Sorry for the delay, real life has a cruel way of interfering with the best of intentions...
First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU to every single one of you for reading my story.
A huge THANKS to all of you who took the time to review and private message me! Your support is what keeps me writing - and ignoring or procrastinating on my other obligations :-)
A special THANKS to my number one reviewers- pinklen98 and Opal who wrote a review for every single chapter! You guys rock!
Also to bella.dolce and Opal for appreciating the touches of humor I added.
To Opal: yes, he was doing what you thought he was. Good catch! Look for one more :-)
I admit, I'm very sad to see this story end. :-(
The Strong Will Survive
Disclaimer: Don't own, may contain some facts from the F29D books that I've expanded on. Plot is all mine.
Author's Note: Written pre- Hotel Tango so no spoilers. Any similarities are coincidental.
Characters aren't OOC, I prefer to think of it as exposing parts of their personalities they've tried to keep on the down low or have finally developed based on their island experiences, EPOTPTTTKOTDLOHFDBOTIE, for short.
Some walls go up, while other barriers are torn down. Slowly, brick by brick or shattered all at once.
Just my little version of one possibility.
POETIC LICENSE used profusely, it is FICTION after all. All of the military stuff is heavily poetically licensed so please don't give me grief about any mistakes concerning that.
Remember to SUSPEND DISBELIEF to fully enjoy.
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He felt her grip on his hand slackening. Her breathing was slowing. "And... and...Jackson ...I...I...really...I... love...you." She was staring at him with such adoration in her eyes it made his tears fall faster. His heart was hammering so hard in his chest he thought it would burst. Melissa's free hand slowly reached up and gently brushed the tears off his cheek then she wrapped her fingers around the cross at his throat. "You...don't...have...to feel...the...same...it's okay." Her breaths were more like gasps now. "Just...please...one more...one more...kiss?"
Jackson bent down and put all of his emotions into the kiss. He felt her kissing him back. That means she'll be okay, right God? Please? Please! Jackson pulled back and looked into her fading eyes. "I love you, Melissa. I love you with all of my heart. I really do. You're my best friend! You're the only one for me! Please hold on! Please! Don't leave me! Please, Melissa! I love you!"
Melissa's eyes were filled with such joy as she stared up into Jackson's. "My...only...only regret...is not...not being...with...you," she gasped. Her hand was still wrapped around his cross. She gave him one last beautiful smile before the light completely faded from her eyes. He heard her last little exhalation of breath. Her head fell to the side, her eyes closed and her hand slowly relaxed its grip on his necklace.
Jackson grabbed her hand and wouldn't let it unclasp the cross. He bent over and pulled her onto his lap. He was sobbing uncontrollably now. His keening sounded like some wounded animal. "NO!!! Melissa, come back! Don't leave me! NO!!!
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Chapter Fourteen
Through his tears Jackson suddenly noticed that the knife sticking out of Melissa's chest was his. The one I made at Big Jay's. No! "NO!!" he screamed again. A tremor passed through Jackson's body. He opened his eyes and sat up. He was sweating and breathing like he'd just run a marathon. He looked across the fire. Eric was snoring peacefully. A dream. Holy shit! He tried to get his breathing under control. Thank God, it was only a dream! He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. Jackson couldn't settle down. His heart was still pounding in his chest. He stood up and walked to the beach where he furiously paced back and forth. Only a dream. But it was so damned vivid! It was just a dream, right? Jackson wasn't so sure now. He ran as fast as he could back to the hut. The moon cast a bright glow over the whole campsite exactly like my dream. This made his heart skip a beat and his stomach flip. He peered in the doorway. Three bodies. Jackson exhaled loudly. The body closest to the door suddenly sat up. "Jackson, is that you?" Melissa. She stood up and limped over to him. "What's wrong? You can't sleep either?"
Jackson felt like his heart was hammering loud enough to wake up the whole island. He pulled Melissa into a tight hug. Melissa could feel his whole body trembling. With difficulty she pulled out of his arms and grabbed her sleeping bag, took his hand and led him down to the beach. There, she dropped her sleeping bag, turned to him and pulled him into her embrace. He was still trembling as he grabbed onto her like his life depended on it. She felt wetness on her shoulder. Her brow wrinkled in confusion as she stood there soothing him. "Jackson, what is it? What's wrong? What happened?" His breathing finally slowed. She pulled back from him. His cheeks were slick with tears. She reached up and gently wiped them away. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed the palm. Then he raised her chin and kissed her wildly. He seemed to be trying to consume her. His lips were crushing hers. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her, Melissa found it difficult to breathe. Her bruised ribs were starting to protest. Jackson didn't seem to be aware of his strength. When he had finally convinced himself that she was alive he quickly pulled away suddenly realizing that he was probably hurting her, but he kept his hands on her arms, unwilling to break physical contact. Melissa gazed up at him. "Jackson, what is it?"
Jackson rubbed a hand across his eyes and sniffed. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine. Jackson, you're scaring me. What's wrong? What happened? Please tell me!"
"You're going to think I'm the biggest idiot!"
"No, I won't. You know you can tell me anything." Her calm gaze steadied him.
Jackson took a deep breath. He told her all about his dream, omitting their declarations of love. "...It just seemed so real. I felt the pain in my head. I could feel and smell the blood. I was so scared. Then I couldn't get back to sleep. I just kept seeing you with that kni..."
She took his hand. There were tears in her eyes. "I couldn't sleep. Something didn't feel right."
"Yeah, me too. I kept tossing and turning, I didn't think I had fallen asleep. I couldn't shake this weird feeling that something was wrong," he said, sniffing again. "Then the dream started but I thought I was awake...it was awful." Melissa hugged him again.
"I think I know what the problem is," she said. "Go grab your sleeping bag and bring it down here." Jackson gave her a gentle squeeze and sprinted off. He was back in no time wearing a smile. He, too, had figured out what the problem was. Without a word, he unzipped his bag and laid it out on the sand. He picked up Melissa's and unzipped it. They lay down and he covered them both. Melissa had her back to Jackson. He scooted in and spooned her, with one arm curled under his head and the other draped over her. She snuggled up tight against him and grabbed his hand, entwined their fingers and pulled it against her chest. He could feel her heartbeat. He could smell her hair. That calmed him. They both let out contented sighs and fell into a peaceful slumber.
The next morning he was the first to wake. He heard a sea bird's sharp call. Jackson slowly opened his eyes. Melissa's warm body was still pressed up against his. They were still holding hands. He could still feel her heartbeat. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. This is what was wrong, he thought. That was the first time we've been separated in weeks. That's why it didn't feel right. His dream came back to him in a terrible flash. His stomach heaved. That was so incredibly real. I don't even want to think about what I'd do if… An involuntary shudder shook his body. He felt Melissa stir. He tightened his arm around her and she settled down. He smiled again and lay there breathing in her scent until he noticed it was becoming light. "Time to get up, Mel," he said softly in her ear.
"Mmm. Do we have to?" she asked in a whisper. "Can't we just go back to sleep for a bit?"
"We can, if you don't mind the others finding us like this."
"What's wrong with that? We didn't do anything. Just sleep." She slowly rolled over to face him. She put one hand on his chest and the other caressed his cheek. They just stared into each other's eyes for several minutes. Jackson finally gave her a soft kiss on the lips then sat up. He felt his heat rising and this was definitely the wrong time for that. Melissa slowly dragged herself into an upright position. She brushed her fingertips against her lips. They were bruised from his desperate kisses last night. She smiled and thought, I enjoyed getting these bruises.
They sat there leaning against each other, Melissa's head on his shoulder, Jackson's head resting on hers, and watched the sun rise up out of the ocean to their right. When it was fully above the distant horizon they stood up, picked up their bags and headed back to camp. Luckily, everyone was still asleep. Jackson returned to his place near the fire. He added wood then took off into the jungle.
Melissa went back into the hut and got dressed. As she was folding the t-shirt she'd slept in she caught a whiff of masculine scent. She pressed the shirt to her face and inhaled deeply. Mmm, I can still smell Jackson. She sighed. He could still pick Taylor. But…he was so upset after that dream. Yeah, dummy! Because he watched you die! Duh! Melissa shook her head to clear it then stuffed the shirt into her pack. She grabbed her toothbrush and squeezed out a millimeter of paste onto it. She was trying to make it last as long as possible. She grabbed a water bottle and her towel and limped off down the path to the waterfall, brushing her teeth and thinking about last night. She met Jackson on the path. He had that relaxed yet exhilarated look that she'd seen before. They clasped hands briefly and continued on their way in opposite directions.
When Melissa returned to camp, everyone else was up. Ian was boiling water, Jory was setting out fruit for breakfast and everyone else was sitting around the fire. Abby still looked the same though she was following Jory's every move with her eyes. Melissa sat down between Jackson and Eric and Jory handed her a banana. They started discussing what they were going to do for the day. Ian and Eric decided to go fishing, the captain and Jory were going to take Abby to the 'orchard' to gather fruit, and Melissa and Jackson decided to collect firewood, haul water and boil it. Soon everyone had gone their separate ways.
Melissa and Jackson gathered empty containers and went to get water. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Melissa obviously deep in thought.
"What's on your mind, Mel?" Jackson asked.
"What?"
"You're obviously thinking about something. I asked you a question two minutes ago and you still haven't answered me."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about what to do next."
"Well, we're going to take the water back and filter it then..."
"No," she smiled. "I mean, we found the others, there's no civilization here, so what do we do next? Do we stay here? Do we go back to the plane? Have you thought about it?"
"Well, we only got here yesterday but yeah, I have been thinking about it."
"And?"
"And I'm not really sure. There really is no point staying here but I don't think the captain can travel."
"Or Abby," she added quietly.
"Or Abby. What do you think?"
"I think Ian, Jory and the captain are happy here and Abby can stay with them. I was thinking about heading east along the beach to see if anything is there then just go back to the plane. If rescue comes, we know where everyone is now. If it doesn't come, we still know where everyone is. What do you think?" She looked at Jackson.
"I was pretty much thinking the same thing. I mean, I like it here, I really do. The waterfall is great," he said gesturing. "Taylor would kill for it, but I'm already getting restless. We came to find the others and look for civilization, we've found the others so I think it's time to move on. After a few day's rest."
He had to mention Taylor, she thought. "What do you think Eric will want to do?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. I have a feeling he'll want to leave. He's really keen to find civilization, and he's not exactly fond of Abby so I think he'll want to come with us. But, if he doesn't...will you be okay with...just me?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?' she looked at him puzzled.
"Well, if it's just us...by ourselves...no snores to interrupt...I mean...what if..."
"You mean, will I jump your bones if there's no one to stop us?" she finished for him. Melissa stopped and looked at Jackson. It looked like he was actually blushing a little. I can't believe I just said that! she thought.
He turned and looked at her, a little surprised by her boldness. "Well, not just you, I mean, I was there, too."
"So I have to worry about you jumping my bones?" she asked with a grin. Melissa! What is wrong with you?
"You're enjoying this way too much!" he said. "I just mean, you know...if there's no one there to stop us...we've gotten carried away before..."
She was still grinning at him. "Are you telling me that you can't control yourself around me, Jackson?" Melissa mentally held her breath waiting to hear his answer.
He smiled and shook his head. "I'm not going to win this am I?"
"Nope."
"Okay. Sometimes I can't control myself around you." Melissa smiled internally. "And if we're alone for a week or two...I just don't want to lead you on or hurt you," he said, looking at the ground.
"Or make a decision," she said a little coldly. Jackson's head snapped up. "I'm sorry. That was mean. I didn't..."
"No, it's okay. You're just being honest, Mel. You're right. I am avoiding making a decision."
"And why is that?" she asked, staring into his eyes.
"I guess I need to see Taylor again and spend some time with her, to figure out how I feel. Lame, I know, but that's how I'm feeling."
"Hey, if that's how you feel, that's how you feel. Like I've said before, it's okay, I'm a big girl. And, I don't know about you, but I can control myself around you, if I have to. And since you've just told me you need to see Taylor before making a decision, I will control myself." Melissa started walking again.
Jackson just stared at her retreating back for a minute then he slowly started walking after her. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid, Jackson! How can you say that to her after all you've been through together? He shook his head. I hope I didn't just lose my best friend... He ran to catch up with her. "Mel, wait!" He stepped in front of her and put down his water jugs. "Please, wait. I want to talk about this."
Melissa put down her water jugs. "Go ahead, talk." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, waiting.
Jackson rubbed his hand over his face and looked her in the eye. "Look, Mel, I know I've said this before but it's true, you are my best friend. I've never had one before and I sure as hell don't want to lose you. I know I'm handling this whole thing completely wrong but this is new territory for me. I've never had a best friend or real friends that I could count on before. I've never been closer to anyone than I am to you and to be honest..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"It scares me."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know how to trust or love, Mel. Everyone I've ever loved or trusted in my life has either let me down or been taken away from me. I have no idea how to have a real relationship with anyone. And I'd kill myself before I hurt you like that. I know I've already hurt you but I swear I never meant to." His eyes were shiny with tears. "Mel, I can't lose you. I couldn't handle it if you were taken away from me or..."
Melissa stepped forward and put him out of his misery. She put her arms around him. "It's okay, Jackson. You won't lose me, no matter what." He wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Promise?" he whispered.
"Promise," she replied. I may have to be mad at you for a while but you'll never lose me, she thought. I couldn't stand to lose you, either. "Well, I think we need to get this water back and boiled or there's going to be a lot of angry, thirsty people."
"So, we're good, Mel?"
"Yeah, we're good," she replied. She gave him one of her big smiles that he loved and picked up her water jugs. He felt a familiar sensation in the pit of his stomach then he picked up his jugs and followed her.
They arrived back at camp and Melissa started filtering and boiling as Jackson went back and collected firewood. Soon everyone was back and they started eating the fruit that Jory and the captain had brought back. Ian and Eric hadn't caught a single fish. "I don't get it," Eric kept repeating. "It's like there are no fish left in the ocean. We didn't see a single one. Weird."
Everyone was quietly chatting when the captain suddenly sat up straight and said, "Shhh! What's that? Do you hear it?"
"Hear what? I don't hear..." Eric started then stopped. They all heard it now.
"Millie, quick, grab a burning log and get that signal lit!" the captain yelled. Ian grabbed a burning log off the fire and sprinted toward the beach. He threw it into a pile of rubbish that Melissa now realized was a signal fire! Jackson grabbed another one and took off after Ian. The rest of them ran toward the beach yelling. Ian and Jackson were standing there screaming and waving their arms wildly. The signal fire was huge and roaring away. They all stood there yelling and screaming and waving their arms. There, on the horizon, was a huge gray boat.
"It's a navy ship!" Captain Russell screamed. "We're rescued! Woo hoo!" He hobbled over and clapped Ian on the back. Jory came over and hugged them both then went to where Abby had collapsed on the ground crying and put her arms around her. Eric was jumping up and down, waving his hat and wearing the biggest smile Melissa had ever seen on his face. He started hugging everybody. Jackson was screaming and waving like the rest of them. Melissa was smiling and hugging with them but then she moved off to the side and slowly sank to her knees. She started crying.
"They've seen us! They're heading this way! Quick, Millie! Light the other one!" Ian grabbed the end of a burning stick and sprinted down the beach to another huge pile of sticks, logs and dried out palm leaves and coconut husks. He touched the stick to several places then shoved it into the center of the pile. It slowly smoked then poof! It caught like lightning had struck and it started blazing away.
They continued to watch the huge ship head their way. After a while they noticed a much smaller boat being launched. Their screaming and jumping had died down. Now they were all standing or sitting on the beach with huge grins on their faces and their arms around each other. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Jackson noticed Melissa was missing. He turned and scanned the beach. She was moving off, back towards camp. He ran after her. "Mel! We're saved! We're going home! Mel!" He caught up to her and grabbed her hand, spinning her around. She was crying but they didn't look like tears of joy. She looked really upset. "Mel, what's wrong?"
She looked up at him. "Don't get me wrong, Jackson, I am happy. Finally, we're going home! No more worrying about surviving day-to-day. No more adult pressures, no one trying to hurt me. But...please don't hate me..."
"Never!"
"We're rescued, Jackson. Now it's back to the real world. And I'm not ready to go."
"It'll be okay, Mel. I'll be there for you, remember? Do you trust me?"
"Completely."
"Then, there you go. Everything will be fine." He gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Now come on, let's go meet our saviors." They walked back down to the beach and stood there with their arms around each other. The boat had a flat bottom so it pulled right up onto the beach. The front flipped down to make a ramp and a handful of men started filing off it very orderly.
"Hello there! Are you the folks from Flight Two-Niner-Delta-William-November?" a tall naval officer with graying hair asked as he walked briskly up the sand toward the small group.
"Yes, we are!" Captain Russell shouted. "Captain Robert Russell, sir. Are we ever glad to see you!" he said throwing his arms around the startled naval officer.
"Yes, well..." he gently pried Captain Russell off of him. "I'm Captain Steven Gregg, United States Navy. Now let's see, our reports said there's eleven of you all together. The pilot and ten students. I see..." he did a quick head count, "only six students. Are the others sleeping?"
"No, they're on the other side of the island!" Eric said. He noticed one of the sailors was shooting a video. Another was snapping pictures with a very fancy digital camera.
"The other side of the island? How did they get there? And where's the plane?" asked Captain Gregg.
"It's a long story," Jackson said.
"Is everyone alright? Does anyone need medical attention?" he asked surveying the group taking in Captain Russell's splint and crutches, Melissa's crutch and bruised and battered face. No one answered.
"How did you find us?" Jory asked.
"Yeah, and what the heck took you so long?" Eric asked. Captain Gregg looked sharply at Eric. "Not that we're not grateful, but..."
"A Chinese fishing boat found a small raft with a distress signal on it. They were out to sea until five days ago. When they made port they turned it into the authorities with details of when and where they found it. The Chinese authorities contacted us and after we researched the currents and weather conditions back to the day they found the raft, we figured out a general search area and we've been searching every island in the vicinity. And let me tell you, there are hundreds of small islands around here. Just yesterday we came across a report from several weeks ago of a vague and weak radio distress signal in this general vicinity so we hoped we were searching in the right area. But without that raft, we would have never found you."
"Way to go, chief and Lex! It's thanks to you we're rescued!" Eric said clapping Jackson on the back.
"The navy searched for two weeks where we thought you were based on the flight plan. That was over three hundred miles from here. We didn't find anything so the search was called off."
The survivors all looked a little shocked and upset over this. "So…our families all think we're…dead?" Ian asked.
"Well, I don't know about that. From what I've heard, they raised quite a fuss about the Navy giving up so easily and got their own search team together. The only problem is they've been searching in the same wrong area we were. That reminds me," Captain Gregg said. "Is everyone from the flight alive?"
"As far as we know they are. The other four were fine when we left them a few weeks ago. Why?" Jackson asked.
"I want the navy to notify your families ASAP that you are all alive but I don't want to do that until we know for sure." Jackson, Eric and Melissa suddenly looked worried as they started wondering if their friends back at camp were safe.
Another naval officer had approached Melissa. She recognized a medical insignia on his lapel. "Hello, I'm Lieutenant Samuels. I'm a doctor. How did you get that goose egg and all those bruises?" He reached up and tilted her head back to get a better look at it.
"That's a long story, too. I had a concussion. I'm fine. No double vision. No blurriness. I don't even have a headache anymore."
Lieutenant Samuels looked surprised. "You sound like you've had medical training."
"Both my parents are doctors and I've had junior paramedic training."
"Yeah, Melissa saved us more than once. Saved herself, too," Eric said, walking up to them.
"Really? How?"
"One of the first days here I got real sick. Melissa was the only one who knew it was an allergic reaction and what to do about it. She knew to inject me with adrenaline. She was the only one who would stick the needle in me," Eric said. "And she nursed Jackson there," he pointed toward Jackson, "when he had a bad case of giardia. And…"
"Stop, Eric!" Melissa said pointedly. She was glaring at him. Eric's grin faded and he held up his hands in surrender. He mouthed sorry to her then moved off toward the two captains.
"So, you want to be a doctor, too?" he asked with a smile.
"Maybe. Um, do you have a psychologist or psychiatrist on board?"
He looked at her with a troubled expression. "Yes, why?"
"Because that girl over there, the one in the pink shirt?"
"Yes?"
"Her name's Abby and she's had a very rough time and she needs...help."
"Oh, okay." Lieutenant Samuels gave her a puzzled look then moved off and knelt in front of Abby and Jory. He started talking to Abby in a gentle voice.
After conferring with his men for a few minutes, Captain Gregg turned and said, "Before we go pick up your friends, do you mind showing us around your camp and telling us a little about how you survived?" He pointed at the cameras, "We're supposed to document everything."
"Sure," Jory and Ian said together.
"We'll show you around. It was just Jory, the captain and I until yesterday." Ian said.
"The rest of you can collect anything you want to take with you and go wait on the boat now, if you'd like. We'll all go back to the ship together when we're finished." A junior officer stepped forward and handed a bag to the captain. "Oh, yes, thank you ensign. I almost forgot." He started handing out something to each survivor. They were small, disposable digital cameras. "You can take pictures of anything you want to remember from this time in your life. You may not believe it, but when you're older, you will look back on this time and either want to remember it and can't or have fond memories, maybe even miss it."
Jackson and Melissa exchanged looks. They took a few pictures of their rescuers and the group with everyone else then they headed off toward the waterfall to snap a few private pictures. Meanwhile, Ian and Jory were happily chattering away to the videographer and photographer, making them laugh. They were showing them all around their camp. The men seemed impressed with the hut and the garden. Their laughter could still be heard as they headed off down the path to the latrine.
After Captain Russell took a picture of Ian and Jory and Abby in front of the hut and the fire pit, he hobbled to the boat, ready to go. Lieutenant Samuels picked up Abby's pack and led her onto the boat, seating her next to Captain Russell. Eric collapsed their tent and packed it then grabbed his pack and joined Captain Russell on the boat, eager to be off. He couldn't wait to pick up the others then get home. But first, they had to have plenty of food on that big ship that wasn't coconuts or bananas or papayas or fish and he couldn't wait to get some. He started drooling thinking of all the possibilities. Pizza…cold drinks…french fries…ice cream…steak!
Ian and Jory had finished taking pictures and showing the photographers around. They gathered up their stuff and stood with their arms around each other looking at their home away from home.
"I'm gonna miss this place," Jory said. "Is that dumb?"
"No. I'm gonna miss it, too," Ian replied. He looked down at Jory, smiled and kissed the top of her head. "This was the worst and the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Jory returned his smile. "Me too. And I wouldn't trade it for anything." They embraced for a minute then turned and walked to the boat, arms still around each other. They sat with Captain Russell and Abby and started cracking jokes. Abby sat there, still not saying anything but she was smiling at her friends. Lieutenant Samuels was watching her carefully.
Jackson and Melissa returned and grabbed their packs. Before they boarded the boat they stopped and looked back at the camp.
"So, I guess we're really heading back to reality," Melissa said, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"Yeah. But not yet, first we'll get to see the others, and soon," Jackson said, wiping her tear away.
"It will be good to see them again. Do you think they're alright? I mean, look at everything that happened to us in just a few weeks."
"I'm sure they're fine. I mean, they didn't have a psycho with them," he said giving her a silly smile. Melissa laughed. "What's the worst that could have happened? Taylor broke another nail?"
Melissa smiled. "Yeah, I guess." Her face sobered. Jackson thought he knew what she was thinking about.
"And remember, I'm gonna be there for you, no matter what. Okay?"
"Okay," she said. They exchanged smiles, grabbed hands and walked onto the boat, together. The ramp closed and the boat started off toward the ship. The captain was telling them that they should be seeing their friends in less than two hours. Eric asked something about food. Melissa wasn't really listening anymore. She was excited to see the others and get home to her parents but there was one nagging thought that wouldn't leave her alone. Jackson would soon be reunited with Taylor and then what would happen? Taylor always got what she wanted. I can't compete with her. But I can't lose him. After all we've been through these past weeks, I just can't lose him. And don't the past few days prove how he feels about me? Or was I just convenient? Aw, stop it Mel! Maybe you should go talk to the shrink! All of her old insecurities were coming back. This is exactly what Melissa had feared about returning to the real world. Great! If it's already happening just because we're going back to the plane, how fast am I gonna lose the 'new me' when we get home? Melissa took one last look at the island then turned her attention to her friends. She smiled at Jackson and they moved to join the others. She sat there smiling, acting like she was paying attention to their excited conversations but Melissa was stuck in her own head.
He might pick Taylor…Another tear escaped from her eye but she wiped it away before he could see it.
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END BOOK ONE
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Call it a cop out if you want, but it was never my intention to kill Melissa in TSWS. The dream wasn't originally intended as a cliffhanger, it just sort of naturally progressed to that (and what writer doesn't enjoy leaving their readers with a 'killer' cliffhanger…)
Check out my profile page for some thoughts on "Hotel Tango" and PM me if you would like to chat about it...
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Stay tuned for Book Two:
Club 29 Down: Then There Were Four
And the sequel to both...