A/N: Daisy is the Point Of View character. I forgot some details of chapters 3-7 of Heal My Insanity. I will retcon/include those details in here, as well as add new ones in a flashback.

Chapter 14: {It's Cold When You're Lonely}

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(Two Hours Later)

Daisy kept tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable enough to sleep. It wasn't because she was laying a top an old mattress in a hot and humid climate.

No, it was something else.

Do I feel guilty?

No… why should I?

I did nothing wrong.

Daisy was grateful that the fisherman offered his hospitality, giving her a place to spend the night. And it was most likely the nicest accommodation that she would get on this island.

But she had been fidgeting under her blanket for over an hour now. Something was preventing her from relaxing.

Is it because I don't have Jason sleeping beside me?

Holding me tight.

Daisy scoffed at the very thought.

After I uncovered the truth about him… how could I even want Jason sleeping next to me?

An admitted rapist? That's who I'm in love with?

I might just be going crazy.

Sweat covered her pale skin.

She grunted in frustration.

Frustration with everything.

With this little vacation away from home. With trying to sleep. With this blazing jungle humidity, making her clothes stick to her skin.

With… Jason.

The old tee-shirt that she wore was clinging to her skin.

Unwilling to deal with it any longer, Daisy quickly pulled the shirt up over her head, and threw it across the room.

Her white bra and panties were the only thing still on her body.

But she continued tussling with that old blanket the fisherman had given her.

For a few minutes, she attempted to sleep without that old blanket covering her body.

It was certainly an improvement, as she felt her body become cooler and cooler.

But after a few minutes, she was too cold. The small amount of sweat on her skin quickly cooled, causing her to shiver.

I'm just cold because I am not used to sleeping alone.

Jason always sleeps beside me in my bed.

And regardless if I'm holding on to him or he's holding on to me, we keep each other warm throughout the night.

Dammit Daisy. You shouldn't think like that.

You might decide to end your relationship with Jason, and then he'll have to move out of your house, and then you won't have anyone sleeping in your bed with you.

So you might as well start getting used to the feeling of sleeping alone.

Ever since daisy had walked away from Jason, she hadn't been able to come to a decision.

Part of her was sickened with Jason and wanted him out of her life.

But they had also been through so much together. From sleeping in the same cave together, fighting pirates, and the years of comforting each other whenever they felt sadness and depression.

And Daisy couldn't ever forget that it had been Jason who'd saved her life three times.

It was him who brought her the mushrooms that saved her from dying from poison. He'd chosen to break free of Citra's control, and chose not to kill his friends, as Citra wanted him to do. And saving her from those pirates.

Jumping into the water after her.

Daisy started recalling that day in detail.

Yeah, but once we got kidnapped and taken to their boat, Jason chose to take advantage of me.

And his excuse was that it was his monster side that made him do it.

That's complete bullshit.

He always acts like he can't stop himself from becoming a monster. Like he can't win the battle between good and evil raging inside of his mind.

He said it himself. Jason could have simply killed those pirates and gotten me out of there. He even physically fought back, punching and grappling with those pirates.

I saw him do it. I saw him fight back.

Was that just for show? Did he just want me to think that he was overpowered by those goons?

If it was just all an act, it sure was convincing.

All of these years… I thought that he hadn't had a choice.

But Jason had been able to kill dozens of pirates all by himself before. So why the hell couldn't he take out just a handful of them?

Well, it's so obvious now. He was planning on fucking me as soon as I got offered up to him.

Maybe I've been lying to myself about the type of man Jason really is.

Daisy's frustration was weighing heavily on her conscious. She grunted with her teeth clinched tightly together.

"I don't know what to do. Should I forgive him. Or let him go. After all he admitted what he did." She spoke out loud.

All her life, whenever Daisy was struggling with something, she would start talking to herself. Although she made sure that no one ever saw her having a conversation with herself.

Because she didn't want people to think of her as a crazy woman. But talking with herself really did help her.

The only reason that she was even able to repair that boat, was because she had long and constructive conversations with herself whenever Liza and Jason were out of earshot.

I wonder if Jason knows this about me.

Oh Jason…

How is it even possible that I hate you and love you at the same time?

Am I becoming one of those women who have an unhealthy addiction to their abusive boyfriends?

Jason isn't an abusive man.

He hasn't ever verbally or physically abused me.

And I am not going to count that one night when he almost strangled me.

That wasn't him. His dream was so real that he couldn't distinguish it from reality.

The horror and sadness in his eyes…

I knew that it wasn't his fault.

He has always loved me. Our nights are spent together. He holds me, tells me he loves me, kisses me with real passion.

Things are different now. I hadn't known then what I know now.

I can still see the faces of those pirates as their eyes devoured me.

And that one big pirate, how he fondled my boobs and forcibly kissed me on the lips.

As soon as they led me down into the lower level of the ship, I feared the what most likely was going to happen.

But I still grasp onto some tiny bit of hope.

Hope that the brigands wouldn't rape me.

Hope that my best friend, Jason, my knight in shining armor, would swoop in to save me. His princess, captured and locked inside the tower. And after I had been saved, I would kiss him on the cheek, and on the lips. Then I would then tell him how much I loved him.

And… how much I was in love with him.

And we could finally be together as a couple. The way it should have always been.

I will always love and miss Grant, but it was Jason whom I'd developed a magical connection to.

And it was obvious that Jason was going to end things with Liza.

Then we would have our fairy tale ending.

But what happened, wasn't a fairy tale.

This princess was forced at gunpoint to strip off her clothes.

A dozen or so pirates led me down from the ship's deck and through a barely lit hallway. They threw me into an empty room.

The only furnishing in the entire room, was an old mattress.

The mattress's purpose for being there, was obvious.

One by one, the pirates left the room as they exited through the doorway. All except for two of them.

A devilish grin formed on the face of the pirate that was closest to me. The pervert.

The other one stood as a silent sentry, with a blank expression, leaning his back against the wall.

The door was then closed from the outside. Steel scraped against steel as the old metal locks squeaked.

No escape now.

"Take your clothes off right now missy." I remember the pervert saying to me, as I stood there shaking.

Fear yanked my heart out of my body. So much fear. I was too scared to continue with my tough girl attitude.

Offering up any resistance to these men would only result in me ending up with even more beatings and bruises than I was already going to get.

So, I switched my attitude to one of a frightened and innocent little girl.

I can remember myself meekly begging the pervert pirate "Please, can't I leave my underwear on?"

That request only made the perverted pirate's grin grow even larger, as his eyes fill with sick fantasies. "Oh no, no, no. I want to stare at your tits. Hmm… but… I might give you your panties back… after."

He started walking up even closer to me.

I noticed that he didn't hold a gun in his hands or in a holster. Not even a knife anywhere on his person.

For a brief moment, I thought that maybe I could knock him out or kill him somehow. But I quickly disregarded that idea.

There wasn't any way that my skinny body could overpower him. In addition to my weaker frame, the pirate standing by the door did have a rifle in his hands. A rifle that he was lazily pointing in my direction.

He would have shot me before I could even lay a hand on the pervert.

"I said… TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!" The pervert pirate had switched to an intimidating voice.

Intimidating enough that I jumped excitedly.

"And don't even try anything stupid. If you do… oh… I might have to punish you." He added as he licked his lips.

"Fine! You fucking creep. I'll take off my clothes." I tried to sound tougher than I felt.

Wanting to prolong getting nude for as long as possible, I had started pulling my shoes and socks off. I threw my discarded footwear down in front of me.

"Hurry up… you bitch!" The pervert pirate made my body jump again.

It took everything, all my willpower, not to cry at this moment.

Next, I unbuttoned my blue jeans, but I chose not to take them off just yet.

Suddenly, I had thought about my yellow bandana. The one that had belonged to Grant. I had been wearing it around my wrist ever since I learned of his death.

Wearing it helped me. It made me feel like a small part of Grant was still with me.

It was gone.

When I had been pulled off of our escape boat, it probably fell off in the scuffle.

Now it was gone forever.

Losing my yellow bandana… saddened me. But I was about to go through much, much worse.

"Faster!" That pervert commanded me.

"Fuck off." I clenched my teeth tightly together as I glared at him.

No matter what I said to him, it made no noticeable difference in his constitution. This was most likely his profession, forcing women to get naked in front of him as he drooled.

Like a dog slobbering before they're given a treat.

Native local women were probably his usual victims.

The few women that I had seen on these islands, were a few inches shorter than me. And they obviously had a mildly tanner and copper colored skin.

But I've always thought that skin tone was very beautiful.

Santa Monica, my hometown, had a large Hispanic population. And they were all well integrated with the rest of our town.

Funnily enough, I remember Jason telling me that his first girlfriend ever, was a girl from his high school. A girl whose parents had moved to America from Mexico when she was only three years old.

What did he tell me her name was? Maria? Mariana? Mari?

Maybe I will ask him again.

That is, only if I decide to take him back after our fight.

I had many Hispanic girls as friends over the years. They were all so beautiful. Their dark hair and their tanned skin had some kind of indescribable beauty about it.

When me and the others went on this little vacation of ours across southeast Asia and the pacific, I loved observing the various local women and how they dressed, wherever we went. Whether or not we went to the Philippines, Vietnam, or Thailand, the women there always surprised me.

Some kind of exotic old-world beauty about those women, fascinated me. As I was enamored with the way that they found so much joy with the little things in life. The same things that I've taken for granted.

I was so happy whenever I had returned back to my small little house in Santa Monica… especially after all the tragedy that I had endured in only a couple of weeks.

My experiences… I had learned a valuable lesson. I promised myself that I would start to appreciate all the tiny and seemingly insignificant things that I had in my life.

And I decided that Jason was my soulmate. Nothing was keeping us from being together anymore.

But I would need to continue acting out my tragedy, regardless of how much I didn't want to be an actress in this play. And then I would get my fairy tale.

Being a white skinned and blonde-haired girl from America, I might have been the most exotic woman that this fucking perv pirate had ever looked upon.

I pulled my pants down to my ankles. And kicked my discarded jeans in the pervert's direction. A feeble gesture. They simply landed on top of his shoes, and he effortlessly flung them across the room with a kick.

"Now… now we're going to see the good stuff." The pervert's mouth slobbered.

My tank-top was the last piece of clothing on my body.

For the briefest of moments, I hesitated.

"Did I tell you to stop?" The perverted pirate was almost drooling at me.

Daisy stopped remembering momentarily. She was too cold now.

Her arms scrunched up to her chest. But it was still to chilly, so then threw the blanket over her body once again.

As her arms pressed tightly against her breasts, she began to feel warmer.

Not as warm as she would be if Jason was holding her.

Trying to get herself even warmer, she pretended that her own arms were Jason's. Imagining that he was pressing his chest up against her bare back. Wrapping one of his strong arms around his skinny waist.

Kissing her on the neck and telling her how much he loved her, and how he was the luckiest man in the entire universe.

Every single day that they had been romantically involved he would tell her those two things. Never missing a single day.

Sometimes he would whisper those words into her ear as they woke up in the morning. Doing that would cause Daisy to smile, and turn over to plant a kiss on his lips.

Other times, Jason kissed her on the lips and would tell her right before she left the house for work.

But he always told her.

Always.

Daisy spoke out loud. "I know that he really is in love with me. But he raped me, and admitted it. Admitted that he did it intentionally and enjoyed it."

Frustrated grunts emerged from her mouth.

She wanted to scream as loud as humanly possible. Only, she didn't want anyone to hear her.

Unable to hold back, Daisy buried her face into the old feather pillow, and screamed as loud as she could. Hoping to at least muffle the sound enough that no one would hear.

She screamed until her throat was sore.

Daisy stopped and began panting.

Out of breath and out of screams, Daisy plopped her head sideways back on top of the pillow.

Elevated heart beats rushed the blood to Daisy's ears. She could hear the thumping of her heart beating inside of her ear as it pressed against the thin white pillow cover.

Anger and frustration turned to crying.

"Stop crying Daisy. Just… stop." She said trying to convince herself to halt her tears.

Her body listened to her verbal command, but didn't stop her tears from coming completely. But she now only shed a few tears here and there very gradually.

The horrible memories filled her head again.

As I lifted my shirt up over my head, I could just make out the sound coming from the pirate's mouth. He was moaning and grunting like some sort of caveman.

"Would you just shut the hell up already? Here… take my shirt then." I threw my discarded tank-top with such speed that the pervert couldn't react fast enough.

Probably because his eyes were bulging out of his skull as he looked at my nearly nude body.

My shirt hit him square in the face.

"Ugh, dammit." The perv reacted. Something that I found funny. Even though I was currently in the most ironically unfunny situation possible.

It took everything for me to swallow the laugh that I had in my mouth. I couldn't let it escape from my mouth.

I knew that if he heard me laugh, then the sadist would probably beat me black and blue. But a smile had begun to form across my face.

My lips clenched tight together, but it was too little too late.

He had seen the smile on my face.

Dammit. Now I was going to get it.

In the blink of an eye, the pirate had stepped up close enough to land a powerful backhand across the right side of my face.

"Bitch!" He cursed at me as I hit the cold hard floor.

Pain coursed through my right arm, as I had instinctively stretched them out to cushion my decent.

My elbow slammed against the floor. I quickly rolled onto my back and held my tortured elbow with my other hand.

"You are such a beauty, that I was going to treat you nicely. But that's changed. I'll make sure that the rest of your life is filled with misery and regret. You'll regret pissing me off!" The pirate said.

The pervert then walked up to me and pulled on my long blonde hair. The pain from the hair pulling, soon overcame the pain from my elbow.

He pulled me along with him as he guided me to that old and dirty mattress. I did my best to keep in step with him. That way, I could get closer to him and he wouldn't need to pull my hair so hard.

As I walked hunchbacked over to the mattress, I ended up tripping over my own foot and tumbling to the floor. Almost dragging the pirate down with me.

My accidental fumbling angered the man even more.

"Get up you fucking whore." He commanded through clenched teeth.

So I did as he commanded. He was still gripping my hair with his hand, but I jumped to my feet as quickly as I could so that he wouldn't yank on my hair as hard.

The two of us reached the mattress. I was thrown down face first onto the mattress. I was ironically thankful that the mattress was at least soft, unlike the hard floor I had landed on just seconds ago.

I lifted my head up to see the other pirate still standing beside the door. Still silently staring at me. Only now, he slowly raised the muzzle of his rifle directly at my face.

Looking more than willing to fire off a round into my skull.

Suddenly, I felt warm breath up against the still sore right side of my face. I heard the pervert pirate whisper into my ear.

"Don't you dare move an inch." His hot breath blew into my ear and I could feel him spit up spittle as he spoke.

He was clearly angry.

"Fine. Whatever. Just go on and do whatever it is you were going to do to me, and get it over with. I'm sick and tired of you." I said trying my utmost to sound steadfast and unafraid of what this sicko had planned for me.

Truthfully, I regretted what I had said. I couldn't possibly know what these sick fucking pirates were capable of doing to a defenseless woman. Judging from the composure of this one sicko, he might not have been the worst one on that ship.

The others could have been even worse than this motherfucker.

He speedily un-clasped my bra and yanked it up from one end. The elastic skid across my breasts, giving me a stinging pain.

Next, I felt his creepy and hard-skinned finger grope at my tender skin on my upper hips.

I could hear him moan creepily as he tucked his fingers under my underwear and pulled them very slowly down my legs.

Now I was completely nude.

And fearing what came next.

Without saying anything, the creep began to bound my hands together behind my back. The old twine rope used was made from the most scratchy and uncomfortable material imaginable.

"I'm going to have a little fun with you now." The Neanderthal grunted.

There was nothing I could do. Fighting back would only make my rape worse. Or I would be killed.

No winning for me.

I had no idea where Jason was. My knight. The only person who could possibly save me.

But he didn't appear.

I thought that this was it for me.

But then I was saved from rape by the most unlikely hero I could have had.

Knighthood didn't suit this hero, as he wore his commoner garments. An unlikely hero indeed.

Calling him a hero, that's quite a stretch.

"Hey!" The silent pirate spoke up. "Boss said that she wasn't allowed to be raped. He has special plans for her."

"Goddammit!" The pervert stood up from where he had been crouching down.

He continued to voice his opposition. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this earlier? Now my day is ruined!"

The other pirate went back to his silent demeanor. He didn't answer vocally. Only giving the pervert a shrug of his shoulders. Indicating his lack of a proper answer.

I had been spared for the time being.

No rape.

No more beatings.

Only silent waiting.

But I had no clue what I had been supposed to be expecting.

After what seemed like hours, Jason finally showed up.

My heart leaped with joy.

Surely, he was going to rescue me.

Right?

No.

Not according to what he just told me a mere two hours ago.

She tossed and turned every thirty seconds, incapable of obtaining comfort. Daisy was either too hot or too cold.

Too mad at Jason. Too in love with Jason and wishing he was holding her in his arms.

Too conflicted to sleep.

Conflicted about wanting the same man that admitted to raping her, sleeping peacefully beside her.

Daisy found this to be inappropriately funny.

A burst of laughter came from her mouth. So quick and unexpected that she covered her giggling mouth with the palm of her hand. Although she continued her muffled laughing for a few more seconds.

"You're crazy. Crazy Daisy. I sure am." She joked out loud.

"I'm definitely insane for loving Jason. It seems that neither one of us were destined for a normal life." She sighed. "My life has been like a plot for a ridiculous Hollywood movie.

She stopped to catch her breath. Her eruption of laughter had stolen the wind out of her lungs.

Winded from speaking, Daisy rolled over onto her other side. And then exhaled. Exhausted, and overwhelmed.

He said to me, that a dark power took over his heart and soul. That It wasn't really him that was in control when he raped me, but the monster living inside of him.

The same monster that came out that one night, and wrapped its hands around Daisy's neck.

The same monster that showed up at my friends party several years ago. When Jason got so mad that he grabbed hold of that drunk guys collar and looked like he was just about to beat him to death over his drunken comments.

The monster that harasses Jason with its taunts and provoking's. A voice inside of his head, make the line between right and wrong go fuzzy until it can't be seen anymore.

I know the real Jason.

At least… I used to.

His time spent in these islands. The time spent doing horrible things just to survive and to save his friends.

It had to have changed him.

Changed him for the worst.

And he may not ever be that same guy that I knew from the past.

The same guy that would make me laugh and tell me how much he loved the flowers in my backyard garden whenever we were alone at parties.

And the man who caught me as I fell down during my half-drunken dancing at that Asian nightclub.

Grant never knew that I was in love with his brother.

A man who shared something special with me.

I'm still very much in love with Jason. The good Jason, the charming Jason, the kind Jason, and the caring Jason.

But what happens if the monster Jason comes out? Just like it did that one night.

Luckily for me, Jason was able to stop himself from strangling before he killed me.

Someday, he might snap and go into an uncontrollable rage.

And who can say how much damage he will do before he regains control over himself? What if he doesn't ever regain control?

What if I can't protect myself if he ends up choking me another time, accidentally, just because he had just woken up from another nightmare?

Choking my neck until he kills me.

All of these things were too painful for Daisy to continue to think about. She attempted to shove these thoughts out of her head.

Maybe if she forgot everything and had a good night's sleep, she could come to a decision in the morning.

"I don't know if I want him as my lover any longer. Not after hearing the truth. He knows right and wrong, and yet he chose to take advantage of me. Even though he could have killed those pirates." Daisy repeated out loud the same thing that she had thought about over and over again.

Dragging her feet. Unable to pull the trigger and end things with Jason.

She begun lean towards ending things with Jason.

Daisy spoke again, reinforcing her opinion. "He could have told me the truth years ago. But he hid it from me. In his mind, he probably doesn't consider it lying. But I do. Not telling me is the same as lying to me."

She wanted to cry. But she controlled her emotions.

"I can't cry now." She said firmly. "I need to be resolute. Things are over with Jason and me. And I have to stand by my decision. If I start to cry, then I will start to doubt myself. No changing my mind. I'm not going to crawl back to the man who raped me."

"No matter how much I love him." She was unable stop herself from crying.

Holding her mouth as she sobbed.

I'm sorry Jason. Staying together… looking into your eyes… would only serve as a constant reminder of how you hurt me.

You regret your actions, but regret isn't enough.

I cannot forget those pirates' faces as pushed your penis back and forth inside of me.

You humiliated me. Made me feel like a porn-star with the whole world seeing me completely nude and getting fucked.

Like a slut without a shred of dignity.

Did you not consider how I felt about it? Were you just too caught up in the ecstasy and thrill of finally getting to have sex with the girl of your dreams, that the girl's feelings didn't matter?

It took everything I had, all my strength, not to cry as they watched the two of us.

You told me that you figured that we were both very likely to die that day. Our last day on this earth. So you wanted to accomplish one final desire.

The greatest desire of your life.

Me.

Something that you couldn't have ever even hoped of achieving, not as long as your own brother was alive.

Fortunately for you, your brother wasn't with us any longer.

You got your wish.

You got… me.

And that was your choice Jason. You weren't forced to do that.

I longed to have you make love to me. But while we were alone.

But I have self-control. I would rather have died that day than have sex with you in front of a crowd of horny pirates. Encircling us like a pack of wild wolves closing in around a rabbit.

That's how I felt.

A rabbit with nowhere to run, with no way of escaping their unfortunate fate.

You could have saved me from that feeling.

That scraggly gang of pirates should have been no match for you. You were one of the most efficient killers that the world had ever seen.

What was the largest number of pirates or mercenaries that you'd killed during a firefight? Ten? Twenty? Fifty?

You've surely killed at least fifty pirates before in a single day.

And yet, I was dumb enough to believe that less than a dozen pirates in a single room were too much for you to take out?

Stupid me.

Why did I honestly believe that you were forced to have sex with me?

As skilled a killer as you were, you could've easily snatched a gun from one of them as they led you down the hallway to my holding cell. After you'd taken one of their guns, I would have heard several shots fired off in quick succession, and then you would have walked through the doorway into my room.

"I am here Daisy." You'd say as you entered. Then you would obviously have seen that I was naked.

"Oh sorry. I didn't know that you… uh-were… I-well-um… meant-uh." You would stammer at seeing me nude for the first time.

"No time for all of that." I'd tell you. "We have to escape! Untie me, and I'll find myself some clothes while you kill the rest of them. Then we'll go. Hurry!"

And after we'd escape together, you would tell me that you are in love with me. I would reply to your proclamation of love, by telling you that I too was in love with you.

Then, finally, we could have lived happily ever after. Just the way it should have always been. Our destiny.

But you ruined that.

Jason, I too had fantasized about you making love with me. For over a year, I had dreams at night of our lips pressing together.

On several occasions, on several nights, I had a reoccurring dream.

Dreamt several times of us laying naked beside one another on a beach, watching the sun drift below the ocean horizon. We hold each other's hands. You'd tell me that I was all that mattered to you. That I was your whole world.

All alone. No one else around on that beach.

No one around to tell us that it is wrong for us to be in love.

But wanting to make love with you was the last thing that I wanted at that moment.

Those pirates are all dead. All the people who witnessed us fucking on top of that mattress, aren't around anymore. And know one will ever know what happened on that pirate ship.

Just you and me. Well, Liza knows. But she's someone I can trust.

Because I don't know if I can trust you ever again.

Trust that you won't hurt me.

Guilt must have chewed at your conscious, and you weren't able to hide it away from me anymore.

Which is what you had me believing all these years. That you had no choice in the matter.

Dwelling on my indecision will only make it hurt more. I'm going to get it over with. Rip this metaphorical bandage off quickly, rather than slowly peel it off my skin.

We're through Jason.

I can't trust you anymore.

My connection with you doesn't factor in. You simply hurt me too bad.

Part of me will still love you, always. I might even long for you to make love to me, but I have to restrict myself. Allowing you back into my life romantically, will only set me up to get hurt all over again.

How can I know if you've hidden anything else from me? And I we're together, I will discover that secret, and will be hurt over you hiding it from me. Just a repeat of what just happened.

But I'm not going to be your girlfriend, your lover, your… Daisy, any longer.

I'll let you live in my house until you've found another place to live. But you won't sleep in my bed. The couch will provide you with an adequate spot to sleep.

Only, there won't be anyone holding onto you and keeping you warm at night. Just as there won't be anyone holding me as I sleep.

I will have to go back to sleeping with clothes on.

Don't take too long in finding another place to live, please Jason? The more days and nights that pass without you sleeping with me, and knowing that you're just sleeping right down the hall…

She sighed.

Well, that will just urge me to crawl up beside you, and let you cuddle me in your arms.

And I can't let those events transpire. Otherwise I would fall into an unhealthy yearning for you. Like those battered wives who choose not to leave their violent husband.

That's how it would feel. Only without the violence.

It's time.

Time for me to find you, and tell you that things are over between us.

And I am pretty sure I know where I can find you.

I'll be there soon Jason.

Daisy got to her feet. Finding her scattered clothes in various spots across the room, she quickly got dressed.

Her light kaki cargo shorts and white tee-shirt were hastily thrown over her body. Not the most elegant clothing, but she didn't really care how she looked.

Daisy was going on a hike through a jungle, not on a romantic date with Jason.

No fancy clothing. Only practical clothing.

After all, Daisy had worn the same set of clothing for about a month while she hid under a cave on this godforsaken island.

Leather sandals slid onto her feet.

"It has to be done Daisy." She said, coaching herself with a reassuring pep talk. "You're strong."

The room that she had been sleeping in, had a door directly leading to the outside. She walked across the unfinished, unpolished, and un-lacquered floorboards of the small room.

Inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Opened the door, and set off into the village.

Despite it being night, this tiny village had somewhat of a teeming nightlife scene.

There were turned on lights illuminating the interiors of some of the buildings. Glowing through the shut windows.

As daisy walked down the village, several of the locals had stared at her. There stares weren't malicious or threatening, but ones of seeing something unusual. A blonde white woman wandering through their village was probably a rare sight.

Most of the people out and about this night, were congregated around the only bar in the village.

A bright blue neon sign spelling the word "bar" was mounted right above the front door.

The tavern had a slightly raised wooden platform attached to the building. It was were the locals could sit outside.

It was there that Daisy noticed the fisherman sitting down at one of the tables, chatting with some local man.

Daisy figured that she should mention to him that she was leaving his house, so that he wouldn't be shocked in case he happened to walk into her room and find her gone.

After all, he had been polite enough to offer his home to both her and Jason. It would only be courteous for Daisy to inform the man of her whereabouts.

Daisy ascended up the old wooden steps to the raised platform.

Somehow, this establishment had been set up with electricity. Unlike the other building in this village. There were many bright lights shining from the inside, as well as the outside.

The raised platform's railing had a long cord of dozens of small bright white lights. The cordage of tiny lights brought back Christmas memories for Daisy.

One Christmas in particular.

Daisy never had a Christmas tree in her house. As she hadn't ever bothered with buying one, since she had been living alone for quite some time. Grant never moved in with her. Although he would occasionally spend the night there.

But Jason had surprised her on the first Christmas that they had experienced as a couple. Jason had been living with Daisy for a while, but neither one of them had spent a Christmas together yet.

On Christmas day, Jason had woken up Daisy early in the morning, and told her that he had a surprise to show her. He led her down the hallway. All the while he had his hands over her eyes, guiding her to her surprise.

When Jason lifted his hand from her eyes, Daisy saw a brand-new Christmas tree. It was all decorated with ornaments and lights.

Jason told her that he'd set it up the night before, while she slept.

Daisy hadn't cared whether or not she had a tree up for the holidays, but she had appreciated the gesture all the same.

"Merry Christmas, Daisy. You're all I want for Christmas." Daisy had remembered Jason whispering in her ear. And she couldn't help but smile, and give him a kiss.

Daisy pushed that memory out of her head.

Nostalgia only made it harder on her.

Walking across the wooden deck, Daisy saw some characters that feel uneasy.

Although it was dark out, the assorted lights made their faces just barely visible. Several of the men that she walked past had menacing face tattoos and looked as if they'd been in a few life or death fights before.

Probably former Rakyat warriors. I hope that none of them have seen me before.

That's the last thing that I need. Some of Citra's goons looking for revenge ever since they'd lost their leader, and their purpose in life.

Every step brought her closer to the kind fisherman. But she also had to walk past several men who had grizzled features and menacing face tattoos.

Daisy finally reached the fisherman. She made sure not to make eye contact with any of the tattooed men. Daisy's sixth sense told her that their eyes were fixed on her. Ignoring them seemed like the best course of action to take.

I know how crazy some of these natives can be. I can remember them dragging me and my other friends out of the cave. After threatening us and shoving their gun barrels in our faces, we were blindfolded and taken to the temple.

Please God… don't let these men know who I am.

"Excuse me sir. I wanted to thank you for offering your spare room for me to sleep in. But, well… I'm actually going leave now." Daisy stepped up to the fisherman, and gave him a smile.

"Leave?" The fisherman's eyes widened. "You're leaving the town? It's the middle of the night. Wouldn't you want to wait until tomorrow morning?"

Daisy saw the man sitting next to the fisherman give her a strange look. An unreadable expression.

Why is that guy staring at me like that?

"Well… I feel very compelled. Almost like I need to set out right this minute. I have to say what needs to be said." She told him, in a tone that expressed that she wasn't going to change her mind.

Now at in an attentive state, the fisherman straightened his back.

"Begging your pardon miss, but I don't think it's a smart decision to go wandering on this island at night. You could trip over a rock… and there are some dangerous animals out there." The fisherman sounded genuinely concerned.

He resumed. "I'd feel just awful if any kind of misfortune happened to you."

His words were true. There wasn't any denying that it would be safer for Daisy to wait until the sun rose up in the morning.

"You are right. But… I just… this feels like something that needs to be done now. Besides, I haven't been able to sleep, and will probably not be able to for the rest of the night anyways." Daisy said.

Nervously, she started rubbing her left forearm with her right hand. Trying to calm herself down.

She was uneasy by the stares from all of the tattooed men who sat just over an arm's length away from her. Even without looking in their direction, she could feel their eyes.

The fisherman exhaled deeply. For a second or two, he turned to look at the other man who was sitting at the table with him. And then looked back into Daisy's eyes.

"Well… at least, would you let me travel with you? At least, until you get where you're going." The fisherman offered.

"Thank you." She began. "But this is something that I need to do alone."

"I see." The fisherman looked her up and down. "You are headstrong, I can tell. Just like my wife was.

The fisherman gave a little laugh. "Whenever she wanted to do something, she wouldn't let anyone talk her out of it. Very stubborn, that woman was. Stubborn, but persistent."

Daisy gave him a courteous little smile.

"Ha-ha, yes! I had a joke that I would often like to tell people. And It would go: I don't work for anyone, but my wife is my boss. And she sure was that indeed." The fisherman had probably been waiting a long time to say that joke to someone that hadn't already heard it a million times.

"Sounds like the two of us would have gotten along." She commented.

"I don't think so." The fisherman said light heartedly. "You two would have argued too much. And one stubborn woman is already enough to deal with. It would be exhausting having to deal with two of them."

The jolly fisherman chuckled. Daisy lightly chuckled alongside with him.

"Well, I figured I would let you know where I had gotten off to." Daisy said, as she turned to make her exit.

"Well then." Said the fisherman. "You just travel safe, alright?"

"I will." Daisy walked quickly across the platform. Shortening the amount of time that the Rakyat could stare at her. She wanted to get away from them as fast as possible.

They studied her, as she walked away, with weary and unwelcoming gazes.

The weathered wooden steps creaked as Daisy descended down them. Almost a ghostly sound. An eerie sound that brought back memories of the house that she lived in when she was a little girl.

Reminding her of her childhood home.

When Daisy was six years old, her family moved from Maine and all the way across the nation to sunny southern California. The reason for their move, was due to Daisy's father earning and important promotion up the corporate ladder at his job, requiring him to relocate.

Since she was so young when she moved to Santa Monica, Daisy didn't have a Maine accent. But her parents still retained their accent. And her older sister had less of an accent when compared to her parents, but still slightly recognizable.

Their new house in Santa Monica was very nice. But the creaking noises that the house would make, would frighten the young Daisy.

For the first year that she lived in the house, Daisy would have trouble sleeping at night whenever the house shifted and the walls and floorboards squeaked and thumped.

Still a small child, she would pull the covers over her face every time she got scared.

Some nights, Daisy would run to her sister's room and jump into her bed.

"There's ghosts and monsters in the house. Make them stop." The little Daisy would plead to her older sister.

Her eleven-year-old sister would respond. "Daisy, don't let yourself get scared. No matter how much anyone or anything tries to scare you, you have the power to not get scared. Next time you start to fell afraid or scared, just tell yourself-"

- "You can't scare me. I won't let you scare me."

And then Daisy's sister would let her snuggle up close, while she ran her fingers through Daisy's blonde hair.

It took some time. But eventually, Daisy stopped getting scared from the eerie sounds that the house would make. Fearfulness and terror soon found no place inside the young Daisy. She would grow up to become a strong woman. Always doing her best to not let anyone or anything frighten her ever again.

Although, that wasn't always the case.

No one can stop themselves from getting scared forever. At some point, something will come along that will frighten even the most resilient person.

"Oh, young lady! Hold up for a moment." The fisherman came down the steps.

Daisy turned around. "What wrong?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong." He reassured her. "But there is something that I thought that I needed to communicate with you."

"And what would that be?" She asked.

The kind old fisherman put his right hand gently on her left shoulder. His hand felt like some friendly old uncle, as he came over to visit his niece.

"I don't know what it was that he did to you. Or how severe it was." The fisherman began. He paused for a brief moment. Looking as if he was carefully choosing his next words.

He took a deep breath and continued. "Several times in my life, I had hurt my wife because of some of the things that I'd done. She wouldn't want anything to do with me for days at a time. A couple of times, it was several weeks before we'd speak again."

"He did something to me that I don't think that I can forgive." Daisy told the man before he could get another sentence out.

"I can tell that he did something terrible. And you don't have to tell me what it was. That's between you and him." The fisherman said. "But when I would hurt my wife, I would take the initiative and see what I could do to mend things between us, and make things right. Taking back the stuff that I'd said or done was impossible. All that I could do, was to try and move on and continue to love her more and more each day. That's all any of us can do when we hurt the ones that we love."

"It wasn't me that did anything wrong. He is the one that hurt me. Jason lied to me for several years. He lied about-" Daisy was stopped by the fisherman, as he waved his other hand and muttered something inaudible.

"Please ma'am." The fisherman shook his head from side to side. "I'm not picking sides here, and I'm not placing blame on anyone. It is clear that he did something to you to earn your disappointment and displeasure. All I am trying to communicate with you is that… well…"

He stopped for a second.

Then he resumed. "Over my many years fishing around these islands, I've seen many young couples of tourists from America and other countries vacation on the Big Island. And none of them were truly in love. But in the extremely short time that I have known the two of you, I can tell that you two have something special. The way that he looks at you, I've never seen another man so in love as he is. I guess it's my sixth sense, but I know that the two of you are truly in love, in a way that I haven't ever seen in all my decades of living. And it would be just a shame if you couldn't find away of forgiving him."

Daisy chewed on her bottom lip. At a loss of words.

Forgive him? After what he did?

Is that even possible?

"Maybe… forgiveness isn't the right word. But Jason, he strikes me as a man who has a good soul. A conflicted and burdened soul, but a good one. I've known other men like him. They've done and said things that the wish could be taken back." He told her.

Daisy lowered her eyes to her sandals. Her unpolished toenails jutted out from underneath their leather arches.

Maybe I should have worn tennis shoes.

But then my feet would get too hot.

She didn't think that she could forgive Jason, but at the same time, she knows how much that he loves her.

The fisherman gave her one final parting thought. "Men who don't have a good soul, they don't feel ashamed of the terrible things that they have done."

This kind old fisherman had just shared his thoughts, which inadvertently caused Daisy to reexamine her decision to break up with Jason.

"Well, um… thanks. I uh, see you later." Daisy's words awkwardly stumbled and tumbled out from her mouth.

Second guessing herself, Daisy walked away from the fisherman and headed down the dirt road out of the village.

"Stay safe now!" The fisherman shouted to Daisy.

Unable to verbally respond due to her mind being preoccupied, Daisy simply waved at him courteously with her left hand.

The trail became darker and darker with every step that Daisy took. The artificial lighting from the village no longer shone on the path. But the natural moonlight was surprisingly bright enough to clearly outline the path.

A full moon that made Daisy think of Jason. Particularly, the nights when she would cuddle up beside Jason in the backyard as the two of them gazed up into the night sky and stared at the full moon. Daisy would always feel so comfortable as she laid her head in Jason's lap as he stroked her hair. Each one of his fingers feeling so pleasant as they ran through her blonde hair.

Jason's hands are covered in a rough and tough layer of skin. But as they gently ran through her hair, his fingers felt soft and smooth. On a couple of rare occasions, Daisy would fall asleep in Jason's lap as a result of feeling safe and secure in Jason's presence.

An indeterminate length of time passed as Daisy strolled down the dirt trail. She was stunned and amazed by the simple fact that the stars were so clearly visible in the night sky. In Santa Monica the moon was the only thing visible in the sky at night. Most likely due to southern California being so densely populated that the various forms of urban pollution formed a cloudy layer between the ground and the magic of the night sky.

Strangely, time accelerated for Daisy and in what felt like a mere few minutes, she had found herself at the cave entrance.

Wow, that didn't take very long at all.

How did I manage to arrive her so quickly?

Was it really just a few minutes since I left that village?

Or has it been much, much, longer?

The moon is still in the center of the sky. So I couldn't have been that long.

Could it?

Rays from the moonlight reflected off the moist and shiny stone walls of the cave. Enough that the inside of the cave was visible.

Visible… but dark and dim at the same time.

Daisy descended down into the earth. All the while walking adjacent to the cave wall. The palm of her right hand continually touch the cold stone walls as she walked, so that she could lean against it if she were to lose her footing.

"Jason?" Daisy had found Jason asleep next to a gigantic stalagmite.

The right side of his head laid on top of his canvas backpack. And his back was facing her.

Knowing that he was a deep sleeper, Daisy walked up behind him. Knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jason? Hey?" She lightly shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. But it didn't work.

For about thirty more seconds, Daisy tried to wake Jason from his sleep.

Discouraged, and unable to wake him, Daisy sighed.

She then sat down behind Jason's sleeping figure and rested her elbows on top of her raised knees.

"I hope that you can hear me in your sleep. Just like how you were able to hear me while you slept, as I was getting ready to leave for work that one day. As I was getting ready for work." She said out loud.

A minuscule gust of wind blew past the mouth of the cave. But that small pulse of wind caused a howling inside of the cave. As if the earth was speaking to Daisy.

What exactly the cave was trying to relay to Daisy, well that was open to anyone's interpretation.

A minute passed by, and then another, which snowballed into several minutes. All the while she sat on top of the cold stony surface without saying anything.

Finally, she broke her silence. "I want to forgive you for what you did. I wish that I could just blame your actions on you having mixed emotions with a surge of adrenaline all coming together at once."

Her fingers began to get cold. It was caused by the cold dampness of the cave.

Daisy rubbed her hand together, letting the friction warm her skinny fingers.

"Deep down in my heart, I do not believe that you're an inherently evil man." She sadly expressed. "But the things that you had to do. The people that you killed, touring your brother, that all forced you to change from the sweet guy who would talk with me about my flower garden… to someone else."

Regardless of how long she'd been talking, Jason was still deep in sleep. Not moving at all except when he breathed.

Knowing that he wasn't likely to wake, Daisy laid her hands over top of his arm. His body's heat quickly rejuvenated her skinny fingers with warmth.

"We love each other more than should be physically possible. And I feel that if I left you, then you'd spiral into madness and lose your sanity altogether. And you've already lost too much of your former self on these islands, that I don't think that you have much of yourself left to lose." She held back tears.

Walking around his body, Daisy now stood facing him. His eyes were closed. Still sleeping.

Without speaking, she got down to the stone floor and cuddled up to Jason's body.

As if it was instinct, the moment that Daisy's back pressed up against his chest, Jason gently wrapped his left arm around her torso. All while he remained asleep.

It's like we're meant to be together.

Daisy opened her mouth with the intention to continue speaking. But soon closed her lips, unable to think of what words would express properly the way she felt about everything.

So, she began to silently think.

Hoping that Jason could hear her thoughts.

Oh, Jason…

Jason…

/

(To Be Continued)

A/N: Leave a review if you want. I'd like to read some feedback.