Brains and Muscles
"Lex, I want you to go with Ellie," Amber said, checking off her mental list with her fingers.
Ellie and Lex looked at each other and shrugged.
"Jack, you and Ebony are together."
"What?!" Jack and Ebony said simultaneously.
"Why can't I go with Slade?" Ebony protested.
Amber rolled her eyes. "Listen, Ebony. I'm trying to make practical arrangements here. Brains and muscles, okay? So that if the two of you get lost, at least one of you will have enough sense to find your way back. And on the rare occasion that you happen to encounter someone on this God-forsaken island, well…that's where the muscles come in. Got it? Jack you're the brains. Ebony you're the muscles."
"Thanks." Ebony and Jack said simultaneously and sarcastically.
"Look, Ebony, if it makes you feel any better, Jay and I aren't going together."
"For once in your life." Ebony said under her breath.
Amber sighed. "Trudy, Ruby, you and the little ones will stay here to hold down the fort. Okay?"
"Awww!" Sammy and Lottie whined.
"What's the big deal?" Gel chimed in, "I'd rather stay here so I won't have to get my hands dirty."
"And, plus, you probably wouldn't be much help in the brains department anyway, would ya, Gel." Lottie taunted.
"Why you little," Gel said, and took off down the beach after Lottie.
"Guys, come on, this is serious." Jay said. "We need food and fresh water, or else none of us are going to last for much longer."
The gang grew silent.
"Okay, lastly, Salene, you and Slade are together. Understand?"
"Huh! Which one's the brain and which one's the muscle?" Sammy said, and burst into obnoxious laughter at his own joke until he was abruptly silenced by Ebony's murderous glare.
Jay sighed. "Okay Ram. It's me and you, let's go."
Ram stood up slowly and stretched.
"You and I, Jay, old boy," Ram corrected, "and, if you don't mind my saying, it should be a breeze determining who the brain in this outfit is. Wouldn't ya say?"
"I do mind, Ram," Jay said, "now let's move out.
Ram followed reluctantly.
Slade and Salene left next.
Before setting off with Lex, Ellie walked over to Jack and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek.
"Come on, lover boy." Ebony said, grabbing Jack's arm and dragging him into the woods.
His head was throbbing. He saw nothing but darkness. His eyelids were heavy and it took an eternity to lift them. When he finally managed a peek, he squinted painfully, for almost immediately was he met by the blinding sun.
He was ready to shut his eyes again when, all of a sudden, out of nowhere appeared an angel, shielding him from the sun's merciless rays. A halo surrounded her.
Her golden braids tickled his nose. Her caramel hands cupped his face. Her cherry lips were moving, but the throbbing in his head prevented him from hearing. Oh speak again, bright angel!
She did speak again, as if she could hear the yearning in his heart, the pleadings of his mind. He still couldn't hear her. But he tried to read her lips, and it looked as if she were saying 'Yack! Yack!'
Yack?
Was she some mythical exotic bird come to steal his heart away with her sharp talons?
"Jack!"
Jack sat straight up, and immediately regained his senses…mostly.
"Jack! Say something! Are you okay?" Ebony asked, studying him.
Jack nodded, and then immediately regretted it.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, feeling the knot on his forehead. "What happened?"
Ebony breathed a sigh of relief.
"You slipped and hit your head when you were trying to catch a fish. Don't you remember?"
Jack looked puzzled.
"Trying to catch a fish?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why was I trying to catch a fish?"
It was Ebony's turn to look puzzled.
"Amber sent us food foraging, remember?"
"Amber?" Jack asked.
"Yes, Amber! Come on, get a grip, Jack. We don't have time for this!"
"We don't have time for what?"
"We don't have time for-I-,"
Ebony paused. She took a good long look at Jack.
"Jack," she began slowly, "just to humor me, answer me this question, will you?"
Jack smiled.
"Sure. But only if you answer my question first."
Ebony looked curious.
"What question?"
"Did it hurt?"
"Did what hurt?"
Jack paused for effect and then said with a goofy grin.
"When you fell from heaven."
Ebony's jaw dropped.
"Oh no," She said.
"You really don't know who I am, Jack?" Ebony asked.
Five miles inland and three hours later, he still didn't know who he was. The tribe would probably blame her for this like they blamed her for everything else.
"Um, I'm pretty sure… I think. Well, um…what I mean is…what I'm trying to say is…"
"Oh, would you just spit it out, Jack!"
"Right…Okay. What I mean is, if I had ever seen you before, I'm sure I would have remembered, because I don't think I could ever forget a face like yours."
Ebony stared blankly at Jack. She wasn't sure quite how to take that. So, she decided to take it the wrong way. Grabbing the lapels of Jack's jacket in her fists, she said: "What are you trying to say about my face?"
Jack gulped.
"No! No! Wait. That came out totally completely the wrong way. Just…let me…I'm saying that…well…I'm trying to say that you're the most beautiful, the absolutely most beautiful woman I've ever seen. So, then, how could it ever be possible that I wouldn't remember you?"
Ebony slowly let go of Jack and backed away. This was a disaster. Jack was gone. And they needed him. He was the brightest one among them, probably their best hope of survival. If he couldn't even remember his own name, what good could he be to the tribe?
"What about Ellie?" Ebony asked, "And the other Mallrats?"
Jack looked baffled.
"What do you remember Jack? What about the Locos? The virus?"
"The virus!" Jack exclaimed. "Of course I remember the virus! How could anyone forget the virus? I definitely remember the virus…I think."
Ebony sighed, and then held her stomach when it complained.
"Look, Jack. I'm hungry. We caught enough fish to share around for the tribe, so we can spare a piece or two. Why don't we eat before we head back to camp?"
Jack nodded.
"Fish…Right. I like fish…I think. Don't I?"
Ebony smiled.
"Considering the circumstances, I'd say you haven't much of a choice."
Jack returned her smile.
"Right…Well…Bon apatite!"
Ebony couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. She sat next to Jack around the small fire and listened as he talked a lot about nothing, telling her she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, proclaiming her burnt fish the best meal he'd ever tasted.
"Fish is absolutely, one hundred percent my number one favorite dish of all time. I'm sure of it. Totally. If I remember nothing else, I remember that."
Ebony laughed and then sighed with contentment. She would never admit it aloud, but secretly, she wished that Jack could stay like this forever. Like they could stay like this forever.
Jack stood and offered his hand to Ebony. And as if the gods had heard Ebony's secret wish and protested, Jack began to sway unsteadily.
Ebony's heart sank. And Jack lost consciousness.
Jack opened his eyes slowly, his sight quickly adjusting to the fading sunlight. And when he did, he felt, rather than saw, the most extraordinary thing. Ebony was there, leaning over him, calling his name. Her golden braids were tickling his nose. Her caramel hands, cupping his face. Then, all of a sudden, she pressed a tear-stained kiss to his mouth with her cherry lips. When she finally realized that he'd regained consciousness, Ebony backed away.
Jack sat up and stared at her.
"Okay. Ebony, what was that?"
Ebony looked dumbfounded.
"What?" She asked.
"Why did you just…you know… just kiss me?"
Ebony stared at Jack as if trying to assess if he was in earnest. Then, all of a sudden, she laughed. Not a hysterical laugh, but one that said the thought of her kissing him was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard.
"Me kiss you?" Ebony asked. "Do me a favor, Jack. Only in your dreams."
Jack looked confused.
"Well, then…why,"
"I was giving you CPR, Jack."
Jack felt the back of his head. He was still confused.
"Right…Okay…Why?"
"Well-,"
"Oh, wait! I remember. Amber sent us to go food foraging. We found a small lake and caught a bunch of fish. I was just about to catch one more when I fell and hit my head."
Jack looked up at the fading sun.
"Whoa, Ebony, how long was I out for?"
Ebony looked wistful and spoke without thinking.
"A few hours."
Jack thought about this for a minute.
"So…Three hours after I hit my head on a rock you decide to give me CPR?" He asked.
Ebony looked taken aback.
"No…well…I…you suddenly stopped breathing, okay?"
Ebony stood up, not waiting for Jack's reply. "Come on, Jack! Stop wasting time, will you? We need to get the supplies back to camp before sunset."
Jack stood up and grabbed the bag of fish.
"You're right. I'm sure everyone else is as hungry as we are. I for one could sure do with a fish or two, myself. What about you, Ebony? Do you like fish? It's one of my favorites…I think. I don't know. I think I'm still a bit hazy from that fall…"
Jack walked on, continue to mumble and Ebony smiled to herself.
"You do like fish, Jack," she said when he was out of earshot. "It's absolutely one hundred percent, your most favorite dish of all time."
Jack, a few yards ahead of Ebony, also smiled to himself. It sure was fun being brainy.