"We actually made it off of that crazy island," I whispered in disbelief. I was in my room, lying on my bed. It was only for a day but it will be an adventure that I will never forget. Being on that island was the most frightening experience of my life. It also caused me to see things more clearly. After that day on Ship-Trap Island, I've realized how much of a heart I truly have.

I opened my eyes and immediately panicked. I couldn't remember how we ended up laying on a beach. The only thing I did remember was looking over the edge of the boat and being drawn in by a light. While following that light, we hit some rocks that were hidden under the water. After hitting them, we were thrown overboard into the warmth of the Caribbean Sea. All I could think about at that point was how we were going to die, and then I blacked out. We either died and discovered some sort of freaky afterlife, or washed up on the shore. I figured it was time for me to get up, but as I moved to sit up, everything went pouring out. By that, I mean the remaining water that resided in my lungs, as well as the contents of my stomach. It was at that point that I knew that I was alive. I looked to my left and saw Stephanie on her side. "Stephanie," I exclaimed. I ran as fast as my legs would take me to her. "Oh no, please don't die, don't leave me here alone, please wake up," I whispered while shaking her. Just then, she did exactly what I had done moments before. I sighed in relief, knowing she was okay.

I looked at our surroundings, and the first thing that caught my eye was the remains of our ship that were floating in the ocean. The sand was colored a golden brown from the sun and slightly damp from the ocean spray. The taste and smell of salt was heavy in the air. You could hear nothing but the crash of the water against the rocks and our heavy breathing. I felt the ocean spray and the sand that was trapped in my clothing. The combination of everything, including the shock, made me nauseous and threatened to cause my body to react in an unpleasant way. I was thankful that my stomach was already empty. I helped Stephanie to stand up and we walked to the edge of the jungle. It was a mess of extremely tall trees and intertwined bushes covered in thorns. I was glad that I had my knife in my pocket. I pulled it out and proceeded to cut a path through the jungle. When we emerged from the darkness, we saw a path leading to a castle-like building. Without thinking, we ran to it as fast as we could.

When we knocked on the door, we were greeted by a giant. We knew he really wasn't a giant, but he could have fooled anyone if he told them. He was standing there, staring at us angrily, while pointing a gun at our faces. Then another, smaller man came by his side. He made some signs with his hands, and the giant stepped back, replacing the gun in his belt with fear displayed in his face. "Hello, you must please excuse Ivan," the small man said, "Unfortunately he was born to be deaf and dumb, but he is a good man. Yes, a very good man!" I attempted to comprehend the situation in front of me. I found it hard to believe that Ivan the giant was scared of the smaller man, when he probably knew that he could snap him like a twig. The small man spoke again, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Oh! Where are my manners? I apologize, you must be freezing in those wet clothes. Would you like to come in," he questioned. "Well we wouldn't want to impose on you…" I trailed off when I noticed the additional person in the house. "It would be no trouble at all. Please, I insist," he told us. I looked over at Stephanie. She was shaking uncontrollably and her lips were turning purple. "Okay, maybe for a little bit," I replied uneasily. "Wonderful," he exclaimed, "Oh, and before I forget, my name is Bill." We introduced ourselves and he led us inside.

After changing out of our wet clothes, we walked back downstairs and I gasped at the beauty of Bill's sitting room. Not only was it insanely huge, but it was decorated with the finest furniture and there were many impressive animal heads hanging from the walls. We sat by the fire, warming up almost instantly. I was seated next to the other man I saw before we entered the house. He noticed me staring, and then introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Tom," he said while smiling warmly, "and you are?" "My name is Stephanie, and this is April," Stephanie responded almost instantly. I could tell she had taken a liking to Tom by the unnatural shade of red that her face had turned. I then got up and sat on her other side, putting her next to Tom. "Thank you," she whispered to me excitedly, before her and Tom started to talk again. I rolled my eyes at her childish behavior and stared into the fire. "I see everyone's getting along," Bill exclaimed. He continued to walk over to us with Ivan on his heels like a lost puppy. We sat around like that for a while, listening to Bill's hunting stories. Then we learned about his horrible secret.

"You hunt people," Stephanie screeched in disbelief. "Don't worry my dear," he told her, "it's not as bad as it sounds." "Not as bad," she screamed at him, "You need help! What kind of sick person hunts people?" "One who is bored of hunting the same animals all the time," he calmly replied. Knowing Stephanie, she wouldn't shut up until she got through to him. On the other hand, Tom and I were too shocked to speak. "Well I'm sure you would prefer Ivan's alternative then," he questioned us. We looked over to Ivan and saw he had a variety of weapons on display for us. "Wait," I started, "you want to hunt us?" "You catch on fast my dear," he responded, "so what will it be?"

We were shocked to say the least. None of us chose Ivan's punishment, but Bill wanted us to pick a side. We could either hunt, or be hunted. "We will not hunt with him," Tom exclaimed. He and Stephanie were strongly against Bill's ways and refused to hunt with him. I felt so confused. I could feel my heartbeat pulsing in my eardrums. "I," I paused, "I can't go with you." I said it barely above a whisper, but I know they heard me. "What," they screamed in unison. "Why won't you go with us," Tom yelled. "I know why," Stephanie exclaimed, "April has a crush on that freak! She would rather die than think logically!" I felt my face heating up. I ignored her comment and raised my voice, "We're going to die anyway! What if we get split up? I'd rather you live than me!" I felt the tears running tracks down my face. Bill walked in and frowned at me while asking, "Have you made your choice yet?" "We are not going with you," Tom and Stephanie told him. "Oh what a shame. What about you," he asked while turning to me. "I'm," I paused to keep down the sobs that threatened to escape, "I'm with you." "Excellent," Bill exclaimed, "I'll have Ivan get your supplies." He made the weird hand signals and Ivan reappeared moments later with a hunting knife and some water. "You will get a few hours' head start before the hunt begins," he told them. They took the supplies and walked out without looking back. As soon as they closed that door, I broke down. I collapsed on the ground, crying hysterically. Bill picked me up off of the floor and sat with me on the sofa. All we did for the next few hours was try to calm me down enough so I would stop crying.

Then, it was time. He grabbed his gun and led me out of the house. It could have been no later than early afternoon. We attempted to follow the trail they set for us. I wasn't used to hunting on land so I felt useless, but Bill assured me that I was doing fine. Suddenly Bill stopped, causing me to crash into him. He knelt down and when he got back up, he looked up at a tree. I looked and saw Stephanie's hand clutching to a branch. My heart raced, but Bill only smiled and walked away. Confused, I followed him. "Why are you walking away," I asked. "When you hunt like I do," he whispered, "you find that playing games with your prey is more entertaining." We walked on and came to a clearing. I stepped forward as Bill yelled at me to watch out. Before I knew what was happening, I was pushed out of the way and I saw Bill get hit by a falling tree. I helped him up and we went back to the chateau to take care of his shoulder.

When we got back, Bill made more signals and Ivan left. "What did you say to him," I asked. "This is getting serious," he said darkly, "It's time to bring out the dogs." I looked over and saw Ivan holding the leashes of a pack of dogs. We walked again with Ivan being almost dragged by the dogs. We turned and didn't expect what came next. A tree branch came flying forward and knocked Ivan over. There was a knife attached to the branch that stabbed him in the heart, killing him instantly. Bill and I ran to the chateau as fast as we could. With the dogs in the yard, we sat in silence. We were startled by the sound of glass breaking. Tom and Stephanie walked around the corner, tired and sweating. Tom had a gun, which was pointed right at me. "The hunt is over Bill," Tom yelled, "give it up." Bill took out his gun and pointed it at Stephanie. The first thought that ran through my head asked why the girls were being targeted, but the second one told me to do something. "Stop, stop it! All of you," I screamed. They looked at me in confusion. "Do you see what's happening," I asked, "I know that you can be better than this!" They lowered their guns and looked at all of us. Soon enough we were on Bill's hidden ship, sailing back home.

"Done," I breathed. I put down my pen and stretched my sore hand. It was officially the longest entry I had ever written. I wanted to make sure that I would remember every detail. I screamed and shoved my journal under the pillow as I felt someone jump on the bed next to me. I turned only to be looking into the beautiful eyes of Bill. "Stephanie and Tom are waiting for us on the deck, are you coming," he asked. "Yeah, I'm coming," I responded. I know that it's supposed to be something out of a children's Christmas story, but I feel that my heart really did grow three sizes that day. As I walked up to the deck with Bill, I knew that some stories could have a happy ending.