Thanks to austrian-wunderkind, DarkZoul, HBKloverHBK, dehlia666 & wrasslinlvr20 for the nice reviews!! I love them all!
So! Because I don't want to be duck-taped into a chair, I came with this! Hope you enjoy!
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Patience is not one of my best traits. I'm sure I've said it before but I find myself in the need to emphasize on it again.
I just hate it. Is not just an aspect of my mind that makes my mood sour, but it transcends to the physical; it boils within me and escapes my body in huge waves.
I just don't know how much of this I can take.
I stand up, pace back and forth, sit back again and still nothing, no one. I've been repeating this routine every once in a while. By now desperation is starting to get the best of me, gnawing at my bones.
My wait here seems to drag into eternity!
And where the hell is Chris? He should be back by now. I look back to where he disappeared ages ago, there's still no sign of him returning, so it's double the wait for me.
I sigh, turning my gaze back to the horizon until the rays of light make my eyes water. I blink the discomfort away and keep looking. The wait continues but I'm not going to give up hope; soon I'm going to spot a rescue boat coming our way and this nightmare is going to be over.
Until then I'll just have to keep waiting.
The notion of time is lost to me; I'm not even sure what time is it or how much time I have spent here waiting. All I know is that it has been way too long.
Even the palms of my hands have suffered the consequences, as I have dug my fingernails unmercifully into them. I look down to my nails, feeling like biting them off… a bad habit I kicked out long ago and that is now menacing to resurface.
Come on Chris, where are you?
The heat that has taken over in this godforsaken island is not helping my cause either. As time goes by, the intensity of the sun increases and I have nowhere to escape it. Even the shadow casted by the huge palm tree behind me is not enough to guard me of this cruel heat.
I am not made for this tropical weather, the humidity is killing me.
I pull my suitcase closer to me and start rummaging through it once more. The hopes of finding something that will help us out of here died long ago when I couldn't find a boat, a flare or even a working cell phone… but why would I have such things? It's not as if I packed them.
The contents in it have not changed since the last time I checked. I may not have surviving material in there, but at least I have a few fresh changes of clothes and maybe even something to eat.
I search through it, finding nothing useful. Can I eat a deodorant? Can I brush my way out of here?
Didn't think so.
But I'm almost sure that I packed a few granola bars! Guess I didn't… those would have been useful.
The clothes that I'm wearing had long ago dried on my skin, but I feel sticky with sweat… and I'm full of sand… I'm a mess!
Enough of this, I stand up and step out of the shadow, and as unbelievable as this sounds, the temperature is way hotter out here, hotter than hell.
It takes all of my will not to go back and sit under the somewhat comforting shade.
I try to block the heat out of my mind and focus on the path ahead of me. When I finally make it to the crystalline waters, I advance and get in. I only want to refresh myself, so I take a brief dip, get drenched and step out.
As cool and refreshing as the water is, I don't want to stay in it longer than necessary.
My way back is way more pleasant, must be the water dripping off of me. Now, if I could only have a proper shower… a bubble bath would do wonders to me.
Back under the shadow of my palm tree, I take a brief glance into the bushes, Chris is nowhere to be found… if he doesn't come back soon I'll have to get in there and look for him myself.
But that will be later; now that he is not here I take the opportunity to select a more comforting change of clothes. I look back again, and when I'm sure he's still not there, I hurry to take off the ones I'm wearing.
Thank God I packed shorts for this trip. I usually don't, but because it was Africa I was heading to, I thought they would come handy… at least for the hotel.
If I only knew back then what was going to happen…
I toss my drenched clothes away, I don't even want to look at them from now on, those are unlucky clothes. We should make a pyre out of them!
I quickly put on clean underwear and a sleeveless shirt, enjoying while it lasted the sensation of the scarce breeze against my exposed skin.
I can't help but to think on my mother and how she always ranted to Shane and me about why we should never put clean underwear without bathing first… well mom, this is a very unique situation and I don't think it counts as…
"Nice tush"
I turn around startled, almost tripping over into the sand. My pants are still in my hand and I cover myself with them.
"Chris! What… turn around!" I yell as he looks at me with a smug look on his face. Sure it's not as if I'm naked, but I don't want him staring at me while I'm in my damn panties!
"Why?" He laughs but turns away as I hurry to put on my pants. "It's not like I'll never going to see you in less than that"
"What the hell does that mean?" I spit the words out; I can't believe the nerve of him.
"Think about it Stephers, we are in an isolated island in the middle of God knows where. Rescue is yet to come… as far as we know it might never come. So you and I have the obligation to populate this island with cute little savage kids…"
I gasp. "Oh you are such a pig; I wouldn't populate anything with you even if you were the last man on this planet"
He turns around, the smile still on his face as he walks over to me. I take a step back but as soon as I realize I'm retreating from him I stop. This is Chris here; he's just trying to mess with me.
"Princess, I'm not the last man on this planet, but I am the only man on this Island. That you and I end up together is destiny… its axiomatic"
He is standing right in front of me, too close for comfort. What the hell is wrong with him? Is this heat already messing with his mind?
I take a good look at him through half closed eyelids, somewhere along his journey into that jungle he lost his shirt… so he is very shirtless and… did I mention that he is way too close to me?
Is not as if I haven't seen him shirtless before, the way he goes to the ring is way more revealing than what he is wearing now. But still…
I raise an eyebrow, shooting him an indifferent look. "Well, I guess that human life in this Island will die with us"
He laughs at that, a full hoarse laugh that seemed to escape from his very core; it makes his eyes sparkle with amusement. "Ah, touché" He backs away and I feel certain relief in that, like I can finally breathe.
What is wrong with me? It must definitely be the heat… maybe the blow to the head.
I shake my head, trying to clear it up. Thankfully, everything went back to normal as soon as he turned away from me… or as normal as we are going to get here.
"So what did you find?" I ask trying to forget the previous incident. I take notice that he came back empty handed… well, not empty handed because there is some kind of stick in his hand. But the food that he went to find is nowhere to be found.
He sits down on a rock, takes out a pocketknife and starts peeling with it one of the edges of the wooden stick he brought with him. "There is a small lake about a mile into the jungle, other than that there's nothing other than trees and lizards"
I feel a shiver run through my body, I hate lizards! Of all the islands in this world why did we have get stranded in one full of lizards?
"Would we be able to drink water from that lake?" I ask because I'm thirsty and that might be our only source of potable water.
"Sure… I would have brought you some but I didn't have anything to bring it to you, sorry" He looks at me apologetically before returning to his task. "If you want to go there I can point you the way"
I don't think so… I mean, I am thirsty and all, but there is no chance I'm going to venture in there alone, not if there are lizards roaming around.
But now that I know about this endless source of drinking water I can't help but to feel my mouth all dry and withering.
"Yeah, maybe later… what's up with the stick?"
He looks up at me and snorts. "It's a lance, and with this baby I'm going to get us some food"
"Uh…" I mumble, while watching him work.
I bit my lips, thoughts of cold drinking water invading my mind. When the time comes that he decides to go back there I'm going with him. I won't deny my body of that precious liquid.
Once he is finished sharpening that lance of his, he stands up and grins at me. "Watch and learn kiddo" After saying that he just leaves.
I frown, watching him walk toward a bunch of rocks at one side of the ocean. I watch as he gets in and start looking into the water for something. Is it fish what he is looking for? He is never going to get one.
I've seen movies, and the only way he is catching a fish with that stick is if he gets extremely lucky.
Should I go and tell him that?
Now, don't get me wrong, I want him to catch a few big fishes… after all I am getting hungry.
After a long while, I get tired of watching him impale his improvised lance into the water and getting nothing in return, I don't know why he keeps it up after all the failed attempts. I look away, back to the horizon and in search of the rescue boat that will take us out of here.
I don't see any kind of boat, but I do see something else floating by. I strain my eyesight, trying to get a better look.
I walk closer to the shore and look on, the force of the sun chastising me as soon as I walk out of the shade. Up close I see that there are a couple of these floating objects, and as they get closer I see that they are suitcases! Probably Chris'… and I can also see my handbag.
I consider my options, I can let the current carry them wherever it pleases or I can go and get them. They are not too far away, in fact, they are within swimming distance.
Chris is still occupied with pocking the water, and I don't think he'll give that up to help me get his stuff… so I decide to do it; I get in and swim to get the damn things.
It takes me a while to get the entire luggage out of the water; there are three big suitcases and my handbag. By the time I'm done I'm tired, soaking and thirstier than ever.
And Chris is still oblivious to it all. I could have drowned in there and he wouldn't have noticed.
I drag all the stuff to the shadow, and when they are all here I sit for a while, catching my breath. Maybe Chris does have something to eat among his stuff, maybe even something to drink. I know Paul always carries those nasty energy drinks everywhere he goes.
So occupied I am with my thoughts that I don't notice Chris getting out of the water until he passes in a flash by my side.
I stand, but before I can even open my mouth to say something he is back into the jungle, mumbling and cursing under his breath.
"Chris!" I yell after him. Where is he going? I wanted to go there too! I'm thirsty…
"Chris!" I walk there, but by the time I make it to the bushes he's already gone.
"Damn it" I stomp my foot down, trying to decide if it would be a good idea to venture there by myself.
I end up walking back and sitting over one of his suitcases. What happened? Did he suddenly find the need to take a bathroom break?
My eyes grow wide, too huge for my face to contain. What if I need a bathroom break?
I open my handbag to find right on top of all my things two granola bars. I smile and take them out, I knew I packed them. I always do, it's the only good habit I took from Paul.
At least we'll have something to eat, it's not much but it will do now that Chris gave up the pretense of being a cast member of Survivor. I put them into my other suitcase to eat later, when he gets back.
I keep looking in, but I only have more clothes, documents that are beyond repair thanks to the water and my make-up bag.
I throw it away, getting more frustrated by the minute. I'm back to waiting and now I have the thirst factor to make it all worse.
After a few minutes that felt like hours, Chris walks out of the bushes with the nastiest lizard I have ever seen in my life. It's green and ugly and very much dead. I cringe at the sight of it.
Doesn't he know that those creatures are my natural nemeses? Imagine my horror when he throws it in my lap.
"If I hunt it, you'll cook it"
I stand up in a rush, throwing the damn thing to the sand. I have to fight the urge to scream… and to smack Chris in the face for doing such a thing.
"Hey, don't throw it, that's our dinner"
I think I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, not only because I'll probably have to eat one of those things, but because he expects me to cook it!
"I'm not going to touch that thing" I say full of determination as I watch as in a trance how he picks it up. "I won't"
He shoots me a glare. "So what, do you expect me to do all the things around here while you sit comfortably under the shadow, that's not the way it's going to work here Stephers. If you want to eat you'll have to collaborate"
I blink a couple of times, registering his words in my brain. "Fine then, keep your stupid dinner"
I walk away from him; I even do the unimaginable… I step into the jungle, barefoot and all by myself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
It's actually not that bad here… and I read somewhere that a human body can survive a whole week without eating… as long as it has water.
And water I have plenty here, a whole lake all for myself. And if I get really hungry I could go back there and eat my granola bars, they are mine and that I was going to share them with him was only an act of consideration.
Stupid me…
What really worries me is nightfall, it's already getting late and I would hate to spend nightfall in this jungle, there may be worse things than lizards in here and I don't want to encounter any of them.
Even in plane day light I can hear some of them, howling and going about their business somewhere around me.
I throw a rock into the water, trying to ignore the rumbling noises my stomach is making. It has been a long time since I had a hunger as this, years I would say.
Maybe he is right… and it's not as if I don't want to collaborate… but touching a lizard? I don't think I can do that.
I sigh, my eyes scanning around.
There is one ugly creature crawling out of the lake. It looks as a crustaceous, but I'm not sure what kind. Anyway, doesn't this kind of animals live only in the sea?
Doesn't matter, I reach for Chris' shirt. I found it on my way here and picked it up for some unknown reason. Maybe it was destiny!
I throw it over this crab-alike thing, trapping it under the shirt but unable to do anything more. I'm not going to pick it up and risk getting my fingers cut, so I just close my eyes and smash it with a rock.
Killing it… I killed it and I'm not even going to eat it! I mean, I don't know how to start a fire and I will not eat the thing raw
What if I bring it to Chris as a peace offering…?
No, no chances in that!
"Hey" For the second time this day he startles me, but this time I'm able to hide it from him.
I fix my eyes forward, refusing to look at him.
He sits by me side, and because I'm not looking at him he practically shoves a flower in my face.
I back up a little, getting a better look at it. It's an exotic purple flower, never have I seen a similar one. Even while backing up I can feel its fresh scent invading me.
It's beautiful.
"I'm sorry"
Now this really gets my attention, Chris Irvine apologizing to me? I look at him, his blue eyes are staring right into mine and there is a slight pout on his face.
He is exaggerating it… and it's working, damn him.
"I was a bit rough back there, this whole thing got the best of me and I took it on you, friends?"
I snap the flower out of his hand and inhale from it. This can be considered as peace offering, so I reach for the first ever creature I had kill and offer it to him. "Friends"
He unfolds the shirt and takes a look inside. "Aww Steph, you shouldn't have. I love… ok, what is this?"
I smile despite myself. "I have no idea"
He laughs another one of those raspy laughs of his, then, he stands up and offers me his hand so that I can do the same. "Come on, there's a succulent dinner waiting for you"
I wrinkle my nose, but take his hand nonetheless. "Raw lizard?"
"You underestimate me Stephers, I cooked it nicely… told you I didn't watched survivor for nothing. As for the lizard, is not that bad, kind of tastes like chicken"
"Ehhh" I say walking by his side back to the beach. "Just don't tell anybody once we get back, it may damage my reputation if everyone knows I ate such a thing"
He smiles, still holding my hand. I would have preferred to spend the night in a nice hotel room, maybe on a plane on my way home, but if I have to spend it in here, it's better if I spend it with him.
Like I say, there might be worse things than lizards lurking this Island by night, and I wouldn't want to be alone among them.
TBC
