I hadn't remembered falling unconcious. The last thing i remembered was the screaming. Before that, the trail of smoke emitted by one of the fans on the left wing. Maybe if I'd given up my window seat, I wouldn't be as petrified. I remember the water getting closer and closer and I remember closing my eyes for what I thought would be the last time. I remember saying a silent prayer to nothing exactly.
"You wouldn't even have to play, you could just sit there, look pretty and cheer us on"
I could tell he was smiling. I sighed audibly. I'd only gotten rid of the girl jokes which had been a major part of my life all through adolescence. I've always looked like a girl. Still do. In fact, when Mikey first met me, he thought I was one.
I hadn't remembered falling unconscious. The last thing I remembered was the screaming. Before that, the trail of smoke emitted by one of the fans on the left wing. Maybe if I'd given up my window seat, I wouldn't be as petrified. I remember the water getting closer and closer and I remember closing my eyes for what I thought would be the last time. I remember saying a silent prayer to nothing exactly.
"Jonathan!" I remember hearing faintly.
I was too groggy to process anything else. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. I recognized the voice.
"Joe, you gotta wake up buddy!" I could sense the terror in the voice.
As I became more aware, I noticed the intense pain in my head. I intended to move my hand to it but it was stuck.
"Mikey?" I said almost not recognizing my voice at first. It came off as very shrill. I realised I was very cold.
"Joe we gotta go, bud" I opened my eyes to look at the owner of the voice. He looked very concerned "Can you move?"
I noticed there was water up to my shin.
I tried to move again but once again was stopped by my right arm.
"My arm, I think it's caught on something"
Despite the lights coming in through the open windows and the now open doors, the cabin was still very dark.
He climbed over me and reached towards my arm. He readjusted and pulled at something and I felt my arm get tugged free. Without waiting, I undid the seat belts.
I was now fully concious of my surroundings and took a look around the cabin before getting up. It was mostly empty except for a few people scurrying to leave the slowly submerging vessel through either of the two open doors. The rear of the cabin also seemed to have less water than my section and that only increased the further up the cabin I looked.
"Thanks" I muttered. He smiled.
"Don't thank me yet" he said before putting an arm around my shoulder "Let's get you to safety"
He helped me shuffle through the now knee height waters to the the nearest door. I climbed out onto the wing of the plane and looked up. My eyes burned from the sunlight but that became bearable the more I blinked.
There were a few yellow plastic boats floating about with about 10 people in each of them.
"Oh thank God Jonathan. I'm so glad you're okay" I turned to see Coach Evans visibly distraught but pleased as he saw me.
"Thanks coach" I managed to say
"Are you hurt?" He asked although I had no obvious injuries. He was a big guy but always very caring.
"Yeah are you?" Mikey added before I could respond. He was always very caring. We'd been friends since we met in middle school although we didn't have much in common. We were both athletes but I hardly fit the bill physically. He was quite tall at 6'1 and also very stocky. I on the other hand was barely 5'7 and was also very skinny. However, that never came between us. Well, maybe a few times.
"What do you mean you're cancelling?!" I remember yelling over the phone when he had called to say he couldn't make it to our scheduled gaming sessions about a year ago.
"I mean.. I'm sorry, okay? It's a holiday tomorrow so Coach is having us practice today for Saturday's game. There's nothing I can do."
"I get that, it's just... it's been two weeks since we played anything."
"Jo, I know that. You know if there was something I could do, I'd do it." He added sincerely
"I know.. we just don't hang out like we used to since you joined the team"
"You know, you could always try out for the team. There's spots open and we'd get to hang even more."
I couldn't tell if he had been joking over the phone.
"Have you met me?" I replied incredulously.
"You wouldn't even have to play, you could just sit there, look pretty and cheer us on"
I could tell he was smiling. I sighed audibly. I'd only gotten rid of the girl jokes which had been a major part of my life all through adolescence. I've always looked like a girl. Still do. Infact, when Mikey first met me, he thought I was one.
We talked for another 10 minutes before I agreed I'd do it.
I had remained on the bench for a few weeks until one day, our goalkeeper had been out sick and I had been chosen to replace him during practice. Much to the surprise of me and the entire team, i had a talent for jumping about and apparently was really good at it. I was promoted to the first team in the form of goalkeeper not long after that.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt" I noticed the caring but skeptical expressions on both Mikey's and Coach's faces. I knew before long they'd start blaming themselves. They had both convinced my parents to let me go on this cross country trip. For one, they needed me if we would have a chance in this High School Soccer competition but also because they thought it would be good for me. I was what you'd call a loner.
"Really, I am" I repeated in an effort to assuage their fears.
Coach Evans whistled and then yelled "Daniels!"
A boy I recognized as one of our strikers in one of the boats tossed a life jacket unto the plane's wing. Coach caught it with one arm and handed it to me.
"I assume you know how to put that on?"
I nodded.
I noticed I was the only one not wearing one. I did a quick survey and counted 7 boats with about 10 people in each of them. That didn't even seem up to half of all the people on board. I chose to believe that the others had been rescued and they were coming back for us rather than the alternative.
One of the boats contained eight of our players and two staffs. Another contained seven of us. I guess we had decided to stay together. 'Probably smart' I thought.
"Get him to the boats, Harris. I'm gonna see if anyone needs help in there" Coach Evans said as he started leaving.
"Got it, coach" Mikey replied.
"Careful. Water must be waist height by now. It's going down fast" I said finally.
He stopped and turned around "I'll be fine, Fahey." He turned back around "Just get yourself to safety" he said as he disappeared into the darkness of the cabin.
=^_^=
"Come on Jo." Mikey said getting my attention "Let's get off this thing"
"Right"
"You can swim right? Cause I'm gonna leave you here" he said almost laughing.
I punched him lightly in the shoulder. "you wouldn't really"
"Oh?" he replied simply
"You wouldn't" I said as I lowered myself into the water.
It was freezing. Not just cold, it physically hurt. And it was also sticky. Nothing at all like regular water.
I started swimming towards the boat with 7 people. Mikey followed.
Before long, we were at the boat. Two of the players helped me get in then helped Mikey.
"We're glad you're okay Jo" Ollie Reid said forcing a smile. He was our substitute winger. He wasn't very good but everyone on the team liked having him around.
"Thanks Ollie. I'm glad you're all okay too" I said taking a seat in the round craft.
I was sticky and uncomfortable but I was alive so I was grateful for small victories. My shoulder length wet hair kept sticking to my face which started pissing me off so I used a scrunchie I had on my wrist to put my hair into a pony tail. When that kept sticking to my neck, I made a higher ponytail.
In truth, if anyone asked me why I kept my hair long, I wouldn't have a good answer. It added immensely to my girly appearance but it's just always been there and I couldn't bring myself to cut it.
=^_^=
Coach Evans came out of the plane not long after with a distraught look on his face. He swam for our boat.
"You boys okay?" He asked as he climbed in and sat down beside me.
"Yes, sir!" We all chorused.
Coach had made our team like a military squad. Little things he'd picked up from his tours.
"What's the play, coach?" Tate Denholm asked. He was our captain was more like an assistant coach. He was also a defender like Mikey.
Coach sighed "We have to assume they know where we are. Last known location and all that" He adjusted to attain a more comfortable but not at my expense. "We wait. They'll come get us"
=^_^=
When I woke up, everywhere was dark and quiet. I was looking up at the stars. It was almost peaceful. I realise I was snuggled up on Mikey and instantly hoped he was asleep although I couldn't tell in the dark. I slowly got off him and looked about. All the boats were still there. All very quiet.
Some of the boats had lights emitting from them and it took me a while to realise it was cellphones. Mine was in my shoulder bag that I hadn't had time to get. The plane was also gone. The realization that there were people on it that would never get to their destinations hit me like a bag of bricks and I let out soft, involuntary cries.
"You okay, Jo?" I heard Mikey say.
I turned to him. His very dark hair glistening in the moonlight. I couldn't make out all of his face but I could tell he was worried. I wiped my tears.
"You don't have to worry about me so much. You're here too, you know?"
"I know" he said as he sat up. "I just feel guilty. You didn't want to come on this trip."
"I could have said no, Mikey. I chose to come here. This is not your fault."
He thought for a second and it looked like he was going to argue but he just replied "thanks"
"You think we're gonna get off this stupid boat?" I asked him.
"All I know is they're looking for us right now. We'll be fine."
I smiled although I wasn't sure he could see me. I yawned.
"You should get some sleep. And save your strength" He added.
"You too" I said as I got into a better position to fall asleep.
=^_^=
I was woken by the waves crashing into the small boats and the shouting. The moon was high and bright in the sky.
"We gotta tie these boats together!" Coach shouted "There should be some sort of harness under the boats. Find them"
I sat up quickly. The boats rocked harshly. Panicked faces all around. The few of us that weren't too frozen were busy, hands in water, searching for the harness.
"Found it" Ollie yelled followed by other similar shouts from the other boats
"Good. Now," Coach continued "we need to get these boats closer together to tie them together. Everyone use your hands to paddle closer"
Everyone in our boat began paddling, I followed suit. The water was even colder now. It felt like a thousand paper cuts but I knew I had to do this if everyone was doing it.
It seemed futile at first but slowly, all the boats started coming together.
"Good. Now, toss that harness to a boat near--"
"Uh, coach..." Tate began
We all turned to see a giant wave come into view. The shouts seemed to halt for a second. The wave looked to be getting bigger the closer it got. I felt my throat knot in fear.
"Everybody grab onto something!" I heard coach yell one last time before the giant wave came down and then nothing.
=^_^=
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first bit of this new story. I just wanted to get something up before I went to bed. As much as I'd love to keep writing, my vision is getting blurry with sleep. I promise I'll begin writing Chapter 2 as soon as I'm up which will have a lot more TG elements. In the meantime, let me know what you think.
Love, Emma
My face burned. Either from heat or pain or something. It was an odd feeling to go with the chest pain and slight shiver in my legs.
It wasn't at all like waking up from sleep. More like waking up from death. Although I wasn't sure how that last one would feel, it seemed more appropriate.
I woke up all at once coughing and for the first few seconds, I was coughing out water. I kept at it even after that threatening to cough out my organs. When I finally calmed down, I looked around. I was on land but I realise I was sitting in water so that explained my slight shiver.
I couldn't see anyone. The hunger hit me like a ton of bricks. It was day now so It had been about a day since I ate. The sun was scalding so I decided I couldn't just sit here. I had to find food and shelter which I admittedly knew nothing about.
I stood up and looked at the piece of land that had become my home. It was fairly large. If I had to guess, about the size of three football stadiums.
It looked rich in life and very green. Almost like a tropical rainforest or something.
I stumbled out of the water almost passing out a few times until I got to the sand which was scalding. I had to move. I thought for a second that if someone else was on this island, that they might be looking for me and I wouldn't want to be moving in the opposite direction.
I thought about yelling for anyone close by but even the thought of that physically hurt. I hadn't even spoken yet, I wasn't going to be yelling anytime soon. So I picked up a large enough branch I found lying about and wrote 'Jo wz here' as large as I could in the sand.
I chucked slightly remembering the last time I'd written that.
"Okay your turn" Mikey grinned as he handed me a marker.
"Oh no" I said with both hands up to my face as if to surrender
"I'm not getting in trouble just to tell the next generation that I infact was here" I replied stressing the 'z' sound.
"Ugh you're not gonna get in trouble. Besides, everybody's doing it" He said pushing the marker closer to my chest
I took it.
"Just because everyone's doing it, doesn't mean it's not wrong"
He didn't reply. He had that annoying pleading look on his face that I imagine he had when he asked me to tryout over the phone.
I sighed. "Fine" He smiled. "But I'm making it as small as possible" And I did.
'I need to make this as big as possible' I thought before I began.
So I began walking on the sand. Not exactly sure where I was going but I kept walking. I'd probably be better off finding food and shelter in the forest but I wasn't quite ready to venture in yet.
My feet had dragged for the past fifty yards but I suddenly gained energy when I heard a voice
"Coach!" I looked up searching for the origin of the voice "We got another"
I found a group of people sat on the beach by a ton of washed up crap. I slowly recognized all of them as members of our team and eventually spotted Mikey as he ran towards me. I was instantly relieved. I was glad I'd walked in this direction.
"Jo!" He shouted. Hearing his voice almost made me cry. I thought I was stranded here alone.
I could sense his worry so i began repeating "I'm okay" until I could sense him calm down.
He hugged me which I hadn't expected. I stood there like a log.
"Mikey." He let go "I'm glad you're okay too"
He put his right arm around my shoulder and put his other knuckle to my disheveled hair and did the motions softly. Lately he had started treating me more like a little brother than a friend. Wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"Don't disappear like that again." he said finally as we made our way back to the group.
As we got to the boat, I counted about seven people including me. I remember there being nine people on the boat.
"Damn it Fahey, I told you to hold on to something" Coach half shouted
"I'm sorry, coach. I slipped up"
"You hurt?"
"I'm good, coach"
"That's good. Get some rest. We begin scouting soon." He turned to the rest of the group"Make no mistake boys, we're getting off this rock"
"Where are the others, coach? I count seven and not to mention the other boats"
He took a deep breath before speaking "Waves are powerful, kid. The other boats could be anywhere. We have no way of knowing. As for Ben and Tommy..." he paused. It was the first time I'd heard him use first names "They're not here yet. We have to hope that they're alive"
He must have noticed the worry on my face because he composed himself and said "They're well trained kids. If anyone can survive this, they can"
I only nodded.
Mikey went to sit down and I followed. I took a seat beside him staring at the ocean and the light waves.
Without turning to him, "My mum is going to be so pissed"
"Yeah" he laughed "Mine too"
"Well as far as excuses go..."
He laughed louder.
"I'm sure our parents are giving someone somewhere a ton of grief"
I laughed as I pictured it. It's the first time I'd really done so since the ordeal.
"I just wish I could let her know I'm alright. That we're alright. They must be worried sick." I said
"Let's just focus on surviving. They'll find us"
"Yeah"
=^_^=
Not long after, coach mustered us together.
"Okay" he began "You're going to split up into three groups. Two in one. You're all going to walk into the forest in three directions making note of anything you find. Four hundred meters and no more. Everyone meet back here in twenty minutes. I want a detailed report when we get back. That clear?"
"Yes, sir!" we chorused
"Good. I'm gonna start on something that could get us some food. Y'all can join in when you get back. Now move out."
Mikey put his hand on my shoulder "Let's go. Maybe that memory of yours will finally be useful"
A few minutes into our walk, we started seeing all sorts of animals. Nothing deadly so far which was good. I thought I saw a snake in a tree which freaked me out. I was terrified of snakes.
"Shh" Mikey said suddenly.
I froze.
"Do you hear that?" he asked
"Here what?" I croaked, my throat dry in fear.
He turned sharply and roared. I screamed, a little too high pitched.
When he started laughing, I was pissed. I pushed him.
"That's not funny!" I screamed
He was still laughing "You should have seen your face" He didn't stop.
I pushed him again and punched him in the shoulder.
"It was a little funny." He said, his laugh dying out.
I glared at him.
"You don't have to be a dick, you know?" I started walking
Realising I was pissed, he said, "You're right, that was in poor taste"
Without turning back, "I'm very tense and you're not helping."
He caught up to me and put both hands on my shoulders "You're right. I'm sorry"
I sighed. "Come on, let's finish our meters and head back" I said as I freed myself and continued walking.
=^_^=
Passed some large shrubbery, we came up to a large body of water surrounded by trees. I stopped in my tracks.
"Woah" I managed to say
Mikey was hysterical.
"You know what this means, Jo?!" he said excitedly
I shrugged.
"Water is the biggest problem in a situation like ours. and we get a fucking spring?"
His enthusiasm was infectious. I started smiling.
"We actually stand a chance now, Jo! Come on," He was already turning to leave "we need to go tell the others"
This time we were running back which I wasn't sure why. We still had a lot of our twenty minutes left.
Despite that Ollie and Tate had already returned. Mikey was still hysterical
"Coach" he ran up to him "We found a spring, coach"
His eyes widened. I finally caught up to them breathing hard.
They were all in excellent shape from all the running they did everyday. My job was to stand in a zone and jump every few minutes. I wasn't quite used to running as they were.
"Where?" Coach Evans asked
"About ten minutes in" Mikey replied gesturing at the path we just came out of
"That's good. Reid and Eldon found a cave that seems promising. We'll start there as soon as Eldon and Ripley return."
Not long after, Gabriel Eldon and Douglas Ripley came running out the forest both yelling "Coach!" They were pointing at the ocean.
We all turned and saw a few luggaeges floating about. They ran past us and ran into the water. Mikey and Tate followed. They grabbed the three luggages floating and led them to land.
"Check them for any information" Coach ordered.
There were two large boxes and one even larger one. In truth it was more like a trunk. Steel and very well made.
"This one is Ben's box, coach" Tate yelled over the waves
"Try to open it. And the others?"
"I don't recognize the name on this one, coach!" Doug yelled.
"Just open them all" Coach added hurriedly.
The two boxes had combination locks so we used stone to break it open. The trunk had a small padlock which Doug picked with a paper clip found in one of the boxes much to the dismay of coach.
"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Gabe asked him
"Picked it up places" Doug said brushing it off
"So we got," Tate began "jersey, button up shirts, trousers, two pairs of shoes, briefs"
"Good. we'll take that back to the cave. Distribute. At least we don't have to wear the same thing everyday" Coach said visibly pleased "And the other?"
"Just about the same coach, just more fancy." Doug said
"Coach! we got a watch!"
"Give it here" Coach Evans walked up to him to take it "11:34 am, Friday"
"It'll be a full day since we got on that flight in about an hour and a half" I added
"Worst day ever, am I right?" Mikey added
The others grunted their agreement.
"We'll it's not over" Ollie yelled "This one's womens' clothes, coach. And a lot of them. Never seen so much in my life"
"Fuck" Coach swore which never happened "That's a big box, you sure it's all womens' clothes?"
"Every last piece, coach" Ollie replied disappointed holding a pair of fancy lingerie in view.
"Crap" Coach said wiping his brow "Can't be picky now, Reid. Will any of it fit?"
"Doubt it, coach" He replied holding up another item, a rather tiny camisole "Must be a really small chick. Actually a lot of this stuff will probably fit Jo"
The others laughed. My heart seemed to reposition itself in my neck.
"That's not funny, Ollie" I yelled at him
"Nothing funny about it Fahey. If that stuff fits, that's your box."
My face must have turned white. Everyone except Mikey was laughing now.
"Coach! I can't wear that stuff!" I shouted.
"Watch it, Fahey!" He shouted back "There will be order here!"
I kept quiet. I felt my knees get weak. They wouldn't really make me wear that stuff, would they?
I turned and started walking away. I heard Mikey tell coach that he'd talk to me. I steeled myself. Mikey could talk me into anything.
When he caught up to me, I said "I'm not wearing that stuff, Mikey"
"Come on, Jo. You have to. It's the only way"
"There's guy clothes in those other boxes. Why can't I wear that?"
He sighed.
"Not enough to go around as it is. We're already going to have to repeat a lot of those clothes."
"Why can't you guys wear some of the girl clothes? It'll make this much easier"
"Jo, be real. Do you really think Coach or anyone of us would fit into those?"
"We only just got passed the girl jokes, Mikey"
Even if I still looked very much like a girl, joining the team had really helped. This seemed like it would totally obliterate all of that progress.
"The guys will promise never to tell anyone about this. No one would have to know. You'd really be helping us out. Giving us some more clothes to go around. Please, Jo"
I didn't reply.
"You know if I could wear those damn clothes I would" He added
"Yeah but you don't already look like a chick" I was pouting now
"Jo, don't make me beg. We'll all really owe you. Even coach"
I sighed.
I started walking back to the group. I stopped in front of them and crossed my arms. Mikey really could talk me into anything.
"Fine, I'll wear the damn clothes. But no one hears about this"
Everyone smiled.
"You're a real champ, Jo" Ollie said
Coach just nodded his approval.
Tate walked up to me and held my shoulder "Thanks for doing this"
I nodded.
"Reid, Denholm, get the two boxes. Eldon, Ripley, get the trunk. Let's get it to the cave. We need to get set up and start looking for food. I'm sure you boys are hungry." Coach said finally.
Everyone took their places and we set off. Survival had just gotten a lot more complicated.
It was a short walk to the caves but a painful one nontheless. I understood why I had to wear the clothes. I understood that if there were more clothes recovered, they wouldn't have me do this. Maybe if some more clothes wash up, I could go back to wearing mens' clothes but that did nothing to assuage my fears. I just didn't want to feel any less like a man than I already did.
"Don't worry Fahey" Coach said as he touched my shoulder "We're gonna get off this rock and everything can go back to normal" he said reassuringly. I'd never seen this side of coach. He was always a stern man. He rebuked us whenever we did something wrong. He certainly never consoled or reassured us.
"Thanks coach" I forced a smile.
"We're here" Ollie and Tate said together but not quite uniformly.
The entrance of the cave was covered by some draping leaves which didn't fool any of us but could be quite useful at night or against wild animals should we encounter any. It could also shield those inside from harsh winds. It seemed too good to be true.
'Hold on boys. I'll go see what we got" Coach said as he pushed past the shrubbery and walked in.
"You know, Jo" I heard Doug say and I instantly knew he was about to say something stupid "I honestly think you'll look quite stunning in those clothes"
I glared at him.
"Doug, Don't" Mikey said
"What? I always thought you'd make a cute girl. Soon I'll know for sure" He continued.
I turned away from him.
"You know it too, don't you?" He continued "That's why you don't want to wear the clothes"
I stayed quiet.
"Stop it, Doug" Tate added but Doug wasn't hearing it.
"Jesus, don't be an asshole right now" Gabe chimed in agreement which surprised me. He and Doug were thick as thieves.
He laughed "I'm just teasing, Jo. Don't mind me"
I really don't know when everyone started calling me that. That was Mikey's name for me as 'Mikey' was my name for him. It must have been popularized by the squad. It's abrupt end had a very feminine ring to it but I never minded it when Mikey said it.
"It seems-" Coach began as he left the cave but paused as he noticed our demeanor "What happened out here?"
We were silent.
"I asked a question." He said calmly but in a way that indicated he was losing that calm
"Nothing coach" I said "It's hard to be cheerful in a place like this, is all"
His expression loosened.
"Well with any luck, we won't be here long" he walked back into the cave and gestured for us to follow "Welcome to your new home, boys"
I studied the cave. It was just bigger than an average living room. Towards the back, I noticed ash and pieces of burnt wood. It seemed to have been here a very long time.
"There was someone here" I said
"Yes" Coach Evans replied "Let's hope whoever he was made it off this island"
He turned to the other boys "Get the bags. Let's see if we can't spruce this place up a bit"
When they left to get the bags, I continued looking around. In the corner of the cave, I found a large burlap sack I hadn't noticed.
"Coach I got something" I yelled
I began pulling it into the light before he got up to me and grabbed it pulling it the rest of the way. It wasn't all that heavy and even if it was, he usually told us to take care of everything anyway so that was ood at first but I figured that he was still feeling sorry for me having to wear those clothes so I thought no more of it.
When He put down the bag, there was a loud clang. I could tell it was metal but that was about it.
The guys brought in the the boxes and stopped as they saw the bag.
"What's that?" Mikey asked. I shrugged.
"We're about to find out" Coach replied as he began to untie the ropes.
He untied it and looked inside.
"What's in there, coach?" Tate asked as he began emptying the bag on the floor
Two large pots embedded in one another which were in surprisingly good condition. Next out the bag was a small axe. It was a little rusty around the edges but it seemed like it would do the job.
"It's some sort of survivor's kit" I said stating the obvious.
"Yeah they seemed to have come prepared and didn't leave at all in a hurry" Gabe said "Could have been a planned expedition of some sort"
"That's as good a guess as any" Coach chimed in "Probable even"
He continued fishing in the bag.
Next coach held out a small knife connected by a light chain to a small rod.
"That's a spark-producing ferro rod" I heard Gabe say. He must have noticed the confused looks on our faces because he continued "It's an effective way to start a fire"
We all nodded.
"I'm impressed, Eldon" coach said "Not many kids are interested in this stuff these days"
"I'm not coach. My dad is." he replied"
"Even so. It's a useful skill. Case in point."
"I'll try to make good use of it all, coach" He said smiling.
Even if we were on the same team, I knew nothing about Gabe except that he got into trouble a lot. Even with the law on occasion. He and Doug hung out with the kids in the basketball squad and some of the cheerleaders. He wasn't exactly my crowd so it was intriguing to see this side of him. A side that's willing to help.
"Yes!" Coach exclaimed. He got our attention "A gill net" he said pulling out a large net all wrapped together "This will help our fishing situation"
"We wouldn't wish this on anyone but we're glad you're here with us, coach" Ollie added.
He nodded before he continued rummaging through the sack. Next came a large curved knife. This one was wrapped in a small cloth so it was in impeccable quality.
At this point it was clear the bag was now empty but coach flipped it and shook it for good measure.
"That's about it" he said.
"Right. What's next coach?" Tate asked
"We need food and water." He spun the knife in one hand. "Harris, you and Denholm take those two pots and get water from that spring you talked about. " They both nodded and took off
"Eldon, I need you to take that rod thing and go get a fire going." He continued "Think you can handle that?"
"I sure can, coach" Gabe replied
"Ripley, you're coming with me. We're going to go see if we can't catch our dinner" Doug was visibly distraught "Don't worry, Ripley. I'm sure you can handle it"
Doug slowly walked out the cave and I couldn't help but smile.
"Reid, I need a full inventory of everything in those two boxes and the best way we can divide that among six people"
"On it, coach"
"Go through that trunk, Fahey. Find stuff you can wear" It seemed less like an order and more like a suggestion.
I didn't reply.
"Do what you can" he said before he walked out.
Ollie did say anything and walked up to the first box.
I decided I had to do the same eventually so I walked up to it. I slowly knelt beside it. I slowly placed both hands on the lid and raised it.
Inside the trunk seemed like someone poured rainbows into a box and locked it. There were so many colours and a lot of which I didn't recognize. But the first thing that hit me was the scent. It smelled of flowers and despite the clearly feminine aroma, it was very pleasing.
I scanned the box. The bottom part of the lid was a large mirror and right in front of that, a net pouch holding all the products. Make up, perfumes, body and face wash, shampoos, tampons and it seemed to go on forever. The large trunk was filled with all sorts of tops, skirts, shorts, dresses and shoes towards the bottom, slippers, sandals, sneakers and a pair of black pumps.
I couldn't think of where to begin so I looked over at Ollie who had made some significant progress. He had placed a blanket on the floor and was laying out the clothes on it.
I sighed and got back into it.
I came across a packet of bras which I tossed aside 'Wouldn't be needing that' I thought
I eventually came across loose tank top with much thinner straps than i was used to which I took out the trunk. I found two pairs of jeans but they were both ripped in multiple places. I also came across a few shorts I could definitely wear but they looked like they would come up just under my junk. I sighed again. I didn't want to be here when the rest of them got back. I took out one of the ripped jeans. I usually loved shorts but I just wasn't there yet.
I took off my crusty shoes and socks only then realizing that I've had them on for quite some time. I slipped on a pair of yellow slippers from the trunk and half expected the world to come to an end. It didn't and I relaxed.
'I should go take a shower now' I thought.
Last thing I wanted was to put on a pair of panties in front of the others. It dawned on me. I'd have to wear panties. I could hardly wear the same pair of briefs forever and they pair I had on had been soaked in salt water.
I fished through the trunk for a pair and when I didn't find any, I check the pack of bras I'd tossed earlier and sure enough, there were tons of panties within all matching the bras. I thought for a second that they're probably not so bad and then that I could probably go a week on these briefs. The former thought prevailed as I pulled a pair out of the bag.
It was soft and lacy and unlike anything I'd ever worn before. I put it together with the tank and the cropped jeans from earlier.
Looking at the mirror, I got a chance to study myself. I was one of those people that you just couldn't place their gender. I looked a lot like my mother even now that I was an absolute mess. My hair meshed solid in places and seemed to be breaking in others. I couldn't see the sand but I definitely felt enough in there to build a small sand castle.
I took a hair brush and the shampoo from the small net pouch. It was the first time I was grateful this trunk had washed ashore. I loved my hair and I took care of it. I also grabbed the large body wash before finally closing the box.
I grabbed everything and hurried past Ollie who didn't say a word. I started walking towards the spring.
=^_^=
If I wasn't stranded here, I would totally adore this island. It was hot and steamy which was to be expected at about midday in a rainforest but it was also very beautiful. Everything felt so alive and the colors were so vibrant. The greens were striking and the reds were piercing.
I was still taking it all in when I ran into Mikey and Tate carrying the two pots now filled with water.
"You headed to the spring?" Mikey asked
I nodded
"Change of clothes" he asked again.
I nodded again.
"What you're doing is really something" Tate began. I turned to him "I don't think I'd be able to do it"
I didn't reply but this took away a lot of the courage I'd managed to muster. In my position, none of them would agree to this. Not even Mikey for all his talk. What did that say about me?
"Well Jo is a better person than you and I" Mikey said clearly trying to reassure me.
"Let's get these back" Tate said as he began walking past me. "Godspeed Jonathan"
I arrived at the spring not long after and couldn't wait to get in.
I took everything off for the first time in over a day and stepped in the spring. It was warm from the day's heat and it felt like it rejuvenated my cells upon contact. I sat in it for a few minutes before beginning to wash myself with the body wash and shampoo.
When I thought I was sufficiently clean, I swam a bit before getting out of the pool. I might have been unconciously stalling.
I looked at the clean pile of womens' clothes beside the dirty pile of my old clothes. I took a deep breath and fished out the panties. In a few swift motions, I had them on. I repositioned my junk under my legs and readjusted the panties and I couldn't see any bulge which I was proud of. That was an odd feeling when i thought about it.
I picked up the ripped jeans not wanting to be standing there in panties and put them on. They were tighter than I expected and had to jump and tug a few times to get it up to my waist. I looked over my shoulder to see how it fit and noticed my butt looked more pronounced than ever.
I tapped it and felt it jiggle and instantly felt embarrassed.
Next came the tank top which slid on relatively easily. It only hugged my body slightly but the combo gave me a weird figure I wasn't at all used to. Looking down, I could only see a flat chested girl especially around my legs and back.
I took the brush and ran it through my hair, wincing a few times. I smoothed out my hair in no particular pattern using the spring as a mirror. When I decided that it wouldn't get any better, I picked up the rest of my stuff and made my way back to the cave.
The closer I got to the cave, the shorter my strides got. I tried and failed to reassure myself. I thought for a second that maybe it'd have been better if I was here alone but I quickly pushed that thought away. I wouldn't make it a day here without them. I thought I should be more grateful to them and that they were the experts and if they said this is what I have to do, it probably was. I also thought that I didn't even really look like a girl and that I wasn't even really wearing women's clothes. It was jeans and a tank but only in different cuts. Cuts that accentuated curves better left buried but still.
I decided I was overreacting and walked purposefully back to the cave. All that resolve turned to butter when I pushed passed some leaves and saw coach and Doug kneeling next to a fire with gutted fishes on a stick in hand at the cave entrance.
Neither of them wore any shirts and had very dirty jeans rolled up to their knees. I noticed how the small flame reflected off their bare chests and how the sweat trickled down.
Coach had an even more rugged look going on below the cover than above it. He had a very toned and muscular build with a few scars here and there. I realized I hadn't really seen him wear anything other than a track suit or jeans and a button up shirt. Seeing him bare was definitely a first.
Doug wasn't as muscular but definitely wasn't far off. His skin was devoid of any scars or creases but also glistened in the sun from the sweat and was no less impressive.
When Doug sneezed, I realized I'd been staring at them. I started for the cave, Doug looked up, his eyes widened followed by laughter.
"Holy shit..." He managed to say between laughs
I stopped in my tracks.
"Quiet!" I heard coach shout "Not another word, Ripley. I won't warn you again"
Doug immediately held it in but I could still see the disbelief in his eyes.
He turned to me and with a kind voice totally uncharacteristic of him, he said to me "Good lad. Now go tell the others they should come get some of this. We'll go have a proper hunt soon and they'll need their strength"
I nodded and basically ran inside.
The others were holding up the clothes from the other two boxes to themselves or trying them on to see how they fit. Ollie was going through the trunk and it almost felt like invasion of privacy.
"Well damn. you're actually do kinda look like a girl" Ollie said.
No one else said anything and just stared and that unnerved me even more.
"What are you doing in there?" I said with a raised voice.
"Here?" Ollie asked although he didn't need an answer
"Checking for any loose sweater or something, I don't know. Something that might fit. But seeing how snug that is on you, I doubt it" He closed the trunk.
I didn't say anything immediately self conscious about the jeans which were basically skin tight.
"Wait, what do you even care?" He asked
I didn't reply because I didn't have a reply.
"Coach said we should come eat. We're going hunting soon or something like that"
The conversation ended there and I went to put everything in their places with the old clothes bundled up beside the box. It actually felt good to not be touching those nasty clothes anymore.
The others put down everything and left the room. I didn't usually eat all that much but I couldn't understand why I wasn't starving. I went to put the wash and shampoo in the net pouch and was greeted by an image of myself in the mirror.
It felt good to finally be looking like myself again. Even the tank was something I'd probably wear at home if the straps were wider.
I stood up and looked at my legs. It looked like I had a girl's hips with the way my form collapsed inwards down to my knees. Other than that, I wasn't at all different from what I would normally look like. I guess the surprise must have come from seeing me in this sort of clothing as opposed to the ill fitting jeans and sweatshirts I'd normally wear to school. I decided I had nothing to worry about as I closed the trunk.
I left the cave and was greeted by the guys hurdled around a fire. They turned to look at me but didn't linger. Not even Doug. Coach must have given them a talking to while I was in there.
There was roasted fish on a stick pinned into the soil and a space between Mikey and Ollie. I took the stick I assumed was mine and sat down.
A few bites in, Tate broke the silence, "You think they're still coming to get us, coach?"
"Well they're certainly looking. Finding us is a whole different beast. Since that darn wave, they don't know where we are. We don't know where we are. Our best bet would be a ship passing by"
"We should put together some leaves we can ignite at a moment's notice" Gabe added
"Good thinking, Eldon. Our luck has been pretty good so far. I don't see why we can't hope for a ship to just sail by"
"Don't jinx us, coach" Ollie laughed. We all joined in.
The conversation continued for another few minutes before coach got up.
"Everybody up." He began "Let's get going. See what we can gather."
"Coach, so I was thinking" Gabe started as he got up to his feet "we might be better served making a trap for smaller animals. We don't always want to spend so much energy hunting."
The rest of us got up to our feet.
"Can you make a trap, Eldon?"
"I should be able to if I find the stuff I need but I might need some help and it might take some time"
"Reid, go with Eldon and see about that trap."
Ollie looked at coach like he'd just said the most absurd thing he'd ever heard.
Ollie and Gabe had gotten into a fight over a girl a couple years back. She had eventually moved but their enmity remained. They had hardly ever spoke since then. I had always thought that was stupid but 'I'd never had a girlfriend so what do I know?' I thought.
"Something the matter, Reid?" coach asked.
"Nothing, coach" Ollie replied.
"Come on, Reid. We got a trap to set" Gabe said not too fondly.
Ollie mumbled something as he left with Gabe.
Coach turned to the rest of us. "Let's go". We grabbed the knife, axe and rod and headed in an unexplored direction.
Coach led the pack very cautiously followed by Tate and then Doug and finally Mikey and I.
"You okay?" he asked a few minutes into the trek but quietly enough not to disturb the expedition.
I chuckled "About which part?"
"No I mean you just look a little flustered. And you're sweating a lot."
I was. I wiped my forehead and brushed my hair away from my face
"It's just hot"
"Maybe put your hair up?" he asked innocently
"Don't say it like that." I said turning to him
"Like how?"
"It's just.. nothing" I didn't want to get into it and I knew he didn't mean anything by it.
"You're really sweating a lot. Could you be coming down with something?"
"I'm fine, Mikey" I was getting frustrated. I hated being treated like this. Like something that needed to be protected. It was nice that he cared but guys generally didn't show this kind of concern. It was always there but since the plane, it's only gotten worse.
"Didn't you find shorts in that trunk? Trousers hardly seem appropriate" I thought back to the very short shorts.
"You're all wearing jeans"
"Yeah but we're not sweating"
I didn't reply.
"You can wear anything in that trunk, Jo. Nobody's laughing" He looked genuinely concerned which only made me angrier.
"Doug's laughing. The others probably are too. Mentally."
"Doug's an idiot. You shouldn't mind him"
"I should, Mikey" I hissed "Look at me" I said gesturing at myself. His eyes lingered "Guys don't wear this stuff!"
"We do what we have to to survive. Like eat horrible fish"
I groaned. He wouldn't get it and I told him as much before walking ahead. I instantly felt like he was looking at my ass.
I slowed down and he caught up to me.
"I'm not going to wear a dress, Mikey. Not ever"
"I'm not saying you should. Wear what you want. Not for us."
We walked in silence for a bit longer before coming up to an open field with tons of deer. We crouched behind some shrubbery.
"What's the play, coach?" Tate asked
"Can't get close enough without startling the entire herd. I'm gonna have to hurl the knife at the closest one"
"Ooh let me get it, coach!" Doug said almost too excitedly "I'm really really accurate"
"Okay, Ripley. But that's dinner and we only get one shot at it. Don't miss"
"I won't, coach. Promise" he said smiling as he was handed the knife.
We gave way for him. He held the tip of the blade with his thumb and index fingers. In one swift motion, he tossed it and I winced as I heard the animal cry out. The rest of the herd took off as the deer hit the floor, blood pouring out of it's neck where the blade went straight in.
"Nice play, Ripley" Coach exclaimed.
They all hurdled up excitedly around the deer. I took small steps up and immediately turned around as I saw the ground get more and more soaked in its blood.
"Queasy, Jo?" Doug asked
"What's the matter, Fahey?" Coach asked
I closed my eyes and looked away in an attempt to forget the image.
I heard the animal gurgle.
"I'm sorry, coach. It's the blood. It gets to me" I said without turning around.
I realized that all of them probably had a perfect view of my prominent ass in these jeans but that seemed like the lesser evil now so I didn't move.
I half expected disappointment in his voice or at least some joke but I didn't get either.
"Stay over there then while we finish up here"
I'm not sure if it was my head playing tricks but I felt like I could smell the blood.
"I'm gonna go see if I can find any edible plants or fruits nearby"
'Harris, go with him. I was going to say this when you returned from your bath. No one goes anywhere alone. Make sure you're with someone at all times. At least until we know what kind of dangers lurk on this island."
That got me instantly worried. How was I supposed to take baths? Did he expect me to dress and undress around the others?
I felt Mikey touch my shoulder before he said "Let's get going before you vomit"
"I'm not going to vomit"
"Could've fooled me"
=^_^=
We surveyed the area close to the open field but far away enough that we couldn't hear the deer being put out of his misery.
"Do you know what you're looking for?" Mikey asked me when we had been walking for too long.
"Yes" I said smiling just spotting what I was looking for. I knelt before a yellow flower with a green base.
"Sunflower?"
"Not sunflower. Dandelion. The entire yellow part is incredibly nutritious if chewed raw and it can also be boiled for dandelion tea. Those plates and cups we found in that sack will actually find some use"
"How do you know this stuff?"
"I read. You should try it sometime" I teased "Here,"
I plucked one of the flowers, held the green base and with a slight tug, separated both parts and handed it to him "Try it" I said.
"You sure it's safe?" He asked.
I nodded and gestured for him to go on. He took a bite with his face all scrunched up but that eased. He started chewing.
"I never thought I'd be eating a flower"
"Well we do what we must to survive" I grinned.
He smiled.
"It's actually not too bad"
"A few more of those and that's lunch. Impressive huh?" I asked enthusiastically awaiting an answer
"Yeah, that's something"
I plucked a few more and handed them to him.
"Careful not to squish them"
"What now?" he asked carefully
"We head back. We need to make a rucksack for these trips. Can't carry anymore" I said after I'd filled my arms with dandelions.
"Can you make a rucksack?" He asked me as we began walking.
"Well no, but how hard could it be?"
=^_^=
We got back to the open field to find coach and the others waiting deer in hand and glaring at us as soon as we were sight.
"Well you two certainly took your time" Tate said
"Where the hell were you two?" Doug spat
"Sorry it just took a little time to find these" I said as we caught up to them.
"You better not have wasted our time to go flower picking, Fahey" Coach added
"They're dandelions" I said before proceeding to give them the same description I gave Mikey earlier.
They seemed to calm down.
"You're saying I can get tea in the mornings" Coach asked.
"Well they have to be boiled for some time and it'll be raw tea but yes, coach"
"Raw tea is better than no tea, Fahey. Good play." He said finally and I smiled happy to be back in his good books.
It was obvious I wasn't going to be able to kill my own food but what I could do, I was determined to do it properly.
"There are some edible berries I found back there we should get when we have the time."
"Unless you need the entire tree, Fahey" he said as he lifted the deer "Take someone and come get them. I'm sure you won't have too much trouble finding someone to accompany you."
That struck me as odd but pushed the thought away as we followed the path back home.
"Well" I began "I don't think I'm needed here so I'll just be in the cave" I said trying to get away from that scene of the guys gutting the dead animal.
The cave was dark but a refreshing solace from the heat of the outside world. It seemed the day had only gotten hotter the more it progressed. I thought about going to take a swim but I thought it would seem like I wasn't pulling my weight.
I found it odd that the guys weren't having or at least didn't seem to be having any problems with the heat. Maybe if I spent more time outdoors, this whole stranded thing would have been easier.
I scanned the room. It was largely empty apart from the large trunk, the two boxes and the now rolled up sack...
I slapped my forehead harder than I intended. 'If i washed the sack, I could use it to go fruit or plant gathering.
I looked at the trunk. The entire thing looked plated and must have cost a fortune. I thought briefly about the owner and hoped she was okay.
I walked up to the trunk and opened it this time ignoring my reflection. I ran my fingers through it looking for the lighter materials. The jean trousers and cotton top wasn't doing me any favors.
The good thing is that whoever she was had packed for summer but it seemed like everything that demarcated both legs wasn't meant to be worn outdoors. Even her jean shorts seemed like underwear when I held it up.
I pulled out a white puffy lace camiflage I'd seen my sister wear before. It would certainly help with my heat problem but I wasn't sure I could pull that off. I decided I would stop speculating and try on the damn things. As I took off the tank, I felt stupid that I'd been deliberately putting myself through hell because I was afraid what a few guys would say.
I slipped it over my head and it sat perfectly on my torso stopping just on my navel. It was cool on my skin and it sent shivers through my body.
I looked to the tank on the floor and my clothes in the corner and made a mental note to wash them as soon as I was done here. I didn't have that many clothes that could pass for male clothes and I'd have to take care of them.
I tugged at the jeans trying to take them off but they proved to be even harder going down than up. Eventually I got them past my knees and pulled them off. I stood there in a girl's panties and wondered how things got so messed up. It was almost more embarrassing that all her clothes fit me so well. All my inhibitions about wearing her clothes seemed to be fading away as I looked at a black skirt near a corner of the trunk.
'Nobody would hold this against me' I thought.
'Well maybe Doug but he's an idiot'
I put a hand on my waist and my index finger of the other hand in my mouth subconsciously.
'Mikey said he'd wear these stuff if he could and Ollie was even looking through it'
I took the skirt. It felt like polyester. Very smooth and cool to the touch.
I put a foot through it followed by the other. I sighed inaudibly as I pulled it up. I zipped it up, clasped the hook and spun it around like I'd seen my sister do so many times. I'd watched her get dressed and do her make up so many times. Every holiday, the extended family would gather at our house or we'd go gather at a relative's house. Each time we'd have to share a room. She was three years older than me but there was a time we were close. Close enough that she'd tell me things that she'd normally only talk about with her friends. Sometimes about a boy she liked or how I should be glad I didn't get periods. I'd subconsciously study her but that's as far as it went.
Two years ago, she moved to a dorm room in college and when the relatives showed up, I'd have to move to her room because my mostly empty room was easier to clear out but I never once thought I'd be going through the motions like I'd seen her do.
The skirt was a fairly short one and came up only to my mid-thigh. Looking over my shoulder, it still didn't do my ass any favours, or did depending on who you asked. It followed my waist tightly until it got to the top of my butt and flared out.
I was glad for the first time ever for my lack of prominent body hair because I know it would look horrendous right now. What was horrendous however was my blonde hair. I didn't know what to do with it so I put it into a ponytail and left it.
I closed the trunk, picked up my old clothes, the tank and jeans and left the cave. Coach and the others were in the process of forcing a stick into the mouth of the dead animal. They must have sensed me come out somehow because they turned to look at me. I immediately felt very self conscious standing there in a skirt and what can only be described as half a top. I brought up the clothes I previously rested between my right hand and right thigh up to my abdomen and held them with both hands.
They didn't say anything. Not even Doug. Mikey smiled which I'm not sure did anything to calm me.
"The heat got too much" I said. They didn't reply.
"I'm going to go see if I can do anything about these" I followed up gesturing at the clothes.
I turned and began walking towards the lake. I wished the ground would swallow me as the skirt started swishing about. I walked faster trying to get out of sight which only made the skirt swish more.
=^_^=
I slowed down when I got out of sight and my heart eventually returned to its regular pace.
I suddenly heard leaves rustling behind me and turned sharply. I turned sharply panicked but calmed down when I realized it was a person.
"Mikey" I said taking a breath before continuing "You scared me".
"My bad" he replied smiling as he caught up to me. "Coach said I should accompany you"
I nodded as I remembered what he'd said about moving alone.
"I hope I didn't pull you away from anything" I said as we started walking together.
"Oh no. I'd had enough of animal anatomy one-oh-one" He smiled "Thanks by the way. I'm surprised coach let's you sit it out so easily. If I ask, he'll probably give me a speech and tell me not to be a wuss"
"Probably. He's probably sorry I have to wear this stuff"
"Maybe" He said looking at the skirt
"I'm gonna milk it" I laughed.
"I'd be surprised if you didn't" he was smiling a lot. "It's does suit you, Jo
"
I moved the clothes to one hand and punched him in the shoulder with the other
"What?" He laughed "It's does"
"No guy wants to hear how a camiflage suits him!" I yelled but still laughing
"A what?" he was laughing too
"A camiflage. It's like a camisole but without the bulk"
"Oh I remember your sister wore something like this into your room that one time"
My sister always barged into my room at all times for various reasons. Sometimes to ask me to choose between two very similar outfits. One time Mikey was in there when she barged in with her underwear.
"No. That was a bralette. This is different."
He looked at me with a face as if asking me to explain myself.
"That replaces a bra. This is worn over a bra" I said gesturing at myself.
"How do you even know that?"
"My sister. She thought I needed to know the difference apparently"
"Ah Gaby. Of course. How is she anyway?" He thought about that for a second "well as of the last time you talked"
"She's okay, I guess."
"You know you kinda look alike."
I gave him the same look asking him to explain himself
"That's a weird thing to say, don't you think?"
"Why is it weird?" he asked
"Well for one you always talked about how hot she was and how you were in love with her. It was kinda hopeless actually."
He laughed "Give me a break. I was fourteen"
"Yeah because two years later, you're not even the same person"
"Exactly!" he agreed.
I shook my head, still smiling.
We got to the lake and in the water were Ollie and Gabe.
I stopped either from shock or fear but I was just staring at them in the water.
"There you guys are" Mikey said walking ahead "We thought you had been eaten by something when we came back and didn't see you at the cave"
They waved as the got out the water. They were naked. I still hadn't moved. I glanced at their junk and instantly hated myself for doing so. It was the first time I'd ever seen 'it' since gym/practice was always last period/after school and I always went home to shower.
'They wouldn't have as easy a time wearing panties as I did, that's for sure' I thought.
"Yeah we finished early and decided to come take a bath" Ollie said smiling as he put on a new pair of briefs. Ben's briefs.
"Are you okay?" Gabe said to me as he did the same. I still hadn't moved and was still a few steps back.
I blinked and caught up "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
He picked up a t-shirt from the floor and tossed another to Ollie and the conversation moved on. To me.
"Did you always look like this?" Ollie said looking at me.
I didn't know what to say. I knew the answer. I've always looked like this but was that really the right answer?
"Ollie" Mikey said threateningly
"Yeah" Gabe chimed "If he changes his mind, he's taking your clothes."
They had put on the shirts and were on to the trousers now.
"So no one finds it odd that those clothes suit him so well?"
Ollie asked.
When all he got was disapproving stares, he said "Fine then. I'll drop it. Let's get back, Eldon"
Gabe nodded. They went back to pick up the dirty clothes
"You two seem chummy. " Mikey said "What changed?"
They grabbed the clothes and came over to us
"Well if being stranded on an island doesn't make you re-evaluate things, then nothing will" Gabe said
Ollie nodded.
"So you two are friends again?" I asked surprised
"Well I wouldn't go that far, beautiful" Ollie said
I glared at him.
"Me neither" Gabe added.
I don't know if Mikey and Gabe missed what Ollie said but they ignored it so I did too.
"I could take those" I said gesturing at the dirty clothes "I'm here to wash mine so I don't see why not"
Ollie and Gabe looked at each other before handing Mikey the clothes in one big pile.
"Thanks"
"Yeah thanks"
They walked away and soon were swallowed up by the leaves and out of sight.
"Why'd you do that?" Mikey asked
"What do you mean? Everyone has to help out and I don't think I'll be hunting or trapping animals anytime soon."
"I don't have any special skills. you don't see me offering to wash their underwear"
"Mikey, it's not a big deal. And you, you're strong. You can help by carrying stuff about. I just don't want to be useless"
"You're not useless. You know all this stuff about plants and fruits."
I didn't reply.
"It's just not fair for them to make you wash their stuff"
"They didn't make me. I offered. Just give them here if it's such a problem" I said frowning
He sighed. "It's not".
I was still frowning.
"Really. I just don't want anyone taking advantage of you"
"No one is going to take advantage of me" I said calming down
"Okay then. Let's go, I'll help" he said clearly trying to defuse the situation.
I looked at him for a second "come on then"
True to his word, he helped me washed the clothes which we did mostly in silence. We spread them on some nearby trees and went back to camp. The day had dragged a bit.
Sometime after dark, coach announced that he was done roasting the duck. We had a nice time at 'dinner' talking about what we'd do when we got off this rock as we ate roasted deer. It wasn't at all tasty but it was edible and no one was in any state to complain with our stomachs rumbling.
Coach had cut the deer into pieces and stuffed it into an empty pot. I felt bad at first seeing the animal like that but like Mikey had said "we do what we have to to survive"
Gabe had boiled the water that was fetched earlier and had promised that it was safe to drink.
We took the deer in one pot and had gone out to the beach and sat in a circle. I took great care as I sat on the sand keeping my legs closed so as to keep myself from giving the boys a show. I first knelt down on the cool sand and then sat with my leg pressed together to one side. I'd have to deal with the sand later but lesser evils right?
I'm not sure if no one saw anything wrong with how I was sitting or just chose to ignore it but no one said anything and interacted with me rather normally.
"I'm gonna sue that airline so hard" Doug said
"Knowing your dad, that's already done" Gabe said laughing
"I'm going parachuting for sure" Ollie added
"So let me get this straight" I began taking all the attention "After almost dying, you're going to actively try to get yourself killed?"
He made a face "What are you going to do then, miss smarty pants?"
Everyone made disapproving noises except Doug who laughed.
"Punch you in the face if you keep that up" I said. Everyone laughed. "I for one am not getting in the air anytime soon"
I got some nods.
"I just want to be back at home. I want to go to class. I'm looking forward to being a senior" Mikey said
"Lame!" Ollie yelled
"Not everyone is a wild child like you, Ollie" I said smiling "What are you going to do, Tate?" I tried to bring the conversation to him who hadn't said anything the entire time.
He looked like he had been caught off guard.
"Um.." He began " I.. I don't know" No one could really get Tate to say or do anything except coach. Other than play football, he never really did anything.
"Oh it's okay" I said hoping I hadn't done something I should
"What about you, Gabe?"
Gabe began to answer but he was interrupted by Tate.
"I'm gonna finally visit my dad in prison"
The place was quiet. I noticed coach who was away from us listening now.
He looked sad and I don't know why but I touched his knee.
"Cops took him almost a year ago now and..." his voice broke. I rubbed his knee. "Mum couldn't take it and she..."
I saw a tear roll down his cheek before he got up sharply and walked away from the group.
I moved to get up but coach said "Leave him be" I sat back down "He needs it"
We sat in silence for a bit and that's when we saw it.
In the distance, a bright red light in the sky followed by a red trail. It was far away but it was unmistakable.
"A flare" Coach said as we all stood up.
"It's midnight" Coach said looking at the watch "We should head in. Tomorrow is another day" You could hear the disappointment in his voice.
We all looked at each other with the same disappointed look. I looked into the fire we had built half for the cold and half to alert any ships or planes of our presence.
No one had the heart to stand up because we all knew that would be to prepare for another day. Hope was a horrible thing. We'd just had our very first day on this island, a very effective one. Suddenly being stranded here didn't seem so bad because we knew we could survive here. Then that flare had gone and given us hope that we might be getting off this island tonight. Now that it was long gone, the little hope that we had held on to had gone with it.
"We should build a boat and go where we saw that flare" Gabe said
"Good plan" Coach said as we all turned to Gabe "You happen to know how to build a boat, Eldon?"
"No coach" his head dropping.
"At least we know that there's someone, or maybe even people nearby" I said. I had been wearing a skirt for hours now and it had almost begun feeling normal.
"Yeah and where does that get us?" Doug asked almost depressed.
Tate had rejoined us when he saw the flare but hadn't really said much. In truth, no one had really said that much until now.
"They're still looking for us. Our families won't give up. You all know they won't" I said encouragingly
"It's a big world. No one knows where we are" Doug replied.
"You're not helping" I said back to him "we can't just give up. I don't want to die on this nameless island"
"So what's the plan then?" Ollie asked.
"We survive. Like we've been doing. We do whatever it takes"
=^_^=
That was two weeks ago. Try as I might, whenever I think back to that night, I don't know where that came from.
When everyone had lost hope, I said what we needed to hear and it had worked. We sort of fell into a routine after that. Coach and Doug would do most of the hunting. They even fashioned two spears which made them more effective. They brought back all sorts of animals and I seemed to have gotten over my fear of blood although I still got queasy around large amounts.
Gabe taught the rest of us how to make his deadfall traps and we had put traps like that all through out the explored parts of the island. Every six hours we would check all the traps if they had caught anything. Most times we came up empty but some times usually when it rained, we'd catch so much meat so we started salting and drying the meat and storing it in the boxes.
We had moved the clothes in the boxes and the trunk to the floor. The boxes began storing all sorts of stuff. The trunk became our official clean water holder. We'd pour the water that had been boiled and keep it in the trunk and we always tried to keep it at least at half.
Mikey and Tate were assigned to make sure we always had water purified and ready to drink but Mikey also helped me with gathering fresh fruits and plants and Tate helped Ollie and Gabe with trapping and retrieving the animals.
Every other thing that needed to be done, somebody usually just did it. We had become really effective together. And nights we'd sit on the beach, light a fire and eat an increasingly tasty meal.
We had begun collecting sea water and drying it to get salt. I had found wild peppers a few days after we landed here when Mikey and I ventured deeper into the forest. Wild onions came a few days after and eventually the tomatoes. I had begun planting everything I found in the open field we found earlier and showed everyone how to do it properly and far enough apart so as to not botch their growth. The field had kind of become my little garden.
The last things I found while exploring were plantains and yams which turned things around for us. I had no way of frying them like I wanted which required oil but I started cooking them every other day for the group. I would even make soup with the freshly caught meat or even some sort of stew which we ate with the yams and potatoes. I thought it wasn't very good but the others seemed to enjoy it so I kept at it.
Along with that, sometimes I'd offer to wash their clothes when I wash 'mine'. After a few days of the guys repeating the same clothes, I'd offer to wash them figuring it was the least I could do since I had so many and they had so few. It wasn't much since I was washing them with just water so I'd always tell them to keep them from getting too dirty.
Nothing happened on the rescue front after that night with the flare and we soon agreed that we probably wouldn't be rescued anytime soon but instead of tearing us down, this time it boosted our morale determined to survive here as long as possible.
We had tried to think up ways to contact whoever shot the flare but we came up empty. They probably didn't even know that we were here. After it didn't seem like we were getting anywhere on that front, so we gave up.
The feeling of uneasiness that came with wearing the clothes never went away and neither did the stares but the guys got better at hiding them. I had gotten more adventurous with her clothes and had even worn her dresses a few times. One of those times being today.
I had gone apple picking with Mikey and I had sent him away to get the berries. He had reluctantly agreed after I assured him that I would be fine.
It was a beautiful dress and I had thought that long before I was comfortable enough to wear it. It was a red and white flowery sundress which came down to below my knees. It was tight but stretchy at the bust and shoulders, flared out just above the waist and had two slits around my upper thigh so my thighs were in full view whenever I walked.
When I started wearing her 'underwear shorts', I had shaved what little hair I had on my legs. One thing led to another and I shaved my entire body.
I was putting apples into the sack that belonged to the previous island resident when I heard it
"Hey Jo" Ollie said from behind me
"Ollie!" I turned around surprised. I put my hand on my chest.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
He laughed but didn't reply. Just stared at me. But this time more intently than usual.
I ignored it.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping Gabe with the traps?" I asked
"Tate's with him"
"Well, what do you want? How did you even find me?"
He didn't reply. 'How did he find me?' I thought. Only Mikey and I know these routes.
"Did you follow us?" I asked a bit worried.
"Shh" He started walking towards me "Relax"
I took a step back and stepped on an apple.
"I said relax, Jo" He said dangerously close now. He put a hand on my waist.
I took a step back "What the fuck, Ollie?" I asked shouting
He stepped forward and regained his previous position.
"I want you, Jo" I felt his hand brush against my ass.
I shoved him "You're crazy!" I shouted.
"It's alright Jo. I know. A girl doesn't wear that sort of dress unless she's asking for something" He said and then came back at me this time wrapping both hands around me and attempted to kiss me.
I struggled to get my arm free and up to his shoulders to push him away. His kiss attempt missed as I struggled and I felt his lips brush against my cheek.
His arms were still wrapped around my lower back as he tried to kiss me again. I slapped him hard across the right cheek but that did nothing to stop him. He let go for a second to grab both my arms and hold them firmly behind my back. I struggled to move but it only hurt. I started screaming and crying without realising it. When he attempted to kiss me again, I tried to knee him in the junk but only partly hit. I could tell it still caused him some pain because he angrily slapped me hard across the face.
I recoiled and fell hard to the floor. My face stung painfully and it took a second before I could open my left eye.
"Ollie, please, please, please, stop!" I said crying
"Shouldn't have done that, bitch."
He moved and knelt down on top of me. He grabbed both my arms and held them both above my head in one of his and I instantly cursed myself for being so weak. I was still crying and I hated myself for that.
He used his free hand and held my hand in place.
"No, no, please don't. Oliver please!" I cried but he kept coming.
I closed my eyes and felt his lips press against mine. I struggled to free my head which succeeded.
"Somebody help me, please!" I screamed at the top of my voice.
He slapped me hard across the face again "Shut up, bitch"
He was about to kiss me again when he was pulled off me and thrown to the floor. Mikey was standing there with the angriest look on his face.
He looked at me lying there then turned to Ollie who was still on the floor. Mikey lunged at him punching him back down as he tried to get up. He followed that one up with a lot more before I screamed for him to stop
"Stop! You're gonna kill him!"
Mikey turned to me. He was still kneeling on Ollie which was blocking me from getting a proper view but I knew it was bad when I saw blood on Mikey's wrist
"Maybe he deserves it!" he shouted back
"The last thing I want is you killing someone for me! Even him!"
He didn't reply.
"Now get off him!"
Mikey didn't move.
"He'll get what's coming to him now please.." my voice cracked from all the screaming and crying "please get off him"
He slowly stood. "Get the fuck out of here"
Ollie stood shakily and took off.
"Next time I'll fucking kill you" he shouted as Ollie disappeared into the trees.
He came to help me up. He took my right hand and put his left on my shoulder guiding me up.
"Are you hurt?" The angry look fading to concern
"Other than my face and my ego?" I tried to laugh but it still stung
"Can you walk?"
I tried standing on my own. I was still wobbly but I was okay. "Yeah"
"Come on, we've got to tell coach and the others. Tell them everything"
I put my hand on his chest. "No stop! You can't tell anyone!"
"What? No! He needs to be punished for what he did."
"Nothing happened!"
"I saw him try to kiss you!"
"Yeah but he didn't" I lied "You got here just in time. Thanks for that by the way" I swallowed.
"Still he can't go free. He tried to.."
"He didn't go free" I took his hand and showed him the blood
"And I don't want to be the guy that almost got raped. That shit follows you"
He wasn't convinced. "Can you really trust Doug or the others not to tell anyone if we ever get off this island?" I asked
He still didn't reply
"Promise me, Mikey. No one hears about this."
"What about Ollie? He knows."
"He's hardly going to tell anyone. Now promise me" I pleaded with words and my expression. I realized I was still holding his hand.
"Fine. But if I see him anywhere near you..."
"I'll hold you to that" I interrupted him. He smiled. I let go of his hand
"Let me get that" he said as I went to get the bag of apples. I let him.
"Wait. Where are the berries?" He pointed to some squashed berries on the floor.
"It's fine. We'll get it next time."
I put on a brave face but I was melting inside. I don't know if it was my imagination but I could still feel the sting of his slap, the pressure where his hands had grabbed mine but worst of all, I could still feel his lips pressed against mine.
Mikey asked if I was okay a lot but I just smiled every time he did. I couldn't tell him how I had been violated. How helpless I had felt. I did my best to hold back the tears partly so Mikey wouldn't worry but mostly because I was so sick of crying.
=^_^=
It took a while but we finally made it back to camp
We eventually got back to the cave and the entire group was waiting for us.
Coach and Tate had concerned looks on their faces but Doug and Gabe were grinning wildly.
"Damn, Jo! I didn't know you had it in you!" Doug said loudly
"Yeah. Color me impressed" Gabe chimed
"What's going on, Fahey?" Coach asked "Reid said you both got into a fight"
I looked at Mikey and then back at coach
"That's what happened, coach" I said
Coach looked at Mikey clearly not convinced.
"That's about it, coach" Mikey said convincingly
"And where were you during all this?" He asked Mikey
"I'm sorry coach, we split up to pick stuff faster"
"I thought I told you.." He began but I interrupted
"It was my idea, coach. I thought we'd be quicker if we split up. And Ollie was with me" I said partly true.
"Why was Reid there, anyway?"
"He said he came to help. He was bored or something" I didn't falter. I was determined to keep this a secret even if I was burning up inside.
"Help? Is that why half your face is discoloured?"
"It was my fault, coach. He was just teasing and I lost it. Won't happen again"
He wasn't totally buying it but he seemed to let it rest.
"Go clean up. You're a mess" I looked down and saw that the dress was all wrinkled and dirty "You boys shouldn't be fighting" he said as I walked past him into the cave.
When I got into the cave, Ollie was in the corner, down to his briefs getting some clean clothes. I figured he was about to go take a bath. His face was in worse shape than I thought.
Seeing him stopped me in my tracks.
Mikey came in after me.
"Jo, I.." Ollie said. The sound of his voice threatened to bring me to tears. "I'm.." he continued. I winced
"You don't get to talk to him!" Mikey yelled. "You don't fucking..."
The others came into the cave.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Coach shouted
Ollie grabbed the rest of his stuff and left the cave. I shrunk as he walked past me.
"Denholm, accompany him" Coach said. Tate nodded and left.
"You should take a bath too, Fahey" Coach added
I thought about being alone with him again and it took everything in me to smile "I'm good coach. A little dirt never hurt nobody"
I turned around and saw the entire group looking at me and I was once again self conscious about standing here in a dress with all these men looking at me.
"I'm going to be on the beach" I said desperate to get out of there
"Harris.." Coach began but I interrupted again.
"It's the beach, coach. I'll be fine" I said before walking past every one of them.
I don't remember when I started running but I was running and crying to the beach.
I sat on the sand and let myself cry. I felt him on me again and I realized I needed that bath more than anything.
Watching the waves had a calming effect and eventually, the crying slowed. I never cried this much. In fact, before this whole thing, it's been years since I cried.
I didn't hear someone walk up to me so I recoiled when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I brought both arms to my chest and turned sharply to find coach standing there with the same concerned look on his face.
"I didn't mean to..." He began but stopped "May I sit?"
I cleaned my tears and nodded. He sat.
"Want to tell me what really happened?"
"I already told you.."
"I remember" He interrupted. He thought for awhile as if considering something "I never told anyone this. I caught my sister in a state just like yours once"
I just sat there in the same defensive position.
"She told me she'd been raped by a boy at her college but that I couldn't tell our parents"
"Oh my God..."
"Yeah." Coach never ever opened up like this. "I still don't know her reasons but she made me promise not to tell anyone and I didn't."
"What happened?"
He paused.
"Nothing. We moved on with our lives.. for a while. A few weeks later she finds out that she's pregnant. She aborts the baby but later finds out she can't have any more kids"
I stare in disbelief and feel tears slowly trickle down my cheeks. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"A while later, she starts doing drugs, drops out of school, work and eventually leaves the state. 'too many memories' she says"
"What happened to her?"
"Eventually, I track her down, she's a mess, Jonathan.." It's the first time he's ever used my first name. His voice was so sad and I felt compelled to give him a hug but just touched his knee instead. "The point is you don't carry this stuff alone. You need to tell people and deal with it"
I remove my hand "I didn't get raped, coach. That's ridiculous"
"Maybe. But I feel responsible for you as much as I did her. After all, I convinced you to get on that plane and start wearing those clothes"
"It was just a fight. Nothing happened." I said still trying and failing to convince him
"I know, I know. It's just... I hope you feel like you can tell me someday"
I didn't say anything as he got up. He touched my shoulder again but it felt nice this time, reassuring. I smiled and he walked away.
I looked up at the sky and wondered how everything got so fucked up.
Chapter 7
Mikey had woken me up a few minutes ago. I hadn't remembered falling asleep on the beach. I don't think I ever stopped crying. I tried and failed multiple times to get myself together. 'Who cries this much over a fight they supposedly won?'
My face still stung where I'd been hit twice before and my tears had eventually dried on my face.
"Jo?" I heard Mikey say as he tapped me lightly. "Come eat something, please" He said when I eventually opened my eyes.
I slowly sat up. I was still wearing the dress which I immediately felt like tearing off my body but I didn't want to be walking around in the panties that had become my own in the last two weeks.
"Oh my God, Jo. Your eyes"
I was going to ask what about them but I decided I didn't care enough.
"They're all red and swollen"
I started to rise to my feet. He took my hand to help which I took back instantly
"I'm fine" I managed to say "And it's Jonathan" I said weakly
He took a breath. "Coach is bringing the food out to the beach. Let's go take a spot"
"I'm not hungry" I was starving "I need a bath. I need to.." I didn't finish my sentence before I started walking away.
"I'll come with you"
"I said I'm fine" I replied without turning to look at him. I needed to cleanse myself.
=^_^=
On the path back to the cave, Coach and the others had a roasted animal I didn't recognize in the pot which Doug carried. I scanned for Ollie but he wasn't there. Nobody said anything as I passed them but I could feel the curious stares.
I made sure the cave was empty before I walked in.
It felt lonelier than it ever had. I made my way towards the trunk that had started all this. I wondered if it would have been better if it had never washed ashore. It now doubled as water storage and mirror.
I opened it and stared at myself. I softly started crying. The left side of my face had visible finger prints where Ollie had hit me. It felt like a depraved tramp stamp. My eyes were red from all the crying. Both eyes were swollen but the left even more so.
I closed it and went to the large pile of clothes in the corner. I fished through it and it took a while before I found what I was looking for. The grey button up shirt and dark jeans I had brought to this island. Even if they had been clean the entire time, I hadn't worn them since that first day. I wondered if I'd somehow encouraged this. I was the one that wore short dresses and 'underwear jeans'.
I only knew I needed to get out of this dress. I took the clothes and the large sponge that the mystery girl had packed fully intending to scrub my skin off.
I left the cave with everything I needed and made my way to the spring. It was quiet. Very quiet except for the light rustling of the trees.
=^_^=
I dropped the clothes on the floor finally glad that I had begun to calm down.
I took the dress by the skirt rolling it up and then over my head. I was about to take off the panties when I heard him and took three steps back clutching the dress to my chest covering myself.
"Jo." Ollie said coming out of the forest.
I picked up a stick waving it at him "Stay the fuck away from me!" I yelled
"Please, I just want to talk" he said walking forward slowly with his palms facing me.
I threw the stick at him which he dodged. I picked up another.
"Stay away from me!" I shouted again.
"Jo, what I did.." He paused
"Don't you fucking talk to me!"
"I'm sorry. My dad, he..." He paused again. He had his head down.
"Do you expect me to feel sorry for you, you son of a bitch? You tried to..." My voice broke. I was crying again. "You tried to..."
He didn't say anything, just stood there with his head down
.
"Oh my God, you tried to ra..." My voice broke off
The tears were flowing now. I hated standing there in my underwear. I wanted to take the dress away from my chest but I couldn't.
"I'm sorry. Normally I would never... this island..."
"Just please leave me alone" I begged through the sobs.
"I will" He said sharply "I want you to know that I won't ever so much as look at you again. That's what I wanted to say"
I didn't reply.
"Thank you for not saying anything" He said before he left.
When he was out of sight, my legs gave way and I sat on the ground beside the spring.
I sat there in my underwear with the dress in my laps crying for a while but eventually I stood. I didn't even know it was possible for a person to cry this much.
I took off the panties, threw them to the floor and jumped into the water. I needed to get rid of everything. I needed to wash it all off.
Eventually, I decided to join the group on the beach mostly because I was starving. Ollie was somewhere else but I was told that he had shown up while I was taking a bath, eaten sharply and left.
"Fahey" Coach said smiling "Glad you could join us"
I smiled back as I took a seat between him and Mikey. Coach had also started eating with us sometime during that first week which was my doing.
"Those clothes really don't suit you, Jo" Gabe said laughing
"Yeah, you running out of things to wear?" Doug added.
Mikey looked really worried but it was more than that. It was almost sadness.
"It's Jonathan" I said just loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"Come on, you can't really expect us to..." Doug started but I interrupted him
"Please"
Doug looked at me for a second then asked "Alright. tell me 'Jonathan', why the sudden change?"
I didn't reply.
"I think he's entitled to that much, Doug. Don't you think?" Mikey asked him.
We ate in silence after that and got up to head in at nine.
I lay on the cold hard ground inside the cave but I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even close my eyes without imagining his body pressed against mine.
A while later, after everyone seemed to have gone to bed, Ollie walked into the cave.
He took the spot closest to the entrance probably because I was the farthest in.
"Oliver." I called
"Yes, Jo?.." He paused "Jonathan"
"I want to get off this island. I know you do too. Which is why from tomorrow, I'm going to pretend you never tried to..." My voice trailed off. I still couldn't say it.
He didn't say anything, just sat there nodding.
"We'll need to work together" I continued "I'm willing to do that so I don't have to die here with you. So one day, I never have to see you again" I said calmly
"I understand but you don't have to change who you are because of me. If you want to..."
"That's as far as this conversation goes. If I want to discuss my mental state, I'll talk to a human being" I said sternly
"Fair enough" He replied. When he realized I wasn't going to say any more, he laid back down.
I'm not sure how long he stayed awake after that but eventually, I fell asleep.
After that day, things seemed to continue in the same tense vein. Coach still looked at me expectantly and never gave me any orders. He also never asked anyone to accompany me anywhere unless I requested it. We had decided that the greatest dangers on the island were the wasps and poisonous ants and as long as everyone stayed away from them we should be fine. So unless there was a two man job, we mostly stayed on our own. Tate still mostly hung around coach and Gabe and Doug stuck together except when they had to go hunting and trapping.
Ollie seemed to grow a shell and would retreat into it whenever Mikey and I were around. I think the others sensed the lingering tension between us but never said anything about it.
I wore my own clothes for two days straight before I started missing the dresses. The heat never eased up and wearing sweat soaked clothes after a bath is not the most pleasant feeling.
I had to re-evaluate a lot of things when I came to the realization that I missed the feeling of skirts and dresses. 'Is it still a survival thing or do I really like wearing dresses?' I thought as I stared at the folded clothes in the corner. One day, when the guys were out with their chores, I picked up a baby blue bra and held it to my chest imagining what they'd feel like. I tossed them back when I heard noise outside the cave.
The next day, I took a loose, cropped polka dot blouse and a black skater skirt I'd worn many times before as I went to take a bath. It took a while to convince myself to wear them because I thought I might be inviting another attack but decided that I had to stop living for other people.
As I slipped the skirt on over the pair of panties I had picked out, I felt a smile creep on my face which worried me. I felt relieved to see the tattered clothes I had taken off earlier lying on the floor.
I slipped on the cropped blouse and instantly felt at home. Next came the flat lace-up retro suede boots that I had fallen in love with a few weeks ago.
They were precious so I only wore them on days like today when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and I didn't have to do anything other than hang around the camp.
It had taken everything in me to get back to this point where a single thought of that day didn't send me into tears. I might have even been in a better place if I didn't have to see him everyday.
I picked up the old clothes and made my way back to camp. When I got back, the dead rabbit in the grass told me that the guys had returned which made me feel a bit uneasy but I didn't stop.
They turned to look at me when I entered the cave. They were all in various stages of work or some sort of preparation and thankfully returned to it after only a few glances.
Ollie turned and left the cave deliberately avoiding my gaze as he hurried past me.
"You and Ollie really need to patch things up" Doug said "It's just a fight, shit! Just get over it"
I didn't reply. I just looked down. Could I really get over it? Sure he tried to do all that stuff but other than that kiss, nothing happened. 'And he does seem really broken up about it' I thought
"Doesn't that rabbit need cleaning, Ripley?" Coach asked.
Doug mumbled as he started to leave
"And Ripley" Doug turned "Hurry up this time, you know how long smoking that thing takes"
"How about I make something?" I asked
Everyone turned to me with good reason. I hadn't made anything since that day. We had eaten exclusively roasted meat which had depleted our meat storage.
"Those potatoes are going to go rotten if we don't use them soon" I reasoned.
Everyone seemed pleased.
"Good to have you back" Coach said in my ear as he took his tools and left the cave.
The others left the cave one by one until it was just Mikey and I. He flashed a coyly "How are you doing?" He asked
I thought for a second.
"I'm okay actually"
"Really?" He kept smiling
"Yeah, really" the smile was infectious
"Okay enough to go somewhere with me?'
That caught me by surprise "Go where?" I asked
"It's a surprise. Come on, it'll be fun"
"I don't know..."
He had those pleading eyes again. The ones I could never say no to.
"Please" He said stretching the word and smiling.
"Ugh, fine" I said giving in.
"Yes!" he exclaimed "It's a bit of a hike though"
"Oh, shouldn't I change then?" I asked as I started walking towards the pile.
He took my hand, "No no no, you look great" he said as he pulled me out the cave.
We made small talk as we made the long journey. He walked past the areas I'd explored and came to a rocky area. When we started walking up an elevated path, I stopped.
"I don't know if this is a good idea, Mikey. Maybe we should head back"
He took my hand again.
"It's fine, I promise" he said as he lead me up a path
=^_^=
Eventually, we got to a narrower path that didn't seem too stable. He must have sensed my hesitation because he turned to me still holding my hand and I had made no motion to let go.
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
His hands were bigger than Ollie's but they didn't feel threatening, they felt safe. I let out a smile and nodded.
One step at a time, we got through the narrow path. Eventually, we got to the top of this little hill
"Here we are"
The view was breathtaking. I could almost see the entire island and some other surrounding islands that I hadn't known were there. The forest was full and lush and the island had other hills like this one.
"It's beautiful" I said subconsciously squeezing his hand that neither of us had made any motions to move.
"Yeah"
A gust of wind pushed passed us and blew my skirt wildly. I left his hand to hold the skirt down.
When he saw what had just happened, he started laughing. I instantly felt embarrassed. He sensed this and stopped.
"What did you see?" I asked pouting
"Huh?"
"Did you see anything?" I asked again
"No, you covered up expertly" He said chuckling
I let myself relax wondering what I was so worried about him seeing.
"I'm glad you're dressing like this again"
I wasn't sure how to answer that. "Why?" I asked simply
"Oh.. you just seem way happier"
He was right. But I didn't reply.
"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It suits you. You're beautiful even"
That hit me like a ton of bricks but I wasn't angry. I was flattered. I blushed.
"We can head back if you want" He said.
"A bit longer. I just want to be here a bit longer"
So we sat on a flat rock and talked about everything. I found myself studying him more and more. He was really quite handsome. I kept smiling at him.
At some point, if felt our hands touch and we both turned to look at each other but we didn't turn away. I just got lost in his eyes. I saw him lean forward and I pressed my lips against his.
'What are you doing?!' My own voice shouted in my head
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry" I said panicked
"Jo, it's okay" He put a hand on my cheek. I pressed my face into it and let out a slight moan as I felt the creases of his palm on my face
'Oh my God. What the hell is happening to me?'
I looked earnestly into his eyes and melted "I just..." He leaned forward slowly and our lips touched again only this time, I let out an audible moan.
I pressed my lips into his followed by my body. His arms went around my waist pulling me even tighter. I opened my mouth. I'd never felt anything like this. My whole body shook with passion.
He moved and started kissing my neck as I kept moaning. I cursed Ollie for making something so amazing feel so horrible.
As he kept kissing me, I moved one hand from his chest to his pants. I felt his hard-on threatening to tear through his jeans. I felt his hand go up my short skirt massaging my own junk through the panties in smooth up-down motions.
I shook with pleasure as I kept moaning. It wasn't something I'd ever done before but it came so naturally. Like a primal instinct. It was like my body's involuntary response to his touch.
While still kissing me, both of his hands went under my skirt trying to remove the panties. I still pressed my lips on his during the entire thing. I didn't know kissing could be... electrifying.
And in one instant, his lips, his hands, all of that passion ceased.
"Jo, jo, look!" He said pointing.
I saw a flare light up in the sky, almost overshadowed by the burning sun but clearly there. But that wasn't it. In the distance, a ship.
"Oh my God, Jo" My sister said as she barged into my room like she always did. "You're okay" she said as she hugged me.
"Hey, sis" I said forcing a weak smile as she sat on my bed.
"I came as soon as I heard" she said kissing my forehead before hugging me again "When I heard they'd found you..." her voice trailed off
"I'm okay" I said as I hugged her back.
She let go and put her hands on my shoulder "Let me look at you" She used her finger to push some rogue hair away from my face.
"How? How did they find you?"
"It was a commercial fishing boat. They rescued a lot of us, Gaby" I still couldn't believe that nightmare was over.
"Oh sweetie, you have to tell me everything. Mum is freaking out downstairs. She's so happy" Gaby said smiling
That made me smile. I hadn't really talked to anyone since I was sleeping in the car ride back and came up to my room as soon as we got home.
I kept waiting to wake up in that dry cave since we were rescued yesterday morning.
"Mum said you were wearing a skirt and blouse when they saw you at the port? What's up with that?"
"Yeah" I replied gesturing at the clothes on the floor "It's a long story"
Her interest peaked "I've got time"
And so I told her. Everything. She listened intently, occasionally moving to console me. She's always been the only person I could really talk to. And I always felt that I was that person for her.
"Wait, surely I'm not hearing this right"
I didn't say anything because I had been expecting this reaction.
"Somebody tried to what?!" she exclaimed
"Nothing happened. Mikey came and..."
"Jo, that doesn't matter!" she shouted "I can't believe this! One of the kids from your school?"
I nodded.
"Is he back here? Did he get rescued?"
"Yes, but.."
"Jo, he needs to be arrested! Like yesterday"
"I don't want anyone to know, Gaby. I just want to put it behind me" I said trying to defuse the situation.
"Fuck that, bro! We need to call the police! He can't just go free!" She was getting hectic. She stood up.
"He didn't. Mikey almost killed him."
"That's not enough, Jo! He can't just.." she stopped talking and stormed out the room "Mum!" I heard her shout from the hallway.
I ran fingers through my hair in frustration and then followed her
"You can't tell them!" I shouted trying to catch up to her
"Mum! Are you hearing this?" I heard downstairs and I knew she had found her.
I hurried down the stairs careful not to trip on my too-long pajama pants.
"Jo was assaulted on that stupid island" She shouted "He was almost raped"
I saw mum's expression change when I finally caught up to them.
"What?!" She asked confused "You told me nothing happened on that island!" she shouted at me.
"Nothing happened, mum" I said realising that everything was already fucked up.
"Tell me everything this instant!" she shouted.
I'd already told Gaby so there was no point lying so I did.
"Mikey got there and he beat the crap out of him. Nothing happened, really"
"He forcefully kissed you, Jonathan. That's rape!" She somehow managed to shout at me and feel sorry for me at the same time. "I calling your father"
"We have to call the police, mum. He needs to be arrested" Gaby said
No one would think for one second that I was the one that had been assaulted.
Dad must have picked up the phone because mum was immediately losing it
"Honey?! You need to come home right now!"
She paused only listening for a bit.
"Just come home now! Please. it's important" She hung up.
"He'll be here in twenty minutes. Who is this boy?" she said focusing her attention to me again. "All of them go to your school right? Didn't you say Coach Evans was with you the entire time?"
"He was on another part of the island. I kept it from him" I said
"Why in the hell would you do that? What if the boy came back at you?" Mum asked. I didn't reply.
"I'm calling the coach" she said as she picked up the phone again.
"Mum. He just got back with his family" I said. This was blowing up in my face.
"Well this is important" she replied as she dialed.
I looked at Gaby with a blaming look but she was unapologetic.
"Hi, sorry, may I speak with Coach Evans?" I just stood there looking at her hopelessly.
"Good day, Coach Evans. It's Mrs. Fahey. Do you remember me?"
I groaned.
"We have an issue. My daughter just brought something to my attention. Apparently, Jonathan was assaulted on the island and I was hoping you could drop by and clear things up" She paused for a second "Yes that would be wonderful, thank you. See you soon"
She put down the phone and told me to sit down.
"We'll wait for your father and Coach Evans to get here before we continue."
I took a seat on the couch and Gaby took one beside me. Mum took a seat across from us.
We sat in silence until dad arrived rushing through the door.
"Barbara, what's the emergency?" he asked panicked.
Mum stood up and gestured at me "Your son was raped on that island!"
"What?!" Dad asked confused
"Ugh mum no!" I exclaimed "I was not raped, that's ridiculous"
"What would you call a boy holding you down and forcefully kissing you?"
The look of confusion never left my dad's face "What am I hearing? Someone forcefully kissed you? A boy?!"
This was up there with the most embarrassing things I'd ever experienced.
Thankfully the door bell rang and saved me from having to answer that.
Mum hurried to the door and opened it.
"Coach Evans" she said "Thank you for coming" she stretched her hand.
"Please call me Phillip" He said taking her hand before then doing the same with my father.
He turned to me "Jonathan, I told you to tell me if anything other than what you told me happened"
I didn't answer.
"One of those kids held him down and kissed him. Probably was going to do more if that Harris boy hadn't shown up"
Coach turned to me.
"That what happened, Jonathan?"
I nodded.
He took off the cap he had been wearing "Damn it, Fahey. I begged you to tell me"
"I'm sorry, coach. I didn't want anyone else to know about it"
"I told you not to handle this stuff alone" He turned to my mum
"Have you called the police yet?"
Mum shook her head "We wanted to know everything first"
"Are you going to?" Coach asked again
"Yeah, probably"
"Mum you can't!" I shouted
Dad hadn't said a word and still seemed to be processing.
"Why not?" Gaby asked incredulously
"I can't be that guy that got raped! I can't. Dad tell them"
"I..." that was all he could manage
"I'm not going back to school if this becomes public" I said firmly "Oh my God, nothing happened"
"I told you what happened to my sister. You don't bottle this stuff up" Coach added
"I'm sorry coach but I'm not your sister and I wasn't raped.
There's nothing to handle. Please" I begged "Don't make this public"
The room fell silent.
"Dad?" Gaby just said. "Jo's got a point" she said finally "You don't want to live with that kind of label"
I relaxed a bit.
The room fell silent again.
"We should at least go see if he gave you anything. Herpes or whatever" Mum added
"Mum!" I shouted
"At the very least" Dad said finally.
"Honey, it's for you!" I heard mum yell from downstairs.
I got out of bed and shuffled downstairs.
"It's that nice Harris boy. You should invite him over. So we can thank him properly" she said as she gave me the phone.
It was those wired telephones so I couldn't take it outside. I took a seat at the dining table and pressed the phone to my ear.
"Yeah?"
"Jo, finally. I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier. My parents have been all over me" I heard him say over the phone.
"You don't have anything to apologize for, Mikey" I replied. It was odd, him apologizing. "My parents think you're a hero, you know?"
"Yeah? For what?"
"For saving me"
"You told them?"
"No actually, I told my sister. She's not as good with secrets as I thought"
"Maybe it should never have been a secret?"
I didn't say anything.
"Listen" he began "I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday morning."
"Look, we don't have to talk about anything. We were caught up in the moment and with everything with the island..."
"Hey no, that's not.." He paused "We should probably talk about what happened in person. Do you want to meet for ice cream or..?"
"That kind of sounds like a date"
My sister came down the stairs and around the corner. She was beautiful. She was wearing a grey and white striped top tucked into a dark blue mini skirt. She had heels on and was carrying a blue bag.
"Score, little brother. One day back and you already have a date"
"I'll call you back" I said to Mikey before I hung up. "Where are you going?" I asked her
"Campus, I'm going to go pick up a few clothes"
"What happened to the ones in your room?"
"Most of them don't fit me anymore. That reminds me, could you help me move them to your empty drawers? I'll sort when I get back"
I smiled "Not like I'm doing anything"
"Thanks" she said as she began leaving. She turned around "They'll probably fit you so if you see anything you like" She turned and left.
I called Mikey again. When he picked up, I said
"I can't today. I'm helping my sister move some of her old clothes"
"Gaby's there?" He asked
"Not right now. She'll be back"
"I could help you. I'm not doing anything"
"Uh... you sure your parents will be okay with that?" I asked. I'm not sure when I crossed my legs.
"Yeah. I can't stay at home forever. so?"
"Okay then" I said. I still wasn't sure about seeing him. I thought I'd have more time to figure things out. I had totally made out with him and loved every second of it.
"Cool, I'll be right over"
=^_^=
"You're sister really has like a hundred clothes" Mikey said as we dropped the last box on the floor of my room and sat down near one of the piles.
My room was a fairly large one with a lot of storage space in the form of an empty walk-in closet but there were still clothes everywhere.
"I told you! She's going to make a charity very happy" I said as I held one of the dresses up to examining it.
Mikey looked at me puzzled. "I thought this stuff was for you"
I returned the look. "No. That was just an island thing. I wore that stuff because I had to"
The truth is I already missed wearing those clothes and it's been less than eight hours since I took them off. The pajamas I'd worn since I got back just felt so wrong.
"It doesn't have to be, Jo" Mikey said touching my arm as he knelt down next to me "You clearly enjoy wearing this stuff"
I couldn't admit that to myself because the moment I did, everything about my life would change.
I didn't reply.
"That's not a bad thing" Mikey added.
"I just don't want to be that guy, Mikey. Just like I don't want to be the guy that was almost raped"
"It sounds like you care too much about what people think. Try this stuff on, if you like any, keep it"
I took a deep breath "You said you wanted to talk" trying to change the subject.
"Yeah" He sat down. "About what happened yesterday morning.."
I sighed. "We don't have to talk about it. We were acting under duress or something"
He took both my hands. "I wasn't. I like you, Jo. Really"
I looked into his eyes and felt the same sinking feeling.
"Are you gay?.. which is totally okay, I'm just wondering" I asked partly wondering the same about myself. I loved my life. I didn't want anything to change but it felt like that was all my life wanted to do.
"I'm not. At least I don't think so. You're.. different, I don't know why but I..." He paused.
I half laughed "This is ridiculous" I said as I let go of his hands.
His head fell "I told you I'll never make you do anything. So if you want us to forget everything?.."
"I don't!" I shouted surprising both Mikey and myself. "I just... can we just take it slow? Whatever 'it' is."
Mum came up to my room a while later with a worried look on her face.
"Jo!" she said opening the door.
"Mum! Knock!"
"Is that Harris boy here?" she scanned the room and found us sitting on the floor "Oh thank God, your mother is worried sick. You tell someone before you go out!" She said to Mikey.
He stood up "I never had to do that before, I'm sorry"
She visibly relaxed. "Well you haven't been lost before. I'll go tell her that we have you"
"Thanks Mrs. Fahey" Mikey said.
She smiled, "Actually I hear I have you to thank for Jo's safety. I'm glad he had you on that island"
"I'll always protect Jo, Mrs. Fahey"
She was still smiling "Invite your family for dinner tomorrow night, will you?"
"Will do, Mrs. Fahey" Mikey said as he nodded.
Mum turned to me. "You should go get dressed, Jo. We leave for the hospital in about an hour"
"Wait, hospital?!" Mikey asked alarmed.
"We're going to go check if that boy gave him anything" she said turning to him
I instantly felt like dying "Mum!" I walked to Mikey, took his hand and pulled him out the room.
"And clean up this mess when you get back" Mum yelled from inside the room.
Mikey left and I went in to take my second bath of the day. I checked my watch, 1:09 pm. It had been over 9 hours since I saw mum and dad at the port. They had been so overjoyed, they had been crying. They didn't even ask me once why I was dressed the way I was.
I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked surprisingly good for someone who had been stranded on an island. Except I was more tan than I'd ever been.
My hair was slightly longer but in poorer condition than it'd been before. It had been less than a week since I shaved my body last so there wasn't much hair there. I outlined my body and half hated and half loved how my body curved outwards and then inwards from my waist to my knee. I also half hated and half loved how smooth and soft my body was.
I stepped in and turned on the shower. The water hitting my face reminded me of sitting on the deck of that commercial fishing boat as the rain began pouring. At this point the fading island was no longer visible. Along with everyone on our group, there were four others rescued from the neighboring island.
Most of us that made it to the water from the plane had been rescued within the next few days by a search party but our boat had been pushed too far out. The search radius was just too great.
I don't know when I started crying and in truth, I didn't know why. I got out of the shower, toweled myself dry and looked at the clean underwear I'd pulled out of a drawer earlier. I walked over to the pile of island clothes that still lay on the floor, picked up the panties and slipped them on.
'What's happening to me?' I thought
I searched through my sisters clothes and pulled out one of her blue ripped jeans forcing them on. Next I slipped on a thin off shoulder cropped sweater and white sneakers. I put my hair into a ponytail and went downstairs.
"Mum?" I called out
"Laundry room, honey!"
I opened the door and walked in, she turned around, shocked.
"Mum, we need to talk"
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, I just want to know that this is something you really want" Mum said sitting next to dad across from Gaby and I.
"Your mother's right. Could this be some form of PTSD?" Dad chimed.
"Exactly. You boys went through God-knows-what on that island, especially you!" Mum followed
"Mum." I said weakly
"You said you dressed like a woman the entire time and then the things that boy did to you, this could just be a way for you to cope"
My father nodded.
"It's not a way for me to cope, there's nothing to cope with" I said "It's not a cry for help or PTSD or whatever!"
"Jo just feels more comfortably in women's clothes. I don't see what the big deal is" Gaby said. I smiled at her. She'd been holding my hand on the couch the entire time.
"What's next a boyfriend?" Mum asked incredulously. For some reason, I thought about Mikey and I that day and blushed.
"So?!" Gaby almost shouted
"I don't think the world is going to be as nonchalant as you, Gabriella" Dad said. "He's going to be a boy wearing girl's clothes.. my son"
"I don't want to be a boy wearing girls clothes!"
It was the one thing I knew. I never wanted to be that kid.
"You want to be a woman now?" Mum asked.
"I don't know, maybe"
Mum turned to Gaby. "I told you so many times to stop treating him like one of your girlfriends"
"Mum, if Jo wants to be a girl, it's fine" Gaby said
Mum sighed. We were all quiet for a while.
"We're going to be late for the appointment" Mum said finally "I assume you're going like that?" She said to me.
I had forgotten that dad and Gaby had both returned so we could go to the hospital.
I nodded. She sighed.
"We'll discuss this more when we get back"
I knew I passed as a girl. I knew I would before the island and I knew I did now, but sitting in the hospital waiting area, I coudn't help but worry that everyone who looked at me knew that I wasn't who I appeared to be.
It was still odd being around this many people. I had gotten used to our little group on the island and I think at some point, I had thought I would spend my entire life on that island.
I looked over from mum to dad and wondered what they were thinking. I knew they loved me but I couldn't help the feeling that I had disappointed them and somehow that they didn't love me anymore. Maybe it would have been better if I just ignored all these feelings and moved on with my life.
Before I could ponder any more, a nurse walked into the waiting room.
"Jonathan Fahey?" She called out.
"That's us" Mum replied getting up almost immediately. The four of us manuveured through the crowd and met the nurse whom we followed passed a few doors until she stopped.
"Please go in. The doctor is waiting" she said as she walked away smartly.
Dad knocked and opened the door "Jonathan Fahey to see Dr. Clifford"
A young man wearing a white coat over a smart shirt stood up.
"Yes, please come in"
We all filed into the room. Dad stepped forward and shook his hand.
"George Fahey, this is my wife Barbara, my daughter Gabriella and my son, Jonathan."
There was a definite surprise in his expression when Dad gestured at me but he quickly regained composure.
"Nice to meet you all" He said taking all our hands. I couldn't help but notice how limp our handshake was "I'm Dr. Bill Clifford, please take a seat" He said as he took his own.
Dad and I took the two seats at the desk while Mum and Gaby took the ones by the wall.
"What's the problem?" He asked putting on a business demeanor.
"Well" Dad started "My son was rescued yesterday after being stranded on an island.."
"You're one of those kids?" He asked me interrupting dad which I could tell he didn't like.
I nodded.
"He was, and this morning we find that he was assaulted on that island. One of the boys..." Dad paused "One of the boys forcefully kissed him"
That look of surprise again.
"How old are you, Jonathan?" The doctor asked me.
"Jo, please" I said. He smiled and nodded "I'm sixteen in October"
"Have you informed the police?"He asked turning to my father.
"We uh.. we decided not to" Dad looked so uncomfortable "We just wanted to do a check up. Make sure there's nothing to be worried about"
"Did anything happen other than the kiss?" He asked turning again to me.
"No sir"
"Have you noticed anything odd?"
"Uh no sir"
"You probably have nothing to be worried about but I'll do a quick check up put all your fears to rest"
I nodded. I decided liked him. He was reassuring to talk to an didn't treat me at all like I expected everyone would treat me after they heard.
He took a small metal rod and walked up to me.
"Open your mouth please" I did. He pressed the rod against my tongue which was cold and had a metallic taste. He moved my tongue about for a few seconds before taking it out and walking back across the desk.
He put the rod in a small tray before taking his seat.
"Like I said nothing to worry about but I'll give you my personal number and you can call me if you notice anything."
I nodded. He turned to dad.
"You really have nothing to worry about although I'd recommend a post trauma group or a therapist. He's been through something very few people have"
"That's another thing" Dad said and the doctor turned to him.
"This mode of dressing is a recent thing. Very recent."
"Dad." I said which he ignored.
"This morning to be exact. He's going on about how he wants to be a woman now and we're not sure what to do"
The doctor seemed to study me before turning back to dad.
"Gender Identity Disorder is nothing to be alarmed about"
"We're not worried." Dad added almost immediately "Just concerned that it might be as a result of what he's been through. You know, with the assault and the island"
The doctor was silent for a bit.
"May I speak with Jonathan.. Jo alone please" He said "There are chairs right outside"
Dad looked to mum and Gaby before standing up after which they all left. The doctor looked at me intently.
"Is this something you want, Jo? To be a woman?"
I didn't reply.
"You can be honest with me." He said looking into my eyes. His gaze piercing.
"Yes.. I don't know.. I think so" I replied
"Do you have any particular reason?"
"I just.. I don't know. I'm having feelings for one of the boys that was with me on the island".
I hadn't admitted that to myself before this "I love the way I feel when I'm dressed like this! And if I'm being honest, I love being treated like a woman"
"Have you ever felt this way before?"
"I don't think so. I've always admired my sister and studied her but that's it."
"Why do you think these feelings are only showing up now? Usually, kids with this feelings say they've felt them for as long as they remember"
"I honestly don't know. It's just not something I can ignore"
He sat back in his chair.
"Say, I could snap my finger and all those feelings would be gone, would you want me to do it?"
I thought for a bit. I didn't want to go back to wearing those plain clothes. In truth, I'd wanted to pick skirt earlier but figured I better not overwhelm my parents.
"No"
"And if I could snap my fingers and you'd be a woman right now, would you want me to do it?"
I nodded shyly.
"Could you please call your family in?"
I walked to the door and opened it but didn't say anything.
When we had all sat down again, he said "It's not my area but I don't think we can ignore this. I'm going to have a colleague call you and schedule a meeting"
"You think we should let him go through with this?" Dad asked
"I don't think that's your call, Mr. Fahey. And you might want to get used to using female pronouns" The doctor told dad. "But either way, she's not sixteen yet so other than some therapy, nothing can be done anyway" it took me a while to realize he was talking about me.
I don't know if dad didn't catch that but he didn't respond to it. I couldn't tell how mum was taking it because she was behind me and I hadn't turned around yet. I was still taking this all in myself.
"Please write down a contact number on this piece of paper"he said slipping one forward "I'll have someone call you as soon as possible"
Dad scribbled something on the paper and slipped it forward.
"Thank you, that'll be all, thank you for coming" Dr. Clifford said as he stood up and stretched his hand. Dad took it but didn't say anything.
"Thank you, doctor" Mum said followed by Gaby saying the same thing. He nodded.
"Thank you for stopping by" He said finally "And good luck, Jo"
=^_^=
When we got home, there was a man standing outside our door.
Dad parked the car and got down never taking his eyes off him. He was dressed smartly, carrying a brief case and reminded me of one those TV salesmen
"May I help you?" Dad asked as he closed the gap between them
"Hello, Mr. Fahey?" The man asked.
Dad nodded.
"I'm Timothy Jameson, I'm with the airline. I was hoping I could have a minute with you and your family"
"What do you want?" I'm afraid he had caught dad on a bad day.
"I think it would be better if we discussed this inside"
Dad glanced at the rest of us standing there before he walked to the door, opened it and pushed it wide open "Please" he said.
The man walked in standing just inside while the rest of us walked past him.
"May I just start by offering our heartfelt apologies that such a tragedy occured and say how overjoyed we are that your child has been found" He said looking from dad to me as soon as we had all walked in.
I thought the use of the word 'child' might have been deliberate but I wasn't sure.
"As are we." Dad said folding his jacket and dropping it on the chair before turning back to the man.
"May I?" The man said gesturing at the chairs.
Dad stretched his hand as if to say "go ahead".
The man took the seat closest to the door and dad took the one farthest from him. The rest of us just stood there waiting to see what was happening.
"Again we are so very sorry for what happened. I have been authorized to offer you thirty five thousand along with four complimentary first class tickets to any destination of your choice if you would only..."
Dad stood up "Okay I think I'm gonna have to call my lawyer"
"I understand that Mr. Fahey but keep in mind that what happened was as a result of a lightning strike, something nobody could have planned for"
"I'll have my lawyer call you when we're ready" Dad said before walking to the door and opening it.
The man sighed, looked at all of us, his eyes lingering on me "Good day" he said before walking out.
=^_^=
"Hey sis" Gaby said as she barged into my room. I really needed to start locking it. The room was still a mess, littered with her clothes.
I lay on my bed still wearing the ripped jeans and off shoulder blouse.
"So we're doing this?" I asked as I sat up
"Best believe it" She said smiling as she sat on my bed "You okay?" her expression turned to worry.
"It's a bit mad, isn't it?" I asked
"What is?"
"Everything. You know I've been staring at your prom dress, Gaby. I don't know what's wrong with me." I looked at the beautiful long dress hanging on the wardrobe handle. It was quite the thing. It was a long A-Line pink tulle dress. The entire bodice of the dress was backless and a Deep V-Neck with the most beautiful beading.
"Oh Jo, there's nothing wrong with you" She held my hand. Suddenly a smile crossed her face "Wanna try it on?"
"What?"
She pulled me out of bed. We maneuvered through the clothes to the wardrobe. She pulled the dress of the hangar and handed it to me.
"Step into it"
"Gaby." I said reluctantly
"Jo!" She said back smiling widely
I held the dress. Despite the beading, it was still a very light thing.
"Fine. Turn around."
"Why we're sisters" She laughed "And you know I bathed you once, right?"
"Come on, turn around"
"Fine" she groaned and turned. I turned too.
I started taking off the clothes. I had just taken off the jeans when Gaby said "Ooh nice panties. Where'd you get them?"
"Gaby!" I shouted turning just my head to look at her.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry" she said as she turned back around
"Hurry up!"
I brought the dress up to my waist and slipped my hands through the straps.
"Oh my God, you're gorgeous." She said walking around to my front "It's so perfect you have no idea"
She led me up to a mirror. It was beautiful. I ran my hands from my ribs to my waist to my hips.
"I love it" I said simply with my hands still on my waist. I grinned.
"You should. You look amazing. Now all you need are some boobs and you'd have the perfect body for this dress"
I thought about having boobs and smiled even more.
"It's yours"
I turned to her.
"I can't. You loved this dress"
"Yeah and now it's your turn to love it. Besides, these babies won't fit in that dress" she said grabbing her boobs.
"I don't know what to say" I said looking back to the dress.
"Don't say anything. I already said anything you find that you like is yours"
I hugged her and started crying. Only this time, it didn't annoy me to cry, it felt right.
"Oh honey" she chuckled "Don't cry, you'll ruin your make up"
She broke apart from me holding my shoulder "Make up! We need to see what you look like with make up on. You're going to look so fabulous!" She said hysterically "And we need to get your hair done"
I just smiled.
"Take off that dress, we're going out"
"You sure?" I asked concerned
"Yeah. A salon. We never got to hang out like this. Please" She clasped both hands together and pleaded. She was the second person I could never say no to.
"Fine"
"Yay!" She jumped "I'll pick something for you to wear"
"I don't think I can pull that off" I said as Gaby held a tiny dress to her chest. It was a feather weight dark blue dress with large flower petals. It only came up to Gaby's upper thigh when she held it but she was taller than I was. Gaby had picked out a tiny brown belt, brown sandals and a brown leather bag with very long straps that was more of an accessory than a functional piece.
"Your skinny legs are so perfect for this dress you have to wear it"
"Dad will have a stroke if he sees me wearing that"
"Stop being such a drama queen. It's fine. Now put on the damn dress"
I sighed and took it just to be wearing something other than panties if nothing else.
"We need to get you some fake boobies but tights will have to do for now" She said as she tossed me a very puffy bra from a pile "These should give you some nice boobs. How big do you want them?" She asked looking up at me.
I couldn't believe what we were talking about. If you'd told me we'd be having this conversation three weeks ago...
I hooked the bra to my chest like I'd seen Gaby do a few times and then spun them around when they were hooked before putting my hand through the straps.
"Very nice, Jo. You're a natural" She said smiling as she fished through the tights.
"Actually, you're a small girl. An A cup is probably best, right?"
She fished out a pair of wool tights and handed them to me "Try these" She said.
I slipped the tights into the bra and readjusted them until they looked real enough. I grabbed them raising them slightly and then let them fall.
They were fairly small but they were perfect and gave me just the right shape.
"You like?" Gaby asked still smiling.
I nodded.
"Come on, let's get you in this dress.
I sat on the bed as Gaby brushed out my hair as best as she could when we were done.
When I sat, the dress came up to my upper thigh which I had to readjust every time I moved.
"I'd apply some make up but I want you to have the full effect" she smiled sheepishly.
Before we left, she handed me a small purse with a hundred dollar bill inside which I put in 'my' bag, a packet of wet wipes and some make up that I didn't know how to use.
Dad was watching TV in the living room when we came down. He turned and looked at us and I saw the color drain from his face.
"We're going out, dad" Gaby said as she made for the door. I followed her meekly.
"Gaby! Jo!" He called out getting our attention "I want you both back no later than eleven"
"We're not kids dad!" Gaby protested
"That's an order, young lady" He said. Dad was weirdly calm but I thought he would explode any second. I was wearing a dress and I even had tiny but definitely there breasts.
"Ugh fine. We'll be back before eleven" she agreed.
"Good." Dad said before returning to his show.
It was a beautiful evening and the drive down was amazing but I was a still a mess. I felt like everyone was looking at me. Gaby told me to relax a few times but that did little to calm me.
As we walked into the mall, an exiting man stepped aside for us saying "ladies" and bowed as we passed. Gaby smiled at him and told me how nice of him that was later.
I wasn't afraid that I would be found out at this point, I'd seen myself and I was a rather good looking girl. What got me uneasy were the looks we got from all the men in the mall. Each one reminded me of how Ollie had looked at me that day. I could sense their gaze refocusing on my ass as they passed me. I felt even more self conscious in this tiny dress.
My uneasiness continued until we got to our destination. A very pink shop that smelled of flowers as we stepped in. It was very calming to be among these women in various states of service or relaxation.
"Gabriella" A woman walked up us and hugged Gaby "Nice of you to drop by. And who's your gorgeous friend?" The woman said turning to me.
"Donna, you remember Jo, right?"
I glared at Gaby.
Donna's face went from confusing to recognition and finally to disbelief. "Jonathan?" She asked very surprised.
I smiled "Hi, Donna". I said meekly.
We had met many times before. When Gaby was a regular here, I'd sit in a corner and wait for her. Donna had even put highlights in my hair once.
"Oh my God, you're beautiful. I would never have recognized you if you'd just walked in here"
Gaby put an arm around my shoulder. "Jo here is trying something new and I was wondering if you could do something with her hair."
Donna seemed to pick up on the pronoun of choice. She smiled.
"I sure can. I've wanted to do something with that hair since the first day you showed up here"
She led me to a reclining chair and told me to relax before she started washing my hair for what felt like hours. I had to admit, it was very relaxing and I think I dozed off a few times but I was awake when she led me over to a chair in front of a giant mirror that spanned the length of the wall.
I was still wearing the dress but I had a towel draped around my shoulder and another wrapped around my hair. I couldn't help but smile when I saw Gaby and Donna fussing about what they were going to do with my hair.
"So" Donna began "we're going to try to keep most of the length as we get rid of the split ends. We're going to add layers and maybe make parts darker for that sweet ombré look.
How's that sound?"
I must have had a clueless look on my face because she added "Don't worry honey. You'll look just darling. Just try to relax"
I sat back in the chair.
"And maybe some makeup later?" Gaby asked
Donna smiled "Sure thing"
"Also do you mind covering the mirror?" Gaby asked again.
Donna laughed "Sure"
I don't remember falling asleep but before long, Donna was tapping me on the shoulder
"It's time for your makeup, sweetie. Can't sleep through this bit"
There was a large cloth on my side of the mirror so I couldn't see myself as I awoke.
I turned around sharply and instantly had a face full of hair. Donna used a finger and carefully put the hair back in its place.
"Careful. It's fuller than you're used to. I'm almost done, don't worry"
"Where's Gaby?" I asked settling back down into the chair.
"Uh she stepped out. Said she'll be back soon" Donna said as she spun the chair around "Now shush, I want to be done by the time she gets back"
=^_^=
"Oh my God, Jo!" Gaby said as she walked into the salon. "You are going to break a lot of hearts looking like that." She said walking up to me ecstatically
"Where'd you go?" I said tasting the lip gloss Donna had applied earlier.
"Relax, sis. I went to get you some panties of your own. Figured you'd want some more"
I was embarrassed she had said that so openly but glad she had thought about that. We had left all the stuff on the island.
I smiled.
"Oh you are just so beautiful. You ready to see your self, Jo?" Gaby said again
"As I'll ever be" I said as Donna spun the chair back around.
Gaby did a drumroll on the table as Donna held the cloth.
"Ta-da!" Gaby said gleefully as the cloth fell to the table.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I knew I sat there but looking in the mirror felt like a dream. The girl staring back at me sported the most beautiful wavy hair that came up to her shoulders. Her lips appeared bigger than mine and so did her eyes.
Her eyebrows were arched and her lashes were bigger and darker. Her cheeks shone and were very well defined. She looked like she was ready for a prom. Or even a wedding.
I couldn't speak, I just smiled while staring into the mirror.
"Somebody's in love" Gaby said and through the mirror, I saw they were both smiling.
"Well?" Donna asked expectantly
I stood up and hugged her. I felt my eyes get watery but I managed to hold it back.
"I love it" I said as I broke away. I realized the other women in the salon were looking at us smiling.
"Good" Donna said smiling "Here's your girl card, go have fun"
We all smiled. Gaby paid her and we hugged again.
"Don't be a stranger like your sister" Donna told me finally as we left.
We sat at the food court and I drank soda out of a straw. We were talking and giggling when two boys approached.
"Hey" A boy I recognized as Clinton Sanford said. We had a few classes together. I knew he played American football and that he just might end up being captain this coming senior year after the current captain graduated but that was it.
"Whassup?" The other boy said. Mick Barrett. He had given me some grief in junior high but had mostly left me alone since middle school. He also played American football and I had seen him hanging around Doug a few times.
"Hi" Gaby said smiling widely at the boys after grinning at me.
I didn't say anything.
"We don't recognize you girls. Do you go to our school?"
Clinton asked
"Yeah, I think I'd recognize you" Mick said leering at me.
I realized I hadn't moved the entire time. I took a deep breath thinking 'How the hell am I going to get out of this one?"
I considered telling them who I was but I didn't want to cause a scene if they reacted poorly. Nobody would accuse Mick of being the most level headed member of society. Clinton seemed to be a different case. He wasn't at all like Mick and I wondered if they were friends solely because they were on the same team.
I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble. But then again, if everything went according to plan, I'd be going to school as a girl when it reopened in September.
When I got out of my own head, the boys were still looking at me expectantly.
I must have panicked because I stood up, grabbed my bag and said "I.. have to use the ladies" in a practiced voice before I walked away from the table. I'm not sure if it convinced anyone but they weren't chasing me down, name-calling so there's that.
My sister said something which I didn't hear over her chair screeching. When I heard her heels clicking on the tiled floor of the food court, I increased my pace so as to be in the restroom by the time she caught up to me.
I walked into the public restroom and stood in front of the mirror. I didn't think I would ever get used to seeing myself like this. I wanted to splash water on my face but a girl has no such luxury.
I was so panicked, I didn't take it in that it was the first time I'd ever been in a female restroom. It didn't smell like piss and cleaning agents so there was that. It smelled... fresh for lack of a better word.
Gaby walked into the rest room shortly after.
"Well, you just dashed that poor boy's confidence"
"I don't think either of them are lacking confidence" I told my sister as I paced about still clearly panicked.
"Still, they couldn't get enough of you" Gaby said putting a hand on her waist smiling.
I mimicked her "Knowing them, they probably thought I was some easy lay"
Gaby looked like she was about to say something but didn't.
"I want to go home" I told her
"Why? It's barely seven!" she retorted.
"I'm not having fun, Gaby. I feel like a piece of meat" I couldn't help but notice how animated I'd become often gesturing at myself or some unknown point in space.
"I'm not saying you should but you do get used to it" Gaby replied. She seemed to have lost her cheerful appearance and I felt guilty for taking it away.
I paused taking it all in.
"Being a girl is tough" I said hoping to make her smile.
She laughed. Mission accomplished.
"You have no idea"
She peeked out the restroom.
"Oh my God, they're still standing there" she said pulling her head back in.
That was odd. I hadn't thought either Clinton or Mick waited for anyone.
"Do I tell them who I am?"
Gaby took a step closer to me putting a hand near my elbow.
"I think you should. If you're serious about being a girl and all."
I lowered my head "What if they freak out? I'm not sure..."
"Then they'll deal with me. Now just be your amazing self." She interrupted me smiling. It was infectious.
We left the restroom and I managed a smile when I saw they were looking at us.
I smiled all the way to our seats and I half expected them to hold them out for us but no such luck.
"Sorry" I said as I sat down "Brain freeze" I drew my chair in. It was a terrible excuse but I hadn't really taken my time to thing of one so I hoped they wouldn't read too much into it.
"Okay" Clinton said looking to Mick before turning back to me
"So are you two from around here?" We were right back where we left off. I figured there was no escaping it and chose to tackle it head on.
"Look Clinton, Mick" I said in my normal voice "It's me, Jo. We have like a million classes together"
"No fucking way" Mick said chuckling a little too loudly.
"Wait, you're kidding right?" Clinton said understandably finding it hard to believe
"I'm not" I said in the same voice. It must have been so weird hearing this clearly masculine voice coming from this pretty little thing.
"Fahey?!" Mick asked in his all-too-loud voice "You look.."
"Gotta be a joke, right?" Clinton said.
He must have thought he was appearing on Punk'd or What Would You Do? or something
"It's not"
"I mean Doug told me you were this huge sissy on the island but this." Mick said now laughing. I was getting more and more embarrassed as we attracted more and more attention. I looked over to Gaby who seemed to be fuming.
"Had no idea you were such a fruit, Jo" Clinton said joining in Mick's laughter.
"Okay that's enough" Gaby said finally trying hard to keep her anger down.
The two boys turned to her "You a boy too?" Mick asked Gaby still laughing.
"Get out!" Gaby stood and said through her teeth.
They both started retreating "Hey you look good, Jo" Clinton said between laughs as they walked away leaving Gaby and I as she sat down.
"Well that went well" I said.
Gaby was clearly concerned. "You okay?" she asked
"Yeah. I'm fine. They're idiots" I said trying to convince myself as much as Gaby.
"I promise not all boys are like that" she said as she calmed down.
"I know" I smiled.
She caught that. "Something you're not telling me, sis?" she asked smiling again which I liked.
"Well" I began "There's this boy"
Gaby squealed leaning forward with a silly look on her face.
"His name is Mikey" I continued smiling broadly now.
"Wait, the savior, Mikey?"
I nodded, blushing.
"Oh that's just perfect" she said slumping in her chair.
"He is" I added dreamily.
Gaby was still smiling " Does he know that you like him?"
"I don't know. I haven't said anything to him. But I'm pretty sure he feels the same."
"Wait, how do you know this?" Gaby asked.
"'Because he said so. And we kinda made out on the island"
Gaby squealed again. "It's so perfect. Why are you sitting her with me and not with him? Especially when you look like that!"
My head dropped. "It's complicated"
"Well uncomplicate it" She said hurriedly.
"Well for one, I'm a guy and he's a guy"
"Uh you're a girl and he's a guy. And even if you were both guys, which you're not, you'd still be golden. Next."
Hard to beat her logic.
"I don't think I'm ready to think of boys in that way. You know, with mum and dad and school and everything"
Gaby reached over and touched my hand across the table.
"Sounds like what people think matters too much to you. You don't put someone's opinion over your own happiness"
"You know, he kinda says the same thing"
"Saves you and gives awesome advice. Forget you, I'll have him" Gaby said laughing.
I'd totally forgotten that Clinton and Mick had been here a few minutes ago.
"But seriously, does he make you happy?"
I nodded.
"Well there's your answer."
Again, hard to argue with her logic.
"You should call him"
"What? Now?"
"Yes, now. Invite him over. He should see how gorgeous you look"
"Even if I was up for that, he doesn't have a phone and neither do I" I replied also saddened by the realization.
Gaby bit her lip.
"We could have mum text me his home number!" She said as her face lit up.
"You're so persistent"
She smiled "Love you too"
I took a long breath "Fine, do it" And she did.
=^_^=
Roughly ten minutes later, she was dialing the number and I suddenly had a few hundred butterflies in my stomach. When did I become this person? It was still me, just with different... everything. Had I always secretly been this person? Had I been putting on an act for the last soon-to-be sixteen years?
I didn't have time to ponder those questions because Gaby was giddily handing me the phone. I pressed the phone to my ear and melted when I heard his confused voice.
"Hello?" He had called out.
"Mikey, it's me" I could swear I sensed his face light up.
"Hey! How did your thing go?"
"It was alright. Nothing really happened" I said changing ears
"Listen, are you free now?" I asked trying to be casual.
"Uh, I could be" he said just as casually.
"I'm at the food court at the mall and I was wondering if you'd want to hang"
"Sure, I could stop by" He sounded like the Mikey I knew before the whole ordeal. Not at all like the one who had confessed to me earlier today.
"Great" I said smiling as Gaby gave me a thumbs up "I'm by the window. And I'm with Gaby"
"Okay cool. See you in a bit" He said as he hung up.
Gaby squealed again. "Trust me, he is going to love you"
=^_^=
It wasn't long before I was waving over at Mikey as soon as he came through the door. He wasn't at all dressed for an outing. He wore a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of black abercrombie jeans that I recognized.
His short hair was shaggy and unkempt but he still looked very handsome. He had stopped in his tracks when he spotted us but eventually made his way over.
"Mikey, hey" I said smiling as he took a seat to my left at the small round table with Gaby across from him.
He hadn't said a word yet, he was just focused on me.
"You remember my sister Gaby, right?'
"Yeah hi" he finally said retaining the shocked expression on his face.
I saw his eyes move down to my 'breasts' with made me feel self conscious. In that moment, I wished they were real and bigger.
"You look amazing, Jo"
I smiled. "Thanks. So do you"
"No really. I'm.." He shook his head slightly "speechless"
I blushed looking down at the skirt of my dress. I loved that he thought that about me and wanted to always look like this. For the first time, a man clearly wanted me and it made me happy.
"So Mikey" Gaby said bringing me back to Earth "Jo tells me you saved her on the island"
Again, I couldn't tell if he had picked up on that but he didn't react to it.
"I'm just glad I was there that day. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her"
I smiled and so did Gaby. He had picked up on it. I had a feeling that Mikey was making a point.
Gaby thought for a second "Well you have my thanks. And hers."
He looked at me and I smiled.
I was 'her'. It felt so surreal. I don't even know why that made me happy. It's one extra letter from 'he'.
"So Mikey," Gaby continued "Can you take her home?"
"I'm here with a car" He replied.
"Even better. Have her back by eleven." Gaby said as she moved her seat and stood up.
"Wait where are you going?" I asked her
She just winked before walking away leaving Mikey and I sitting quietly at the table.
I was tapping my feet from unease. It was very nerve-wracking sitting so close to him. We'd sat like this many times but this was the first time since I admitted to myself that I actually liked him. And I could tell that he was in a similar state of unrest.
"Wanna order something?" I asked trying to break the silence. This awkwardness wasn't something we'd ever dealt with so it was odd. Even when we'd locked lips on the island, it had been more primal instincts.
You know? 'I want you and you want me and we may die on this stupid rock so why the hell not'
Now all that was gone. I was just a girl and he was just a guy who admittedly liked each other but didn't know how to break the ice.
"Actually, it's nice outside. Wanna take a walk?"
I smiled and nodded.
I had taken my bag, smoothed my dress and soon we were leaving the food court headed for the escalators with the ground floor our destination. I had been compelled to grab onto him but thought better of it.
Soon we were walking towards the exit when I saw Mick and Clinton talking to two girls I recognized from school. Clarissa and Lindsay. I didn't know much about them but they always went totally in on the pink outfits. The four of them stood close to the door and I smelled trouble.
When we had just passed then, I heard Mick say "I can't get over how much like a chick Jo looks."
"Wait that's Jo?" One of the girls asked but I wasn't sure which.
For the first time, I hated that being on the team had given me some popularity. A year ago, they definitely wouldn't have known who I was.
"Jo, wait up!" I heard the same voice call out.
I turned to see Lindsay. She was wearing a short light pink dress which had spaghetti straps and showed an obscene amount of cleavage. Clarissa wore a round neck lace dress. They both wore pink heels and looked like they were out on a date. A far cry from the casual outfits of choice of Mick, Clinton and Mikey.
"Hey, Lind" I said like her friends did.
"Oh my God, that is trippy. It's really you?"
I nodded.
"What's with the.." She paused but still clearly surprised "I'm glad you guys are back" she glanced from me to Mikey.
I smiled.
"Yeah thanks"
"We're going to see Bleeding Heart if you want to join us" She glanced back at the others who hadn't moved.
I looked to Mikey who looked at me.
"It's okay if you don't want to" Lindsay said sharply "I just thought we're all out here and it might be fun"
"No it's fine." I said looking at Mikey who was clearly deferring to me on this "We'd love to"
I don't know what possessed me to accept an invitation to spend an evening with Mick and Clinton but that's what I did.
"Jo and Mikey are going to be joining us" Lindsay said as we joined the group.
"You're actually hot, Jo. Is this thing.. uh permanent?" Clarissa asked.
"Uh yeah" I replied with a voice slightly higher than me own.
Mick snickered. About what I'm not too sure.
"Okay whatever come on. Don't want to miss the trailers" Clinton said.
Mick said something in Clinton's ear and they laughed which made me self conscious as we walked in.
Mick announced that he'll get the tickets and he was nice enough to get tickets for Mikey and I too. Lindsay said she had to freshen up and told me to come along. I didn't think I could decline so I followed glancing back at Mikey as we walked towards the restrooms.
I wasn't ready for all the questions as soon as we were out of sight.
"So are you transgender?" Clarissa asked almost immediately.
"Uh I think so" I replied looking from one girl to another.
"You're gorgeous. I would never have been able to tell if Mick hadn't said something"
"How did Mick even know?" Lindsay asked no one in particular.
"I kinda ran into him earlier" I was relaxing now.
"That must have been fun" Clarissa said making a face. She thought for a second "Wait, he came over to talk to you?"
I nodded.
"When was this?"
I thought it was an odd question but I answered it "Maybe 40 minutes ago. In the food court"
"Wait, they said they just got here when we got here" Lindsay said to Clarissa.
"Those lying.." Clarissa chimed angrily.
I saw where this was going.
"Could you not tell them I told you. Not looking forward to getting beat up" I said to both of them.
They both suddenly had very sympathetic looks on their face.
"Oh Jo, no one is laying a finger on you ever" Lindsay said.
Clarissa touched my shoulder smiling "Yeah you have nothing to worry about" she said "But don't worry, we won't say anything"
I smiled.
"Oh I have so much I want to ask you but we better get back to the guys" Clarissa said "You know how Mick gets"
Lindsay and I answered in unison "Yeah"
=^_^=
In truth, we hadn't done anything in our time away but you would think we had because we were smiling widely as we came into view of the boys.
Lindsay had told us how she had chosen the movie as punishment to the boys and how she was sorry we she had gotten us roped into it. I had told her not to be sorry because she had given Mikey and I company when we needed it.
As much as I liked hanging with Mikey, tonight he seemed reserved.
We joined the boys who were having a conversation by the cinema entrance and I felt sorry for leaving Mikey with them.
I noticed Mick giving me a look as we walked in.
The familiar room was colder than I remember and I instantly wished I'd brought a jacket. I attributed that to the tiny piece of cloth that was meant to offer protection from the cold.
We took a seat around the middle, the movie trailers were already blasting with one explosion after another.
We took six seats with a guy on either end but making sure a girl was next to her 'date'. I sat between Clarissa and Mikey.
The movie begun and I caught Mikey glancing at me a few times which made me blush. Before long I felt Mikey's hand on mine. I opened my fingers and felt his interlock with mine.
His shoulder was so inviting not long after that, I found my head on his it. I felt his hand leave mine and slip around my shoulder.
We cuddled while trying and failing to watch the movie. I was too distracted. By his scent and his breathing.
Eventually I stopped paying attention to the movie and just tried to enjoy the moment. I spent most of the movie after that just taking him in.
Towards the end of the movie, the kissing sounds drew our attention over to Lindsay and Clinton full on making out like we weren't even there and I became so jealous of her.
Eventually the movie was over and we were filing out of our seats headed for the exit. I smiled when Mikey took my hand. Whether he was inspired by Mick and Clinton, I didn't know and frankly, I didn't care. I drew myself close and rubbed shoulders with him. He seemed more at ease now.
"So you two really are together?" Clinton said as Mikey and I left the cinema still holding hands.
Lindsay who stood by him elbowed him.
"Hey, I wanna know cause this shit is weird as fuck" Mick added
"You know, just cause you're named Mick doesn't mean you have to be a dick, right?" Clarissa said which made everybody laugh. Except Mick of course.
"I promise I'm not, I just need someone to explain this"
"She doesn't have to explain anything"
"Oh so it's 'she' now?" Mick asked
"You don't have to, really." I said
"Look, I'm not trying to be mean" Mick said and I think I believed him "I mean, you look like a chick and all but you're not one"
He was looking at me to say something and so were the others.
"I'm not an expert" I said finally "I just prefer to dress like this and I want people to see me as a girl because to me, I am one"
Turning to Mikey, Mick said "And you're not gay"
He shrugged. "No, Jo is a girl"
I'm not sure if Mick got it but he didn't say anything else.
"Look, I don't got a problem with you as long as you don't do any weird shit. We're going back to my house to hang by the pool if you guys wanna come"
The air around the group seemed to relax a lot.
"Actually" Mikey said "We're going to hang here then I'm gonna take Jo home"
Mick shrugged "Suit yourself".
We waved but I was shocked when Clarissa came and hugged me followed by Lindsay "Do you have a number?" Clarissa asked.
"Not yet"
"Well, we should hang sometime." She said before they left.
=^_^=
It was past nine when I told him I had to go home. I really wish I'd brought a jacket so I didn't have to cut this short. We were sitting on a bench
"Sure thing. Did you have a good time?" He asked innocently.
I looked up at him and smiled.
"The best." I sat up "I keep waiting for everything to blow up in my face"
"What do you mean?" His arm left my shoulder and relocated itself, his palm covering my small hands.
"I just realized that I'm happier than I've been in a long time. And that maybe the universe is gearing up to throw me a curve ball"
He put his free hand to my cheek.
"You deserve to be happy, Jo. And for as long as you'll let me, I'll keep it that way"
He was looking into my eyes. I know because I was doing the same.
"Do you think that maybe we've moved too fast?" I asked him.
"What do you mean?" He asked concerned.
"A month ago you were my best friend. And different rules have to apply for us. I mean, my parents are still trying to get used to me being a girl. I can't exactly have you over as my boyfriend right now"
He looked hurt but he didn't reply.
"And what would your parents or your brothers think when they find out that I'm your girlfriend?!" I asked with a slightly raised voice
Mikey had two brothers. He was the middle child. His eldest brother who was 21 was away at college but his little brother who was 11 was in 8th grade.
"What other people think still matters too much to you"
Sometime during my rant, he had let go of my hand.
"Well maybe it doesn't matter enough to you" I said my voice dropping.
"Way to ruin a perfect evening, Jo"
"Could you take me home?"
He stood up "Car is this way"
=^_^=
We rode in silence the ride home and I just stared out the window so even if he had wanted to say something, he was discouraged.
It was a beautiful night. The only sound the low humming of his father's mustang. I wondered what was left of my makeup.
Before long we were parked outside my house. I turned to him half expecting hostility but it wasn't there. Only sadness and concern. And that broke me, more than any hostile stare could have.
I had intended to apologize but I didn't.
"We're okay, right?" I asked.
He forced a smile and nodded.
We weren't really. I felt like I had shut him down for the last time. He didn't even get out the car. Although he never did before, I had expected him to.
I smiled and told him I'd call him tomorrow before stepping out of the car and walking further and further away. I didn't hear the car start up and leave until I had walked in the door.
Mum was standing there walking me intently as I closed the door quietly.
"Was that that Harris boy? If this is who you're going to be, we need to have a talk. And who even let you out of this house dressed like that?"
I know I should have been worried like I usually was when mum got like this but not this time. I couldn't help but let out a small smile.
Mum and I had indeed had a talk. She had told me not to get drawn in by boys because I was in a vulnerable state. I had told her that she had nothing to worry about which she didn't believe and neither did I if I was being honest.
I went to bed after talking to Gaby about my stupidity at which point she told me that lots of women sabotage their own relationships because 'it's too good to be true'. She really was the perfect sister.
After we talked, I calmed down a bit enough to sleep.
It almost felt lonely sleeping alone in my room after I'd gotten used to sleeping as a group but eventually I did fall asleep wearing only a t-shirt and panties like I used to.. well maybe not the panties bit.
The next day, I woke up rejuvenated, slipped on my old pajama pants and went down for breakfast like I always did.
"Morning mum, dad" I said as I took my regular seat at the dining table. "Where's Gaby?" I asked.
In that moment, other than Gaby's t-shirt, everything was the way it's always been.
"You know how your sister insists on jogging every morning" Dad said at the head of the table, computer on the table, mug probably holding coffee in hand.
Mum comes out of the kitchen with two cups in hand. Two cups of tea if I had to guess. Mum hates coffee. She hands me a cup and I say thanks. Another thing I missed while on that island. Tea that's tasty as well as functional.
Mum took a sip of her cup before saying "Dr. Clifford's contact reached out early this morning. A woman. She said she's a therapist" Mum paused either for dramatic effect or she waiting briefly for a response. "Said she can fit us in sometime today"
"I don't need a therapist" I said
"It's not optional. If you're going to do this, you have to see a therapist first"
Dad shook his head briefly "I hope you know what you're doing, Jonathan"
That name stung.
"Say dad, I was wondering" I said casually "Didn't you say I was going to be 'Joanna' if I'd been born a girl"
He turned to look at mum who shrugged.
"I uh.." He paused to scratch his brow "Yeah that's right but..."
He turned to look at his watch "I better get to work"
He stood up, kissed mum on the cheek and was out of the house as soon as he had collected all his stuff.
Mum looked at me concerned. She took a seat beside me.
"You know we love you right?" She asked not expecting an answer but I nodded anyway
"Up till yesterday, you were our beautiful boy. You understand it's going to take some time, right?"
This time she waited for an answer. I nodded again not having an audible reply.
She smiled.
"I'll have your breakfast out in a bit" It dawned on me that dad didn't even eat. "Do you want any more tea?" Mum asked cheerfully once again as she stood.
"No thanks, mum" I managed a smile.
=^_^=
Mum popped her head into my room later while I was getting dressed.
"Honey?" She called.
I had been standing there in panties and one of Gaby's puffy bras which I was about to stuff when I heard her. I immediately turned around.
"Mum! Get out!"
She laughed walking into the room."You remind me of Gaby when she was growing up"
I grabbed the nearest t-shirt slipping it on. The bra had made a noticeable bump on my chest.
Mum sat on my bed chuckling.
"Looks like we need to have another talk"
"Fine but could you just wait outside for one second while I get dressed" I said still having my back to her.
She tapped the bed lightly gesturing me to sit down. Slowly I did still turned away from her.
"You have such a beautiful body. You shouldn't try to make it something it's not."
I slowly turned to her.
"This just helps me fit in more." I said gesturing to my chest "I just don't want people to see me as some freak."
"Oh honey" Mum said touching my hand "You've clearly decided that this is who you want to be. But this is going to spark some backlash from all sorts of people"
I didn't reply.
"You have to be ready for that and this false image is not the way. Gaby means well but she has you in this false sense of normalcy that simply isn't the case. The truth is that you're not normal. Not anymore"
That hit me but I didn't respond to it.
"You're going to have to deal with kids at school and kids can be cruel"
"I met a couple of them at the mall yesterday. They seemed cool with it"
"And I'm so happy that that's the case but I'm your mother and I love you so I can't help but worry that that won't always be the case and you need to be ready for that"
I didn't reply. She hugged me.
"Just know that there are people who will always love you.."
She said during the hug "No matter how you look"
She let go "And as someone who has been there, stuffing isn't the way" She said smiling.
I couldn't help but smile along.
"Now get dressed. Your father won't be able to make it but I think Gaby is ready."
=^_^=
It almost felt like déjà vu as the same nurse called out my name. This time however, she led us in a different direction. I had decided to forego the bra and padding after I'd decided to be me.
I was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt which I tucked into a pair of dark blue cropped jeans. I had brushed my hair and put it into a high ponytail which I thought suit me very nicely.
I also took a black and white patterned jacket which I carried in one hand, and the same bag from yesterday in the other hand.
"Go right in, miss" the nurse said before she walked away after opening the door for us.
As soon as we stepped in, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties was already on her feet smiling. She walked out from behind her desk to meet us stretching her arm out to mum for a handshake.
"Dr. Pearl Chadwick, pleasure" She said as mum took her hand. She had a very distinct British accent and was dressed very smartly. She was wearing a full grey suit under her white coat and her short hair encased her face perfectly.
"Hello" Mum said "I'm Barbara Fahey and these are my daughters, Gabriella and Joanna"
Dr. Chadwick smiled and nodded to the two of us.
"Please have a seat" She gestured at the chairs before walking back to hers.
When we were sat, mum and I at the desk and Gaby by the wall, Dr. Chadwick began,
"Bill... uh Dr. Clifford has told me the basics but I'd like to talk to you for a bit" She was looking directly at me "Don't think of it like an quiz because there are no right answers. Just honest ones"
I nodded.
She turned to mum. "I'm sure you're aware that these discussions are usually a one on one affair. It's to ensure honesty"
"Of course doctor. We'll be right outside" Mum said before she and Gaby left the room.
Suddenly the room got very claustrophobic. I tried to swallow but couldn't.
"I want you to relax, Joanna. I just want to get a sense of you" She said smiling after the door had closed.
She took a notepad and a pen before speaking again.
"Why do you want to be a woman?"
I took a breath.
"Because it makes me happy"
"Weren't you happy before?"
"I was, or I thought I was. Since I began dressing like this, I've realized that I wasn't really."
"Since you began - that was less than a month ago, wasn't it? Hardly enough time to base a life changing decision on, don't you think?"
I didn't reply.
"I assume you'll be attending classes as Joanna?"
"I will"
"How do you think your classmates will take it?" She said as she scribbled something down. She looked up at me.
"I'm not sure. So far it's been okay"
"Are you prepared to deal with harassment should it arise?"
"I'm not afraid of bullies" I said sharply.
She studied me before continuing.
"You're a very pretty girl. Very lucky. Would you have shown up here dressed like you are if you weren't?"
"If I didn't pass?"
She nodded.
"I don't think so. I think I would wait until I passed before I started dressing like this"
I readjusted in the chair. I thought about putting on the jacket but didn't.
"I'm worried that this might just be a phase. You found something that you like doing and it's very exciting. Have you ever heard of crossdressers?"
"It's not like that" I said sharply sitting up "I want to be a woman. I already said I wouldn't be wearing this if I couldn't pull it off. I want people to see me as a woman"
She smiled "It's okay"
"Let's talk about your sexuality"
I sat back down.
"Would you say you fancy boys or girls?"
"Boys" I said, then thought "But I'm not repulsed by girls or anything."
She nodded and wrote something down.
"Anyone in particular?"
I nodded.
"Care to tell me about him?"
"Uh sure.. we've been friends for a while, he was on the island with me, recently I found that I liked him and he liked me too... Not sure what else to say"
"Is he gay?"
"No. He sees me as a girl"
She wrote again before continuing.
"Do you think your feelings for him may be influencing your decision to be a woman?"
"No!" I responded quickly.
"I just want you to consider it. It's not uncommon for women.. or men to change for someone they care about"
I didn't reply.
"Do you think he'd prefer you as you are now or how you were a month ago?"
It took a while for me to answer. I knew where she was going with this.
"He'd probably prefer me as I am now but I'm not..."
She cut me off before I could say anything else "I just want you to consider the possibility. Shall we continue?"
I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't want to answer any more of her questions.
I nodded.
"Let's talk about that island. That's where it all began? Where you wore women's clothes for the first time?"
I nodded.
"Did you ever consider wearing women's clothes before the island?"
"Yes"
She looked at me as if she was going to say something but changed her mind.
"When was this?"
"Lots of times. Usually when I'm around my sister."
I'm not entirely sure if I was lying or not.
"But you never did it?"
"No"
"Did you want to wear the clothes on the island?"
"Not at first"
"What changed?"
"I found that I liked it. And that nobody was laughing. That's why I didn't want to wear the clothes at first. I thought it'd be embarrassing"
"So you wanted to wear the clothes? Not just around them?"
"No, I mean, I didn't think about it. It just wasn't something guys did"
"So you considered yourself a man"
"At the time"
"What changed?"
I took an even deep breath.
"I guess, nothing. I'm still the same person, I just want to be seen differently"
"And if you wake up tomorrow and want to be seen as a man?"
"I won't. I don't want to have to be a man for another second"
She took a deep breath putting down the pen and paper.
"Okay I think I have everything I need for now. Please call in your family"
When we were all settled back in our seats, I looked to the doctor intently.
"Ma'am, Joanna might indeed be transgender but I simply haven't heard anything that convinces me of that. It's just too early to make any conclusions. The best course of action would be to continue these sessions until I can make a proper assessment of her"
I wasn't looking at mum but I could tell she was nodding.
"So we do nothing for now? What about the clothes?"
"There's no harm in the clothes but it's important that she keeps an open mind that this might not be the only way forward. But as it stands now, I can't in good conscience tell the endo to prescribe anything except maybe blockers which wouldn't serve too much purpose at this point anyway."
"So I stay like this?" I asked incredulously
"There's nothing wrong with how you look, dear. You look like any girl your age." Dr. Chadwick said "You have nothing to worry about Joanna, you'll make a very beautiful woman if that time comes. I just don't want you to make any changes to your body you might regret. Let's have these sessions until you're sixteen then we can have a different conversation"
"You mentioned 'blockers'? What are those?" Gaby who had been silent until then asked.
"Oh anti androgens. These affect the body's testosterone levels. These may help to prevent Joanna's body from developing any additional male traits. At fifteen, her body should be done with puberty but judging from the lack of body hair and her size, they might help curb any late traits."
"Sounds helpful" Mum said "Any side effects?"
"Nothing you should concern yourselves with. Lower sex drives, a calmer demeanor, nothing bad"
"Could we get Jo on these blockers" Mum said finally.
"There will be some tests first but I don't see why not."
Eventually, we said our goodbyes and left the room. We scheduled our next meeting with Dr. Chadwick and one with an endocrinologist and went home.
=^_^=
"Jo?" Mum said as she opened my door after knocking twice.
"Yeah?" I replied with my head in my closet. I was dressed like I'd been this morning.
"We're waiting for you, honey" She said softly.
I turned to her. She looked very nice. She was wearing light blue jeans and a pink and white check shirt. Although mum was over forty, you'd never know it. She had one of those faces that never seemed to age. Her long blonde hair which she had given Gaby and I wasn't in a ponytail for the first time in a long time. Maybe it seemed like a long time because I'd been away so long.
"I can't decide what to wear"
She took a few steps forward smiling.
"It's a homemade dinner, not a wedding. Wear whatever you feel like"
"Mum no, I can't just wear whatever, it's basically the first time Mikey's parents are seeing me. This me. Wait is he dressed up? Or is it casual?"
She laughed "You sound like I did when I first met your father's mother."
"Then you should know how important this is. I can't overdress and I certainly can't go too casually"
"I do, really. Except I was in love with your father." She looked at me seriously "Do you like this boy? More than a friend I mean?"
I blushed "Maybe"
"What am I going to do with you?" She walked up to me "It's like you enjoy these lectures"
I smiled "I look forward to it everyday"
"You know I can't approve of this." she shook her head slightly with a concerned look on her face.
"I know. The whole thing is a mess" I said with my head dropping.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She touched my shoulder "Gaby never wanted to talk to me"
"Maybe sometime. We have guests"
=^_^=
I stood atop the stairs wearing a loose white blouse tucked into a pair of pink flower print pants and pink sandals to finish it off. It thought I'd chosen quite well. It wasn't at all overwhelming but definitely a woman's outfit. Wasn't too casual and wasn't too formal either.
I had even applied lip gloss and a bit of eyeliner like I'd been practicing earlier.
From where I stood, I could hear the TV downstairs and the laughter.
When I started down the stairs, I wished the sandals didn't click and clack so much. I took a deep breath bracing myself before I turned the corner in full view of everybody.
Slowly but surely, the only sound to be heard came from the TV. I spotted Mikey sitting on one couch next to Gaby. His parents sat on another with his little brother, Chad and my parents sat nestled together on the couch closest to the door - closest to me.
There were smiles on the all faces except those of our three newest guests who showed shock - and dad's, which showed embarrassment.
I managed a smile.
"Evening Mr. Harris, Mrs. Harris" I said in my regular voice.
"Jonathan?" Mikey's father asked shocked
"No flippin' way" Chad added.
"Michael said you'd made a few changes, I didn't expect anything like this" Mr. Harris added.
I went and took a seat between Mikey and Gaby.
Mikey's mother tapped his father.
'Desmond, it's impolite to stare" she said
He caught himself.
"Now that we're all here" Mum said "Let's eat"
Whether to spare me the stares, I'm not sure but Mum added "Jo, Gaby, care to help me with the food?"
I stood and followed her into the kitchen.
=^_^=
Not long after, Gaby and I were done handing plates of fried rice to our guests.
"So Jonathan..." Mr. Harris began "Michael told me how you took one for the team on the island. Wearing those clothes."
Lately, that name had started getting to me.
"Please, Jo is fine" I replied. "Anyone in my position would have done the same. We had to make a lot of sacrifices"
He nodded but I felt he wasn't taking me seriously.
"Michael also told me you were the main cook on the island?"
"Jo?" Gaby said shocked "You cooked?"
Mum and Dad had a similar expression.
"I'm not saying it was good, but it was edible. And that was the goal given the circumstances" I said.
The room chuckled.
"What did you eat on that island anyway?" Dad asked which was his first sentence since I'd been there.
"Mostly wild animals. Deer, rabbits. Whatever we could find really" I said
"And who caught all these animals?" Mr. Harris asked
"Well, Coach Evans and this one kid Doug did most of the hunting" They were all nodding attentively "Gabe and Tate set traps and sometimes scored, Ollie..." I froze.
Suddenly everything came back. It was almost like I was back there. Back on that rock.
I felt the sting of his palm on my cheek once more, the pain of both my wrists pressed together. I felt his mouth pressed against mine. I felt the hopelessness as I couldn't scream because that would mean opening my mouth to him.
"Jo? Jo, are you okay?" Gaby was tapping me.
When I came to, I was shaking. "Yeah" I said trying to calm down "it's just.." I felt like crying again. Not at all the kind that feels right. The annoying kind that never went away.
"Sweetie, you don't have to talk about that place if you don't want to" I heard Mrs. Harris say.
"No, it's not that, it's..." I froze again
"You don't have to talk about it" I heard Mikey say.
"It's fine." I said forcing a smile. "I had this garden which in the end, we never got to use but it was blossoming. I also cooked and gathered fruits and edible plants and Mikey helped a lot. We're actually really good at that stuff now"
"That's impressive" Mrs. Harris said "Isn't it, Desmond?"
He grunted his agreement. How sincere that was, I'll never know.
"You're a dude right?" I heard Chad asked.
I wasn't sure how to answer that.
"It's complicated, son. Best not ask" Mr. Harris said putting his palm on the young boy's head.
=^_^=
The rest of the meal went uneventfully with the group only making small talk here and there.
When Dad broke out the wine, I stood up and invited Mikey up to my room but that didn't go over so well.
"Absolutely not" Mum had said.
"Yeah I don't think that's such a good idea" Dad added.
I was shocked. That had never been a thing before.
"Mum, dad, that place is like Mikey's second home at this point"
"I'm pretty sure different rules apply now" Mum said
"Why? It's not like anything is going to happen because your son has had a wardrobe change" Mr. Harris said.
I could tell most of the group was about to say something, so I hurried before they had a chance to.
"It's fine. We can hang at the table"
The table was in full view of the siting room so I figured it would be okay. Mum shrugged, Dad relaxed in his chair after which Mikey came with me.
Before long, we were sat at the table taking chairs that made us have our backs to the others.
"Can they hear us?" He asked
"I don't think so" I replied.
"I'm sorry about last night" I told him "I was a total bitch"
"You were" He said as he took a seat beside me "But you were right. There are things I haven't considered"
"If you'll have me, I want to be yours"
He turned to me surprised "What?"
"If you'll have-"
"Yeah I heard that, what changed?"
"I'm no longer an idiot?"
He chuckled.
"I wouldn't want anything more than to be yours" I said as I moved my hand to touch his.
He looked into my eyes and I was suddenly glad I was sitting down.
"God I wanna kiss you right now" He said smiling.
I was staring back into his eyes, lost.
"I'm willing to risk it if you are".
I closed the distance between us and closed my eyes and I felt our lips touch.
I woke up with a deep gasp clawing at the air around me. Successive heavy inhales of the cold, damp air caused me to let out wild coughs.
I was disoriented but my back, the base of my skull and forehead all hurt too badly to ignore.
I recoiled from the pain and all my sensations coming back all at once. My hearing followed suit and I recognized the sound of heavy rainfall.
"Where am I?" I thought to myself trying to ignore the pain. "I feel terrible".
I made a move to open my eyes which also hurt and it took a while for them to focus. It was dark.
The only light coming in from the cave's single entrance was obscured by leaves and did nothing to illuminate the cave's interiors.
My heart sank.
My throat grew tighter by the second and I felt a single tear roll down my cheek.
"Jo, you're awake!" I heard Mikey's concerned voice and suddenly my tears flowed freer.
"No, no, no, no, no" I repeated under my breath till I lost count "Please oh God, please no!".
I scurried to sit up. I felt a sharp pain in my lower back but I didn't care. My fingers clawed at the bare stone below them. Piece by piece, my brain put everything together.
I never left the island. It had all been a dream.
▼・j61;・▼
My back was against the far cave wall providing much needed support. I had only heard Mikey's voice but I could tell the others were there. Ollie was there.
A flash of lightning illuminated the room confirming all my suspicion in a quick second. The entire group, the entire fucking group was staring at me. Concerned. It took all my willpower not to scream. The thunder that struck next was louder than I had ever heard it and it shook me to my core but I didn't react to it... or anything. How could I? What would I say? How could I tell them that only a second ago, I was back home, in the comfort of my family in the next room, kissing my boyfriend.
The tears flowed freer and now I let out audible sobs. The room was quiet as if waiting for me to finish.
"You okay there, Fahey?"
Doug.
I didn't respond. What could I say? I'm okay? I wasn't. I was far from okay.
I heard Mikey shuffle over to where I sat, I felt him take both my hands in his. My heart started beating quickly again. My tears had dried again on my face, I'm sure I looked horrible so I was happy for the darkness.
In the pitch black, it felt like we were alone. I felt him squeeze my hands and I shuddered. I leaned forward, tormented by the thought of doing this in this cave filled with all these people. But I had to do it. I had to kiss him. To know if at least that part was real.
I felt his warm breath on my face and I heard him swallow so I knew he knew how close I was. Our lips must have been inches apart when he loudly cleared his throat and let go of my hands. I heard him shuffle a little bit away from me and my heart broke.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice still filled with concern.
I steeled myself, nodded before realising no one could see.
"I'm fine" my frail voice croaked. My back went back to rest against the cave wall. That whole motion felt like retreat. Like I had truly lost everything for the first time since washing up on that damn island. "What happened?" I asked.
"Don't you remember?" Mikey replied "I guess you wouldn't. You missed your step and tumbled down that rocky path. I thought you'd be hurt way more than you were"
"I don't remember any of that"
"Yeah, we were both pretty out of it after..." he paused for an uncomfortably long second "after we saw the storm clouds gathering"
I know we made out. That part was real but I remember the ship, I remember us running back down the hill to tell the others. I don't remember falling. I remember lighting a fire and the group calling for the ship. I remember being saved. It was all so real.
"You've been out the entire day too, we were starting to get worried" I heard Tate say.
"Yeah and it's been pouring like this since then, it's crazy" Gabe added.
"The important thing is that we're all okay" coach Evans' voice sounded just as it did in my dream. "We're stranded here for as long as this rain keeps pouring like this but first thing tomorrow, we have to make plans to move Inland. The higher ground should protect us from the flooding we'll have to deal with when it rains like this. That clear?"
"Yes coach" the others chorused. All except Ollie and I. I hadn't heard a sound from him since I awoke but just the thought that he was somewhere in here was enough to put me on alert. It felt like so long since I'd seen him but I'd seen him just that morning.
"We'll use the garden as a starting point. We'll divide into groups like we've always done and set out in different directions looking for better and a more permanent shelter. Think higher ground. Any questions?"
"No coach" Tate replied.
"Good. Now get some sleep. We'll be getting up early. Long day ahead. Make no mistake boys, we'll survive this island and we'll get off it".
That was funny, I thought I'd already done that.
▼・j61;・▼
The rain stopped a few hours later leaving nothing but the soft chirping of the crickets. The others had long slept off after what I expected was a very hectic day for them and I had been left alone with my thoughts. My thoughts had drifted to my long dream that felt like it had gone on for days at least.
Why had it felt so real? I remember everything like it had actually happened. I remember getting done up and going to the mall with Gaby, meeting Clinton and Mick, Clarissa and Lindsey from school. Everyone had acted exactly how they would if it were real.
My attention turned to myself for the first time this evening. So much of my body hurt that it caused me to wince with the slightest shift. It must have been some fall.
Even in the dark, I could tell that my clothes hadn't been changed. The cropped blouse didn't offer much protection from the cold and neither did the small skirt. I thought it was weird how easily I grew accustomed to clothes like this but I felt even more at ease wearing these than I did that morning when I'd put them on. God, it felt like it had been days. I remembered dreams I had within the dream.
My stomach grumbled. I decided staying up and thinking wasn't going to do me any good. I would try to get some sleep. It worried me to think that I may dream again because as amazing as the dream was, waking up from it crushed me and I didn't want to go through that again.
I didn't think I would fall asleep so easily after what felt like sleeping for days but I did. I didn't dream that night.
▼・j61;・▼
I don't think I slept for long because it was still dark when I woke up. I could not sleep another second even if I wanted to so I made my first attempt to stand from the bare spot in the cave that I'd made home since I awoke.
I used my arms to guide myself up the cave wall and to my feet and I'm instantly hit with a splitting headache. I winced loudly before catching myself. I needed to be careful not to wake anyone up. I wanted to get out of that cave and be alone for a moment.
When I was sure I'd gotten my balance and wasn't going to fall, I let go of the wall and stood properly for the first time since I'd supposedly fallen yesterday.
I felt filthy. I was sure I looked worse. So I guided myself along the cave wall to the spot I knew I'd find the large pile of women's clothes.
I felt through the pile with my hands trying to figure out what was what. One hand touched one the tiny denim shorts that I'd become all too familiar with over the past couple weeks and another grabbed what I thought to be a cotton top.
I grabbed the sponge and hair brush and whatever else I thought I'd need which was relatively easy to do before tiptoeing out the cave. I took care not to step on any of the boys or worse, coach.
When I got out, I took in my surroundings starting with a large inhale of that fresh post-downpour air.
The sun wasn't out yet but it's rays had begun to shine over the horizon making the island just visible.
I'd just had a very surreal experience where a dream felt like reality but in that moment, I realised it wasn't. It was indeed a dream. That moment was solid. Everything had a sense of actuality to it that I realised had been missing before.
I had been on a trip with my school's football team. There was a crash. We were marooned on an island that in all honesty, wasn't as bad as it could be. We had learned to survive here. We would be setting out to find a better place to call home today. Those were facts. They were real. We hadn't been rescued. That wasn't real.
The more time I spent in that moment, the more I put everything into perspective.
A boy from school tried to rape me. That happened. That was real.
"What are you doing?"
I turned quickly to see Mikey behind me, rubbing the last bits of sleep from his eye. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Nothing but his tight shorts infact.
I swallowed hard and my heart beat faster.
"Nothing" I manage.
He looked down at my hand and saw a everything I carried in both hands.
"Come on, I'll accompany you" he said simply before leaving the cave's entrance and turning for the path leading to the spring.
"You don't have to" I tried to say but he was already walking down the path.
"It's still dark out" he said without turning back to face me "no way am I letting you go all the way to the spring by yourself. Now come on"
I followed.
▼・j61;・▼
We didn't say a word to eachother all the way until the spring was in sight.
"I'm glad you're okay" he said.
I turned to him. He wasn't looking at me but he had a very serious look on his face.
"When I saw you fall..." his voice broke off "I didn't know what I'd do if you'd gotten seriously hurt"
"I'm fine" I say softly.
"I shouldn't have been running so fast for you to try to keep up with me. I'm sorry"
"Mikey, I'm fine"
"You used to be faster" he added teasing.
I pouted. "I was wearing a skirt"
He laughed "well next time, I'll carry you"
My gaze fell to the floor. Why did I feel like this? Two days ago we were best friends and now my legs were weak just by looking at him.
He took a seat on one of the rocks and gestured to the water, "Well go ahead, I won't look"
"I want you to look" I said before I got the chance to stop myself.
"What?" He asked puzzled
"I want you to look" I said again. I couldn't believe what I was saying.
"Jo..." He began but I shushed him. I dropped everything I was carrying while maintaining eye contact with him. He didn't say anything but his eyes didn't move either.
I took off the blouse slowly and our eyes locked right after. Next I unzipped the skirt and let it fall to my feet. The only piece of clothing on me was the lemon coloured underwear. I stepped out of the skirt and started walking up to him. I didn't know if he was as terrified as I was but neither of us showed it.
"Jo..." his voice was soft and uncertain. I cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. My finger was replaced by my lips. I'm sure his uncertainty dissipated because his arms found my waist and pulled me closer. We kissed softly and time seemed to fade away. My hands moved to his face and framed them.
I was so confused.
I'd never felt like this with anyone before. I never wanted him to let me go but eventually he pulled apart. He walked a few paces away before turning back sharply.
"You understand that everything has changed right?" He exclaimed rhetorically "nothing will ever be the same between us ever again"
I didn't say anything. He ran his hand through his hair and his face looked like he was wrestling with a million thoughts and emotions.
He came to say something but didn't.
In several quick strides, he disappeared down the path leading away from the spring.
▼・j61;・▼
It took a while but I eventually got in the spring and it took even longer to get out. By the time I'd worn my clothes and combed my hair, it was very bright out. I expected the entire group would be well and about right now.
As I got closer to the cave, I got more and more nervous. I feared I had ruined everything between us. I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid. Mikey and I had been best friends since kindergarten. We talked about girls. He told me about all the girls he'd hook up with in college. He made me promise that I'd be his best man. What were we doing here?
The busy nature of the group pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Good, Fahey you're here" coach said getting my attention "we've washed the tomatoes, just cut it like you do so you can replant it when we get back"
"Yes coach"
"And hurry. We need to be ready to eat and leave when the boys get back with the apples" I nodded "damn rain" he continued "I could go for some fried fish right now but we're not going to find any wood dry enough to burn"
He muttered something under his breath before disappearing into the cave.
▼・j61;・▼
When they returned, I had my back to them diligently cutting away at the tomatoes like I learned back in agric. The boys had elected for something more exciting like shop but look whose elective was actually paying off now.
"Damn, so you're telling me that's really a dude's ass" I heard Doug say and I imagined that stupid look on his face but I didn't turn. "What? I'm just joking" he added and I wondered whether someone had given him a look or something.
We ate the small breakfast consisting of apples, slices of tomatoes and a piece of roasted rabbit and as soon as everyone had prepared and taken what they'd need, we set off.
▼・j61;・▼
The garden needed a lot of care but seemed to be in an alright shape overall. It had taken a beating from the long rain but good natural drainage had sent the excess water downhill and away from the crops. I made a mental note to ask if we could build some form of cover for the garden but that would have to wait because coach was already talking.
"Okay, we're going to split up here into the same groups we used when we first came here." He spoke and we all listened carefully. "Now this is very dangerous but it is something that we have to do. That cave was always temporary. Yes it's close to the beach which can be nice but it's too far from everything we need. If we find a good spot farther Inland, we lose proximity to the sea but we gain better access to the spring, fruit trees, game and so on."
I look over at Mikey who hasn't said a word to me since. He's listening attentively to coach and I suddenly feel embarrassed that even now, at a time like this, I can't stop staring at him.
"Now you're only going to walk for 30 minutes, no more. Make note of your surroundings and don't get lost! Under no circumstances should you separate from your partner is that clear?"
"Yes coach"
Everyone is working hard to survive and here I am, caught in my own head.
"Well good. Move out"
▼・j61;・▼
I walked sheepishly behind Mikey like I had since we split up from the group. It had been 20 minutes or more if I had to guess. There were no sounds except the sound of our shoes on the wet soil and the leaves rustling as we pushed them out of our way.
I bumped into him when he stopped abruptly. "Sorry" I say softly.
I feel like I had been walking on eggshells all morning because that's what our relationship felt like. An egg balanced on a tight rope.
"What is it?" I ask
He doesn't reply. He took a few steps forward and I follow. Just a few feet ahead of us was what was an obvious man made path probably made by excessive use.
The path was perpendicular to our position and either side of it led far out of sight.
"Wait here" Mikey said as he started walking onto the path to get a better look at where it led.
"Hey coach said we shouldn't split up" I protested.
"We're not splitting up, I just want to see where it leads"
"Let me come with you"
He sighed "you need to stay there to mark where we exited. I'll only be a minute just stay put"
He kept walking cautiously until he was out of sight.
Not even thirty seconds after Mikey had left, I heard the leaves rustle to my left. I turned to see something that stopped me in my tracks. An unkempt man exiting the bush to the far side.
His face looked dirty and his hair looked like it hadn't been combed or washed in a long time. His clothes looked horribly stained and he walked with a limp. When he saw me, he froze for a second before breaking down crying.
He begged for it all to stop and he seemed to be begging me to go away. I hadn't moved yet for fear of provoking him but I had to figure out a way to either call for Mikey or run to him.
Who was this guy? Where had he come from? This was the first person other than the group that I had seen in the last couple weeks. He was kneeling in the dirt now repeating "why won't it stop?". The man seemed disturbed and that scared me.
He was far enough from me that running was an option. The shorts I had on were very tight but I thought I'd be able to make it to Mikey at least.
Before I could contemplate what to do, another one came out of the bush in a similar state of disarray although he seemed a bit more put together.
He knelt beside the other man, "Ben, I see her too!" He exclaimed.
"You do?" The other man slowly began to calm down and a smile crept unto his face.
"I do. I do!" He repeated happily. Turning to me, the second man asked, "who are you?"
I felt my fear dissipate as it was replaced with relief. I knew who they were.
There's a lot to unpack here and a lot of story to be told over the next few chapters. I know there are a lot of questions but I hope that you will stick with the story to see how it comes together. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter in the comments.
"Tommy, it's me" I said with a smile enveloping my face.
"Ben! Tommy!" I heard Mikey yell to my right before full sprinting to hug our two teammates.
"Mikey! Is that really you? Are you really here?" Ben asked with tears in his eyes as the two boys broke apart.
"It's me. After the wave, we didn't know what happened to you two" he replied as he hugged the other boy. I closed the gap.
"What about everyone else?" Tommy asked with urgency.
"Everyone from our life boat is here too. Safe. But we don't know where the other boats washed up"
"Hey, I'm glad you're both safe" I said.
As soon as their attention turned to me, they asked Mikey "who is she?"
"That's uh, that's Jo"
"Jonathan?" Tommy asked
"Yeah it wasn't my idea" I added.
I felt Ben's eyes linger on me as if with distrust but he didn't say anything.
"Coach?" Ben asked.
"Yeah come on, let's go meet everyone"
▼・j61;・▼
The walk back took much less time because we now walked with more certainty and urgency. Mikey, Ben and Tommy remained in conversation the entire journey back and I noticed Ben would occasionally turn to stare at me.
Mikey filled them in on the state of the group and what we had done and been through so far. When he explained why I was dressed the way I was, Tommy laughed. Ben didn't even attempt to hide his stares.
"Ben?" I started. He turned again to me but didn't say anything. "When you first saw me, you kept saying 'why won't it stop'. What did you mean by that?"
He looked over at Tommy before answering "I uh.. I thought I was hallucinating"
"Have you been hallucinating?" Mikey asked him.
"Sometimes" he replied.
No one said anything until Mikey added finally "Hey I can't even begin to know what you two have gone through so no judgement"
"Yeah, and seeing a girl like you in this forest, of course the guy thought he was hallucinating" Tommy added laughing.
I let out a small awkward laugh.
▼・j61;・▼
The entire group was wide eyed as we came into view.
"Look guys, we found Tommy and Ben!" Mikey shouted cheerfully.
Coach put a hand on his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh thank God you boys are okay". His voice was filled with relief. He walked up pulled both boys in for a hug.
The conversation didn't stop even when we all got back to the cave.
"It's been so long since I ate any meat" Ben exclaimed as he tore into the piece of dried rabbit.
"Yeah" Tommy agreed "we've had to live off fruits and mushrooms"
"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea" Gabe chimed in "lots of mushrooms are poisonous you know?"
"Yeah we know" Tommy replied "we did that skin test, we chewed and spat, and then we ate in small amounts until we were sure it was safe"
"And we're not dead yet so it obviously worked right?" Ben asked rhetorically as he chewed right down to the bone.
"Well you have been hallucinating though" Mikey said with a laugh.
Coach who stood beside Ben in the cave placed a hand on his shoulder and said "you boys did good. I never lost faith in you"
"Thanks coach. You taught us well" Tommy replied.
It felt good to have this moment with the team. We'd all been through so much and the fact that we were all here, alive meant so much to everyone.
"It wasn't the shrooms making me hallucinate" Ben said as he let the bare rabbit bone fall to the floor. His face was more serious than I'd ever seen it.
"It's this island. There's something wrong with it".
▼・j61;・▼
No one had said anything since Ben dropped that bomb.
"It's not normal" he continued.
"Wait what do you mean?" Tate asked him.
"Tommy's hallucinating too you know? It's not just me"
"You've both been through a lot" Tate replied.
"No! It's not that!" He protested adamantly. "Haven't you noticed that the island is a little too perfect? There are zero predators. And where did the animals here even come from? It's an island! Did they swim?"
He was shouting at the end of the sentence.
"Dude calm down, it's okay now" Doug told him.
"No no listen to me" Ben seemed unhinged "you have to be on your guard or else it'll change you".
What he was saying was starting to scare me but I didn't let it show.
"It's why the previous guys left in such a hurry" he said finally.
"Wait, who are you talking about?" Mikey asked.
"There were people here before us. They took off without even getting most of their stuff" Tommy told us "We think something horrible happened to them"
"Where?" Coach asked
"They had a compound" Tommy replied "that's where we're staying"
"Show us"
▼・j61;・▼
The journey took no more than 20 minutes to get back to the path we found earlier and only 5 minutes down that path to get to the compound Ben and Tommy had spoken of.
What we found was a settlement that that would have taken some time for even a large team to build.
There was a short fence no more than 4 feet probably there to keep animals out and not people. The compound consisted of three buildings made of stone and thatch forming a semi circle with what looked to be a well in the middle.
Tommy pushed the small gate open and walked up to the door of the largest building pushing that open. We all followed. It felt strange to be walking into a building. None of us had even used a door in a while.
The interior much like the exterior was very bare with two of the 8 foam beds sprawled across the floor, 5 in a stack in the corner and one resting against the far wall covered in blood.
"It was like that when we got here" Tommy said without waiting for us to ask.
"We'll burn it boys don't worry" Coach said simply "let's take a look around".
The building had wooden windows much like the doors and the thatched roof looked like it did it's job.
"What do you think they were doing here?" Tate asked "I mean they went as far as to build all this stuff"
"We think they were studying the island" Tommy was the one to reply. "We've found maps of the island, they had caves just like that one y'all were staying in marked"
He moved to raise one of the beds and pulled out sheets of paper, one of which was a map with spots marked all over. He placed the map on the floor and we all huddled around like we had done so many times in the past.
"There's the spring" I pointed out.
"And there's our cave" Mikey added "there's more caves too"
"Here's the compound we're in" Tommy pointed to a spot close to the center.
Dead center of the map, there was a circle and an inscription next to it "cause?"
"What do you think that is?" Doug asked.
Tommy looked to Ben before repeatedly tapping on the spot. "They obviously thought something at the center of the island was making all this stuff happen"
"Guys there's nothing wrong with the island" Doug interjected while laughing it off "it's a perfectly normal island. What are you even talking about?"
Tommy moved in closer as if needing to get his point across. "So none of you have had any behaviour changes? Acting differently? What about weird dreams or even started seeing things?"
"No! Nothing like that" Doug replied sharply "right guys?" He asked turning to the rest of us.
Some mumbled "no" and some simply shook their heads.
"See?" Doug said triumphantly.
"I thought I saw my mum once" Mikey said finally. "I didn't get a good look so I didn't think anything of it."
The room is quiet for a while.
"You know me Jo. We're not super close but you know I would never do that to you" It was the first time I'd heard Ollie's voice in a while. It made me angry.
"You don't get to blame what you did on some fucking supernatural bullshit" I snapped at him. My voice was so high, it cracked half way through.
"I'm so sorry for what happened" Ollie replied with his voice filled with remorse and it just made me even angrier. Just being near him threatened to send me into a rage.
"Fuck you!" I said sharply.
"Okay chill out Fahey! You fought, get over it" Doug jumped in.
"Fuck you too Doug! You know, I'm sick and tired of your shit!" I didn't know when I got to my feet. I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I swung wildly catching coach with a palm across his face.
The group went quiet. When I realised what I'd done, I froze. My anger dissipated and I withdrew the hand into the other.
L"I'm sorry" I said simply.
"Take a walk" Coach said and that was it. I turned and left the building.
▼・j61;・▼
Taking a narrow path leading left after the gate, I eventually came to a small lake. It was clean and beautiful and it reminded me of a similar lake in our city.
I sat beside a tree overlooking the lake and tried to process what had just happened. I'd just slapped coach. No other student in the entire school or even staff had so much as talked back to him.
These shorts had quickly gotten uncomfortable as they didn't stop riding up my legs. Sitting like I was, they barely even covered my butt. I decided that as soon as I got the chance, I would change into a dress.
I thought back to what Tommy had said. Even though I hadn't gotten the chance to tell them, I'd had that crazy dream. I wondered whether that could have been connected.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see Gabe approaching.
"Coach took all the strongest guys to go get our stuff"
I nodded.
"That leaves just you and I. The girl and the weakling" he said as he took a seat beside me.
"You're not a weakling, Gabe" I said.
There was a pause.
"And you're not a girl right Jo? I think you forgot that part" he said with a weak smile.
"Yeah. Sure. I'm not a girl".
We sat there for a few minutes before either of us spoke again. "It sure is beautiful out here isn't it?" He asked.
"Yeah it really is"
"You know, if I pretend hard enough, it's almost like none of this ever happened and I'm on a date with a pretty girl"
I gave him a look but didn't say anything.
"You know what the worst part is?" He asked and I slowly shook my head. "The worst part is that no one is looking for me. Like your family is probably out there doing everything they can to get you back but I don't have any of that. My dad might not even know and my mum probably doesn't even care"
I didn't know how to respond to that so I just placed a hand on his lap.
When it seemed like he was okay, I moved my hand and he stood right after.
"Coach said we should burn that last bed so why don't you help me find some wood. There should be some lying around".
I nodded.
▼・j61;・▼
We found a good spot far enough away from the compound and Gabe worked his magic with the ferro rod. As the flames engulfed the bloodied bed, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened here.
By the time we got back to the compound, the boys were back and having fun. We caught Tate heading for the lake path in a hurry.
"We're getting in the lake, hurry come join us"
"Oh shit, I'm coming" Gabe replied excitedly before hurrying into the house to change into briefs and run out.
I did change too but only into a white and green summer dress and brown boots. I combed my hair using the trunk mirror and even applied a bit of lip gloss. I couldn't help but notice that I looked a lot like my mum did in one of her old pictures.
I approached the lake self consciously but no more than before. Doug, Tate, Ollie, Gabe and Tommy were already in the water having what looked like a good time. Coach was nowhere to be seen but Ben sat close to the lake watching our teammates.
I scanned the view for Mikey but couldn't spot him and suddenly two hands covered both my eyes.
"Guess who?" Mikey's unmistakable voice came from behind me. I smiled widely and turned to look at him laughing.
"You're actually supposed to guess" he said light-heartedly.
"Does this mean you're done avoiding me?" I asked.
"I wasn't avoiding you"
"Yes you were"
He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled "come on".
We walked past the lake and into the sparse trees away from sight of everyone.
"I wasn't avoiding you" he repeated "I just needed time to think"
"And what did you think about?" I asked. A sudden gust of wind blew through picking up the leaves around us and my dress skirt. I quickly held it in place.
He smiled at me.
"What?" I asked embarrassed.
"You really are so beautiful" he replied very smoothly.
This caught me off guard and made me turn red.
"I do think so and I do... I like you that way but I just don't want to lose our friendship" his face was full of so many emotions. "You're my best friend Jo" he said as he placed a palm on my face, "But I think I'm falling in love with you".
I watched him close the gap between us and kiss me deeply. I put my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer. I shuddered with every breath. My hands rubbed his neck and chest and back as we kissed with more and more intensity.
I felt his hands move down my back as they became more explorative but we were both pulled back to reality when we heard a twig snap loudly.
We turned to see Ben standing by a tree closely watching us.
▼・j61;・▼
Ben's eyes told so much but his lips said nothing. He simply stared at us with that broken expression that had become his trademark.
In a quick action, he turned and sprinted away.
I started to follow but Mikey held me back, "don't" he said shaking his head briefly.
"He's going to go tell everyone!" I protested.
"Let him" he replied simply.
I looked up at him and he smiled. My eyes grew watery from dealing with so much emotion. He brought his face forward and kissed me on my forehead lightly before pulling me into a tight hug.
"It's you and me now Jo" he assured me as I buried my head in his shirt. "I won't let anything come between us".
▼・j61;・▼
Mikey seemed sure in every step he took closer to the compound but my strides weren't as certain.
I couldn't help but worry about how they'd see Mikey and I after they found out what we'd been doing. The last thing this group needed was conflict especially since we all needed eachother to survive.
Mikey squeezed my hand as if to reassure me that everything was going to be okay. I'd even forgotten that we'd been holding hands. I looked down at our hands intertwined. It made me smile. I felt safe. I felt like no matter what happened, he would protect me. And so I trusted in that.
By the time we got back to the lake, the boys were already out of the water. I saw Tate rush out of the compound and towards our position and I let go of Mikey's hand.
Tate closed the gap quickly and spoke with urgency, "where the hell have you guys been? Coach needs us all gathered in the house. It seems important! Come hurry!". And right after, he took off back to the house.
Mikey and I looked at eachother and followed.
▼・j61;・▼
The entire team was huddled just inside the house forming a circle looking intently at coach who had a worried look on his face.
"Harris! Fahey! Get in here! There's something you all need to hear" he said sternly. Coach had never liked to wait for us. That much had carried over from the training field to this island. At least he didn't have us running laps for being late.
We both took spots and looked to coach.
"While you all were out having your fun, I took to exploring this place. Get a sense of what this place was. Hidden in a fake wall towards the far side of the building..." He slid a wooden box across the floor to the center of our circle "..I found this"
He let us take it in before continuing.
"It was locked so I had Doug pick the lock" He raised the lid of the box to reveal its contents. "Now there's a lot of stuff in there, a cigar, documents and letters talking about what this place is and this..." He brings into view what looks to be a tape recorder.
"Now I listened to some of the stuff on here" he continued "but I thought it'd be better if we all listened to it together".
He placed it on the box and pressed the play button.
It took a while but eventually a voice came on.
"Dr. Isaac Fenchurch island log #43" there was a long pause before it continued. "I won't say our time here was a failure because it wasn't. We learned so much even if we lost a lot more. If we're lucky, this will be my last recording and by this time tomorrow, I'll be on a boat off this God forsaken rock"
There was another long pause. We all looked around at one another.
"I can't say we perfectly understand this island but I can atleast rule out that whatever is causing all of this isn't supernatural like some of the men believe. We sent two of the researchers yesterday to the center of the island for one last attempt to figure it all out. Maybe we shouldn't have done that. Murphy and Johnson, two of our brightest minds returned but barely able to put words together. But in all their incoherent ramblings, they both spoke of a flower"
"Johnson..." there was a brief pause before Dr. Fenchurch continued speaking "Johnson shot and killed himself late last night. We've restrained Murphy for his own good"
"Oh my God" I let out unconsciously.
"Dr. Suresh and I have posited that towards the island's center, there may be a flower growing there whose spores seem to impair brain function or simply alter it depending on the level of exposure. If that is the case, our proximity to it would have only served to make our situation worse"
Our entire group sat there frozen listening to the chilling words from the recorder.
"Symptoms of exposure include altered behaviour, aggression, hallucination and in some rare cases, abnormal dreams"
I felt my throat tighten and my heart rate increase. I couldn't react any other way except to keep listening.
"Larger exposure can cause cognitive breakdown and maybe even suicidal tendencies. We suspect extended exposure could lead to more unpredictable effects which is why we've asked for an extraction immediately."
"Coach..." I heard Tate say but he is cut off by the recording
"It pains me that we have to leave so early because we were just starting to record good progress in our plans to create a perfect ecosystem. The animals even seem to be thriving. This island was to be a paradise. Our first step in creating an ecosystem totally conducive for human survival that we could replicate anywhere but it seems mother nature had entirely different plans. This is Dr. Isaac Fenchurch logging off for what I hope to be the last time".
The sound broke off and a second later, a click told us that it was over. No one said a word. We just stared gloomily.
Ben stood with a blank expression but his eyes seemed full of pain.
"Nothing is real, nothing is real" he repeated as he stood and left the house.
When he slammed the door shut, I turned back to look across the team. Everyone was speechless, perhaps still in shock over what we'd just heard.
"We have to get off this island" Doug said finally.
"How Doug? How are we going to do that? Tate asked.
He didn't reply.
"There's a boat" Tommy chimed in "We found it by the water during our first couple days here but there's no paddle"
"And you didn't think to mention that before?" Doug asked.
"Hey easy" Coach said trying to defuse the growing tension "where's this boat?"
"Not far" Tommy replied "straight shot using the path down to the beach"
Coach nodded "Now listen, I know you're all scared right now and maybe rightly so but we need to remain calm. I said that we'll survive this island and we will. Now we're going to continue things the same way that got us this far okay?"
We all mumbled our agreement.
"Eldon, I need you to go start a fire. Jo's going to whip us up something nice aren't you Jo?"
"Sure coach" I said forcing a smile.
"Now we have enough food stores to last us for some time so we can stay put. I don't want anyone going anywhere for the time being. We don't want to expose ourselves to anything"
We all nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll go see the state of this boat and then see if we can't craft a paddle. We remember where we saw that flare. Trying to get there could be our best bet. All that clear?"
"Yes coach!" We chorused.
"Good" he said finally "get moving".
▼・j61;・▼
I'd never been a really good cook. Mum had tried to get Gaby and I to learn but neither of us had been very interested. But over the past few weeks, I seem to have figured it out. I had adjusted the quantities of everything over time and ended up with something that was atleast edible.
Earlier, I'd shown Mikey how to peel the yam and slice them properly and I'd tossed them into the pot of boiling water. Added salt and pepper and the dried meat from one of the animals on the island. As we waiting for it to boil properly, we got to talking.
"I miss my bed" I groaned.
"I miss having an actual shower" he replied.
"I miss TV" I said after thinking for a second.
"I miss Bosco" Mikey replied smiling.
"I'd miss him too if he didn't bark at me every time" I pouted.
He laughed "yeah he's never liked you I don't know why"
"Oh you totally know why" I protested.
"That wasn't my fault"
"It was totally your fault!" I said louder than intended.
"We were fighting. It's not my fault he's so protective of me"
"We were PLAY fighting" I stressed "And I wasn't even winning!"
"Well now he barks every time he sees you" he let out a big laugh that made me pout some more.
"It's not funny" I said while trying to hold back my own laughter.
"It's a little funny" he said with a cute smile.
I finally let out a small laugh "maybe a little".
We sit quietly for a while listening to the fire cracking in the evening breeze. The liquid in the pot would sometimes rise and spill over the sides of the pot into the fire.
"I hate that we're stranded on this stupid rock" I said eventually.
"Well yeah but if it never happened, we wouldn't be..." he paused "you know"
This caught me off guard.
"Are we?" I asked.
"Aren't we?"
I smiled and nodded before turning my gaze to the floor.
▼・j61;・▼
We ate in turns since we had only two plates but soon we were all done and sat together in the large room on the beds that we had laid across the floor. Doug and Gabe had agreed to share a bed since there wasn't enough to go around.
I noticed Ben staring at me but I didn't say anything. It didn't seem like he had told anyone and I wasn't in a hurry to make him tell.
The dress I wore made it so I had to sit with both legs to one side but other than that, it was pretty comfortable.
We thought there'd be more clothes to go around after we got to the compound but there were only a handful of clothes left behind and there were mostly in worn out conditions. This didn't bother me however because I didn't want to wear anything other than the clothes I'd been wearing since.
"You'd make a really great cook, Jo" Doug said and I thought he really meant it.
"Thanks" I replied smiling.
"Yeah" Gabe agreed "I don't know how you do it but it tasted really nice"
The group seemed to agree.
"Thanks" I said again with a wider smile. "Ben, I didn't see you eat anything"
"Wasn't hungry" he replied simply.
▼・j61;・▼
We all slept as soon as we could in preparation for the next day but sometime in the night, I felt a hand on my face. I woke up abruptly to find Ben kneeling next to me moving his fingers across my face. His eyes were so wide open and unnatural.
I started to scream but as soon as he saw this, he pressed both hands to my throat and pressed hard catching my voice before it left my lips. I squirmed trying to move but he only pressed harder and harder until I felt the room spin.
I stretched my hand to his face to scratch or pull or anything to get him to stop but I couldn't reach and my hand flailed in midair. When that didn't work, I tried to pull his hands off my neck but his grip was too strong.
I struggled to breath but my lungs remained empty. I tried to cough but the action just hurt my throat.
I started kicking and flinging my body as hard as I could but this only made him get on top of me to stop that.
I started losing my sight and the world got dark. I managed to force "please... stop" past my lips but they fell on deaf ears. I gave up and thought it wasn't fair that I would die like this after surviving so much.
I would later find out that coach had tackled him off me and held him down and eventually tied him up. When I came to, he was kicking and screaming.
Mikey was by my side and stopped me from trying to stand.
"Tommy, Tommy listen...." he begged as he pulled at the ropes "They're not real Tommy. The island is messing me us"
He tried to free himself from the ropes and when he realised that wouldn't work, he continued talking "You gotta believe me Tommy. Why'd you tie me up? You can't let the island mess with you buddy. It's just me and you here. No one else"
He pulled and pulled and even seemed to be hurting himself but he didn't stop.
"Listen to me Tommy, let me go and we can get rid of them together. Untie me and I'll show you, they're not real"
He wasn't even looking at the rest of us. His eyes just remained fixed on Tommy as he pleaded.
"These versions of our friends aren't even accurate Tommy! You know what Jonathan looks like right? That's not him right? Look at him!"
I brought my hand to my neck and felt a sharp pain. My throat hurt so bad.
"And and and I saw this Mikey here kissing Jonathan! Come on man! You know Mikey right? He'd never kiss a dude!"
I was in so much pain but I only pitied him. What could have happened to him to make him like this?
"Coach, his eyes" I heard Gabe say "They're really red"
I watched Tommy turn to leave and Ben become so much more aggressive kicking and shouting.
"The island has taken you Tommy but I'll save you! I'll get rid of them. I'll kill them for both of us Tommy! You hear me? I'll kill them and I'll save us both".
"Find something to gag him with and make sure those binds are secure" Coach said as he turned to leave.
Doug stops him.
"Coach we gotta get off this island"
Phew. I'm glad this part is done. I always dreaded writing this chapter and it even scared me while I did. Are you afraid for them now? I'd love to know what you thought of the events up until now.
The entire story is pretty much done in my head now, all that's left is to put it all down. I hope you'll stick around.
I'll be reading and replying to all comments on the story so don't be shy.
It was morning when I opened my eyes again. I quickly scanned the room for Ben. He sat in the corner and seemed to be sleeping. They'd tied him up tightly and sometime last night, he'd calmed down. I brought my hand to my neck which still hurt badly. I had difficulty breathing properly and was nursing a terrible headache but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't be mad at him.
He was sick. Maybe Ollie had been too, I didn't know. I couldn't even pretend that the island hadn't affected me too. That dream was proof of that even if I hadn't had another one since then.
And then there were my unmistakable feelings for Mikey. Could the island be behind that too? I hated the thought but I had to consider that possibility. What if we got off the island and we didn't feel the same way? I hated that thought too.
I glanced around the empty house. "Where was everybody" I wondered. Ben seemed tied up good but I still didn't feel safe here.
I sat up properly bringing both my feet to the cold bare floor. As shitty as yesterday had been, I was still glad to be able to sleep on an actual bed.
I tried to stand and was instantly hit with a wave of pain that forced me to stagger and seek balance on the wall closest to me.
I felt terrible.
I took short, shallow breaths to avoid the pain in my throat as I tried to regain my composure.
When I thought I was ready to move, I did and started the journey to leave the house.
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The air outside was crisp and rejuvenating. The island was warm but not too hot. I ran a hand through my hair before placing the rogue strands behind my ears then set out to the lake to look for the team.
They weren't at the lake as it came into view but the closer I got, I heard a rhythmic thudding coming from the forest and the closer I got to that, I heard familiar voices talking and laughing.
The forest's trees here were very sparsely placed so it wasn't difficult to navigate until Mikey, Doug, Gabe and Ollie came into view.
I smoothed my dress and touched the tips of my hair unconsciously.
They were taking turns swinging at a tree with the axe we'd found a long time ago. It felt so long since we came to the island. Much longer than it had actually been.
I watched Doug swing the axe wildly at the tree, catch it terribly and vibrate from the recoil. He dropped the axe and exclaimed and the boys laughed. I smiled.
When I got close enough, their gazes turned to focus on me. I let out a small wave.
Doug who still had his hands encased in his laps reacting from the pain spoke first, "glad you could join us, my lady" he said mockingly.
I shot him a look which was entirely for show. Most of that stuff had stopped bothering me a long time ago.
"Wanna have a go?" Gabe asked picking up the axe.
I shook my head.
"Cat got your tongue, Fahey" Doug asked.
I shot him another look "it hurts to talk" I groaned weakly.
Mikey's face filled with concern but he didn't say anything.
"Last night was rough huh?" Gabe said with genuine concern "Sorry you had to go through that. This island is really kicking our ass".
Ollie broke off from the group of boys walking past me and heading for the compound.
I turned and said in the loudest voice I could muster.
"Ollie.." I groaned from the pain.
He stopped.
"You don't have to go" I continued fighting through the pain.
He turned and gave me a weak smile before leaving.
"I cannot believe you two still haven't figured your shit out" Doug said.
"Hey, leave it alone" Gabe replied before taking position and making a proper swing at the tree.
I sat and watched the three of them chip away at the tree. Mikey had made solid progress into their end goal of felling the tree before dropping the axe at the base and making his way over to me.
Doug picked up the axe, "where the fuck is Ollie? It was supposed to be the four of us doing this"
Gabe shoved him lightly. "Just swing okay? We don't need him. Do it properly this time".
Mikey closed the gap and sat next to me resting on the same tree. I smoothed the dress skirt again unconsciously.
"How are you feeling?" He asked turning to me.
I nodded and smiled.
"I'm sorry I didn't wake up early enough yesterday"
"I'm fine" I croaked and coughed "coach saved me"
"You sound terrible"
I tried to laugh but it hurt too bad.
My head fell on his shoulder and I closed my eyes. Neither of us said anything. We just sat there. I felt him put his arm around me and I adjusted to fit better.
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"I thought Ben was just losing his shit but he really did see y'all kiss, didn't he?" I heard Doug say.
I rose my head to lose at him but didn't reply. Mikey didn't either.
"Look, I'm not even going to pretend to understand what's going on between you two. All I care about is getting off this island and as long as you two do your parts, you can do whatever else you want"
Gabe walked up to Doug carrying the axe, "we're taking a break, getting some food" he told us "we'll be back at the house".
Soon Doug and Gabe had disappeared out of sight.
I turned to Mikey who did the same. I shifted my weight to get a better angle, placed both hands on his face and kissed him. And then I kissed him again. And again. Then I kissed his neck, and his chest.
"What are you doing?" He asked
"Sshhh"
My heart beat so quickly as I tried to steel myself.
A lot was uncertain right now but I knew what I wanted right now. I wanted him to be my first. Even here.
I kissed lower and lower and ignored him every time he said my name. If he even once protested, I wouldn't have the strength to go through with it.
And when my face eventually got below his belt, he did.
"Jo, stop"
I did. My head eventually came up to meet his.
"Not here, please" he said simply.
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When we returned to the compound, Coach, Tommy and Tate were back and eating with the rest in the house. The leftovers from last night still smelled good after being heated on a fire.
They sat around the pot eating at the same time rotating a spoon between themselves. They had left some for Mikey and I in one of the plates. One of Ben's hands had been freed so he could eat. He ate alone and quietly in the corner. He seemed to have a cloud over his head but he seemed fine.
There was small plastic container beside coach that I didn't recognised but I didn't comment on it.
When the group was done eating, Mikey and I washed their spoon and ate in silence.
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"Tommy was right" coach had begun "there's a boat on the shore but there's no paddle. It seems we'll all fit but we won't be able to take anything except the clothes on our backs. We'll head to look for the new island as soon as we manage to craft those paddles. We'll need atleast four but if we can make a few more, that'd be great. How long until that tree is down?"
"Not long coach, maybe an hour tops" Gabe replied
"Good" he continued "we'll all help out. We need to hurry with this."
We all nodded.
"Now there wasn't a paddle on the boat but we did find this hidden below the boat floor" Coach then placed the plastic container in front of us.
"We got..." He started removing and placing the contents on the floor "a flare gun, a first aid kit, compass and what it says to be a personal locating device"
The last one was a small block that looked like a sat phone. It only had two buttons and flashing light.
"Now, I already followed the instructions on the back and pressed the button and then this light started blinking. I hope to God this actually thing works".
That was all a nice bit of good news. For the first time, it seemed like we finally had a good plan and a way off this island if we could make a paddle. We all felt good again.
"As for the flare, we only have two shells so I'm going wait for night to fire the first one. In the meantime, we need to get working on that tree, all good?"
"Yes coach!" We chorused. It really was good.
"Alright, back to the tree. Let's get moving"
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I hadn't taken a bath today and since we couldn't go to the spring anymore, I decided to take a swim in the lake. I searched through my clothes for something appropriate for swimming and had almost given up hope when I saw it. It was an orange Smoothies Electra one piece swimsuit that I'd seen Gaby wear all too many times on our trips to the pool. I had been with her when she picked it up at the mall and shed even jokingly asked me if I wanted one.
Well now I had one.
I grabbed the swimsuit and a towel went behind the house to strip and put it on since Ben was still in the house. I wished we could blindfold him. Knowing that he was probably staring at my every action unnerved me even if all this morning, he had seemed like the Ben I remembered from school.
The swimsuit hugged my body tightly and accentuated the subtle curves that I shouldn't have had but did. My legs looked extra long too. I carefully tucked even if I barely needed to and made my way for the lake.
I checked corners hoping everyone would be in the forest. Even if I didn't feel all that self conscious anymore, I'd rather not have dealt with the comments.
As soon as I was sure no one was around, I ran as fast as I could, dropping the towel on the ground before making a huge splash with a cannonball into the lake. The cool water felt so good against my skin.
This brought back so many memories. Dad rarely came with us but Mum, Gaby and I loved the pool and we loved swimming. Mum had swam competitively growing up and had made sure we'd learnt at a very early age.
"Kids! Stop running by the pool" I thought of mum shouting as Gaby and I ran crazily around the pool.
I must have been 9 then and Gaby must have been 12. She was chasing me for something I had done or taken or maybe we were playing a game.
I had been running laughing happily determined not to let her catch me when I heard her scream followed by a loud thud.
"Gaby!" I heard my mum scream.
I turned and saw Gaby on the wet floor. Blood spewed from her temple and flowed freely into the water.
I forced my eyes open pulling myself out of whatever that was and only then did I realise.
I was underwater and sinking.
With all my strength, I kicked and pushed and swam until my head emerged from the water. I took consecutive deep breaths until I was satisfied I'd gotten enough air.
'What the fuck was that' I wondered.
One second I was fine and then next, it seemed like I was sucked into a memory that wasn't even mine. Whatever that was had never happened.
I tried to gather myself. Even if I was still shaken about what had just happened, I needed to focus on getting out of the water.
As I started making my way for the lake shore, I heard two sets of voices get louder and louder until Doug and Gabe burst from the tree line removing their clothes as they ran. Soon as they were both down to their briefs, they both jumped in the water whooping and laughing as they did.
Without wasting any time, they both started a race towards the other side of the lake.
Not long after them came Coach, Mikey, Tate and Ollie carrying two logs of wood in pairs.
"Now boys get some rest. We still have work to do" Coach said as both pairs dropped their logs. Mikey and Tate took off their clothes like the boys before them did but much more casually got in the water.
"Come join us coach" Tate yelled from the water.
Mikey chimed in "yeah coach".
"No you boys have fun" he said brushing them off before making his way for the house.
Ollie turned and followed.
"Ollie!" I shouted as loudly as I could. That hurt.
I tilted my head subtly gesturing for him to come in "The water's great" I managed.
He just shook his head and walked off.
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Mikey closed the gap between us smiling the whole way. I did too.
"I bet that swimsuit is pretty sexy on you" he said grinning as he floated a few feet from me "I can't wait to see you get out of the water"
I blushed.
"How's your voice?" He asked.
"Better" I whispered quietly.
"I wish we were alone"
I blushed again. Mikey always seemed to know how to make me melt. He pushed all the right buttons. I swam closer and that's when I felt something pull at my leg and drag me into the water. I screamed which sent waves of pain through my throat.
I swam up as quickly as I could to find Doug laughing. I angrily splashed water in his face "Damn it Doug, grow up!". Pain shot through my neck again "Ow! Ow! Ow!" I whimpered.
He laughed harder. Mikey laughed too.
"It's not funny" I said quietly before splashing them both.
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Eventually the three of us got to talking.
"So are you guys gay or what?" Doug asked. "I mean you don't even look gay because you look like a guy and a girl hooking up and it's super confusing"
"Why does it matter?" Mikey asked him.
"Because." he replied abruptly "nobody gets you two anymore. You're sneaking around, disappearing randomly and we all see how you two look at eachother."
We didn't reply.
"Are you fucking?" He asked.
"What?" I asked incredulously.
"Are you fucking?" He asked again matter of factly like he was asking me about the weather.
"No, we're not fucking" I replied. At this point, I wasn't even worried about the pain. Doug had me on the spot.
"Jo, do you realise what you have on right now? You're wearing a bikini" he was looking me dead in the eye "are you transgender?"
"It's not a bikini and I don't see how any of this is important right now" Mikey stepped in.
"Whatever, It's a simple question, let her answer the question" he replied.
"You just called me 'her'" I told him.
"Did I? Well shit maybe I did. I'm confused. Aren't you?"
"I am okay!" I said finally "is that what you wanted to hear? That I'm confused and scared out of my mind? That I don't know whether I'm trans or whatever else? That I don't know what the fuck's going on or that I might be in love with my best friend??"
I froze. Half processing what I'd just said and half realising who'd just heard.
The whole lake was quiet and everyone in it was looking at me. I'd had enough of being in the water. I turned and started swimming to shore.
"Good talk" I heard Doug say finally.
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My humiliation wasn't over however. As I reached the shore and started leaving the water, I realised everyone could now see my entire outfit and especially my butt and I'm sure they were still staring.
I steeled myself and made for the towel. I wrapped it around myself and made for the house. Coach who had just been coming out saw my face and knew something was wrong.
"You okay there, Fahey?"
"Fine, Coach" I replied.
He didn't press.
"Alright boys, time's up. Let's get back to work"
As I walked past him, I thought "Damn it coach, couldn't have come out a couple minutes earlier?"
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Thanks for reading this far into this adventure. Please be sure to leave a review if you can. I always enjoy hearing from you.
I couldn't stand the thought of being in the house alone with Ben so as quickly as I had gone in, I'd taken a change of clothes and left. I hated the way his eyes followed me everywhere when I went in the house so although I didn't want to be around Doug and the others after what had just happened, I had no choice.
The outfit I'd chosen was a simple one. It was a peach crop top paired with a black skater skirt. I'd kept on the same pair of flip flops as before.
When I'd finished changing behind the house again, I made my way for the lake. The mid-afternoon weather was on the warm side so I was thankful for the swim even if it had taken a turn at the end.
"God, what do they think about me now?" I thought to myself. I'd admitted that I had fallen for Mikey in front of the entire team. I hadn't even admitted that to myself before.
Up until that point, we might have just been really close and enjoying eachother's companies and maybe fooling around a bit but now it was staring me in the face. Was I really in love? I'd never been in love before so how was I to know what it felt like? Then again, I'd never felt like that before either.
The way I felt when he smiled at me the way he did. The way my skin felt against his. My lips against his. The feeling of being all-in, no matter what. It was all so new and so exciting.
I spotted the boys huddled a few feet from the lake. I pulled a few strands of hair behind my ears as I made my way for them. As I closed the gap, I noticed that the skirt swished quite freely around my legs. It's the really little things that made me notice. That things really had changed.
"Hey guys, afternoon coach" I said after a small wave.
Coach nodded.
"Here to watch the men work?" Doug asked grinning.
"Pay attention Ripley! This is important" Coach chastised.
"Sorry coach" his head fell. I let out a smile and noticed the other boys doing the same.
"We need to get this right" Coach started "And without any proper tools, it's not going to be easy. Now the paddles are probably not going to be efficient or even easy to use but as long as we can move that boat, we'll take what we can get"
We all listened attentively. I briefly wondered what we'd have done if coach wasn't here with us. I didn't think we could have even gotten this far. I thought about the other people that survived the crash. I hadn't had any time to process what happened that day. "I'd been in a plane crash" it dawned on me. There had been more of us too before we got separated. I hadn't made a proper count then but we had to have been atleast 50 in the water. And then there were 9.
I wondered about all the others. Were they still alive? Had they been rescued? I thought about the people on the island close to us. How many of them were there? Who were they? Was there also some weird shit on their island making them crazy? Or was that just our tough luck?
"You with us, Fahey"
"I am, coach" I said snapping myself out of it.
"I understand that you've decided to take on a more...." he paused as if searching for the right word "supportive role but you should still pay attention. Learn something"
I nodded meekly.
"As I was saying" coach continued "we're going to start by splitting the log. They're big logs...." He tapped both logs firmly "but they're light so axe in the right spot, split them right down the middle. Don't you boys worry, I'll handle that but remind me to teach you how when we get back home" he smiled.
We did too. Coach didn't smile often. Certainly not during P.E but he would let out the occasional smile when we won a particularly tough matchup or when we took down division rivals.
It was obvious he had softened up throughout our time on the island but no one was going to point that out.
"Next we'll use the big knife and make deep incisions into the wood to form the outline of the paddle. This needs to be done as cleanly as possible. Then all that'll be left to do is carve it out. Remove the sides, remove the back. We'll need to do this atleast twice and maybe even four times so it's a lot of work but we'll do it together"
His demeanor seemed to change in an instant and all of us sensed this. He looked to be wrestling with a thought but eventually gained the resolve.
"There's something you all need to know" we watched attentively as he placed both hands on his hips before heaving and continuing "recently, I've been seeing my wife and my son around the island. Now I know how that sounds but I'm fine. For now."
None of us knew how to take this information. We'd known that hallucinations could happen as an effect but this was coach. Plus we didn't even know he had a son. He'd certainly never told us about him.
"Initially I wasn't sure but it's been getting clearer and more obvious and it's getting worse" his face showed all the emotions even though he tried to keep his voice strong. "I'm telling you boys this because you need to understand what's at stake. I don't know where this is going to lead but it can't be good. You heard Ripley said we had to get off the island and he's right."
I could tell that it'd taken so much for him to say all that. He was worried and he didn't bother to hide it anymore. He'd been confident when we first got here but now, that was gone. Things were different now and a lot more dangerous. If we couldn't even trust ourselves then how do we survive?
"If I start acting strangely or I can't seem to control myself, you need to be ready to restrain me. You mustn't hesitate, do you understand?"
"Yes coach" we chorused.
"I couldn't live with myself if I hurt any one of you." His voice was apprehensive. We'd never seen coach like this. "Has anyone else had any symptoms?"
Tommy and Tate both raised their hands. I did too.
The rest of the boys quickly focused on the three of us.
"What symptoms?" Coach asked.
"Hallucinations" Tommy replied.
"Me too" Tate agreed.
"Hallucinations but I had this weird dream a couple days ago. After Mikey said I fell. It was so real and I could have sworn I had been there much longer than a few hours. I don't even remember falling that day. I can't explain it. I could have sworn I saw a ship that day but I was out of it so I don't know what I saw. And earlier today, I think I lost consciousness while in the lake and almost drowned"
"Wait what?" Mikey asked sharply. A similar wave of concern flew through the group.
"It was only for a few seconds but it felt like I was pulled into a dream. I woke up underwater"
"Okay it goes without saying that no more getting in the lake unless there's someone else here with you." Coach walked over the grab the axe "no time for delay. we'll beat this place. Put the log upright, let's get to work"
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I'd eventually given the boys some space and gone to sit beside the tree by the lake. I'd let my mind wonder over to what would be happening at home.
I wondered whether they would have given up. Would they think I was dead? I thought about my mum searching the web for any and every information about this sort of situation. I thought about her reading statistics about people lost and found. I thought about her worrying herself to death because that was the kind of person she was.
I wished there was a way to tell her I was okay. I wondered who my father was giving an earful.
"You'd better find my son! Soon! And alive" I imagined him shouting at some poor guy who had no more control of the situation that he did.
Oh and dear Gaby. Gaby would have to be strong for mum but when she would find herself alone, she'd cry.
"What are you thinking of?" I heard Mikey ask snapping me out of it.
"Nothing" I smiled at him as he took a seat beside me. I felt my arm rub against his drenched shirt.
"Eww!" I exclaimed making a face "you're so sweaty".
"Am I? Come on then, give me a hug" he opened his arms wide gesturing for a hug.
"Eww, stop" I replied with a whiny voice. He laughed and sat back.
I did too but made sure there was a gap between us. He saw this and let out a small laugh again.
"Any progress?" I asked as I made a slight nod in the direction of Gabe carving into the second log and Ollie working on the paddle outline of the first.
"Slow" he replied "but it's looking good".
I nodded. We sat quietly for a while before I spoke again.
"If we do get back home..."
"When" Mikey interrupted.
"What?"
"When we get back home" he replied.
"Yeah" I said brushing it off "when we get back home, do you think we'll stay together?"
He gave me disapproving look "Jo, of course. Don't you understand that...."
"I'm just saying..." It was my turn to interrupt "this has been pretty amazing but when there's all those actual girls throwing themselves at you..."
"Don't do this"
"Do what?" I replied coldly.
"You're self destructing"
"I am not self destructing"
"Now you're just repeating what I say"
"I am not...." I stopped.
The silence was short because soon he was speaking again.
"Jo" Mikey tried to get my attention.
I ignored him.
"Jo, look at me"
"What?" I turned sharply.
I watched him get closer and closer until our lips met. I moaned and kissed him back. When we separated, I was breathing heavily.
"You're the only girl for me because I love you" he told me. He'd said it. My heart melted again. I was glad I was sitting because I didn't think I'd be able to keep myself from falling.
I'd heard somewhere that you fall in love like you fall asleep. Slowly then all at once. This was my all at once.
I kissed him again, harder than before. I pulled myself in not caring one bit about his sweat.
It took a while but eventually we settled down again. I had a permanent smile painted on my face.
Not long after that, he had to go back to join the others. I guessed break was over. As I watched him walk away, I realised I hadn't said it back.
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We'd all eaten our fill of boiled plantain and dried fish and then sat near the lake as the sun fell behind the trees.
The boys had called it a day earlier and had waited eagerly for the meal I'd started preparing an hour before.
I couldn't help but smile as they downed all of their helpings ravenously. I'd really begun to enjoy cooking for them so I made the extra effort making sure it was as nice as possible.
They'd all taken a bath in the lake while I got the food ready and none of them had put any real clothes on after so now I tried not to stare as they sat in front of me in their briefs and shorts.
"How are the paddles coming?" I asked trying to get my mind off all the topless torsos in view.
"We all pulled through today. We got them all done. Except the last one was looking kind of flimsy" Gabe replied.
How were they all so fit?
"Yeah, Doug's fault. For all his talk..." Tate added.
Seriously. All of them.
"Hey give it a rest okay? It's fine." Doug chimed before going back to pick his teeth with his finger.
It was probably an understatement to say I never saw what the girls in our class saw in Doug before but now I think I got it.
"Like what you see?" I heard Doug ask. It took me a while to realise he was talking to me. I noticed he had a smirk that I instantly wanted to smack off his face.
"Shut up, Doug" Mikey said with obvious irritation in his voice.
Without missing a beat, Doug replied, "hey it's not my fault your girlfriend there got the hots for me".
"Mikey, leave it" I said before he had the chance to react poorly.
"Yeah, leave it Mikey" Doug replied in a mocking voice. He grinned happily at himself before turning to leer at me.
I suddenly needed another bath.
"You know what would be fun? Truth or dare" Doug continued. He was obviously loving the sound of his own voice.
"No way" I shook my head "Not on your life"
"Hey, I promise no funny business. No weird shit or telling anyone to kiss or anything like that. Scout's honor" Doug placed a hand on his chest and another in the air as he said that.
"Are you even a scout?" Tommy asked him.
"No, of course not. What am I, a loser?" He replied then put him hands down. "What do you say?"
One by one, everyone eventually agreed to play. I guess we all just wanted to feel normal again.
"Great" Doug said rubbing his hands happily "Ollie, you go first. Truth or dare?"
"Uhh...." Ollie thought of what to say. Ollie rarely spoke anymore. He just always seemed to live in the shadows now. "Truth" he replied.
"What really happened between you and Jo?" Doug asked smiling.
"We fought, I already said..."
"Bullshit" Doug interrupted "we're not fucking 12. Something went down and I'd like to know the truth, thank you"
Ollie seemed to be wrestling with so many thoughts. He looked to me and I looked back. He seemed to break. I tried my hardest not to feel pity for him. But in that one moment when his face looked like he carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, I did.
He never did reply after that. He stood and left walking towards the house.
"Oh I'm gonna find out what happened" Doug said seemingly satisfied with himself. Doug was a dick.
As soon as Ollie was out of sight, Doug turned to me.
"Okay Jo, your turn"
"Why do you get to ask again?" I asked.
"Yeah, why do you get to go again?" Gabe agreed.
"Come on guys, indulge me. Someone else can go next. Jo, come on. Truth or dare."
I decided to play his game but afraid he'd just ask the same question if I went truth, I chose dare. He smiled.
"Okay let's see... " He comically placed a hand on his chin. He was enjoying himself. His expression lit up into a sinister grin. "I dare you to make yourself up 100% like a girl. I'm pretty sure there's makeup somewhere in all that stuff. Maybe put on some sexy heels"
"No!"
"Come on!" he exclaimed "it's a good dare."
I looked to the group for help. They offered none.
"It is a pretty good dare" Tate spoke in favor. The others agreed.
"I don't even know how to put on makeup" I lied. With a sister like Gaby, that wasn't possible.
"Well it's either you put it on, or I put it on for you" Doug said laughing "and I definitely have no clue about makeup".
I protested a few more times but when I realised my pleas were falling on deaf ears, I gave in.
"Ugh fine" I conceded before standing up.
I heard excited cheers and laughter coming from the guys as I made my way to the house.
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When I got inside, I realised it was way darker in there than I realised. The windows that lined the walls did little to bring in the fading sunlight and I realised I wouldn't be able to see properly as I tried to apply the makeup.
I decided the boys probably didn't even know enough or care for that matter so I opted for as little makeup as I could get away with.
Ben briefly drew my attention. He seemed to sleep peacefully still tied up at the far end of the large house. Seeing him there, I started feeling bad for him. He'd been tied there for so long now. I thought it might be becoming a bad habit of pitying those who assaulted me but this was different. They were sick. They were victims too.
I'd brushed away the thought and started searching for the makeup bag. It took some care and finesse but I eventually found and applied eyeshadow and eyeliner to my eyes, mascara to my lashes and lip gloss to my lips.
As I inspected myself in the trunk mirror, I wished I'd had the time, lighting and situation to give myself the proper treatment like Gaby and I used to do but I didn't want to keep the guys waiting any longer.
I put on the pair of black thick heeled, platform sandals I'd eyed a few times before as per Doug's dare.
I briefly inspected the new look and noticed the heels did pair very nicely with the skater skirt. I forced myself to focus, closed the trunk and left the house.
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When I came into view of boys, they starting whooping and whistling. I don't know what caused me to but I made a twirl which made them laugh.
I closed the gap expertly in the 4.5" heels which wasn't easy on the grass where they sat.
"Happy?" I asked Doug.
"Very" he replied.
"Uh don't take this the wrong way Jo, but you're kind of a babe" I heard Gabe say.
I blushed. I looked over to Mikey who smiled but didn't say anything.
Eventually we all sat back down and I made sure to do so beside Mikey and the game continued. The truths and dares however became more goofy and light-hearted after that.
After a few turns, Tate dared Doug to eat a leaf from the tree which he did try to do but gave up eventually and spat.
Gabe dared Mikey to do 100 push-ups which he actually did to everyone's surprise. We counted.
▼・j61;・▼
Coach had cut our game short when he came out to meet us with the flare gun in his hand. The boys shouted excitedly. It was contagious because soon I was shouting too.
"Do it, coach!" Doug yelled happily.
"Yeah, send it!" Another person said.
Coach ran a check to make sure everything was in order before raising one hand to the sky and simultaneously covering one ear and using his other hand to cover the other.
We cheered again as we covered covering both ears.
Coach counted down from 3 trying and failing to hide the excitement on his face. At zero, a bang erupted and a trail of bright red smoke shot up into the air. It burned brightly as the trail arched and illuminated the night sky.
We all shouted happily. Coach smiled back at us before turning his eyes back to our hope burning brightly high up in the sky.
I wondered who was seeing this too. I wondered who was making calls about the mysterious flare that showed up in the night sky.
▼・j61;・▼
It was dark now and the flare had since dissipated from the sky. Everyone else had decided to call it a night a while ago leaving only Mikey and I outside. I'd taken off the heels some time ago too and sat barefooted in the grass. I don't know how long we sat there but we did quietly. I simply tried to take in this moment of the two of us sitting like this in the moonlight. Mikey eventually stood and leaned against the lake tree never once taking his eyes off of me.
"What?" I asked with a coy smile.
"You're so beautiful" he told me.
I blushed.
I'd had enough. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood quickly, closed the gap between us and planted a firm kiss on his lips. His arms came around me and held me tightly. My arms wrapped around his neck and our intensity only increased. We kissed noisily and passionately not caring about anything else.
When we finally slowed down, I was breathing heavily. Sometime during our frenzy, we'd switched positions and I now stood against the tree. I buried my head into his chest and with my arms still wrapped around him and his around me.
"I don't ever want to be alone again" I begged "Never leave me"
"Okay" he replied.
"Promise you'll never leave me" I felt everything in that moment. From the soft night breeze to the way his muscles pressed against my small frame. Everything was amplified. If I had any hair on the back of my neck, it would have been standing straight up.
"I promise I'll never leave you Jo. It's you and me now forever."
I trembled. My eyes filled with tears, I was so happy. I pulled his face into mine again and kissed him. I'd never been so happy. Not even before this island. I'd felt so much joy. But my joy would turn to ash in my mouth.
I felt him jerk. It took me a while to realise what had just happened but when I looked down, I saw the knife poking out of his side.
I was stunned, unable to move, unable to make a sound.
I felt his grip around me weaken even as he tried to hold on to me. His eyes never left mine. They looked so scared and confused. Mikey dropped to his knees and I followed still confused as to what had just happened.
I saw Ben standing there, bloodshot eyes staring back at me. I saw Mikey crumple to the floor, a knife dug deep into his side.
I screamed.
▼・j61;・▼
Hey everyone! It's been a while since I posted and I'm sorry. That said, I'm desperate to hear what you thought about the events of this chapter so head on down to the comments and let me know. Cheers!
I kept screaming. For help. In pain. In anger. I glanced down at Mikey who barely seemed to be moving. Ben had a twisted smile on his face. His eyes were red as the blood that had begun to stain Mikey's clothes. In the moonlight, it was clear to see that Ben was crying in creepy juxtaposition with the smile on his face.
He lunged at me with almost inhuman speed and I only managed to fall backwards and begin crawling away from him. When he chased again, the only place to go was to the lake. I screamed as loudly as I could. I hoped the water would provide some protection if he couldn't swim or atleast I'd be a quicker swimmer.
He didn't let me get far into the lake however because he closed the gap quickly and grabbed my arm and then my neck. It still hurt from the last time.
I screamed again. "Help!"
He quickly maneuvered to having both hands to my neck and forced me underwater. I tried to hold my breath which got increasingly hard to do because of the firm grip on my throat. I clawed at him, kicking and fighting to get free to no avail.
I was powerless against the much stronger and bigger teammate.
I got weaker and weaker until I could no longer fight. My muscles grew weaker and eventually I let go of my breath sending bubbles on their way to the surface.
This was it.
In that moment, my mind drifted off to Mikey. I hoped he was alright. I couldn't tell if I was crying or not. I just prayed he'd be alright.
Ben's grip loosened and a second later, a pair of hands helped me above the surface. What was happening? I struggled to make sense of what was going on in my impaired state. I felt myself get lifted and carried out of the water. I slowly began to make better sense of everything but I wasn't breathing. I couldn't. I tried to but nothing worked.
The relief was short-lived because soon after I was panicking as I slowly felt myself begin to loose consciousness.
"Hold him down!"
"You're not fucking real! I won't let myself get lost!"
"He's strong!"
All the sounds and voices gradually started getting muffled and distant.
Was this it?
Forceful compressions on my chest suddenly forced me to heave and cough and send water flying out of my mouth. I coughed violently multiple times.
"No! Why won't you die?" A twisted form of Ben's voice echoed through the air "just die!"
I opened my eyes slowly, thankful to see the moon again high in the night sky. I coughed a few more times before taking large breaths of the cool air once again.
"Ben! Stop it" Tate screamed trying and failing to hold him down even with Gabe, Ollie and Tommy helping him.
Coach was huddled over Mikey. Oh God, Mikey. Please be okay, I begged.
Coach turned sharply, picked up the axe that lay beside him, took the base of it and hit Ben at the side of his head. Ben stopped screaming and struggling altogether.
As soon as I had the strength to, I scurried to Mikey's side who lay breathing hard.
I turned to coach pleading. He looked at me but didn't respond.
"Ripley, Eldon, help me carry Harris. Don't touch the knife" Coach ordered as he made his way back towards Mikey and I. "You three, tie him up and keep him gagged for now. We're getting off this island tonight as soon as I tend to this wound."
=^_^=
Coach began giving orders as soon as they carried Mikey through the house doors.
"Fahey, get me a clean cloth. We need to stop the bleeding immediately. You three, tie him up and get two or three of the beds to the center of the room. Stack them up"
I quickly ran across the room to where I kept my clothes in a pile. I hurriedly picked a cotton tank and ran back.
Coach and the others placed Mikey beside the now stacked foam beds and placed his lower body on the stack.
"That should help provide some elevation. Fahey, the cloth. Try to keep him calm"
I hurried over as coach had instructed and did the best I could while coach applied pressure to the wound.
I couldn't keep the tears from flowing and every time Mikey winced, I broke a little bit more inside. I couldn't lose him. All I could do was wipe his sweat and whisper that it would be alright.
=^_^=
I don't know how long it was before coach seemed to relax "I don't think the blade hit anything serious. The bleeding has stopped for now. I think he'll be fine.“"
I let out an audible sigh of relief. I brought both hands to his face and whispered "Thank you. Thank you for keeping your promise. Thank you for not leaving me"
"Denholm, get me the first aid kit. We need to cover this up. An infection is more than we can handle right now"
After coach had opened the box and surveyed it's contents, he handed me a bottle of antibiotics and instructed me to get some water and give Mikey two of the pills. Tate helped coach get Mikey into position and the two of them started applying the bandage.
=^_^=
Eventually they finished with the bandage, we'd helped Mikey take the antibiotics and when he was sleeping peacefully, we could finally breathe again.
I stepped out of the house to get some fresh air but didn't go far. I stopped to rest on the wooden fence and let my thoughts wonder.
Mikey could have died. I could have died. How long had it been since we crashed here? I'd survived more than my fair share of near death situations.
How long until my luck finally ran out.
"When are you coming home, Jo? We miss you" I heard Gaby's voice to my side, I turned and there she was.
"Gaby?" I exclaimed "how are you here?"
She only smiled.
"Wait, you're not here" the realisation set in but there she was, clear as day.
"Mom is worried sick" she continued
I began to feel dizzy.
"We're worried about you, honey" I heard my mum's voice from my other side. I turned.
"Mum?" I said shakily fighting the tears.
"I'm here honey"
I shook my head "you're not real"
"This whole thing has been hard on your father"
"Come home, kiddo" my dad's voice came from straight ahead.
The tears flowed freely now. "you're not real" I said trying to convince myself.
"Who are you talking to?" Gabe's voice pulled me out of the trance.
I wiped my face "My family".
=^_^=
I explained to coach and the rest of the team what had just happened and no one did anything to hide the worried and concerned looks on their face.
"Ben started that way too. We thought it was just the stress or the trauma but soon it started for me too. Ben has always experienced the symptoms before I did. I'm next. Then one by one, all of us. What do we do?" his voice and expression told us he was about to break down
We remained quiet. No one knew what to say or do. Only coach.
"We leave. Tonight." He told us and we all turned to him but didn't say anything "Gather the essentials, wrap up the pots, plates and cups. Fill up the water bottles, pack up the dried meat, eat whatever is left and say your goodbyes to this place".
=^_^=
Within the next hour, we had taken the necessary items and set off. Like coach had told us to, we'd worn clothes that would mostly protect us. I'd picked my favourite top and jeans paired with a jacket and the thick soled boots I've worn many times before. It made me sad to leave the rest of the clothes which I'll never see again but I was glad to be getting off this rock.
We followed the path Tommy had talked about and made our way over to the beach and the boat. Mikey was still asleep so we'd used the bed he was sleeping on as a stretcher. Ollie, Tommy, Doug and Tate carried him together. Coach carried Ben on his back who was still out. Gabe and I carried the stuff we were taking with us.
The path was dark and was only illuminated by the moonlight and torches we'd crafted from wood and cloth before we left. Gabe and I carried them and led the way.
The forest was quiet except for the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting.
After walking for nearly half an hour, we turned a bend and could finally see the ocean. It glistened in the moonlight as waves softly rolled into shore and back. We made our way to the boat which looked large enough to take all 9 of us but unlikely much more.
I glanced at the four paddles the boys had worked together to create. They mostly looked fine, maybe a bit heavy but our destination wasn't too far away so I hoped it'd work out fine.
"The island is that way. That's where the flare came from" Coach pointed across the open water to an island that wasn't visible at this time and distance but we knew was there. "That's where we need to get. Let's get moving"
=^_^=
Our stuff went into the boat first the Mikey and Ben. I went in next to look after Mikey and then Gabe did too to hold Ben in place. The rest of the boys pushed the boat off the shore and into the water then climbed in after.
I had Mikey's head resting on my lap and comfortable before Coach, Doug, Tate and Ollie started paddling. It was slow at first but eventually we started moving.
"Haha it's working" Tommy laughed.
We sailed over wave after wave and smiles crept across more and more of our faces.
"Whoo!" Doug yelled.
More and more of us started yelling but I had to cut it short.
"Stop you'll wake Mikey up" I hushed.
They did stop but kept smiling. I couldn't suppress my smile either. I turned back to the island and grinned as it got farther and farther away.
Things were going great.
=^_^=
Ben was tied up but I was still worried about him, "what if Ben wakes up?" I asked.
"Then we'll knock him out again" Doug responded. "He'll thank us later"
"Do you think he'll remember all the shit that he said and did?" Gabe asked
"Who knows" Tate answered.
They all rotated paddle duty every few minutes and as time passed, our destination island finally came into view.
"Who do you think is on that island?" Ollie asked. It was the first time I'd heard him speak in a while.
"Hopefully the rest of the team" Tate replied.
"I hope it's better there than it was on our island" Doug stated. We all agreed.
=^_^=
We'd all noticed the storm clouds and the winds ramp up but no one mentioned it until coach did.
"I think it's going to rain" he said clearly worried.
We didn't like the sound of that. We were in a small boat on the open ocean. Now far enough away from our island but still too far away from our destination. We were all very worried. This wasn't a very pretty situation.
They tried paddling faster but there was only so fast our little boat could move.
About 45 minutes later. The rain started coming down.
=^_^=
It had gradually gotten heavier and now the calm waters were long gone replaced by violently shaking currents.
They tried to keep paddling but with the way it was coming down, no one could see where we were going. And with the rain water coming into the boat, part of our focus switched to bailing out the water using the pots.
My heart beat fast as I clutched tightly to Mikey. Eventually tired of fighting against the current, they gave up paddling and focused on keeping the boat steady.
Eventually the rain would stop but by then, everyone would be too tired to paddle and we'd all retire.
=^_^=
I'm woken by Mikey's quivering and shaking. The sun was up and the water was calm once again. Coach was busy with the compass trying to figure out where we were and how far off course we were pushed. I briefly scanned the horizon and notice the lack of anything whatsoever. No sign of any of the islands that had previously dotted the horizon.
The looks on my teammates' faces said it all. We were lost. Even more lost than we were before.
I shook myself out of it and grabbed one of the water bottles and brought it to Mikey's lips and poured. Most of it rolled down his chin. I brought my hand to his forehead and he was burning. I took the piece of cloth I'd used to tend to him up till that point, wet it and cleaned his face.
He seemed to be freezing so held him upright and hugged him tightly while rubbing his back. I was doing anything I could think of to warm him up and I was only praying that something worked.
"Where are we coach?" I asked him
He sighed before he put away the compass and answered "I have no idea. Who knows how far those currents carried us"
"What are we gonna do?" I asked again.
He opened the plastic case he'd found on the boat, pulled out the flare gun, loaded it and fired into the sky.
"We pray, and we wait"
And even though the flare was barely visible in the bright sky, that's what we did.
=^_^=
I spent the next few hours looking after Mikey but his condition only seemed to get worse. Not long after, he developed a fever so we gave him 2 aspirins that were included in the first aid kit. I could do nothing else but hold him tight.
I felt horrible too. The wet clothes had now dried and stuck frustratingly to my skin. I was tired. The boat had been rocking back and forth that way since and it made me sick. But I couldn't think about any of that then. Not while Mikey was in that state.
A few more agonizing hours of that and Mikey's breathing would get laboured and each one sent shockwaves through my heart. Eventually his breathing would slow even further and I would break.
I begged him to be okay. I begged him not to leave me. I looked to the others for help but they couldn't do anything either. Not even coach.
"You said you'd never leave me!" I begged "you said it was you and me forever".
I was crying deeply again.
His face was pale and his features discoloured. His hands were ice cold but his body kept heating up.
"Please, please, don't leave me" I begged some more. "I love you" I whispered. "I love you Mikey" I said louder. I was in love with him.
I cried until I had no more tears left.
=^_^=
A few hours later, I noticed that Mikey's temperature was getting better which was a high point of the day so far. We changed his bandages and tried to get him to eat. He was still out of it so we gave up. The rest of the group ate and made plans to choose a direction to paddle in.
Ben had woken up earlier and Doug was ready to knock him out again as promised but we'd noticed that Ben wasn't aggressive anymore so we let him be. He asked the situation which we explained and after eating, he even offered to help with paddling.
We weren't so sure about that so we decided against it and left him tied up.
Things were bleak. We were stranded on a tiny boat with limited food and water. We had almost no protection from the elements except the clothes on our backs. We were tired and Mikey was stabbed and wounded. But we wouldn't give up. We never did.
Coach made the most informed decision he could make with what he had and decided that we'd paddle southeast as soon as the sun went down. We all agreed and tried to some rest while we still could.
=^_^=
"Look!" Gabe was frantically tapping everyone. "Look over there!" He was jumping and pointing into the distance.
One by one, every single one of us realised what he was trying to show us. In the distance, unmistakably cruising the water's surface was a ship.
I couldn't believe it.
When everyone started screaming and waving their hands, I joined in too shouting at the top of my lungs. When we thought they couldn't see us, we screamed even louder. The boys removed their shirts and waved them as high as they could.
That's when we heard it, the horn of the massive ship cut across the water's surface and we all jumped for joy. The horn blew again and again we screamed happily each time.
We were saved.
=^_^=
Thank you for reading so far into this story. It just been a journey for me too writing this and unfortunately it took years to get this far but this story will finally be complete. Let me know your thoughts below!
“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.