I knew my heart had stopped beating, that the tears were burning my eyes to let go. And yet as the helicopter didn't turn around, and the flare slowly faded the tears didn't fall.

"why didn't that work?" my voice was barely above a whisper as the sound of the helicopter slowly left our ears. "it should have worked right?" I turned to look at Dean, his face unreadable.

"yeah...it should have worked." Dean sunk to his knees, his hand scrunching his hair. I turned to look back up at the vacant sky. That was our last chance. We had no more flares.

Was this what my life was supposed to be? Stranded on an island, trying to survive. Survive for what!? We would never leave, I would never get to see my family, my friends. The soft sand covered my knees as I knelt. I was lost. Geographically, and emotionally.

...

"your going to have to eat something Em." I hadn't moved for hours. When the helicopter flew past, the sun was shining brightly, now it was disappearing below the ocean. Dean held out a banana leaf with an arrangement of fruits and nuts. When I didn't take it, he sat down next to me on the beach. "should we talk about this?"

"what is there to talk about Dean? We're never getting of this island. Talking about it isn't going to change anything." I was drawing circles in the sand, when his hand covered mine.

"you don't know that Em.." his hand tugged mine so that I would look at him. "tomorrow is a new day, another chance to be rescued. But in the mean time lets just forget about out there" he motioned to the water "let's focus on what we can do here."

"just forget?" I could feel the anger building as i pulled my hand away. "I know that you don't want to get off this island Dean, but I do! I have a life out there. I miss out there. I can't just forget out there." I stood quickly, brushing the sand off my knees.

"I want to get off this island as much as you!" great now we were both shouting at each other. "you think I like it here? maybe I don't have as much to go back to as you do, but not for one instance haven't I thought about leaving. There is shit to do here Em! All we do is eat, sleep and fuck."

"fuck?" I couldn't believe his brashness, his ignorance, his jerkiness. "well I'm sorry that I don't offer more companionship then a good lay."

"Em...I didn't.." he tried to reach for me but I brushed him off.

"but you did." I stormed off. Maybe it wasn't the most adult thing to do, but I didn't have my parents around to tell me other wise. So fuck him. Fuck this place. Fuck my life. I was meant to be getting college offers, and attending end of year parties. Saying goodbye to friends, and reminiscing about the good ole days. Not stranded on an island, with a boy i cared way too much about to admit out loud. I didn't realise that Dean had followed me until he grabbed my arm, twisting me around and pushing my back up against a tree. He stared at me for a while, searching my face for something. Just as I was about to tell him to get off, because his close proximity was (although I hate to admit it) slightly turning me on, when I should be ringing his neck; he spoke.

"I'm sorry." was all he said, before letting my arms go. "I was a jerk, and am honestly devastated that we are stuck here. But Em we are stuck here, it's reality. So we had better decide our next course of action."

"course of action?" I asked, as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I was thinking that we could move more inland, maybe try and build something in the trees for shelter."

"like Tarzan?" I asked, rubbing my arms where his hands had been. Dean let out a soft chuckle, placing his hands over mine.

"yeah I guess so." he said with a smile.

"and what do you suggest we do about the whole leaving thing?"

"I guess the only thing we can do...Pray."

...

So I drew a sketch in the sand, which in hindsight was probably stupid. But by that afternoon we had a floor suspended six meters between four trees. It was a start. Dean and I had decided that we would add to it as the days would carry on. And to be honest, I felt a whole lot safer being higher up. Our friendly/stealing monkey watched us as we worked. I managed to find some soft leaves that I used to make the mattress of a bed. I even strung up a flower chain between a few branches.

We could see the lagoon from up here, it was only a few minutes walk now. A few days past rather quickly, and the treehouse was getting homier. Walls with windows, and a roof made from branches and leaves were up and standing by the third day. I had fashioned a few basic furniture pieces from a nearby tree. Only a table, a few chairs, and a box that we kept food in. I had just finished hanging the leaf curtains when Dean called down from the roof.

"I've found something Em, would you come up and have a look." I climbed up the tree quickly taking in the sunset as I did.

"what is it?" I asked as i reached the top, careful not to step through our roof.

"come, stand next to me." dean motioned for me to come. I stared at where he was looking, but couldn't see anything. "do you see it?" I shook my head, squinting at the distance.

"all I see is the sunset dean, and although beautiful its..."

"no. Not the sunset, there." I followed his finger to a rock face about a few miles away. It looked like a small cave, but there was light shining from it.

"is that a fire?" dean nodded."are there other people on this island?"