DISCLAIMER

I don't own lord of the flies' blah, blah, blah…

A/N

Waahhhh!!! I've only gotten one review!!! (Thanks a heap LTJM!!!) How can I know if you like it if you don't tell me? I'll keep writing, but a few reviews would be nice…

3

But then, who said life was easy?

Jidda bit her tongue to hold back the tears. What kind of cruel joke was this? Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack running towards her, a truly concerned look on his face. Why did he have to be such a bloody gentleman? She bit harder, screwing her hands into balls and gritting her teeth to hold back the frustrated sobs.

Jidda sat there, trying to calm her panting and ignore the aching of her legs. Helplessly, she tried to stand. She now understood the saying, "carrying the world on your shoulders". As she scrabbled futilely around in the sand a hand thrust itself into her field of vision, and slowly, reluctantly, she raised her head to meet Jacks eyes

His face was contorted in a mask-like determination. His hair hung in golden curtains around his face and his mouth was set in a hard line. For the first time, she was afraid of Jack

She eventually gathered her wits enough to force herself to look into his eyes.

If she could've taken a step back, she would've.

They were hard, flat disks. His pupils were the size of a five cent coin. His eyes were cold, they held no mercy

She shrank back in shock, quailing in the sand. Jack looked pointedly at his hand, then at her, his eyebrows raising.

Jidda couldn't make herself take his hand; instead she tried again to lift her arse off the ground, shaking like an aspen leaf as she did so.

Sighing, Jack grabbed her wrists and hefted her into the air, laughing at the shocked look on her face.

"Jesus, Jed you dumb-arse! That shirt looks like it weighs ten pounds; take it off before yer stunt yer growth!!!"

Jidda froze, trying to think of a way to say no that wouldn't raise her 'batty' status. Before she could form a cogent reply, Jack had grabbed the bottom of her shirt and started to pull.

"NO!!!" Jidda shouted, the disgust evident in her voice

Jack, chortling, continued to pull upwards while Jidda frantically fought against him, mentally running through ways she could get out of his grasp. So far she was coming up blank.

"Jack!!!" she yelled at him, all the fake-manliness gone from her voice "stop" her voice now just above a whisper

Jack looked down at her, surprise evident on his features. Slowly, his grip loosened and he fell back a step, his mouth hanging open like a dog's on a hot day.

"What- but, how?"

Jidda barked out a humourless laugh and replied in the same indifferent tone she'd used in the airport,

"Well, when a mummy and a daddy-" she began, a slow smile spreading across her face,

"Ugh" Jack interrupted " I know how, But why?"

"Why?" She repeated, a stupid grin plastered on her mouth,

"Yeah" he said, sounding as though he didn't really know where he was going. "Why didn't you, y'know, tell us?"

"Girls can't be carpenters" She answered, her stupid grin replaced by a sad frown. "My papa kept going on and on, about how it wasn't proper, and how you need to be trained, and that 'girls just don't have a big enough brain for that sort of thing'" she said, imitating her fathers rusty accent. perfectly " I kept trying though, but mama got sadder and sadder, and spent more and more time at the pub. I came home one day," she paused as though fighting an inner demon," There was… Blood. All down the stairs. She had a knife through her heart" She clenched and unclenched her hands and looked him squarely in the eye. "I ran away, I left my papa to deal with the grief by himself. I stole all the money and valuables, including his carpentry set. The one thing he had left to love…" She looked away wistfully

"And you know what" She said turning back, her eyes full of blazing determination "I don't feel the least bit guilty".

She plonked herself on a log and listened to Ralph ramble on about things like; how much they needed a leader, and why they should build shelters before they went hunting.

In truth, she agreed with him, It was just that he respected her so much less now that she'd told him she was a girl. It reminded her of her father. She shivered inwardly at the thought, goose bumps rising on her arm.

"So let's have a vote then", Ralphs voice finally cutting through her silent reverie " Me and Jack are the oldest, so I think-"

"What about me?" Jidda piped up suddenly " I'm as old as you, And just as smart" Ralph looked at her in horror "But you're a girl", he laughed "you don't know anything"

That did it

Jidda lunged at him, knocking him off his log. She dealt a right uppercut and a left hook to his nose, sending blood and mucus flying; She stood and kicked savagely at his gut, hitting him squarely on his stomach, winding him.

"You don't know!" she shouted "You think you've got me all figured out don't you?" Angry tears flew from her eyes, she kicked him again, harder "Well you don't! See, I can do lot's of things" She yelled for her sake as much as his "I can cook, I can make things from nothing, I guess you've already figured out I can fight! Ralph rolled over onto his side and threw up, Sickly yellow bile ran down his shirtfront, leaving a ugly yellow stain.

"See! I'm as smart as any of you lot!" She shrieked to all the other boys "It's not my fault I don't have a dick"

Jack came over and hugged her securely around the shoulders, with a last wail she buried he head in his chest, her shaking body pressed firmly against his own. He didn't say "it's alright" like some of the other boys.

He knew it would never be alright again.

A/N

Please Please Please click that little button!!! You know you want to!!! I heart reviews!!!