"Isabella!"

My name was the last thing I heard before I was fully submerged into the water. My limbs thrashed instinctively as I sank deeper and my eyes could see nothing but a flurry of bubbles when I opened them. It was fortunate that I had gasped before I fell; if I had not, I would not have a reserve of air in my lungs and I would have drowned in an instant.

Everything was so disorienting until my mind finally took control and began to work rationally. It managed to will my body to stop moving erratically and instead try to swim up to the surface.

However, my mind was overpowered again when I saw the blurry silhouette of a very large creature suddenly pass by. My mouth opened involuntarily and I felt my last breath escape me, the water that replaced it flooding my mouth.

Before my body could begin thrashing again, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me up. I inhaled deeply as soon as my head was above the water.

"Get on the boat," Edward's hoarse voice commanded as he grabbed my arm and hastily swam to the craft. "Quickly,"

He assisted me until I was fully seated but did not climb onto the boat as well. Instead, he moved to the other side of it where I realized Elias and Elisar were.

"No need for any more panic," Elias' tone was assuring. "This beast won't be bothering anyone anymore,"

"You've killed it," Edward stated. I turned to look at them and saw the crocodile's body floating lifelessly next to a very amused Elisar.

"Indeed we have," he replied with a grin. "It was more difficult than if we had to kill it on land, but we managed,"

"Good. Perhaps it is a good idea if we all return to the boat then," I caught sight of Edward's wet, pale hands grasp the edge before hoisting himself up effortlessly and sitting next to me. Elias did the same moments later but Elisar moved to the other craft which, to my surprise, was empty.

"I will run this one back to the mainland," he said. "That animal left some damages here. It wouldn't be safe for anyone to ride it,"

It was only then I noticed that Lady Rosalie and the others were also on the men's boat now. They still clung to each other with obvious panic on their faces as they looked on the water warily.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked as his eyes evaluated my soaking form, his hand going to my arm. "Does anything hurt?"

"I-I'm fine…sir," I replied, not comfortable with speaking to him the way he wished when others were around.

"Yes, of course the servant girl is fine," Father Marcus smiled patronizingly. "And it is all thanks to you, Mr. Cullen,"

Edward's answering smirk was mocking. "Of course, father," he said. "I couldn't let anyone drown,"

"Yes, I'm sure," the friar replied as his eyes moved between Edward and I. At first, I wondered what could have caught his attention but then I realized that Edward's hand was still on me and we were sitting much closer than how a servant and master would normally be. With no room to move, I simply looked down onto my lap to escape his gaze.

Luckily, Elias decided it was time for another story to be told and managed to distract everyone with his loud and jovial voice. With the way he spoke, it was hard to believe that just moments ago, he and his brother had strangled a crocodile with their bare hands.

The ladies finally calmed after a while and were enjoying the ride once again just as our destination came into view. The topic eventually arrived to what they wished to eat for lunch and I realized that it must be midday. I looked up and saw that the sun was almost at its highest peak.

"Isabella, you're shaking," Edward whispered from beside me. I took my eyes away from the sky and looked back at him before looking at my hands which were, indeed, trembling.

"Are you cold?" he asked, taking the blanket covering the basket and wrapping it around my shoulders. Now that he had mentioned it, I suddenly felt the chill the lake water as it clung to my clothes and my skin.

"Th-thank you," I whispered, wrapping the fabric tighter around me. Despite the sun overhead, my quivering did not cease.

I looked up and thanked the good Lord that Father Marcus was too busy engaging Jasper in conversation to notice Edward's attention on me. Lady Tanya, however, was looking at us with a mixture of confusion, contempt, but most of all, longing.

Still, she said nothing and quickly looked elsewhere when I met her eyes.

We arrived at the island a while later with everyone's spirits lifted and my body gradually returning to its normal state. Lady Victoria spoke of going swimming in the shallow water after lunch and Jasper asked if there were any nearby fruit trees he could pick from. Even Father Marcus looked forward to reacquainting himself with the rich vegetation. Father Aro, however, remained silent.

"What are we having for lunch?" Lady Rosalie asked as she spied the basket I was carrying.

"Lady Irina asked me to bring many meats and vegetables. What would you like?" I asked as I set the basket down.

"Tinola sounds lovely," Lady Tanya thought aloud.

"So does some adobo," Lady Victoria nodded.

"I love what you did with the fish the last time we had that for dinner, Isabella," Lady Rosalie said. "Can you recreate it?"

Before I could respond, Elias spoke up. "Fish? That can be arranged. With that menace of a crocodile gone, I'm sure they've gone back to their usual place in the lake. I still have my net with me,"

"You would capture some fish for me?" Lady Rosalie turned to him.

"Of course. Who am I to deny a lady what she wants?" I could hear the suggestive undertone to Elias' words but Lady Rosalie didn't seem to notice as she simply smiled at him and blushed slightly.

Elias grinned back before tossing the net over his shoulder and moving back to the boat. Jasper asked if he could accompany him as he chewed on a mango he must have taken from a tree and soon, the two of them set out to the water again.

As Lady Tanya's servants and I began preparing the meal, I could hear Father Marcus speaking from a nearby bench.

"What do you wish to have for your birthday, Tanya?" he asked in a tone I rarely hear him use – that of genuine askance and happiness.

"Oh, my father has already given me a diamond necklace," she replied. "A new dress would be a nice gift, I suppose,"

"A diamond necklace," the priest repeated.

"Yes. He said it used to be my mother's,"

I did not know much of Lady Tanya's mother but I did know that her name was Tia Alba and that she had died giving birth to her daughter. Kapitan Tiago, though seemingly always happy, would get a look of melancholy on his face whenever his wife was mentioned.

"Hm. Yes, I believe I know that necklace," Father Marcus mused. "I remember seeing it on her whenever a big fiesta was held. She always wanted to look her best, your mother,"

I saw Lady Tanya nod. "Auntie said I look very much like her,"

"Indeed you do. She was also as engaging as you are. You would need more than the fingers of ten people to count how many friends she had,"

"Father mentioned that she broke many hearts when she married him as well,"

"Yes. Broke is the proper term for what she did," Father Marcus' voice dropped to a mere murmur as his face set into a stone mask. He recovered quickly, however, and turned to Lady Tanya once again.

"What about you, my dear? How many hearts have you broken already? Surely a lovely girl such as yourself would have many suitors,"

"Oh, I have a few," she giggled lightly. "But…I don't believe any of them is meant to be my husband,"

Though I was looking away, I could tell that she was looking at Edward as she said the words. He was perched on a stone near the water's edge, looking contemplatively over the vast lake as the sun dried his clothes and skin. The droplets that still clung to him made it look like he was shining.

My stomach clenched as I thought of Lady Tanya and Edward together. It was obvious now that she wanted him and while he never gave any indication that he returned her feelings, it was still…more prudent of him to choose her as a wife, if ever, than to have – dare I think it – me to fulfill the role.

The strange feeling in my gut worsened and I shook my head to clear it. Now was not the appropriate time to be thinking of such things.

Thankfully, Jasper and Elias arrived with a net full of fish just then, effectively giving me a distraction. I cooked the fish just as Lady Rosalie liked and soon, everyone had their plates filled with food.

I could feel the hunger clawing at my stomach as I watched everyone eat their fill. Falling and almost drowning in the lake must have taken much of my energy, I thought, just as my stomach growled. My hand went to the skin there as if it could silence it.

"Why didn't you get any food for yourself?" Edward asked as he quietly slipped next to me. Everyone was engaged in loud conversation and laughter that no one noticed his movement.

"I…we are not supposed to dine until the masters and mistresses are finished," I explained. "We are supposed to serve them first before we are allowed to eat," surely he must have noticed how we stood by as they ate back in the manor.

My eyes travelled back to the party and watched enviously as Father Marcus bit into a big piece of chicken. My belly rumbled again.

"Here. Take some," Edward pushed his plate towards me. "I am sure I took too much, anyway,"

I shook my head immediately despite how tempting his offer was.

"It's alright," I told him. "I can wait until everyone has finished eating,"

"I can hear your stomach, Isabella," he said. "Please. Just eat. It isn't good for you to deprive yourself of food when you so obviously need some,"

"I really shouldn't," I insisted though it was getting harder and harder to refuse him.

"Isabella-"

"Mister Cullen!" Father Marcus' voice suddenly boomed and I jumped in my place. "What are you doing all the way there?"

My heart sped up again as my thoughts raced in panic. This was the second time we were caught doing inappropriate activities and I did not know how to respond.

Edward, thankfully, had a quicker mind and simply smiled back at the priest. "I was simply conversing with Isabella here as you were all busy talking amongst yourselves,"

"Well, why won't you join us again as I have a very interesting tale to share," Father Marcus gave a half-hearted grin and gestured to Edward's empty place. Edward sighed and gave me one last look before joining them.

"Do you remember that boy I said the sacristan had locked in the bell tower?" he faced the ladies as he asked the question and I stiffened when I realized a second later that he was referring to Crispin.

"The thief? I remember my mother saying something about that," Lady Rosalie nodded. "What of him?"

"Well, last I had heard, he was set free," he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Apparently, his sister had come to the lieutenant and begged him to let the boy go,"

"That's absurd!" Lady Victoria suddenly burst out. "Letting a criminal just leave? What if he steals again?"

My eyes darted to Jasper and saw his jaw set tightly and his hands gripping the wooden table with much force. He was openly glaring at Father Marcus but the priest either truly did not notice that or just ignored him.

"I think I know his sister," Lady Tanya spoke. "My father said she was mentally unstable,"

"Who? Alice?" Elias cut in. "No, she is not. If anything, she is strong. Your father wouldn't know anything about her,"

What I liked most about Elias was his loyalty to his friends and his bravery to speak up against someone powerful. However, that was what often times lead him to fights and injuries as well.

Thankfully, neither Lady Tanya nor Father Marcus did anything rash about his words. The latter simply shook his head and continued to talk about Crispin, much to Jasper's growing aggravation.

Eventually, they finished their meal and the other servants and I worked quickly to clean up. Afterwards, we finally had our own share of the food which was much to my stomach's relief.

Lady Victoria led the other ladies toward another part of the island where they were to go swimming while the men explored the forest. With nothing else to do, I decided that I might do the same, maybe even pick a few fruits for I was at it.

I managed to take some bananas, mangos and a few others when I heard laughter and giggling nearby. I must be close by to where Lady Tanya and the others were.

I continued on my path until I saw someone standing solitary amongst the trees and behind some bushes. It was Father Aro. I was about to change course, not wanting to disturb him, until I noticed that he was not paying any attention to me at all.

Instead, he his focus was right on the small pool where the ladies were playing and laughing amongst themselves with nothing to cover up their bodies.

Adobo – probably the most famous Filipino dish there is. Made with either pork or chicken and cooked with vinegar, soy sauce and other ingredients