THE ROOM ROCKED AND I jolted in surprise, gulping a sob. Kassie squeezed me gently.

'Shhh. It's okay. We're on one of the ships.'

Those words stunned me and the tears stopped. I lay there, the darkness adding to the numb sensation that spread throughout, fogging my mind.

'Breathe, Cat.' Kassie gave my shoulder a light shake and I nodded dumbly, not realizing till then that my lungs burned for air.

Are we really sailing South? It didn't seem fathomable. How ...