Junior Kamryn Schultz, starts the second half of her serialized book titled Redemption. Chapters will be revealed every two weeks. Make sure to check back twice a month and leave comments on what you think about it. If you missed the twelfth chapter, read The Project.

“Why is my backpack so heavy?”

I slouched over from the painful weight on my back. Trying to adjust the straps was no use since they pinched my shoulders anyway they sat.

The gear given to us in the lab were standard traveling items; food and water, clothes, and money for travels. There were also ropes, pickaxes, and a utility belt filled with gadgets I wasn’t allowed to look at until later. The gear weighed a couple pounds more than I expected, and the effort of lugging it around was killing me.

Indi looked at me with a blank expression, carrying her pack with ease.

“Once we get on the boat you can put it down and rest. We’ve only been walking for an hour.”

In the distance I saw the sea spreading across the horizon. The sun slowly dipped behind the silent waves and the faded moon rose into the night sky as we traveled along the dusty path. An hour felt like days for me carrying the heavy gear. Indi seemed to be handling her things fine, why was I struggling so much?

We arrived at the dock, the area finally pitch black with nothing but a couple oil lamps to illuminate the captain’s face and his enormous boat. Etched on the side of the ship was the name “Blue Wanderer.”

“Why hello there, travelers.” The captain’s bright blue eyes distracted me from the pain I was in. His scruffy beard matched the night sky, dark and mysterious. “Where do ya wish to be headin’ on such a fine evening?”

“We were hoping to travel a bit farther than you usually go, Tomas.” Indi stuck her hand in her coat pocket and slip a small pouch into the captain’s hand. Tomas peeked inside and gave a small gasp.

“Lass, for this much I expect you’d want me to travel halfway ‘round the world!”

“After everything you’ve done for me Tomas, this doesn’t even cover it.” For the first time, I saw Indi smirk at the captain. Her thin pale lips curved upward for a second but quickly returned to their resting place.

“We need to get to Germany, as quick as possible, please. We only have so much time.”

Tomas looked at us suspiciously. He leaned over Indy to take a quick glance at me. Seeing how tired I was, he ushered us both on board his vessel.

“Don’t you worry, lassies,” he assured us. “I get you there quicker than the flick of a horse’s tail.”

A sailor escorted us to our rooms below the deck. For such an average looking ship, the accommodations weren’t bad. We each had a bed to sleep in, a nice bathroom, and enough room for some privacy.

I unpacked what my father had given me; a couple pairs of clothes, a toothbrush and one single picture of my mother. It tormented me every time I looked at it, knowing that I couldn’t see her until this dangerous deed was done.

Indi had unpacked surprisingly fast and was already asleep, facing away from me towards her window. I really wanted to get to know her more, considering I had only met her a little while ago in Michigan.

Now I was traveling around Europe with her to find these strange gems that held “unimaginable power.” Whatever that meant. This whole endeavor was confusing me beyond belief. Maybe I just needed rest.

Laying back on the soft covers, I closed my eyes and dreamed of happier days. Times when I smiled for once and laughed until my sides hurt. Days when Farryn was alive.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I woke up to the blinding sun glaring at me through the porthole. Indi was gone, the sheets on her bed made and the pillows neatly fluffed. I got dressed and headed up on deck to get some fresh air.

I couldn’t believe how gorgeous the ocean could be. The sky was filled with cotton balls of clouds, each one more beautiful than the next. Some traveled together, some alone, but all moving slowly across the bright blue sky.

I looked over the side of the ship to watch the waves lap against it. The white foam sizzled and spurred its way along, attaching itself to the boat, then disappearing completely. Each clear ripple cascaded around the boat, then ventured off into the unknown.

The water rested as far as the eye could see and seemed to spill over the horizon as the sun shone brightly above it. With no land in sight, I was worried we were losing time.

“Hey kid, you’re up.”

I looked to my left and saw Indi eating food on a small plate. She looked out across the ocean lost in a deeper thought than I was.

“I thought you’d never wake up.”

“Sorry,” I answered with the sleep still stuck in my eyes. “I’ve never had such a good sleep. It was strange.”

Indi kept eating her eggs and biscuits, never meeting my eyes.

“What, you don’t sleep well?”

“I just haven’t slept this well since Farryn was around.”

Indy nodded her head but still didn’t look at me. For a while, there was silence, with just the waves offering a sense of company. Finally, Indi’s small voice perked up.

“Paige, I really have to tell you something, and it’s somewhat important to why we’re doing this at all.”

I nodded curiously.

“When you met me in Michigan, back at that hospital, I wasn’t there for my daughter. I was there for one of your dad’s assistants who got injured in that car accident.” She paused, struggling to explain the truth. “Someone is targeting you. Your friend’s car looked similar to your own, and the person after you was trying to kill you.”

I stood there stunned, my jaw dropped. 

“Mr. Hawthorne got word of the attack and had one of his assistants intercept it, reducing the damage done to your friend and her family. I know this doesn’t excuse the fact that he was wrong to kidnap you for his project but I just want you to know that he cares about you.”

“He doesn’t care,” I scoffed. “He just needed me alive for his project. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got rid of me as soon as I find these gems for him, like he did with my sister.”

I rubbed my head and paced across the deck, trying to make sense of all this.

“But who’s after me? What do they want?” I thought out loud. “I mean it has to do something with the gems, but why would they kill me if I’m apparently the ONLY one who can find them?”

Indi finally interrupted my brainstorming.

“These gems have been well sought after for years. Obviously, there will be others in search of the artifacts. Although many who attempt to attain them have died trying, there are the few who gain the right tools and mindsets to get the job done.”

“What sort of tools?” I asked.

“Connections. People, specifically. Like you, there are others who can activate the gems, something buried in their DNA I guess. No scientific way to explain it, but because you are able to make the gems glow and give them their power, there’s a possibility you can do the same with the other two.”

“Good morning, lassies!”

Tomas approached us with a wide smile and inviting voice. Now in better lighting, this man seemed even more friendly than before, his dark hair shining and glistening as if on display. His distinct mustache didn’t distract from those same blue eyes from the night we first met, and he held his arms out in a welcoming manner.

“I hope you slept well, Paige. I do believe there’s a bit of sausage and eggs left for ya, darling. If you hurry you’ll get there before ol’ Bary. He eats twice as much as your average fellow, and shows for it too.”  He chuckled at his own words.

“Thank you so much, Captain, but I’m not too hungry,” I assured him. 

“But breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Alright then. If you change your mind I’ll make sure to save ya some food in the kitchen. Go on in whenever you want.”

Indi looked out on the horizon, completely not involved in our conversation. “When do we land, Tomas?”

“Well, we seem to be on the right course, and the weather is quite a beauty right now. We should be arriving just after supper.”

Indy looked back at Tomas, nodded, then returned to her daydreaming.

As Tomas walked away, I grabbed his shoulder.

“Captain?” I asked.

“Oh darlin’ please, call me Tomas. It’s what everyone else calls me.”

“Oh, OK. How long have you known Indiana?”

Tomas gazed over at Indi leaning over the side of the ship, her distinct hair moving with the wind. He stared at her for a while, seeming to forget my question.

“I used to love her,” he finally answered with a sigh. “We met when we were in college, we did. We lived here; she was studyin’ abroad from America. As soon as I saw her, butterflies grew in my stomach and moved like ne’er before.”

I smiled as his sudden passion for someone so quiet and isolated.

“She didn’t use to be like this; so lonesome. She was quite the lil’ adventurer back in the day. We went everywhere together and enjoyed every moment of it. I never saw her without that beautiful smile of hers.

“We’d been together so long, I thought we’d eventually get married and start a family. One day she got a job working for a traveling agency. She told me she would be gone a lot and we wouldn’t get to spend a lot of time together, which I understood.”

Tomas paused for a moment and glanced back at Indi as if to make sure she was still there.

“Days turned into weeks, then months. I didn’t hear back from her for almost a year. When she came back to find me her beautiful golden hair was colored, her smile had disappeared entirely, and the once glowing aura around her had faded into a darkness I’d never seen.

“She wouldn’t explain what happened, which caused us to fight more. One day she just left. I became so depressed I sold everything I owned, boarded a boat quite like this one and sailed around the world in search of purpose. That’s how I got involved with sailing, and how I acquired this here beauty of a vessel.

“I didn’t hear from Indiana until a couple days ago when she needed a favor involving my crew. She spoke over the phone sounded desperate, so I assumed she wanted me back. But alas, that isn’t the case now is it?”

A tear almost fell from my eyes as Tomas finished his short but emotional story.

“Tomas, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

He smiled. “It’s not your fault, lass. Just wasn’t meant to be I guess.”

I gave him a comforting smile but knew he needed more than my sympathy.

“Captain! Something’s coming up on our radar and we need your help.”

A sailor from below deck beckoned Tomas to follow him. Tomas tipped his hat to me.

“Glad I could be of some service, lass. Enjoy the rest of your journey on the Blue Wanderer.”

He headed down below as Indi walked towards me.

“What was that about?” She asked in a dull tone, watching him until he disappeared from sight.

“Oh, nothing. Just the history of the ship and all. It’s really quite fascinating.”

“Yep.”

Awkward silence ensued as the ship moved slowly through the waves. Indi finally patted me on the back.

“I’m heading back to the room. You can stay up here if you want.”

Indi started to walk back to our room with her hands in her pockets and the wind waving her bright hair. She looked so hopeless and alone. Now that I knew part of her story, I would do anything I could to bring her back to her former glory.

For the first chapter, read Confronting weaknesses. If you missed chapter two, read Is she OK?.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @schultz_kamryn and via email: Kamryn Schultz.