Andrea's parachute opened as she pulled the string down. She gasped as the movement jerked her upwards suddenly. She looked over at Cascade, who had also deployed her parachute. Cascade seemed very distracted, constantly changing her viewpoint.

"What is it?" Andrea asked, curious. But when she followed Cascade's gaze she already knew the answer.

"Rough seas," was all Cascade said.

Andrea knew perfectly well what she meant. Huge, vicious-looking waves broke and crashed onto the shore of a tiny, barren-looking island. The waves tormented the island, ever threatening to tear it down. They seemed to quarrel amongst themselves, even when not tormenting the island, about who was the biggest or the scariest of them all. But of course, to Andrea and Cascade, they all seemed like colossal waves.

"Do you think you could calm them down? Make them stop doing... whatever dangerous things they are doing?" Andrea asked Cascade, but again, she already knew the answer.

"Waves like that, and that many of them? No. I'm not anywhere near that powerful. That would be like telling you to put out a huge forest fire." Even Cascade, normally so calm and composed, looked frightened and nervous.

"Point taken."

"As I'm sure you've figured out by this point, that tiny island over there is our only hope."

"Yeah, I figured that out. There aren't that many things to choose from."

Cascade nodded nervously.

They steered the parachutes towards the island, trying to maneuver them in a way that took advantage of the strong wind which constantly threatened to throw them off course.

The pair were almost to the island when the parachutes were blown off course by a particularly strong gust of wind. Andrea, who was already very nervous, started to panic. "We won't make it!" She shouted, and suddenly lost her focus. She frantically tried to pull the parachute to the left again, as they had been set off course to the right. This set her parachute spinning.

"Andrea! Carefully turn!" Cascade called, but Andrea didn't hear her words over her state of panic. While Cascade managed to turn to get relatively back on course, Andrea was spiraling out of control.

Suddenly, a sharp branch, coming from the single tree on the island, flew towards Andrea's parachute. Tearing a hole in the fabric, the branch passed by. Andrea was sent plummeting down.

"CASCADE!!" Andrea cried out desperately, but there was nothing that Cascade could do. Andrea was too far away.

Cascade landed in the water and managed to control it enough for her to swim the very short distance to the island.

Andrea, on the other hand, was in a bad situation. Andrea had fallen into the water, and was constantly being barraged by waves. Compared to what's happening now, what Cascade did to me a few days back with her waves from the fountain was nothing. Andrea clutched the backpack with all her strength, since it had been ripped off her back. Every time a wave broke near her she clutched onto the backpack for dear life, hoping that the wave wouldn't make it in time to break on her, rather than near her.

Cascade looked out to sea, hoping that Andrea wasn't as far as she thought. In a moment, she spotted Andrea, a small figure bobbing in the water. Cascade gave a sigh of exasperation and quickly considered what she could do. Andrea was far out. But if Cascade didn't find some way to fetch her soon, Andrea would probably die after she lost the backpack or a particularly large wave broke on top of her.

Cascade came to a decision. She couldn't control the plunging, soaring waves of a rough sea, but she could swim. And she could surf. Better than any human. Cascade looked around the island, looking for something that she could use. She spotted a piece of bark in the sand, and she picked it up. Then she ran towards the roaring waves and dove into the water.

Cascade swam out for a short distance, being careful to avoid the waves that looked as though they were going to break as best she could. Then got on the makeshift surfboard made of bark and maneuvered herself so that the waves would take her in the direction of Andrea.
Andrea looked over to see Cascade practically flying over the tops of waves. "What...?" she started, but she did not get the chance to finish speaking as a wave splashed water into her mouth, making her splutter and cough. But she was still puzzled. How is Cascade flying over the waves in such a way? From Andrea's point of view, Cascade looked like she was standing on the waves. Andrea figured this was possible. But she said she couldn't control these waves. But then, as Cascade came closer, she saw that Cascade was standing on a piece of bark. She's surfing with a piece of bark? Andrea was stunned, both in admiration and surprise. She really is crazy.

Cascade was nearing Andrea now. She thanked all the days that she had been forced to swim in the freezing Glace Sea, building her stamina. It had only strengthened her connection with the water. Her ability for water sports was heightened as a result of her power. But she wasn't perfect.

Cascade was almost at Andrea's position and she reached out to her. But just as she was about to grab the backpack Andrea had been holding on to, a wave whisked Andrea away and Cascade, who was now off-balance, toppled off the piece of bark and into the plunging waves.

Cascade tried to stay in place, but the waves were pulling her in whichever direction they liked. Suddenly, a wave broke on top of Cascade.
Cascade was shoved under the water. She looked around in fright. Everything around her seemed to be churning and moving, trying to force her down. She tried to swim upwards, only to be barraged by another wave, which forced her down even further.

Suddenly, her foot got caught in a crack of a stone. She desperately tried to yank her foot out, but to no avail. She tried to twist her foot to get out, but nothing worked. Cascade was beginning to lose hope. She couldn't hold her breath much longer.

She grabbed another, harder stone and started whacking the one her foot was stuck in. But it was taking too long. Cascade felt her lungs straining. She needed to breathe in. She stopped herself from doing so, but knew it wouldn't work for much longer.

Cascade took a breath in. She expected it to be the end; for her to drown. But it wasn't. Somehow, she had actually been able to breathe in. She continued to breathe in and out.

I can breathe underwater. Cascade realized in surprise. I'm not sure how, but it's happened. Cascade continued to smash at the rock her foot was lodged in. Finally, she was free. Hmm... Cascade had an idea. She took the water from around her and shot it backwards. As she had expected, it propelled her forward. She continued this process.

For some reason, Cascade's movement reminded herself of a torpedo. An object moving at high speeds through the water. She moved so fast she nearly passed Andrea.

Cascade stopped hurriedly and propelled herself upwards instead. She came out right underneath Andrea and grabbed her. Andrea shrieked in surprise.

"Take a deep breath!" Cascade shouted above the crashing waves. Andrea, who was still a little shocked by the manner of Cascade's arrival, nodded and did so without hesitation. Then Cascade plunged underneath the water again.

Cascade shot off again, Andrea holding on desperately to Cascade's back. Andrea was usually just fine with water. At the moment, however, she couldn't have hated it more. Luckily, the trip to the island was short.

They shot out of the water and onto the shore. Andrea took in a deep breath and let it out. She lay there on the sand, too tired to stand.

Cascade sighed, and even though she was tired herself, she knew that for Andrea it would be worse, so she grabbed Andrea's hands and dragged her up the sandy shore. Cascade propped Andrea up against a tree on the far side of the tiny island. She stopped before the edge, for there was a short cliff on that side of the island, as the island was on an incline.

Next, Cascade collected all the twigs and sticks that she could find on the tiny island and put them in a pile next to the tree. Then she chose a few and placed them in front of herself and Andrea. Then she turned to her tired companion.

"Do you think you have enough energy to start a small fire?" Cascade asked.

"Maybe." Andrea looked exhausted.

"You can just light the sticks there."

"Yes, I think I figured that out, thank you." Andrea was in a bad mood. Cascade didn't blame her. She had just been in a bad situation - an understatement of the previous events - was very tired, and now was being asked to do something that sapped loads of her energy.

"I would say you don't have to if you don't want to, but we need this fire. We'll freeze otherwise." Cascade explained. She shivered from the cold as if to enforce her argument.

Andrea sighed and concentrated fiercely. A tiny flame burst forth in the palm of her hand. She placed it on the sticks and twigs. They lit on fire after a few seconds. A larger flame burst forth from the small pile.

Andrea fell back against the trunk of the tree once more.

"Thank you," Cascade said.

Andrea didn't respond. She was already asleep.

Cascade chuckled. Then it was her turn. She extracted the water from both of their outfits and hair and threw it out to sea, leaving them dry and warm - well at least warmer then they had been before - rather than soaking wet and cold.

After that, Cascade settled down on the soft ground for a well-deserved rest.

Cascade opened her eyes to a bright moon and a calm sea. There was a small fire nearby, and a few pieces of fish and seaweed on a piece of bark. Andrea was looking out to sea, constantly braiding and unbraiding her hair, as she didn't have much else to do.

Cascade crawled over to Andrea.

"You should eat some food," Andrea told her.

Cascade turned towards Andrea and wondered what it was that was on the bark. She shrugged. Whatever it was, she was going to eat it. After all, she didn't have much of a choice. As it turned out, it tasted quite good. "I never knew you were a good cook," Cascade said.

"You never asked."

Cascade was taken aback by Andrea's casual shoving aside of her attempt at small talk. After all, she thought, if they were going to be alone on an island together, they might as well get along. But Cascade was never one to continue to pursue a topic that her companion didn't want to talk about, and because she couldn't think of anything else to say, she remained quiet and ate the food. Again, the thought came to mind that Andrea had created a good meal.

When she was finished, she sat by Andrea and joined her in staring out to sea. They listened to the waves lapping at the shore. As it turned out, Andrea was meditating. Cascade's eyebrows shot up as she realized this. It was yet another thing that surprised Cascade. Andrea had never seemed like the type of person to meditate, at least from Cascade's point of view. I guess I still have a lot to learn about Andrea.

They continued to sit in silence for a long while.

Surprisingly, it was Andrea who broke the silence. "I've been wondering."

"About what?"

"About why you saved me. You saved me twice yesterday. Why?" Andrea looked towards Cascade.

Cascade was taken aback once more. What a strange question. "Well, because it was the right thing to do! I-I mean who wouldn't try to save a friend who was in great peril?"

Andrea looked surprised. Cascade had called her a friend. And she had asked a question that seemed to go against everything she knew. Or at least, what she thought she knew.

Now Cascade was extremely confused.

"Did something happen to you? Because it- it seems like you just automatically hate me and think that I'll take any opportunity I can to get rid of you." Cascade shook her head.

Now it was Andrea's turn to be confused. "You mean you don't remember what you did?" she said, a little more harshly than she had intended.

"Remember what?! I haven't done anything!" Cascade said in desperation. Her eyes filled with tears. She tried to contain the angry tone in her voice.

Andrea frowned and glared at Cascade.

"What is it that you think I did?! Please tell me!" Cascade raised her hands in supplication.

"Just leave me alone! Please!" Andrea turned away. She wanted to answer Cascade's question, but she knew that it might make her cry. I don't want to cry. I'm too old to cry. And even if I wasn't, I don't want to cry in front of Cascade.

Cascade gave a sigh and stood. She wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "If you don't want me around, I won't bother you. But if you want to talk to me, I'll be here."

With that, Cascade bounded down the slope of the island. She turned back to look at Andrea, then dove into the water.

Cascade swam deeper and deeper into the water, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. She settled down on the floor and meditated there in peace, watching the fish and other sea creatures peacefully swim by. She felt all her anger and sadness melt away. It felt good. There was nobody there for her to accidentally bother, and there was nobody there to bother her.

Even though she was stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, Cascade smiled. It was beautiful underneath the water. There were colourful corals everywhere, with equally colorful fish swimming around, who appeared to be having fun.

It was full of life and color. Shades of orange, yellow, pink, and blue were mixed into the fantastical wonderland that made up the reef that Cascade sat in. When she had been there earlier that day, when her foot had been stuck in the rock, Cascade hadn't been able to appreciate all of the beautiful things that made up the reef.

That was why she smiled now. It was peaceful, and it was happy. So Cascade was happy too.

Cascade saw a shape enter the water. A black shape. It took her a moment to discern that the shape was Andrea. She was beckoning towards Cascade, telling her to come back to the surface.

Maybe she wants to talk. Cascade's curiosity was piqued. She must have been underwater for an hour or more before Andrea had jumped in the water. Cascade rocketed upwards.

Andrea was waiting on the shore when Cascade arrived. Cascade didn't have to ask what it was before Andrea told her.
"HELICOPTER!!" Andrea yelled, unnecessarily, since there was virtually no other sound on the island. Cascade listened and faintly heard the sound of a helicopter. The steady beat of the blades cutting through the air. But she couldn't see it.

"Where is it?" she asked. Andrea pointed to a point behind Cascade.

Cascade spun around to see a small shape approaching. The helicopter wasn't necessarily that small, but from a distance it looked like it. There was a small light blinking on its top.

"How should we signal it? We're not prepared. We don't have a bonfire or anything because there wasn't any wood on the island!" Cascade sighed.

Andrea gave a smile and shook her head. "We don't need wood to make a fire."

"No, Andrea! You can't make a fire that big! You don't know how! Even if you did, you don't know what would happen to you!"
"I'll be just fine. You don't need to worry." Andrea told her, but she didn't sound certain.

"Just... be careful." Cascade said.

"You've said that before. And I said the same thing."

Cascade smiled faintly and nodded.

"I always am." A small smile broke across Andrea's face in turn, but it quickly faded.

"All right." Cascade said, resigning herself. She knew that no matter how much she tried to stop Andrea, there was nothing that she would be able to do to change her mind. Then something came to mind. "Do you want me to leave you alone so you can concentrate?"

Andrea paused. But she didn't need to. Her mind was made up. "No."

Cascade raised her eyebrows.

"I'd prefer it if you'd stay." Andrea looked at Cascade. "For encouragement, of course." She added hurriedly. "Or in case I kill myself or something." But she had waited just a little too long.

Cascade grinned and shook her head. "All right." Cascade was touched that Andrea had gotten over whatever it was to have her there for company. She was glad that she hadn't given up on Andrea.

Andrea waited until the helicopter was a reasonable distance away, at a distance where it could easily see the fire but still be safe from it, as it was flying at a low height. Andrea concentrated fiercely. She closed her eyes and raised her hands up into the air. She imagined the fire she wanted to create in her mind's eye. Then she felt all her energy compact into her core. She took a deep breath. Then she channelled all her energy upwards.

Andrea felt the flames travel through her chest, up her arms, and explode out of her fingertips. It was beautiful. And it was colossal. The flames were orange, and they engulfed Andrea entirely. They formed a huge pillar that stretched up twenty feet into the sky. The pillar rotated around and around.

Cascade was amazed, surprised, impressed, and intimidated all at once. Her jaw fell open as she saw how large and how beautiful Andrea's pillar of flames was. It stood out in stark contrast to the night sky and dark sea.

The men in the helicopter gasped as they saw the fire suddenly erupt from what appeared to be a random point in the water. But now, as they looked closer, and with the fire creating enough light to see, they could see that there was in fact a tiny island in the water.

The men in the helicopter had no idea how someone had managed to make a fire that large, but they had done it. Suddenly, the fire went out, as if it had never been there.

"Hmm. That was strange." One of the men said. The other shrugged.

They turned a large light on and shone it around until they spotted the island. "There's two people on that island!" One of the men said in surprise.

"It appears so."

The helicopter landed on the island, Andrea and Cascade covering their ears to muffle the loud chopping of the blades.

"Yes!!! Yes!!!" Andrea was ecstatic. So was Cascade, though she celebrated more silently. As the helicopter doors opened and the two men asked them to enter, Cascade and Andrea eagerly did so. They settled down into the helicopter and buckled on seat belts.

"Why are you two little ones on this island?"

"Oh... well... um..." Andrea turned to Cascade to respond.

"We were out sailing when our boat went down. We were so happy when we saw that there was an island only a short swim away."

The man looked at them, puzzled, then shrugged. "Well, where might ya be goin?" the man who had spoken earlier asked.

"Um... to the Denecay Dunes?" Andrea asked.

"Got no idea where that is."

"Twenty-three point four degrees north, twenty-five point seven degrees east." Cascade told them.

"Are they going to know where that is?" Andrea whispered.

Cascade shrugged.

"Sure. I can take you to that location. Not sure what's there, but sure."

Andrea gave a sigh of satisfaction as the helicopter took off. She smiled at Cascade. Cascade smiled back. Then they both leaned back as the helicopter continued on its journey towards the Denecay Dunes.