CHAPTER ONE: PILOT

Helicopter blades whirred overhead. Rescue boats with flashing red and blue lights rocked back and forth along the gentle waves of the sea as police officers hopped out of the boats and onto the shallow river bed, rushing towards the burning S.O.S sign made out of wood and twine.

Their voices muffled as if they spoke in whispers, but they weren't whispers. Rather the world around, and the events that transpired were too loud to even think or fathom that help had finally come.

If only they arrived before everything went to shit. If only they had come to our rescue a bit sooner. None of this would've happened.

They raced to the scene "Are you alright?" The words finally formed

"Is there anyone else with you?"

Anyone else? Where? Here? Or elsewhere?

Wrapped in a thermal blanket and taken into the boat, it was finally over. The view of the island slowly disappearing behind as the boat raced forward.

Is it really over, or is this just the beginning?

"Earth to Emma" Max snapped his fingers in her face, calling her back from her somewhat self induced trance "Is there a bird out there that you just couldn't help but stare at?"

Her hazel eyes shot in the direction of Max who was smiling sheepishly at her. She blinked a couple of times, trying to remember where she was "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if you're excited about the field trip?" Max asked her for what appeared to be the second time

"As excited as I am about it, there's like a one in a million chance either one of us gets picked" She paused as she tucked her hair behind her ear "We're more likely to get picked to sweep the entire faculty building than to spend a week at Misthaven Bay at the other side of the planet"

She sighed as her head fell back down onto her hardwood desk.

Misthaven Bay was every adventurer's dream location with its picturesque coastal haven that could easily captivate anyone with its pristine sandy shores, rugged cliffs, and lush forests. The tranquil atmosphere is heightened by the rhythmic lapping of waves and the melody of seabirds overhead.

Inland, vibrant wetlands and estuaries add to the bay's ecological richness, providing a sanctuary for diverse wildlife.

"Well we'll never get to do anything exciting if you keep that attitude up" Max said patting her hazelnut hair "Today could be our lucky day"

The rest of the class chatted away amongst several segregated groups, until Professor Rachel Turner, the head of Environmental Studies, graced the room with her presence. The loud and unsettled classroom became an environment of peace and tranquility.

"As you are all aware" Professor Rachel Turner began to speak "This excursion to Misthaven Bay not only serves as extra credit to this course but it is also a means to escape and relax. All of your essays have been graded and the lucky few have been chosen"

"What are the odds that were a part of the “lucky few”?" Max whispered to Emma making air quotes as he spoke

"Less than 30% but then better things have happened with lesser odds" Emma whispered back

"I have in my hand a list of fifteen students who would take part in the trip to Misthaven Bay, so be sure to signify if your name is mentioned" She cleared her throat as she opened up the piece of paper

"Only fifteen, out of a class of one hundred" Emma sighed, dropping her head back on the desk "forget it. It's hopeless"

"Don't count your chickens till they're hatched" Max tapped her shoulders

"Or snatched" Emma shot back smacking his hand away

"Avery Thompson" Professor Rachel Turner called

"Here" Avery squealed as she raised her hand in excitement

"Evan Reynolds"

"I'm here" He said with his hand up

"Even your brother is going, there's still hope" Max tapped her shoulder

"Unlike me, he has better luck" Emma said lifting her head

"Weird how you're both twins" Max chuckled

"I question my mom and dad everyday on how we're related" Emma said turning to look back Professor Turner as she continued calling names

"Mia Wallace"

"Present" Mia waved her hand in the air

"Lucas Martinez"

"Over here" Lucas yelled from the back of the classroom

"Late again, I presume Mr Martinez?" Professor Turner grilled

"No ma'am. I've been here from the start" Lucas responded

"Very well, moving on; Natalie Wong"

"Right here" Natalie answered from the front row

"Elijah Martin"

"Present and ready to chill" Elijah responded

"Still trying so hard to be funny I see" Professor Turner sighed at his response

"I'll definitely make you laugh before I graduate" Elijah added with a smile on his face

"You can only try" Professor Turner said before she continued reading the names "Isabel Rodriguez"

"Here" She responded adjusting the glasses on her face

"Milo Harper"

"Present" He answered

"How many names have been called already?" Emma asked Max who seemed to be lost in deep focus

"Eight names" Max said to her "Only seven more to go" He added with his fingers crossed

"Zara Ahmed"

"Here" She cheered with and explosive burst of energy

"Caleb Foster"

"I'm right here" He responded stroking his neatly trimmed beard in excitement

"Ava Mitchell"

"Present ma'am" She voiced out

"Owen Ramirez"

"I'm here" He answered breathing into the frame of his shades before wiping off the mist with a soft wipe

"Sophia Chen"

"Here" Sophia answered flicking her hair behind her

"Final two names" Max said to Emma who was between joy and total breakdown

"I can feel my heart pounding inside my chest" She whispered

"Max Baker"

"Here" He yelled at the top of his voice, failing to hold back his joy and excitement. Realizing he scared half the class, he cleared his throat and spoke in a softer tone "Sorry, I'm here"

"And last but certainly not the least, Emma Reynolds"

"Here" She said softly raising her hand

"The following students mentioned are to make themselves available in school tomorrow morning. Myself and Dr. Oliver Bennett would be the supervisors of this trip so I expect you all to be on your best behavior. That would be all" Professor Turner said before stepping out of the classroom.

"We got in," Max screamed, grabbing Emma by her shoulders. "Why aren't you as excited as I am?"

"I'm still trying to process the fact that that just happened" Emma said as a stray tear dropped from her eye

"You're crying?"

"Tears of mother freaking joy" She laughed as she tried to hold back her tears from falling even harder

"Given how much bad luck you have, I'm surprised you got selected" Evan said trailing over from across the room

"Given how dumb you are I'm surprised you managed to structure words together to form an essay or did you use AI?" Emma shot back

"Of course I did. Emma gpt" He chuckled

"Well it's the last time I'm helping you do anything" She rolled her eyes

"Thanks sis. I owe you big time" He smiled as he ruffled her hair

"Can you stop…" She smacked his hand away

"I'll catch you both later" Evan said as he walked back to his group

"Yo Evan" Elijah called out to him "You done playing big brother?"

"Someone sounds jealous cause he's an only child" Evan snickered as he rejoined the circle

"I'm not jealous" Elijah scoffed

"You sure do sound like you are" Lucas joined in the conversation

"Man listen, why can't you just put in a good word with your sister for me?" Elijah said throwing a hand over Evan's shoulder

"Should I put in a good word at the morgue for you too?" Evan grinned at him

"You'd kill me if I talked to her?" Elijah gasped holding his chest dramatically

"Fuck around and find out" Evan smiled

"Alright enough before you two get serious'' Lucas said, stepping in between the two of them "We have a whole week of fun and excitement ahead of us so why don't we focus our attention in that direction. And besides there would definitely be pretty girls over at Misthaven Bay so no need to fight over Emma"

"Already thinking about girls before we even leave for Misthaven Bay" Ava Mitchell said from behind them with Sophia Chen beside her

"Well some of us haven't found our soul mates yet" Lucas gave a snappy comeback

"If you are referring to the rumors of Sophia and I dating then you're as dumb as the rest of the idiots" Ava rolled her eyes

"Yikes. Someone seems pissed off and it's not even noon yet" Evan joked

"I just realized that I haven't prepared anything for the trip and I'll need to pull an all nighter just to get ready" Ava responded looking rather exasperated

"Well you can always come by my place and prepare" Elijah grinned at her

"We'd rather go on the trip naked" Sophia rolled her eyes

"What's with the attitude? We were minding our business before you two came over to ruin our moment" Evan said to them

"Sorry" They both said before turning away

Lucas turned to look at Elijah and Evan who seemed just as confused as he was "That was weird"

"It definitely was" They both added before turning to look at the girls as they walked out of the classroom

"So anyways Evan back to what I was saying, just introduce us" Elijah turned to meet Evan's eyes

"I'll introduce you to my fist if you don't shut up" Evan responded as he made a fist towards Elijah who raised his hands in the air laughing

Zara Ahmed who moved to the front of the class soon after Professor Turner left turned to look at the boys as they fought and joked amongst themselves "Why are boys so loud?"

Mia chuckled as she turned to look at them "I think it's cute how they can just be themselves without having to worry about what anyone thinks or says. Just let them be"

"It'll be hard to just let them be, considering we're all going to be spending the next week with them over at Misthaven Bay" Zara complained before resting her head on the desk

"Well you'll just have to ignore them and focus on me" Mia stroked her hair

"What would I do without you in my life?" Zara said softly

"You'd probably do a lot but with me you'd do them faster" Mia responded with a smile on her face

The rest of the school day went by without worries and or hiccups. The students chatted away amongst their individual and collective friend groups, making plans on how they would waste away sleeping or doing something completely outside of the desired agenda.

The trip to Misthaven Bay wasn't just a relaxing week away from school, but also a means of collective research and extra credit. It was a way for the selected students to explore and expand their current knowledge through hands-on experience on the field, and the only place that could provide that experience for the environmental studies class was Misthaven Bay.

At 4pm, the fifteen selected students sat together in the classroom where they were chosen barely a few hours ago to plan as a unit on how they would carry out their environmental research but also still have the time for rest and relaxation

"I'd say we devote an hour a day to research and data collection" Lucas suggested, being the leader of the pack of boys who would rather talk to chicks and take some pics

"An hour a day seems a bit too limited considering we need to explore the whole of the environment examining the soil, the water and the ecosystem at large" Isabel Rodriguez spoke up

"Well that is true but it's not like we know exactly what research would be carried out. We'll probably be assigned something different and most likely in different designated groups" Caleb foster added

"So what do you all suggest we do?" Elijah asked

"I think we're overthinking this whole trip and work program" Emma Reynolds said, bringing everyone's attention towards her direction

"What do you mean?" Zara asked

"Well like Caleb said, we don't really know what we'd be doing and at the end of the day we might not even do anything remotely related to research so why don't we just look forward to enjoying the break offered to us on a silver platter" Emma added

"And if it calls for us needing to examine and document findings we could all just work in a closely knit group and submit our findings together, sharing whatever extra credit we get assigned. That way everyone gets to make the best of the moment" Max added

"The wonder twins do have a point" Lucas spoke up "But then we all should have it at the back of our minds that we won't be slacking off completely, considering the fact that Professor Turner and Dr. Oliver would be resent on the trip"

"Those two don't know what rest is" Milo Harper chuckled

"I mean like honestly, how old are they anyways, like 60?" Avery snickered

"They're old enough to give birth to all of us here that's for sure"

The whole group burst out laughing, finding a common ground to bond with.

"Well the day is going to turn dark soon so we might as well head out. It's a big day tomorrow" Owen said looking at his wristwatch

"This is the only time I'll ever look forward to coming to school on a Saturday" Max grunted as he rose from his seat "I for one am beat and ready to call it a day"

"Same here" Lucas said grabbing his backpack from the desk in front of him

"See you guys tomorrow" Sophia waved at the group

They all said their goodbyes and trailed slowly behind each other to the front of the school before each found their own way back to their private residences.

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