I wrote this Narrative for a mini-assignment in my English class. Simon's first few minutes on the island.
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The sudden booming noise startled me from where I had been sitting on a fallen log some distance away from the others. They were all fretting and fussing and Jack was yelling at them and the whole ruckus wasn't helping my developing headache. The deep, earsplitting wail sent a sharp stab of pain through my scull, and caused my eyes to momentarily blur. Bending over, I rubbed my eyes, futilely trying to still the pain. The others had ceased their bickering, but as the noise faded away, they started up all over again.
I stood unsteadily and walked to the edge of the clearing, squinting off into the jungle. The sound had come roughly from the direction of the crash sight. I didn't notice Jack come up behind me until he grabbed my shoulder forcefully and snapped "And what do you think you're doing you prat? Think you're too good to join in our meeting hmm?" I turned to look at the rest of the group, who had stopped talking and were presently staring at the exchange with varying expressions of amusement. Maurice glared distastefully at me, and addressed Jack, "leave him Jack, the little pansy won't be of help anyways, always staring off all dreamy like." Jack evidently agreed, because with one last glance, he rejoined the huddle.
After some discussion, Jack announced loudly that they were going to head in the direction the sound had come from. Pushing the boys around until they formed a single-file line, Jack dragged me forward by my robes sleeve, and positioned my at the very end of the line. Marching to the front, Jack led the small procession out into the jungle.
After only about five minutes of walking, I was about ready to collapse. Luckily, we soon broke through the edge of the trees and spilled out onto the sunlit beach. The reflections off the water blinded me, and caused dark spots to dance across my vision. I really wasn't feeling good.
Around me, the others exclaimed as they caught sight of the sizable crowd of boys gathered at the far end of the beach. Jack set towards them, his gate proud purposeful. The rest of us had to hurry to keep up with his longer strides, and several boys stumbled in the uneven sand.
I vaguely registered reaching our destination, and Jack, as usual, being noisy and rude, but most of my focus was needed to stay on my feet. There were at least a dozen other boys, perhaps more, standing scattered in a loose semi-circle. At the centre of the group were two boys. One, a tall, good-looking boy with sand-coloured hair held a large shell in his hands. His eyes were bright and alert and he was hopping from one foot to the other, as if he were too excited to stand still. At his side, and slightly behind the other, was a squat, pudgy boy peering out from behind thick spectacles.
While the blonde boys eyes jumped around spastically, this boy looked around him calmly, and his eyes met mine in a steady gaze. He was not as attractive as his companion in any sense of the word; he had about him something that I liked. He looked like someone I would have gotten along with back home, quite and un-judgmental, someone who wouldn't tease me for reading my nature books and not playing football with the others.
He was also the type of person that Jack would instantly target, so I knew that I couldn't afford to befriend him. I was already in Jacks bad books, and it would make my life, or whatever life I had now, miserable. Breaking eye contact, I tried to hear what Jack was saying to the blond. But all the noises were blending into the background to form one, meaningless drone. I wished I had stayed in the clearing, all this noise was making me feel light-headed. And the heat was stifling, I really needed to get away, anywhere but this crowded, sweltering beach, If I didn't get away, I was surly going to…