Chapter One: Mal
Zoey's P.O.V.
As soon as I was catapulted off the island, I began to look for Mike. As I ran, I heard footsteps other than mine. When I ran faster, they did too. When I slowed down to a light jog, they got louder, so I stopped in my tracks. Suddenly I was knocked off my feet and was being lifted up into someone's arms.
"Hi, Zoey." I know that voice! I looked up and saw a beautiful boy with dark, pointy hair and chocolate-colored eyes smiling back at me.
I practically shook with joy. "Mike!" I wrapped my arms around him and I never wanted to let go.
Mike finally put me down and I remembered the necklace he had given me.
"Mike, I need to tell you something," I said. "The necklace you had given me to remember you by... Chef was chasing me with his spicy spaghetti gun, and he got me, and I fell off the cliff, and I picked it up, and-"
He kissed me. Mike kissed me! We kissed for what seemed like years and eventually we pulled apart.
"I know what happened to it, Zoey. I watched you and your reaction. It was almost as if you had another personality of your own. You must be crazy to go after Chef like that, and I must say, he was terrified!"
Mike took a deep breath and Manitoba Smith came out saying, "Aye, I'm impressed with yer moves, lassie. One could mistake ya to be my galfriend! Bein' a woman, I don' think ya could handle such a job like that, though."
I was a little offended by that remark. "Hey!" He took another deep breath and the good ol' Mike was back in my arms.
"So, you're not mad?" I asked him.
"Of course I'm mad... At Chef for shooting you off a cliff with spicy spaghetti. But no, not with the necklace. That can be fixed." Mike grabbed my hands his his own, gazing into my eyes. "Anything can be fixed."
Mike walked me to his ride. He told be he had come here every night just so that he would be the first person I saw when I got voted off. "Not that I was thinking you would; I had no doubt in you."
His smile is the best!
Once I had gone inside my house for the first time in months, I saw my whole family greet Mike and I at the door.
A few hours after many hello's, Mike and I were able to escape into my room.
"So how was life away from Wawanakwa?" I asked.
"Well," said Mike, "it was a lot better than being at camp. It seemed to be very lonely, even though I was with my family. I missed you so much, Zoey."
Mike grabbed my hands and kissed me once again. It didn't last as long, but it was long enough to make any father uncomfortable, especially mine.
I had to pull away; it was getting intense.
"Heh-heh, sorry," he said. "I've been wanting to kiss you since the day I saw you, and now I'm getting a little carried away." He scratched the back of his head out of nervousness.
Mike got up from my bed and went to my dresser where my music box was. He pointed to it and looked at me asking, "May I?"
I nodded. He played it and the song New Light by Michele McLaughlin started playing. I watched him as he started to smile; he liked it.
When it was finished playing, Mike looked at me and said, "That's beautiful, Zoey. Do you know the name of it?"
"No, but I wish I did. It was my grandfather's. He was going to give it to my grandma, but she passed away before she got it. So he gave it to me saying, 'you're my new light.'"
Mike smiled even bigger. "That's what the song is called. New Light." He played it again.
While it played, he moved to my hamster. "That's Flappy," I said. "He's getting old. Does he need fed?"
Mike looked at his bowl. "His bowl is empty," he said.
I got up and put hamster food in his cage. I stood there, watching Flappy begin eating right away.
"Will you go on a date with me?" Mike asked. I looked at him and saw that he was watching me.
I smiled as I said, "Of course I will!" I threw my arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Mike laughed and hugged me close.
We stayed like that, holding each other, listening to the music that had stopped playing as it played in our heads.
Mike took a deep breath and let go of me. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing is," he replied. "Everything is perfect. You're perfect. Follow me."
He turned around and went to my window. As he grabbed the sides of my window, he turned and looked back at me.
"Well? Are you coming?" I looked at him, confused.
"Coming where?" I asked. He just turned away again and jumped down. "Mike!" I yelled. I ran to the window and found him waiting for me there at the bottom.
"Jump, Zoey! I'll catch you!" He mumbled something, but I didn't hear it.
I jumped out the window and true to his word, he caught me. I looked at his eyes and something was off. Mike set me down and began walking toward the street. I followed, wondering what in the world he was doing.
As we turned right, I asked him, "Where are we going?"
Mike glanced at me and back away, ignoring my question.
After fifty or so minutes of walking, we ended up at a house. The bedroom we entered was at the back of the house on the first floor. The walls were a light green color and the bed was by a window.
"Wow," I stated. I looked at a ballerina picture above the bed. "Is this your room?"
I looked at Mike, who was digging through the closet. He looked at me and said, "Yes. Welcome to my home." He turned back to whatever he was doing.
After about ten minutes of me looking around and him running around his room, Mike left through the bedroom door with a duffle bag.
I left the room a minute later to look for Mike and I found him in the kitchen on the floor unconscious. I saw a puddle of water under him, and followed the trail to a knocked-over cup.
I ran to him and shook his shoulders. As I called his name, he stirred. "Mal..."
"Mal?" I repeated. "Mike, wake up!"
Mike took a deep breath and bolted upright. "Zoey! Oh... What happened?"
"I don't know," I replied. "You jumped out my window and brought me here, then you started packing." I pointed to the duffle bag. "Mike, who's Mal?"
Mike reached for the bag and took a peak inside. "Oh, no..."
I tried to look in. "What is it?" I asked.
He zipped it shut. "Uh... Nothing. Heh-heh..."
I reached for the bag and opened it completely. I pulled out two sleeping bags, a blanket, a rope, two flashlights, extra batteries, and a knife.
"Mike," I said, "what is this? Who is Mal?"