece blue bikini. Taylor wore a white bikini, while Jessica and Liz had both opted for daring string bikinis but in different colors, with the redhead choosing a yellow color and the brunette an orange one.

“You should have invited us!” Taylor complained.

It became a 3 on 3 after that, with him, Jessica, and Liz against Nickolaj, Taylor, and his wife. No one was really taking the game seriously, and he enjoyed diving into the sand to save every ball he could.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

The watermelon shake that the staff member named Dominique brought down to the beach tasted wonderful. She settled under the shade and watched the match continue. She didn’t want to get a deep tan since she was still in the middle of shooting a film. The make-up department of the studio would revolt if she showed up the next year sunburned.

Beside her, Jessica had also begged out of the game, and she could see why. Her fellow celebrity looked sunburned with parts of her cheeks, shoulders, and arms showing a red flush. Gingers really don’t do well under the sun.

“Could you pass me that tray?” The redhead asked and pointed to the plastic tray beside her. She noticed the Aloe Vera leaves provided by Dominique when the caretaker saw the state of Jessica’s sunburn. The older woman had gone out to the Villa’s gardens and cut out some of the mature plants for Jessica to use.

“Sure.” She handed over a thick branch, already precut so that the natural gel inside was easily accessible.

“I was hoping to meet some guys, you know.” The redhead stated as she applied the natural extract to her arms. “But I’m fine with this.”

“I’m not complaining about the view, too.”  She smirked and turned back to the match in front of them. Jack and Nickolaj were a sight to behold, both shirtless, their bodies glistening with sweat and sand as they jumped and ran around the sand.

They were gorgeous, and her eyes locked onto the abs on Jack’s torso. The cuts, the way his muscles rippled and flexed every time he moved for the ball. She knew many people who would pay a lot of money to see what she was witnessing at this very moment. Unfortunately, both men were married. The old adage was true after all. All the good ones were already taken, and she could only watch.

She took in her environment and reflected on the events that led her to this moment. Who knew one simple tennis match would lead to this? This group of people was everything to her. They were genuine, real, and honest.

They helped her at the lowest point in her career, and now she was on the brink of a comeback and was trying to inject new life into her acting career.

They all were. Nickolaj had new projects, along with Jessica. The Danish actor admitted that it was nice for once to have the luxury to choose the offers handed to him instead of auditioning and competing with other actors.

 That evening, Charles offered to drive them to town, and she accepted the offer along with Jessica and Nickolaj. She met some handsome men at the bar, but not enough to actually sleep with them. She did enjoy the attention and even got a little tipsy as they left the bar.

“That one guy with the beard was really cute.” Jessica was walking with her arm in arm as they tried to walk off the buzz they were feeling. “It looked like he was into you.”

“I know.” She sighed. “They were from the Cirque du Soleil. He even invited me to watch their show.”

“Will you?” Her friend asked.

“I’m thinking about it.” She answered. “But at this point, if I say yes, he would expect more dates, and with our schedule, a relationship is impossible.”

“Maybe he’s just looking for a hook-up for the week.”

“But I’m not.” She stopped and stared at the pier. It was really beautiful out here, and she could even see more of the evening sky and the stars that dotted the black canopy above them, something she rarely saw while living in L.A. Her career was back on track, and a random hook-up could potentially derail that just because she wanted to get laid.

“What about you?” She turned to her fellow actress. “Those guys were all over you.”

“I did get a number,” Jessica admitted. “Let’s see if this one’s trustworthy first.”

They returned to the villa, and the security guard at the gates waved them ahead after a quick look. Without turning the lights on in her room, she collapsed on the bed to rest her legs. The drink she had was unusually strong, and she could still feel the room spinning. She felt like she needed some fresh air and opened the veranda and stepped out, smiling as the sea breeze caressed her face.

The night sky even looked more spectacular from where she was standing, and looking up, she almost felt as if she was inside a planetarium. She tried to take a picture, but she got annoyed at how it was unable to capture the sea of stars above her.

A familiar voice attracted her attention, and she followed the source. There.

Because of the light of the moon above, she was able to see the silhouette of two people making out on the beach. She instantly recognized Zoe’s voice, and the man she was riding had to be Jack.

It looked like the two had not wasted time and had baptized their newly acquired villa with a round of kinky outdoor sex. And her friend was really riding her husband, she wasn’t kidding when she bragged that Jack loved going down on her.

Zoe looked to be in full ecstasy as she rode Jack’s face, his head between her thighs, while she grabbed his hair with both hands to control him. She could even see her friend’s nipples stand out as Jack started to pinch and play with one of them, and then started groping her breast. Zoe did say being pregnant made her even more horny than usual. It was a good thing that her husband was up to the task.

She shouldn’t be watching, but fuck, this was so hot.

Jack Routh

“Looking sharp.” Nickolaj gave a nod of approval at his outfit. It was a smart casual outfit he decided on as a last-minute decision, foregoing the initial outfit his wife had picked out for him.  Zoe was annoyed, but he stood firm on his choice. It was just too damn hot and humid for a full-on suit and tie.

Then she started crying, claiming he didn’t love her anymore. He received glares all morning from the women of the group, and his only ally was Nickolaj at the moment.

The white short-sleeved polo shirt allowed his skin to breathe, and the khaki slacks and brown boat shoes completed his outfit.

“You sure you’ll be fine here with Charles?” He asked the actor.

“Nukaka and the girls are arriving soon.” The older man replied. “Don’t worry about Zoe. Pregnant women are very temperamental, and she feels very vulnerable right now. Just make sure you’re always at her side, even when you have a disagreement. Stay in the room with her even when you’re not on speaking terms. All she wants is assurance, and by evening, I’m sure she’s cuddling with you again. Trust me on this.”

The man had raised two daughters after all with Nunuka, and he decided to listen to Nickolaj’s advice. A few more minutes of waiting, and Zoe finally came down from their room, looking gorgeous in a white casual dress.

“Are you ready?” He asked her.

“Just finished.” Zoe replied. “So where will we meet your uncle?”

“They’re waiting just out in the bay.” Charles stepped forward. “There’s a boat waiting on the beach to take you to their yacht.”

He exchanged glances with Zoe.

The boat ride barely lasted five minutes, and soon he was climbing on board the large yacht after his wife. In front of him was the Royal family, and he instantly recognized Queen Maxima and the girls. He stared at the King, Willem-Alexander, noting every detail on the man now that he was seeing him in person for the first time. He had a light beard, red hair, similar in color to Jessica’s hair, and a tall build, about a few inches smaller than his.

“Your Majesties.” He greeted them with a bow. Zoe followed his actions quickly with a curtsy.

“There’s no need to be so formal.” King Willem-Alexander quickly engulfed him in a hug. “Look at you, Jacques! You’re so tall!”

“We’re all family here.” Queen Maxima stepped forward and greeted him and his wife with a warm hug after Alexander stepped back. “You remember the girls.”

“Princesses.” Jack greeted the three girls. The eldest, Catharina, beamed, while Alexia and Ariane gave shy waves.

“Come inside, you two must be famished.” His uncle guided them inside the large yacht.

Immediately, a server arrived and placed cold champagne in front of them. Zoe politely asked for water, causing Maxima to look concerned.

“Is the bottle not to your liking?” The older woman asked. “I can have wine served…”

“No, it’s just that I need to avoid any alcoholic drink during my pregnancy,” Zoe replied with a smile.

Her statement caused an immediate uproar. The King laughed, while the Queen leaned over to hug his wife.

“Congratulations!” Maxima looked delighted. “How far along are you?”

“Two months.” Zoe ran a hand over her body. He felt proud and wrapped a hand around his wife’s waist.

“Do you hear that, girls?” Alexander turned to his daughters. “You’re going to be aunties!”

The mood was light on the ship, and he enjoyed the casual atmosphere with his uncle and his family. Zoe seemed to be taking it all in rather well, and she was now in a deep discussion with his aunt about pregnancies.

 However, Alexander promised some answers, and when he turned to his uncle to request a private audience, the older man gave him a quick nod of understanding and stood up.

“Jack and I have some things to discuss in private,” Alexander announced.

“We’ll be fine here,” Maxima replied with a smile.

He shared a look with his wife, and after Zoe’s nod of understanding, followed the King deeper into the ship. Alexander led him further down the hall to a state cabin. He did not miss the six guards stationed outside the door and in the hallway.

One of the guards opened the door for them, and he followed his uncle. Inside, a man and a woman were sitting on a large couch in front of a coffee table, both in their forties or early fifties. Both immediately stood up, and after a gesture from his uncle, they both sat down.

“He’s really here.” The woman’s American accent immediately stood out, a sharp contrast to the various accents he had been hearing from the natives of Martinique and the Royal Family’s staff, and the yacht crew. She was staring at him with wide eyes, and he felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

The man was another matter. In one quick glance, he knew the man knew how to handle himself in a fight. Despite the man’s relaxed form on the couch, he picked up the sharp, assessing gaze and the rough, calloused hands.

“Jack, this is Doctor Martha Shearing.” Alexander started the introductions. “She was part of Operation Outcome, and the only scientist who remains alive that is connected to the project.”

The word scientist immediately triggered something deep in his memory, and he stared intensely at the older woman. His gaze must have intimidated the doctor as she flinched, while the man suddenly adjusted his posture, as if he was preparing for a fight.

“Easy, nephew.” Alexander placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’s not part of the initial trials you were part of, but on the mass production batch. When your government tried to shut the program down by eliminating anyone involved in the project, she escaped, with the help of this man.”

“Aaron Cross.” His uncle continued speaking, as if he was unbothered by the tense environment. “He is the last known surviving agent. I called them both here since they can both provide answers to the question you are seeking.”

He didn’t waste any time and forged ahead. For months, the memories continued to haunt him, and he was left alone, confused and even afraid. Finally, thanks to Alexander, he could find closure.

“What am I?” He asked, staring at the doctor.

“You’re… patient zero.” Shearing replied. He could detect the nervousness in her voice and some other emotion. Was it fear? “You are the source for Operation outcome, where we alter the chromosomes of test subjects to give them better recovery, increased physical performance, pain suppression, and even enhanced intelligence.”

“Your rare blood and weak constitution made you the ideal subject to experiment on.” The woman looked ashamed. “It was completely unethical, of course, but back then at the office, we didn’t know. I just knew you as patient zero, and I thought the trials made by the senior doctors in the program were on how to treat your genetic condition.”

“Your blood causes you to be more recipient to viruses.”

“Why viruses?” Damn, he really was a lab rat. “Is that why I sometimes have these strange memories of me when I was young, burning with a fever?”

“You remember?” Shearing looked horrified.

“Some.” He didn’t want to elaborate. “That’s why we visited my wife’s father, who knew about the program.”

“A virus is the best delivery method to alter the human body.” Shearing explained that once she was able to regain control of her emotions. “Think of your body as a biological computer, with your DNA as the computer code running it. The virus that the scientists of Operation Outcome came up with is the update, to make you run more efficiently to peak physical condition.”

“In a way, those illegal experiments on you cured you of your weak and frail body and practically rewrote your entire DNA.” Shearing added. “I read the recovered files, and in some cases, what those scientists did to you killed you.”

“But you lived, Jack.” His uncle looked emotional as he gazed at him. “You lived through something no living being should be able to endure. You’re a walking miracle.” 

“Glad they’re all dead.” Cross muttered. The other agent looked angry. “I was part of the program, so I knew the training you went through at such a young age. It was hell for me, and I was already an adult.”

“Is… is that why I lost my memories?”

“The trauma of that brutal training and the constant experiments to make the virus more efficient was too much for you.” Shearing was definitely crying now as her eyes started to glisten.

“And when the program was destroyed on my behest, your government agents found you.” His uncle continued. He looked angry. “Those idiots placed you in a special care home, believing that you were mentally damaged from the ordeal you went through. They hid the fact that you were alive from our government.”

“They were ashamed.” Aaron Cross muttered. “You went through literal hell. At least they had the decency to look out for you.”

“And then you recovered, bit by bit.” Shearing added. “I read the recent reports from the CIA that they reluctantly shared with the Dutch government. Once it was clear that you would be stable, they removed the leash and let you live your life, forging a new identity for you.”

He stared at his hands and exhaled, taking all the information in. He finally had a complete picture of what happened to him. It was a pity that those who were responsible for the program were dead, and he would have loved to use the skills and the training he received from them personally.

“What’s amazing is your recovery.” Shearing placed a stack of reports, clearly marked confidential, on the very top with the CIA’s logo. “You were almost a vegetable when they found you, and yet here you are now, one of the most famous police officers in America and a talented musician.”

He now knew from his early memories of college and his monotonous life during that period was because of his trauma. The recovery, he knew the answer already. He was the source of that.

Zoe Andersen Routh

“Auntie Zoey!”

“Auntie Zoey!”

She suddenly became an aunt, to three girls, with the two oldest already teens. She still hadn’t had time to adjust to being called like that. The younger girls were fascinated when they learned she was pregnant.

“When will we see our nephew?” Alexia, the youngest at eleven, asked.

“It’s a niece, of course!” Ariane, already thirteen, argued back.

The two were not backing down on the gender of their future family member. They even switched language a couple of times, and thanks to Jack’s language lessons, she sometimes understood when they were speaking in French and was able to follow the gist of their conversation.

Her husband’s aunt-in-law, the queen, seemed determined to pamper her. She had already ordered the yacht’s crew to prepare an elaborate feast for her and even personally prepared an array of ice-cold mango fruit shakes using a blender. It was a surreal feeling being personally served by a queen, though she had to admit her mango shake was really good.

It was the exact taste she had been craving for but unable to put a name to, until now.

“So how do you like the villa?” Maxima asked.

“It’s a wonderful property.” She replied. “But we’re overwhelmed by the size and scope of the property. The cost to maintain it…”

“Don’t worry about the upkeep.” Maxima waved away her concern. “You and Jack now own the land on which a nearby commercial franchise resort is built. The whole Martinique villa pays for itself through the rent that they annually pay, and Charles, by all accounts, is a good administrator.”

“Why did you give it to Jack?” She asked.

“It’s complicated.” Maxima stared back at the villa’s red tiled roof that was visible from their vantage point. “It was Claus’s favorite vacation spot, and from the stories I heard, he and my Alex spent many summers in that place. Staying in there will only remind him of what he lost.”

“Were they close?”

“Very.” Maxima nodded. “And with the discovery of Jack’s existence, you can only imagine the feeling of Joy that Alex experienced. A part of Claus still lives, through his son, your husband, and now the little one growing in your womb.”

“Expect many video calls and visits once the newest member of the family is born.” Maxima smiled. “Your little one might not carry the name of the family, but they do share the heritage and legacy of the house of Orange-Nassau.”

Tamara Collins

She expected the worst, but surprisingly these… men did not touch or even assault her, April, or the remaining girl, Lacey. They were confined to a cabin, served three meals a day, and that was it.

The boys, on the other hand, suffered worse conditions. They tried to fight back and escape, and the punishment was brutal. She was able to see Melvin once through the small circular window, bruised and with a cut on his lip as he was forced to clean the deck.

 There was only one guard with a rifle watching him from the bridge. They didn’t need to add any more guards. Where would they escape? They were in the middle of the fucking ocean, and the sea was their prison.

While the two girls remained shell-shocked at the sudden turn of events, she kept her ear out, listening to the conversation she was able to hear. What she was able to gather did not bode well.

“Yeah, three girls, fresh and young. Probably college students.” The man on the phone spoke in Spanish as he leaned on the balcony, just outside their cabin’s bathroom. While it had no windows, the ventilation fan and the duct to allow the air to flow made it a good place to listen to the men talking.

She only needed to disable the exhaust fan that would automatically turn on whenever the bathroom light was open, and she could hear the conversation from one particular spot where these men liked to gather and take smoke breaks.

“Two blondes and a brunette. Really pretty.” She shivered in fear and disgust. The man on the phone talked about them like cattle. “No, we didn’t touch them. The boss doesn’t want spoiled goods, and they literally landed on our laps like a gift with no bullets wasted. The clients will want to be the ones to break them in.”

She realized that these men didn’t intend to ransom them and that they were part of a modern-day slavery ring. She didn’t want to think about what they intended to do to her and the other girls. There was one thing she was sure of, and that was to escape, by any means necessary.

She woke up on the second day. The food had been delivered through the horizontal slot at the bottom of the door while the used ones were taken out.

April and Lacey still begged and pleaded through the gap to be set free, only to be met by laughter from their kidnappers.

Alone in the bathroom once more after lunch was served, she stood up on the bowl so she could hear better and learn more about their situation. As she hoped, she heard voices from the shaft, with the men tending to the smoke after a meal.

One was even complaining, and she tilted her head a bit so that she could hear more.

“Stupid rule. I don’t even get any action. Captain has the only key.”

“You could place your dick on the food tray slot.” Another voice replied, and she could hear the mocking tone. “Maybe one of them will give you a blowjob.”

“Fuck you! I’m not that desperate!” The first voice retorted. “Besides, who knows what they will do with my dick?”

“Probably try to light it with a lighter, since it’s as thin and small as a cigarette!” The second voice howled with laughter. “That counts for a blowjob if they stick in between their lips for a puff, right?”

“Yours is like a match stick!” The first speaker was mad.

“We don’t get paid if they’re spoiled.” Another voice joined in on the conversation. “The captain started to lock the goods after that one incident.”

“Yeah, we went too far on that one.” The second speaker admitted. “When are we due at the island for the transfer?”

“As soon as the bidding is completed, so next day? You know Gringas sell fast. Some buyers buy them far above the asking price, and those three will surely set a high price.”

“Hey! I’m not paying you fuckers to gossip like old women!  Break’s over five minutes ago! Get back to your posts!”

This was bad. She knew there was virtually no chance of escape once they reached this ship’s home port. They had to escape, now, while they were still on board the ship.

Unfortunately, April and Lacey were too scared to follow her. They still thought the police or the military would come in and save them. There wasn’t any choice in her mind, and she’d rather drown trying to escape than be subjected to what those men had planned for her.

She already had a plan.

That night, when she sensed there was no movement outside their cabin, she headed back to the bathroom and locked it. This time, she pried off the casing of the exhaust fan and pulled herself up into the air duct. It was a tight fit, but she was able to inch through, bit by bit. It was dark ahead, but the smell of fresh air and the sound of the water told her she was close.

The exhaust vent was the only thing blocking her from escaping, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t generate enough force to push it open. She backed up again, and once she reached the bathroom, she oriented her body so that she was traveling backwards.

It felt like hours, and she gave a sigh of relief when she felt her feet touch the grill. She kicked, once, twice, three times. The sound felt too loud for her, and she was scared she would wake the crew. She started to panic, and with another desperate kick, she felt the vent give way.

Progress.

A few more kicks, and she slowly moved until she dropped down on the rusted deck. She couldn’t see anything on the horizon but faint lights in the distance. She grabbed a nearby life preserver hanging on the wall and an empty mug left by one of the men smoking in the area and jumped into the sea.

The life preserver nearly slipped from her grasp as she hit the water, but she held on and floated back. The vessel moved past her, and she started paddling towards the faint lights in the distance.

She would make it.