When I wake up, the sun is already high above me. I've overslept. Joints aching from an exerting night, I stand and look around. Directly in front of me, to the southwest, stands the shoreline. I can just make out the cornucopia, a black speck in the distance. On all other sides of me is water as far as the eye can see. It seems Orca and I have claimed the only island. With a start, I realize Orca isn't here. Where is my ally? Why didn't she wake me up? I turn around and look for my backpack and spear. To my relief they lie directly at my feet, useful as ever.
So Orca didn't steal from me.
But then where did she go? My mouth begins to open to call her name when I remember where I am. A call for help would only be answered by death. So I sit. And wait. The tropical sun sinks from her perch directly above me, dimming the sky and killing the day as she approaches the horizon. I wait for what seems like hours. And I jump back as the surface of the seawater breaks, revealing two intense brown eyes staring back at me. Orca, panting, paddles toward the sand.
"Help me up."
I get to my knees and reach my arm out to her. Her wet hand grasps mine and I pull her up onto our island haven. She catches her breath and then begins a to tell me what she was doing.
"I left before dawn. It was still dark out." She says, and I see her pulling a large sack off of her back that I hadn't noticed.
"I swam all the way back to the cornucopia," she continues, "to see what was up." I begin to ask a question when she cuts me off. "I stayed in the brush and out of sight. Don't worry." I can see in her eyes her seriousness. "I didn't see anyone. Not a soul. Seems a little strange, doesn't it? I mean, there's supposedly 15 of us left." I nod. "So I did a little snooping," she goes to open her sack, "and got all of this." The sack, truly a tarp, falls away and my eyes are met with the motherlode of all supplies. Water, fruits, bags, hats, bottles, ropes, and weapons are among the dozens of items Orca has snagged.
"Wow." I breathe, getting to my feet. "But. Don't you think it's a little suspicious you got all this with such ease?"
My ally looks offended. "Ease? This took me all day to swim back with. I could've been spotted. Meanwhile, you've been doing…what?"
"That's not what I meant." I say.
"I know, I know." Orca said, breaking into a bag of apples and taking a bite. She spits it out almost immediately. "Ugh! This tastes like shit!" She jumps to her feet and grabs the bag of apples. Up close, they look rotten and disgusting.
Orca's excitement is clearly gone. I can feel her heart sinking. "They're duds."
"Yeah." I kneel down to go through the rest of the bag. Broken spears, mouldy hats. My ally has returned to me with a sack of useless items.
"How did you even find these?" I demand. "
