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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Survival / Success
- Subject: Adventure
- Published: 09/30/2015
Seventeen year old Ryn stood at the edge of the cruise ship waiting for the exciting journey to begin. Ryn and her four friends, David, Ashlynn, Kay, and Rowan, had graduated early and decided to go on a cruise to celebrate. Ryn was standing at the railing watching the waves cascade over each other while around her the other twenty five hundred passengers settled in. Some passengers had already started on the all-you-can-eat-buffet and mini bar. She glanced down at her Timex sports watch. Ash and Kay had said they would meet her at the…. “AHHHH”, Ryn screamed. She turned around as fast as a spin top to find her two friends Ashlynn and Kay doubled over, laughing hysterically. They had just poked Ryn in the side which had always driven her crazy. Ryn felt a smile coming on, then a laugh. She tried to hold them in but all in vain. Ten minutes later when Rowan, the six foot four, muscular, auburn haired, blue eyed athlete and David, the six foot two, jet black haired, aqua green eyed computer whizz walked up the scarlet carpeted stairs from below deck the three girls collapsed on deck and were still laughing.
Rowan grabbed Ryn and Kay’s hands and helped them up from where their serious bout of laughter had put them. At the same time David grabbed both of Ashlynn’s hands and wrapped his arm around her waist. Rowan, Ryn, and Kay almost burst out laughing but managed to contain it. The five had been best friends all through middle school and high school so when David and Ashlynn started dating the other three had picked on them mercilessly. As Rowan, Ryn, and Kay entered the dining room the star struck couple lagged behind. “Gosh, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Kay almost shouted. Other passengers near the trio looked to where the group stood wondering who had said it. “I don’t think they serve horse here, but you never know we are scheduled to stop in France for a day,” Rowan whispered as they sat down at a round table in the far left corner. A waiter, wearing a dark red bowtie with a white shirt and black slacks came to take their drink order. Since they were all under twenty one they ordered soda. Two hours later, five teenagers, full on soda, steak, and chocolate cake practically crawled out of the dining room.
“I’m going to bed,” Ryn announced to the group. “I’ll walk you to your cabin,” Rowan said a little too quickly. Ryn blushed but accepted. In 6th grade, Ryn had been finishing her history essay and had looked up and seen Rowan walking in the door. Something about his soft blue eyes captured her heart. She had since lost that feeling for Rowan but it was somewhat apparent that he had not. Ryn and Rowan had arrived at Ryn’s cabin door. “Good night Rowan,” “Night Ryn,” Ryn swiped her key card and the door opened. She got in the shower knowing that she’d better hurry so she could get to bed. Twenty minutes later with her five eleven inch body and waist length hair washed she climbed into bed and went to sleep as soon as she hit the pillow.
Ryn woke up to a deep groan from the depths of the ship. She sat up in bed wondering what the noise had been then laid down again. The groan continued. She glanced at her clock. It read 2:16 AM. Ryn had just lay back down when she heard an urgent knock on her door. She got up slowly and walked to the door and peeped through the peep hole. There was a lifeguard outside her door with a worried look on his face. She cracked the door and said “Yes, how may I help you?” The man said “Ma’am you need to follow me immediately.” “Right now?! It’s 2:30 in the morning!” “Yes ma’am, immediately!” Sensing that something was wrong bnhj Ryn closed the door ran and slipped on some pants and opened the door, “I’m ready.” “What’s going on?” Ryn exclaimed. “Where are you taking me?!” The man replied, “You will know more when we get to the dining room.” As Ryn passed other cabins she saw other passenger being ushered out of their cabins as well.
As they neared the door of the dining room the man said, “Go inside the dining room and wait for further instructions.” Ryn turned to thank him but he had already disappeared into the crowd. Ryn walked in the dining room and was shocked at what she saw. It was mass chaos. Hundreds of people were sitting wherever there was an empty spot to sit leaving only a few empty chairs. Ryn looked around to see if she could locate any of her friends, they were nowhere to be found. She walked up to a disheveled man who looked as if he had some sort of authority. “Sir?” “Not now,” the man barked back. Ryn stood still as a statue for a minute and then walked away. She went to the far left corner hoping her friends would check for her there. She settled down and watched as the dining room began to calm down and as the rush of people being brought in trickled down to the occasional straggler. She glanced down at her watch. It had been forty five minutes since she had woken up to the loud groan. She looked up and saw Rowan and Kay scanning the room. Ryn jumped up and shouted, “Rowan! Kay!” Rowan and Kay both spun and began running toward Ryn whilst dodging people and their belongings. When they finally reached one another they embraced.
An instant later the boat rocked and knocked them and those standing onto the floor. A shriek came up from the bottom of the boat and it seemed as if the whole boat shook. A male voice came in on a crackly intercom, “This is the captain speaking. Please everyone remain calm. We are experiencing trouble with the ships engines. Thank you for your cooperation.” As soon as the intercom went silent the whole dining room was in an uproar. There were people shouting, crying, and even screaming. Ryn, Rowan, and Kay were still on the floor processing what they had just heard and recovering from the fall. Ryn grabbed the hand closest to her and realized it was Rowan’s. Ryn was trembling but the warmth and strength she felt coming from Rowan was comforting. The three stood up and scanned the crowd looking for Ashlynn and David. They saw them immediately; David was carrying Ashlynn threshold style. When the couple came to the corner of the room Ryn realized that Ashlynn was hurt. “Put her down here,” Ryn said softly. David gently propped her up against the sea blue wall. Ryn stood and asked David, “What happened?!” David replied, “We were coming up the stairs when the boat shook and she twisted her ankle. It was my fault; I should have been more watchful and careful.” “David, please don’t do that to yourself. It was not your fault. You had no way of knowing that was going to happen. No one did.” Ryn expressed.
The shaking continued but not quite as strong as before. The captain came back on the intercom. “Please everyone form a line and calmly walk to the dining room entrance. Thank you.” The dining room transformed. People began gathering their belongings and somewhat calmly formed a line. There were a few staff at the entrance assigning people numbers and colors. When Ryn, David, Ashlynn, Kay, and Rowan finally got to the entrance it was 3:45 AM. Ryn, David, Ashlynn, and Rowan were assigned into the “Blue 7” group but Kay was sent to the “Yellow 2” group. Rowan pleaded with the staff members but the only reply he received was “Next.” After a quick goodbye the four and one were sent off to their respective groups. Little did they know that that would be the last time they would see Kay.
Ryn, David, Ashlynn, and Rowan were directed to the starboard side of the boat with about 200 other passengers. The staff gave out one blanket for every two people. Rowan took two blankets and handed them to David and Ashlynn and Ryn. David and Ashlynn curled up and fell asleep. Rowan and Ryn were forced to sit side by side as the wind was bone chilling. Ryn leaned against the railing, shivering, and thinking about what had happened in the past two hours. She felt Rowan moving beside her and she opened her eyes just as he swung his arm around her shoulders. She smiled, closed her eyes, and laid her head on his arm and fell asleep.
Ryn woke as Rowan’s arm jerked out from under her head. Ryn began sliding. Her eyes shot open, the boat she had seen before no longer existed. The whole boat had tipped at almost a right angle. Ryn grabbed the railing whilst dodging equipment belongings and sadly, people. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds of people screaming as they slid down the boat’s deck with nothing to grab onto. She felt someone slide past her and call “Ryn!” but she didn’t open her eyes. There was nothing she could do for them now. After who knows how long she could feel the ocean lapping at her feet. She opened her eyes and was shocked; the boat had sunk half way underwater. She began slowly, agonizingly pulling herself up towards the hull, using the railing. "Ashlynn! David! Rowan!,” Ryn screamed, her voice breaking from the strain of her cries. Twenty feet above her there was a cabin. She saw the door swing open and Rowan’s head popped out. Tears began streaming down her face and she began pulling as hard as she could.
Ten minutes later, exhausted, she crawled in through the cabin door. Rowan, David, and Ashlynn were simultaneously blowing up a life raft. She leaned against the wall and let the tears cascade down her face. She peaked out the cabin door and saw that the water was only twenty feet from the cabin door. It was as if the boat was slowly being eaten by the sea. “We’d better hurry up guys. Unless you want this to be your grave,” Ryn said weakly. The other three looked at her and continued blowing. The life raft was almost blown up but it wouldn’t be blown up by the time the water reached them. “We have to move, we can take the raft and find some other dry place to continue blowing it up,” Rowan declared. Ryn, David, and Ashlynn had no objection to his idea. Rowan climbed out of the cabin door and grabbed Ashlynn’s hand and led her as best as he could to another cabin fifty feet above. Ryn and David lay back against the wall and closed their eyes. Ryn felt arms wrap around her and she opened her eyes and saw Rowan’s blue ones. Rowan carried Ryn out the door and set her down. “Will you be alright to climb up to the other cabin?!” Rowan asked. “Ummm, yea, I’ll be alright,” Ryn replied tiredly. Rowan disappeared into the cabin as Ryn began climbing up the deck to get to the cabin.
Ryn lay on the floor and watched the sun slowly rise on the horizon. The waves lapped against the edge of the once magnificent ship that was now a graveyard. Ryn thought of the events of the past few hours, the horrors. She hopped up from her “bed” which was 1 blanket on the deck. Rowan, Ashlynn, and David had been searching for food in the cabin. A shout rose from the cabin “Whoohoo!”. Ryn poked her head in and found David, Ashlynn, and Rowan next to a cabinet full of canned soups and crackers. “I have never been so excited to see a can of clam chowder!” Rowan exclaimed. “I‘ve never had clam chowder for breakfast either but there’s a first time for everything,” Ryn said. The three looked up and noticed her for the first time. “Well, good morning sleepy head. We wondered if you’d ever wake up,” Rowan said softly. “I didn’t actually sleep but, good morning to you too.” Rowan scooted over and patted an unoccupied space of hard wood. Ryn walked over and sat cross legged with Rowan on her right and David on her left. “Well, let’s dig in. I’m starving!” Ryn said as she grabbed the can of clam chowder. She stood up and used the door handle to tear a hole in the lid of the metal can. “Here, I’ll open y’alls if you want me to?” Ryn said as she held out her hand. She soon had her hands full with three cans of soup. Her stomach began to grumble as she opened her fellow survivor’s soup.
Ryn lay in the hot cabin trying to sleep after the long night. She jumped up and walked to the doorway of the cabin and stared at the never ending sea. The ship had stopped sinking just as the sun had peeped over the horizon, which left seventy feet of the ship above water and the other seven hundred thirty in the depths of the sea. Ryn shivered as she thought of all of the bodies forever trapped in the metal tomb. Ryn heard a chopping noise far off that didn’t sound like the ever blowing wind she had heard all night. She covered her eyes and squinted in the direction of the noise. She saw the nose of the helicopter first. Ryn started screaming and waving her arms. Rowan bolted out of the cabin to see what was wrong. Soon all four teenagers were screaming and waving their arms to make sure that the helicopter saw them. The jet black helicopter hovered over the cabin as the teenagers rejoiced.
A rope ladder was dropped from the helicopter 50 feet above. Ashlynn grabbed hold of it and began the journey upwards to safety. Rowan, Ryn, David waited patiently as could be expected for Ashlynn to reach the safety of the helicopter. When Ashlynn had climbed half way up the ladder a man leaned out of the cabin and motioned for one of the remaining survivors to begin the climb. David immediately hopped on the ladder and speedily made his way to Ashlynn’s side. Ryn, with tears streaming down her cheeks, had rested her head on Rowan’s shoulder.
The next days went by in a flash of doctors, interviewers, teary eyed visits from family, and sleep. Ryn had been discharged from the hospital with minor scrapes and bruises and was getting back into the swing of things. Rowan, Ashlynn, and David had all been cleared and discharged days after Ryn. To the excitement of Rowan and Ryn, David had proposed and he and Ashlynn were to be married in the spring. The four remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Ryn's Story(Grace J)
Seventeen year old Ryn stood at the edge of the cruise ship waiting for the exciting journey to begin. Ryn and her four friends, David, Ashlynn, Kay, and Rowan, had graduated early and decided to go on a cruise to celebrate. Ryn was standing at the railing watching the waves cascade over each other while around her the other twenty five hundred passengers settled in. Some passengers had already started on the all-you-can-eat-buffet and mini bar. She glanced down at her Timex sports watch. Ash and Kay had said they would meet her at the…. “AHHHH”, Ryn screamed. She turned around as fast as a spin top to find her two friends Ashlynn and Kay doubled over, laughing hysterically. They had just poked Ryn in the side which had always driven her crazy. Ryn felt a smile coming on, then a laugh. She tried to hold them in but all in vain. Ten minutes later when Rowan, the six foot four, muscular, auburn haired, blue eyed athlete and David, the six foot two, jet black haired, aqua green eyed computer whizz walked up the scarlet carpeted stairs from below deck the three girls collapsed on deck and were still laughing.
Rowan grabbed Ryn and Kay’s hands and helped them up from where their serious bout of laughter had put them. At the same time David grabbed both of Ashlynn’s hands and wrapped his arm around her waist. Rowan, Ryn, and Kay almost burst out laughing but managed to contain it. The five had been best friends all through middle school and high school so when David and Ashlynn started dating the other three had picked on them mercilessly. As Rowan, Ryn, and Kay entered the dining room the star struck couple lagged behind. “Gosh, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Kay almost shouted. Other passengers near the trio looked to where the group stood wondering who had said it. “I don’t think they serve horse here, but you never know we are scheduled to stop in France for a day,” Rowan whispered as they sat down at a round table in the far left corner. A waiter, wearing a dark red bowtie with a white shirt and black slacks came to take their drink order. Since they were all under twenty one they ordered soda. Two hours later, five teenagers, full on soda, steak, and chocolate cake practically crawled out of the dining room.
“I’m going to bed,” Ryn announced to the group. “I’ll walk you to your cabin,” Rowan said a little too quickly. Ryn blushed but accepted. In 6th grade, Ryn had been finishing her history essay and had looked up and seen Rowan walking in the door. Something about his soft blue eyes captured her heart. She had since lost that feeling for Rowan but it was somewhat apparent that he had not. Ryn and Rowan had arrived at Ryn’s cabin door. “Good night Rowan,” “Night Ryn,” Ryn swiped her key card and the door opened. She got in the shower knowing that she’d better hurry so she could get to bed. Twenty minutes later with her five eleven inch body and waist length hair washed she climbed into bed and went to sleep as soon as she hit the pillow.
Ryn woke up to a deep groan from the depths of the ship. She sat up in bed wondering what the noise had been then laid down again. The groan continued. She glanced at her clock. It read 2:16 AM. Ryn had just lay back down when she heard an urgent knock on her door. She got up slowly and walked to the door and peeped through the peep hole. There was a lifeguard outside her door with a worried look on his face. She cracked the door and said “Yes, how may I help you?” The man said “Ma’am you need to follow me immediately.” “Right now?! It’s 2:30 in the morning!” “Yes ma’am, immediately!” Sensing that something was wrong bnhj Ryn closed the door ran and slipped on some pants and opened the door, “I’m ready.” “What’s going on?” Ryn exclaimed. “Where are you taking me?!” The man replied, “You will know more when we get to the dining room.” As Ryn passed other cabins she saw other passenger being ushered out of their cabins as well.
As they neared the door of the dining room the man said, “Go inside the dining room and wait for further instructions.” Ryn turned to thank him but he had already disappeared into the crowd. Ryn walked in the dining room and was shocked at what she saw. It was mass chaos. Hundreds of people were sitting wherever there was an empty spot to sit leaving only a few empty chairs. Ryn looked around to see if she could locate any of her friends, they were nowhere to be found. She walked up to a disheveled man who looked as if he had some sort of authority. “Sir?” “Not now,” the man barked back. Ryn stood still as a statue for a minute and then walked away. She went to the far left corner hoping her friends would check for her there. She settled down and watched as the dining room began to calm down and as the rush of people being brought in trickled down to the occasional straggler. She glanced down at her watch. It had been forty five minutes since she had woken up to the loud groan. She looked up and saw Rowan and Kay scanning the room. Ryn jumped up and shouted, “Rowan! Kay!” Rowan and Kay both spun and began running toward Ryn whilst dodging people and their belongings. When they finally reached one another they embraced.
An instant later the boat rocked and knocked them and those standing onto the floor. A shriek came up from the bottom of the boat and it seemed as if the whole boat shook. A male voice came in on a crackly intercom, “This is the captain speaking. Please everyone remain calm. We are experiencing trouble with the ships engines. Thank you for your cooperation.” As soon as the intercom went silent the whole dining room was in an uproar. There were people shouting, crying, and even screaming. Ryn, Rowan, and Kay were still on the floor processing what they had just heard and recovering from the fall. Ryn grabbed the hand closest to her and realized it was Rowan’s. Ryn was trembling but the warmth and strength she felt coming from Rowan was comforting. The three stood up and scanned the crowd looking for Ashlynn and David. They saw them immediately; David was carrying Ashlynn threshold style. When the couple came to the corner of the room Ryn realized that Ashlynn was hurt. “Put her down here,” Ryn said softly. David gently propped her up against the sea blue wall. Ryn stood and asked David, “What happened?!” David replied, “We were coming up the stairs when the boat shook and she twisted her ankle. It was my fault; I should have been more watchful and careful.” “David, please don’t do that to yourself. It was not your fault. You had no way of knowing that was going to happen. No one did.” Ryn expressed.
The shaking continued but not quite as strong as before. The captain came back on the intercom. “Please everyone form a line and calmly walk to the dining room entrance. Thank you.” The dining room transformed. People began gathering their belongings and somewhat calmly formed a line. There were a few staff at the entrance assigning people numbers and colors. When Ryn, David, Ashlynn, Kay, and Rowan finally got to the entrance it was 3:45 AM. Ryn, David, Ashlynn, and Rowan were assigned into the “Blue 7” group but Kay was sent to the “Yellow 2” group. Rowan pleaded with the staff members but the only reply he received was “Next.” After a quick goodbye the four and one were sent off to their respective groups. Little did they know that that would be the last time they would see Kay.
Ryn, David, Ashlynn, and Rowan were directed to the starboard side of the boat with about 200 other passengers. The staff gave out one blanket for every two people. Rowan took two blankets and handed them to David and Ashlynn and Ryn. David and Ashlynn curled up and fell asleep. Rowan and Ryn were forced to sit side by side as the wind was bone chilling. Ryn leaned against the railing, shivering, and thinking about what had happened in the past two hours. She felt Rowan moving beside her and she opened her eyes just as he swung his arm around her shoulders. She smiled, closed her eyes, and laid her head on his arm and fell asleep.
Ryn woke as Rowan’s arm jerked out from under her head. Ryn began sliding. Her eyes shot open, the boat she had seen before no longer existed. The whole boat had tipped at almost a right angle. Ryn grabbed the railing whilst dodging equipment belongings and sadly, people. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds of people screaming as they slid down the boat’s deck with nothing to grab onto. She felt someone slide past her and call “Ryn!” but she didn’t open her eyes. There was nothing she could do for them now. After who knows how long she could feel the ocean lapping at her feet. She opened her eyes and was shocked; the boat had sunk half way underwater. She began slowly, agonizingly pulling herself up towards the hull, using the railing. "Ashlynn! David! Rowan!,” Ryn screamed, her voice breaking from the strain of her cries. Twenty feet above her there was a cabin. She saw the door swing open and Rowan’s head popped out. Tears began streaming down her face and she began pulling as hard as she could.
Ten minutes later, exhausted, she crawled in through the cabin door. Rowan, David, and Ashlynn were simultaneously blowing up a life raft. She leaned against the wall and let the tears cascade down her face. She peaked out the cabin door and saw that the water was only twenty feet from the cabin door. It was as if the boat was slowly being eaten by the sea. “We’d better hurry up guys. Unless you want this to be your grave,” Ryn said weakly. The other three looked at her and continued blowing. The life raft was almost blown up but it wouldn’t be blown up by the time the water reached them. “We have to move, we can take the raft and find some other dry place to continue blowing it up,” Rowan declared. Ryn, David, and Ashlynn had no objection to his idea. Rowan climbed out of the cabin door and grabbed Ashlynn’s hand and led her as best as he could to another cabin fifty feet above. Ryn and David lay back against the wall and closed their eyes. Ryn felt arms wrap around her and she opened her eyes and saw Rowan’s blue ones. Rowan carried Ryn out the door and set her down. “Will you be alright to climb up to the other cabin?!” Rowan asked. “Ummm, yea, I’ll be alright,” Ryn replied tiredly. Rowan disappeared into the cabin as Ryn began climbing up the deck to get to the cabin.
Ryn lay on the floor and watched the sun slowly rise on the horizon. The waves lapped against the edge of the once magnificent ship that was now a graveyard. Ryn thought of the events of the past few hours, the horrors. She hopped up from her “bed” which was 1 blanket on the deck. Rowan, Ashlynn, and David had been searching for food in the cabin. A shout rose from the cabin “Whoohoo!”. Ryn poked her head in and found David, Ashlynn, and Rowan next to a cabinet full of canned soups and crackers. “I have never been so excited to see a can of clam chowder!” Rowan exclaimed. “I‘ve never had clam chowder for breakfast either but there’s a first time for everything,” Ryn said. The three looked up and noticed her for the first time. “Well, good morning sleepy head. We wondered if you’d ever wake up,” Rowan said softly. “I didn’t actually sleep but, good morning to you too.” Rowan scooted over and patted an unoccupied space of hard wood. Ryn walked over and sat cross legged with Rowan on her right and David on her left. “Well, let’s dig in. I’m starving!” Ryn said as she grabbed the can of clam chowder. She stood up and used the door handle to tear a hole in the lid of the metal can. “Here, I’ll open y’alls if you want me to?” Ryn said as she held out her hand. She soon had her hands full with three cans of soup. Her stomach began to grumble as she opened her fellow survivor’s soup.
Ryn lay in the hot cabin trying to sleep after the long night. She jumped up and walked to the doorway of the cabin and stared at the never ending sea. The ship had stopped sinking just as the sun had peeped over the horizon, which left seventy feet of the ship above water and the other seven hundred thirty in the depths of the sea. Ryn shivered as she thought of all of the bodies forever trapped in the metal tomb. Ryn heard a chopping noise far off that didn’t sound like the ever blowing wind she had heard all night. She covered her eyes and squinted in the direction of the noise. She saw the nose of the helicopter first. Ryn started screaming and waving her arms. Rowan bolted out of the cabin to see what was wrong. Soon all four teenagers were screaming and waving their arms to make sure that the helicopter saw them. The jet black helicopter hovered over the cabin as the teenagers rejoiced.
A rope ladder was dropped from the helicopter 50 feet above. Ashlynn grabbed hold of it and began the journey upwards to safety. Rowan, Ryn, David waited patiently as could be expected for Ashlynn to reach the safety of the helicopter. When Ashlynn had climbed half way up the ladder a man leaned out of the cabin and motioned for one of the remaining survivors to begin the climb. David immediately hopped on the ladder and speedily made his way to Ashlynn’s side. Ryn, with tears streaming down her cheeks, had rested her head on Rowan’s shoulder.
The next days went by in a flash of doctors, interviewers, teary eyed visits from family, and sleep. Ryn had been discharged from the hospital with minor scrapes and bruises and was getting back into the swing of things. Rowan, Ashlynn, and David had all been cleared and discharged days after Ryn. To the excitement of Rowan and Ryn, David had proposed and he and Ashlynn were to be married in the spring. The four remained friends for the rest of their lives.
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