Lost With You
How long before I get in Look up, I look up at night All that noise and all that sound
Before it starts before I begin?
How long before you decide or
Before I know what it feels like?
Where to, where do I go?
If you never try then you'll never know
How long do I have to climb
Up on the side of this mountain of mine
Planets are moving at the speed of light
Climb up, up in the trees
Every chance that you get is a chance you seize
How long am I gonna stand
With my head stuck under the sand?
I'll start before I can stop or
Before I see things the right way up
All those places I have got found
And birds go flying at the speed of sound
To show you how it all began
Birds come flying from the underground
If you could see it then you'd understand
~ Speed Of Sound - Coldplay
~ PART 1: Castaways
Shay awoke to the feeling of weight on his chest. Something tickled his nose and made him sneeze.
"Muhhh…" His eyes shot open. Nessa lay on him and her long black hair covered his face.
"Nessa?" Shay stammered, poking her awake. She mumbled sleepily as he gently brushed her off him. There were tall palm trees to his right and clear blue water splashing upon the sandy shore to his left. The sun was high in the sky and the sand they were lying on was scorching hot. The musician sat up, looking at his surroundings with a confused expression.
Meanwhile, Nessa had recovered somewhat and stared at him in bewilderment as he got to his feet and paced along the beach.
"Where the hell are we?" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation.
"I dunno." Nessa stood up and patted the dirt and sand off her pants. Shay removed his sweater and wrapped it around his waist.
"This looks like a deserted island to me. But…how did we get here?" he said, scratching his head and blinking. "Last thing I remember is-" the dark-haired musician paused, comprehending, "…nothing."
Nessa snorted back laughter. "Maybe we got so drunk, we paddled a boat way out into the water and got shipwrecked," she joked. It wasn't a laughing matter to Shay.
"Seems strange…I'm pretty sure I wasn't wasted, " he replied stiffly.
"We could be in the Bahamas right now. Wait-" Her eyes widened, "What if we aren't the only people here? There could be more."
Shay glanced around a bit uneasily. "I don't smell anybody."
Nessa shook her head slowly and walked up next to him. "We're downwind from the rest of the island, dummy." She pointed a finger towards a seemingly large area covered in thick green vines and tall trees. Some of the leaves were the size of a human head and it looked as if you could easily get lost among their over-growing branches.
The teen raised an eyebrow sceptically. "You're suggesting we risk our lives into the unknown to search for other inhabitants on this deserted island?" There was heavy sarcasm with a hint of doubt in his deep voice.
"Well, what else can we do?" She started off for the jungle.
"We can start a fire to signal for help?" Shay retorted, not making a move to follow his determined companion. He crossed his arms stubbornly, his face firm and defiant. "We should stay until a rescue team arrives."
She rolled her eyes in irritation. "And what if they don't come, huh? What do we do then? Starve to death and get eaten by rabid monkeys?"
"Monkeys don't eat-" he started.
"NOT THE POINT!" she yelled, already making her way through the leafy bushes. She tripped and fell, swearing. Shay rushed to her aid, frowning at her klutziness. The fallen female took his offered hand and latched on to him in an inescapable grip.
"Let me ride on your back."
"What?"
"Just let me get on your back!" Nessa jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around him before he could argue any further. Shay gripped her thighs to hold her up, grunting under her weight, and earning himself a smack for commenting that she should go on a diet.
"Onward!" Nessa cried, yanking on his hair.
"Oww! You're pullin' my hair out, Ness!" he yelped.
"Haha…Sorewee."
So the musician trudged on through the jungle, knocking branches out of his way. Their thorns scratched his arms and legs.
"Do you seriously think we're gonna stumble upon more people?" The British vampire asked, hissing in pain as the branches cut into his skin. Nessa held on more tightly and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Maybe. You never know."
They both fell silent as they continued on, not knowing where they would end up next or that Nessa had been right.
Somewhere on the other side of the island, two figures lay motionlessly on the ground. The smaller figure stirred and rolled over.
"PAH!" Rynn spat dirt out of her moth and slowly lifted her head. Shaiana was sprawled out, unmoving, next to her. Her long black hair was full of twigs and prickly burs and her catsuit was caked with mud on one side.
Rynn hurried over to the pale-green woman. "Shaiana?" The elf gently shook her. "Can you hear me?" Shaiana groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Rynn sighed in relief.
"Rynn…what happened?" The younger woman opened her mouth to speak then stopped. She shrugged. The thief got up and leaned against an adjacent tree, looking around. The red-head took her hand, squeezing it so tightly the villainess winced.
"Where…exactly…are we?" she wondered, puzzled.
A few feet ahead of them, big, jagged boulders protruded from the ground, cutting up pieces of earth and making the rocky footing under their feet more dangerous. Trees similar to what Shay and Nessa had seen earlier stood, tall but proud, around the couple. Birds chirped overhead and cool wind blew in a calm breeze. There was a strong fruity smell in the air.
"It appears we're on an island of some sort," Shaiana confirmed, pausing to pick a bur out of her tangled hair. Rynn nodded.
"But how in the world did we end up here?" It was the type of question neither of them could answer with certainty. The raven-haired beauty sucked in a breath and hugged Rynn to her.
"At least we're alive and together." She kissed the elf's forehead, hoping to comfort her.
"Yes," Rynn agreed quietly. "Thank goodness." She couldn't stand to be away from her lover for even a day. She always worried about the thief and missed her greatly when they were apart.
"Now what?"
"I…don't know."
Rynn sighed and kicked a small red fruit that she had stepped on. The tree they were under was abundant with them. It explained the fruity aroma.
"Do you think they're edible?" The red-head held up the fruit, eying it curiously. Shaiana licked her lips and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"I've seen it somewhere before," the thief said, "it's served with cocktails to add more flavour. I think it's rare except for in the tropics, like Mexico."
Rynn's jaw dropped. "Maybe we're in Mexico!" she gasped and looked around again. The villainess chuckled, shaking her head.
"However we were transported here, I don't think we were unconscious long enough to travel that far." She sounded confident with her theory.
"Good point. I don't remember anything at all, come to think of it…" Rynn furrowed her eyebrows as if deep in thought. She tried concentrating harder but still came up blank.
"I bet there's an in-landing on this island. You know, a shore because we're probably surrounded by a large body of water," Shaiana mused, interrupting her wife's thoughtful reverie. The red-head grinned, her blue eyes sparkling.
"You're absolutely right!" Her grin faded and a grim expression replaced it. "I guess that means we have to take a long walk…"
But the green-skinned woman wasn't easily discouraged. "We won't get rescued if we just sit here and mope about it. Maybe if we wonder around, it'll be easier for them to find us."
This seemed to brighten Rynn's mood a bit. "Alright. It'll be like an adventure!" The unaging elf stuck out her arms and spun in wide circles. She took Shaiana's hands, making the plasma-wielding villainess spin around happily with her.
After a minute of this, the thief swept Rynn up into her arms. "Okay, sweetheart," she laughed, "we have a lot of hiking to do. We'll save the dancing for when we get home.' The red-head stole a kiss from her lover, smirking deviously.
"Do you think if we made love right here, right now, it would scare the animals?" There were no objections.
"Can't…go…any...further," Shay gasped, out of breath and panting heavily. He let go of Nessa and she fell back and landed on her butt.
"There was no need to drop me, jerk!"
The musician sat down, exhausted from the long walk he had endured. "Yeah, well, you coulda walked instead. You weigh a ton." Nessa glared at him and threw a small stone at his head. Shay tenderly rubbed the bump that had formed, muttering profanities under his breath. Nessa went over to him.
"Let me see it." She inspected the bump briefly then kissed his nose. Shay blushed at this, but Nessa didn't notice. "Did you hear that?" She strained her ears and picked up the unmistakeable sound of rushing water nearby.
"A waterfall? Great, I need to wash up anyways, " she exclaimed, relieved. Shay scowled as Nessa disappeared with a strong gust of wind. He followed suit and ran using his lightning-fast vampire speed. A clearing in the trees came up ahead and he halted an abrupt stop. A sparkling waterfall cascaded down a thirty foot cliff, showering everything with mist. He could almost feel the coolness of the water as he approached it with renewed eagerness. He took off his shoes and socks, gingerly dipping a foot into the water.
It was ice-cold, naturally, but to him it felt luke-warm. Knowing Nessa was within the area, the musician only stripped down to his boxer-briefs.
"WOOHOO!!!" He jumped at the noise, nearly falling over. Nessa was standing at the top of the raging falls and was fearlessly leaning over its edge.
"Be careful," Shay warned.
But she paid no heed and cannon-balled into the water with a loud splash. He dove in smoothly and resurfaced, his hair plastered to his face.
"Heya!" Nessa popped out of the water behind him and threw her arms around his neck. She giggled. He coughed and wiped the hair out of his eyes.
"The water's nice," he commented, unhooking her arms and turning around.
"Feels quite warm to me." The water suddenly got hotter, bubbling and steaming.
"Must be helpful having that ability."
"Very."
Shay boldly moved closer to the black-haired woman, determined and smiling from ear to ear. Her cheeks flushed as he wrapped both arms around her, holding her to his muscular body securely.
"I'm not wearing anything."
"I know." Shay grinned, not releasing her from his grasp.
"Pervert."
However, Nessa didn't move away but pressed harder against him. It was his turn to blush when her breasts touched his chest; he reflexively avoided making the lower areas of their bodies come in contact.
"Why so nervous all of a sudden?" she teased, smirking flirtatiously and batting her eyelashes. He squirmed helplessly, still blushing. "Aww, you're turning red." Nessa leaned in to kiss him and then froze when a voice called out:
"Nessa? Shay?" Nessa gasped and shoved Shay underwater. Rynn and Shaiana stared at them from the bank with their mouths open, eyes wide and unblinking. The drowning musician was gurgling, arms reaching up desperately, wanting air. Nessa freed him, eyes fixed on the two gaping women.
"Umm, hi?" Rynn was the first to recover.
"Were you and Shay just-?" She was unable to continue. Shaiana burst into hysterical laughter, rolling on the ground and clutching her stomach. The elf looked pale and on the verge of fainting. Shay swam away from Nessa, glowering at Shaiana.
"Oh my gawd. I wish that was something that could be unseen," Rynn said, messaging her temples.
"Shuddup," Nessa mumbled. The red-head cleared her throat and changed the topic.
"Do you have any idea where we are?" She cast the thief-who had stopped laughing and was serious again-a worried glance. Shay, still embarrassed, busied himself by washing his hair under the waterfall as best he could without shampoo.
"Shay and I woke up on the beach," Nessa told her, "and we don't know how we got there. It's hard to remember."
Shaiana stared off at the water as if deciding whether or not to join them for a swim. Shay immediately saw her moment of hesitation and waved to her.
"The water's great. Jump in!" he called.
"Psh. As if I'd get naked in front of you," she yelled back, placing her hands on her hips. Nessa cut in defensively.
"He's not as perverted as most guys. Trust me." The green woman wasn't convinced. Rynn started lifting her shirt over her head.
"I'll take Nessa's word for it. As long as lover boy keeps at least ten feet away, I'm good."
"So you're all gonna neglect me because I'm a guy?!" he cried.
"Yeah," Rynn said coolly.
"Pretty much," Shaiana added, beginning to unzip her catsuit.
"Don't peek…don't peek…" The young musician told himself, shielding his eyes dramatically with his hands. The pair continued to undress, ignoring him completely.
Shaiana walked into the water after setting her clothing on a rock along with Rynn's. The red-head dived in, laughing, and swam towards Nessa.
"We thought we were the only ones here, but you're here, too!" Completely nude, the elf hugged Nessa. Shay waded over to Shaiana. The raven-haired beauty regarded him with mild interest.
"Must be nice being the only guy here with three naked women." He smiled at her and rested his arm on an over-turned log that was floating by.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't pull anything on married women," he assured jokingly. Shaiana quirked an eyebrow and pursed her lips.
"Hoping to get lucky with Nessa, huh? I've seen the way you look at her."
"I don't need luck. And I like her…a lot." He turned his head and glanced at Nessa longingly.
"Hmm, I wonder what she sees in you."
Shay blinked. "I'm kidding," the pale-green criminal said with a chuckle at his reaction. Nessa and Rynn were engaged in a splash-fight, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Would you say I was insensitive…to women?" His question took her by surprise.
"No, not really. You're a nice guy, mostly, and you're caring I guess."
"Not really? Mostly? You guess?" She shrugged.
"Well then, don't ask me!" Shay sighed deeply. The thief patted his hand and gave him a tender smile. "If you really want to be with Nessa, don't hold back. Don't be hesitant to show her how you feel. Sorry that sounds kinda cliché."
"Nah, it's okay. Thanks. I needed the pep talk, " the teen admitted, returning the smile. His growling stomach ruined the moment. "I'm gonna go for a hunt while you ladies finish. Then I'll start making our shelter for the night."
"What exactly do you have in mind? Some kind of hut?" Shay shook his head.
"All depends on what I find." The thief nodded and he swam back to the bank and got dressed with his hair still dripping wet.
"Where are you going?!" Nessa shouted, eying him questionably. Rynn splashed her with an evil laugh.
"For a hunt. I'll be back soon," he answered and headed out for the uninviting jungle. The sun was getting lower in the sky and the air wasn't so hot and humid anymore. Bugs buzzed around, occasionally taking a bite of him. The musician ignored the pests, shape-shifting into his werewolf form and sniffing about to find supper.
There were monkeys, but they chattered noisily and scampered up the trees whenever he came close to them. So a meal of the primates was off the menu. Later, Shay came across a small herd of deer grazing by a waterhole. With cunning swiftness and speed, he easily caught a young buck. He hungrily devoured the animal in five minutes. It was too late to think of sharing the kill, so he decided to go fishing.
He managed to catch four fair-sized fish by using his long muzzle to snatch them up after batting at them with his paws. Shifting back to his original form, the musician carefully wrapped each of them up in big leaves to preserve them and went to find the others. He found them sitting on a fallen log, talking. Nessa spotted him first and rushed to meet him cheerfully.
"You got food?" she asked, hugging his arm.
"Yup, let me start a fire first so we can have some fried fish." He walked over to where Shaiana and Rynn sat and set down the wrapped fish, taking two sticks and rubbing them together to cause friction. The green villainess saw what he was doing and held up an ignited hand.
"Allow me." She grinned widely and shot a bolt of glowing green plasma at the pile of twigs he had gathered up on the ground at his feet. A bright green flame flickered up. Shay threw pieces of wood onto the growing, crackling fire.
"That's so cool, " Rynn murmured in awe as she stared at the beautiful flames. Shaiana smiled and put an arm around the elf's shoulders. Nessa handed everyone out sticks for the fish while Shay handed each person out their rations.
"Bon appetite, ladies."
"I have to admit I'm impressed with your wilderness skills, Shay," Rynn said, catching him off guard with the compliment.
"What can I say? I love nature." He bit into his fish after roasting over the green fire. Nessa and Rynn did the same. The thief held the food in her hand and ignited it. The musician sat quietly while the others chatted about the island and what they were going to do when they got home. Nessa joined him after a while.
"Thanks for supper."
"You're welcome." Silence.
"Want some help building the shelters?"
He turned to look at her, arms folded across his knees. "That would be nice. You can do the construction while I cut the wood and stuff. Sound okay to you?"
Nessa grinned from ear to ear. "When do we start?"
It took Shay two hours to cut some of the smaller trees with the Swiss Army hunting knife he always carried. Nessa built two tepee-like structures by leaning the branches up against tree trunks and coving the ground inside of them with leaves to make it more comfortable to lie on. Finally finished, they stood back and admired their handy-work.
"I made that one larger-" she pointed to the biggest tepee, "-because it's for me, Shaiana, and Rynn. I thought you'd like to have one to yourself because you're a guy and all."
"Magnificent. Maybe we'll be out of here tomorrow."
"I hope so." Nessa sighed quietly. The sun had disappeared over the horizon and stars appeared in the sky. They sparkled-small and bright-like fireflies. The night was chilly but thankfully not windy. They were all meteor-enhanced so they didn't usually get cold with their abnormal body temperatures. It was pitch-black outside when they went to bed. The three women lay in the large tepee while Shay had the smaller one. He used his folded sweater as a pillow under his head. The musician gazed up at the starry night sky through the cracks in the shelter roof, unable to fall asleep.
There was a rustling sound. Shay saw a movement of shadows in the darkness.
"You awake?" A familiar voice asked timidly.
"Yup." Nessa crawled in through the entrance hole and over to him. Her hand found his and held it tightly.
"Mind if I sleep here with you?" She sounded unusually serene.
"Umm, sure. Not much room to move…" He shifted to the side so she could lie down next to him. Nessa snuggled against the unaging teen, smiling invisibly when he placed an arm around her.
"Comfy?" he whispered.
"Snug as a bug." She could heard his heart race as she placed her ear to his chest.
"Night." Her cheek brushed against his slightly and she didn't reply. Then Shay felt her breath in his face a moment later, warm and sweet.
"Ness?" Her lips touched his-soft and gentle-in a kiss. He automatically closed his eyes and kissed her back, fingers running through her long black hair. After a while, she felt his tongue in her mouth. "Mmm…" Nessa mumbled, rolling on top of him. The still quietness of the night was interrupted by a low moan from Nessa as Shay took hold of her hips and made her grind up against him slowly.
Shay broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "You sure you wanna do this?" he breathed.
"We're already this far, why stop now?"
"I wouldn't want you to do something you'd regret."
Nessa groaned impatiently. "I'm gonna start having second thoughts if we continue talking about it instead of doing it."
"Okay, okay! Don't get worked up." He captured her lips again in a more heated kiss. There was no stopping it. He wanted her. He wanted to make her his. Somewhere in the distance, an animal howled.
TO BE CONTINUED…
PART 2 COMING SOON!