[IC] Recollections: The Othergrounds [Complete]

[Majoraa]

With everyone grouping up to abandon ship, where was Lilith Kingsley during all this?

She was already up walking around the area when Penny's first announcement sounded through the intercoms. The delinquent did sense everyone else was on the boat too, and a few newcomers as well. But she didn't join them yet, not yet. Taking notes of what she knew so far, she searched for any apparitions on board to either negotiate or divert their attention away from the others. Probably the latter, if anything.

The second transmission echoed through the ship. Right, best to wrap things up and go.

Lilith didn't really hurry to the bridge, but wasn't surprised they were starting to get the lifeboats ready. She silently hoped they didn't think she was dead already. Which is ironic concidering she only could hope silently. Damn her muteness.

She stepped into the bridge, waving to everyone else inside. "Yo! Sorry I'm late, did a perimeter check for any apparitions." Lilith signed, not bothering to write in her notebook. "How's everyone doing?"

[Maxx]

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---

Rain fell from the gunmetal sky to the grey concrete surrounding the swimming pool on the lido deck. White recliners scattered about the deck, wind-blown and abandoned. The water of the swimming pool frothed like the sea in a storm, lapping gently over the edges. The wind was cold and wet and miserable and not one sound floated on its fringes. Then, a voice, crackling with static, shouting from the ship's intercom. Trent didn't budge. He laid face-down on the pool deck, head sheltered beneath a round white table with a folded umbrella. His left leg twitched as the banks of the pool overflowed and brushed up against him. Chlorine wafted past his nostrils.

"<Get Up.>"

The voice was bass and rumbling, like an earthquake. Only Trent heard it, as only Trent heard all of Saint Jimmy's voice. Trent stirred, his eyes still closed and his body intent on sleeping. He groaned and covered his head with an arm to block out the grey light of the day.

"<I said get up. We're not safe here.>" the voice spoke again. Trent grumbled and pushed himself onto his hands.

"What do you mean we're not sa-" Trent raised his head, blinking in the light, and bashed his head against the rim of the table. He recoiled and covered his head with his arms. "Fuck." Trent looked bleary-eyed through the crook of his elbow; he could see a concrete deck, and past that a railing and a placid green sea blending into the sky. Something was very wrong— this was not home or anywhere else he'd seen. Trent rolled onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows. His legs were wet, but the rest of him had been shielded. Instinctually, he looked to his left; previously, Trent had slept on his bed and Fin in an old sleeping bag Trent took from his dad's closet.

Fin...where were they? What were they? Where was here...

"<Now is not the time to ask questions. Get up; we need to get off of this ship, now.">

"We're on a ship..." Trent said. "Any idea how we got here?"

"<Jack shit nothing. Obviously supernatural. No apparitions around...wait, two. One's close. Be on your guard.>" Rubbing his still-throbbing head, Trent stood up and looked about the pool deck.

"I don't recognize any of this," Trent said out loud. He walked around the large square pool, past beach chair after beach chair to the railing that looked down to a lower deck. Several large lifeboats hung off the edge of the ship. In front of one, a small crowd stood, all teenagers, though most of them older than Trent. One of them, Trent knew, was an apparition; he could feel it, like a vague shimmer— seen, but not registered by the eyes. It was as much a feeling as a sense.

"<Careful,>" Jimmy said. "<There's a ghost.>"

"They're the only other people we can see on this ship," Trent replied out loud. "Looks like they're trying to get off the ship too." Trent looked to the end of the railing; a metal staircase led down to the lifeboat deck. He walked towards it and began to descend.

"<I hate it when you don't listen,>" Jimmy muttered. Trent shrugged. He focused on his third eye as he walked; the apparition before him was definitely in the body of one of those teenagers, like Fin before. The other...it was far away, up in a higher section of the ship. He couldn't tell what it was, but it wasn't moving towards him. Sometimes, spirits would just pass through Trent's aura sense without meaning to.

Trent slipped as he reached the bottom stair, catching himself on a handrail before he could fall. His eyes darted towards the teenagers before him— they'd be aware of his presence now. He stood in awkward, stunned silence. One of them, the apparition he'd sensed, it was definitely Finley.

"Fin?" Trent called out?

"<Oh, this one again,>" Saint Jimmy grumbled.

[silvermist1116]

Penny sat in front of him and smiled at him.

“Hey dude, I’ve been meaning to ask this for sometime. You any good with that thing? I tried learning to play back in junior high. Figured I could learn a few notes and start a group, but I couldn’t get down the three chords I needed to even start a punk band. Now the recorder? That’s a different story. Anyway, tell me about your guitar. It’s a...Led Paulson, right?”
- Penny

She took an interest in his guitar. He couldn't help himself, but to smile. Not a lot of people were genuinely interested in his passion. He got more questions about what songs he could play. If he told them about what he liked to play original songs he'd get this uncomfortable silence like they didn't believe he'd make something of himself one day. Sometimes he doesn't think he will, but he's got to live for something.

"I think you mean Led Zeppelin. That's a band from the 70s." He set his case cross his legs and unzipped it, showing his teal guitar. "It's a Yamaha APX600. My dad gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday. It's my favorite out of the twenty I have and the only one I really play. I think I'm pretty good." He held it against his body and strummed a few cords. "It got me my first girlfriend, so." His smile waned and he stopped playing. "Can't say it lasted, but my baby got me through the heartbreaks though." He lost count on how many times Sandy broke his heart, but his guitar was always faithful. "I'd just finished my first EP, before I landed here. If an object can be a friend, then this is my best one." He'd be lost without it.

"Between you and I, something strange has been going on with it the last few weeks and I think it has something to do with this place." He vaguely gestured around. "Not the ship, but whatever dimension we're in. It glows sometimes and symbols show up around it. I freak out when it happens and stop playing. After seeing you and Zoey I figure it might have something to do with my power. Whatever that is." He shrugged. It might shoot lasers or blow something up. He was afraid to find out. Amidst the conversation he forgot about his anxieties. He hasn't felt this good in awhile. Is this what's it like to have a normal conversation without worrying about saying the wrong thing and setting someone off? He could get used to this.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

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Everyone left Zoey all by herself!

Didn't matter, Zoey made it to the other side of the lifeboats to figure all this nonsense out herself! Though, Zoey, after observing this, deduced that pulling this handle would let the lifeboat down! Wow. Zoey was so smart. Though, she figured that doing that now would be pretty stupid and she should at least go talk with the others to figure out what was going on. However, she looked out on the horizon and could see the city! It was... strange. It was cold and night time outside yet there were hardly any lights on in the city. Zoey could vaguely see the streetlights but that was all. It'd probably be a five or ten-minute ride back, but Zoey was horrible at...

"... The fuck's that?" Zoey muttered to herself as her eyes caught it.

There were waves violently being pushed to the side as something was flying directly towards the cruise ship. She couldn't see it but... oh fuck. It was approaching ship with no intent to stop and Zoey quickly tried to book it. It crashed into the ship and sent a shockwave throughout the boat.

"Shit!"

The boat was launched forward and Zoey was almost launched off the side. She landed on the lifeboat as she let out a cry of pain as the electric feeling of pain filled her back. She grits her teeth as the boat reoriented itself and Zoey was still stunned as her eyes were blurry and her ears were ringing. "The fuck?" Zoey muttered to herself as she forced herself on to her feet.

Hopping back onto the boat Zoey felt various shockwaves go on in the boat.

---

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---

In response to Penny, Odessa merely chuckled.

It was fun messing with her, however, Odessa noticed that Penny was more focused on talking with Stacey. Just some small talk about guitars that Odessa wasn't all that interested in. It would be rude to insert herself into their conversation and pry, the Isla girl seemed to want to talk to her. Odessa kept her attention on the girl and merely held her hands together below the waist.

“Soooo, did everyone here wake up on this weird cruise ship? Any idea why?”

Isla

"I don't have a clue," Odessa merely shrugged as she softly spoke. "We may not even be in the same world we originated from. Or even be alive..." She twirled a dreadlock in her hand as she spoke but stopped herself before she started rambling.

Odessa had many theories but she doubted anyone cared. However, she felt a tingle in her skull as she knew a new Extra-Normal being was approaching. Except she didn't know from where. The door opened and Odessa was ready for yet another encounter when the girl, Lilith, walked in and Odessa sighed. the mute girl signed at them and Odessa understood fully.

"Oh, Lilith," Odessa said, "You look different... have you changed your h-"

That was when the explosive force hit the side of the cruise ship and knocked everything out of alignment. Odessa herself was sent flying directly towards the wall but she activated her abstraction out of reflex. Her body turned into wood which was enough to protect her from the impact of the wall. However, her arm impacted the wall in the wrong way and the wood broke.

Odessa loudly hissed as she fell to the ground... she looked around as she reoriented herself. Everyone was getting themselves together and it was time for Odessa to do the same. She could feel a sharp pain in her body as she looked at her arm. Her arm had splintered at the forearm and was barely being held together by the rest of her arm. She grabbed onto her arm as she grits her teeth and nearly rolled over. Odessa hissed yet again as she focused and the wood fixed itself until her arm was back together. After that was done she turned back into flesh.

Using her newly fixed arm, Odessa helped herself to her feet and looked around.

"... I think we need to leave."

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---

“There isn’t anything for dropping it from the inside. We’re gonna have to… I don’t know. Figure something out. Maybe some can drop it and then jump in.”

Caelea

Hagan paused for a few moments as Caelea explained it to him after hopping out.

"... Worst comes to worst, I'll stay behind."

Hagan solemnly said a he looked around. Caelea was right, they had to go at least talk to the others first before they do anything crazy. Though, Hagan figured that he had an easy way to pull the level but he wasn't comfortable with that option. Hagan sighed as he heard someone approaching and noticed it was some chick? Looked like one but she had all that short hair shit going on. She asked if they worked here and while Caelea laughed Hagan sarcastically looked down at his clothes. Though he would love to had grabbed something a bit more covering than this.

Caelea introduced them and then another guy walked up. Man... how many people are on this boat any- The impact of... whatever hit the boat launched the group towards the cruise ship, fortunately. Or not. Hagan hit the side of the wall and felt like he was tackled by a linebacker... on roids. Spit flew out of his mouth as he hit the wall and then came to a sliding stop on the end. Hagan hissed out of pain as he looked around.

"... The fuck was that?"

[Dragonbud]

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Finley frowns. So...they weren't employees on the boat. Worse still, the short woman mentioned the whole 'waking up randomly on a ship' thing. Finley hadn't put much thought into why that had happened, but now their theory was leaning more towards some weird kidnapping attempt. Well...at least the two knew the captain, and apparently had a plan to escape.

And they got their names. Finley nodded, tugging nervously at the hem of their sweater. Something about this duo was...kinda intimidating. Maybe it was Caelea's bright white hair...or the sheer size of Hagan. Regardless the two were an intense pair. Finley looked down at the deck, finding their shoes easier to look at. Eventually they spoke up, their voice still wavering, not wanting to seem rude.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Finley."

They blinked a moment, feeling a blip in their aura radar. Finley turned around, slowly and cautiously, but immediately eased up when they noticed who it was. They raised one hand in greeting, their other arm still wrapped around their stomach, a weak attempt to keep from shivering. Finley almost smiled as they called back to their friend.

"H...Hi Trent! It's good to see-"

Finley didn't get to finish their sentence as something crashed against the ship, sending a shockwave of force through the boat. Finley immediately lost their balance, falling to the deck and skidding to the railing as the ship violently swayed.

As they slammed against the railing Finley flickered a moment, vanishing and reappearing for a few seconds as their abstraction activated instinctually. After a moment of panic Finley stabilized, visible, gasping for a moment as they tried to regain their lost breath. Their eyes flickered between the people gathered around the lifeboats, and the sky.

Was...something attacking the boat? They didn't exactly feel qualified to seek out what it was, especially if it was big enough to shake a giant boat.

"... The fuck was that?"

Hagan

He took the words right out of their mouth. They continued to gasp a moment, the shock of slamming into the railing making them dizzy.

"Is...is everyone...okay?"

[Maxx]

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ABERRANT ENTITTY DETECTED

"H...Hi Trent! It's good to see-"

The entire ship reeled. Trent's ears were filled with the creaking and splitting of metal. He lost his footing and slipped in the puddle at the base of the stairs. He crashed head-first into the staircase and his vision went blurry. Pain spread across his head like wildfire. He laid stunned for a split second, then slowly rolled onto his forearms. His head throbbed all over, spreading from the point where his head hit the stairs. Everything felt foggy. The corners of his vision blurred. Trent held a hand up to the point where his head struck, just behind his right ear. No blood.

"What was that..." Trent grumbled in a daze. Before anyone could respond, he answered his own question. From a point lower on the ship, Trent felt staggering energy erupt. It was an apparition, and a damn powerful one at that.

"<Stop milling around! Get on that boat and away from whatever that thing is!>" Still foggy and in pain, Trent stood and jogged towards the lifeboat, clutching the side of his head. He pushed past the white-haired girl (whose name he did not know) and stepped inside wordlessly. The inside was cramped, filled wall-to-wall with white rubber-covered seats. There was easily enough room for this group and more. Trent looked out of the door towards the others, his usual brand of awkward confusion present on his face.

"We gotta go, now," he said. "Anyone know how to drive a boat?"

[FernStone]

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Isla didn’t have a chance to respond to the confusing words Odessa spouted, or greet the new appearance (fuck she didn’t know sign language), before the ship was hit with a sudden impact that sent her flying. She blinked on reflex and it was enough to stop her from slamming into the wall but she still collapsed from the sheer momentum, head banging against the floor.

Fuck. Isla shook the dizziness away and forced herself up, even as the room spun slightly around her. She considered gathering everyone up and teleporting them to the lifeboats but… no, she’d blinked enough today that doing that would knock her out. They could walk.

"... I think we need to leave."

Odessa

“You don’t need to say that twice,” Isla mumbled as her head pounded, not even waiting as she headed out the hole in the door and quickly made her way towards the lifeboats.

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Though she hadn’t said anything, concentrating on greeting the new person, Caelea wasn’t going to let Hagan stay behind. Never again was she watching a friend die or anything. But she shook those thoughts away as she tried to keep up a friendly smile even as the person in front of them was clearly unnerved by her and Hagan. She couldn’t say she could blame them.

“Nice to meet you too, Finley.” Her pale gaze went past them and to the new person approaching in a spectacularly haphazard, fall inducing, manner. Finley clearly knew him and she opened her mouth to ask about it…

Only to be sent flying right towards the wall. Caelea pushed out a blast of air to cushion her impact, succeeding in pushing herself away from the wall and right into a railing instead. Thankfully it was at a much slower pace, even as the combination had her feeling like the air had been punched out of her lungs. She forced herself up even at the sharp stab of pain in her left leg, using a bit of air to support herself. She’d ended up right next to the lifeboat and was glad she hadn’t pushed herself off the boat.

“I don’t know,” Caelea shook her head at both Hagan and Finley as she tried to figure out what was happening. Something had hit the boat hard… and she doubted it was friendly. She jerked out of her thoughts as the younger of the two teens pushed past her. She gritted her teeth and pushed down that anger that rose at that. Not the time.

"We gotta go, now. Anyone know how to drive a boat?"

Trent

“He’s right, we need to go,” Caelea announced, quickly taking charge of the situation. Penny had basically put her in charge of this group and like hell was she going to let her down. She needed to get them off safely and as far as we was aware she had the most experience in life threatening, probably supernatural, occurrences. “Someone can learn to drive. Everyone get in that boat, right now.”

Her words were firm and bitten out, and she turned to look at Hagan. “That includes you, Hagan. Get on.” She frowned before she continued speaking to him. “I’m going to go get Zoey. Make sure the others get on and, I dunno, watch the kids.” Speaking of, she turned to the two of them. “You two stay put. You don’t know us but trust me, we know what we’re doing.” She sounded a lot more confident than she felt. “The others will be here soon I'm sure. So unless either of you can magically teleport…”

“I can!” A distinctive Scottish voice came out of nowhere - well, from Isla as she just stepped out in time to hear the conversation. For once, she decided against lying. “I can teleport for whatever you need.”

“The lifeboat only releases from the outside,” Caelea explained shortly, to which Isla nodded. Hagan could point it out or something... But Caelea didn't want to spend too much time explaining it.

That made sense, without any kind of teleportation someone would have to stay in board to fix it. Isla hadn’t wanted to use that right now, but at least when she got onto the lifeboard she’d be relatively safe. She could nap for the journey. Shrugging, she stepped on board the lifeboat past Trent and properly inside. Then back out. “Yup, I can do it.” She then looked at the others around with a wave and a grin, as if there wasn't something banging into the ship at that very moment.

Caelea shook her head at the confusing behaviour but didn’t question it, cause they didn’t have much time. “I’ll be back soon. All of you stay here and get ready to leave.”

With that she ran off, towards the other side of the lifeboats, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up through her leg each time her foot hit the floor. She was really regretting that no one had gone with Zoey there… hopefully she was alright. She was tough, Caelea was sure she was fine. But still.

“Zoey!” she called as she reached the other side. “We’ve got a lifeboat set up on the other side… We gotta go.”

[Atrophy]

---

Penny gave Stacey a guilty smile after his correction. She sat silently as he talked, surprised that her attempt to distract him actually worked and even more surprised by how willing he was to open up to her. He even mentioned how his guitar was starting to act weird, but from what Penny knew his weird didn’t sound quite like an Awakening and he definitely wasn’t as much of an oddball as Odessa. She had a few theories but decided to keep them to herself for now. She didn’t want to seem like she was pushing Stacey too hard.

“Well, whatever it is, I wouldn’t worry about it for now. Once we’re off this ship we’ll figure out what it is together, okay?” said Penny. “Oh, and I bet your ex is going to feel like an idiot once you become a world famous musician and she’s going through her second divorce. Trust me, as a former shitty first girlfriend, we definitely aren’t worth the worry.”

“Anyway…” Penny looked up and caught sight of Lilith stepping through the door. She heaved a sigh of relief, smiled, and returned the wave. However, her smile soon faded into a look of confusion as Lilith began signing at them instead of writing on her pad like usual. Judging by her expression and her body language she didn’t appear distressed, but there was a look of expectation in her eye like she’d asked them a question.

“Lilith, I don’t mean to be a dick, but I didn’t get any of that. Do you need one of my markers?” said Penny as she started to get up. She figured it’d be worse to pretend like she understood what the girl meant. Besides, she could spare a few pens. She was armed to the teeth with writing utensils. There was enough ink in her bag to rival a small tattoo parlour.

However, there was never any chance for clarification. Hell, there wasn’t even a chance to stand up all of the way before the sound of a loud thud and grating metal echoed through the bridge as a wave of force rocked the entire ship as if it had been hit by a torpedo from an enemy submarine. Penny lost her balance and got smashed by Stacey tumbling after her. She heard what sounded like a discordant note echoing from his guitar, and her gut twisted as the thought crossed her mind that she might’ve just gotten his guitar smashed. The worry was quickly jostled out of her head as she thudded against the wall and then hit the floor as the ship righted itself. Everything hurt and her mind was scattered.

The first thought to return to her head was if she was alive, which pretty much answered itself. The second was if everyone else was okay, which seemed to be the case from what she could immediately tell until she noticed Odessa’s arm was broken and also wood. Penny grimaced in horror as the woman snapped it back in place and let it become skin again, promising silently to drop the whole “fern” joke from here on out. The third thought was what the hell had just happened, which she still wasn’t certain of but knew the answer was nothing good. The final thought was an echo of Odessa’s words: they needed to leave.

Penny stood up. Nothing seemed broken but there were definitely going to be some bruises. She helped Stacey to his feet, the concern about his guitar lost in all of the confusion, before going over to give Lilith a hand. She turned to Isla but the girl was already walking past her and out the door. The right idea, but the wrong approach.

“Wait, stick together!” The girl was already gone. Penny turned to the others and pointed at the door. “Fuck! Go after her and get to the lifeboats. I’ll be right behind,” she said, trying to regain her cool. She smacked her hands together for emphasis. “ Now!” She moved to the mic and grabbed it, dropping the whole captain schtick as her voice crackled over the speaker system for one final message. “We’re abandoning the bridge. Get those lifeboats ready. We’re done here. Mao, if your creepy ass can hear me, get to the boats pronto. If not...”

Penny let go of the talk button.

She didn’t even know if Mao was on the cruise ship, but everyone else had been. Maybe there was still time to search for her, but maybe she wasn’t even there. Penny bit down on her lower lip. Wasn’t it the captain’s responsibility to make sure that everyone was safe in an emergency, like that whole goes down with the ship thing? She glared down at the seat, and then dropped the mic. “...I’m sorry.”

Penny walked through the hole in the door after the others, leaving the hat behind in the chair for an actual captain. She pulled out a handful of coins as she hurried after the others, her head on a swivel ready for an Apparition to jump out at them. Penny would go through a lot of shit if it meant helping out someone. If someone was scared, she’d be brave for them. If someone needed saving, she’d rescue them. If something came looking for a fight, she’d beat them. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she could do it. But to wait around or go searching for someone who might not even be there? To be a captain and go down with her ship? No way. She’d go through a lot of shit for someone, but she wouldn’t die for one.

Not for a stranger, anyway.

[silvermist1116]

Stacey laughed, "Pffft, yeah her second divorce." The melancholy of Sandy finding someone to marry showed on his face. She'd be lucky to find someone to love her enough to want to be in her life. Considering she pulled him in, it shouldn't be hard. There's plenty of broken people out there. Lilith came through the door and signed something. He couldn't tell what she said, but he got the feeling something wasn't right. He tried to pack his guitar away.

BOOM!

The ship tipped and everyone in the room went with it. He scooted across the floor and into the wall, Penny smashed into him and his guitar. He didn't so much feel the pain in his side than he did the dissonant cords of the strings snapping. He couldn't really process what happened, until he looked down. The neck of his guitar was snapped in two along with the half the strings. Tears feel onto the body. How the fuck what he going to fix this?! He didn't have time to grieve, but his anger got the best of him. He stuffed the pieces into his case and shoved Penny away from him when she tried to help him up. He just needed to not be here right now. He escaped through the hole in the wall, following everyone to the lifeboats. No thoughts about whether or not Penny was right behind them, because he didn't want to think about her. Are all blonde women going to give him trouble? Is that what his life is going to be?

They got the lifeboats, one was ready to get them out of there. He didn't flinch at the big man like he did earlier. He didn't care. He climbed inside. There was a boy already inside. Stacey hardly paid him any attention. He took a seat as far from everyone as he could get, his case held tight to his chest, while he cried angry tears into the fabric. This has never happened before. Not even his brothers dared to touch it. Blue light glowed from inside the case. It was faint, but it attracted his attention. He didn't want to deal with whatever was going on with it, but it didn't go away like it usually did when stopped playing. He couldn't play it, so why was it...? He opened the case and there it was, fixed like nothing ever happened. He caressed the body, his angry tears turned to relief. How? He plucked a string, the weird symbol appeared around it. His fingers inched to play, but he didn't want it to break again. They have something coming after them and the last thing he needs to do is play a song.

"Later when we settle down I'll play you. Promise." He closed the case and held it close protectively. The glow didn't go away.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

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"Is...is everyone...okay?"

Finn

"Think my spine almost came out my asshole," Hagan stated, "But I think I'm fine."

His arm was stinging, so was his core, yet he was still able to push himself back to his feet. Okay, the kid - Trent he heard him get called - was in a rush to hop into the lifeboat. While Hagan had his reservations about how safe it'd be - whatever hit the boat was more than capable of crushing the lifeboat - they honestly ain't have too many other options as it stood... he figured that if cruise ship workers can figure out how to drive these things. So can they.

“Someone can learn to drive. Everyone get in that boat, right now. That includes you, Hagan. Get on.”

Caelea

"Sorry, squirt," Hagan softly said with a sigh as he rubbed his hands together. This was tough for Hagan to say but he merely wanted the best for everyone here. "... Someone's gotta pull that lever and I think it's best if it's me. I doubt someone's gonna fall from the sky that'll solve..."

... And that's what more or less what happened when some broad in a beanie walked up and announced that she could. Hagan raised an eyebrow at her.. if he was a bit more paranoid, he'd suspect that this was a bit too convenient. Except she didn't look like the malicious type... though with that grin he was starting to have his doubts. Still, he was going the chick the benefit of the doubt - just like he was going to give the same to Caelea.

“I’ll be back soon. All of you stay here and get ready to leave.”

Caelea

"Stay safe, squirt," Hagan said... Caelea was tough. Tough enough to survive whatever this ship had to offer, however, he had to survive this. And with his abstraction, he would have a better chance at defending the group from whatever came their way. He nonetheless got in but he kept his eyes on Isla... "I got my eyes on you."

It wasn't long before a shockwave hit the boat and they began... sliding?

"... Are we moving or is that just me?"

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“...I’m sorry.”

Penny Lawson

"... If anyone's on the boat they would have come here by now," Odessa said, staying behind to stick with Penny. Her words were meant to be reassuring but her tone was a bit more snappy. That smile had turned flat and her expression was... cold. It was probably after the injury she sustained but who knows? Everyone else had left but something was keeping her here at Penny's side. It was ambiguous to Penny and most likely ambiguous to Odessa herself. "I can detect when Extra-Normals are nearby, after all."

There was something inside of Odessa that didn't fear her death or at least death in its present form. Which was why she wasn't really in the mood to hustle after Penny when she left. I'll find my way back Odessa thought to herself... before another shockwave hit the boat like a bomb went off. Odessa's stride was broken as she fell onto her face.

"... Are you okay, Penny?" Odessa asked as she forced herself back to her feet. She merely brushed herself off... as the whole boat began to tilt. That tingle in her head went off and alerted Odessa of the Extra-Normal occurrence.

The being that attacked the boat had rocked its way through the lower decks of the ship. With every crash, the thing sent shockwaves through the rest of the boat and then the boat broke itself in two... the two separate pieces began to collapse in on itself.

"Oh no," Odessa said as she began sliding downwards. Her hand turned a planty green color as three massive vines began to sprout from her hand. They stretched far enough to reach the end of the hallway and attached themselves to the doorway. So when Odessa could no stand on stable ground, she switched to hanging. She sighed out of relief...

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Instead of standing on the deck like a moron, Zoey quickly turned around and ran back towards the deck. Maybe somebody else would have an idea of what to do. If not, Zoey was going to make a fucking iceberg and ride that shit back to shore. Anything would be better than staying on this boat with a potential murder monster. Zoey was about to haul ass back to Penny!

“Zoey! We’ve got a lifeboat set up on the other side… We gotta go.”

Caelea

... Speaking of ass. Zoey thought to herself as she came to a stop. Thank God that they had better luck than what she did...

"Damn right we gotta get out of here," Zoey said. "Let's g-"

That was when the second waves of impacts began to hit the boat from the bottom to the top. Then there was the hellish sound of wood and metal twisting and grinding... before the boat began collapsing inwards. Zoey screamed as she lost her footing and forgot about that cool ass abstraction of hers as she began to fall into the abyss.

[FernStone]

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"I got my eyes on you."

Hagan

“You keep them there,” Isla smirked, punctuating it with a wink. She took a step towards the nicely labelled lever only for another shock wave to unbalance her. She quickly widened her stance to avoid falling over. Then, the ship began to tilt.

"... Are we moving or is that just me?"

Hagan

“I think we-” Isla started before letting out a loud yelp as she began to slide backwards, quickly losing her balance. A sigil glowed purple around her beanie as she began to fall and she blinked twice in quick succession so that she was right next to the railing by the lever, which she quickly grabbed a hold of with her arms and legs and clung for dear life. She squeezed her eyes shut as her head spun and nausea shot through her body, both from the blinking and sudden upending of the ship. She concentrated on clinging like a koala and cracked her eyes open once she sort of felt like she knew which way was up.

The lever was nearby - not close enough to reach, but she could probably blink to it. Fuck this wasn’t risky at all.

“I can still get the lever!” she craned her neck to shout down (probably) towards the lifeboat. Hopefully the people in there hadn’t hit their heads badly. “Should I just do it? There’s no way anyone else is getting here!”

Yeah it was selfish, but Isla didn’t know how long she could cling to this railing. The only reason she hadn’t done it already was because as soon as she teleported she wouldn’t be able to do shit for a while… and if she pissed off the big guy he could easily throw her out the lifeboat.

---

---

Caelea’s relief at getting to Zoey was short-lived.

A second wave hit the boat and she stumbled, stabilising herself with air and wincing as a ripping sound pierced through her ears. Then it was the sound of her own, high pitched, scream as the boat collapsed inwards. Panic shot through her as her feet slid out from beneath her.

She tried desperately to keep herself on her feet with her abstraction even as the whole place turned vertical, grabbing out for anything nearby only to already be plummeting down. Her abilities were useless as she fell and a million thoughts flickered through her mind.

She’d survived the Glutton only to die in a shitty Titanic remake.

She hadn’t left a will! Scratch that, she hadn’t even got enough to leave a will before she died.

Wasn’t she supposed to see her life flash before her eyes right before she died?

Why did it have to be a boat?

She squeezed her eyes closed as she accepted her inevitable death by plummeting into the ice cold ocean, thoughts fading from her mind as it went blank.

Then she hit something hard.

[Atrophy]

---

Penny squinted as Odessa insisted that there wasn’t anyone else on the boat as the two entered into a hallway that would lead to the lower deck. Was she trying to comfort her or challenge her? Penny was about to poke a hole in Odessa’s logic by mentioning that if she could detect Extra Normals then she wouldn’t know if there were any Blind aboard the ship but was then knocked off balance by another shockwave. She reached out to steady herself and was bumped into the wall elbow first before hitting it with the back of her head. Pain flared through her body. Penny had taken some bumps before, but she was used to seeing the blows coming. There was no way to defend herself against an entire ship trying to kick her ass. She rubbed her elbow. Just another bruise. Walk it off.

"... Are you okay, Penny?"

“Yeah, I’m fucking great!” she snipped, her words lost under the thunderous cracking of metal. The color drained from her face as the floor began to tilt. She felt her boots start to lose traction as she broke into a dead sprint and booked it down the hall. If she could get through the door, she could grab hold of some railing before the incline became too much to stand on. It was a good thing she had picked up cardio and put down the cigarettes. Her vision focused as she activated her Abstraction. She made it through the doorway and sprung forward as her boots lost their grip on the ground. The railing was right there. She reached out to grab it. Penny smiled. She had made it. Take that. She had—

“No!”

Her outstretched fingertips brushed against the edge of the railing and she began sliding back down the hall. Penny banged her hand against the doorway as she dropped back through it but failed to grip onto the frame. Her head throbbed. She turned over to slide down on her back as Odessa’s vines shot past her. The door they had walked through to get into the hallway was still open. She was picking up momentum. If she hit the door frame and stopped she’d probably break something. If she went through she’d be happy if all she did was break something. She wouldn’t let that happen. If she timed it right she could grab onto Odessa, and it was impossible for her not to have good timing. Penny reached out for Odessa and grabbed air. Shit. Shit! Shit!

She fished one of the Keno cards out of her sleeve and repulsed it towards the doorway. The card flew through the doorway before she could activate the glyph. Her head was pounding. Had it been hit harder than she realized? It was completely throwing off her rhythm. She pulled another card out of her sleeve and missed again. She had one card left. She fired it off, activated her glyph, and her vision shifted back to normal. No, it wasn’t normal. It was far from normal. The world was a total blur of colors and shadows. She couldn’t see a single thing. Her chest seized with panic. Her head howled in pain and she answered with her own terrified scream. The hall filled with the sound of that dreadful harmony as she slipped further towards uncertainty.

[Dragonbud]

---

---

Finley was still slightly dazed from their smack to the head, and things were moving very quickly. They watched as Trent booked it to the lifeboat, pushing Caelea aside as he did so. The shorter woman had turned to the newcomers, told them to trust her, and then hurried off to find the others. Someone telling Finn to trust them was a red flag, but the bigger red flag was the continuous shockwaves rocking the vessel.

They tried, and struggled, to stand, their knees shaking and buckling like a newborn fawns. Why were physical bodies so damn...clumsy? Finley clung to the railing of the ship for support, still trying to hobble their way to the lifeboat.

Keeping in theme with things happening way too quickly, a few more newcomers joined the scene. A young woman sporting a yellow beanie and a Scottish accent, and a young man clinging to a guitar case who looked terribly upset. There was no time for formal introductions, or even to make observations beyond this point. There wasn't even time for Finley to rebuke the 'kids' comment Caelea had made before she hurried off. As Hagan was noticing something that sent dread through Finley.

"... Are we moving or is that just me?"

Hagan

And they were...and very quickly a slight slide became the boat snapping in half. Finley hung onto the railing for dear life. Legs dangling through the freezing air. Even in just the few moments they had held on they could feel their arms shaking, their body not built for holding their own weight.

Terribly, dizzying, panic set in as Finley looked down into the dark, churning, waters below. They weren't even sure if they had ever swum before, no less in freezing ocean water. Finley felt themselves locking up. Their eyes looked up towards where the lifeboat was, they couldn't be more than five feet away from the lifeboat, and the others clinging to the deck. But there was no way they would be able to vertically monkey bars up that high.

"I...can't pull myself up!"

I don't want to die again.

[Maxx]

---

---

Trent felt the lifeboat rock, awakening him from his terrified and confused stupor. The floor outside was tilted at a thirty-degree angle, and the others outside began to fall and slide. Trent looked around the cabin of the lifeboat: anchored by cables to the side of the boat, it didn't tilt nearly as much as the rest. So long as someone activated the release mechanism, they could still escape. The others...he just met them.

"<No reason to risk your neck,>" Saint Jimmy said in his rumbling baritone. "<Stay put.>" Trent nodded silently. Jimmy was right; no point risking your life for people who couldn't save themselves. The girl in the yellow hat could pull the lever. The others in the life boat looked strong. The older guy with the spiky hair, Hagan, they'd said his name was, looked like he could pull his own weight. The other kid (curly hair, case on his lap), Trent couldn't tell anything about. They'd probably come in handy, Trent wagered.

"I...can't pull myself up!" Trent heard Finn cry out. Trent's blood turned to ice water. Finn was, in Trent's estimations, the only friend he'd had in a very long time. Trent stood up instinctively, losing his balance on the slanted tilt of the lifeboat deck.

"<The fuck are you doing?>" Saint Jimmy hollered. "<Sit your ass back down, now.>"

"I...I can't let them fall," Trent replied out loud. His whole body felt stiff. He took a step forwards, nearly falling once more with his uneven footing, then another. He reached the door and fell to his knees, slinging his arms over the door to the lifeboat to keep himself from falling back into the seats. He looked down: there was Finn, dangling from the safety rail, struggling to hold themselves up.

"<Like Hell I'm gonna drown for that dumbass kid,>" Saint Jimmy grumbled. "<Sit your ass back down, kid. This ain't our fight.>"

"I have to help them," Trent said out loud.

"<You don't have to do shit. What have they ever done for you?>"

"They're the only friend I've got!" Trent shouted, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He reached out his left hand, closed his eyes, and tensed all of his muscles.

ABSTRACTION-ACTIVATED: CASTLE OF GLASS

Several spots along the veins of Trent's left arm glowed blood red. Pools of blood welled up from his skin, glowing faintly. It hurt tremendously, as it always did, like needles poking through the skin. The blood drops flowed through the air, intercepting the tiny clay pot on the rope string around Trent's neck. As it vanished, the surface of the pot turned a deep red, then faded. From around Trent's forearm, a chain sprung to life. It was a strange, ephemeral object, translucent blue with the texture of wrought-iron. Quickly, it began to erupt outwards, chain after chain adding to the end, wrapping around Trent's arm and hand and dangling down the incline to reach Finn.

"Grab on!" Trent called out. He looked over his shoulder to Hagan. "Help me pull them up!"

"<You're a fucking idiot.>" Saint Jimmy grumbled. "<But whatever. Not like I can drown.>"

[Mixtape Ghost N]

---

---

---

"Shit, shit, shit!"

One of the kids fell off and Hagan thought he already fucked up the simplest instructions: watch the kids. All he had to do. That chick Fin or whoever the fuck her name was dangling over the edge and Hagan almost jumped to her rescue. However the other kid... he was one of them. He used his freaky abstraction or whatever to create a chain for them to grab onto. Thank God, because Hagan wasn't sure if he would have to use his abstraction to save her.

It wasn't over yet, Trent couldn't hold Fin himself - not with those arms! That meant it was time for Hagan to do something to save her. He lunged forward and grabbed the chain and used all of his strength to pull Finley to safety. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen again, not to anyone else.

---

---

---

In the middle of Penny's fall, she was stopped by a thick vine made out of wood. The sudden stop probably caused some damage but at least she didn't fall to her death. "I got you!" Odessa shouted as Penny was pulled up towards at and the other hand, which was still hanging, was pulling them away from the quickly rising tide. Still, the appendage that was pulling Penny was going much faster than the other one. Odessa pulled Penny to her and managed to wrap that vine around her midsection. The problem? Penny and Odessa were face to face and she probably noticed her lack of breath and cold body heat... and she wasn't blinking.

"... You are really pretty, y' know?" Odessa smirked. Was it legitimate, or was she just messing with Penny?

Once they made it to the top Odessa hoised them both up and noticed that one of the lifeboats had descended. She looked down and saw the lifeboat carefully descending to the water... they better hurry up or else they were going down with the boat. Odessa grabbed onto the railing of the boat and her hand turned into wood as it firmly wrapped itself around it. Before she did anything else...

... She offered Penny a hand.

---

---

---

Zoey was not one that was content with falling to her death... nor was she going to let it happen again.

Not this time.

While she was falling she had a really stupid idea to avoid falling into the water... well, she'd still be falling on water. Just in a... different state. A stream of diamond dust came out of her body and formed a platform that she believed was hard enough to land on. Then she hit it and everything was fucking spinning as she felt the sheer impact go through her body. Her ears were ringing like someone just screamed bloody murder through a megaphone.

"... Fuck me." Zoey hissed to Caelea. "You alright...?"

Zoey forgot Caelea's name as she pushed herself up... but she did it a bit too fast and almost fell off the platform. She managed for the slightly better outcome of falling back onto her ice construct which she knew wasn't going to last too long. Worst of all, she felt this coldness go through her body... which is usually what happens when she used her abstraction and hoped that Odessa could warm her up again.

If Odessa was still even alive.

Zoey sighed as she looked up and saw that the night sky was just right there... and the boat was going down fast. Zoey needed a way to get them both out of there, but... a little lightbulb went off in her head.

"Alright... squirt..." Zoey's head was still fucking killing her. "Got an idea, not a good fucking one but we're about to drown. Ice floats on water and we're going up... so how about we just physics do its fucking thing and figure out what to do next from there?."

[Dragonbud]

---

---

Finley had squeezed their eyes shut, trying to come to terms with what was about to happen to them. Drowning couldn't be the worst way to go...right? And maybe if they were lucky they would hit their head on the way down. They could feel the tremble in their arms, the slow slipping of their fingertips on the metal railing.

"Grab on!"

Trent

The voice of their friend pulled Finley out of their grim observations. They slowly opened their eyes, still squinting in the stinging sea wind, to see a chain dangling in front of their face. But it wasn't just a chain...it was...a weird chain? Finley's eyes traced up the chain, finding it's origin point in Trent's hand. No...not in his hand...but coming out of his hand? Trent hadn't told Finley about his abstraction, but this was not the time to be curious.

They took a shaky breath, begging silently to their arms not to give out now. With a tremble Finley pried one of their hands off the railing, grabbing onto the chain and giving it a wrap around their wrist, hopefully a safety net incase they let go. Yeah, a broken wrist would suck, but drowning would suck more. Once they felt secure in the chain they let go of the railing, the chain swinging with the momentum. Finley fought the urge to hyperventilate, free swinging over the edge, only being held up by their friend and their own weak arms, was absolutely terrifying.

After a few anxious stutters Finley tried to speak.

"O...ok...I'm..."

But was only able to squeak out that as the chain was suddenly being hoisted up. If this situation wasn't so dangerous, it would almost be funny. Finley felt like a worm on a hook, or a shitty prize in a crane machine. It didn't take long for Finley to be lifted up and into the lifeboat, falling to the floor of the lifeboat, just thankful to have something solid beneath their feet. They squeezed their eyes shut and gasped for a moment, unable to hold back the panicked breathing now that they were 'safe'.

In between gasps for air Finley was able to struggle out a thank you in the direction of Trent and Hagan. Trent had saved them, but it was obvious the two smaller teens wouldn't have been able to do it on their own.

[Atrophy]

---

Penny couldn’t see exactly what happened next, but she sure did feel it. Something grabbed her by the collar as she was about to plunge through the doorway and into the rising water. She stopped with a sudden jerk and bounced upwards as whatever had a hold of her wrapped itself around her waist for a better grip. She smacked back against the metal flooring with a sharp gasp, hitting it hard enough that the wind was knocked out from her. Penny was in a daze but it felt like she was being dragged up by something. Her vision still a blur, she found herself pressed up against what felt like a cold, marble statue. Her stupor began to fade as she made out Odessa’ face through the fuzziness.

"... You are really pretty, y' know?"

Penny couldn’t quite make out Odessa’s facial expression, but she had to be joking.

“Yeah, well, you really take my breath away,” she said. Well, she tried to say it. What actually came out was sharp, painful gasps for air. She held onto Odessa’s freezing body as the girl lifted them beyond the threshold. Normally she would be uncomfortable with this sort of closeness, but given the circumstances she didn’t even notice. She sucked in one final, massive breath of fresh air and exhaled deeply to center herself. Penny could breathe normally. Now only if her eyes went back to normal.

Penny kicked the watertight door shut, knowing it’d have little to do to stop the sinking but would at the very least prevent them from falling down the hallway if another shockwave hit. She continued to collect herself as Odessa scanned their surroundings. They were sinking at an alarming rate, yet there was something surreal about sitting on what had once been a wall. She cast a look out over the horizon that they were becoming dangerously close to being underneath. Paradise, looking like nothing more than an amorphous black blob, was waiting for her. She stood up despite the pain in her head and the ache in her body. There was no time to rest.

Odessa grabbed onto the railing and held out a hand for her. Penny accepted it without hesitation and quietly uttered an earnest, “Thank you.”

With Odessa’s help Penny was able to make it onto the railing of the boat and see the lifeboat descending into the water below them. Rather, she saw the shape of something bus-sized and guessed it had to be the lifeboat. She sighed with relief. The others were safe. Now they just had to find a way to get down there. Penny doubted she’d be in any condition to walk if they jumped to the lifeboat. They could possibly survive a drop into the water, assuming they didn’t freeze to death. However, surely Odessa could just lower them down with vines.

“One second,” said Penny. She grabbed a marker from her bag and held it between her teeth like it was a dagger and she was a pirate about to scale the side of a ship to ransack. She wrapped both of her arms around Odessa and spoke through gritted teeth, “Okay. Don’t you fucking drop me.”

[FernStone]

---

---

Once the weedy kid who’d fallen was hauled back in, Isla made a decision. She was just going to do it, people left be damned. She wasn’t going to stay clinging to the railing forever.

Isla blinked to the release lever, yanking it down before blinking back to the railing and clinging on. She ignored how her head spun and the sheer exhaustion coursing through her body as she turned to make sure it had worked. And it had - the lifeboat was lowering, though it was a lot less dramatic and slower than she’d expected. That’s what she got for basing her expectations off of movies… but it was still too quick for her to blink right in.

She watched the boat lowering as she waited a few moments for her head to clear, breath ragged from all the blinking she’d been doing in such a short space of time. Then sigils glowed around her beanie and she teleported into the lowering lifeboat.

As soon as Isla appeared inside the lifeboat she collapsed, managing to catch herself on one of the chairs. She pulled herself up to just about sit on one even as she stared in front of her, completely out of it. It was a struggle just to keep her eyes open and there was absolutely no way she was going anywhere… she’d pushed her body to its limits with her abstraction.

She blinked and said to no one in particular, words slurred and accent heavy, “I think I need a nap.”

---

---

Caelea hit the ice platform Zoey had made, feet first before her legs buckled beneath her and her head slamming into it. The world swirled around her as she lay, winded and in intense pain. She felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her head and she closed her eyes in an attempt to ward away the pain that came from blurry vision. Slowly, surely, she came to her sense - even as her head still pounded and swam with dizziness.

"You alright...?"

Zoey

“I’m alive,” Caelea groaned, not moving from where she lay on the ice. She opened her eyes to squint them against the overly bright night sky. Bright lights speckled the corners of them even as she rapidly blinked. Everything fucking hurt but as she’d said she was alive… and nothing seemed broken.

So yeah, her being alive just about covered how she felt. But also she knew this situation wasn’t stable at all. She tried to sit up, slowly, only to be hit by a wave of nausea and throw a hand over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. She lay right back down.

"Alright... squirt… Got an idea, not a good fucking one but we're about to drown. Ice floats on water and we're going up... so how about we just physics do its fucking thing and figure out what to do next from there?"

Zoey

“I can’t believe that’s catching on,” Caelea muttered in as close to a joking tone as she could muster. Her voice was harsh sounding as she spoke, still winded, but she answered without any doubts. “Let’s do it… anything’s better than drowning.” She slowly turned her head to look at Zoey. “I’d rather be on a floating ice block than trying to swim.”

Something she very much couldn’t do. If she was honest, her pounding and confused brain didn’t entirely get what the plan involved (not at all helped by the fact she’d always failed physics). But anything was better than nothing.

“And maybe I can somehow use my abstraction to somehow propel us.”

As if that wasn’t another, probably terrible, idea.

[Majoraa]

The first shockwave, Lilith didn't have time to apply her abstraction to herself before hitting the ground. What the hell, there were water apparitions too?! Whatever was attacking the ship, there had to be something drawing it tp them. Or it's just being an asshole just cause. She nodded to Penny as a thank you when she helped her up, then followed the other blonde to the lifeboats.

She waited for the others to catch up before she could join those already escaping, but the apparition didn't let up, splitting the ship in half even. Great. Lilith held onto the railing, trying to figure out what to do. Penny and Odessa hadn't caught up to everyone, and she didn't want to leave them behind.

Seeing everyone scramble to the lifeboats, Lilith couldn't just do nothing, not again. So the mute delinquent used her abstraction on herself and whatever she could use as a weapon, then leapt off the boat to confront whatever was underwater.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

---

---

---

When Penny grabbed onto Odessa there was a brief pause as her jaw was slack and she couldn't help but frown. She solemnly sighed as she tried to hide that innate melancholy from Penny. Hiding it behind her usual smile and demeanor that she attempted to force. She took that as the cue to hop to the other side and wrapped her free limb around Penny as she held herself in place using her abstraction. With another solemn sigh, her arm completely converted into wood with bits and pieces of her shoulder as her arm extended and she mock-repelled down. Her arm had formed a mass of several wooden vines as they lowered into the water, the distance of which wasn't that far given that the ship was already going down.

"... I hope everyone made it," Odessa said, her tone was a bit lower and not so confident as she usually was. She wished that she could go back to check for the others, but with how the situation went... that was just suicidal. It was harsh but if they were still on the boat they were good as dead.

Odessa's feet collided with the top of the lifeboat.

---

---

---

“Let’s do it… anything’s better than drowning. I’d rather be on a floating ice block than trying to swim.”

Caelea

Jesus, Caelea agreed to Zoey's plan? Honestly, her head was spinning, ears were ringing, and her entire body was in pain... She had to admit it was a stupid fucking idea, one made when her head was killing her. However, maybe it was crazy enough to work.

Or Caelea was out of it as she was.

"Alright... let's give it a shot and hope nothing..." Zoey hissed in pain as she stuck her hand out and summoned a ball of snow and damn near slammed it against her head. It provided some relief, enough to make her think a little clearer. The water had hit the ice block they were standing on and Zoey used her abstraction to snap it off the wall (... floor?). Zoey's balance was knocked off as it fell a bit but she was able to get her balance. They began rising upwards and the plan was going well so far...

---

---

---

"Whew."

Hagan wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead as the squirt was pulled onto the boat and the day was saved. "Nice work, kid," Hagan said to Trent, he had to give it to him, he saved the day there. Hagan coulda did it himself but there was something he was missing as the boat finally hit the water and that weirdo with the beanie came back. He couldn't...

"Shit!" Hagan said as he looked as the boat was almost in the water. As far as he could tell; Penny, Zoey, and Caelea were still on the boat! Fuck! He left them behind, but... there was nothing he could do about it now. The boat was gone and if they were still on-

He heard a loud bump above them and immediately looked and saw that spooky-looking chick in the robe and Penny... with the spooky chick creating a giant vine from the edge of the titanic to their little lifeboat. Hagan raised an eyebrow as her arm went back to normal.

"Ooooookay," Hagan said to the two, "Glad to see you're okay, what about Cealea and Zoey?"

Odessa shrugged as she let go of Penny and was quick to maneuver over to the entrance and hopped inside - Hagan stepping aside. "I didn't see them, but I still sense a few Extra-Normals in the area."

"... Whatever that means," Hagan said as he shrugged.

".... YOOOOOOOO!" Hagan heard as he turned his head to see Zoey and Caelea... on a fucking block of ice. Now, Hagan's seen some shit and he ain't a stranger to the strange, but ever since "coming" here, shit's been getting weirder and weirder. The boat was pretty much sunk... and Hagan wondered how deep the water went because they weren't that far away from shore and it was sinking like it was out in the open sea. The ice block drifted towards the lifeboat and the two hopped on. Odessa just found herself a place on the boat.

"Whatever," Hagan shrugged as he climbed to the cockpit. "Anyone knows how to pilot one of these things?"

That was when Odessa felt it... its presence. The apparition. From the remains of the cruise ship, there was a massive splash of water in all directions as something came from the remains. And when the water faded... there it was; it was not human or even corporeal. It was like one of those Apparition things that Hagan heard mentioned on the Snapchat group a few times. It was spindly, humanoid, about fourteen feet tall, without a feature on its body. Its limbs were abnormally long, almost touching the ground, and the whole thing was made out of a moving black smoke. It had no head, it was hunched over so it's true height was hard to tell. Its hands were massive, probably big enough to completely crush Hagan's torso with just a grasp and each finger ended sharp and pointy like a claw. By comparison, its feet were tiny and human-like, but not like it was using them - it was hovering up and down over the water.

"... Not this fucking thing again," Zoey said.

"Someone get this boat started!" Hagan shouted as he ran to the open door. Just in case it did something Hagan had a plan... not one that he liked, but it was enough to buy them some time.