Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Flies characters. They belong to William Golding. The girl named Dana is mine and she's got a short life line.
Warning: AU, character death and lemons (non-con).
Orange Butterflies and Sunsets
I woke up to see Jack lying next to me. What the hell? How'd he get here in the first place? Ralph has made a rule that no one else comes in my shelter. I was about to slap this wimp across the face when my little brother walked in.
"Dana, when are we gonna play tag?" Peter asked. "It's very bright outside."
"We'll play soon," I replied. Just then Jack woke up. I glared at him. "Good morning, loser," I greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"None of your business," Jack said. He got on his feet and looked down on me. "Why do you care?"
"Because you broke the rules!" I snapped. "First of all, I'm not interested in you." Peter muttered something under his breath and stood aside.
"Jack, could you please leave?" Peter asked. "You already know my sister doesn't like you at all." Jack glared at him and shot a glance back at me.
"I know you don't like me," he said, sounding slightly disappointed. "You never will. In fact, you're such a got damn loser!"
"Excuse me?" I confronted. "Are you calling me a loser?" I got on my feet and glared at him.
"Yea," he snapped. "Because you chose Steve over me! Why? We all know he's gay!"
"For your information, Steve isn't gay at all. You are!"
Peter snickered in the background. He's grown used to hearing me say this to people, so he saw it as a joke. However, I knew that sounded harsh, but I wanted Jack out of my way. That's the only way I got through to him. He slowly nodded his head.
"You can't get what you want all the time," I told him.
"No one can," said Peter, bridging the gaps. We both shared a grin and gave each other a high-five.
"So that's how it's gonna be?" he asked venomously. "Fine! I fucking hate you!" Tears were welling up in his eyes. "You're really gonna regret this later on." He took one last look at Peter. The seven year old tried to conceal his laughter.
Upset and angry, Jack dashed out of the shelter past Peter.
"Why is he crying?" Peter asked.
"He made himself cry," I replied while crossing my arms. "That's his problem, not mine."
A bunch of murmurs went around camp. I heard a few boys call me a bad ass, but I decided to ignore. Mikey poked his head through the entrance.
"He's talking about you," he said. "Just wanted to let you know." I decided to ignore them. They weren't worth my time.
I looked at Peter and stooped down to his level. "Wanna go on a hike?" I asked. "I remember seeing bunches of pineapples."
His eyes lit up. "Pineapples? Cool!" he exclaimed. "Can I have a piggy-back ride?"
"Sure!" I held him by his legs while he hugged my collarbone. "You ready to be a butterfly?"
"Yup!"
"Let's go!"
He spread his wings and flew happily under the sun.
x-x-x
Since pineapples were his favourite, I decided to take him along in the forest. In a short while we were followed by the twins and two little boys. I loved my brother to death! I would do anything and everything to make him happy. Despite the four years age difference, we had a special connection nonetheless.
Let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm a short, witty brunette who used to go to kindergarten with Jack. He was a bully in class, and he has picked on me and two of my best friends the most. Prior to starting first grade, I begged my parents to send me to a different school. That's how much I couldn't stand him. Don't see this as a 'long, lost friend' scenario. We're enemies, and I refuse to forgive him for the time he cut my hair short during Arts and Crafts. Besides, he stole my uncle's car!
I met Steve last summer. He's a go-getter, and to be honest with you he's fun to be with. However, we're not an item and I don't think we'll ever be. That goes to show how Jack doesn't know what he's talking about. Speaking of the devil, he's a total idiot and that's all he'll ever be!
The afternoon went by very fast, but it was well spent. We've played a game of tag, eaten bunches of fruit and chased after piglets for the fun of it. It got to a point where we felt very exhausted. We sat in the shade and talked for a while.
"So how long have you known Jack for?" Sam asked.
"I've known him in kindergarten. That's it."
"Aw that sucks," Eric commented. "I would've felt happy hanging out with him throughout the years."
"I would've done the same," Sam said. "There's no way you could miss out on all the fun with him." Just then my little brother showed up.
"I gotta go get something," Peter said.
"Want me to come?" I asked. He quickly shook his head. "Are you sure about that?"
"I'll be safe," he said assuredly. "Don't worry about it." With that said, he ran deep into the forest.
I cocked my head to the side, wondering why Peter would leave in such a hurry. I shook off the thought, knowing that there's no need to worry. I stared at the stream that flowed by while the frogs hopped after the dragonflies. It looked as though they were playing a game of tag, just like Peter and I. Although I didn't know much about the nature of things, I decided to look at the sun instead. It was orange and it shone beautifully. Too bad Peter was missing this. He enjoyed watching orange sunsets, but anything orange coloured would excite him since that's his favourite color. Just then Mikey and Will came running to us.
"We heard someone scream," they said. "It sounded like Peter!"
"Let's go search for him."
Everywhere we went, he was nowhere to be heard or seen. This was starting to worry me. Peter was missing and there was no alternative on the cause of his sudden disappearance. I've kept him close at all costs. The more I thought about him, the more worried I've become.
"How could this possibly happen?" I asked Sam back at camp. "He would never leave me behind. Ever!"
"Maybe he went in another direction-"
"-all by himself."
"He must've lost his way-"
"-in the forest."
I felt a shiver in my spine. "I wanna go home!" I cried.
"Don't say that," Eric said. "The others will think you're scared."
Just then Simon showed up. "I've found him," he said gloomily.
"Where was he?" asked the twins.
"He was somewhere in the forest, by a tree," he explained. "I think he's dead."
"Impossible!" I snapped. "There's no way!"
"There was a bunch of stab wounds all over his chest. I'll assume he was left for dead."
"Did you at least try to bring him back?" I asked, coming close to tears.
Simon slowly shook his head. "There was nothing I could do about it. It was already too late."
Shocked and stunned, I got up and took a stroll down the beach. I never thought I'd lose someone so precious, so soon. The thought was utterly disturbing that I decided to take a nap and forget everything. It wasn't easy at first. I cried myself to sleep knowing that my little brother wasn't safe, because I didn't protect him.
x-x-x
I felt some fingers tickle my thighs. I opened my eyes to see an unexpected visitor. He had his index finger on my lips. Honestly, I couldn't care less whether or not he wanted me to keep my mouth shut.
"What are you doing here?" I asked loudly.
Jack made no reply. He crawled till he hovered over me, his hair getting in my eyes. He held my wrists down on the ground. I kicked all over the place just to get him off, but that didn't seem to work. Instantly, his lips caught mine. I tried to pull away but it was no use; the ground was a total barrier that kept me trapped underneath him. His tongue slithered it's way in my mouth and tickled mine. I tried everything in my power to push him away. I felt his hands roam in the wrong places. His kisses got more rough and I tried to push him away again. Finally, he pulled away.
"Leave me alone!" I shouted, catching my breath. I freed my hands from his gripped ones.
"No one can hear you," he sneered. "They're all on the mountain burying the very person I killed. Too bad you can't give him piggy-back rides anymore." I was in a state of shock. The maniac killed my little brother, and now he's ready to get rid of me. "Now that he's gone, you're next!"
"Shut-up! I hate you!" I raised a hand to slap him, but he caught it quickly. I tried to pull it away. "Let me go!"
"Saying that won't change anything. Now get over it."
"I can't and I won't!" This time I won when I pushed him away. I got up and ran for my life, though I didn't know where I was heading. It was very dark outside, save for the stars that shone in the sky. Since most of the shelters were empty, I decided to head to the lagoon where the shortcut to the mountain was. There I'll be safe and sound with no Jack to harass me again.
Unfortunately I was wrong.
With poor night vision, I found myself in a place of nowhere, somewhere quiet and unrecognizable. This only made me more scared since I'm afraid of the dark. My mind was spinning and my heart was pounding my chest very hard now. I decided to run back into the forest again when I felt two arms wrap my waist from behind. I struggled to free myself, but I tripped over a log and fell. As I landed on the grassy ground, he sat on my belly.
"Get off of me!"
He pulled down my shorts and his mouth was at my ear. "If you would stop moving and complaining, this will be over."
"Shut-up and back off!" A knot formed in my stomach. I never stopped fighting. I never stopped screaming. I was caught in a frenzy.
"Request refused. I'm in control."
Every time I begged him to stop, he would either pinch me or kiss my lips hard again. He pulled my legs far apart and sat in between them. His swift, expert hands unhooked my bra and tossed it aside like it was nothing. Once again his lips met mine forcefully. His kisses were more rough than before. He grabbed my back and pierced my skin as he went along. I felt like crying as he trailed down my body. He sucked, bit and kissed my nipples repeatedly when he stuck his index finger in my belly button. My eyes widened. It hurts so badly I wanted him to stop. I shivered repeatedly in response to his actions.
After having consumed those areas, he rubbed my jewel through my panties. I regained my strength and got on the defensive. I slapped, punched, bit and scratched with all I had. Just then he slapped me in the face very hard. I tried to hold back the tears while he laughed it off. I looked up at and saw the devilish glint in his eyes. It was scary as hell.
"Do you miss your little brother?" he asked mockingly. "Sorry for stabbing him earlier. He asked for it, so you better be a good girl."
"You're lying!" I shouted. Peter wasn't the suicidal type. He loved everything good like any innocent child would, especially sunsets and butterflies. He wanted to live, but he was now gone.
"Too bad your parents aren't around," he said sullenly. "I'd be happy to tell them exactly how stupid you are."
He sat up and ground against me. He pushed and held my shoulders down while his fingernails dug my skin. I screamed and struggled to push him away, but he was much stronger. As he moved faster and harder against my sacred spot, my entire body shook as he stuck his fingers in my mouth. I was falling down a pit; I felt light-headed as his groans got louder and ringed in my ears. What I don't understand is, why was I making sounds too? They sounded muffled with his fingers there, but I wasn't enjoying this. I was falling in and out of consciousness. My vision grew blurry as he lost control. He scratched my back and nibbled my earlobe. That's when the tears fell.
"Jack..." I managed to say, "stop it. I'm...begging you...please..." He clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Shut-up!" he hissed. "You're too loud." He kept on going as the tears continued to flow. I couldn't take it anymore. I really wanted this to be over, but I lost all strength. I felt flushed as my breath got lost. His movements sucked the life out of me and I blacked out.
I had my clothes on when I woke up. Assuming that he's gone, I managed to get up but my legs were shaky. He grabbed my chin and made me face him.
"Just to make one thing clear," he said with a low voice. "Don't tell nobody what happened." He squeezed my cheeks very hard. "If you tell someone I'll do it again. You'll be dead just like Peter and that would be the happiest day of my life!" With that, he pushed me to the ground and walked away.
'This isn't real,' I convinced myself. 'This was never real!'
x-x-x
The next day things were back to normal, but not quite. I got up and went to find Ralph. He was filling up a coconut with water and I needed him really bad. At least he's someone I could talk to. As I approached him he looked up.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your brother yesterday," he said. I gave him a weak smile and took a deep breath. "What's wrong?"
"Ralph," I began, "don't tell anybody else okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't," he replied. Just then he took notice of my shoulders. "Your shoulders are scratched. Are you alright?"
I nodded quickly, but it seemed as though he was searching for something. "It doesn't look like it to me," he commented. "Tell me about it."
"Um, well...I know who killed...Peter yesterday."
"You do?" he asked eagerly.
"Yea, but this person literally attacked me last night."
"How is that possible?" Ralph asked. "You weren't on the mountain last night, were you?"
I shook my head and forced a smile. "I was sleeping in my shelter. Jack snuck in and attacked me. I ran for my life, got lost...and then it happened." I wish I could tell his parents all the crap he did! "All I know is that we...kinda...did it." I felt my eyes water. "But it wasn't my fault!"
"So that's what he did," he stated, lightly touching my cuts and scratch marks. "I knew something wasn't right. He disappeared into thin air and never came back."
"How am I gonna tell my parents?" I asked.
"Dana, it's not the end of the world," he said. "Don't let this get the best of you."
I don't know what to think anymore. First I lost Peter and now I lost all hope. I don't think I'll ever smile again. Yesterday's orange sunset meant the end to all my happiness. For the frogs and dragonflies, that was our last game of tag. As for the pineapples, I don't think I'll ever eat another one. Not without Peter.
"Look, I gotta go!" I dashed halfway down the beach. At this point tears were rolling down my cheeks. Before I reached the scar, he caught up and stopped me in my tracks.
"Dana, look at me!" Ralph demanded. I looked at him. "It's not your fault. Jack will be put in exile for what he's done to you both." He took my hands and held them in his. "I don't want you to get hurt again. That's the truth."
Just then a butterfly came and landed on my shoulder. It's orange wings were just as bright as the sunset I saw, the one Peter had missed. Its black stripes reminded me of his dark hair. It slowly flapped its wings seven times while it stood on my shoulder, looking at me. By the eighth flap it flew to a pineapple tree nearby.
I smiled. My little brother was safe, much safer now.
-The End-