"Hey, Maeve, the water tell you anything about the current events?" Kaelin quipped, resting on her makeshift
pant flotation device.
"Still salty," Maeve replied.
"That's it? I'm getting cold."
"The water's fairly temperate."
"Still cold."
"I wish I could do something, but I don't think I can. Best is to wait until it gets dark, and then I'll light off a flame."
"Shut up! You can freeze and move water at will. You just don't want to."
"There's too much stuff in this water. There's too much salt."
"You can't move saltwater? Seriously?"
"I can move water. Sometimes the salt goes with, sometimes it doesn't. But I'm not strong enough to part the sea."
"So you're like a barometer for salt, then, yeah? Where's the fresh water? It's gotta be less salty somewhere, and that'll tell us which way to go."
"It's all pretty much the same, sorry."
"Can you heat the water, since you can also freeze it?"
"I haven't strictly tried, but I'm fairly sure I can't, so let's go with a no."
"Seriously? You've got to be able to do something."
Maeve continued to float for a few minutes, weighing the possibilities.
"I can dive and see if I can find a halocline, but if we're getting freshwater from anywhere, it should be up here, not down there."
"If there's a change, does that mean we're close to land?"
"Maybe, but maybe not. It might mean nothing."
"Do it," Kaelin said fiercely. "Do it!"
Maeve hesitated.
"Why aren't you doing it?" Kaelin demanded.
"Because...I might not come up in the same spot, and then you'll be alone."
Kaelin said a few not-nice things. Maeve glared at her.
"Come on, please?" she finally begged. "You might be able to float out here forever, but I can't. I'm cold, and thirsty, and hungry."
"Why do I feel like I am going to regret this?" Maeve shook her head, and wrapped her pants around her little sister. "Listen--don't try to go anywhere unless you can find some wreckage. If you do, get on it."
"How will you know then?"
"I'm hoping it'll block out enough light that I'll see it."
Kaelin nodded.
"If my pants lose too much air, just kick them loose, ok? Just keep yourself floating."
"What happens if you get eaten by a shark?"
"What on earth?" Maeve exclaimed, exasperated.
"I don't think you should go."
"You just cussed me out for not going."
"I'm just cold, ok? I'll be fine."
"Yeah, sure. Sit tight, I'll be back in a few minutes."
Kaelin nodded, and watched as her sister breathed for a few minutes, then dived out of sight.