Frustration
Or
In Which Eric and Abby Are Like Twins
I'd like to thank my wonderful co-author, Melreincarn, for random insights into various characters, and helping me figure out what Jory and Ian are most likely to be like, personality-wise.
I'm no longer putting line breaks around anything beyond the author's notes. The scene breaks should be enough.
Also, Wikipedia DID provide all the information Lex mentioned. Gripe at them if you want. Don't snap at me. This story is about Eric surviving, thus the title, and the obligatory main characters. It's not about religion, homosexuality's right-ness, or whatever. Ignore it, get pissed off about it, contemplate it, do what you want. I just shot it out there, because I think it's what the characters might have said, should Discovery Kids have allowed such material (and language) to appear on the show.
Additionally, "Homophobe Jones" comes from "Loserz" by Erik Schoenek... the 20th comic, to be exact.
Finally, these passed few chapters have been humorous, which means you may be confused by this one's darker tone. Well, it won't get better. This story was never meant to be a light-hearted tale.
Woods...
Crunch...
Crunch...
Eric continued stepping through the woods, cursing whoever had decided that leaves should be so loud when walked upon. Was it some kind of protesting shout? Use English, maybe! Eric shook his head as he continued going along, silently enough. He hefted his spear up a bit higher as he spotted a target. It was a pig, and it looked like it would be good eating. He licked his lips and tossed his spear.
Unfortunately, his spear-throwing skills were sub-par, and so his throw ended up being a thwacking one rather than a piercing one. Eric cursed under his breath as the pig squealed and fleed. He ran over and picked his spear up again, sighing in frustration. He turned around and saw an even bigger pig than before. It had tusks and it kicked up some dirt behind it, making Eric think of bulls.
"Toro, toro, Porky," he taunted, though his opponent couldn't exactly understand English.
The wild boar charged at him, squealing in anger. Eric raised up his spear and thrusted, but missed. The boar was on him and had made a slice with its tusk. Eric gritted his teeth and stabbed the boar. He pulled the spear and stabbed it again, another headwound. The thing squealed pitifully as Eric made the third and final stab that caused it to stop breathing. Eric spat in the dirt.
"Spears trump horns, bitch. Now you know that."
He crouched down and grabbed it by a leg, then proceeded to drag it across the forest floor, back to his camp. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees. He looked down to see leaves and dirt getting mixed with his blood. Again with the cursing. Eric spat something about universal meanness when it came to horns on good meat, then kept going with his food in his arms now.
Abby growled lowly as she pulled off her shirt and wrapped it around the bleeding wound, rather than just tear off a strip and ruin the shirt. Why care about modesty, anyways? Who was there to see? She snorted in anger as she tightened the makeshift bandage.
"Wretched island with-
"-stupid difficulties!" Eric snapped.
"Makes me wonder why-"
"-I even went on that stupid trip!"
Abby snapped a stick in half and tossed the pieces to the side. They served their purpose in curbing some of her frustration. She looked down in sadness for a few moments.
"Why did I-"
"-leave the camp, though?" Eric wondered, "It had all I needed... Gah. It just-"
"-didn't feel like home," Abby said, her anger reviving.
"I have got-"
"-to fix myself and get back to surviving!" Eric snapped.
The morning continued in mostly silence for the pair as they continued their current job: surviving. Even if it was on their own.
Campfire...
Almost everyone sat in a circle around it as Melissa dished out breakfast to everyone, calmly. Then she got to Jackson. She froze for a moment, before handing him a coconut and banana, a little hastily. After was Taylor. She seemed to be struggling with a primal urge to throw both in Taylor's face, but she decided against it, and placed the breakfast on her plate, her face contorted in anger. The exchange with Jackson and Taylor took about 10 seconds, total. In their morning daze, they almost didn't notice it.
Key word: almost.
"What's the matter?" Jackson asked.
Melissa gave him a pointed look. He looked down, and his posture immediately changed to one that suggested a level of shame and sadness. Taylor snorted.
"Get over-"
"Shut up! Just shut up, and don't even speak to me!"
Melissa shook herself and ate quickly, then hurried over to the chicken. She sat down there, with her back to the campfire. Everyone had been in a daze and then were too shocked to speak to Melissa. Nathan glared at Jackson, then Taylor. Jackson didn't notice it, while Taylor glared right back. Daley mouthed dangerous things as she ate. Lex rubbed his eyes sleepily as he got out of his tent.
"Who shouted...?" he asked, yawning.
"Oh... I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Melissa asked, concerned.
Lex nodded slightly.
"I was worried," Lex said.
"Sorry, Lex. It was... nothing. Unimportant. Don't worry about it, okay?" Melissa asked, smiling.
Lex was, for all his intelligence, an 11-year-old kid, and even that was a recent change. Melissa's lie fooled him, and no one bothered calling her out on it. No one wanted Lex to be concerned with their problems.
Breakfast continued in a mostly silent manner, until finally, Daley started handing out chores.
"Jackson, you and Taylor will go fishing. Take a bucket, fill it with water, and use that to keep the fish alive, for now," Daley said, "It'll give you guys time to think, for a change."
Taylor muttered a "whatever", and walked off. Jackson collected poles and a large bucket, then walked off after her.
"Melissa, you'll boil water than Nathan and I will fetch. Lex, we need a few more fruits, okay? 'Rang us some," Daley said, smiling at her step-brother.
Lex nodded and walked over to grab it up, then started for the forest. Melissa sat back at the campfire, after grabbing up her boiling pot. Nathan and Daley grabbed up the jugs and walked into the forest.
Beach...
"Why'd she get made leader?" Taylor wondered.
"Because she was the only one who really wanted the job when I stepped down because of the kind of thing that I'm currently in the middle of," Jackson replied.
"What?"
"Drama."
"Right."
"It's so stupid, too... Daley told me to make a choice, but, to be honest, there isn't a choice. You're a great person, but I like Melissa more, romantically."
"Then why respond to me more?"
"If I had opened up to her... that would've caused a relationship and problems... I can't do that, right now... But I should've been fair."
Taylor nodded, understanding.
"I get it. Well, good luck with Melissa. She's a bit whiny, but that's probably just aimed at me. She's a fox, other than that," Taylor said, with more enthusiasm than one would expect.
"A fox?"
"Yeah, got a problem with it?"
"No, I agree, I just didn't think you'd say that."
"Why not?"
"I just didn't think that straight girls commented on other girls like that."
"Got that wrong, bud. I have a revolving door."
"Oh."
Jackson shook his head and continued fishing. They caught three fish before lunchtime, and called it quits then. A few minutes after they were finished and lounging about the beach, Lex approached Jackson.
"Hey, I need you for something," he whispered.
Jackson nodded. Lex motioned for him to come a little farther down the beach, and Jackson did so. Finally, on some rocks, Lex stood. He pointed out towards the sea.
"What is it?" Jackson asked.
"Those clouds? They're storm clouds. How's the cave coming?"
"Jackson... I've been kinda worried... I mean, we're on an island. It's entirely likely we'll get hit by a typhoon at some point."
"Okay, sure... So, what should we do?"
"Well, I mean, we've had a pickax... for a while, really."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It was for a stoning trip we were gonna take on the island we were headed for."
"Hmmm... dig a pit in the sand?"
"Errr... no. Make a cave in the cliffs. I saw where Melissa and Taylor fell and got trapped at. I also know a way we could reasonably get up and out. Dig a cave around that area."
"Hmmm... it is a good idea, but it'll be difficult. To get a good cave? I'll need a month or else a lot of good luck."
"No luck necessary. I noticed a lot of cracks in that area already made. The outer wall is weak, ready to shatter."
And so Jackson had begun making the cave, at an incredibly quick pace, when he had the time. Often, he'd sneak out at night. Lex had told him to keep it under wraps so as to avoid any form of panic from the others.
"I've actually got a pretty large one going so far. It would be cramped if we were to all get in it, but we could fit, all the same," Jackson said.
"Well, keep working as best you can, all the same. The more room, the better, since we may be stuck, in need of boiled water and a stockpile of fruit. I'll go ahead and start stockpiling a private stash of fruit," Lex said.
Jackson nodded, and headed off for the cliff, to do some work while he still could, while Lex ran off to the fruit area. Taylor quirked a brow at it, but shrugged and continued lounging about.
Hotel Tango...
In the meanwhile, a pair of adventurers were awaiting rescue or way to rescue themselves. It wasn't coming to much. A rather hefty girl was nervously stroking a surfer-type boy's hair, trying to comfort him however she could.
"What should we do?" Jory asked.
"Waiting for rescue isn't exactly helping," Ian said, with a shrug.
"Well, I mean..." Jory said, before she paused, hearing movement.
"Blammed Commies...," a voice growled from outside, as the rustling got closer.
"Bob...," Ian muttered.
Jory nodded.
The rustling stopped and there was the sound of scuffling, as if something was being moved about. It stopped, then the rustling started. It got quieter after a while, until it was inaudible.
"You can't take care of yourself like this...," Jory said.
"Sure I can. I'll be fine," Ian replied.
"You have a broken leg, even if you don't admit it, with all your silence about it. It's admirable, sure, but it doesn't make the leg heal any faster. I'm just glad I know how to make a splint."
"I am, too, trust me."
"So we're agreed? No going looking for help."
"I don't agree to that."
"You can't go look for help. So, it's a dictatorship, not a democracy, which would've ended in a tie, anyways."
Ian slightly twitched his shoulders. Jory immediately placed her hands there and began rubbing. It was a silent code between them. If something bothered Ian, he twitched it and Jory massaged. A few jokes had gone on about this, but the system worked well enough.
They were friends after all.
"It wouldn't have ended in a tie if Abby were here," Ian muttered.
"That's right. She would've voted to stay here and wait."
"Yeah, there's that. Sweet-as-cotton-candy Abby would've stayed here and taken care of me," Ian said, chuckling slightly.
Eric's Settlement...
Eric chuckled maliciously as he got his fire going and prepared to cook.
"Ohhhh yeah!" he said in an imitation of The Kool-Aid Man.
He scratched his chin, thoughtfully, for a moment, then dug in his tent. He found a small knife and smirked. He then stuck the knife into it and sliced off a tiny strip. He tossed it into his pot, then repeated the process, ignoring the blood from his meal. After a few moments, though, he started to retch a little. Still, he pressed on, until there was a good amount of meat.
"Pork in a pot."
Eric shook his head at the kind of jokes he would've made back at home, then continued cooking. He speared one slice with his knife and looked at it. After a few moments of blowing on it, he nibbled away at it, until he had eaten the whole piece.
"Mmm... gamey, but good," he said with a shrug.
Woods...
Abby crawled to a tree, her leg slightly unstable. She used the tree as a support, as she shakily got to her feet. She breathed deeply, trying to regain some lost energy. She took a few steps and, with a loud four-letter word, she fell on her face. With a stream of obscene language, she stood back up, shakily. She stumbled a bit, narrowly keeping her balance. A smell hit her nose, and she moaned in longing, as her mouth started to water.
Food!
Cooked... food!
Abby kept going forward, towards the wondrous smell of food. It reminded her of roast beef. She didn't usually care for roast beef, being a vegan, but this was starvation talking. And it said the smell was yummy.
Watering Area...
Daley set her jug where it would start getting filled up. She stood back up and smiled at Nathan. He smiled back, then shrugged after a moment.
"So, what should we do?" Nathan asked.
"Keep filling up the jugs..."
"About Melissa."
Daley twitched.
"She's depressed, because of that misunderstanding with Jackson and Taylor," Nathan said.
"Jackson needs to quit messing around, and it'll be fine. A quick, clean break, and it'll be fine. Preferably, the break'll be with Taylor," Daley said.
"Jackson isn't interested in Taylor."
"What?"
"He said so, last night, when we stayed up talking, like always," Nathan said.
"You guys do? Wait, Jackson isn't interested in Taylor?"
"No. He's alright with her, but that's not the point. Jackson had tried to talk with Melissa earlier, but got the cold shoulder, instead," Nathan explained.
"So... we need to talk to Melissa."
Nathan nodded.
"Great. That'll be easy. Her friends who ditched her to make-out are going to crawl back to her to tell her that she should forgive her jerk not-boyfriend for talking to the preppy skank-ho and actually pouring his heart out to said prep instead of her. Real easy," Daley said.
"Why are you so down on Taylor?"
"Do I need to name individual reasons, or can I file them all under Taylor-isms?" Daley asked.
"Ah. Okay. Sure."
Daley pulled out her jug, and Nathan sat his down.
"So, what should we do?" Nathan asked.
"Watch, for now," Daley said, "It's all we can do."
Wooded Area...
Lex walked into the area, where he saw the selection of fruits up in the trees. He smirked and raised up his boomerang. It flew through the air and a banana fell to the ground. He pumped his fist and rushed over to it. He peeled it and took a bite. A good midday snack. He smiled in satisfaction as he sat down to think for a few moments.
The camp is... good... I mean... There are problems, but we're not half-bad. Storm aside.
He took another bite and began chewing.
So... why did Eric run off like he did? Meat isn't anything to worry about. It seems stupid, really...
He swallowed with a gulp, peeled back the banana a bit more, and continued eating.
It caused a ton of problems, too... All of a sudden, Melissa and Taylor started fighting about Jackson. I mean, I know Melissa actually has feelings for Jackson and that Taylor doesn't, so I don't know why they can't just leave it at that. That seems kinda stupid, too.
He peeled back all of the banana and popped in the last of it.
Thinking of romance, Nathan and Daley seemed to have hit it off. I'm glad for my sister, but I hope it doesn't cause any problems... Every other relationship seems to. Almost makes me wonder why relationships even happen. But then, that girl in my class was kinda cute...
Lex shook his head and stood up, then headed closer to his target tree.
Eric's Settlement...
Abby walked into the settlement, and gasped as she saw Eric. Eric turned to the noise and spat out his pork piece in fright. When he realized that he was looking at a shirtless Abby, he gaped for a moment, before shaking himself.
"Shit, Abby... what's up?" Eric asked.
"Is that cooked pork?" Abby asked.
"Yeah... uh... you don't eat meat, right?"
"Used to. Got passed that."
She sat down by the fire, wincing in pain.
"It's still got a while to cook, so... how've ya been?" Eric asked.
"Not good. When I left, I ended up caught in a rockslide that damaged my leg. Unfortunately, I've had to use my... shirt... to... damn it. Do you have a spare shirt?"
Eric pilfered through his stuff and tossed her one, before sitting back down. He was a bit disappointed that she minded being shirtless, but he didn't dare mention that.
"Well, I came out here because I was tired of the guys back at the camp. They refuse to hunt, they hate me, they're complete idiots, blah, blah, blah," Eric said with a sneer.
"Refuse to hunt? Do they have food?"
"They have fruits, but I wanted some meat for a change. It's ridiculous to have to ask, but when I did, everyone, even Taylor, refused."
"Even Taylor? She's that ditzy blonde, right?"
"Hey, she wasn't just a ditzy blonde. That's what anyone would think, but she cared about me."
"Well, I was just indicating surprise. Don't get touchy about it."
Eric shrugged and looked down at the pot.
"Still got a while. Stick around for it."
"So, I'm invited to dinner?"
"Honestly? You're invited to stick around as long as you like. Hey, that splint you got looks a little half-assed... I could help you out there."
Abby glared for a second at the comment on her splint, but then her expression changed to a calmer one, and she nodded, obviously a bit grateful. Eric chuckled and went to grab up some sticks.
"Now, this is pretty crude, but it's the best method, from what Lex and Nathan told me," Eric said, as he sat down next to Abby.
He began to readjust the shirt wrapped around her leg, then slipped in the sticks on opposite sides, before retightening it. Abby winced, then sighed when it got comfortable. Eric scooted a few feet away, to give her space, and they chatted a little more, waiting for the food to finish cooking.
Campfire...
The 29ers gathered around the campfire, as Lex handed out fruit to everyone, while Jackson dished out pieces of cooked fish. They ate for a while in comfortable enough silence.
"So, guys, how's the day so far?" Nathan asked.
"Eh. So so," Jackson said.
Melissa's lip twitched.
Lex shrugged. "It's fine."
"Yeah, same here," Daley answered.
"We're stuck on an island. That sums up the day for me," Taylor said.
Melissa worked hard to suppress a snarky comment, and was shocked to realize how tough it was. She was normally so nice! It was her ideal, something she'd worked so hard to continue doing, and it had gotten to be so easy in recent years. A month on the island had wrecked years of work. How? Why? She took in a sharp breath of air, as she panicked for a second.
"You alright?" Jackson asked.
"I'm fine, just a little... freaked. Sorry. Better now," Melissa said, calming down quickly.
Everyone was paying attention to her now, and that was only making her more nervous. She took in deep breaths.
"What?" she demanded.
"Ummm... we've been kinda worried about since this morning," Nathan said.
"It's nothing, I swear."
"You've been acting strange lately. I mean... snapping at Taylor...?"
"What? Everyone's perfectly fine that I'm sweet? No one bothers to question if that's the real me? But, all of a sudden, I express an actual thought of mine, an actual feeling, and everyone's worried about me?" Melissa snapped.
Everyone looked at her with shock, though Taylor was smiling in an almost evil manner.
'Looks like even the Goody Two-Shoes isn't as pure as she claims.'
"Sorry, Nathan. That was... uncalled for."
"No, Melissa... it was fine. I understand. I mean, I was a bit... pigheaded... about Daley. It does crazy things to you," Nathan said, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Daley glanced at him, nervously. Lex smiled slightly.
'Is it gonna get better?' he wondered.
Taylor looked bored with it all.
"It's not your fault," Melissa said, almost too quietly to be heard.
Taylor caught it however, and she was not about to miss the opportunity to drag this new, bitchy Melissa out.
"What was that?"
She donned her best ditzy smile, feigning ignorance at what she was forcing Melissa into. Melissa stood up and took a step towards Taylor. Everyone immediately realized the threatening gesture, but no one thought to do anything. It was just... too shocking, to see Melissa do it.
"I said it wasn't Nathan's fault. It's yours, Taylor. You make everything more difficult, tear everyone down!"
She was in full blown rage now, repeating something you couldn't even tell the camera lens.
"I wish it was you out there! At least then I...," Melissa stopped herself mid-sentence, as, embarrassed already, her anger faded away.
Taylor picked up where Melissa left off in an irritatingly condescending tone, "What? At least then you could have Jackson? Listen, sweeties, take him. I'll just bang Abby when she gets back."
The awkward silence lasted a full minute, while Taylor kicked back and finished eating her meal.
"Are... are you serious?" Nathan asked, as he desperately tried to keep the images from flooding his mind.
"What?" Taylor asked.
"About ummmm... having sex with Abby?" Melissa said.
"Minor present!" Daley hissed.
"I probably know more about sex than you do," Lex pointed out.
"Only because of rainy days and that damn Wikipedia! Also, I'd really rather not have know that."
"Is that why we never did anything back when we were dating?" Nathan asked.
Daley glared at him.
"Try: we didn't last long enough."
"So, what, you dumped me for a chick? How disgusting."
"Oh shut the fuck up, Homophobe Jones."
"Hey, he has merit. I can't say that lesbianism is exactly pure...," Jackson said, piping up.
Taylor looked at him with disbelief, while Nathan blinked.
'I thought we were at least friends! Bastard,' Taylor thought, irritated.
"Where do you get that idea?" Lex asked.
"Well, the Bible speaks against it."
"Where?" Lex demanded.
"'Should a man lay with a man as he would a servant or a woman, it is an abomination.' There's one."
"What? Is servant a third gender? It's referring to the old days, where free men were above everyone else. Also, the Old Testament is just history, and Christian belief dictates that Jesus wiped away any laws set down it, setting up his own."
"It's talked about in the Bible in the New Testament as well."
"I know that verse, too. Historically speaking, that was referring to practice of Roman men to buy small boys and use them sexually. It was pedophilia."
"It's not right, though," Nathan said.
"How?"
"Umm... physically speaking, every animal is supposed to survive to procreate. So... homosexuality is against the laws of nature!"
"We have another lobe in our brain that can help us decide and reason, which could cause this 'deviation'. However, it's been noted that at least 1,500 species of animals practice homosexuality. Apes, marine birds, mammals, monkeys, and the great apes are all documented as occasionally committing homosexual practices. Heck, gay penguins have been known to mate for life, using a rock as a surrogate egg. Once, a zoo replaced the rock with a real egg. The penguins raised it as if it were their own. Some think it's genetics, and that's likely, seeing as the fly isn't likely to have much difference in environment," Lex said, "So, if you've got something else dispute, bring it."
The boys were speechless.
...OWNED.
Lex blinked.
"Wikipedia has just redeemed itself," Daley said.
Melissa shook herself, finished off her fruit and rushed over to grab her pots.
"Hurry up! Don't just sit there when there's work to do," she snapped.
The others rushed off, with the last bites of their food in hand. Melissa was on a bit of a rampage, and Taylor was wondering if it wasn't Melissa's period.
As it happens, maybe. But I'm not telling.
Eric's Settlement...
Eric looked into the pot and nodded, satisfied. He speared several pieces with some swiped cutlery and placed them on makeshift plates, known most often as tree bark. A little boiling sterilized them just fine, though. He handed one plate to Abby and sat back down with his own.
"Camp was dull, I'm serious. Jackson? More like jackass. Daley was a total control freak who forced me to work just so she could make out with Nathan. Lex was a little know-it-all who just criticized me. Melissa was a perfect little dunce who pined after the jackass and snapped at Taylor, of all people. It was just all wrong, I swear," Eric ranted as he ate.
"At least you had a place to sleep comfortably enough. Even on your own, you've been pampered," Abby replied.
"I know. I cheated. But, oh well. Standing on the shoulders of giants works."
"Surviving with nothing is the real test. When just spending a day without food is a blessing? That's the gritty reality of survival, what our ancestors went through. What I've gone through."
Eric nodded.
"Yeesh. Do you plan on doing that again?"
"I'll stick around here until my leg heals. Then, I have family to find."
He nodded again, ate the last of his meat, and rolled around the question in his mind for a few moments, before finally asking it.
"Would you like help finding your family?"
Abby mulled it over for a moment.
"Come along at your own risk."
Eric smiled and held out his hand. Abby grabbed it, hesitantly, and they shook hands.
'This looks like the beginning of beautiful friendship.'
Damn it, Eric! WHY DID YOU USE THAT OLD LINE!?
Because I know it pisses you off.
Hotel Tango...
"So, how do you plan on us getting rescued if you're gonna stay here?" Ian asked.
"Well, I know Abby'll come looking for us."
"If she's not dead."
"Don't say things like that."
"Well, it's possible."
"She's alive, I know it!"
"Okay, okay..."
Jory picked up a few fruits from her small pile and handed one to Ian, then began eating her own.
"Is Abby our only plan?" Ian asked.
"Well, I mean, if push comes to shove, I could devise some kind of stretcher and carry you with me..."
"There's no way you could carry me across this jungle, even if you did know the way back to the others in the crash," Ian said.
"I can try."
At that point, conversation stopped, because Captain Russell had burst into the room, looking around. Jory hesitantly tossed her other fruit to him. He seized it and ran off, remniscient of a wild animal in his nature.
Jory and Ian ate quietly, pondering over plans.
Campfire...
Jackson looked at Daley and Nathan, then grabbed up both jugs. They nodded and walked on elsewhere. He walked through the woods, filled them both, and brought them back. Melissa looked at him for a moment, before she got back to boiling, wishing they had three jugs instead of just two. Then, at least, she could stall... a lot longer. All day, if it came to it. And that's just how she'd have liked it, too.
But that's not how it was going to happen. Melissa sighed. She just couldn't catch a break today.
"Melissa, I just wanna say..."
"Jackson, you lied to me. I can not forgive you for what you did. Not anytime soon," Melissa said.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't intend for that to happen. And, coming out aside, Taylor did say she wasn't after me."
"What about you?"
Jackson hesitated, largely because he felt the question was so ridiculous. Melissa took a sharp intake of breath, and Jackson mentally panicked.
"I don't, I swear!"
He over-compensated. Melissa faced away from him and looked at the fire as she boiled the water. She finished boiling all the water in the container, then tossed it at Jackson. He nodded sadly, and walked slowly to get to the spring. No rush. It's not like she wanted him around. But... he wanted her.
He had always known he held some form of feeling for Melissa. The attraction to her wasn't just sexual (hell, he'd barely admit that there was a sexual attraction, simply out of sheer shame), but it had been much deeper than he realized.
Melissa had been so forceful, so adamant about pursuing a friendship. She was exactly the kind of person Jackson pushed away, but this wasn't a success. Because something had seperated her from the dozens of foster families and teachers. She actually cared.
Beach...
"I can't believe you're still hung up over Taylor!" Daley hissed.
"I swear I'm not! I was just curious! I mean, seriously, if we broke up and you found out I was gay, wouldn't you wonder if it was because I was pining over some guy?" Nathan replied.
"Are you?"
"No! But that's not the point. Answer the question."
"I doubt it."
"Ohhh, you lie so well!"
Daley turned to him and looked like she wanted to slap him for a second. With an irritated noise, she stomped on.
"I would not care if you broke up with me because you were pining over a guy!"
"But if you didn't know that I was..."
"Shut up, Nathan!"
Nathan held up both hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Alright, alright, but whatever you think, I am not hung up over Taylor. One look at you is enough to wipe away any memory of her," Nathan said.
Daley turned to him, shocked at the sweet moment. She smiled, and he smiled back, before the distant between their lips shrank until there wasn't any. After a few moments, they broke apart, drinking in the moment. Finally, the moment faded, and they smiled, a little awkwardly.
"I've got to check on something... you'll need to learn how to use the boomerang, in case Lex isn't able to use it or something," Daley said, shrugging a little, an almost embarrased motion.
"Okay then, cool," Nathan said.
They lingered for a few moments, before slowly walking off, gradually speeding up.
Plane...
Taylor decided to take up the old job that entailed sunning out and making sure all of their batteries stayed charged up. She plugged in her headphones and sighed in relaxation, twitching her feet in time with the music.
She had been doing this for about 10 or 20 minutes, when the red-haired leader of the group approached. The sudden shade caused Taylor to open her eyes. She rolled said features and paused her music.
"Yes?" Taylor asked.
Daley sighed.
"It seems stupid, but I have to know: are you seriously a lesbian?"
"No."
"Than you were just messing with Melissa with the Abby comment?"
"No."
Taylor smiled slightly.
"Then..."
"Dude, chick, I don't care."
"Are you serious?"
"Hell yeah I am. Melissa's just too whiny to be my type, though. Don't tell her that. I think I'll enjoy messing with her. Her ass is nice, I'll admit."
"And... what about me?"
"Too dominant, really. Overbearing, bitchy, all that. Not many girls fit my quota."
"You're bi-curious."
"No, no. I've had a few dates. Just... none anyone's been aware of. Supposed sleep-overs and whatnot."
"In the closet?"
"Up until now."
"Why admit it now?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I mean, why admit it while you're stuck on an island with us?"
"Well, I figured you guys would be at least a little accepting. Thanks to Lex, that's possible, thank the Lord."
I was tempted to answer her thanks, but I decided against it. This time.
Heheheheh...
Taylor looked around, upon hearing the voice, but shrugged it off.
Damn it!
In the meantime, Daley took in a deep breath.
"So, now that you've gotten passed the unimportant small talk, gonna ask what you really want?" Taylor asked.
Daley massaged her temples, then sat down in the sand.
"Listen, Taylor, I need your absolute guarantee that you will not make it hard for Jackson and Melissa? No more antagonistic Anti-Cupid Antics, please? It's difficult living with them, when they're obviously upset."
Taylor sighed, exasperatedly.
"If you promise, I can't give you anything, but if you don't, well... Lex's genius can be used for excellent means of torment," Daley threatened.
"Fine, damn it all."
"Thank you."
"That it?"
"Yeah."
Daley stood up and walked off. Taylor resumed listening, enjoying the distraction, as she discreetly watched Daley walked off. She had to admit that Daley had a pretty fine figure, too. She chuckled at the potential repercussions, should Daley know about those thoughts, as she lost herself in the music.
Wooded Area...
Nathan walked into the area, looking about, nervously. Lex tossed the boomerang and waited patiently, but obviously not lazily, as he was ready to catch it when it came back, and he did so with ease. Nathan coughed, conspicuously, prompting Lex to turn around and look at him.
"Yes?" Lex asked.
"Ummm... Daley said I needed to train with the boomerang," Nathan answered.
Lex was obviously still a touch irritated with Nathan about the homophobia, but he still handed him the boomerang.
"Alright, now, you position your index finger here..."
Lex continued positioning Nathan's hand in the proper way to hold a boomerang. He then took several steps to the side, mimicked the way Nathan held the boomerang, and spread his legs out into a stance.
"Now, stand like this. It helps bring your weight where you need it. Took me a few tries to figure out Link was not holding it right," Lex noted.
"Dude. You played Ocarina of Time?"
"Twilight Princess."
"Ahhh... you missed out on a classic."
Lex shrugged and decided to get back on topic.
"Now, this is how you throw..."
Lex then tossed an invisible boomerang, as lolcatz would say. Nathan nodded and imitated the throw a few times, before he finally felt he had it right.
"Now, targeting...," Lex said.
"It's not just a simple Z button press, I suppose?"
"Was that the only game you ever played?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I wasn't big on games, to be honest."
"Well, anyways, I haven't really devised an approximate way to really target. You just have to get used to where it flies. You can learn how to target in your own manner, however it is. I just know that I can't explain how I do it. You have to line up and... gah. Impossible," Lex said, shrugging.
Nathan chuckled.
"I understand."
Nathan reared back and let the boomerang fly through the air. He smiled as it came back, having hit nothing. He struggled, but didn't quite catch it.
"You'll learn how to do that, too, with practice," Lex said, rubbing the back of his head.
Nathan nodded, and started back with his practice.
"So, do you seriously believe all that you spouted off?" Nathan suddenly asked.
"Yes."
"I mean, it's been known that Wiki gets articles that aren't true, or people edit ignorantly..."
"Nathan, I checked the cited sources. Valid stuff, all of it. I don't care if you believe in some force that'll send you to eternal damnation, despite being a loving being. I go with science most of the time. Some scientists do believe in an architect, and I do go with them. But I question most religions, as most are filled with hypocrisy or hypocrites," Lex said.
"Where do you hear this stuff?"
"It's what my dad said, most of the time. I do, however, understand exactly what he was talking about, and I feel the same way, having heard what he says about the various religions," Lex replied, hanging back.
Nathan kept practicing. He managed to catch it, narrowly.
"I just can't believe that, man. I've been taught since I was born that it was nothing but God and the Devil. Sinners go to hell, gays were making the wrong choice, abortion is killing babies... all of that. I can't help but think, but know, it's the truth," Nathan said.
"Oh dear sweet Joshua..."
"Joshua?"
"English for Jesus."
Nathan blinked.
"I'm pretty sure Jesus is English for Jesus."
Lex sighed.
"Jesus is Greek. Yeshua is Hebrew. Joshua is English."
They kept on discussing various religious details, some nitpicky, some of larger consequence. Nathan got better, eventually snagging a fruit, before Lex took back over, and Nathan went to fetch water.
Eric's Settlement...
Eric sighed, contentedly. Abby looked at him.
"So?" she asked.
"Well, I think we should hang around here, and gather up supplies. I've got a knife that we could use to make another spear or two, then cut up what we need. I know how to make fires, so that's no problem."
"Then what's the problem?" Abby demanded.
"Well, water, for one... And a way to get back to camp, that's another," Eric said.
"We could find springs along the way. Of course, we could be sure to have as much water as we need by kicking it into overdrive on getting water. Fill up both of our canteens to the top, along with the bottle. Keep a kettle full as we go along, to boil as soon as we need it. Fill up on springs as we go. Ration our water. It'll work."
"Yeah... but a way to get back to camp, should we get lost?" Eric asked.
"Collect pieces of bark... scratch a symbol in them... breadcrumb trail."
"That... could work really well," Eric said, giving in, "Alright. Over the next few days, who gets what chores?"
"One of us should collect and boil water, while the other collects food and bark pieces. We'll alternate," Abby said.
"Sure thing," Eric said, shrugging, "Sounds good."
They shook hands, agreeing to it. Though, perhaps, they held hands a second longer than was strictly necessary...
Campfire...
The silence around the campfire was relatively awkward. Melissa was trying to deal with the fact that Jackson pined for Taylor, who was a lesbian or bisexual; that wasn't exactly made clear to her, but didn't return Jackson's feelings, either way. Jackson was dealing with the fact that he now had been given a mission (albeit by himself) to prove to Melissa that he cared for her. Of course, Nathan and Jackson were both a bit nervous around Lex, who had proven that he was no longer going to just be treated as a little kid. He would not be ignored, the way he had been before. And, of course, Daley was a bit uneasy about everything, while Taylor was only concerned about one person, who wasn't at camp.
"Anyone else get the feeling that the Author just did a really bad recap?" Nathan asked.
Shut up. Not like you could do better. Ingrates...
"Hmmm... I've been looking at the skies, and they look pretty bad... like a storm's coming," Daley said.
Lex looked out there, though he knew what it was, and had predicted and prepared for it long ago.
"It does look pretty bad."
"I wonder if it'll reach us," Jackson said.
"Hope not...," Melissa muttered.
"Should we warn Eric?" Taylor asked.
"When we could be protecting ourselves? That's impractical," Jackson said.
"Hate to say it, but we can't risk it. If Eric had been smart and stayed with us, there wouldn't be a problem. But... he didn't. And now he's paying for it," Daley said.
Taylor went rigid, and she turned fierce eyes on Daley, the mirrored surfaces reflecting the campfire. The redhead shivered as she felt that the fire in her eyes didn't accurately represent the one held by just her glare.
"So Eric wasn't smart for leaving when we all abandoned him on the one thing that he brought up that was a good idea?" Taylor snapped.
"Yeah, pretty much. We can't hunt. It's too risky," Daley said.
"Oh, fuck you! You and Nathan did it, and nothing bad happened, other than you two losing your spines at the last second," Taylor roared, standing up.
No one moved. Taylor was in her own full-blown rage now. Everyone's attention was on her, now.
"Do any of you wonder why Eric acts like he does? Like he doesn't care? Why he's so mean sometimes?" Taylor demanded.
"He's a spoiled, rich kid. That's all that had to happen," Jackson said, bitterly.
"He learned it from his parents!"
"What?" Daley asked.
"That's right! He learned apathy from his parents! It didn't matter what he did! They didn't care. He sneaks out and goes to a party, where he gets slammed and as high as a kite. When he gets home, they just rolled their eyes and sent him to the bathroom when he started throwing up. That's it. No rant about how wrong he was. No helping him stay above the toilet while he hurled! His birthdays? They didn't even sing to him. He made a guest list of maybe two friends, who came over and they did stupid stuff. They didn't even wrap his gifts," Taylor said, tears forming in her eyes, "Can you imagine parents who just ignore you, every day of your life? As if you were just a mistake, but not even worth the trouble to ship you off to the orphanage!? CAN YOU!? WELL ERIC DIDN'T HAVE TO IMAGINE! HE HAD TO PUT UP WITH IT EVERY DAMN DAY OF HIS LIFE!"
No one said a word. There was nothing to say to that. Everyone had made assumptions, and they'd all been made asses of.
Taylor's ragged breathing was the only sound for a few moments.
"Are you really going to turn your back on him? Knowing that? How could you?" Taylor snapped, whirling around and walking off.
She stormed into her tent, while the other 29ers sat around the fire, looking confused or hurt, even. Trying to wrap one's mind around such an atrocity was damaging. It was so horrid, to live every day with parents who obviously didn't give a damn about you. How could such a thing exist?
Melissa shuddered at the thought, herself.
Gradually, they each finished their dinner and headed for bed.
Eric's Settlement...
At the settlement, Abby was waiting for the pork to cook, while Eric was off foraging. After a few minutes, Eric came back and tossed Abby a banana, while he munched on his own.
Hmmm... how can I be mean HERE?
"Have you heard the Author? He's the one doing all these crazy things to us. Maybe he's the reason we are stuck here. He's dragging me down."
"Is that some bad metaphor for God or are you just going nuts?"
"Shut up. He's real, I tell you."
Of course I am.
"See! He did it again!"
"You really are nuts."
Mean quota is filled.
Eric grumbled and checked the pork, satisfied that it was done, before serving it to Abby and himself.
Hotel Tango...
"Ya' know... after Pearl Harbor, this place was set up as a defense against naval attacks...," Russell ranted.
Jory and Ian nodded absently, ignoring him completely. Having already thrown him a few fruits, and eaten the rest, they were out of ideas for the time being.
"Well, a stretcher could work...," Jory said.
"No. Seriously. Just go on without me. Leave me about 6 or 7 days worth of food, then go exploring. Leave a trail of banana peels or something," Ian said.
Jory sighed.
"Maybe. I might be fine with that. I don't know that I can handle that, though... I don't like the idea of leaving you alone...," Jory said.
"I'll be fine. I promise," Ian said, smiling his signature grin.
That grin had always cheered up Jory over their time on the island. It helped her forget their troubles, if only for a moment. She'd adored that grin since the school year began, and he had flashed it at her on his way to class.
She smiled back, then laid back, a few feet away from Ian, should he wake up with a nightmare, like he had once or twice. Gently, she fell asleep, the chatter of Russell mere background noise now.
Tent Area...
Jackson and Lex lightly stepped out of their tents, looking around, cautiously.
"Where'd you put the fruits?" Jackson asked in a hushed whisper.
Lex started off to where they were.
They thought they were completely alone, that no one had seen them. But they were wrong. It may have been midnight, but there was one girl who definitely had more than enough on her mind to keep her up. Melissa peeked out of her tent and watched Jackson and Lex rush off. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. What were they doing? Something to cheer up Taylor, after she had her little breakdown...?
The thought caused a shuddering sob to erupt through Melissa's body, as she pulled herself back into the tent and curled up in her sleeping bag, wiping away the tears as they formed.
End of Chapter Four