It was starting to get to everyone. The dawning thought that they'd never be rescued. The thought that they'd have to eat bananas for the rest of their lives and wash their clothes in the ocean.
Taylor was tired of the daily routine of backbreaking work she needed to do just to have her next meal. She was also tired of everyone telling her she was the weakest link. That she never pulled her own weight. Even though it seemed as though Taylor could care less and did less she put forth her best effort. But being a pampered spoiled rich girl, her best didn't cut it.
"You done with the water?" Eric asked, breaking her thoughts. He was a cute and she figured him dating material in the beginning but the more she got to know him the more she detested him. Though she tried, he did not. Eric went intentionally out of his way to hurt other people.
"Yeah, just about," Taylor answered, handing him a water bottle. The diluting of the water was treacherous work, only to have small dribble of water trickle into the bucket but they knew no other way.
"Soo," Eric said, letting the word hang in the air. The days had started to smash together, seeming more alike with each passing moment.
"I don't want to talk Eric." Short and too the point.
"Touchy!" Eric cried, making sure to kick some sand into the almost full bucket before leaving her to start all over again.
Taylor was ready to get up and punch him in the face when a desperate voice called in the distance, "HELP!" Taylor gave Eric one last dirty look and turned to the forest to look for Melissa. The source of the voice.
She only needed to run a few meters into the forest to find Melissa, the others already there. Jackson laid on Melissa's lap, his cheeks flushed with fever and sweat soaking his hairline.
"We were getting fire wood when he suddenly collapsed!" Melissa cried shrilly, clearly worried about her crush. That had always annoyed Taylor, the fact that Melissa wanted Jackson. The one boy Taylor knew she would never have but secretly wanted. Melissa was too perfect for the boy; she wouldn't be able to deal with the past he kept so bottled up.
"He's really hot," Daley whispered then looked up at Taylor, "I need you to get the water that you've been cleaning all morning and meet me by the tents."
"Daley…," Taylor began, the resentment towards Eric rising.
"What?" she was picking up Jackson's legs as Nathan took his shoulders gently.
"I had it all ready but Eric-" Daley sighed impatiently, "If you don't have the water done, fine. But I don't want to hear your stupid excuses. Get me all the water you can."
Taylor felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Yeah, okay." She watched sadly as Jackson was carried away