"Lincoln! Lincoln Cole!" She screamed from the banks of the river. Her hair was matted with sweat and she continually swatted at the swarm of bugs that flew around her pretty face. Lincoln squinted into the morning sun to see the woman better, he wasn't sure who she was at first.
"Lincoln, who is that?" Tess asked, placing her hand defensively on her sons shoulder.
"I'm not sure. She looks familiar…" Lincoln said still trying to make out the face of the woman on the bank. By now, everyone on the Magus was leaning over the side trying to figure out who the woman was and what she wanted with Emmet Cole's son. A.J. as always was there to get the entire thing on film. Lena stood close to Lincoln but gave him a suspicious sideways glance as they got closer to shore. Lincoln continued to squint until the tree line covered the sun just enough for him to make out the features of the woman.
"Lincoln! I have a bone to pick with you!" The woman yelled angrily.
"Madeline? Is that you?" Lincoln asked as they dropped anchor near the shore.
"Who else would it be?" She asked rhetorically.
Lincoln immediately recognized the woman and began to throw the ladder over the side of the ship to climb down on to the ground.
"So is that the girlfriend?" Clark asked as Lincoln climbed down onto the ladder.
"No. She's my lab partner."
Lincoln hopped from the rope to the sandy ground and made his way towards the girl. She stopped swatting at the bugs long enough to stare at the man making his way towards her.
"You look like shit." She said once he was close enough.
"Madeline, what the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to bring my lab partner back to the civilized world so we can finish our project."
Back on the deck of the Magus, everyone was watching the exchange between the two people on shore wondering who the woman was and why she was here. Lena and Tess continued to observe and judge the woman as she talked to Lincoln. Jonas came and stood next to Lena, hovering over her trying to read her emotions about what was going on in front of her.
"Who is she?" He asked Tess, nodding towards the woman.
"Lincoln said her name is Madeline. Other than that, I don't know." Tess answered, hugging herself protectively. Lena stood and watched for a moment longer before letting out an irritated sigh and going below deck.
"Lincoln, this is 85% of our grade. You're not gonna fuck this up for me." Madeline told him angrily.
"Madeline, I can't go back to Chicago yet. I have to find my father. I'm so close. Please try to understand." Lincoln pleaded. The woman pursed her lips together angrily and snorted in disdain.
"Understand? Do you understand that if I fail this class, I lose my internship and my scholarship? I can't just say, "Hey, I'm Emmet Cole's son." And have every professor give me extension after extension and chance after chance. I don't have an inheritance or trust fund that I can just live off of for the next 20 years because my daddy was on a tv show. I have to work for my education." Madeline replied getting more and more agitated. Lincoln let out an exasperated breath and rubbed the sweat off of his forehead as he looked around. The Boiuna silently taunted him and urged him to give up the search for his father and go back to Chicago with Madeline, to go back to his "real" life. Madeline continued to stare him down as Lincoln tried to make up his mind.
"I'm not going Maddie." He said with finality.
"Fine, then I'll come with you, we'll finish the paper while you look for your dad and you can drop me off when we're done." Madeline retorted as she wound her way around him and to the rope ladder to climb up onto the Magus. As soon as she swung her pack over the side of the boat, A.J. was in her face with a camera.
"Do you mind? " She said as she climbed the rest of the way on deck. Lincoln threw his hands up in defeat and followed her up the ladder.
"What's she doing man?" A.J. asked as Lincoln climbed aboard.
"Apparently, she's coming with us." Lincoln answered irritated.
Madeline stood in front of the group of people on the deck of the Magus, scared but not letting it show. She had been in scarier situations in her life. Her breathing hitched a little bit in her throat when she laid eyes on Tess Cole. Tess stared her down with contempt and judgment.
"Everyone, this is Madeline, my lab partner from school. She's going to be tagging along with us until we finish our paper." Lincoln said to the people staring down the girl that made herself at home on the boat.
"Lincoln, can I talk to you? In private?" Tess asked sounding more than irritated with the situation. Lincoln followed his mother below deck to the editing suite and went inside. After closing the door firmly behind him, she began to interrogate her son.
"Lincoln, who is that girl up there and what's going on?" Tess asked pacing back and forth.
"Her name is Madeline Zimmerman. She's my lab partner from school. Our final paper is due in 2 weeks and it's 85% of our grade. If I don't help her finish it, we both fail the class." Lincoln replied to his mother as she continued to pace impatiently. Just then, Clark came busting through the door.
"This girl is gonna be great for ratings. She's a bitch and the viewers love having someone like her to hate. How long do we get her for?" Clark asked excitedly.
"She's not staying long Clark. She's just here so we can finish our final paper. And she's not a bitch!" Lincoln said angrily.
"Oh ho! Do I detect an illicit romance?" Clark asked smugly.
"No! She's not my girlfriend! There's no romance!"
"Really? She came 6,000 miles to find you just for the sake of a grade? Sounds like love to me." Clark said.
Lincoln let out another exasperated sigh and turned to his mother. "Mom, she's not gonna be here forever. We're not gonna stop looking for Dad. We keep going. I promised her that I would be back soon so that we could finish it. If I don't help her…"
"Fine, she stays on the boat with Emilio and Jahlen. As soon as you guys are done, we drop her at the nearest village. She gets in the way, she's gone. " And with that Tess brushed past the two men and went back up to the wheelhouse. Unfortunately, Kurt was waiting outside the door.
"What's going on?" He asked in his thick German accent.
"She's staying until her and Lincoln's paper is finished."
" Do you really think that's a good idea? Another mouth to feed? Another head to keep track of?" Kurt accused.
"She's not gonna be here for very long and she's not getting off of the boat." Tess answered. Lincoln stepped out of the room and stood behind his mother.
"You're responsible for her. I was not hired to protect some school girl. This is a rescue mission, not a study group." Kurt said pointing his finger at Lincoln's chest.
Just then, Madeline came down the stairs and stood at the other end of the hallway.
"School girl? I don't need anyone to protect me. Trust me, I wanna be off of this boat and back in Chicago just as much as the rest of you." She said defiantly.
Interview with Madeline Zimmerman
12:34 P.M.
Madeline: My name is Madeline Zimmerman. With two "m's".
Clark: Ok, how do you know Lincoln Cole?
Madeline: He's my assigned lab partner for genetics class.
Clark: Assigned?
Madeline: Yeah as in I didn't get a choice. The professor paired us off.
Clark: So why did you come to the Amazon to find him if he's just your lab partner?
Madeline: Because this paper is worth 85% of our grade and it's due in two weeks. Lincoln said he would only be gone for three, four weeks tops and it's been six. If he doesn't help me finish the paper, we both fail and I can't afford that.
Clark: Can't you just ask for an extension?
Madeline: This IS our extension. I can't get by on my daddy's name like Lincoln can. I worked my way through college doing odd jobs, I cant fail.
Clark: What kind of odd jobs?
Madeline: Waitressing, retail…stripping. As cliché as that is.
Clark: So did you and Lincoln become close back in Chicago?
Madeline: As in what?
Clark: Were you friends? Or something more?
Madeline: Are you asking if we ever slept together?
Clark: Sure.
Madeline:…No…that's what his girlfriend is for.
End of Interview
Aboard the Magus
3:52 P.M.
Jahlen sat at the dining table in the galley and flipped through the pages of Lincoln and Madeline's paper when she was startled by someone clearing their throat.
"Does genetics interest you?" Madeline asked as she rifled through the cabinets for a drinking glass.
"No, yo estaba buscando." Jahlen replied trying to feign ignorance to Madeline's question in English.
Madeline chuckled because she understood Jahlen perfectly. She had spent the last 2 years working as an EMT to get through grad school and she had to learn Spanish so she could communicate with patients.
"So you're not interested in genetics, what are you interested in?" Madeline asked non-chalantly.
Jahlen raised her head in surprise and looked astonished at Madeline. She just smiled knowingly.
"You remind me a lot of myself. I played dumb for a while so people wouldn't get close to me. If they got too close, they might want to hurt me or try to take away who I was. Don't worry, your secrets safe with me." Madeline said smiling. Jahlen gave her a ghost of a smile before getting up and leaving.
11:28 P.M.
Lincoln sat on the floor of his room going through the pages of notes that Madeline had written for him when she walked in.
"How goes it?" She asked.
"It would be a lot better if I had my laptop and books." He said sounding exhausted.
"Oh yeah…" Madeline said and turned to go back to the room that she was sharing with Jahlen. A few minutes later, she reappeared and handed him the laptop and his books.
"Thanks. How did you get these? I left them at Jenny's apartment." He said surprised and confused.
"Yeah… about that…" Madeline said sitting down crosslegged on his bed. She was trying to search for the right words to tell him that his girlfriend had left him.
"Ummm… I don't know how to say this but…you may not want to hurry back to Chicago anytime soon."
"Why?"
"Jenny left you."
"What? How do you know?" Lincoln asked in disbelief.
"I was responding to a call on your street a few weeks ago and when I passed by your apartment… I saw her dropping off a box of your stuff and get into a car with another guy. When I came back by later that evening, I took the box home with me. I didn't want to go through your stuff but when you stopped answering my calls, I went through the box and got out your laptop and notes." She told him sounding genuinely sorry.
"Oh my God, I gotta call her." He said getting up and heading for the door. He was planning on getting the satellite phone from Kurt and calling Jenny immediately.
"Lincoln, wait!" Madeline said grabbing his arm. She stood up, reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet jewelry box.
" This was in the box too. I think it's too late." She said dropping the box into his open palm. Lincoln stared down at the box and opened it slowly. The engagement ring he had given her 2 months before he left sat snugly in between the velvet folds.
"Lincoln, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way." Madeline said trying to comfort him. Lincoln sagged against the door frame and snapped the box closed before stuffing it into his pocket.
"No, thank you for telling me. If you hadn't come out here and told me I would've gone back to Chicago in the hopes that I had a life to go back to. How did you find me anyways?" He asked.
"I contacted the production company and tracked the cell phones calls until you went off the grid." She answered him. Madeline coiled her long red hair tightly around her fingers until she cut off the blood flow and her fingertips went numb. It was a nervous habit. Lincoln gave a sad, quiet laugh.
"I'm gonna turn in for the night." Madeline said trying to fill the awkward silence. She got up and was almost out the door when Lincoln turned to her and said, " Truly, thank you for telling me. I'm glad it came from you and not someone else. I'm not going to let you down."
Madeline simply nodded and walked down the hall to her shared quarters.
3:08 A.M.
The Magus
Madeline lay in the bunk across from Jahlen's empty bed sound asleep. Jahlen had agreed to pilot the boat until sunrise the next day. Madeline all of a sudden tossed in her sleep violently from a dream she was having. A dark ethereal mist seeped into the room through the porthole window and hovered above her sleeping form before diving down into Madeline's open mouth. She inhaled the spirit and sat up straight with her eyes still closed. When she exhaled, she opened her eyes and smiled malevolently.
"You're all mine now Lincoln Cole." She said to the darkness but it was not her voice.
9:12 A.M.
The Magus
Tess continued to try to rack Jonas' brain for any further information on the whereabouts of her husband. Unfortunately, she was getting nowhere.
"There has to be something that you remember." She said hopefully.
" He did mention something about a waterfall." Jonas said pondering.
"A waterfall?" Tess asked him again.
"Yeah, something about the waters being able to give you strength to do things you were always too scared to attempt."
Tess scoured the map of the Boiuna and her finger settled on a tributary 14 miles inland.
"There's a waterfall here. That's where we try next." She said confidently.
Interview #2 with Madeline Zimmerman
10:17 A.M.
Clark: So how do you feel about being told to stay behind?
Madeline: I have no intention of doing so.
Clark: And why's that?
Madeline: Because I'm here, why shouldn't I help if I can?
Clark: Sounds like you're determined to make enemies here.
Madeline: Not at all. I watched Emmet's show when I was a kid. I want to help find him just as much as any other fan.
Clark: And this has nothing to do with the fact that you were the one that told Lincoln about his girlfriend?
Madeline: What do you mean?
Clark: I just meant that you travelled an awful long way to tell him that his girlfriend left him…and to "finish a paper". That has nothing to do with your decision to help find his father? Sounds to me like you're trying to prove something to him.
Madeline: Maybe I am…
End of Interview
"Madeline what are you doing?" Lincoln asked as she dropped her pack next to his on the deck of the Magus.
"I'm coming with you." She replied nonplussed.
"Excuse me?" Tess asked, overhearing the conversation.
"I said, I'm going to help look for Doctor Cole. Do I need to speak slower?"
"No you're not. You stay on the boat. That's the deal." Tess answered shortly, showing her growing frustration.
"I never made that deal." Madeline retorted. Lincoln stepped back and looked at Madeline in astonishment. In Chicago, he had always known her to be quiet and slink back into the shadows whenever a confrontation arose. Except with him that is. She always fired back whenever they got into an argument over classwork or theories. This was a side of her he had never seen before.
"Either you stay on the boat or we leave you on the shore to make your way back to the village." Tess said.
"Look, you need the extra help and I might as well be it. The extra set of eyes and ears couldn't hurt could it?" Madeline asked sweetly.
Tess stood and took in what Madeline was saying. She pondered on the offer before relenting and agreeing to let the woman join in the search.
5:23 P.M.
The Boiuna
The search party came upon the waterfall they were searching for later than they expected after getting lost for almost 2 hours. They walked in circles until Kurt heard the splashing sound of the falls. Their map was wrong, the waterfall was actually 24 miles from the stretch of river that they docked the Magus at. They couldn't get back to the boat before nightfall so they elected to spend the night near the falls. There was no sign of Dr. Cole.
9:33 P.M.
The Boiuna Waterfall
Madeline set her tent up far away from the others near the shores of the small lagoon the falls drained into. The peaceful place was full of spirits. The Boiuna demon residing in Madeline's body was pleased with the location of her tent as well. It needed Lincoln Cole to love it so it could survive. That night, Madeline ate dinner alone and away from the rest of the crew.
"Hey, what are you doing over here all by yourself?" Lincoln asked sitting down next to her on a log.
"I didn't want to intrude anymore than I already have. I don't think anyone else likes me besides Clark and Jonas and that's only because they think I'll give them a lap dance." She said laughing.
"What?" Lincoln asked surprised.
"Oh yeah, you don't know. I stripped for 3 and a half years so I could pay my way through college. I guess my deep dark secret isn't a secret anymore." She said still laughing.
"Wow, I had no idea that you were a…a…" Lincoln stumbled over the word.
"You can say it. A stripper."
"Dancer is the word that I was going to use. But if you prefer stripper…then yes, a stripper. You were always so quiet and reserved in class. I never would've expected that out of you. I guess what they say about the quiet ones is true. And I wouldn't worry about Clark and Jonas, they're harmless." Lincoln said reassuringly.
"Oh, I'm not worried about them. There's no amount of money that they could pay me to get me to take my clothes off… You on the other hand…" Madeline said trailing off. The two continued to stare at each other in the silence. Lincoln didn't know what to say. He had definitely always found Madeline attractive but she had never even given him a hint that she was interested in being anything but casual acquaintances. Her green eyes almost glowed in the firelight and he thought he saw something strange in them before she spoke again.
"What did you do to your hair?" She asked abruptly, reaching up to run her fingers through his now short dirty blonde hair.
"Uhhh…bat guano…" He stumbled still looking into her eyes.
"Shame, I liked it better long." She said non-chalantly. All of a sudden, Lena called for Lincoln to come help her with something. When she did, the connection was broken. The demon almost had him. Lincoln got up abruptly and mumbled something about helping Lena and good night and was gone. The demon stared at Lena across the campsite. If it was going to get Lincoln Cole where it wanted him, Lena was going to have to be taken out of the picture.
3:02 A.M.
The Boiuna Waterfalls
The demon was growing restless and impatient. Madeline woke from a dreamless sleep and had the strange urge to go swimming in the pool. She didn't feel like she was in control of her own body anymore. She got up stiffly from her sleeping bag and crawled out of the tent and walked down to the shore of the small pool of water. She stood at the edge and began to take her clothes off, once she was naked, she walked into the warm waters and immersed herself in the power of the spirits there. The demon was in control now.
3:10 A.M.
The Boiuna Waterfalls
"Lincoln. Lincoln come find me…" A voice said drifting into his dreams. Lincoln woke up suddenly and followed the voice down to the pool of water. The voice told his feet where to go and he didn't have the strength to stop them. In fact he didn't want to once he saw where the voice was coming from. Lincoln stood at the edge of the lagoon where Madeline swam naked in the moonlit waters.
"Maddie, what are you doing out here?" He asked.
"Going for a late night swim. Wanna join me? " She asked seductively. The voice was Madeline's but the words were not. Lincoln stared a moment longer before stripping down to his boxers and wading out into the water.
Madeline dipped under the water and swam away from him playfully before he could get near her. She swam behind him and poked her head above water before splashing him and swimming away again. This went on for a few minutes longer before Lincoln felt her brush past him under the water and grabbed her. He laughed as he pulled her up out of the water, he didn't realize until now that she was naked. He tried to avert his eyes but she instead stood up in the waist deep water so he could see her body. Lincoln turned his head embarrassed but she placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head to look at her. The same glow her eyes had earlier flickered again in the moonlight and he couldn't say no. Lincoln put his hands on the slope between her neck and shoulders hesitantly. He tried to hold himself back but he no longer had control of himself. Lincoln shakily tightened the grip on her shoulders and Madeline let her head fall back and her eyes close with his touch. He pulled her closer to him and bent his head down to kiss her but the sound of a twig snapping startled them both and he stopped. Madeline bent down into the water in attempt to hide her nakedness. Lincoln listened for a moment longer before looking down at her in the water.
"We'd better get back. There's wild animals out here." He said before trudging back to the banks of the pool, grabbing his clothes and walking back to his tent.
Lena was awake in her tent when she saw Lincoln, dripping wet, pull his pants back on and crawl into his tent. She said nothing and didn't stir. She didn't want him to know that she was awake and saw him. Lena felt defeated and depressed. She had been in love with Lincoln since she was 13 but she never told him. She knew that he had a girlfriend back in Chicago but her heart kept the hope alive that he would one day realize that she was the one for him. Now with the appearance of Madeline Zimmerman, her heart had been beaten down a little more. Lena knew that that's where he had been, with her.
Madeline dried off and went back to her tent but she could not remember what she had been doing for the last 20 minutes. She figured that she must have been sleep walking. That was dangerous when one is in the Amazon. Madeline hated the jungle, she just wanted to leave but she felt more courageous now and she promised herself that she wouldn't let her past grab a hold of her present or future. She lay back down in her sleeping bag and immediately fell asleep again. The demon was so close to getting what it wanted, it was just going take a little more time.
Interview with Lincoln Cole
4:37 P.M.
The Magus
Clark: So the trek to the waterfalls turned up nothing on your father. What do you think should happen next?
Lincoln: We keep searching. It's as easy as that. Dad wouldn't have given up this easily. Neither will I.
Clark: How are things going with your "lab partner"?
Lincoln: Why do you say it like that? She really is JUST my lab partner.
Clark: That's not what I saw last night on the tapes that A.J. brought back from the waterfall.
Lincoln: You were spying on me?
Clark: We are making a television show. Nothing is off limits here.
Lincoln: Stay out of my personal business Clark.
End of Interview
7:17 P.M.
The Magus
Lena sat staring out at the water of the Amazon and wondering how she was going to get over Lincoln Cole. A parrot flying over the river and into the trees caught her eye and she watched it fly from tree to tree until a shadow appeared from behind her.
"Hi, I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Madeline." The woman said sticking her hand out in the common gesture. Lena looked down at her hand disgusted and back to her face.
"I know who you are." Lena replied, every word dripping with scorn. Madeline drew her hand back and sat down next to Lena on the deck. The uncomfortable silence between the two went on until Madeline said something.
"I see the way you look at him you know." Madeline stared out onto the water as if nothing had been said at all.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lena replied trying to hide her embarrassment and hate for the woman sitting next to her.
"He'll never love you as much as her. You're just the little girl that he grew up with. He's a man now and you're not his type. You need to quit beating yourself up over him."
Lena knew that Madeline was right but she didn't want to show it. She thought that Lincoln's lab partner was overstepping her bounds. Who was she to comment on her life?
"What about you? What are you to him? I know you're not just lab partners, everyone here knows it." Lena retorted hoping to catch Madeline in a lie. The demon didn't take the bait.
"You're right. We're not just lab partners. We're friends. Nothing more. And I'm trying to be a friend to you now. It's time to let Lincoln go. Your father's gone now Lena. Go back home to your life in Colorado or make a new one. Maybe with Jonas. " Madeline hinted.
"Jonas? He's cute but he's definitely not my type." Lena said giving a fake laugh.
"But sleeping with him might help you get over Lincoln." Madeline replied. It was a thought that hadn't even crossed Lena's mind before.
"Just think about it. You don't wanna be wrapped around Lincoln Cole's finger forever do you?" Madeline asked rhetorically before getting up and walking away. Lena thought about what Madeline had said a little longer before going down to her room.
Madeline passed by the galley on her way back to her room when Jahlen noticed her and gave her a friendly wave. Madeline returned the wave and gave Jahlen an evil grin before moving on. Jahlen knew that something was amiss and noticed the odd glimmer in Madeline's green eyes as something dangerous. Jahlen raced down to the engine room where her deck of tarot cards lay on top of a bin. She shuffled the cards before laying out four cards face up from the deck.
The Emperess
Temperance
The Devil
The Lovers
Jahlen shuffled the cards again hoping to get a different outcome but it was the same every time that she drew the four cards and always in the same order. The spirit of unrequited love had made its home in Madeline's body and Jahlen knew that only death and devastation followed her.
10:24 P.M.
The Magus
Lena turned over and over in her bunk and decided that sleeping with Jonas would not make her get over Lincoln any easier. So she turned off her light and went to sleep.
10:31 P.M.
The Magus
Editing Suite
Jonas leaned back in the office chair and let out a huge sigh. He looked up at the computer screen and stared back at the frozen image of Lena smiling at him. He wished that he could get as close to her as Lincoln. A quiet click of the door handle startled him and he quickly moved the image forward to a shot of the treeline at sunrise so to hide what he was really looking at. He turned in the chair to see Lena leaned up against the door.
"Uh, hey. What's going on?" Jonas stammered out trying to hide his embarrassment. Lena said nothing and just stared back at him.
"Are you ok?" He asked. Lena stayed silent and walked over to him. She stripped off her clothes and straddled Jonas' legs.
"Lena are you sure?" Jonas asked hoping that this was all real. Lena put a finger to his lips and kissed him. Jonas had been dreaming about this for weeks.
Lincoln was passing by the editing suite when he thought that he heard a muffled groan come from behind the door. He stopped, listened a little longer and pressed his ear to the door. He made out a familiar voice.
"Yes, yes. Ahhh…"
He knew the voice was Lena's. Lincoln stepped back from the door and stared at the grain in the wood, already knowing what was going on behind it. He reluctantly made his way back towards the galley where A.J. was sitting with Clark and Kurt having a drink of whiskey. He poked his head in the door and interrupted their conversation.
"Has anyone seen Jonas?" He asked.
"Yeah, he's in the editing suite. Why?" A.J. asked.
Lincoln looked up to the ceiling wishing that he had gotten a different answer.
"No reason." He replied. Lincoln walked over to the table where the men were sitting, picked up the bottle of whiskey and took a long swig.
"Hey! Leave some for the rest of us!" Clark mused.
"Yeah, I thought you didn't drink liquor." A.J. said confused.
"Yeah well, I do tonight." Lincoln replied before taking another drink and leaving the room.
11:15 P.M.
The Magus
The demon closed the door of the editing suite behind her and finished buttoning up her shirt before turning to go back to Madeline's room. She was still wearing Lena's face when A.J. stumbled out of the galley and noticed her.
"Take it easy on the whiskey A.J.." The demon laughed as she walked past him. A.J. let out an inebriated chuckle as she passed. He continued to stagger down the hallway and past the editing suite door when Jonas opened the door looking happily disheveled. He gave A.J. an embarrassed smile and headed towards his room. A.J. watched him climb the stairs and tried to confusedly figure out what was going on before chalking it up to the fact that he had been drinking and fell into his own bunk.
12:23 A.M.
The Magus
Madeline was no wiser that her body was being used as a receptacle for a love scorned demon as she tossed and turned in her sleep. The heavy weight of the jungle was bearing down on her and bringing back memories that she wished would just die.
Jahlen laid quietly in her bed across from Madeline's and watched the woman dream. She still wasn't certain of the demons presence in her but she was wary none the less.
10:40 A.M.
The Magus
Lincoln and Madeline sat side by side at the galley's table working furiously on their paper. Lincoln glanced over at Madeline and smiled a little before playfully nudging her arm and making her mess up the sentence she was trying to type on the laptop.
"What the hell?" Madeline blurted out annoyed.
"Nothing. I was just playing." Lincoln smiled.
"Well stop playing and get back to sequencing." Madeline replied bluntly.
"I just thought that after the other night…" Lincoln trailed off, his eyebrows furrowed trying to figure out the situation.
"What?" Madeline asked genuinely confused. Lincoln stared back at her before shaking his head.
"Do you not remember the other night at the waterfall?" He asked.
"What about it?"
"Nothing, nevermind. I must've been mistaken."
"Well, stop making mistakes. I had to fix 3 of your sequencing mistakes last night." Madeline said before turning back to her work. Lincoln looked at her a little longer before doing the same. The two fell back into the rhythm of working until Lincoln spoke.
"Do you walk in your sleep?" He asked.
"Walk in my sleep? No, not since I was a kid. What's wrong with you? You're acting weird."
Lincoln shook his head again and went back to his paper.
"I'm going above deck for some fresh air. You're bothering me." Madeline said as she packed up her laptop and papers and left. Lincoln watched her leave in disbelief.
Interview #3 with Madeline Zimmerman
1:21 P.M.
The Magus
Clark: So how is the paper coming?
Madeline: Slow. We're not as far as I had hoped by now. There's a lot of distractions.
Clark: What kind of distractions?
Madeline: Just people acting weird.
Clark: Do you wish that you hadn't come?
Madeline: Of course I do! I maxed out my credit cards and had to take a sabbatical from work just to be here. I hate the jungle.
Clark: Do you think that when you get back to Chicago, things will be different between you and Lincoln?
Madeline: God, what is it with everyone around here? There is nothing going on between Lincoln and I! How many times do I have to say that? We are just close acquaintances. Everyone around here thinks there's some sordid love affair going on between the two of us. You guys need to quit watching so many soaps and reading so much Danielle Steel.
End of Interview
1:33 P.M.
The Magus
Madeline shook her head utterly puzzled with the people surrounding her. She was beginning to think that everyone on board the Magus was smoking weed and they weren't sharing. Madeline opened the door to the room that she had been sharing with Jahlen and sat down on her bunk. A few minutes later, Jahlen opened the door and sat across from her, all the while giving her a knowing and accusing look.
"Jahlen? What's wrong? You look like something's bothering you. You wanna talk about it?" Madeline asked trying to sound comforting. Jahlen said nothing but continued to stare at her.
"Cua'l es tu demonio nombre?" What is your name demon?
"Demon? Jahlen, are you ok?" Madeline asked genuinely concerned.
"Cua'l es tu nombre?" What is your name? Jahlen asked again, this time far more forceful
Madeline stared back at Jahlen in disbelief at what was going on around her. These people had been in the jungle far too long. Madeline threw her hands up in defeat.
"Ok, whatever. Don't talk to me. I thought we were sort of friends. I guess not." Madeline said before leaving the small room. Jahlen watched her leave waiting for some sort of sign that the woman was indeed possessed by the spirit. Perhaps she was wrong. There was no glimmer in Madeline's eyes now. She looked just as she did when they first met.
2:39 A.M.
The Magus
The spirit took control of Madeline once again and urged her to wake up. Madeline awoke from a hot and fitful sleep and silently got up and walked out of the room, never waking the sleeping girl across from her. She walked barefoot to Lincoln's room and gave the door a soft knock.
"Yeah, come in." Lincoln said inside. Madeline opened the door and stepped inside the room before closing it and locking it behind her. Lincoln was reclining comfortably against the headboard wearing only a pair of cargo pants and reading a book. The only light in the room came from the desk lamp. The demon tried to stay in the shadows.
"What are you doing up? Fixing more of my mistakes?" Lincoln asked sarcastically. Madeline continued to stare at him and said nothing.
"Maddie are you feeling ok? You need some Dramamine or something?" He asked concerned.
She still said nothing but walked across the room, stopped to turn off the desk lamp and ended up standing next to Lincoln's bed. He gave her a perplexed look before turning back to his book.
"Ok…don't talk to me. You're the one that came in here." He said before looking back up at her. She looked down at him and began to uncoil her hair out of the messy bun that she had piled it into. Lincoln saw the glow in her green eyes again and couldn't look away. She undressed completely and plucked the book out of his hands before dropping it on the table next to his bed. She climbed on top of him and continued to stare. The demon inside was finally getting what it wanted. It had waited in the Boiuna for decades for the right situation to present itself.
"This cant be real." Lincoln said breathlessly. The woman on top of him took his hand and placed it above her breast, over her heart and held it there.
"This…is very real. I'm yours Lincoln." She said. Lincoln had never felt completely in control of his own life. It always seemed to come down to his father's wishes and where the show took them. Not even in Chicago, did he feel like he had a firm grasp on things. Even there he still felt like he would only be known as: Lincoln Cole, the son of the famous explorer and tv host, Dr. Emmet Cole. But, at this very moment, he felt like he could control something or someone at last. Lincoln reached up and pulled Madeline down closer to him so that he could finally kiss her. He relished in the feeling of being in control now and took her truly for his own.
10:19 A.M.
The Magus
Madeline rubbed her sore neck as she sat down at the table in the galley next to Lincoln, their usual study space. She let out an exasperated breath and turned on her computer. Lincoln remained silent. Twenty minutes passed before either of them spoke.
"So you have absolutely nothing to say to me?" He asked out of nowhere. Madeline looked up, a baffled and bewildered look on her pretty face.
"About?" She asked drawing out the syllable.
"My God! Is this how you treat everyone you supposedly are interested in? You know what, fuck it!" Lincoln yelled and slammed his books down on the table before getting up and stomping out of the room.
"Lincoln! What the hell is wrong with you?" Madeline called after him.
Lincoln went into the editing suite and grabbed a hold of Clark's collar angrily.
"Where's the tape?" He demanded.
"I'm sorry but you're going to have to be a tad more specific. We are shooting a tv show you know." Clark replied sarcastically.
"The tape from the night at the falls."
"Oh that one! Why it's right here. Feeling sentimental?" Clark joked. He held up the tape in question just out of Lincoln's reach.
"Give it to me Clark." Lincoln demanded again.
"My my, that girl has gotten her claws into you." Clark said before handing Lincoln the tape. Lincoln snatched it out of his hand and stomped back to the galley where Madeline was still working. He grabbed her shirt sleeve and dragged her into the editing suite while she screamed obscenities the whole way. Lincoln threw her into an office chair and pushed her down every time that she attempted to get up.
"Play the tape Clark." Lincoln ordered. Clark gave Madeline an odd look before putting the tape into the deck.
"You guys are kinky." Clark said before pushing play.
"Lincoln what the fuck is this all about? And what's this shit?" Madeline asked gesturing to the computer screen. Clark hit the fast forward button and stopped the tape to just moments before Madeline left her tent and went down to pool.
"Hit play." Lincoln said with authority.
"Are you sure that you want me here?" Clark asked.
"Push the fucking button Clark." Lincoln replied. Clark pressed the play button and Madeline watched every detail of that night for the first time. A look of horror washed over her face at the scene playing in front of her own two eyes. She remembered none of it. As soon as Lincoln walked out of the frame of the camera, Clark stopped the tape. The silence in the room was deafening.
"That's not me. I've been set up. What kind of show are you guys involved with here? " Madeline asked horrified and disgusted all at the same time.
"That IS you, Maddie."
"No it's not! I think that I would remember going for a late night skinny dipping session in an Amazonian waterfall and then almost kissing you!" Madeline screamed back at him.
"That's you love. I saw the whole thing with my own two eyes." Clark said.
"So now this is a hidden camera show where you guys try to convince me that I'm some sort of party girl? Was I drugged? I thought this was a rescue mission to find Emmet Cole. Guess I was wrong." Madeline retorted.
"So you remember none of this?" Lincoln asked mystified.
"No, I don't. I'm telling you the truth."
"So I guess you don't remember last night either?" Lincoln asked. No one in the room said a thing. The air got thick and heavy.
"What about last night?" Madeline asked grimly. Lincoln looked down at her before turning to Clark and saying, "Give me the other tape and get out." Clark didn't need to be told twice. He pulled an unmarked tape off the shelf, handed it to Lincoln and left the room, closing the door behind him. Lincoln waited until he was sure that Clark had gone, listening to his footsteps diminish up the stairs. He switched the tapes in the deck and fast forwarded to the point where Madeline comes into his bedroom and stopped the tape.
"Now are you sure that you want to keep going with this, 'I don't remember bull shit? Because if you don't, I will take this tape out now and throw it over the side of the boat so that no one ever has to see this again. We can take this to the grave. This is your last chance to tell me what's going on." Lincoln told her. Madeline sat rigidly in the chair and stared at him unwaveringly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, sticking to her guns.
"Ok." Lincoln said before pushing play on the editing board. The events of last night played out before Madeline on the screen. She sat perfectly still and did not show one bit of emotion as she watched herself having sex with Lincoln for the first time. Lincoln didn't watch the tape, he remembered everything from the previous night. He was watching Madeline. Once he had decided that she had seen enough, he reached over and pushed the stop button on the console, ejected the tape and held it. Madeline kept her gaze fixed forward and stood up.
"You will be hearing from my lawyer. I'm getting off of this boat now." She said calmly and turned to leave the room. She opened the door and there stood Jahlen holding her deck of tarot cards.
"Escoger de una tarjeta." Pick a card. Jahlen commanded, fanning them out in front of her.
"Not now Jahlen. I'm leaving." Madeline said trying to push past her. Jahlen would not move and just repeated herself.
"Escoger de una tarjeta."
"Fine if I pick a card can I go?" Madeline asked in distress. Jahlen nodded and held the cards out to her again. Madeline picked a card at random and handed it back to Jahlen without looking at it. When she tried to get past her again Jahlen still stood firm.
"Ahora." Jahlen said, gesturing to Lincoln to pick a card too. Lincoln reluctantly chose a card and handed it back to Jahlen. She put the other cards away and turned the cards over that Madeline and Lincoln had chosen.
The Lovers and the Devil.
"Que esta' poseido." Jahlen declared to the two of them.
"Demon possessed? Ok, that's it! Get me off of this boat right now! All of you are fucking insane!" Madeline yelled as she this time successfully got past Jahlen. Madeline continued to rant as she stomped down the hallway to go pack her things.
"Madeline!" Jahlen yelled. Madeline stopped and turned around. Jahlen all of a sudden, pulled Lincoln to her and planted a kiss on his lips.
"Jahlen what the hell? You're like 16!" Lincoln yelled when she let him go. Everything went quiet and Jahlen pointed down the hallway to where Madeline was standing. "Look.", she said. Madeline's eyes turned completely black and she let out an ear piercing scream before running down the hallway at inhuman speed towards Jahlen and Lincoln.
"Oh my God." Lincoln said as he and Jahlen barricaded themselves in the editing suite. On the other side of the door, the demon continued to scream and attempt to break down the door.
"Ok, maybe you were right. Maybe Maddie is possessed. What do we do?" Lincoln asked.
"We must get the demon out and back into the Boiuna."