“I’m so glad we came!” Kenzie squealed as we pushed ourselves through the dance crowd. The coke almost splashed out of my cup when a pair of Asians with flying blue and pink extensions threw their bodies past us.

“I know, right? Just think, we almost stayed home and watched rentals. A weekend out in the middle of the ocean on a yacht under the clear midnight sky is so, so, so much better. We almost missed this…all of this. And you probably wouldn’t have met Michael either. I saw you two earlier…actually I wish I hadn’t -”

“Okay, Saje, honey, I think you have had too much to drink. When I told you that the coke was spiked, that didn’t mean go drink the entire bowl.”

“Psh…whatever,” I giggled, and we leaned against the railing of the enormous yacht, looking out over the water.

On the main deck of the ship, a huge party was taking place. Music was blaring off of the speakers so that the bass vibrated in my chest, girls in bikinis were dragging boys with them into the pool, teenagers were dancing, and a few couples were down in the bunks.

One of our friends, Jeremy, was disgustingly wealthy, and his parents spent money as if it grew on a tree in their yard. This yacht was owned by Jeremy’s family. His parents were apparently carefree and let the boy do whatever, like take the yacht out for the weekend with as many kids as he wanted. The only adult was Jeremy’s butler, who drove the yacht. And how many kids were here for the weekend, you might be wondering?

Over forty. And there are about fifty little beds in the cabin downstairs.

My parent’s let me go as long as I went with my two best friends, Kenzie and Jordan, and as long as their was an adult supervisor…meaning the butler, who hasn’t come down from the tower since we left this morning.

However, my parent’s didn’t exactly know that there would be almost fifty kids…

Oh well.

“Look at Jordan over there sticking her tongue down that boy’s throat,” Kenzie hiccupped.

I turned my back on the water and squinted into the bright, drunken crowd. Toward the other end of the pool, I could see Jordan’s long brown hair shuffling and turning with her head. Two male hands were on her lower back.

“Slut,” I giggled, which wasn’t true. She had liked Stephen for as long as I’ve known her, and he finally started paying her attention last week when they were made partners for an English assignment. That shy girl finally made herself talk to him, and bam, it happened like that.

“Oh, would you check out who’s coming to talk to you…”

I followed her gaze. “Oh god. Not Jayden.” I groaned. “He’s infuriating.”

“No, you just don’t like how he can push your buttons without even trying. He is mighty fine, if I do say so myself.” Kenzie downed the rest of her drink, gave me a wink, and disappeared into the crowd, dancing with a few boys on her way.

“Hey, Saje,” he said in his boyish voice. “I didn’t know you were here.”

I gave him a sarcastic smile. “You do now.”

“Still mad you got in trouble for ruining Katie’s painting in art?” He had a cynical leer on that good-looking face of his.

“I did not ruin it! You knocked me over.”

“You weren’t suppose to be carrying paint around the room. Remember?” Jayden said calmly.

“I didn’t - I mean -”

“Ah, sweetheart, don’t blame yourself. Let me do it for you. You see-”

“Jayden?” I asked.

“Yes, honey?”

I glared up at him. “Shut up.”

“Shut don’t go up, babe.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” I snapped.

“Well if I was, how would you know?”

I glared up at him in disbelief, unable to speak. I turned on my heel and started to storm away.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to face him, making me look at him dead in the eyes. He had light brown, caramel eyes, and a thick head of golden hair that sat right above his eyelashes.

“Hey, I was just messing around with you. It’s so easy to drive you mad.”

Yeah. Only you can do it.I felt a little queasy and I grabbed on to the railing of the yacht, gazing down at the black water.

 “You all right, Saje?”

“I’m -”

And then I saw it.

All I could really tell in my typsy state was that it had an upper human torso with white, white skin. It had no eyes, but hollow black pits. A tailfin like a shark replaced the creature's legs, and it glided just under the surface of the water. The creature, with it’s eyeless, demon face, smiled up from the water, flashing rows of sharp, dagger-like teeth.

“Oh my -” I spat, pushing myself away from the railing. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Jayden asked urgently. “What is it?” He leaned over the edge of the boat. “There’s nothing here. What’d you see?”

“I - uh…I think I just need to go lay down. It’s getting late.” I was suddenly very dizzy. What was that thing, or had I just conjured up the creature in my head? I was drunk and hallucinating…great…

I tried to take a step toward the cabin door, but I faltered.

“Here, drunkard, let me help you.”

I tried to swat at him but I missed and ended up wrapping my arm around his neck so he could help me. He led me down into the cabin hallway full of many, many doors to pick and choose from.

A muscular, dark-haired boy suddenly rounded the corner of the hallway and approached Jayden and me, but he wasn’t looking at Jayden.

“She stoned?” he said darkly.

“Back off, Blair. She’s tired and needs to rest,” Jayden hissed through gritted teeth. His arm tightened around my waist so roughly I almost gasped.

“Oh, don’t be a douche. Let me take her so you can get back to the party.” Blair reached out to grab me but Jayden blocked his hand.

“Move,” he ordered threateningly.

Blair gave Jayden an angry look and then glanced back at me. I was so nauseous and thought the room was spinning under my feet.

“Well, tell me what room she’s in, then.”

“Dude, calling you an idiot would be an insult to stupid people.”

Blair didn’t hear him. He had already walked up the stairs and back to the party.

“Dang, he didn’t hear me,” he said, carrying me along. “I thought that was a decent insult for the amount of time I had.”

I grunted.

“Stay away from that guy, Saje. He’s - Ugh, I can’t stand him. Even if you think he’s hot or -”

“I don’t think he’s hot.”

He paused a moment and looked down at me with a bit of confusion on his face. “Oh. Well, okay then. Here we are.”

He opened a door slowly and I saw two sets of bunk beds. He shut the door behind us and I crawled into the bottom bunk.

He jumped onto the bed against the opposite wall and leaned back against the pillow.

“What are you doing, Jayden?” I growled, my eyes halfway shut. My long dark red hair was dangling limply off the side of the bed.

“I’m laying down, genius.” When he caught my glare, he said, “Cause Blair will be back.”

“How do you know?” I accused.

There was a pause and he shot me a look. “I just do.”

“Then I’ll lock the door,” I snapped smartly.

“Well what if he picks the lock?” Jayden snapped with the same tone.

I groaned. “Fine. Whatever. Just stay over there.”

“Yes ma’am, princess. And you’re welcome for protecting you, dear.”

I grunted, glaring at him. He smiled pleasantly back at me, sitting on the other bed like an Abercrombie and Fitch model.

“Oh, don’t look at me like - like that,” I said tiredly.

“Like what?”

I rolled over to face the wall. “Like you’re trying to be all mysterious, calm, and hott.”

“Did you say hott? You think I‘m hott?”

My eyes popped open. “I didn’t say hott.”

“Yes you did. You said I was hott. You think I’m hott?” his voice was derisive and playful.

“I meant you think you’re hott.”

“I think I’m hott?” he said, laughing and flopping into a new position on the bed. “Oh, okay.”

“Jayden?” I said quietly.

“Yeah?” His voice was jovial and energized.

“Shut up.”

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