Continued........ Chapter 24: Nathan had been sitting in the ships cell for almost two days. His hair turned into a tangle of blonde and dirt, and his wounds had started to fill his body with pain and stings ,and made him cry out quietly in agony. Although he had looked healthy when he came out of the castle, the wounds hadn't been treated at all after, and had reopened. He didn't mind though, because he knew the guards would take him out of the cell, walk him outside, and before they would reach the castle, Nathan knew that he could break free, and could get help for the gashes and bruises that covered him. Once he could do this, he decided he would go look for his ship, and make sure Rider was gone forever. He was beginning to loose faith in the rest of his friends though. He was wondering why he keeps coming back to his friends. His #life used to be full of fun, no rules, and nobody to pull him back. Now, all there has been is trouble. He shook his head, and changed the subject, knowing he loved his friends very much. But no matter how much he tried to forget it, he kept thinking about them. "I came back for them when they need help..." He whispered, angry," why do they just leave me here?" Nathan didn't know that his friends thought he had left them. Rider told them he would catch up, and he hadn't. The idea of Nathan being captured hadn't even crossed their minds. "I will break it of here without them...maybe I should fly them to the city when i find them. i could just leave them..." His thoughts were interrupted by the large wooden door flying open. "We are in Atlas now. Get up on your feet and come with me." The guard,A very large man with smooth black hair, said harshly. Nathan obeyed him, and was shoved up the stairs to the deck. He turned to the guard, and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could. He could of done worse, but with chains on him hands, it was nearly impossible. The guard hit the wood with a thud, and before the rest came to help, Nathan was off, flying in the cool evening breeze. With a slight laugh of both happiness and pride, he started to look for his ship. On the horizon, he saw the dark purple sails of his ship, and in a split second, he was racing towards it. Chapter 25: "What's that?" Asked jack, looking at a black dot that looked like it was heading right towards the ship. "It's Nathan!" Yelled Rose. Rider snuck down to the lower deck to where the cannons were, and secretly loaded one, aimed it at Nathan, and lit the fuze. He knew he would tell them about how he left him, and Rider didn't want to loose Jaspers trust. his solution was simple. he had to get rid of Nathan before he arrived. With a violent shake to the boat, the canon was fired, but missed the boy by a few inches. "What are you doing!" Screamed Jack, who was now standing behind Rider. "Yah, that's Nathan!"rose said. Jasper came out of the cabin, and asked what happened. Before they finished explaining, they saw Nathan on the deck. The kids all ran up and hugged him, and Rider tried to get to the cabin unnoticed, but didn't make it. "Where you trying to get me killed? Why did you leave me, I know you saw I needed help!" Nathan yelled at Rider in fury. "What are you talking about?" Asked Jasper. "Rider saw me being captured on the boat, but he turned and left. I sat in that cell for two days! No food, no water!" "He said you would catch up." Jack added. "We'll, he is a liar."Nathan said in a voice that he had never used before. It was angry. But not just angry. It was like he was going to just throw Rider off the boat right then. "Dad...really?" "I'm sorry Jasper. Nathan, I don't know what I was doing." "Rider, I want you off my ship, ok. Thats what your doing now. Go find your own. I'm sorry Jasper, but I don't want him here any longer." " it's ok. I thought he had changed." Jasper said, then turned to Rider," I'm going to say goodbye to you now dad. I lived without you before, and I can do it again."and then he turned and went into the cabin. Rose brought Nathan down to the kitchen and got him food, and jack followed shortly after. "What have I done? I ruined my relationship with my son ,and his friends. Oh, i don't need them." Rider said, turning dark and cruel inside. Chapter 26: The sun blared on the ships deck, lighting the cabin where Rider had been put. He woke up, and still felt his anger towards everyone, especially Nathan. His stomach growled, and he decided to go get some food before he had to leave. Everybody was in the kitchen. Rose and Jack were cooking breakfast, Jasper was looking at a map on the table, and Nathan was sitting in a chair next to the table. He was pale now, and Rider was surprised at how bad he looked, Not that he felt bad though. "Good morning." Rider said, coldly. "We found your ship."Jasper said. "I guess it's almost time to go then, huh." "Yes. We are going to pull up beside it, and you will jump onto it." Rose explained. Rider grabbed an apple off the table, and went up to the deck. Not far behind, Jasper followed. Jasper headed to the wheel, and started to make his way to Riders ship. After almost an hour and a half of sailing, they reached his ship, and pushed the plank out so it made a long, uneasy ladder to Riders ship. Rider said his goodbyes, not like anybody heard them, and walked over to his ship, and then they pulled the plank back. "He's gone. I know I've lived without him all my #life, but....I can't believe he really gone."jasper said. He wasn't sure if he was happy or sad that he was gone. "We're here for you. Don't forget that."Jack responded, and Rose nodded. The three friends went down to the kitchen to finish breakfast, and Nathan was still sitting in the chair. But now, he was pure white, and he was shivering violently. They ran over to him, and all decided they had to get him help, and fast. "Where would we go? My dad won't help, and there are no other people in Atlas who would know how."Rose pointed out. "I know where we can go, but you must know, it's dangerous."Jack said. "Where?"Jasper asked. "My home...Vale." They all agreed that they needed to go there, but were worried of what Jack meant by dangerous. They sailed for hours, but by every minute, Nathan was getting worse. He was shaking now, and when Rose tried to move him to the cabin, he couldn't even stand by himself. "We're here." Jack said. They looked off the deck, and saw an old little town. It scared them all. The houses were falling apart, and broken windows. They saw the people hiding in the cracks of the houses, holes in the ground, and where ever they could find. "Ready?"Jack asked. "Ready." Jasper said, and Rose went to get Nathan. Chapter 27: They walked off the ship carrying Nathan, and Jack was telling them where to go. "It's the only house that looks new, and my mother lives there. She knows how to fix things like this, I used to watch her do it all the time." "Where is her house?"asked Jasper "Right there," he answered, pointing to a brown house. It looked new, and inside, they could see a little old lady with grey, frizzy hair and an apron. They walked up to the door, and knocked hesitantly. "Who is it?" Came her voice. "Mom, it's me, Jack. We need your help, our friend in sick." "The door is unlocked." They walked in, and gave Nathan to the woman. "This is going to be hard, but I can save him."she smiled and said. She went over to her metal cabinets, and pulled out something that looked like honey, and gave it to Nathan, then payed him down on an old flower couch. "He will sleep for an hour, then you may take him." She said. They sat there on the floor, watching him for what seemed like forever. Finally, he sat up, and had color in his face and looked great. "She healed me! I don't have any cuts or bruises either!"Nathan yelled.
