Hey Fanfiction! I am so glad to announce more then one shout out this time!
I would love to thank B [Of course ;)] for another great in-depth review!
I would also like to thank squirmyorchid for your great review, you were very helpful and just as good as B.
Serendipulous while your review wasn't as in depth as the others it didn't lack heart, understanding and even a little insight on what you like and I love that you recognised the Porgy and Bess song :D
Song used in this fic: There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel, Performed by Bryan White and Rebecca Lynn Howard (from the 2000 film Tom Sawyer). Ryder also sings a section of Autumn Leaves by Ed Sheeran (Great song).
Enjoy!
Marley's POV
I rolled over, my eyes bleary as I tried to open them. Pain rippled through my shoulder and I shot up, crying out in pain.
"Panda girl!" my head spun round to see Ryder jogging towards me, the sun on his back. "You shouldn't be moving around so much. You'll mess up my handiwork," he scolded as he gently took my arm. Only now did I realised it was tied up in a make-shift sling made out of Ryder's shirt. I looked up at him again, picturing what he must look like underneath that red hoodie. "Panda girl? You okay?"
"I've told you before; my name's Marley," I mumbled. He chuckled.
"Well Marley while you've been out, I've been building us a real place to sleep." I looked back up at him as he stood up and turned. My eyes went past him to the sizable hut/house sitting against the tree line of what looked like a jungle.
"How long was I out?!" I shouted over to him. He grunted as he picked up the end of a branch the size of Finn from a pile, placing it on his shoulder.
"Don't really know. Since I've been up I counted about six hours," he grunted, walking towards the half built hut, dragging the log behind him. I looked up at the sky. We fell asleep when it was dark and the sun was just starting to dip now. How long where we both out was probably a better question. Clumsily I stood up, the loss of my arm making everything lopsided.
"Need any help?" I asked, attempting to pick up one of the logs. I bit my lip against the pain and managed to lift it up. Ryder turned his head to me, dropping his own log to run over to me and take the log from me.
"Whoa! Put that down Panda girl it's way too heavy for a dislocated shoulder," he scolded.
"Dislocated shoulder?" I whimpered. He nodded, sighing.
"Yeah, I was waiting for a good moment to bring that up," he mumbled. We were both silent for a few moments, Ryder staring at the sand.
"We have to pop it back in, don't we?" I said. I knew it had to happen. If it didn't I'd end up damaged for the rest of my life. I also knew it was going to hurt like hell.
"Yeah...you wanna do it now?" Ryder asked quietly. I nodded, squaring my shoulders against the pain. Ryder came and sat behind me, placing one hand on my shoulder and the other under my arm pit. I tensed instantly. "Relax Marley...I'm not goanna lie, this will hurt a lot but I'll try and make it quick." I nodded, ordering my heart rate to slow down.
"Do it." As soon as the words were out of my mouth Ryder moved, shoving my shoulder back into its socket with a resounding pop. My mouth opened in a scream and Ryder instantly pulled me to him. I did the first thing that came to mind and clamped my teeth on his shoulder, biting away my pain.
"Jesus Marley!" he growled but kept me against him, his shoulder shaking around my jaw. After about a minute I drew back, letting go of Ryder. He instantly pulled off his hoodie and I winced at the colouring bite mark covering his shoulder. "You sure you're not related to the dog?" he asked me, gently touching the bite mark.
"No," I mumbled quietly. "I didn't hurt you did I?" Ryder laughed, his chest rocking with the motion.
"I should be asking you that," he said once his laughing died down to chuckles. "How's your shoulder feeling?" I gave it an experimental roll, glad that it didn't hurt as badly as before.
"Better already," I said, standing up. I swayed slightly, dizziness rushing to my head like a freight train. I tipped back, lucky to have Ryder there to grab me.
"Whoa," he laughed, sitting me back down. "I think you need some more rest. I'll finish the hut," he said softly before going back to his log.
I sat there, watching the muscles ripple under his shoulders as he lifted the log back onto his back. It wasn't really like me to basically drool over a guy...well unless it was Jake but other than him I just never paid attention. It's probably just due to the fact Ryder saved me, I'm seeing him as my hero when really all he's been is a nuisance. If he hadn't of barged into my room on that first day I would probably still be on the ship...But so far all he's done is take care of me. He stayed awake all night to keep me above water, he let me sleep while he tried to find land (Even though I found it) then worked like a dog to get us here.
"I want to help!" I called over to him. He stopped what he was doing, letting the log rest.
"You can help by getting some more rest!" he called over before dragging the log up the rocks he set up around the hut then dropping it into place to make up more of the left wall. It was obvious what he meant by that.
Don't get in the way.
Laying out Ryder's hoodie as a pillow, I nestled my head against it. It was nicer then the sand so I snuggled into the soft fabric.
"Do you ever wonder if the stars shine out for you? Float down, like autumn leaves. Hush now, close your eyes before the sleep. And your miles away,and yesterday, you were here with me."
I opened my eyes to the soft singing. Everything was lit with an orange hue, even the shape in the corner as he sat against the wall, head bowed as they stared at something in their hand. "She sure has an interesting taste in music," the figure mumbled.
"Ryder?" I asked as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. He looked up, a smile gracing his lips.
"Look who's finally up," he said, grinning. "And it's only..." he paused as he looked down at what he was holding. "...Nine Thirty," he finished.
"At night?" I asked and he nodded. I looked around at where I was. Ryder had finished the hut and must have placed me inside it. It was nothing special really, four walls tied together with vines and planks across the roof (I guess he opted for something stronger than the original palm leaves). What was impressive however was that in the middle of the wooden floor was a hole that was lined with slabs of stone, a fire roaring in the middle. Ryder turned to see what I was staring at and smirked.
"My uncle was personal contractor. I'd stay with him when my parents got too busy and he showed me how to build stuff. I never thought it would come in handy," he chuckled towards the end of his sentence, shaking his head at the memory.
"Well if it's any consolation this could be good enough to be one of those 'Contemporary Living Huts' that will become a huge craze soon enough," I said and we both burst into giggles.
"Thanks," he snickered again at the thought before clearing his throat. "Marley..." I sighed as I nodded hesitantly. "You know why I went to so much trouble right?" I nodded again, biting my lip.
"How long do you think?" I asked. I couldn't out-right say it, it was too hard. Too hard to think that I might never see my mom again. Or my friends. Ryder's sigh brought me out of my little reverie.
"I don't know. I didn't go too far into the jungle when collecting the logs so who knows what could be out there."
"Maybe we'll get lucky and we've washed up on a resort for celebrities," I joked. Ryder chuckled but it was completely empty.
"I found out how your bag kept afloat," Ryder said, forcing a smile. I half smiled at his attempt to find a new topic.
"Do tell," I said and he opened his hand. "My iPod!" I gasped, grinning hugely and taking it from his hand.
"Yeah," he chuckled as I fussed over it. "That and a bunch of all your other stuff is covered in a plastic casing. It must have air in it or something to keep everything in it safe from water." I nodded.
"My mom did say that I wasn't allowed to take my equipment bag with me unless I knew it was going to be safe. She took it two days before the cruise and only gave it back the morning we were leaving." Ryder smiled as he pulled out my laptop.
"Well your mom is one clever lady...she saved your life." I felt tears escape my eyes at his words and tried furiously to wipe them away.
"She's always looked out for me. Ever since dad left it's just been the two of us." Ryder looked down and I could tell he was uncomfortable. We were on the verge of sharing really personal stuff and we had barely known each other two days.
"So why do you call it an equipment bag? I've been through this thing already and there is no trace of sport in here," he said. I glared as I grabbed my bag from his hands.
"It's my personal equipment," I answered as I pulled out one of the many Paperblanks I had collected over the years. Ryder eyed it carefully. "I like writing, be it my thoughts, any ideas I have or if I think of something I want to remember. Sometimes I doodle to," I explained as I handed him the book. He looked almost panicked as he held the leather book in his hands.
"You want me to r-read it?" he asked. I shrugged.
"If you want. I thought you already had." Ryder's cool seemed to slip away even more.
"I tend to stay away from books. Plus it's rude to read a girls diary," he mumbled, pushing the book back into my hands. I placed it back in my bag before pulling out my laptop.
"Thank god this is okay," I breathed. It wasn't the best laptop, in fact it could probably be seen as the worst but it had iTunes and Word so I was happy. We had gotten it cheap cause it was a rejected experiment, what for was never really explained but we got it cheap so who cares. Ryder smirked.
"Is that the first laptop ever made?" he asked. I sneered at him before putting my stuff away. "And lastly," I said as I pulled out the furry stuffed animal.
"You packed the Panda?" Ryder asked as I held Todd to my chest.
"He's special," I mumbled, burying my face into Todd's fur.
"Whatever, it's still a toy." I ignored him as I placed Todd by my pillow, just realising it was still Ryder's hoodie.
"You took the sling off," I said, looking down at my arm.
"You just realised now?" he laughed, pulling on his shirt a little bit. I looked him up and down. His outfit consisted of a pair of jeans, a grey vest top and an open red checked shirt over the top. "I think you need some more sleep Panda girl. Tomorrow we'll do a real search of the island," he said before getting up and crawling over to the other side of the hut and lying down. I followed his example, curling up against the wall with Todd against my chest and Ryder's hoodie under my head.
"Come on Panda girl!" I forced open one eye to see Ryder kneeling in front of me. "I've been calling your name for over ten minutes. Damn you can sleep," he laughed as I sat up, running a hand through my hair.
"What time is it?" I asked, yawning widely. Ryder pulled my iPod out of my bag.
"Ten thirty," he answered. "Now come on we have an island to search," he said excitedly, standing up and heading out the hut. I followed him out, walking right into a wall of heat.
"Whoa!" I cried out, feeling my whole body warm up about ten degrees on the spot.
"What did you expect Panda girl? We're pretty close to the Trinidad," he laughed, stripping himself of his red over shirt. He disappeared back into the hut before returning outside.
"You done?" he smirked before heading off into the jungle, not waiting for me to follow. "Wait up!"
We walked for ages. Through endless amounts of trees and fauna we staggered, climbed and searched through the trees. It was hard to keep to a path, Ryder often going ahead to stomp down a way for us to go. When we stumbled into our fourth hour of searching, the sun high in the sky, I stopped.
"Can we please take a break?" I begged Ryder, my feet feeling like they had nails in the bottom.
"We've barely started," he called back over his shoulder, stomping through another few feat of undergrowth.
"We've been walking for hours!" I shouted after him. He stopped and turned around.
"Marley we have a whole island to search. We've probably not even covered half of it," he stated.
"Well I'm tired," I moaned. "And if there was anybody here we probably would have found something to show for it by now," I reasoned.
"Fine! Give up if you want to but I'm going to keep going!" Ryder snapped before turning and heading off. I turned as well, storming off in another direction.
"Well who needs you!" I yelled after him. "I can take care of mysel-AHHHH!" I screamed as the ground beneath my feet disappeared, my whole body dropping out of the air. I tumbled down a back, cradling my arm against my body. I felt my body slide from the ground before water engulfed me. Despite the pain in my shoulder I managed to surface on my own.
"Marley? Marley!" I heard Ryder call after me. I turned to the voice to see him careering through the trees.
"Watch out for the ledge!" I shouted up as he emerged through the bushes. He skidded to a halt, a few stones rolling over the side. His eyes zeroed in on me instantly as I paddled on the spot but they slowly drifted up.
"Whoa..." he breathed. I turned around, my jaw slacking at the huge waterfall behind me flowing freely into the water I was currently floating in. "How's the water?" Ryder called down. I shrugged, smiling.
"Refreshing," I answered, he grinned before backing up. "Ryder?" I called up to him. There was no answer. "Ryder?"
"WHOOOOO!" I watched as Ryder sailed over me, landing in the water with a huge splash. I swam over, waiting for him to resurface. As soon as he did I grabbed him, dunking him in the water. He forced himself up, coughing up some water before glaring at me. "Not cool," he grunted. I giggled and soon his glare turned back into his usual smirk, his hand sending a wave of water towards me. For hours we just stayed there, playing in the water. Ryder dragged us under the waterfall, letting it wash over our tired bodies. It was relaxing, light and cool to the touch. In other words it was perfect. By the time we were both too exhausted to move the air had grown cooler and the sun had dipped below the trees. "Let's go back to the beach," Ryder laughed, swiping his sopping wet hair out of his eyes for about the hundredth time. I nodded, still giggling as we swam back over to the bank.
The walk back was done in comfortable silence, Ryder and I occasionally snickering at the memories of today. Along the way Ryder would often pick up a couple sticks until he had a large bundle in his hands. We reached the beach in a matter of minutes, going straight through the jungle instead of around it. I guess we didn't cover as much as we thought after all. As soon as we were out of the trees I started shivering, the evening breeze cold against my skin.
"Come on," Ryder urged me, pointing towards the hut. I jogged over to it and climbed inside, Ryder following on behind me. He dumped the logs in the stone pit before kneeling down, arranging them.
"How are you going to light it?" I asked. He smirked, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a lighter. "You smoke?" he shook his head.
"It's for situations like this," he explained before setting the dried sticks ablaze. I sighed at the warmth but still felt a chill deep in my stomach. Ryder must have noticed my discomfort cause he grabbed his hoodie and crawled over to me.
"Here," he said, draping it over my shoulders before pulling on his red over-shirt.
"Do you think we're ever goanna get out of here?" I asked quickly, pulling on Ryder's hoodie. Ryder sighed, rubbing his face with one hand.
"I don't know. So far there's no trace of anyone else on the island and I doubt you'll have internet access." I sucked in a deep breath, fighting off my tears. "Hey," Ryder said softly, moving forwards to grab my face gently. "Don't you start crying. If you start you'll get me going." I giggled slightly at that but I still felt my eyes watering. I could feel from the way that he was holding my face that Ryder was getting uncomfortable.
"I wanna go home," I whimpered softly.
"You know my parents used to sing to me," Ryder said hurriedly. I looked up at him. "They had this one song that always cheered me up. They came up with it together," he continued to say as he pulled out his phone. "When I was Ten I went away to my first summer camp. They recorded the song for me and I played it every night." He pressed a button on his phone then placed it on the floor between us.
Verse:
They say in every life
There will come a time
We must go on faith
We cannot lose hope
We must not let go
Take my hand and
We will find our way
Chorus:
There's a light at the end
of the tunnel
Just you wait and see
There's a place
Far away from our
Troubles
There's a light
Beyond the night
Shining for you
And me.
Verse:
From this moment on
We must both be strong
Never know our fear
No need to be afraid
Close your eyes and pray
Love will lead us
Safely out of here
Chorus:
There's a light at the end
Of the tunnel
Just you wait and see
There's a place
Far away from our
troubles
There's a light
Beyond the night
Shining for you
And me
(Musical Interlude)
There's a light at the end
Of the tunnel
Just you wait and see
There's a place far away
From our troubles
There's a light
Beyond the night
Shining for you
And me
Shining for you
And me
"Wow," I breathed as the song played out. "Those were your parents singing?" Ryder nodded, letting half his mouth quirk up in a smile.
"Yeah, I've had that on my phone for almost seven years."
"I liked it," His half smile grew to a full one as he picked up his phone, switching it off. "Can you teach it to me?"
"Sure."
Hope this was okay! Again thanks to all my reviewers, especially the ones with shout outs! You know what to do if you want a shout out *hint*hint*
Review!
