Hello, my name is Lucy and I would love to welcome you to this little story of mine: Survivor.

First of all, I would like to thank you for checking this out. I'm not the clingy type, so I won't beg you for reviews, but I can't lie – they make me happier than a spring chicken. Or just someone in spring… It's a lovely season. Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this adventure of ours until the last scroll of your mouse! =)

Secondly, THIS IS A RE-WRITE. That's right, folks, this is freshly stale. This story has lingered on this website since I first started writing here. And I love it to pieces! But not together as a whole, if you get my drift. Therefore, I have decided to recreate this to fulfill the standards you, as my readers, clearly deserve. Don't despair; this story was so shitty before – I'm doing you a favor by deleting it.

And lastly, I would like to assure all my old readers that most everything will remain – just not the stupid. Sherry will be loony, Faramir will be puny, and the bachelors will be confused. Even though it's a debatable topic, I also decided to make Castanet an island. Simpler to write. I have a ton of great new ideas I hope to toss in here – lots of warm tummy feelings! Aren't those the best?

Slight warning: I'm using a bit more… cursory… language than before. I'm not a fan of the worst words, but I'm rather prone to use just about everything else. I'm so sorry! I'm such a mud mouth these days. But I feel that some characters would use this language, and they wouldn't be quite the same without it. I'll always give a warning at the top in case you're uncomfortable with that sort of thing though.

Past Readers: This chapter was only edited slightly. That's why it looks so familiar. This won't happen frequently, maybe not even at all after this chapter. I just had some hard times working with the introduction and felt this was the best of the trials.

Without further ado, I would like to reintroduce my favorite little lady. Charlotte is so dear to me – perhaps by the end, she'll be close to you, too!

Of Introductions and Rope Burn

"CAW! CAW! CAW!" I mimicked the seagulls and laughed, scaring half of them away. Their caws continued on into the distance of the morning horizon.

I'm a world-travelling, globe-trotting, fearless explorer. I made a vow to explore every biome, climate, and region on this great Earth and survive there for twenty days. Out in the wilderness. All by myself! With just my trusty duffle bag loaded with my crap and my little sail boat – also loaded with my crap. I'm going to scale mountains. I'm going to tame oceans. I'm going to conquer nature. I'm going to make Indiana Jones look like a pussy. Well… that's kind of impossible. He's too amazing. Totally my hero.

Anyway, my itinerary included the globe and I was about to see the world; and the world's about to see me. When I was old and gray and my adventures were through, I'd write a book about all my riveting tales my grandkids were sick of hearing. Heck, maybe I could be famous…

"Charlotte Elizabeth Ames, author of I Survived the World, has come to visit us here today! Let's give her a round of applause!" "Thanks, Oprah, but you're giving me way too much credit. I couldn't have done it without my insanely awesome survival instincts." "Wow, tell us about them, Sherry! May I call you 'Sherry,' Sherry?" "Why, of course, Oprah, Oprah!" Playful banter in front of a video camera on a fluffy couch and swimming in Pulitzer Prize-winning millions. Yup. I can see it now.

I sighed and sat back on the thin mast that held the single white sail. Honestly, it wasn't the most comfortable travelling device. I had to constantly change my position to get blood back into the part of my body that was currently numb, and I'm sure I lost all feeling I might ever have in my tailbone, and spiders appeared out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of me, but this was my boat. Bought with the majority of my inheritance, I might add. And soon the little clinker that I had been steering for three days would land me on my first destination: Castanet!

Haven't heard of it? Neither have I. A cute little musically themed isle boasting of fair winds, a steady crop, prize-winning animals, friendly residents, and a luscious landscape… I picked it because it looked easy… Hey, it's a good place to start, okay?

I voiced my thoughts aloud to my friend. "Hey, Wilson, how far from home is Castanet?"

The volleyball stared at me with gold-rimmed letters. Eyeless. Silent.

"Hm. You had much more fervor when you were partnered with Tom Hanks…" I speculated, shiftily glaring at my only companion.

The land had been approaching for some time now, and the details were already filling in. I could see a mountain on the far left with a cloudy crown and a town somewhere below it near the shore. I could see pastel colored buildings now, but what I was looking for was to my right. A large, dense piece of foliage that I was dying to get my hands into. I could totally survive here for a couple of weeks. Piece of cake!

The ocean's current fought me as the tides changed and tried to shift me back into the sea. I stood up, cracking my spine in the process, and snatched my oar. I paddled with all my might, but it seemed to be a wasted effort. Huh. And for an island boasting of 'fair winds' there wasn't a breeze around. Liars.

Feeling like this was going to wind up as some knock-off Bear Grylls stunt, I packed everything I had with me into my water proof duffle bag to avoid destruction and warily looked overboard into the cold water. I took down the sail and used the rope as a tie to myself, wrapping it tightly around my waist. I would need it in case my strength would wane, and I wasn't about to leave my boat out here by itself in the blue.

It sounded quite ridiculous, but I felt this was my last resort. There was no wind to carry my sailboat, my oar was too small to do much except navigate rocky streams, and I was itching for some action. Besides, I hadn't bathed in three days, so the ocean was looking pretty awesome at this point.

Shouldn't be too hard... Piece of pie - or was it cake? Flexing my fingers for a minute, I eyed the ocean below before kicking off my shoes and plunging into the waves.

I bobbed in the salt water before opening my eyes, feeling the burn of the water in the back of my throat. The first thing I saw was my locket floating up past my face, making its way over my head to freedom. I snatched at it wildly, clutching it in my fist. I looked up, seeing the light of day, and quickly swam up. I let out a gasp and a cough as I surfaced and rubbed my eyes, throwing the chain of the necklace back over my head and trying to look around over the waves. The waves were a lot taller now that I was a part of them. But nothing to fear! I only had to go about two hundred yards until I reached some sort of beach. I could probably make it.

That's good optimism right there.

The rope around my waist started to chafe my skin, working its way under my under-sized T-shirt. It was the only thing tying me to safety, but it was also my doom. Towing a sailboat wasn't exactly the dessert (whichever one) I was hoping it to be. But I had to remember that all I had was in that boat, and I was in the closest thing to paradise I'd ever be in. This was Level One. This was easy. I couldn't lose on the first level. What would I do in the desert? The arctic? Obviously curl up and die at this rate.

Gritting my teeth with determination, I threw my arms ahead of me with new energy. Waves choked me and when the sand below me came into view, it would tease me – just out of reach of my toes. I spit and coughed and tore through the water with the will to survive.

It felt like an hour, but I had paddled my way to the shore line. The second my feet touched sand, my arms rejoiced. I dragged myself up past my waistline and finally to the sandy shore, pulling the rope around me to bring the boat along, too. I threw myself on the ground, feeling like a beached whale. With what little strength I had left, I rolled over to face the sun.

I panted and coughed a little, grateful that I had left my boots on board and gone barefoot. I wouldn't know what to do if I had a soggy pair of shoes. They would have made that squelch-ing noise when I walked, and it would have lasted days. Gross.

I stared up into the blinding sky and felt content to simply lay there. I sprawled out, my jeans and T-shirt clinging to me, soaked to the core, and my purple hair every which way underneath me in the sand.

I closed my eyes and started to nod off… But no! How could I stop now? I was so close to the woods! All I had to do was get inside, build a make-shift roof, and then I could sleep to my heart's content. Plan made. Awesome.

I ripped myself up off the beach like I do from a bed every Monday morning and groaned. I made it up into a kneeling position and yanked myself into a standing position from there. I yawned, stretched, opened my eyes, and looked around me and my new home for the first time. The beach curved into a nearly empty river where a rather pointless looking water wheel turned with a melancholy creak. Looks like a fun route upriver.

At first, I thought about untying the rope, but then I realized the river really wasn't that deep. It would be easier if I kept directing my boat this way. Yay. I love this so much.

I walked back into the water, wading out to the center. It came up to my chest. The rope around my waist stung. Looking up towards shore, I could see a house was nearby, but I was going to ignore that because—I'm in the wilderness!

The bridge passed over head, casting a shadow over me and my boat. Even though I was exhausted, I didn't have to pull hard. There didn't seem to be a current at all here. It was very strange. At least for a river. Where were the white rapids? The grandeur? The adventure?

As I continued upriver, things didn't change much. I barely saw a single fish! Just a couple minnows resting in the shade of a sunken tree branch. That's hardly enough survival food. Seafood wasn't my preferred entrée, but I was going to eat a lot of it if I was going to live off the land. So far, those aspects weren't looking so hot.

When the trees became thicker at the river's bend (just around the river bend~! Sucker for Disney), I decided I had gone far enough. A pebbly beach greeted me, and I politely obliged, throwing myself onto the shore. I did it. All on my own! For the first time since the beach, the weight of the boat tugged harshly at my midsection. Now that the water was gone, I didn't have any help pulling it onto dry land. I gritted my teeth and pulled on the rope, walking backwards until the sailboat was ashore.

Without thinking of the stinging rope about me, I stumbled up to the side and leaned over, collecting my boots and duffle bag. The duffle bag was pretty light, considering the circumstances – my life was in it. I understood I would have to live very simply before making this trip, but a few luxuries seemed to pass through. Like what? Well, I had brought plenty of clothes. I couldn't leave my dresses behind – it's probably the most fashionable thing about me. Then again, I'm also wearing one of my only pairs of shorts. I had one pair of shorts and one pair of pants. All I really owned were dresses... I also had a couple of survival guides. And plant guides. And magnesium sticks. And soap. Oh my God, so much soap. And 500G… and my pocket knife… Er… looks like I already brought quite a bit. No souvenirs, no trinkets, no more personal belongings. Shouldn't be too difficult if I didn't add to the collection.

I looked down to untie the rope from me now that I had all my things, and took a sharp intake of breath instead. A small trickle of blood was dripping down the rope and splattering silently between my toes into the rocks.

I hesitated.

With the utmost care, I undid the knot (Jeez, I tied it pretty tight…) and started to unwind the thick, bristled rope from me. I grit my teeth and tried not to watch as the rope fibers unstuck from my skin. When the rope was off, I threw it to the ground in disgust and started to inspect the damage.

Almost none of my lower body was spared. My hips were the worst, carving a good deal and creating the blood flow out. A thick ring in the shape of the rope was wound about me like a gruesome belt. Chafing had been an understatement!

I pulled my shirt down over the cut, not quite concerned with ruining it. It was too small and rather old. It would be my first sacrifice. I tied my boat to a fallen tree with the blood-stained rope. So far, I was succeeding in looking like a rough and raw girl of the wilderness, that no one could deny! I debated taking all of my stuff, but in the end, I figured that I would have to start my survival days later. No matter how tempting it was to live out here with an injury – how dramatic! – I used my better judgment for once and decided to see a doctor as soon as possible. It's probably infected what with the ocean, rope fibers, and the stagnant river. In fact, I should hurry.

Leaving everything except my pocket knife and a change of clothes in the duffle bag, I turned toward the forest and climbed up the rocky shore to the trees. Bleary-eyed with drowsiness and barefoot (didn't bother with my boots after all – whoops), I ran through the pain and navigated my way through the woods. I didn't have a direction in mind, really, but I figured I would find open ground eventually. The last map I saw of Castanet said this forest wasn't so big.

I probably should've followed the river back… Idiot! Survival points deducted… I grumbled to myself and threw a pine branch out of my face. It came whipping back at me with the same force and smacked me in the back of the head, sending me reeling forwards for balance. Damn it! Your points are in the negatives now, soldier! Look alive!

When I was about to give up hope/start arguing with myself for being so mean, I caught the feel of a regularly trodden path under my cold toes. Looking left and right, I saw it was man-made and used frequently. Awesome! Now… which way to go?

I did Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Mo, the most logical option at this point, and went right. I followed the path to a few clearings and fifteen minutes later, I caught sight of a giant, wooden gate.

I sprinted forward and pushed against it. A chain on the other side rattled in protest.

Blinking stupidly, I pushed again. I got the same answer from the chain. Locked.

"Oh, come on…!" I whined, throwing myself against the massive door. It was moss-eaten and splintered. Must've been in the forest like this for years.

I looked up and decided climbing would be out of the option. It was nearly ten feet of sheer wood – nothing to grab onto. Thinking the most obvious choice would be to go around it, but the brush was so thick, I couldn't even see past it. I would surely kill myself in the thorny thicket before I saw the other side.

"Help!" I called, at my wit's end. "Help me! Hey!"

I pounded me fists on the wood, trying to make as much noise as I could rattling the chain. The forest was quiet. Unresponsive but for the quiet call of a bird.

"I HATE THIS ISLAND!" I screamed, kicking at the door. "Help! Help! Hello? HEY!"

I pressed my forehead against the wood and sighed, regaining my breath. This place sucks.

"Um… hello?"

The timid voice spooked me. I hadn't heard their footsteps. "Hello? Hi!"

"Um, hi," If I was correct, they were directly on the other side of the gate. "Who're you?"

"I'm Charlotte – er, Sherry. Sherry! Can you get this gate open? Please?"

"It's been locked for ages… How'd you get in there, 'Sherry?'"

It was a male's voice, I got that much. But I was annoyed with their slightly sarcastic tone and inquisitive nature. "Why should it matter? Can you just open this gate?"

"How do I know you're not the witch trying to trick me into letting you out?"

"WITCH! Oh God, no one told me about a witch! That's so scary, I might just – seriously? What are you, four? What kind of an idiot are you to believe in witches? Dude, seriously. Open this gate," I boldly insulted my only hope for help. My cheek often did more harm than good.

Picking on him wasn't the best idea, but it just came out. To my relief, the guy actually laughed. That's a first. Normally when I get that bitchy, guys take a hike. "Okay, okay, 'Sherry.' That was stupid of me. I'll go find the key or someone who might have it. But couldn't you just climb over?"

"I'm hurt," I mumbled, feeling pretty pathetic. "Actually, is there a doctor on this Castanet of yours? That'd be great if I could have a word with him."

There was silence on the other end. It felt sort of like a telephone conversation since I couldn't see him. After another few seconds of silence, I decided my rescuer wasn't the best in an emergency. Probably the panic type. "Um... bleeding over here!"

"Er… uh – okay! I'll be right back then – don't move, okay? I'll go get Dr. Jin and—"

"Um… key first would be nice, thanks."

"Oh! Yeah! Right. I'll be right back, okay? Don't… don't move!"

"Wasn't planning on it, buddy."

"That's good! Don't do anything dumb while I'm gone—"

"I'm not dying."

"Okay! Um… I'll…"

"Go do that now? Yeah, that'd be awesome."

"Yeah! Er – okay. Be right back, Sherry—"

"GO!"

After that, I didn't have any nervous retorts. Total panic type.

I sunk down to the ground and leaned against the gate, hugging my waist. The initial bleeding had stopped, but that wasn't a whole lot to be happy about. What I would do for some Neosporin! I could bandage this up myself and get to living in the woods. Now I have the local population involved. Just what I needed.

I drifted in and out of sleep, closing my eyes at four or five minute intervals. When I started to slink to the side to finally give in to my dreams, I heard rapid footsteps again.

"Sherry? My name is Jin," A more level-headed voice introduced.

I was too tired so I grunted in reply.

"How old are you?"

"Wha…?"

"Stay awake, Sherry. Answer the question."

"Twenty-two…"

"Where are you from?"

"Mmf."

"Sherry, answer me, please."

I didn't bother asking him why he was asking me all these weird, unnecessary questions. "Casper. Wyoming."

More footsteps approached, and I heard voices conversing with one another. The calm voice was directed at the gate, but I barely heard him. "Luke has the key to the gate, Sherry. You'll be out in a minute."

"'Kay…" I shrugged, not thinking about where I was. The lock to the gate clicked, and the door was pulled back. Well, I was kind of leaning on that, so I tumbled backwards and fell on somebody's sandals.

I looked up into lavendar eyes similar to mine and a peachy blond head. "Why, hello there."

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Another unfamiliar boy gasped, pointing at my waist. He had blue hair and copper eyes that were riveted on my cut.

"Oh. That," I looked down, still not removing myself from the boy's sandaled feet. "That would be my injury. Rope burn."

Both boys made a wry face, sickened that a rope could do that or sickened that they had to see it. The doctor named Jin had a case with him and was already kneeling by me. What I thought to be gelled back hair was really just a slick ponytail. I rarely saw guys with long hair back in Casper. Now here are three. Well, peachy doesn't have that long of hair. But come on… it's pink!

"Sorry about the questions, Miss – had to keep you awake. Didn't quite know what I was dealing with," The doctor apologized as he brought out disinfectant and wraps of bandages.

"No problem – you're just trying to help. I understand…" I yawned. I finally lifted myself into a sitting position and freed the boy's feet. I noticed that Jin was uncapping another bottle and my stomach tightened. "Wait, what are you doing? Not out here!"

"Just taking some quick measures before we can get you to the clinic. Cain should be able to pick you up no problem," He explained. He suddenly paused. Looking up at the two boys who were staring at my bloody waist, he snapped his fingers impatiently to get their attention. "Ahem! Cain?"

"Oh yeah!" Luke nodded. "I'll go get him!"

"Thank you," Jin said coldly, annoyed with the pace of his colleagues.

Luke took off down the path that led from the forest and disappeared from sight. His voice didn't though. "HEY! CAIN! MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!"

"Dear, God…" I covered my face in embarrassment.

"Chase, could you prop her up—"

"Nope, that's okay," I intervened, humiliation killing my weariness. "I can sit up on my own."

"I'd rather not take any chances," The doctor said evenly.

"No chances? I like chances," I threw myself to my knees and staggered until I was balanced. I lifted my arms in the air. "See? There we go! Bandage me up, doc."

Jin didn't appreciate the nickname. He gave me a withering look. "Please cooperate, Sherry. You're only making this more difficult."

I sighed and so did the pink-haired boy behind me. What did I need support for anyways?

My question was answered. Holding up his bottle of antiseptic, Jin motioned for me to lift my shirt. My face blanched and then went hot. "Not all the way, right…?"

Jin shook his head. Okay, good. Really didn't need nudity on the list of strange ways to introduce myself, thanks.

I pulled up my shirt over my stomach, and a hand rested against my back to keep me standing on my knees. Jin came forward with a large cotton swab and pressed it to my skin.

"OW," I snapped, twitching back instinctively. The hand kept me from reeling backwards, and Jin came back to continue the temporary fix. I buried my face in my shirt.

"What caused this, Sherry?" Jin asked conversationally.

"I was tugging my boat. I… er, didn't notice the damage until I was on land."

"That was pretty careless of you," A bitter comment came from Chase who sounded huffy. Much different from Mr. Panicpants I had heard earlier, but I was sure the voice belonged to the same person.

"Careless? Perseverant, thank you," I sniffed, taking the same tone he had.

"You sailed here?" Jin asked, ignoring our sudden stand-off.

"Yeah. Took me three days."

"No wonder you smell like a fish," Chase said rather observantly.

"Luke, you've got to be more clear than 'man down…'" Cutting off whatever remark I had, a strong man was walking up the path with Luke jogging ahead of him like an excitable dog. When his eyes caught me, he stood stock still. "What the hell—?"

Jin got most of the dirt from my hips. It made me sick to my stomach to see his used cotton swabs coated in brown sand and blood. Was it really that bad?

"Will you be willing to carry Miss Sherry to the clinic, Cain? There's been an accident," Jin voiced, cutting the awkward silence.

"Yes, of course," Cain nodded quickly.

When he got the first chance, Chase backed away from me, and Cain and Jin helped me stand. I wanted to tell them that I wasn't that weak, I can walk, et cetera et cetera, but they wouldn't have heard me anyways. Seriously though, the last thing I needed to finish off this awkward scenario was to be carried. Wish granted!

The middle-aged man suddenly swept me up bridal style. I let out a surprised yelp at suddenly being in the air and he laughed. "You're lighter than my Renee!"

Sure. Okay. That makes sense to me.

"Don't strain yourself... Are you sure you don't want to use your cart?" The doctor asked.

Cain grunted, but lifted me higher. "No problem here, Jin. I've got her."

"Careful, then," Jin instructed. He turned to the two boys. "Thank you for your help."

The thanks was the same as dismissal from a teacher. Cain walked from the forest with me in tow, and the two boys were left by the gate.

"Bye, Sherry! Hope you get better!" Luke called, waving.

"Thanks!" I waved back from over Cain's shoulder.

This was the weirdest ice breaker ever.

—Copyright Information—

I do not own anything you may recognize which includes but is not limited to the Harvest Moon franchise, the name Faramir from The Lord of the Rings, or any songs used by Celtic Woman or Enya. This is a fan-made story only intended for the entertainment purposes of others.