"You're brother was an idiot. He lost us most of the money we made. You're no better than him, and you won't even be able to handle anything like this. You're pathetic, Santana. Stupid. Ignorant. A child. What were you even thinking?"
The waves crashed violently, carrying Santana's bruised body along with them. She was thrown against the rocks, slamming into one and tiredly rolling around, trying to find any form of safety. Another set of waves rolled over the rocks, and she coughed as salt-water flooded her mouth and slid down her throat. A small prayer of thanks formed at the back of her mind once she had realized that the waves could no longer toss her around, as she was surrounded by rock tall enough to keep her from being lifted over them. Had she been tossed over the boat any further out in sea, she was sure she would have died.
She could see lights in the distance, and when more water filled the rock her body was sprawled out on, she knew that she had to get up. The water would eventually come so forcefully that her face would go under, and considering the fatigue that racked her body, she would not have had enough strength to lift herself. If she did not attempt to fight her way over to the lights she saw, she would most likely drown.
Against the will of her sore body-which wanted nothing more than to just stay on the ground and die-she began to crawl through an opening between two rocks. After a few minutes, she felt sand beneath her hands and knees, and sent yet another thank you to God for allowing her to land next to a path down to the dry shore. She continued to crawl, each movement growing heavier and harder to make. Her eyelids drooped constantly, and she felt as if she was going to collapse then and there.
Faintly, she heard laughter and incoherent conversations, though she believed that she had just imagined it. The lights turned into lanterns as she neared what appeared to be civilization. Silhouettes-had this not all been a conjuring from her mind-walked around in the near-distance, some running and playing as others lounged around in chairs set out in front of houses. As Santana tried to call out, all that she managed was a fit of coughing, and she fell to the ground has her arms and legs gave out beneath her.
Her head landed in the sand, her cheek pressed against the cool crystals, and just before her eyes closed, she thought she saw someone rushing towards her.
Brittany S. Pierce stood proudly at her place near the fire, watching over her people as they continued on with their festivities. Tonight was a night of celebration, another battle won after being fought for only ten days. It was quite a small amount of days for the enemy to have retreated; they usually fought harder, longer. To those on the island of Kao, it was just that they were so fierce and brilliant that their enemy was too overwhelmed to fight any longer. And that is what brought on the parties.
A hand clapped her shoulder, and she looked up behind her to see her father's smiling face. His blue eyes were bright, the fire dancing in his orbs, the glow lighting his face even more. The happiness nearly radiated off of his tall form, and Brittany was glad to see him in such a great mood. He moved to stand right next to her, looking out over their people. Children ran around, some playing tag as others pretended to be the fierce warriors that their parents were. Some adults sung, drunken words slurred as they thought that their voices were those of angels. A group of boys around Brittany's age showed off their muscles, trying to out-do the others.
"Your mother would have been proud," Brittany's father, Alexander, commented.
"She would have been embarrassed to have a warrior as a daughter. All she wanted was for me to be a common girl who tended to the gardens. A gatherer. How pathetic did she really believe me to be?" she replied. Her mouth closed once she saw her father's warning expression. Brittany knew not to speak of her mother in such ill-tongue, though she was unable to help it. A filter was one thing that she did not have, as well as a good relationship with the now-deceased Isabelle S. Pierce.
Without saying another word, Brittany walked off, following footprints that eventually led to no where. She was alone, unable to be seen by the others that sang and screamed and laughed and ran around in circles until they collapsed with good thoughts. Not for one minute did she wish to be one of those people. Her dreams were different. All she wanted was to be king of Kao, a dream that would be accomplished once her father had passed. The thought of her father having to pass before she could obtain the crown turned her stomach over. Even with their terrible relationship, she was torn by her mother's death. Losing her father would only upset her more.
Besides, no one believed that she could ever rule. She was reckless, too unpredictable. No one was able to work with her, and she never accepted help. The king's daughter, the rebel who refused to fall into the category of another girl fated to be a gatherer of fruits and vegetables to feed her people. She did not want to be looked upon as weak, just like her mother had been. In Kao, she wanted to be known as strong an independent. She wanted to be a warrior, a hunter, anything that the boys could do that the girl could not without being frowned upon.
She loved to disobey the rules; everyone disliked her for it, and she liked that, too. For her, people were simple-minded and annoying. Only her older brother, Samuel, was one who Brittany was fond of. However, he had died along with Isabelle. Their death was less than a tragedy, though nothing to be looked over. Noble deaths, Brittany had always told herself, dying at the hands of their enemies in order to protect their land.
Releasing a sigh, Brittany twirled her foot in the sand, drawing a circle and then brushing more sand to cover it. She looked up towards the sky, seeing gray clouds rolling across, covering the moon. Only a few slivers managed to get by, touching down upon the earth and allowing some light for where Brittany was. The lights from all the lanterns set up were distant, not providing much light for her to see a lot.
Still, she was sure that she saw something moving only twenty feet away from her. When the figure got closer, she saw the silhouette of a person crawling towards her slowly. She reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh under her dress and cautiously stalked over to the person. As she got closer, she saw that they were not wearing clothes that were of the enemy-Ike.
What if they were from that ship that had passed by...?
The figure fell to the ground, and Brittany ran forward.