Chapter 1
It's the first time I've ever been on a boat. The slow back-and-forth motion had me feeling nauseous. So, from the fear of losing my breakfast, I decided to stay at the very edge of the boat. Just in case I need to lean over and puke. The smell of salt water was thick in the air, making it hard to breathe. The only comfort was the sound of the waves crashing against the sides of the boat. I always found the ocean soothing, but my fears had always kept me on shore. Until today.
Maybe all these discomforts would have been worth it if I had been on a vacation. But that wasn't the case. I was on my way to an undisclosed location to possibly earn a huge cash reward.
It sounds too good to be true of course, I saw the red flags, but I wasn't in the position to say no. I was desperate, I needed the money. I had to at least try to see this through. It was my last chance to save her life.
"Ah, Isabella, are you feeling any better?"
I lifted my head to see the man that had welcomed me aboard the boat. He wore an expensive black suit and he kept a pair of sunglasses on, so I could never see his eyes. There was something about this guy that just gave me the creeps.
"To be honest, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this. But thanks for asking mister…" I trailed off, not able to recall the man's name.
"You may call me Adam, if you need anything all you need to do is ask." He said without even a hint of emotion.
Well that's great, on top of feeling like I was about to puke my guts out, this guy couldn't even provide me with a distraction from my suffering with interesting conversation. He didn't' appear to have much of a personality.
I'm sure I would feel better if I was able to walk around the spacious boat and sample the food and drinks that were prepared for me. But I was too sick to move from my spot, so this entire ride was incredibly awkward. It felt like we were on this boat for hours before I couldn't handle the silence any longer.
"So Adam, when will we get to the island?"
"We are about one hour away. Which reminds me, before you are permitted to enter the island you have to answer a preliminary question." He commented, his expression shifted for a moment and I almost thought I saw a smile come to his face. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, sweeping his dusty brown hair from his face. Without the hair hiding most of the features of his face I could tell that he was probably in his late thirties.
"Okay, what's the question?"
"Let's say you are stranded on an island, what three things would you choose to have, to survive?" The way that he asked me this question instantly gave me a bad feeling. The longer I'm on this boat, the more I regret my choice. That was such a strange question, I wasn't sure what it would have to do with the competition.
"Should I be worried that I'll be stranded on this island once we get there?" My stomach was churning for a moment, I quickly turned my head to bend over the side of the boat. Fortunately the nausea passed without me losing more of my breakfast. I gagged, but nothing came out.
Embarrassed, I turned back to Adam with a weak smile. "Sorry about that…"
"No need to apologize and don't worry, it's just a question, there are truly no wrong answers." Adam replied with the slightest smile.
"I'd take canned food, a knife and maybe some kind of flare gun."
Adam gave me one short nod. "Thank you." He immediately went back to expressionless silence. He made no move to look in my direction again. Anxiety was clawing inside of me, pushing me to ask questions. But I forced myself to stay quiet. There was something off, it was a gut feeling.
Every cell of my body was screaming at me to find a way off this boat. I didn't want to be near this guy any longer. I was really regretting accepting this invitation. I could be on my way to my own death. But I had to remember why I was here. I had someone back home that was counting on me.
After an agonizingly long voyage we finally made it to the island. It was breath-taking, the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The white sand, the leafy green palm trees and crystal blue waters, this was paradise. However, as our boat reached the shore I noticed the huge building sitting back among the thick forest of tropical trees. It was made completely of glass, and probably stood five-stories tall. The sight of the building on this utopia seemed completely out of place. But I was guessing this was where the contest was going to be held. Seeing the building brought a sense of relief to me.
Look at this pristine building, this all has to be a legitimate contest.
The details of the competition itself wasn't completely clear. The invitation I received in the mail only said that I was selected to participate in a contest, because of my swimming skills.. I'd just won a medal for swimming in a regional competition, that's when I got the invitation in the mail. It couldn't have come at a better time. I needed to win this money for my little sister, Aubrey.
"Welcome to the island," Adam spoke as we made it to shore. "I'll escort you to the hall, where you will meet the rest of the competitors."
I was so relieved to be getting off of this boat. It feels like it has taken weeks to get here. To be honest I have know idea where I am exactly, but at the moment I don't care. I just want to be around people, hopefully normal people. The moment my feet were touching solid ground I felt the rest of my anxiety melt away.
The sun was beating down on me, it was a humid, unbearable heat. This wasn't my first time traveling to a beach, but there was something very strange about this island. I couldn't put my finger on it.
Adam guided me towards the building, there was a nice pathway through the thick forest. We didn't speak, the only communication was several birds chattering around in the skies above us. I couldn't see them, but they were loud enough to hear. It wasn't long before we made it to the building, which looked even bigger now that we are up close.
"This is where I say goodbye," Adam commented, he turned to face me, offering a wide smirk. "Good luck, Miss Isabella." His expression was disturbing. It was the first time that he showed so much emotion. Maybe he was glad to finally be rid of me. Well that feeling was mutual.
"Goodbye." I said walking past him and into the building.
The moment that I stepped inside two people came up to me with brilliant smiles on their faces. Both of them were dressed the same as Adam, in full black business suits. But unlike him, they didn't wear sunglasses. The one was a woman; she had her hair pulled back extremely tight into a bun on the top of her head.
She came up to me first. "Hello competitor and welcome, may I see your invitation?"
It's a good thing that I brought it with me, I didn't know that I was going to need it. Quickly I dug into my pocket and pulled out the crumpled up paper and handed it to the woman.
She only glanced at it for a moment before turning her brilliantly white smile in my direction. "Excellent, now if you could just pick a piece of paper out of this box and read to me what it says." She gestured to the man next to her that was holding a small red box.
I had know idea what was going on, but I just went along with it. I've been in plenty of swimming competitions and this wasn't typical. But I did as she said and reached into the box and picked out a piece of paper. Neatly the word 'blue' was written on the paper.
"Blue." I said with a raised brow.
The woman's smile widened as she retrieved the paper from me. "Wonderful, you will be representing team blue."
"Team? I thought this was an individual competition."
"The terms of the contest will be explained momentarily." She spoke cheerfully. "Now, please follow me to the lounge, so you can meet your opponents."
I was getting that feeling again. Regret. There was just something very off about all of this. But I couldn't force myself to turn around, every time I even thought about leaving and going home, I thought of my sister. That was all I needed to continue.
I followed the woman and the man with the box to the very end of a hallway. It appeared that even the interior walls were made of glass as well, but strangely they weren't translucent. You could hear music playing from the other end of the door as we approached it.
"Before you go inside, I'll need you to hand over all electronics," The woman holding her hand out with a bubbly chuckle. "All electronics are prohibited in this area."
"Okay," I sighed, reluctantly handing over my cell phone. "But if I receive any calls please let me know. I am waiting to hear from someone."
My mother said that she would call me later tonight to make sure that I made it here in one piece.
"Of course." The woman said as she tucked my phone away in her pocket. The man next to her opened the door and gestured for me to enter. Both of their expressions seemed to change abruptly. Their smiles were gone. Now they appeared to lack all emotion as I walked through the doors.
The door slammed behind me as I entered the lounge and there was a loud click, as if they had locked the door. I was about to turn around and check if the door actually was locked, but I was startled as someone came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
I jumped in surprise and turned to be greeted by a man; appearing completely intoxicated. With a hand clutching my shoulder and his other hand holding a beer, he laughed freely. "Another smokin hot chick showed up, guys come look." He hollered behind his shoulder.
There was no denying that this man was handsome, and his arms looked incredibly muscular. He looked to be about my age, but the smell of cigarettes and booze was so strong on him that I found myself leaning as far from him as possible.
"Leave the poor girl alone Emmett," Another man said as he walked over to us. He didn't hesitate to take the guy by the arm and pull him away from me. "Why don't you go back up to the bar and get us more drinks."
The man, apparently whose name is Emmett nodded and saluted the man that intervened, before marching off to the bar.
"Thanks for that." I said as I attempted to relax.
I turned to face the man and when I did, I felt my face warm instantly. The man that stood in front of me was beyond words, the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on. The bronze messy curls on the top of his head, the blazing green eyes, he was perfect. Anxiety spun around inside my stomach as I stared at him. I was never good at communicating with attractive men. And this man, in particular, had me very nervous.
"No problem, Emmett is a little strange, but he is harmless." The guy spoke, shrugging his shoulders.
"I-I...umm… my name is Bella…" I said holding my hand out to him.
Oh my god, you sound like an idiot. He didn't even ask you your name. Are you trying to make a complete fool of yourself?
Thankfully the guy responded with a chuckle and a warm smile. He held out his hand to shake mine. His hand was so warm and smooth. Just touching him made my heart stir in my chest.
"My name is Edward, it's a pleasure to meet you Bella."
I could stare at this man's smile all day. But I didn't want to embarrass myself any further. I better make my exit before things get worse. "I guess I'll see you around." I said as I forced myself to walk away from him.
There was a small group of girls over in the corner that appeared to be all around my age. That looked to be my best bet.
Cautiously I walked over to the table and greeted them. "Hi, do you mind if I sit with you guys?" I offered them a smile.
The girl at the center of the table scanned me head to toe, with a doubtful look on her face. She had short, spiky black hair and a very tough look about her. I took notice of her outfit, which was all leather. And tattoos covered both of her arms. She looked beautiful and dangerous.
"That depends, what's the color you picked?" She asked with open curiosity. Even her voice sounded strong and steady.
"Blue, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders, as I waited for this girl's response.
Her eyes brightened as she turned to the girl next to her. "Do you hear that, we found the last one. Looks like we found your match Rosalie."
The girl next to her barely looked in my direction, she was too busy painting her nails. "That's just great." She said sarcastically and tossed her honey blonde hair behind her shoulder.
"Don't mind Rosalie, it takes a while to warm up to her." The girl said, rolling her eyes. "But anyway, my name is Alice, and this is Mia and Stephany."
Mia and Stephany were clearly twin sisters. They were identical in every way. Even when they smiled at me, it was like they were totally nsync with each other. It was bizarre.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Bella."
"Sit down Bella, let's talk a bit," Alice said, pulling me into the other chair beside her. "Tell us, have you learned anything about this competition yet?" All of them focused their eyes on me, except for Rosalie; she continued to pretend that I didn't exist.
"Not really, the only thing I know is what the invitation said, so I assume it's a swimming competition."
Rosalie snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "She doesn't know shit, why are we even wasting our time talking with her."
"Knock it off Rose, the more people that know about this the better," Alice said, elbowing Rosalie with a frown on her face. "We have strength in numbers."
Rosalie made a face at her, and went back to ignoring us.
"Know about what?" I pressed for more information. There was a feeling in the pit of my gut that they were about to tell me something that I really didn't want to hear.
"Well, this competition might not be exactly what we had thought. Each of us got an invitation, telling us we were selected because of our skill. However, my specified skill was drawing." Alice said with a suspicious glance at each of us.
"Yeah, and my skill is cooking," Stephany said nervously, rolling one of her long ash blonde curls around her finger. Anxiety was clear on her face. "Mia's skill is also cooking, that's why we were sure this was going to be a cooking challenge."
Mia pulled her sister in for a hug, appearing to be the calmer of the twins.
"Rose's skill is dancing." Alice muttered to me.
Rosalie glared at Alice and I, looking completely annoyed. "Don't just go around telling everyone what my skill is. This is still a competition. She is the enemy."
As much as I was growing to dislike Rosalie, she had a fair point. Sure the invitation didn't specify what the competition was, that didn't mean that we forget we are competing for a million dollars. Still, something bothered me about all this. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but something just didn't feel right. Why did I keep getting this feeling like we all were in danger? I've never been so far from home, maybe that's why I was feeling this way. I'm just homesick.
"Shut up Rose," Alice sighed with frustration. "Look Bella, I really don't know what's going on here, but something isn't right. They confiscated our phones, we are stuck here on an island with no way off of it. No one is giving us any solid information about this competition. Everyone here is a little bit on edge. We were just hoping that someone would show up with a bit more information on what was going on."
"I'm sorry, I really don't know anymore than the rest of you. I've had bad feelings about this whole thing. But, I'm just trying to stay hopeful. I have to."
There has to be some kind of prize money for winning this contest. And I had to win. It wasn't here for myself, I didn't want or need money, all of it would go to my sister. It would be the only way we can afford to pay for her treatments.
My words seemed to really put a damper on everyone's mood. But we all continued conversation onto happier topics. I was relieved to meet a group of girls that I could get along with and talk to. I was afraid that with a competition with such a big reward, everyone would be at each other's throats. But the general vibe of this room was amazing. Everyone seemed to get along and have a good time. So when the music was suddenly stopped and the lights in the room all shifted to the center of the lounge, it went quiet.
There was a man standing under the lights with a pleasant smile across his face as his eyes scanned the room. "Welcome competitors, my name is Aro Volturi, the owner of the island and the founder of this competition. I'm sure you have a lot of questions." The man looked to be in his fifties, with silver hair and eyes that were dark and bottomless. The hairs on the back of my neck stood and chills ran down my spine as I made eye contact with the man. Aro was frightening.
"You're damn right we have questions." A familiar voice called out from the crowd. I quickly searched for the voice to see Emmett standing up on one of the tables, gesturing wildly at the man. Edward pulled him down from the table, appearing to be frustrated. Others in the room seemed to find his drunken stupor to be amusing, there was some quiet laughter, before Aro regained our attention.
"I'm here to explain the details of our challenge, so listen closely, because this will be the first and last time you hear the details and rules of the game." Aro said as he pulled a gun from his pocket.
At the sight of the gun, panic and outrage began to take over the room. Everyone was talking all at once, making it almost impossible to hear anything. My ears were ringing and my head began to ache. But suddenly, the gun fired, glass fell to the ground in shards as one of the lights above got hit. The room fell silent again.
"Quiet please, the next few things I have to say, may save your life." Aro announced to the crowd grandly. "This is a contest of life and death. Hunter versus prey. To win the game, all you have to do is be the last one standing. Myself and my lovely staff will be armed with weapons, if we find you and kill you, you're out of the game."
"Wait just one fucking minute. You can't be fucking serious," Another guy yelled from the opposite side of the room. "This is some kind of sick joke."
"Oh no sir, I can guarantee you, we won't hesitate to hunt you all down and end your lives. It's a tradition held on this island. But, please be patient, I haven't finished going over the rules."
My heart was pounding hard in my chest, so hard that I could barely hear what Aro was saying. I glanced around the room to see many people trying to break down the doors to the lounge, but nothing seemed to work. There were no windows to jump out of and our only exit is completely locked and unbreakable. We were trapped.
"Now, there is a way for all of you to escape this island with your lives, however, the option to win the one million dollars only goes to the last survivor still alive. So it's either money or freedom for everyone. The choice is up to you." Aro continued.
Mia surprised us, by standing up from her seat. "I don't know about everyone else, but saving our lives is a bigger prize than getting murdered over some big money."
There were hushed conversations starting around the room. I couldn't tell what everyone was saying, but I didn't have a good feeling. There was a gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Well that's perfectly fine if that's what you prefer, all you need to do is to find fifty keys. You will need all of them to unlock the transportation that will free you from the island."
His words weren't making any sense to me. Was he trying to say he had hidden fifty keys throughout the island, that we would all need to find? If we did so, we all could work together and leave this island. But, he would be out on the island, waiting to kill us? This didn't sound like a competition, it sounded like a slaughter.
"Like we would pass on winning one million dollars." One girl spoke up with a dark look in her eyes. I'll kill you all for that money, I don't care."
Were people losing their minds? This was exactly what Aro wanted from us. He wanted to put us against each other. This would only make his job easier to hunt us all down. The fact that there were people in this room, ready to kill each other for this money scared me to death. I could feel tears sting my eyes.
This has to be a nightmare. Surely I would be waking up soon. There is no way I was going through this.
"For those of you interested in winning one million dollars, your challenge is simple. Be the last survivor." Aro concluded.
"So, what about the team colors we received?" Rosalie was the one to speak up now, she glanced in my direction coldly.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. We added a fun twist to make this year's game more entertaining. If you find the other person that shares the same team color as you, the both of you will earn a special advantage in the game. But that's all I'm going to tell you for now. You will all catch on quick, I'm sure."
"That is fucking insane." Alice muttered, looking at each of us. "We need to work together. What do you say guys?"
"Yes, it's better if we stick together." Mia said, holding tightly onto her twin; who was still quietly sobbing into her shoulder.
Alice and Mia looked in my direction, waiting to hear my answer. I wasn't able to find my voice, I couldn't move a muscle even if I wanted to. So I just nodded my head. That must have been good enough for them, so they moved their sights on Rosalie next.
"What do you say Rose, are you with us or against us?" Hanna said with a serious look on her face.
Rosalie rolled her eyes, without even a hint of fear. "I'm here to win one million dollars and that's what I'm going to do." Her body language was threatening and I was growing more and more uncomfortable. Thankfully Rosalie decided that it was time to leave the table. Once she was gone everyone was able to relax a little bit.
I guess I wasn't the only one that didn't trust the woman.
"Well ladies and gentleman, that concludes my speech, good luck and good hunting everyone." Aro called out to us. The moment he spoke his final words I watched as a mist was unleashed from the sprinklers above our heads.
A strange odor permeated the air as the mist fell and in seconds I watched as several people passed out. Their bodies hit the ground with loud thuds. The yelling and screaming slowly faded until I felt my vision get blurry. I felt my head beginning to fall, and before I could do anything to stop it, everything went black.
As I regained consciousness I was greeted with a searing pain in my calf. Instinctually I reached down to feel it, but the contact was excruciating. I pulled my hand away that now had a scant amount of blood on it. It felt like something had been stabbed into my skin. There was a small wound and directly in the middle was something hard, perhaps something metal lodged inside.
Cautiously looking around, I realized that I was on the beach. I must have been out here for a while, my skin was blistering and throbbing. I need to get into the shade, before these burns get worse.
I was about to move when I got momentarily distracted by my clothing. My top was made of some kind of elastic material, it was a rich dark blue. The pants were camouflage, but made of the same material as the top. My shoes were missing.
Aro's speech echoed in my head, just before I woke up here. This was the competition. Those bastards must have knocked us out and placed us throughout the island. Just as I had feared, this wasn't a joke. I was being hunted, like some kind of animal.
I need to move out of the open. Anyone could spot me here on the beach.
Quickly I got to my feet, wincing as the pain in my calf intensified. I shuffled over to the edge of the tropical forest and leaned against the tree. I just needed to get out of sight, because I was not only in danger from Aro and his gang of hunters, but the other contestants.
Tears ran down my cheeks as everything was sinking in. Anxiety overwhelmed me, I couldn't stop sobbing. This was a nightmare. Why did I get myself into this situation, I should have listened to my gut. I knew something was very off about all of this. But I ignored it. And now I was going to die on this island. And my sister. I wouldn't be there for her. She wouldn't be getting the money to pay for her medicine.
I slowly slid down the tree, to sit down. My calf was burning, but I ignored it. I had no will to fight. I wasn't a killer. I didn't come here to hurt anyone, I came here to save my sister's life. I just wanted to sit here and wait for someone to find me and end this.
The sun was high above my head, the heat was overwhelming. Sweat was beginning to trickle down my face. I continuously swatted at insects that flew around me. I wasn't sure how long I sat like this, I was completely distracted by my own thoughts, so I was taken by surprise when I heard someone yell.
"Hello?" I heard a familiar voice call out.
My heart started to pound hard in my chest as I looked up. But the moment my eyes landed on the person calling out to me, relief hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was the man from the lounge, Edward. His piercing green eyes gazed down at me with concern. "You're Bella, right?"
"Yes and you're Edward."
His sights shifted towards the wound on my calf. "Does it hurt, I can…. Take a look at it, if you'd like."
I wasn't sure if I should trust him, but what choice did I have? He would either help me, or he would kill me. "U-um, sure." Was all I managed to force out.
He slowly approached me and bent down to inspect my calf. He was even more handsome than I remembered. His bronze curls were dripping wet, along with his clothes. What he was wearing was similar to mine, except his top was dark green. The clothing brought my attention to his muscular physique. He reminded me of some kind of male model, his good looks were far out of my league.
"Did you wake up with this wound?" He asked as he moved his bookbag off his back and began to dig around inside of it. I wondered where he got a bookbag and what he had inside it. Was he given supplies?
"Yeah, it feels like there is something stuck inside it." I muttered quietly.
"By the looks of it, this is where they put your key." Edward said as he pulled out a pair of tweezers. "We are going to have to remove it, or this wound is going to get infected."
"My key?" I repeated.
"Yes, do you remember what that monster said. He said the only way we can escape is finding all fifty keys. He didn't mention that we would have the keys placed in our bodies." Edward spoke with a frown coming to his face.
"So, you had a key inside you too?" I asked, letting my eyes travel to his body. I felt my face getting hot as I admired his muscular physique.
Edward held up his arm, revealing a small gash on his inner arm; similar to mine. "They put it in my arm." He gently touched my leg, offering me a flicker of a smile. "May I take this key out of your leg?"
I nodded reluctantly, taking some comfort in his touch.
There is no doubt in my mind that this was going to hurt badly. I've suffered an injury slightly the same as this one. I had stepped on a nail, and even with some light anesthetic it hurt pretty bad having it removed.
"I do have some medical training. But Bella, this is going to hurt. Try as hard as you can to stay quiet. We don't want to attract others here." Edward said gently.
I closed my eyes tightly and nodded again. I was very aware of everything happening around me. I could hear the chattering of birds over our heads, the sounds of the ocean waves and the smell of sea salt. I could almost feel Edward's body close to me, I could feel his breath. I tried to put my mind in a peaceful place, but the moment I felt the sharp pulling in my calf I couldn't help but open my eyes and watch Edward attempt to pull the key out of my leg.
Tears burned in my eyes as I covered my mouth to silence my shriek. He paused, with the key half way out of my leg and looked at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry Bella, I almost have it out."
I turned my head away from his beautiful face. "O-okay, go ahead." I then attempted to control my breathing as he started to pull at the key again. It was the most painful experience I've ever been through. So when he had finally dislodged the key from inside the wound, I was able to relax. The relief that filled me left me almost dizzy with joy.
"Thank you so much." I said, wiping the tears from my face.
Edward again was digging in his book bag, tossing me a slight grin. "You are going to feel much better soon," He pulled out a small bottle that looked to be hydrogen peroxide and a bandaid. "This is the best that I have, it will do for now." He said as he poured some peroxide onto the wound.
It had been pretty painful as well, but nothing compared to how bad it was to get that key removed. I watched the peroxide bubble on my skin for a while, until he covered it with a bandaid.
Once he was finished, he handed me the key. "You need to keep this in your sight at all times. Don't give this away to anyone."
I took the bloody key cautiously.
Why didn't he take the key for himself? Wouldn't it give him some kind of advantage in this game? With someone as capable as Edward, he would be able to survive this. I couldn't. I was weak, I couldn't even remove the key on my own.
"By the way, where is your survival bag?" He asked, offering me his hand to help me stand on my feet.
Shyly, I took his hand and stood up. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been. "I didn't know that I was supposed to have one."
He looked me over closely and sighed. "Well let's go find it. Where exactly did you wake up? The survival bag should be close by."
"Oh, umm, follow me." I said and led the way back to the beach. I didn't get very far from where I woke up, so it didn't take long to get back to the spot.
We began to search the beach, the sand was scolding my feet, but I did my best to ignore the burn. It felt like we had been looking for hours before I stumbled upon something strange. There was a small mound of sand a few yards away from where I woke up. On top of the mound was a blue marble.
That's weird. This must be it. It has to be.
I quickly got down and began to dig at the mound until I uncovered the book bag. I didn't hesitate to open the bag and look inside. "Edward, I found it." I called out to him.
The contents in the bag surprised me. Inside was five cans of fruit, some kind of knife and a flare gun. That's when I recalled a memory from before I reached the island. The man that had brought me here on the boat had asked me what three items I would want if I was stranded on an island.
That explained why Adam was acting the way that he was. He knew that I was his prey. This was just as much a game to him as it was for Aro. These bastards had a lot of nerve. It was like they were mocking us, challenging us to survive off of what we requested.
Edward jogged over to me, his demeanor was gentle, he made no indication of wanting to steal my backpack. The only thing I sensed from him was curiosity. "Did you get anything useful?"
I sighed, opening up my bag and showing him everything inside. I wanted to show that he could trust me, by being completely transparent. "I got some food, I guess that's something."
He glanced into the bag and shrugged his shoulders. "That's alright, if you want, you can come back to my camp with me." He offered me a brilliant smile that sent my heart fluttering in my chest.
Was it possible for a man to be so perfect?
I wasn't sure what to say. There was a feeling in my gut that I knew I could trust him. But what if there were other competitors with him? I'm not so sure I would be able to trust anyone else here. It wasn't too long ago that I had completely given up on this whole thing. But now that Edward swooped in and helped me, I had regained some hope.
"You have a camp, did you happen to find others?" I asked as I pulled my survival bag up onto my back.
"Yeah, they are a bit weird, but seem harmless." He said and lightly wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I'd very much like it if you stayed close to me from now on, if that's okay with you."
My cheeks were on fire as I looked into Edward's eyes. I trusted him and I knew I couldn't survive this on my own. This seemed to be my best option. "Alright, if you don't mind, I'll tag along."
He smiled widely. "Let's get going then." He kept his arm around my shoulder as he led me off the beach and back into the thick forest.
As we arrived at Edward's camp, I was truly impressed by what I saw. They had crafted a shelter, made out of driftwood, with a roof made with various plantlife. They made a fire pit with rocks of all different shapes and sizes, in the center was a fire. Up against one of the trees was a stockpile of harvested fruits and a bag of rice. The location of the camp was perfect, it was deep enough into the woods to be out of sight, but close enough to the beach to have access to the ocean. Their camp wasn't too far away from the spot that I had woken up from.
There was a woman and an overweight man standing in the center of camp, they were screaming back and forth at each other, even as Edward and I approached them I could feel the tension between them escalating.
"Good you're finally back Edward, now you can put that lazy piece of shit to work." The woman snapped, not taking her sights off of the other man. The woman was very pretty, she reminded me of the women I saw in swimsuit magazines. Her skin was beautifully tanned and her blonde hair just touched her shoulders.
"Edward, please tell this dictating witch to leave me alone. This community is run by democracy." The man spoke up while adjusting his glasses.
"Shut up fat ass." The woman sneered at the man. "If you worked as much as you complain we might actually have a decent camp here."
Edward sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why don't you two stop fighting long enough to meet our newest addition." He spoke, looking down at me with a grin.
They both paused in the middle of their fight and turned their sights on me. The man was the first to speak up. His chubby cheeks flushed as he came over and held his hand out to me. "Hello, I'm Nathan. Welcome to our humble abode."
As I shook his hand I tried not to cringe, his hands were so sweaty and clammy. But he seemed nice. He appeared to be nearly three hundred pounds and he didn't have any hint of physical capability. But behind his glasses, I could see a very kind soul.
"My name is Bella, nice to meet you Nathan." I gave him my best smile.
The woman came over next, her eyes narrowed as she seemed to focus her attention on Edward's arm still hung around my shoulders. Her gorgeous blue eyes appeared icy as our gazes met. "I'm Tanya, I hope you don't think you can just join our camp without pulling your own weight. We have enough useless people here." Her tone was full of contempt.
"Tanya, if we want to live through this we need to get along." Edward said with a frown coming to his face. He let his arm fall from my shoulder.
The moment he took his arm away I felt a pang of sadness hit me. I missed the contact. I felt vulnerable without him. But I held my ground as Nathan and Tanya moved closer to me. Their eyes danced with curiosity.
"I woke up yesterday, about one mile away, I was laying on a tree branch," Tanya said, folding her arms across her chest. "My survival bag was hanging on the very edge of the limb I was on. I was able to get my key out from the top of my hand." She held her hand out to show the bandage on her hand.
I wasn't even surprised. Tanya had one of the most muscular bodies I've ever seen on a woman. Her muscles didn't make her look masculine, but it did make her look very intimidating. There was no doubt in my mind that she was one tough girl. She was everything that I wasn't. Beautiful, strong, confident.
"That's amazing, you are so strong." I said, offering her a friendly smile.
Tanya snorted, and turned away from me. "Obviously," She ran her hand through her short blonde hair as her eyes moved to Edward. I saw the shift of emotion in her expression. "Edward and I ran into each other while I was scavenging food." A seductive smile came to her face as she kept her sights on Edward.
He didn't seem to notice as he turned his attention to Nathan. "I woke up on a flotation raft in the ocean. Nathan was calling out to me from the beach."
"After Edward got to shore I took him back to where I woke up, which was right here. And we decided to start constructing a shelter. He removed my key from my knee. I still can barely walk on it without intense pain." Nathan said with a sigh. "It's hard for me to work as hard as everyone else, but I do try my best."
I could see that Nathan may be a little self-conscious, that was something that we had in common. Although for different reasons, I struggled with confidence in myself. I've never really been good at anything other than swimming. I was an average school student, not overly smart. I wasn't an impressive athlete, I've only ever won one swimming competition.
"That's bullshit and you know it Nathan. All you do is lay around and sleep." Tanya said, making a face at him.
Nathan glared at her, but seemed to ignore her comment as he continued to talk. "As I was saying. I'm trying to just take it easy for a while, until my knee heals. But my biggest role at camp is sharing my intellect. I'm very familiar with what plants and fruits are safe to eat."
Edward patted Nathan on his shoulder. "Take your time, I know you are doing your best. Don't pay any attention to Tanya."
Tanya was fuming as she watched Nathan and Edward. She moved to place her hands on her hips and faced both men. "You know we wouldn't be able to even have a fire if I didn't have my hatchet. I collect the firewood for camp, this place wouldn't succeed without me." Tanya smirked. "And of course Edward with his fishing pole, he catches our main source of protein. We are the perfect team."
Tanya hugged herself to Edward's side, giving me a smug glance. "Should we continue finding food? Fat ass over there decided to binge eat half of our supplies."
There was a pinch in my chest seeing Tanya and Edward so close together, but I decided to push my feelings away. I was no competition for Tanya. They really did look like the perfect team. They were both beautiful and strong. I wouldn't offer much to this camp. I knew that I shouldn't have followed Edward here. Now I feel worse.
Edward cleared his throat and put distance between himself and Tanya. "Yeah, I'll head out and try to catch us some fish. Why don't you take Bella out to find some fruit?"
Tanya rolled her eyes. "Since when am I the babysitter?" She spoke just loud enough for me to hear her.
To be honest I didn't want to be left alone with her either.
"Are you comfortable with that Bella?" Edward asked, his eyes searched mine.
The last thing that I wanted to do was be a burden, so there was no way I could refuse. "Yeah I'm fine with it." I lied, offering them a weak smile. I couldn't bring myself to look in Tanya's direction. I knew that she was still glaring daggers in my direction.
Edward glanced between the two of us, with an unreadable expression before turning back to Nathan. "Ready to go Nat?"
Just by looking at Nathan I could tell that he wasn't thrilled by the idea of fishing. Sweat was trickling down his chubby face as he glanced up towards the sun.
Nathan sheepishly nodded, adjusting his glasses once more. "I guess… let's get it over with, I want to get out of this sun."
With that I watched as the two of them went marching off down towards the ocean. They each picked up fishing poles that had been laying against one of the trees. Tanya snapped her fingers; which brought my attention back to her sour face.
"Let's go Belinda." She said stomping over to a log that had been sitting near their campfire and plucking the axe from it.
I sighed deeply. "My name is Bella." This girl was really starting to get on my nerves.
We walked in silence for most of the time, there was nothing really to talk about, she didn't want anything to do with me and the feeling was mutual. We were completely opposite in every way. She had an abrasive personality and the way that she presented herself gave off the impression that she might have a military background. This situation that we were in probably doesn't even affect her. She showed me which fruits were safe to pick and which to steer clear from, but that was the last bit of contact that we had for the last hour now.
It felt incredibly awkward, so I tried to analyze the surroundings. The forest was beautiful and very full of life, from the small frogs leaping at our feet, to the noisy birds flying over our heads. The plant life was very strange, nothing that I've ever seen before. I had to constantly remind myself not to touch anything, you can never be too careful.
Tanya paused, running her hand through her short hair and turning in my direction with a bored look on her face. "Listen, let's split up, we can cover more ground."
I liked the idea of getting some distance from this girl. "That's fine with me." I tried not to let a smile come to my face. But she eyed my expression closely, probably noticing how eager I sounded.
In a flash she swung her axe into the tree directly beside my face. I didn't even have time to react. I jumped away from her strike, my heart racing hard in my chest. "What the hell." I glared at her.
She responded by rolling her eyes as she plucked her hatched from the tree. "This is the spot we will meet back up." There was now a chunk of the tree missing, creating a distinguishing mark. I hated to admit it, but that was a good idea. Now I just had to find this marked tree once we split up. "Meet me before it starts getting dark."
I nodded in agreement and watched as the terrifying beauty marched off and disappeared into the thick forest. Since Tanya had made a right off the trail that we are following, I decided that I would make a left off the trail. The edible fruit in this forest was bountiful, although I didn't recognize most of it. There was a strange green berry that Tanya had me picking and a plant with small white flowers sprouting from it that she said was an herb that can be used for it's healing properties.
Even though she didn't have the best attitude, I couldn't deny that she was an important member of the team. And here I am… without any useful skills. What am I doing here? Why am I in this situation?
Tears came to my eyes as the image of my little sister came into my head. She looked exactly like me in every way. Our hair was the same chocolate brown, our eyes were like our father's; the one we never got to meet. Our features were very similar, the only huge difference was how pale and sickly my sister turned when she was diagnosed with cancer. She was the reason that I was here, she is back at home fighting for her life. I should be doing the same.
Instead of walking around feeling sorry for myself I need to start contributing to my own survival, I couldn't depend on Edward and his group here to carry my weight.
With my resolve strengthened I held my head a little higher as I traveled deeper into the twists and turns of the forest. I didn't know how long I was walking before I noticed that the sun was starting to set in the sky. I paused right at the base of a huge tree, if I had to guess I would say that I was in the very middle of the forest, but there was no way to tell for sure. I should probably start heading back towards the meeting point before it starts getting dark.
I wrapped the fruits I was carrying into my backpack and looked around for a moment. I didn't recognize where I was, this whole forest looked the same. I couldn't recall what direction that I had come from, once I left that original path that Tanya and I had been on, I didn't really pay close attention how far I walked or which way I had come from. This wasn't good.
Should I call out for help? No, it would just attract attention to yourself. What if there really are a bunch of hunters out here… ready to kill me? If I start making noise they will find me instantly. No, I need to just stay right here and hope that Tanya will come looking for me. She would come for me, wouldn't she?
Slowly I leaned against the tree for support, letting myself slowly slide down to sit. I might as well get comfortable. If I keep walking deeper into the woods it's going to be even harder for Tanya to find me. This was the best move I could make. So much for not being a burden to everyone.
I sighed deeply and let my headrest in my hands as I waited for any signs of Tanya. Time went by slowly and along with the light my hope began to fade. The sun had set and a dark shadow engulfed the forest. It was quiet, unnaturally quiet, as if every living thing had gone to sleep. There was a slight breeze rushing through the treetops, but the temperature continued to be humid.
Tanya wasn't coming. Why would I expect anything differently? I knew that she hated me the very second I arrived at camp, she probably was hoping that I would get lost. Maybe she intended this to happen. Regardless I needed to make up my mind on what to do. Should I just wait a little longer? Should I get up and try to find my way back to camp myself? No, I didn't have many options here, it was getting too dark to be walking around. Who knows what kind of animals are out here lurking, waiting for their next meal.
Suddenly I heard some rustling in the bushes directly behind me. I felt relief fill me instantly. My first thought was that Tanya had actually come to find me, but I was terribly mistaken. It wasn't Tanya that had found me. I watched in horror as a man appeared from the bushes, riding on top of a black horse. He rode in like the grim reaper himself. He spotted me instantly and flashed me a twisted smile.
"What a delight, it's nice to see you again Miss Isabella." The man called out to me as he gracefully got off of his horse and took a few steps in my direction.
I gasped as I recognized the man. This was the guy that had escorted me to this island. Adam. He was still dressed in his business suit, but unlike before his face was animated with amusement and eagerness. He stopped only a few feet away from me as he pulled out a rifle. "I have to always remind myself not to get too close to the prey with this gun, the human body just seems to explode from high power rifles such as this." His tone was full of bliss.
"P-please, don't." I spit out, my heart was slamming hard inside my chest, which made it extremely hard to breath. I felt my body trembling, I couldn't peel my eyes off of the gun pointed in my direction. No one has ever held a gun up and threatened me before, I had always imagined that if I was in this situation that I would remain calm and know exactly what to do. I wouldn't be like the pathetic women in the movies that would sob and beg for their life. But here I was, already on my knees begging.
He chuckled, his smile stretching wider across his face. "I'm a sucker for hearing a woman beg, I suppose we could have a little fun first, before I blow your brains out." He lowered his weapon from me and took a few more steps over to me. He was now close enough to touch me, but he stayed an arms length away.
I didn't like the way that his eyes traveled my body, there was a hunger dancing in his eyes that made me feel like he was going to make me regret begging him not to kill me earlier.
"Now, let's start slowly, take your shirt off." Adam smirked at me.
When I made no move to do as he asked he appeared to get furious and raised his rifle back up to press it into my forehead. The sharp jag made me wince and sent my heart to an even faster frenzy inside my chest. I reluctantly began to slide my top off, revealing a simple black bra; one that I didn't recognize.
Adam left out a low whistle. "Not the most impressive, but decent. I suppose I can't tell for sure until that bra comes off." He slowly moved the rifle away from me again, which made me let out a long breath.
I couldn't even meet his gaze, I felt so humiliated and I was terrified as to what was going to happen next. I knew where this was leading and I wanted to stall for as long as I could. I needed to make a run for it, but I was frozen in my spot. I was quickly running out of options.
I was so occupied by my worries that I hadn't noticed that Tanya had snuck up on us. There was an awful sound of bones crunching and I felt a warm mist spray me. I felt myself gasp as I realized that I was covered in blood and Adam, who was standing directly in front of me stood with his head almost completely hacked off his body. His head was only attached by a small piece of skin. Blood spewed from his exposed neck as his body fell limp on the ground, dead instantly.
I couldn't help but let out a shriek as Tanya ripped the hatchet from Adam's neck and turned her sights on me with a cold stare. Her hand went abruptly to my mouth. "Keep quiet, do you want to attract more hunters?" She hissed, before retrieving her hand.
There must have been blood on her hands, I could feel blood rolling off my chin. I slowly pulled myself up, but my legs were shaking. "You killed him." Tears were streaming down my cheeks. "You really…. Killed him."
Tanya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're welcome. He was just about to do much worse to you. Now, come on we need to get you back to camp." She moved to Adam's body and began to check his pockets.
"Tanya, did you find her?" I heard a familiar voice call out.
Quickly I picked up my shirt and threw it on as fast as I could manage. I felt my cheeks boiling as I attempted to dusk off the dirt that clung to my shirt.
Edward appeared now, moving to my side with a surprised look on his face. "Bella, are you hurt." He was looking over me carefully, his bright green eyes filled me with a sense of relief. But my body wasn't ready to calm down. Shakily I moved away from him and bent over to vomit. My stomach didn't have any food in it, so I only ended up puking out what little water I had left inside me.
Edward quickly put her hands on my shoulders, moving my hair from out of my face and keeping a watchful eye on me. "It's going to be ok Bella."
I glanced up at him, feeling almost completely out of energy. As embarrassed as I was that I was for puking in front of him; I was thankful that he was here, because after seeing Tanya just kill that man like it was nothing, unsettled me. I didn't trust her before, but now I don't think she is safe to be around. She had no care in the world that she just killed that man. Even though Adam was trying to kill me… among other things, I just… was terrified. I've never seen a dead body before, and I didn't know how to react to it. Should I be relieved? Should I be crying? Why can't I feel anything?
Nathan was the last to show up, he looked to be in just as bad shape as me, his face was bright red, sweat was pouring down his face and body as he panted.
"Nice of you to finally get here fat ass. If it was up to you, Beverly would be dead." Tanya smirked at Nathan as she picked up Adam's rifle.
I was beginning to think she was calling me by the wrong name on purpose.
"Shut up you hag," Nathan growled at her, before moving to Edward and I. He noticed the blood painting me and his eyes slowly traveled down to where Adam lay, almost completely beheaded. Without a word Nathan instantly collapsed to the ground hard. He had fainted.
"Damn it Nathan," Edward sighed, before giving me an apologetic look. "Sorry, I need to take a look at Nathan now. Will you be alright for a few minutes."
I nodded quickly. "Yes of course, my stomach is feeling fine now. Go ahead." The longer Edward stayed near me and tended to me, the more angry Tanya was getting. And I didn't want to end up like Adam.
As Edward went to Nathan and began to try and wake him up, I again attempted to raise to my feet. I felt light headed, probably due to losing all that water, I was most likely dehydrated. Tanya tossed me a bottle of water, avoiding eye contact with me. "Here, I had a few bottles of water in my backpack when I woke up. I decided I would only use them if there was an emergency."
I caught the water bottle, staring towards Tanya with confusion chewing at me. Why was she giving me water? I thought that she hated me. Did she do something to the water?
"T-thanks," I said, frowning slightly as I looked at the water. Should I drink it?
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't thank me, you will owe me for this whole thing. If it wasn't for Edward, I wouldn't even have bothered coming to look for you. I'm doing this for his sake. For some reason he cares about you and every other poor defenseless waste of space that we come across." She spit at me with a dark look on her face.
If looks could kill.
"Tanya that's enough, we are a team, I don't want to hear you talk about Bella or Nathan like they are burdens again." Edward said, glaring at her. This was the first time that I heard a sharpness in Edward's voice. He spoke with conviction and authority. A chill ran down my spine. I couldn't help but admire his voice, it was so strong. I wasn't the only one that appeared to be enjoying his perfection. Tanya appeared to melt, a coy smile coming to her face.
She stood a little more straight and offered a rigid salute. "Yes sir." Her tone was completely serious and her expression lacked all emotion that she once had. She gathered up the rest of the supplies that she had found off of Adam's very dead body.
"Tanya, I need your help getting Nathan up onto this horse, he isn't waking up any time soon, but we need to get out of this forest and back to camp before another hunter comes along and finds this mess." Edward said with a hard look on his face.
Tanya marched over to him, looking just as strong and capable as Edward. They each took hold of him from both sides. But I could see that even with the both of them they were having a hard time getting Nathan pushed up on top of the horse. I took a couple big gulps of the water and made my way over to them. There was no way that I was just going to let them think that I'm a weak, helpless part of their team. With all the strength I still had left I pushed at Nathan until we finally got him on top of the horse.
Tanya chewed her lip as she watched Nathan. "I never thought the day would come that I would feel bad for a horse." She spoke under her breath.
Edward chose not to respond to her jab, instead he turned to me with concern. "Will you be ok to walk?"
"Yeah, I'm fine really. Tanya made it to me just in time, I'm not hurt."
Tanya pushed past Edward and I, coming in between us as she took hold of the reins and led the horse. She kept a cold look on her face, shooting me an icy stare before making her way through the night. Edward and I followed behind her at a slow pace, probably for my sake. Edward sighed deeply, his expression seemed troubled.
"What is it?" I asked him quietly.
He turned to me, expression not changing. "I'm just glad that we got to you in time."
"So am I." I allowed with a slight shrug. "I just… that was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life." I admitted.
He nodded, moving his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to his side. "I was careless, this should have never happened. I'll do better to keep everyone in this group safe from now on. This is all my fault."
The moment I felt his body against mine I felt myself relax at his side. When I was close to Edward I felt… safe. It was a feeling that I never thought that I would feel while being in this situation. I had missed the feeling of his contact, although I didn't know why that was. Sure he was a nice guy and he was incredibly good looking, but I still didn't know him. I didn't know where he came from, or what his true intentions were. But for some unseen reason I felt like I could trust him more than anyone else I've met so far.
"It wasn't your fault at all Edward and you know that." Tanya said, glancing back at the both of us. "It's Bonnie's fault. She should have stayed on the path. Then she wouldn't have gotten lost."
"My name is Bella, and that's the last time I'm going to say it." My tone even surprised me. My words came out with more venom than I thought I was capable of delivering. I quickly changed my tone. "You're right I should have stayed on the path, but since I didn't… we have a horse, a weapon and more supplies. It's not all bad."
Tanya glared daggers at me, but sighed. "I suppose you have a point, but still. If you think that you can just put yourself in danger all you want and Edward will come to your rescue every time you are an idiot."
"I didn't try to put myself in that situation." I spoke, deflating a bit as her words grew more harsh. I wasn't a fan of conflict, I couldn't handle the additional stress that comes along with fighting. That's why I usually just ignore things that bother me, but it was hard to ignore Tanya, she knew all the right buttons to push. She had a talent at making others angry.
The rest of the time we spent walking back to camp was quiet, there were only the sounds of the horse's light steps, once in a while there was a snapping sound from the twigs the horse was stepping on. The breeze continued to blow past us, bringing on the smell of smoke. The campfire appeared to have been extinguished, but the hot ambers still were glowing. Tanya gave Nathan a hard push off the horse and I watched in shock as Nathan fell to the ground at the horse's feet.
Quickly I moved to Nathan, taking note that he was beginning to groan. His eyes didn't open, but his hand moved up to feel his head. "What happened?" His voice was barely above a whisper. His hand reached up to feel for his glasses before he opened his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down to look over him.
He was still sweating, but he seemed to be alright. He sat himself up and looked around at his surroundings. "Yeah," He paused searching my face for a moment before realization struck his features. "I should be the one asking you that question. Are you alright?" He lightly placed his hand on my shoulder.
I smiled and gently patted his hand. "I'm perfectly fine."
"The two of you make a lovely couple." Tanya smirked in our direction as she tied the horse to one of the palm trees close to their shelter.
Nathan's face turned completely red as he shot up to his feet, fidgeting again with his glasses. "I think my sugar is getting low, I better go get something to snack on." He stuttered before ducking his head and moving to their stock pile of freshly harvested fruits.
"Can't you think of anything other than food?" Tanya sneered at Nathan.
I chose to ignore their eruption into bickering. I wanted to get this blood off of me. I wanted to get Adam's nearly decapitated head out of my mind. There weren't many options I had on getting cleaned off, so I just walked into the ocean. I didn't go in very deep, just deep enough that the water touched my shoulders. I dipped my head under the water, squeezing my eyes shut and taking in a deep breath of air as I let myself sink down. Not being able to see or hear anything brought on a paranoid feeling within me, so I didn't stay under very long. When I came back up I looked up towards the star filled night sky.
What was my sister doing right now? Was she alright?
I turned my sights back onto the beach, seeing the others were all in a circle talking. I listened closely, attempting to hear the conversation from where I was standing. The only thing that I could figure out was that they were discussing what our next steps should be. Should we stay here on the beach, or should we move camp to another location. There was no doubt that someone would find that body of the hunter and they would know that there must be other people in the area. That made the beach an unsafe place for camp.
Part of me felt that this was all my fault. If I never would have gone with Edward, none of this would have happened, their home would still be safe. Maybe I should go off on my own. I was more trouble than I was worth. I would need to find something that I'm good at, and contribute somehow to this group.
After I cleaned myself off I decided to make my way back to the beach, Tanya was leaning against a tree fast asleep. Nathan and Edward were still awake, and just appeared to be chatting back and forth in regards to when they would be packing up to leave in the morning.
"Have a nice swim?" Edward smiled at me as I took a seat next to them.
Nathan peaked at me, wiping at the sweat from his chubby face. "I was about to join you. It's still so hot, even when the sun goes down."
"It was alright, I mostly was just trying to wash the blood off." I sighed, pulling my legs to my chest. "It's been… a long day."
"I can't believe that mess of a woman got you lost in the woods. If I would have escorted you, I would never have let you get lost." Nathan said with a frown. His words were kind and for a moment I looked at Nathan for the first time. I mean, truly looked at him as a person.
He was a big guy, tall and burly. His hair was a light sandy color and his eyes were grey. His features suggested that he was in his early thirties or even late twenties. Behind his thick glasses I saw a gentle soul and unwavering loyalty. I admire that about him. I felt that he was someone that I could trust.
"Thanks for saying that Nathan," I gave him a wide smile. "I'd really like for us all to be friends." I watched his expression closely, taking note of the bright look that entered his eyes.
Edward chuckled, nodding over to Tanya. "It's much easier being friends with her when she's asleep." He sighed and looked at both me and Nathan. "But there is a small part of me that understands her."
A pang of jealousy bit at my heart at the gaze Edward sent towards Tanya. Had I been wrong to assume that he wasn't interested in Tanya as well. It made sense. They were both so perfect and athletic, how could I compete. Having feelings for someone should be the last thing on my mind. We were stranded on an island, no one would be coming to look for us… other than the deranged hunters that are out there trying to kill us. I should be worried about surviving.
I forced a smile on my face, changing the subject before I became any more frustrated. "So, when will we be heading out tomorrow?"
"At sunrise, we wanted to start packing well before that, but it's best if we start navigating the woods while temperatures are at their lowest." Nathan explains, pushing his glasses from the tip of his nose back up to their proper position. "Besides, knowing the ice queen, she will want to get out of the area as soon as possible."
I nodded slowly, letting their words tumble around in my mind. "And you are sure… that you want me to tag along. I only seem to cause you all trouble."
It was Edward now that spoke. "Bella, look at me." His voice sounded serious.
Reluctantly I did as he said, meeting his steady gaze. My heart sprang in my chest as he lightly placed his hand over mine. "You will not be left behind no matter what. I'm sorry but you are stuck with us now." He offered me a tender smile.
I couldn't stop a smile from coming to my face at his words. I just couldn't help but hang onto his each word. Edward held an unnatural power over those who got close to him. I could see it with his relationship with Tanya and also how Nathan looks up to him as well. But I couldn't help but feel there was something that he wasn't being honest about. There was no way that someone could be this kind and perfect. He was hiding something. Part of me knew that I could trust him and over time he may open up, but I wasn't completely sure.
"Well, as long as it isn't a burden to you guys. I'm not really good at anything. I'd like to help you all out any way that I can."
Nathan's face started turning pink as he quickly turned away from the rest of us. "Well I think I'm going to head to bed now. Early day tomorrow. Good night." He did a grand act of yawning and stretching his arms above his head, before standing up and going to the hammock to lay down.
That left just Edward and I. We sat in comfortable silence, just sitting under the stars, lost in our own thoughts. I wondered if there was someone at home missing him. I forced myself not to think of my mother and sister, if I did… I knew that I would be in tears. The last person that I wanted to look weak in front of would be Edward. I didn't want him to see the weak, helpless girl that I saw myself as.
I wasn't sure how long we stayed silent, I hadn't realized how tired I felt until my eyes began to feel heavy. I felt my body swaying a little bit, I kept jerking myself forward to keep myself awake, but it was no use. After a short battle against exhaustion I succumbed to sleep.
The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the beach and the strong aroma of sea salt was the first thing that registered to me as I woke up. I could hear in the distance the sound of birds chatting and I felt a light breeze blow past me, causing my hair to cover my face. For a moment I didn't want to move a muscle, I just wanted this brief moment of relaxation to last a while longer before the harsh reality of my situation set in.
My body ached from laying on the sand, however my head rested comfortable on something firm and soft. I didn't have the energy to look and see what was under my head. For the moment I was just going to relax.
After a moment I let my eyes flutter open, just in time to see the sun beginning to rise.
"Good morning," The voice was alarmingly close.
Hesitantly I glanced in the direction of the voice to see that my head was resting in Edward's lap. I let out a barely audible gasp as I realized the position that we were in. He let out a quiet chuckle as I flung myself away from him, too quickly. I instantly felt dizzy as my cheeks warmed.
"Sorry about that." I muttered as my heart raced in my chest.
He simply shrugged his shoulders, offering me a grin. "I didn't mind at all."
At his words my heart began to beat rapidly in my chest. When it came to Edward I was beginning to think I couldn't resist him.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review if you would like me to post the next chapter.