How Gene, Chris and Ray managed to steer the five of them and two dogs to that island, Alex would never know. What she did know was they she had never been so happy to see sand as the raft landed swiftly on the tropical beach of the jungle-invested island.
"Wahoo!" Freddy cheered, jumping off the raft and landing in the shallow waters. Gene growled in frustration.
"Wait until we've got ter shore you stupid little –"
"Gene," Alex warned him sternly, yelping slightly as the dogs jumped over her to follow Freddy. "Freddy, come back!" Alex called to him as the mischievous ten-year-old ran carelessly across the beach with Rusty and Rover chasing him.
"Look!" Freddy yelled back. "It's a giant turtle! How cool is that!"
As the raft crashed to the shores, Gene, Ray and Chris began to unload their barrels and sheets as Alex went to catch up with Freddy. Lifting him up from where he was trying to sit on the turtle, Alex placed him on the sand and knelt down so she was on his level.
"Listen," she said firmly, "whilst we're all on this island, you're going to have to do exactly what we say."
"You ain't my mum," Freddy sneered. Alex gritted her teeth.
"No," she replied, "but we are taking responsibility for you now we're the only ones left. Gene's in charge out of us all, so you have to listen to him. And you have to listen to me as well. Ignore Ray and Chris if you must, but you're going to have to work with us, not against us."
"Why should I listen to you? You're a girl," Freddy said, clearly disgusted.
"A girl who's in charge of you, Chris and Ray," Alex snapped, annoyed.
Freddy sulked as Alex walked him and the dogs back to the boys. Gene, Ray and Chris had managed to pile all their stuff under some huge palm trees on boundary between where the beach ended and the jungle began.
"I reckon we ought ter set up some kind o' camp," Gene decided, "since I think we'll definitely be spending a couple o' nights on this damn island. Ray and Chris, you can start collecting wood and long, strong bits o' bamboo or somethin' ter hold up our substitute tents. Bolls, you can sort out our sheets to make bedding and ter fling over the bits o' wood for a shelter. Freddy…" Gene paused "play with yer dogs. Just don't leave my sight."
"Oh right!" Freddy celebrated, running off back to the turtle with Rusty and Rover. Ray and Chris walked towards the fallen trees in the outskirts of the jungle and Gene was just about to go and help when he noticed Alex's downcast face.
"You all right, Bolls?" he asked her, approaching her tentatively.
Alex nodded. "Just…overwhelmed, really. One minute we're on our way to a conference, then the ship's attacked, we're knocked out, then rowing for our lives to the island and now…" Alex laughed weakly, stray tears spurting from her eyes, "we're on a bloody island, Gene! How long can we do this for? Because I doubt we'll be found any time soon!"
"Hey, hey," Gene soothed her, wrapping his strong arms around her delicate frame in a huge embrace. He rested his chin on her head and comfortingly rubbed circles on her back. "Don't you worry, my Bollyknickers. Everything will be all right. You'll see."
Alex was just starting to enjoy being in Gene's arms when a loud cough was heard from behind them. They sprung apart instantly as if scalded to find a smug-looking Freddy grinning up at them.
"I didn't know you were boyfriend and girlfriend," Freddy sniggered childishly, "ooh…kissy-kissy!"
Alex glared at the little boy as he began to make grotesque kissing sounds.
"Listen 'ere, you," Gene snarled, "number one, Bolls here is certainly not my girlfriend; number two, shut up, and number three, you better start behaving yourself or you'll be sleeping on the beach. Got it?"
Freddy nodded, worried by the anger in Gene's voice. "Yes. Sir," he said in panic.
"Good," Gene spat, marching off to help Chris and Ray build a shelter.
Alex smiled as she watched Gene walk off towards the jungle shirtless, but then was brought back down to Earth as she looked down at Freddy. He was smirking evilly at her.
"Kissy-kissy, smoochy-smoochy!" he sneered.
----
It didn't take long for the boys to compose a small shelter. It was simply strong bits of bamboo wedged into the sand with blankets covering the ground for bedding and flung over the bamboo for coverage.
Freddy hadn't really proven to be an asset to their team yet as he had decided to pick on Chris whilst he struggled to fling the sheets over. Chris, who was not used to having to defend himself against bratty children, was reacting in ways which only ended up spurring Freddy on.
"Oi you, piss off and go and annoy Drake!" Ray snapped.
"Drake?" Freddy scoffed.
"Oh…Alex," Ray muttered.
"Can't," Freddy moaned, "Gene told me off when I interrupted their smoochy snog just now."
Chris and Ray gawped at each other.
"Gene and Alex sitting in a tree," Freddy sang, skipping off to play with the dogs, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, second comes marriage, third comes Alex with a baby in the carriage!"
"Yer don't think the Guv's slippin' DI Drake one, do yer?" Ray hissed to Chris.
Chris shrugged. "I haven't got a bloody clue."
A little while later, the barrels had been rolled towards the edges of the bamboo for extra support and Alex was now sorting out the sleeping arrangements. Freddy was still playing with Rusty and Rover as Gene, Ray and Chris sat near the shelter taking a break.
"For God's sake, Bolls, it's just a tiny shelter!" Gene tutted as Alex deliberated on where everyone was sleeping. "Shitface Freddy can 'ave the end next to his bloody dogs. Wonder Chris can 'ave the other end if he wants and you can 'ave the middle, between Ray and my very good self. So yer feel safe."
"Ooh, I like that idea, Guv!" Ray chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at Alex as she looked horrified.
"I am not sleeping in between you two," Alex muttered, moving the blankets around once more. But as she tossed one blanket to the side, she let out a terrified scream.
"AAHH!" Alex yelled in fright. A huge komodo dragon had slithered out from under the sheets and was crawling towards her.
"RAY, CHRIS, GET THE GUN!" Gene boomed as Alex ran towards him. She collided into his chest with a thump and Gene wrapped his arms around her protectively as Alex buried her face in the crook of his neck whimpering.
"Can't find the gun, Guv!" Chris panicked. "Shit, Ray, its moving! Don't let it get me, Ray, don't let it get me!"
"Shut up, yer poof!" Ray barked, grabbing a sheet and wrapping the komodo dragon in it. Wrestling with it he began running towards the jungle where he emptied the creature into the bushes, watching closely as it scuttled off in the other direction. "It's gone," Ray confirmed, walking back.
"It's gone, Bolls, yer all right," Gene said softly, trying to unlatch himself from her. Ray and Chris were giving each other knowing looks and Gene felt very uncomfortable holding Bolly, who was still in her damp dressing gown, nightshirt and knickers, whilst he was topless in front of Ray and Chris.
"You sure?" Alex said quietly, letting go of Gene reluctantly.
"Positive," Ray nodded, "nothing's goin' ter hurt yer, Ma'am."
But what the five of them didn't know, was that whilst there was all the commotion about the komodo dragon, a huge Bengal tiger was watching them from one of the trees across the island, high up and overlooking the beach.