Into The Water

The scent of roasted fish and salt lingered in the air, mixing with the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the shore.

While the boys had set off in the rafts to fish once again, the girls remained behind, dealing with the morning's haul.

A few makeshift fire pits burned steadily, their flames licking at the wooden skewers placed above them, each lined with freshly cleaned fish.

Others were boiling in large metal pots the teachers had managed to recover from the wreckage of the ferry. Several barrels sat nearby, filled with water and fish that had yet to be gutted.

Sophia and Mia were among those assigned to the fish preparation, sleeves rolled up, fingers slick with fish scales as they worked quickly and efficiently.

The group had divided tasks among themselves — some were gutting, others were cleaning, and the rest were roasting or boiling.

"This would be a lot easier with an actual kitchen," Sophia muttered as she wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, smearing a bit of fish guts across her temple.

Mia snorted. "You'd still complain if we had one. You're always whining about cafeteria food."

"I have standards, Mia," Sophia said with a smirk.

The girls around them chuckled, continuing their work.

Despite the grim situation they were in, they had formed something of a routine.

Wake up, eat, work, and try not to dwell too much on the reality of their situation.

The ocean breeze helped, carrying away some of the stronger fishy smells, and for a while, their chatter made the work seem lighter.

"How much do you think the guys are bringing back this time?" one of the girls, Amber, asked as she dropped another cleaned fish into a barrel of fresh water.

"I hope it's at least as much as yesterday," Mia said. "We're running through these faster than I expected."

Sophia wrinkled her nose. "You really trust them to bring in a big haul?"

Mia shrugged. "Leo's out there, and he's kind of a show-off. If nothing else, he'll do his best to catch more than the other rafts just to prove a point."

Sophia smirked. "And Lucas?"

Mia hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "He's…surprisingly capable when he wants to be."

The girls exchanged knowing glances but didn't press further.

Out at sea, the boys wrestled with the current, guiding their raft further from shore.

Lucas sat at the edge of the boat, gripping the net tightly as he and the others worked to let it loose into the water.

The sun beat down on them, making their already damp clothes cling uncomfortably to their skin.

"You sure this is a good spot?" Lucas asked, squinting as he scanned the water.

Leo, who had taken it upon himself to act as their "navigator" for the day, nodded confidently. "Trust me, man. This is the spot. The water's deep enough, and we caught a bunch here yesterday, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lucas muttered, adjusting his grip on the net. "Just saying, if we don't get anything, I'm blaming you."

"Noted," Leo said with a grin.

The boys threw their nets over the side, watching as they sank below the surface. Then came the waiting.

It was a delicate balance — giving the fish time to swim into the net while also making sure they didn't wait too long and let them escape.

A few minutes passed before one of the boys that followed them, Aaron, gave the signal.

"Alright! Pull!"

Lucas and the others grunted as they heaved the net back in, the weight of their catch straining their arms.

The sound of flapping and splashing filled the raft as they lifted the net over the side, dumping a writhing pile of fish onto the wooden planks.

"Ha! Look at that!" Leo cheered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "We're eating good tonight!"

Lucas exhaled, shaking out his arms. "That's almost as much as yesterday's first haul."

"We'll go for another round after we store this batch," Aaron said, already resetting the net.

As the boys worked, Lucas found himself glancing toward the shore. Even from this distance, he could see the girls bustling around the fire pits, working on preparing the evening's fish.

His eyes lingered on Mia for a moment before he caught himself and shook his head.

'Focus, man. Survive first, flirt later.'

Leo, noticing the distraction, smirked. "Checking out the ladies, huh?"

Lucas shot him a glare. "Shut up and pull the net."

Leo laughed but did as he was told.

They were halfway through hoisting up the second net when suddenly —

SPLASH!

Leo disappeared into the water.

For a second, there was nothing but stunned silence. Then, his head broke the surface, coughing and sputtering.

"Holy — !" Lucas lunged toward the edge of the raft, peering down at his friend. "Leo, you good?"

Leo gasped, wiping saltwater from his face. "It's so damn cold!"

The raft rocked slightly as the other boys laughed.

"You dumbass," Aaron snickered, reaching over to help pull him up. "What'd you even do? Slip?"

Leo groaned as he gripped their outstretched hands. "I — I don't know! The boat just moved, and next thing I knew, boom, I'm getting baptized."

Lucas rolled his eyes but smirked as they hauled Leo back into the raft. "You sure you don't just suck at balancing?"

Leo shot him a glare, still dripping wet. "Bite me, Lucas."

"Nah, I don't eat soggy food."

The boys laughed as Leo wrung out his shirt, muttering curses under his breath.

Despite the mishap, their spirits were high — especially when they checked the second net and found it was just as full as the first.

By the time they returned to shore, they had a haul nearly identical to yesterday's, and the sight of it earned cheers from the students waiting on land.

"Not bad, not bad," Sophia called out as the boys dragged the barrels up onto the sand. "Maybe you guys aren't completely useless."

Leo, still damp and salty, shot her a deadpan look. "Glad we could impress you, Your Highness."

Sophia smirked. "Keep up the good work, peasants."

Mia rolled her eyes at their banter before turning to Lucas. "No disasters?"

Lucas grinned. "Other than Leo taking an unexpected swim? Pretty smooth sailing."

Mia chuckled, shaking her head. "Figures."