A/N: Finally posting the first chapter of this re-write. It was published in September of 2018 on AO3, by the same name and under the same name I use here. No other chapters have been posted though, so no need to worry about missing content. I'll be updating both places with this work from now on.
For those of you that read The Strangest Little Light, thank you so much for supporting us and giving this version a read over too.
And of course, I'm grateful to all the new readers as well :)
Summery: Kamryn and Olivia both work for a publishing house in Pennsylvania. A small lull in business allows the two good friends to take a small vacation together. Whilst enjoying a day on their cruise, something strange happens... The women suddenly find themselves in a strange forest. They attempt to find civilization and from there on, their world is flipped upside down. They meet many strangers, with strange powers and motives for 'helping' them. They don't know who to trust or what in the world is going on. The end goal is just to get back home for the two of them, and they're not sure what all they will need to do to accomplish that...
A speaker buzzed loudly, catching the attention of the large cruise ships passengers. A throat cleared through the speaker before a clear, enthusiastic voice could be heard ringing through the multiple levels of the ship. "Ahoy, passengers, this is your Captain! I hope you are all enjoying this absolutely wonderful getaway. The sun is bright, the water is calm, and there are plenty of activities for you to enjoy here on the wonderful Regal Atlantic Cruise Ship!" Papers could be heard shuffling in the background before the captain cleared his throat again. "We are currently in bound for passage through the Bermuda Triangle! Now I would just like to say that legends are just legends, we have made this trip dozens of times with no problems. That being said I would like for you all to relax and enjoy the ride!" The speaker cut off with an audible click as the sounds of passengers resuming their activities quickly rose in volume.
On the deck near a large pool a young brunette sighed, adjusting herself in a lounge chair she was currently coveting from other passengers, trying to stay in the relative safety of the shade an umbrella perched above the chair was providing. She peered over her oversized sunglasses at a blonde woman who lounged blissfully next to her under the harsh rays of the sun. A frown appeared on her face, "How exactly are you golden brown while I'm lobster red?" She poked tentatively at the reddening skin on her thigh, wincing at the slight burn.
The blonde smiled and peeked up at the woman, shading her eyes with a hand. "Well, Livvy, maybe if you actually went outside more than once a week, you would be past the burning phase and be as amazingly 'golden brown' as I am".
Livvy pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, "Me being tan is just not meant to be, Kam. What can I say? My family has been as pale as ghosts for seven generations." Her mouth cracked into a smirk as she looked over at Kam.
Kam rolled her eyes with a soft laugh, closing her eyes and resuming her sunbathing as she replied, "Not even ghosts are as white as you. I invite you to the gym and to go tanning with me all the time, it's not my fault you insist to refuse. Your resemblance to a certain shellfish is your own fault".
Livvy's smirk faltered and she rolled her eyes, "My genetic disposition for being weak to the sun's rays is not my fault. My family's people were used to snow covered hills-"
Her friend cut her off with an amused snort, "You are half Italian! Don't make up silly nonsense because you are a hermit".
It was silent for a moment. When Kam heard a deep voice mumbling something over where her friend was, she quickly looked over. An unknown man was squatting beside the chair, halfway hovering over the brunette, who was shrinking away with a deep frown prominent on her face. Though Kam didn't catch what he had said to the girl, she could only guess it was as sleazy as his grin.
Shooting up into a sitting position, Kam glared at the man and cleared her throat to get his attention, "Excuse me, can we help you?"
The man's eyes stayed on Livvy for a few seconds after Kam spoke, but they slowly went to rest on the face of the blonde. "I just asked your friend here if she wanted to join my friend and I for dinner tonight." He gestured to another man standing a bit away, who was very obviously uncomfortable with the situation his friend was causing. "But it seems as though I broke her." He gave a small chuckle before letting his eyes drop to Kam's chest for a moment, "You could join us too, if that would make her more comfortable."
Kam scoffed at the man, eyes roving over him with an unimpressed look, "You can't even score one woman for your little 'dinner' plans and you think that you can talk both of us into suffering your company?" She stood from her lounger, grabbed Livvy's arm, and pulled her up with her, the brunette quickly snagging her kimono bathing suit coverup. "We'll be going now."
As the two women walked away Livvy let out a heavy sigh and relaxed her shoulders. She pushed her large sunglasses up and on top of her head as Kam turned around to look past Livvy and glare at the man who had finally gotten up and looked like he was heading to bug some other poor woman.
Her gaze then went to the man that the creep had pointed out as his friend. He was now hiding himself behind an umbrella table, clearly embarrassed.
"I think I'm gonna go grab something at the bar." Livvy fanned her face as she looked at the small line in front of said bar.
Kam looked at Livvy, appearing to be in thought, looking at the creep who was now definitely occupied with some other woman now, before turning her hard gaze back to his friend. "Grab me something too, a Mudslide, I'll be right back."
Livvy shrugged and walked away to the bar area, pulling on her coverup and continuing to fan herself as she went. Kam watched her until she made it to the bar before turning and walking towards the man behind the umbrella. She saw him tense up when he noticed her and had to force herself not to roll her eyes.
"Hey. You."
She had stopped in front of him, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "Are you a part of that?" She gestured vaguely in the direction of where she had last saw his friend.
The man shook his head slowly, eyeing the blonde in front of him warily as she scoffed, "Oh so you were just standing idle by while he goes around giving unwanted attention to women and harassing them?"
He started to open his mouth, obviously about to defend himself, but Kam cut him off, raising her hand between them, "Listen. If you don't want to get dragged into these situations, or get in trouble, then maybe you should find better friends, yeah?"
She lowered her hand and looked at him, noticing he was probably Livvy's age. She softened her glare a bit and sighed, "Seriously kid, don't be friends with assholes like that".
With that she turned and walked away, heading towards her friend and hopefully a decently made Mudslide.
After a few drinks and some pleasant conversation with the bartender, the two women made their way to the side of the decidedly less crowded pool. Livvy sat and dipped her feet in the water as Kam lowered herself into the pool, sighing at the chill of the water.
"We really needed this, Liv", Kam smiled peacefully as she moved to float on her back.
Liv smiled and rested an elbow on her knee, chin in her hand, "Yeah, I know. The office has been really busy this year, I'm glad I got to actually help out and not just fetch coffee though..."
The blonde chuckled under her breath and peeked over at her, "I'm not, you know my order better than I do. I haven't had a decent cup of coffee in months!"
Liv frowned but eyed her friend playfully before sticking her tongue out at her.
"Yeah well, now you will never have one! I quit! I'll go to Hawaii or something and find me a man and he will fetch MY coffee" She grinned broadly as she spoke, "I'll send you pictures of my amazing coffee while you cry in to your cup of shitty coffee and regret ever abusing me!"
Kam straightened and laughed out at Liv's ridiculousness, splashing at her, "Since when did I abuse you, you big baby?"
Liv let out an indignant squawk as the water hit her, moving to splash her back but falling back before she could.
The water in the pool started to slosh around them, spilling over onto the deck. The speaker crackled and clicked on as Kam attempted to climb out of the pool, sliding around and being dragged by the water before finally finding a grip.
"Passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We are entering rough waters and a storm is approaching. We ask that all passengers return to their rooms or the dining areas below deck during the duration of the storm. Remain calm, the crew and staff can assist anyone requiring it and I'd like to remind you that this is a common occurrence and we should be back to smooth sailing soon enough"
Kam had pulled Liv up by her arm, keeping hold as they tried to maintain balance. The ship was rocking in the harsh waves making their progress across the deck slow. Other passengers slipped and slid around them while trying to get off deck. A shrill ringing was building up in their ears as they reached the bar area. Liv grimaced, fighting the urge to cover her ears as she looked around noticing many other passengers doing the same.
The two women could only hold on to the bar stools that were bolted into the floor as the rocking got worse and the ringing got painfully loud. Kam's grip on Liv's arm tightening to try and get the brunette to look at her. Liv could see her friends mouth moving but couldn't hear anything above the shrill noise in her ears.
She tried to focus on the red of her friends' mouth, trying to read her lips, but the edges of her vision were blurring and she felt a panic attack bubbling up in her. Liv reached out a hand to grasp at the one holding her arm, squeezing a bit too tight. She couldn't see Kam's reaction if she had, her vision whiting out.
Liv squeezed her eyes shut against the seemingly harsh white as she felt the panic attack surface, feeling more than hearing her breath become harsh and quick.
Liv felt the hold on her arm go slack and fall away before everything blacked out.
Everything hurt. Mainly her head. There was a slight ringing in her ears that made her head throb. She licked at her lips, her mouth dry and her throat scratchy.
"Olivia?"
The sound of her name was too loud and she winced away from it, trying to open her eyes.
"Livvy, hon, come on. Open your eyes", the voice cracked mid-sentence and she felt something touching her face, holding and stroking her cheeks.
Olivia finally forced her eyes open and regretted it immediately, squeezing them shut against the brightness. She heard what sounded like a relieved sigh and felt the pressure on her cheeks, hands she slowly realized, lift as something slipped down her forehead to settle on her nose.
She cracked her eyes open, the harsh light suddenly more bearable. Opening her eyes fully, her eyes took their time focusing. Kam's face was the first thing that came into focus, her mind too fuzzy to pay attention to anything else.
Kam felt herself relax, though only slightly, as Olivia slowly came to. She had put Olivia's sunglasses on her, figuring it was too bright for her.
"Kamryn? What..." Olivia's voice broke before she could finish her question, trying to bring her hands up to massage her temples.
Kamryn nodded her head, smiling at the other girl despite clearly being concerned, grabbing Liv's hands and pushing them back by her sides.
"Shh, it's okay. Don't move too much, just breathe and relax. I'm right here"
Olivia barely managed a slight nod of her head before leaning it back against whatever she was propped up on. "Head hurts..."
"I know", Kam brushed some hair out of the girl's face, "You can rest, I got you"
Liv relaxed at her friends' words, giving in to the need to close her eyes. As her breath evened out and she fell asleep, Kamryn pet her hair, soothing her.
After a few minutes Kamryn stood, her legs sore and protesting. She looked around, feeling fear snake its way into her chest as she took in the forest around them. She inhaled deeply, releasing the breath as she glanced at the sleeping brunette, steeling herself.
"It'll be okay. We are fine"
She kept whispering reassurances to herself as she walked around, studying their surroundings but never with Olivia leaving her vision.
After a few minutes of looking around, stepping on hundreds of sharp rocks and thorny plants scrapping along her bare legs and feet, Kam spotted a stream. Making a mental note of which direction it was in, she slowly headed back to Olivia, feeling a bit better knowing they had access to water.
It was warm and slightly humid, and as long as it stayed that way she wouldn't have to worry about them freezing. She carefully lowered herself beside Liv, leaning back against the tree she had managed to prop the girl up against. She began to slowly stretch out her sore muscles as she thought of the situation they were in.
Kamryn was worried, she wasn't incompetent but she really did not know anything about survival in the woods. They got lucky with the stream, but she didn't even know if the water was drinkable. She hoped the weather stayed warm, because they had nothing to cover with and they were in their swimsuits. Olivia had her bathing suit coverup but it was thin and wouldn't help her much. Kam figured she could try to start a fire but didn't know if she would be lucky enough to succeed. If she were to be honest with herself, she was wondering how they were in the middle of the woods in the first place. She didn't linger on the thought, more worried about keeping the two of them safe.
Kamryn stopped her stretching and looked over at Olivia, a slight frown on her face as she wondered if the younger girl new anything about camping or the like. She wanted to chuckle at the thought of Olivia, who was indoors ninety-five percent of the time, camping. Kam could just imagine the girl complaining about the bugs the whole time, whining to go home to the air conditioner and to her bed.
Her thoughts drifted to when she woke up, sprawled out on the forest floor a few feet away from Olivia.
Kamryn had woken up to the worst migraine she had ever had, the aching in her muscles adding to the throbbing in her head. She remembered how she just laid there for what felt like hours, trying to will the headache away. When the throbbing had reduced to a bearable ache she had opened her eyes, squinting at the brightness. It had taken her a while to focus her mind enough to move her head and look around.
Once she had spotted Olivia curled up into herself in the dirt she had forced her protesting limbs to move.
Her head still hurt, but it was tolerable. Kamryn was thirsty too. Her mouth felt like she tried to eat sand. Looking at Liv and then off in the direction of the stream, she sighed. It wasn't close enough to keep Olivia in sight, she would have to wait for her to wake up and help her to the stream as well.
Kam's eyelids felt heavy but she refused to let herself fall asleep, listening to the sound of birds in the trees nearby instead. Stretching periodically helped keep her awake and soothe her muscles. The sun was still high in the trees above them and she hoped Livvy woke up before it got too dark to make their way to the stream.
Two mental games of solitaire later, Kam finally heard the girl next to her start to stir.
Olivia woke up sans headache, but her body was stiff and heavy. Hearing something shift beside her, she opened her eyes. Blinking a few times as her eyes focused, she wondered if she was dreaming about the pretty forest surrounding her.
Movement out of the corner of her eye had her focusing on Kam. The blonde was smiling at her softly as she reached out and pushed the sunglasses she was wearing up to rest on top of her head. Why was she wearing sunglasses? The woods around them looked even more breathtaking and vibrant without the tint to impede the colors.
"Kamryn?"
It took Olivia a second to work the word out of her dry mouth, but her voice managed to stay steady.
Kamryn's sigh of relief confused Liv, but she didn't mention it as the blonde moved to stand up.
"Yeah. Come on, let's get you up so you can stretch, I'm sure you're as stiff as a board", Kam held her hand out to her as she spoke, her voice sounding a bit raspy.
Kamryn's smile brightened as Olivia managed to lift her arm and grasp the hand offered to her. Kam pulled her friend to her feet, holding on to her in case she lost her balance.
Steadying herself, Olivia smiled at Kam before trying to stretch out her limbs without falling over. Grumbling as Kamryn chuckled at her, she worked her way through the stretching, stopping to massage at her shoulders and neck every once in a while.
"So... This isn't a dream then?", Liv's voice was quiet, still easily heard in the stillness of the woods around them.
Kam's smile faltered before falling completely, pursing her lips. "No"
It was silent as Olivia finished stretching, rolling her shoulders and glancing over at the quiet blonde. Liv looked her over, registering that they were both still in their swimsuits and noticing the scratches and cuts along Kam's legs and feet.
"What happened to your legs?"
Kamryn blinked at Olivia a few times before looking down at herself.
"Oh... I was looking around. There are a lot of rocks and thorns." She paused for a minute, looking off to her left, "I found a stream, I don't know if the water is drinkable but it's something"
The thought of water had both women focusing on how dry their mouths were.
"Come on, let's go find out I guess," grabbing Olivia's hand as she talked, Kam started walking, guiding Olivia as best as she could through the underbrush.
When they reached the stream, Liv had gotten a bit cut up as well. Kamryn's legs taking the brunt of it as she walked in front and tried to mostly clear the path of the thorny vines weaving through the undergrowth.
The water in the small stream was clear as it trickled over the rocks, flowing passed them. Olivia was the first to crouch down, scooping up the water in her hands and gulping it down.
As she went in for more, Kam joined her. After their thirst was quenched, they both settled onto the ground by the stream. Kamryn had taken to lightly splashing the water up on her legs to wash away the bits of dried blood from her skin while Olivia drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on top of her knees.
Liv stared at the water as it flowed by, "Do you remember anything?"
The blonde paused in her movements, giving her legs one more splash before turning to face Olivia, "No. Well... I remember there was a storm coming... but nothing after that"
Liv gave a slight nod, "Me too. How are we even here? We can't realistically go from the middle of the ocean to waking up in the woods."
"No, you can't," Kam chewed on her lip for a second before she stood, trying to brush the dirt from her body. "We shouldn't stay here, I don't know anything about surviving out here and bikinis won't help us if the temperature drops. Not to mention we need food. If we're lucky we aren't too far in the woods"
Olivia looked up at her, her brow furrowing, "Aren't we supposed to stay in one spot and wait for help?"
Kamryn looked away from Olivia, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "Liv...I don't... I think we are on our own. Normally, yeah, you wait. But... This isn't normal. We have no idea how we got here, and somehow, I don't think anyone knows we are here. I just think it's best if we keep moving and try to get out of the woods, we'll stay by the stream. Don't want to risk our water source"
Olivia frowned as she stood, she knew that you were supposed to stay in one spot when lost, but had to agree with Kamryn. This wasn't normal, this whole thing made her uneasy and she admitted to herself that she didn't want to stick around to see what predators lurked in these woods at night.
Deciding to travel downstream, the two walked in silence, wrapped up in their own thoughts.
The sun was low in the sky, washing everything in tints of red and orange as the last warm rays of the day started to fade away. They soon came across a wooden bridge that stretched across the small stream, a large dirt road going off in either directions. The path looked well-traveled, which gave them hope of finding others soon.
After looking off into both directions, they quickly decided to go left, leaving the bridge to fade behind them. With their hopes high, the conversation flowed between the two women. Staying away from the topic of their situation, they instead talk about the book they had finished editing before they had left on their cruise.
"It was horrible, Kamryn. You know it. I know it. The author knew it, and so did Calvin. It was sappy, cliché, and rushed. The only reason he agreed to publish that rubbish was as a personal favor for his cousin, who is dating the woman"
"Listen, The Strangest Little Light wasn't the best romance to come through our office, that I will admit. But the author has potential! Who knows, maybe her next volume will be a best seller"
Olivia gave an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes, "Doubtful. She needs to learn how to develop her characters. The plot was shit and non-existent, and the romance developed way too fast with no indication on why or how the characters developed feelings for one another"
Kamryn shrugged her shoulders, "I mean I agree. But if she can learn to develop these characters, have them grow and change, along with coming up with and sticking to a real plot? She may actually make some money. Besides that's why Calvin handed her over to us, besides that personal favor bit. We know what we are doing and we can help her. We weren't with her through her process of The Strangest Little Light, but we will be for the next" She shrugged again and shot a smile over at Liv, "I think she has some hidden potential."
Olivia looked at her, unconvinced. "Yeah. Very hidden. Lost city to never be found again, hidden"
Kam laughed at Liv's pinched expression, "We will just have to wait and see; besides, we have published worse novels. Sadly."
Olivia nodded, but kept quiet, the slight smile that had been there faded as she suddenly realized how her feet hurt from the uneven dirt road. She just lolled her head to one side and sighed, not really feeling like continuing the pleasant conversation.
Kamryn looked over at her friend out of the corner of her eye, noting the nearly blank expression on the usually expressive woman's face. She too let out an exhausted sigh, eyes settling on the seemingly endless road ahead.
The two walked silently for what felt like forever. The sun was barely lighting the sky and the already shady forest around them had become darker. The warmth in the air was quickly fading with the sun, setting a slight chill in the air.
Olivia wrapped her coverup tighter around her, the thin material not doing much to ward off the faint cold. She shuddered as a chill went down her spine, inhaling sharply as she clutched her arms around herself.
Kamryn looked over at her friend, concerned by the sudden sound coming from her. Moving to walk closer to her, thinking that the little bit of extra body heat would help. As she moved she felt a sharp stab in her right foot, causing her to stumble and let out a curse under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Olivia worriedly blurted out, her arms reaching out to steady Kamryn as she picked her foot off the ground.
Both of their brow's furrowed when they saw the jagged rock sticking out of the soft arch of Kamryn's foot and Kamryn let out a hiss. Her hand went to hover over the rock as she quickly contemplated what to do, leaning more on Olivia for support.
"Kam, I don-" Olivia started, but was interrupted by Kamryn's pained gasp as she pulled the pointed rock out of her foot. She dropped the rock to the ground, a small stream of blood beginning to trickle out of the wound.
Acting quickly, Kamryn pulled the cloth headband that was holding her bangs back out of her hair, making it fall down into her face, all while Olivia kept her steady.
Kamryn cursed loudly as she hesitantly dabbed at the wound with the cloth. She let out another hiss of pain before wrapping the cloth around her foot and tying it.
Kamryn started to place her foot back on the ground when she felt Olivia stiffen, still focused on her new wound, she didn't pay it much attention, until she was surprised by the voice of a man.
"Well now, that looks like an infection waiting to happen."
Kamryn's gasped, her head shooting up to see two cloaked figures' in front of them.
"Shit."
A/N: That's all for this chapter! But at just over 4k words, I hope it was enough for now! Chapter 2 coming soon.
Myself and my co-author no longer live together, so writing will probably be difficult. She is busy with work, and has no internet, and I am very bad at writing alone, lol. But I'll try to make time to write and get her to look over things.
Let us know what you think of this slightly more serious tone. ALSO would ya'll be interested in some 'filler' chapters where we get to know the girls? Instead of posting just profiles for each of them, I had the thought to do little interviews or something like that so ya'll can get to know them.