Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and I am not affiliated in any way, shape or form with anyone who does.
Ana closed her eyes, not sure how the action was supposed to help but doing it anyway, trying to block out the cries of Aaron and the wails of Claire.
"Please, you've got to help. I haven't slept in three days and I can't leave him with Charlie anymore!"
Ana felt her hands curl into fists beside her; deciding that Claire didn't know how lucky she was to have the sleepless nights, the dirty nappies and the never-ending screams. She would give anything to be experiencing it but Claire wasn't even appreciating it.
"Ana!"
A lump formed in her throat as she opened her eyes to see Aaron looking up at her. She knew that she had to get away from the scene before the tears, already sparkling behind her eyes, spilled over.
"I… I just can't."
Claire's face twisted, obviously annoyed, "fine! Be selfish then!" She jiggled Aaron, causing him to cry further and walked away across the beach to find someone else who would watch over him.
Ana felt her knees threatening to buckle. A quick glance around the rest of the survivors showed that nobody was paying any attention to her but she knew that the situation would change if she cried in front of them. She would no longer be the tough one, the one who could handle anything. She would be nothing more than a pathetic waste of space, the girl who cried. She swallowed; knowing that she wasn't going to let that happen, she had to maintain the presence of being strong.
Not bothering to grab anything, she turned and made her way into the jungle. She wasn't going anywhere in specific, she just needed to get far enough away that she could leave them all behind.
Less than a minute into her trip she felt a wetness slide down one cheek and she rubbed furiously at it, she wasn't going to let herself cry yet. There was still the danger of someone noticing her. However, another tear broke free and she quickened her pace, knowing that she would not be able to hold them back much longer.
Eventually, after fifteen minutes of manoeuvring through the jungle she gave up, sinking down onto her knees in between the trees. Feeling her whole body shudder the tears finally burst free, cascading down her face as he sat down properly, not resisting the urge to tuck her legs into her chest and loop her arms around them. She sobbed, shivering violently each time.
She remained there for a few moments until she heard a twig snap behind her. Her face shot away from her knees as she stumbled to her feet, trying to swallow her tears. She wasn't sure who was there but she felt sick knowing that somebody had seen her. She desperately hoped that it would be Eko; he hadn't told anyone about the last time he had found her but her hopes were dashed when she glanced around to see Sawyer there.
A/N: Second part of this should be up within the week.