Sea (A Stranded Novel) by Theresa Shaver

plans.”
    Mason agreed, David seemed like an ok ay guy but he was a little too nice for this new world and he’d have to toughen up if he wanted a ride up into Canada. He dumped his plate into the full sink and headed back up on deck passing Lisa as she came down for her turn in the shower.
    Mark looked her up and down and smirked. “Hey there , princess, it looks like you’ve lost some of the shine from your crown.”
    Lisa glared at him. “Could you be anymore disgusting, Mark? Really, you should grab the next shower. I just stopped puking and the smell coming off of you is about to start me heaving again ,” she said with disgust and quickly went into the bedroom and slammed the door.
    Mark stared at the closed door and brooded. Lisa had always treated him like crap and he’d taken it but this was a brand new world they were in and the rules had changed. He had always been in Mason’s shadow, the popular quarterback’s sidekick. Mark knew he wasn’t good looking or talented enough to be popular so sticking close to Mason in school was a no -brainer. He got all the benefits of being in the popular crowd without having to do any work, but all that was over now. It no longer mattered what crowd you were in. All that mattered was being strong and smart and ruthless. He planned on being all those things and more. He would deal with Mason as long as they needed this boat but after that he was going to learn that he wasn’t number one anymore. As for Lisa, if she wanted to live, she would need to prove her worth to him. A small satisfied smile spread across Mark’s face as he thought about his future.

Chapter 7
    The next two days were uneventful. They played cards to pass the time or stayed on deck in the sun relaxing. Emily, Tim and David took turns making meals in the small galley. It was no surprise to find out that none of the others could cook. She found herself organizing and inventorying the supplies again and again. She couldn’t stop thinking about what was to come once they docked. Knowing that they couldn’t just go get food in a store made her nervous and she knew that all the stores would be picked clean by the time they got back to land. David and Tim pored over the maps that he had gotten at the gas station plotting the best routes through Washington State to the Canadian border. Mason didn’t seem to be all that interested in the maps and Emily thought he was trusting David with it. Mark did nothing. He hardly talked to anyone, but Emily could see him watching everything. It gave her the creeps every time she felt his eyes on her. She used to just think Mark was a mean bully but lately she felt something more menacing coming from him. She tried to stay away from him and she noticed Lisa did as well.
    Lisa had reverted back to her sarcastic attitude and the common ground between the two girls seemed to be lost. She spent most of her time on deck working on her tan, wearing a bikini she had found in Tim’s closet. When she had emerged on deck in the small white suit two days ago, all the guys had stared, making Lisa toss her hair and pose like a model.
    “I hope you don’t mind, Tim, I found this in the back of your closet and since I didn’t bring my own I borrowed it,” she said with a flirty smile.
    “Um, yeah…ok, sure. I mean, no problem. It was probably left by one of my exes.” He shook his head in amusement.
    David looked at Emily and just shrugged before turning back to the wide expanse of ocean ahead of them. Mason was openly staring at her and Mark had a creepy leer on his face. Emily shook her head in disgust at the boys and went and sat with David.
    She hadn’t really talked to him since they had set sail. She shoulder bumped him and he gave her a smile.
    With a sad sigh, she asked him, “What do you think is happening at home?”
    He turned his gaze back out to the ocean and frowned. “I don’t know but I’m sure all of our families are okay. They would be looking out for