“In the end, it was a cruise ship called Bastion of the Seas that picked up our faint distress signal during one of their trips and made the decision to go off course and investigate after calling it in.

They'd lost the signal soon after and considered it may have just been a misread but the captain made the decision to keep heading for the last known location.

The flare had given them all the confirmation they needed. The last flare, though faint, led them straight to us.

We'd told them that we thought there were others on a neighboring island but we didn't know how to get back there. We told them we'd been heading there when we were caught in a storm and pushed off course.

Their navigation systems found our group of islands easily enough and they sent a search party out to look for survivors.

We'd had to explain why one of us was tied up and that led us to tell the captain and her crew about the island. Though it must have sounded absurd at first, the recording and documents coach had found hidden in the compound on the island served as proof.

They separated and put us into quarantine right after that. They'd put me into a room of my own, gave me a basket to put my clothes in, told me to take a shower and that someone would be around with a change of clothes and food. Then they locked the door.

The room was was fairly large and more beautiful than any place I had ever stayed before hand. It was like one of those five star suites you see in the movies. The walls were lined with beautiful art and ornate designs. The bed was big and inviting.

I walked over to the large mirror in the corner and studied myself. I looked terrible. I took off the jacket and dumped it in the basket. The clothes underneath clung to my body tightly. I had to peel them off one by one. Soon every last piece of clothing lay in the basket. I imagined they were going to burn them. As I stood in front of the large mirror naked, I thought about how the those were the last pieces of the island I had left.

It hadn't been easy, but would I ever miss it? If enough time passed, would I ever think fondly about our time on that island? Not likely.

=^_^=

I spent a lot longer in the shower than intended. The warm water was just the perfect temperature and pressure and it felt so good.

While stepping out, I grabbed a towel on the rack, cleaned and wrapped myself in it. Back in the room, I noticed that there were clothes on the bed and a covered tray on the table.

Upon closer inspection, it realised it was a white bra and panty set underneath a soft peach dress.

They must have thought I was a girl. It made me smile.

I'd gotten used to wearing panties over the last month and like many other new things that shouldn't have but did anyway, they felt nice.

The dress followed after that and then I went to work on my hair which had certainly looked better but not bad considering. When I was finally satisfied with how I looked, I ate the best meal I'd had in a long time.

=^_^=

When the same lady that led me here came back to get the tray and basket, I asked about Mikey and if I could see him.

"I don't know who you're talking about but it doesn't matter. You may not see anyone until the captain says otherwise" she said through her face mask.

"The one with the injury" I pleaded "is he okay?"

Her face softened.

"He'll be fine. We have some of the best doctors on this boat. Don't worry"

I smiled "thank you"

"You're welcome honey. Is he your boyfriend?" She asked?

I nodded shyly.

She sighed "I can't imagine what you all went through. But you're safe now sweetie. Get some rest"

She closed the door behind her and I heard it lock again.

I decided to take her advice and try out that bed. No sooner did my head touch the fluffy pillow was I fast asleep.

=^_^=

I don't know how long I slept for but I awoke to the sound of the door unlocking again. It was the same lady from earlier.

She had a look of worry on her face which made me worry.

"Jonathan, I'm so sorry" she apologized "I assumed you were a girl. I'll get a different set of clothes for you right away"

"No!" I exclaimed before I could catch myself. She looked puzzled. "What I have on is fine"

She seemed to think to herself and then smiled, "Okay, as you wish. You have a call. The phone is on the table. Press the number two and then pick up"

She left right after and locked the door again.

A call? I made my way over to the phone and did as instructed.

"Hello?" I asked over the phone.

"Jonathan?" A voice rang through

"Mum?" my eyes welled with tears.

"Oh my God, my little baby!" I could tell mum was already crying or had been. I heard dad and Gaby in the background too. There were other voices I didn't recognize.

"Mum!" I cried. I couldn't put any more words together.

"Are you..." she sniffed "are you okay baby?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay. They found us. It's so good to hear your voice"

She was just crying now.

"Jo!" Gaby screamed over the phone. I was crying "Jo, oh my God, you're safe" she was crying too.

All of us were. When we finally composed ourselves my father took the phone.

"How are you, son?" He asked.

I cleared my throat. "I'm fine, dad"

"That's good. There's someone who'd like to speak to you"

Another familiar voice came up "Jonathan, it's Mrs. Harris"

I smiled "Hi, Mrs. H"

"What's going on? I was told I can't talk to Michael because he had an injury and he's being treated" she asked. I could hear the worry in here voice.

"They told me he'll be fine. He's alright Mrs. H" I tried to assure her

"Thank you. Thank you. We're all waiting for you boys. The whole town" her voice faded away.

Soon mum was back on the line "My sweet child. They said they're sending people over to get you. Just hang tight. You'll be home soon".

Sometimes, it still felt like the nightmare wasn't over and I was still on guard. I was still in that state of alertness that you had to be in every moment on that damned island because if you let your guard down, you could get stabbed, drowned, or strangled or both.

But hearing their voices, I was finally able to relax but I still had trouble sleeping but for a different reason. Excitement. I'd forgotten what that felt like.

=^_^=

Sometime the next day, I was led from the room up to the deck and into a waiting helicopter where Gabe, Tate, Doug, Tommy and Ollie were already sitting. They were wearing clean clothes and looked like their normal selves again.

I was quickly ushered to a seat and we were told to prepare for takeoff.

"Still saying 'yes to the dress' huh?" Doug teased.

"Where's everybody else?" I asked changing the subject. If I'd learnt anything on the island, it was that the best way to deal with Doug was to ignore him.

No one knew.

=^_^=

As we flew in the helicopter over the open ocean, my fear at liftoff eventually dissipated and the experience became beautiful.

Water as far as the eye could see. It made me think that it must've been a miracle that we were actually found. Just a tiny boat in all this vastness. But they found us. The vastness of it all that terrified me now seemed beautiful. Serene.

Every once in a while, in the distance, we'd stop an island or groups of them and I'd wonder what was going on on them. What dangers lurked within. I definitely didn't want to find out.

=^_^=

We landed what looked to be a military airport and then transported to some sort of hospital. We were given separate rooms again although they were a lot less flashy than the ship but a big improvement over the island nonetheless.

I asked about Mikey every chance I got but no one would give me an answer. I was taken out of the dress and given a button up shirt and khakis which I wasn't happy about. I even had the courage to complain about it but the person I assumed to be a nurse simply responded, "standard issue".

I'd thought about asking for a standard issue dress in that case but decided against it.

A doctor would occasionally come and perform some tests and draw some blood. I noticed I'd gotten over my fear of blood. After everything, a little blood just seemed trivial.

"Do you know what happened to my friend Michael?" I asked

He'd only shrug and perform his tests.

There was a TV in the room which I was happy about but this one only had a handful of channels. I scrolled through them and eventually came across an interesting news broadcast.

A very pretty anchor was speaking in that typical news lady voice, "And back to the news of the day. An update to the story that has gripped the whole nation. The fatal Flight 1237 which carried 107 passengers and 5 crew resulted in 45 casualties during the crash and another 6 to the grueling conditions before rescues were possible. 41 were rescued in the following days including 8 of a local high school soccer team and 1 guardian. Unfortunately, another guardian, a Mr. Ken Baldwin didn't make it. Another 15 remained missing including the 8 remaining members of the soccer team and their head coach and 6 others."

"It is truly sad news that 3 of whom have been reported dead with suspected cause of death being malaria and food poisoning but we'll know more after they are properly examined"

"Miraculously, 12 of those brave souls survived on their own out in the middle of nowhere and after nearly a month lost at sea, they have been found and are currently receiving treatment at a classified location. The good people of our small community can sleep better tonight".

=^_^=

The routine continued for a few more days before I was eventually pronounced clear and told I was finally able to leave.

I was guided towards a waiting room where my dad, mum and Gaby were waiting anxiously. I spotted them before they did me and took off in their direction crying. I ran into my mother's arms and didn't let go. I had missed them so much. But as much as I loved being here with them, there was one person I needed to see.

Eventually we broke apart and I said "I need to see Mikey".

I hadn't seen him since we got on that boat and he was taken away from me. I felt like I had been only half living these past few days. Only existing.

"We haven't heard anything" Dad responded.

"Let's go home sweetie" Mum said to me with a warm smile.

I resigned. "Okay"

=^_^=

In the days that followed, we were all that anyone talked about. The kids that survived a month stranded on an island. All sorts of people came by the house, well-wishers, people from school, people from church, paparazzi, news stations, lawyers, writers, anyone you could think of. Someone must have talked because bits of information were floating around about how stepping on the island made people crazy, about how one of the boys dressed like a girl the entire time.

About how one of the boys had gone extra crazy, attacked and tried to kill the others.

I never left the house. I just sat by the phone and waited for it to ring. I called Mrs. H once who said Mikey was still receiving treatment but she saw him and he looked fine. It was her turn to assure me.

I talked to the boys every once in a while. Everyone was back home at that point. Even Ben who one day called to apologize. I told him it wasn't necessary. I said that I understood it wasn't his fault but his apologised anyway for all the harm he caused me.

Gabe called another time to ask how things were going. I lied and said it was fine. I'd never felt this way before. I now knew what it was like to be in love with someone and be apart. And it sucked.

We talked about our families. I told him how happy I was to be back with them again. He told me that he finally met his dad. They talked and it was great. They both had lots of stories to share.

Believe it or not, Doug called me too. He had been inviting me to hang. The rest of the boys from the island were all meeting up. I declined. I just couldn't if Mikey wasn't going to be there. He'd said he understood.

=^_^=

One day, as I lay sprawled across my bed, my mum rushed into my room excitedly.

"Mum I told you to knock-" I complained.

"He's back. He's on the line for you"

It took me a second to process what she had just said but as soon as I did, I ran down the stairs, passed the phone and out the door.

I got on my bike and rode, house after house, block after block, street after street. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest both from exhaustion and excitement.

I kept riding until I came to his street and then to his house. I got off the bike and let it fall to the floor as I raced to his door knocking frantically.

It opened and there he was, phone in hand.

"I was calling. Your mum said you took off-"

I kissed him. With every fibre of my being, I kissed him. His parents were just inside and in view but I didn't care and he didn't either. He kissed me back and so I did harder.

I only stopped to breathe and only then did I realise I was totally out of breath. I smiled up at him as I tried to catch my breath.

His parents and brother stared wide eyed.

"Hi, Mr and Mrs Harris." I blushed.

When they didn't respond, I turned my gaze back to Mikey. He was so handsome. His eyes told me before his lips did,

"I missed you"

A month and a half later.

I was supposed to be rushing out of the house but got sidetracked watching an interview of coach on the news.

"It was tough, I won't tell you it wasn't" he'd been saying "We had to give our all to even have a chance of survival and those boys and that girl gave me 110% every single time. I couldn't be prouder of the team we were on that island and let me tell you, there's nothing those kids cannot accomplish. I'm thankful for all of them"

"Jo" my mum called from downstairs "Michael is waiting for you"

"Coming!" I yelled while scanning the room to make sure I didn't forget anything. As soon as I was sure, I flew down the stairs and into the arms of the boy I'd spent all summer with but still couldn't get enough of.

"Woah slow down there speedy" he said with a smile.

I giggled.

"Nice outfit" he said which made me do a twirl. The knee length A-line skirt twirled too.

"You like?" I asked.

"I do"

Mum poked her head out of the kitchen door with a big smile, "did you remember to take your meds honey?"

"Of course mum" I replied "How could I forget?"

"Dr. Garcia said you shouldn't miss any doses"

"Ugh I know" I groaned

"Okay sweetie, have a nice day"

"I will" I grabbed Mikey's arm and pulled him to the door "come on, we're gonna be late" I told him.

"yeah" he said as we walked out into the slightly chilly fall morning "don't want to be late for our first day as seniors"

A cold gust of wind blew past us which made me glad I'd decided to pair the skirt with tights underneath.

He led me over to the new car his parents had recently got for him which he was really proud of. He made sure to open the passenger door for me and I jokingly curtsied before getting in.

As he ran around the car to the driver's side, I reached over to open the door for him.

"Ready?" He asked me as soon as he was seated.

I smiled and nodded.

THE END...

This is one of my favourite stories and I hope you fell in love with the characters as much as I did. Jo is still young however and her journey is only beginning. Let me know if you'd want to see a continuation into Senior Year or maybe even a story covering the events of the rest of summer.

I hope you'll join me in the comments and tell me what you thought about the story now that it's done. Leave a kudo if you enjoyed What It Takes To Survive. Bye for now.