Shower. That was the first thing Brooklynn wanted to do after she felt safe enough to be released from Kenji and Ben's hug. She was hungry, but that could wait. "Can I use your shower, Ben?" she asks as they stretch their cramped arms and legs. "I smell awful."
"Eh, I smell worse," Kenji shrugs.
"Of course," Ben nods with a chuckle. "You're our guest."
Brooklynn takes her suitcase into the bathroom with her and turns on the shower. She lets the hot water run down her hair with a content sigh. "I've missed hot showers with clean water," she thinks. The hot water was amazing, but there was something to be said about bathing in nature…
"Can't believe I'm kinda missing taking baths on the island," she mutters to herself.
Still, despite missing the wholesome feeling of bathing in nature, she enjoyed the shower. Brooklynn avoided getting her face wet. She couldn't remember what the doctors had said to do about her stitches and if she could get them wet. There was some sort of water proof gel, but she wasn't about to try to figure it out.
Drying herself off, she dresses for the day. With almost zero body fat to keep her warm, spending February in Maryland was freezing for her. "I don't know how Kenji and Ben walked out in T-shirts," she thinks as she puts on a fleecy long sleeve and a hoodie. She looks at herself in the mirror. Begrudgingly, she decides that Ben's pirate eyepatch would become a daily accessory, at least until she found her own. She didn't want to see the stitches, but at least she could hide her eye…
Brooklynn puts her suitcase back in Ben's room and walks into the living room. "Ah, it's so nice to use deodorant again," she giggles as she stands behind Kenji and Ben, who were sitting on barstools. "I don't smell like BO anymore."
Kenji leans over and sniffs her. "Coconut and lime, nice," he gives her a thumbs up.
The three look up to see Milton standing in front of them, the mug in his hand frozen halfway to his mouth. "Did… Did you just smell my sister's armpit?" he asks in disgust and shock.
"Yep," Kenji laughs. "Smells like a margarita!"
Ben and Brooklynn laugh as Milton eyes him in concern. "Are you telling me you don't smell her armpits?" Ben asks. "Cause that's what Mom does to me." He shoots his mother a glare.
"I only do that when I can smell something horrendous and am trying to figure out what's making the smell," his mother quips from the stove.
Ben takes a sniff of himself. "You think I'm bad at home? Hang out with me after spending a week in the jungles. You haven't smelled anything!"
"Why are you guys talking about this?" Darius's mother asks, sitting up sleepily on the couch.
"Sorry to wake you, Mrs. Bowman," Kenji apologizes.
"You don't have to be formal with me," she yawns as she gets up.
"My sincerest, humblest apologies, the exquisite mother of Darius," Kenji says in a mocking voice, making her laugh.
"I'm cold," Brooklynn shivers as Brandon gets up from the air mattress on the floor. "How did you guys walk out of the hospital in T-shirts?!"
"I thought it would be warmer," Ben shrugs.
"Come here," Kenji scootches the barstool back and Brooklynn curls up in his lap. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her close.
"What are you drinking?" Brooklynn asks her brother, not noticing the look of jealousy he gave Kenji.
"Coffee," he grumbles.
"Coffee?" Brooklynn perks up.
"Coffee time! Coffee!" Kenji grins. "Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! Cappuccino, java, yes!"
"Yess," Brooklynn grins. "I love coffee! And you are not coffee!"
"How dare you suggest I'm not coffee!" Kenji exclaims dramatically. "You're a horrible sister!"
Brooklynn cackles as Ben's mother places a cup of black coffee in front of her. She takes a sip and spits it out.
"What's the matter? Can't handle coffee without a lot of caffeine in it?" Milton sneers, passing her a bottle of half 'n half.
"That's the whole point of coffee," Brooklynn mutters, pouring some cream in her cup.
"What's crawling in your pants?" Brandon asks, gently elbowing Milton in the ribs.
"Your Momma," Milton retorts unoriginally, earning a cuff from Mrs. Bowman as he goes to slump on the couch.
"What's his problem?" Ben asks.
"I don't know," Brooklynn sighs. "He's a weird brother." Lowering her voice to a whisper, she says: "I trust you guys as my brothers more than him."
She had lowered her voice to keep Milton from hearing, but he still heard. The boy smoulders on the couch, occasionally shooting Kenji and Ben a dirty look.
The rest of the group living at Ben's house gets up and eats breakfast. The campers are in Heaven, wolfing down the bacon and eggs, then the bagel, egg and cheese. It had been so long since they had anything remotely close to normal food. Most of their food on the island was scavenged vegetables and berries, and the assortment of food they took from the condos. Even at the hospital, the food wasn't too great. But this…
"I don't care if I look like a pig, honestly," Ben sighs, shoveling another bite of egg into his mouth.
"Aren't you going to put ketchup on your eggs?" Brooklynn grins. "Or how about cinnamon?"
Kenji starts laughing and half-chewed eggs end up on his plate. "That was disgusting," Brooklynn chuckles.
Kenji recovers from his laugh and begins to chew obnoxiously in her ear. "Okay, I'm no Yaz, but even that is annoying," Brooklynn groans, pushing his face away.
"Would the three carnivores want more?" Ben's mother asks with a chuckle.
"I have to watch my diet, otherwise I'll gain too much weight," the voice hisses.
"No, I NEED to gain weight, I'm a walking skeleton right now!" Brooklynn shouts back. The voice is silenced for the time being. "That being said…" Brooklynn backpedals. "No, thank you," she politely declines. "It's the best breakfast I've ever had, Mrs. Pincus, but I can't eat another bite!"
"Brooklynn," her mother chastises gently. "You need to gain weight. You can't be starving yourself."
"Normally, I would agree with that," Ben says. "But I'm siding with Brook on this one, I can't eat another bite."
"Yeah, I'm getting full, too," Kenji nods.
"Don't force yourselves to eat too much," Darius's mother says. "When you've been starving for a while, your stomach shrinks. It'll take time to be able to eat the same amount you used to."
Satisfied that they didn't have to eat more, the three put down their forks and knives. Ben takes a small lick off his plate. "Ben!" his mother reprimands. "Have better manners!"
Riled up, Ben takes slobbery licks of his plate, acting like a dog. "Happy?" he asks with a defiant smirk.
His mother gives him a forced smile, then whacks him on the head with the empty box of bagels.
Egged on, Kenji and Brooklynn begin to lick their plates with a laugh. "Mm, that was really good, Mrs. Pincus," Kenji says, exaggeratedly licking his lips.
The parents roll their eyes and ignore their bad manners. After coming back from living wild, they would cut them a bit of slack on the manners. For the time being.
After breakfast, the rest of the group showers and gets dressed. Kenji heads into the shower while Brooklynn heads into Ben's room. Ben helps his mother clean up. "What time is it?" Ben asks, squinting at the clock on the stove.
"Can you not read it?" his mother asks. Ben shrugs. "We're taking you to the eye doctor tomorrow," his mother says. "If your vision is getting bad, it could be something serious."
"No! I'll look like a geek with glasses!" Ben protests.
"And if you're blind, you'll have a hard time navigating the world," his mother counters. "This is not up for discussion."
Ben groans and shuffles his feet as he heads to his room. He begins to compulsively clean it, a little annoyed that three boys he didn't know had stayed there.
"Oh, YEAH!" Ben and Brooklynn hear from the bathroom. Kenji waltzes in proudly, dressed from the waist down.
"What are you so happy about?" Brooklynn asks, lowering her phone onto her chest and staring at him from her place on the bed.
"I have a chest hair," he announces proudly.
Brooklynn cackles. "Why is that such a huge deal?"
"I'm seventeen!" he exclaims. "This is my first chest hair! I'm becoming a man!"
"Finally," Brooklynn laughs, covering her head as Kenji begins to whack her with a pillow.
"Good for you," Ben laughs. "You grew a chest hair!"
"Oh, did Tough Boy grow his first chest hair?" Milton sneers from the doorway.
"Yep!" Kenji declares.
"Pfff, I've got a whole chest full of hair," Milton sputters. "And I'm sixteen."
"Enough," Brooklynn groans in embarrassment.
"Hey!" Kenji protests. "You're like, Italian and German. I'm Asian! There's a difference there!"
"Lemme see," Milton groans. Kenji puffs out his chest proudly. "Oh, yeah, there is one," Milton says, quickly plucking the hair.
Kenji yelps and draws back in shock. "HOW DARE YOU! IT TOOK ME SEVENTEEN YEARS TO GROW THAT!"
"Whoops," Milton shrugs with a grin.
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Kenji shouts. Milton dashes out of the doorway and Kenji follows at full speed.
Brooklynn holds her fingers to her forehead. "Why is chest hair so important to him? I'm traumatized."
"Very funny," Ben laughs. "Why are you so obsessed with having big breasts?"
"Because… I just am," Brooklynn shrugs, embarrassed. "It's like a rite of passage to get boobs."
"Same with chest hair," Ben explains, as he and Brooklynn race out of the room to find Kenji and Milton squabbling in the living room. They were rolling around on the floor, fighting.
"What's going on?" Brooklynn's mother asks with her hands on her hips.
The two boys freeze mid-fight. Kenji was pinning Milton to the ground while the other boy had Kenji by his hair. "He plucked my first CHEST HAIR!" Kenji screeches, enraged that his manhood had been disrupted.
Brooklynn's mother laughs. "Milton? Why would you do that to him? You were very proud to grow your first chest hair."
"So?" the boy grumpily replies.
"What is your problem with me?" Kenji growls. "You've been giving me looks since this morning!"
"Nothing! I'm cool," Milton huffs.
"How am I supposed to fix the problem, or even know if I'm the problem if you won't tell me?!" Kenji asks.
"What's wrong with you, man?!" Milton asks, smacking him away. "Do you expect me to talk about all my feelings like a wuss?!"
"Nah, but maybe a little something to let me know, 'Hey, I didn't like this!'" Kenji explains.
"I don't owe you anything, Jack!" Mitlon shoves him back. "You think you're so special just because you're Brooklynn's favorite brother?!"
"I think we've found the problem," Ben says from the sidelines.
"Milton, inside your room!" his mother scolds. "Or… my—follow me!"
Brooklynn's brother sulkingly gets up and follows his mother. Mrs. Pincus and Mrs. Bowman come into the living room. "Want to head back to the hospital and see the others?" Darius's mother asks. "Apparently Darius had to be sedated last night."
"Why?" Brooklynn asks in alarm. Kenji and Ben's heads snap to attention.
"He was too stressed and couldn't stay calm," Mrs. Bowman explains.
"Oh, I thought it was something serious," Brooklynn sighs with relief.
Ben smiles with relief, then gets a text. "Bad morning to you," Yasmina replies to his cheerful "good morning."
"Does somebody need to be cheered up?" Ben texts back as they head out the door.
"Wait, I forgot my shirt," Kenji shivers and races back into the house.
Ben laughs at Mr. VIP's forgetfulness and looks at the recent text. "No." Yasmina gives him a solid answer. "Leave me alone."
"Okay…" Ben answers. "She must've had a bad night and wants alone time," he reasons. "Speaking of…"
"Do you mind if I take a walk in the park?" Ben asks. "It's been a while, and I… I guess I do kinda want alone time now."
"You know, Darius won't be happy about you leaving off on your own," Kenji chuckles.
"Hey, I survived for about a week on my own, he should trust my abilities," Ben retorts.
"I think that would be fine," his mother says. "I'll be here all day, so if you want me to drive you to the hospital, I can."
"See you later, Ben," Brooklynn waves as he walks down the sidewalk and she and Kenji get into the car.
Ben waves as they drive by and continues to walk. There was a park pretty close to his house that he used to love going to as a kid. There were many trails in the woods that he could follow, but he was never brave enough to walk them alone. That day, he felt the need to walk them on his own, just to see how it felt. As he walks along the sidewalks, Ben begins to get lost in his own thoughts. "I hope I haven't said or done anything to upset Yaz," he murmurs to himself. "No, she's probably dealing with something, or had a bad night. It's probably not me…"
The laughter and shouts of children at the park breaks his thoughts. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and there were a lot of kids playing. Ben walks along the edge and arrives at the beginning of the trail. He stops and stares at the trees. "Bet there's a lot of fresh vegetation in there for you, Bumpy," he says out loud, looking down at his side out of habit. Bumpy was nowhere to be seen. "Oh," he slumps. "RIght. I'm not on the island anymore."
"No more Bumpy," he thinks sadly. The idea was sad… and scary. What would he do without his Ankylosaurus friend? The reality begins to set in. He would never see Bumpy or Princess again. He would never have his dino companions by his side again.
"What am I going to do without Bumpy? I survived because of her! How am I going to make it?!" Ben panics. He begins to have an anxiety attack for the first time since the island, thinking about what it would be like without the Ankylosaurus.
It hadn't really hit him until then. It was sad to leave them. But he hadn't really thought about her before then. Now he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't survive on his own, who was he kidding? He had always had Bumpy by his side, even when he lived with the others. How would he make it without her?
Ben's thoughts are interrupted by someone. "Hey! Is that Benny Pincus?!"
Ben turns around to find his old school bullies turning their attention to him. They were using the monkey bars to show off their upper body and ab strength. Tall and strong, they stood almost a foot above him. With their perfectly done hair and leather black jackets, they appeared to have jumped straight from an 80's movie.
The ringleader, Jacob, jumps down from the playground and waltzes over towards Ben. His buddies follow.
The old, familiar fear Ben felt when he saw them came back. His adrenaline starts kicking in and his breath begins to get even heavier.
"Aww, aren't you happy to see us?" Jacob laughs with a sneer.
"Back off, Jacob," Ben says warningly.
"Oh, ordering us around, huh?" one of the other boys laughs.
"You're not in any position to do that, Benny," Jacob snorts.
"Back off," Ben hisses, feeling threatened.
"So where you been, man?" another bully asks.
"Yeah, you disappeared for a while," another one quips.
"Off hiding in your safe space?" Jacob asks, pretending to have sympathy.
"Just back off," Ben says warningly, backing away from them.
"What's the matter? Scared?" Jacob laughs as he moves closer.
"Stay back!" Ben shouts. He was beginning to feel like a caged lion, being provoked by these boys.
"Nobody talks to us like that!" Jacob's sneer turns to anger. "Lemme teach you a lesson, you little punk!"
The gang surrounds Ben. He turns to run, his flight response activated. The boys grab him and begin to beat him up, holding him down on the ground to keep him from escaping. After a few minutes of beating him up, they release him and back away. "Still think you wanna mess with men like us?" Jacob asks.
Ben wipes his mouth. "You don't know the meaning of the word 'Man.'"
"Since when did you develop a smart mouth?" one of the other boys asks.
"You want another beating, Benny?" Jacob snarls.
Anger flashes in Ben's eyes. What had previously been flight now turned to fight. "That did nothing to me," he growls, standing up and sliding into a fight position. "And it's Ben."
Most of the group gives him a look of shock, almost respect. But not Jacob. "Pff, you think you're tough?" he sneers.
"You don't know the meaning of tough," Ben says, pulling off his shirt to reveal the long, jagged scars across his side and arm. "You wish you were half as scary as what gave me this," Ben snarls. "If you think that you can knock me down, think again. I've handled tougher things than you. You're nothing."
Jacob snarls and lunges at Ben. He throws a hefty punch at his head. Ben ducks down and rams into the bullies unguarded stomach with his head. The boy grunts and backs up a bit. "What the f***, dude?!" he curses.
Ben was still scared of the bullies. But his fear didn't paralyze him and leave him vulnerable to their attack. Instead, in his mind, they were as threatening as Toro. And he had taken down Toro. "You wanna know where I've been?!" he shouts. "Huh?! Isla Nublar! I got stuck there for two months straight! I fell off a monorail, survived a month on my own with bleeding gashes and a baby Ankylosaurus! I fought off a Carnotaurus with said baby Ankylosaurus and open wounds! I hunted Compies! I rode into battle against a T-rex on the back of an Ankylosaurus! I survived a bloody massacre when professional hunters didn't! If you think that you can break me, you are kidding yourself! I've known tougher opponents and survived! You are NOTHING!"
Knowing that when facing off against a number of bigger individuals, his only strategy would be making himself look bigger and more menacing than he was. Striking first wasn't a bad idea, either.
Letting out a deranged battle cry, Ben charges at Jacob. He lowers his head and rams it into Jacob's stomach again. Jacob brings his knee up and hits Ben in the face. Ben lifts his head and moves back a step, but isn't deterred. He continues advancing, using his head to attack. Jacob steps back farther and farther, confused by this strange behavior. It was strange enough to see Ben fighting back, but it was even more bizarre to see him headbutting them and growling like an animal.
The rest of Jacob's group advances on Ben. He swings his head around and clubs one of the boys in the side with it. He then gets on the ground and snarls, acting like the Indoraptors. Ben pushes off with his feet and hands and rams his head into the stomach of another bully.
Two boys grab his arms and hold him up. Another goes to punch him in the face. Ben pulls his legs up, and kicks one leg off of the boy holding him. He kicks the one about to strike him in the stomach, and the bully doubles over. Ben uses his other leg to strike him in the chin. He kicks a little too far and kicks the boy hard in the neck. The boy lets out a gasp and falls to the ground, trying to catch his breath.
Ben turns his head and bites down on the hand holding his shoulder. The two boys let him go in shock, and Ben clamps down tight. Even so, he falls to the ground and his teeth leave scratches on the bullies hand. Ben scrambles to get into a crouch position and kicks the other boy in the crotch, making him bend over in pain.
Ben grabs a stick from the grass and whips around as the fourth boy advances on him. The stick leaves a long, bleeding scratch across the boy's face. Ben advances farther, swinging the stick again. The older boy raises his hands to protect his face and backs off.
Ben turns around to face Jacob, picking the twigs off of the main branch. He menacingly moves forward, brandishing the stick as a spear. The main bully backs away. "Hey, man, I got better things to do than face off against a psychopath!" he stutters.
Ben blocks his escape path. "Where do you think you're going?" he asks sinisterly. "When I made dinos back off, I let them go because it was too dangerous to try to kill them. But you don't have teeth or claws, buddy. What makes you think I'll let you get away that easily?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Jacob protests, tripping over a rock and scrambling back. "W-What are you going to do?!"
The fear in his eyes is shocking for Ben. "When I made dinos back off, I let them go because it was too dangerous to try to kill them. But you don't have teeth or claws, buddy. What makes you think I'll let you get away that easily?" his own words echo in his head.
"What am I doing? What have I become?!" Ben realizes in horror that he was threatening to kill Jacob. He couldn't… but something inside him wanted to. Something inside him felt the need to. The strongest survived.
Fighting the urge to kill the bully—or severely maim him—Ben drops the stick. "Consider this a warning," he snarls, stomping off back the way he came. His desire to walk in the woods had vanished. Especially after the desire to commit murder…
"Ben! What happened to you?!" his mother cries as he walks into the house, grabbing his face and examining the forming bruises.
"A run in with Jacob and his gang," Ben explains.
"Sit down! Are you badly hurt?" his mother asks, worrying about her son.
"Trust me, Mom, I'm sure they received worse injuries than me," Ben says.
As his mother fawns over him, only one thought can form. "I almost killed them. I've become an animal…"
"All right, we'll hold you up and you can put on your pants," Sammy's mother says as she and Miriam pick Sammy up.
Sammy sighs and gets dressed while they hold her up. They set her down and she begins to put on her shirt.
Outside the room, Kenji arrives at the door. He is about to open it when a thought dawns on him. "I should probably knock," a small voice whispers.
"Hmm, I don't normally knock," Kenji thinks to himself. "But it's kinda rude not to…"
Sammy begins to put her shirt on when there's a knock at the door. She immediately uses her shirt to cover her bra in embarrassment. "Occupied!" Miriam shouts.
Sammy and her mother laugh. "Uh, yeah? That's why I'm here," Kenji answers.
"Don't come in! I'm getting dressed!" Sammy explains.
"Oh! Glad I knocked then!" Kenji laughs, leaning back against the wall to wait. He notices Sammy's father talking to her older sister as they walk towards the room. "I think I'll nope out of here," he says, nervous to actually have an official meeting with Mr. Gutierrez. He heads over to Darius's room to wait for the time being.
Her father leans in through the door when she's finished getting dressed. "Doctors say you're free to go!"
"Okay…" Sammy says. "Can you give me a few minutes to be alone?"
"Sure," her mother nods, guiding her sisters and father out of the room.
Sammy stares at her hands for a while before looking back up at the mirror on the wall. Brooklynn's mother had brought the half length mirror for her daughter, and after Brooklynn left the hospital, they brought it into Sammy's room. Yasmina had strongly denied the offer.
The sight that awaited her in the mirror made her sad. She was bound to a wheelchair until they could get her in physical therapy. The doctors were confident that she could make a recovery from her paralysis. It might be difficult, and would require a lot of therapy and stimulation of her muscles, but they believed she could make a comeback. She was beginning to regain feeling in her legs and hips, which was a good sign.
After starving on the island for two months, plus the added stress, she had lost a lot of weight. Her arms and legs were boney and her cheeks had sunken in a bit. Sammy glances at her stomach in the mirror. Even after starving and losing a lot of weight, she still had a bit of a gut. "I can really understand why Brooklynn feels the need to starve herself," Sammy thinks to herself. She subconsciously touches her cheek and brushes the stitches on her face. Flashes of the torture she received from Mitch and Tiff hit her and she shudders.
Tears run down her face as she allows herself a moment to break. She was always a naturally happy person; that was who she was. But after the trauma she endured, Sammy found it a chore to stay her happy, positive self. She didn't want to be negative, she didn't want to give in. But each day, she found it harder and harder to keep up her act… though she would never call it that. She refused to think of it as an act or a mask; it was a lifestyle. A lifestyle she didn't want to throw away…
Sammy wipes away her tears. "Come on, you can't give in to negativity. My life has changed so much already. Your positivity kept the team going, Sammy. You can't lose that part of you… not now. Your happiness and kindness was what got you friends… what got you a possible boyfriend…"
She looks up at herself in the mirror. "I… I'm ugly and fat, even when I've been starved on an island. Kenji can't really be attracted to me for looks. I'm not pretty enough to attract any boy. No, he loves me for my kindness and personality. I can't be negative now. I'll lose him… I'll lose them all…"
The door opens and Sammy looks up. An unknown teenage girl pokes her head in. "Oh, sorry, I was looking for someone else," she says.
"Who?" Sammy asks, wheeling around to face the girl.
"Kenji Kon?" the girl asks, stepping into the room fully. "I was told he was here…"
Sammy looks the girl up and down. She had on black, ripped jeans and a tight, white crop top with spaghetti straps. She had a navy blue jacket over the revealing shirt. Her white blonde hair was in a sky high ponytail. She had thick eyeliner and mascara, colored in brows, bronze eye makeup, and a dark nude lip color. The teen had a black choker to complete her look. Sammy automatically knew who she was: a baddie popular girl.
Sammy's heart skips a beat. What was this girl doing here? Why was she looking for Kenji? "He was visiting me, but I had to get dressed," Sammy explains tentatively. "I don't know where he is now."
"Oh," the girl says, a look of confusion passing over her face. "Why is he visiting you?"
"We're friends," Sammy says, eyeing the girl in suspicion.
"Really?" she asks. "Oh, you must be one of the other kids who got trapped on the island. Sally, was it? Sadie? No, Sammy, right?"
"Samantha," Sammy mumbles.
"Yeah," the girl nods. "I'm Annika, Kenji's girlfriend." She holds her hand out for Sammy to shake.
Sammy stares at it, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. "I don't remember him mentioning a girlfriend."
"Huh, weird," Annkia shrugs. "Maybe you weren't listening?"
"I'm pretty sure he never said your name," Sammy says. "He never mentioned a name for any of his past girlfriends."
"Past?" Annika frowns. "I'm not a past girlfriend, I'm a current girlfriend. Why wouldn't he talk about me?"
"Maybe because he's not dating you anymore," Sammy says a bit more sternly.
"Then who's he dating?" Annika asks. Then she awws sympathetically. "Oh, is he dating you?"
"He will when I'm allowed to date," Sammy says through tight lips.
Annika laughs. "Aww, you're so naive! That's what boys say when they don't want to let a girl down."
"He sounded pretty serious about it," Sammy hisses. But now she was beginning to doubt it herself.
"Listen, let it go," Annika says, crouching down to look up at Sammy. "Bad boys like Kenji don't go out with good girls like you. He needs a bada** like me. Girls like you eventually find a chubby chasing, good boy who would love you for your personality more than your looks. Don't worry, they're out there somewhere."
Her words strike Sammy in the heart. "That's not what he said," she says hollowly.
"It would be easier on you if you accepted that he was lying," Annika says, taking Sammy's hands in fake sympathy. "He was stuck on the island with limited options; he would say whatever he needed to to get what he wanted. And that's some love. Physical love. Something a pure, conservative farm girl like you would never give him."
"He was never interested in that," Sammy argues, for once, fury rising up in her. While she doubted whether she was good enough, it infuriated her to hear her best friend talked about like that. "He wants a real girl that he can settle down with. One who's not interested in playing games and sleeping around before marriage."
"Listen, just accept that he's not yours," Annika says. "If you let him go and behave, I might be fine with you two being friends."
"We're friends for life, and you can't change that!" Sammy snaps. "And I doubt he would ever date another girl like you again!"
"Back off, farm b****!" Annika hisses. "He's the type of boy a fat cow like you could never hope to get! You're fat, you're ugly, you have scars, and you're only good for rebound! You're probably poor and smell like a horse, what makes you think Kenji would ever date you?! He wants a pretty girl who's famous, rich and striking! You're nothing but a little appetizer for his hunger for love!"
Sammy can't hide the tears falling down her cheeks as those words stab her in the heart.
The door opens again and Kenji waltzes in. "Aw, I like that shirt! It's really cute—why are you crying? And who's this girl here?"
Sammy wipes away her tears as Annika turns to him. "Kenji! I'm so glad you're alive!" She moves close and hugs him.
Kenji stiffens up and leans his head away as she wraps her arms around him. He gives Sammy a look of utter confusion, his eyes widening. She conceals her giggles; Annika couldn't have been telling the truth. Kenji looked too confused.
"I'm sorry, have we met?" Kenji asks as Annika pulls back.
She gives him an offended look. "Kenji, it's me… your girlfriend?"
"Oh, you must be the last girlfriend before I left for the island," Kenji says, pulling back farther. "You're… the one with a German name, right?"
"Lovely," Annika huffs. "You can't remember my name, you can't remember who I am, but you can remember the origin of my name?!"
"Yeah, cause you had been hitting on me, so I finally was like, 'Ello? Who are you?'," Kenji shrugs. "And then you said, 'Yada, yada, yada,' and I said it was an interesting name, and you told me it was of German origin. And then I made a Heil Hitler joke and you broke up with me. Funniest thing is, I didn't even know you, so you 'breaking up' with me was even more funny."
Sammy laughs. "Yep, definitely sounds like the Kenji I know."
"Shut up," Annika rolls her eyes. "I'm Annika Fredberg, remember?"
"Yeah, you're coming back to me," Kenji nods. "You were my last girlfriend. You broke up with me five times. Six, if you count the one after my Heil Hitler joke."
"Well, I'd like to move past all of that," Annika says, seductively taking his hand.
Kenji pulls his hand away like a ninja. "So you want to get back with me?"
"No, we're still together," Annika hisses.
"Uh, no, two days before I went to Isla Nublar, you broke up with me," Kenji says. "Besides, the door is closed. I love Sammy."
Sammy knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but enjoy the look of rage on the ex's face. "Her?" Annkia hisses.
"Yep," Kenji nods, standing next to Sammy.
"Am I reading her wrong?" Annika asks, popping her hip and subtly posing. "Is she not the naive, pure ranch girl that I thought she was."
"Uh, yeah, that's her," Kenji says, trying his best to look Annika in the eye and not elsewhere. Sammy could see his eyes flick downwards a couple times, though. He gives her a guilty look. "Sorry," he apologizes, forcing himself not to look at his past girlfriend.
"Then why are you dating her?" Annika snaps.
"Because I love her," Kenji says, looking Sammy in the eye. "For everything that she is."
"Oh, so she's perfect?!" Annika growls.
"No, I love her despite her flaws," Kenji says. "Though I have yet to find them."
Sammy covers her mouth to conceal her smile.
"Look, I…" Kenji sighs. He wanted to be a gentleman and let her down lightly, but he knew that Annika would be one to bully Sammy. And Yasmina and Brooklynn. If he was hanging out with any other girls, she would try to push them away in an attempt to get to him.
"Sorry," Annika throws her hands up. "Sorry I didn't take you as a chubby chaser! Thought you were a real guy."
"Oh, so a real guy is only supposed to care about looks?!" Kenji snaps. "Even so, I would still love Sammy because she is beautiful! So what if she doesn't dress like a whore or paint herself to look like a Barbie doll?! She's real!"
Kenji advances on Annika, forcing her out of the room. "Let me tell you why Sammy won my heart and not you. She cares about me because she has a heart and saw someone that she wanted to hang out with, despite ALL my flaws! You only care to date me because I'm rich and cool and you think I'm an easy catch! Sammy is sweet and kind and gives grace even when she shouldn't. You play around and taunt and say nasty things about your best friends! I can trust Sammy with my heart and she wouldn't tell a soul my secrets. I wouldn't trust you to cover for me in a million years!"
Annika stares at him in shock.
"Here you are calling her names and making fun of her," Kenji growls. "And you think that's going to make me want to date you?! I dated you and put up with your crap because I was desperate but didn't want to put in a lot of effort. I was dating you for a selfish reason. I'm in love with Sammy, but if our relationship was toxic and I was hurting her, I would break it off for her sake."
Sadness flashes in his eyes at the thought.
"Is there any way I can—" Annika starts.
"No," Kenji interrupts. "Doesn't matter how much you change or how much she changes, Sammy is my girl." He slams the door in her face, ending the argument. "At least, if your Dad approves of me," he adds as he turns around sheepishly.
Sammy was trying to hold back tears, and was covering her mouth with her hands.
"I wish for your sake she didn't come by," Kenji sighs, pulling up a chair to sit next to her. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with her brattiness."
Sammy lets her hands fall to her lap. "You'd really stick with me even if I changed?"
"Yes," Kenji nods.
"Even if I became the biggest jerk," Sammy sniffs.
"I'd be confused and would say something about it, but I would still love you," Kenji shrugs.
"Even if… even if I grow to be an old hag?" Sammy says, tears slipping out.
"I'll grow to be a bald, blind man with you," he smiles.
"Even if I'm the most messed up, broken person on Earth?" Sammy cries.
"I would still love you," Kenji nods. "Look, if we're talking about one of us leaving the other because we're messed up, I should be more worried about that. You're not perfect, but you're better than me."
"No," Sammy shakes her head. "We're both messed up."
"Can't really argue with that," Kenji sighs.
"You'd still love me even if I committed the most heinous crime?" Sammy wipes her nose on her sleeve. "Like murder?"
"Sammy, if you ever committed murder, it would be because someone hurt Brooklynn or the others," Kenji laughs. "So I would be sitting in jail with you."
The two laugh.
"Look," Kenji sighs, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "You are broken and traumatized, but that doesn't deter me from loving you. For whatever reason, you're focusing on all the bad in you and seeing someone you're really not. And I don't see that person you see. I see a beautiful, caring girl, and I seriously can't understand how boys aren't falling at your feet. I just… I wish you could see what I see."
Sammy wipes her nose again and hugs him, crying onto his shoulder. The two sit there for minutes, holding each other tightly. "Thank you," Sammy whispers in his ear.
"No, thank you," Kenji whispers back.
"Thank you more," Sammy sniffs.
"Thank you most," Kenji counters.
"Thank you a million times," Sammy giggles.
"Thank you a kajillion times!" Kenji argues.
"Thank you infinity," Sammy pulls back, giving him a haunty, satisfied look.
"Thank you infinity plus one," Kenji smirks.
"That doesn't work!" Sammy laughs.
"Why do most of our deep conversations end like this?" Kenji laughs. "Why do we always end up arguing over who loves each other more or something like this?!"
"Well, it's better than arguing and fighting," Sammy smiles.
"I'm glad I can argue with you over this," Kenji grins, taking her hand in his.
"Me, too," Sammy murmurs.
"Morning," Ben smiles as he pokes his head in through the door.
Yasmina sputters.
"Rough night?" he asks.
"Could barely sleep," she grumbles.
"Same," Ben murmurs, sitting next to her on the bed. "The parents decided that we had to try to sleep alone. I got my bedroom, Kenji got the air mattress with Brandon, and Brooklynn stayed on the air mattress with her parents."
"How'd that go?" Yasmina asks sleepily.
"I was paralyzed with fear and anxiety until Kenji snuck into my room, and Brooklynn's parents gave up keeping her away around twelve," Ben explains.
"Least you were allowed to stay with someone else," Yasmina grumbles.
"Did you miss us?" Ben grins.
"Nope," Yasmina says sarcastically. "I never want to see you guys again. I totally want to deal with nightmares alone. Could it be any more fun?"
"Okay, Bing, let's go to Darius's room," Ben chuckles. Yasmina grudgingly lets him help her into the wheelchair and wheel her down the hall.
Darius groggily lifts his head. "Hey."
"Morning," Yasmina mumbles.
"Morning," Darius and Brooklynn chorus.
"Frick you," Yasmina glares at Kenji.
"Morning to you, too," Kenji rolls his eyes, used to her morning grumpiness.
"Where's Sammy?" Yasmina asks.
"Stayed in the hotel with her family," Ben explains as Brooklynn leaves the room.
"I'll go get her!" she calls as she leaves the room to find the Gutierrez's.
"No, she's not here!" Kenji calls after her. "She's being talked to by a lawyer or police officer…"
Brooklynn doesn't hear him. "She'll figure it out eventually," Ben yawns, sitting down in a chair to doze off. Kenji sits down in another chair and slowly slides off. Yasmina rests her head on the bed next to Darius.
The door opens. "What's going on here?"
"Sleeping party," Darius mumbles, thinking it's Brooklynn. "Join in."
Yasmina looks up at the newcomer, and her heart rate goes from 70 to 700. "What are you doing here?!" she snaps, her head snapping to attention.
The other campers become alert. Ben looks her up and down. "One of your ex's?"
"Not that I can recall," Kenji frowns.
The girl was dressed in ripped, navy jeans and a black hoodie. Her black hair was straight and shiny, and her makeup dramatic. Her black, fake nails appeared like claws, clutching her phone and typing something. "Baddie style, definitely a popular girl," Kenji thinks. "Better not be one of my ex girlfriends."
"Who is this?" Darius wonders, worry rising up. "Is she here to mess with Brooklynn?"
"Why is Yasmina so tense?" Ben glances at his friend. "Is this who I think it is?"
"What are you doing here?" Yasmina asks again, tense in her seat.
"Here to talk to the Camp Cretaceous survivors," the girl says, glancing up from her phone. "You must be Ben and Kevin."
"It's actually Kenji," he corrects her.
"Get out," Yasmina hisses.
"Who are you?" Kenji asks.
"Leah Jaakobah, also known by my YouTube name, Leahkangaroo," the girl says, taking a stick of gum and popping it in her mouth. "Guess you guys aren't one of my Troopers."
Ben, Kenji, and Darius glance at Yasmina. Her breath had begun to race and she was so tense, the athlete was practically shaking. She was reacting as if this girl was a carnivore.
"Ugh, hospital wifi is the worst," Leah groans, moving around to find a stronger signal.
Ben and Kenji scooch closer to the bed. "Is this the same Leah you used to be friends with?" Ben hisses.
"Yes," Yasmina seethes, squirming in her wheelchair. She wanted to run. She wanted to escape. On the other hand, she wanted to fight. She wanted to kick and scream and lash out. She wanted to tell Leah everything that she did wrong and how much she hurt her and blame her trust issues on the girl. It didn't help that Leah's chewing was driving her anxiety and rage to insane heights.
"That's the girl," a girl whispered to her friend as Yasmina passed by. "The one with the abusive father."
"I heard that she got pregnant because of him," the other girl whispered.
The introverted athlete's heart started to race. She knew exactly who told those rumors. Finding Leah, she confronted her. "Did you tell everyone about my father?!"
"So?" Leah shrugged. "That's what you get for siding with Riley."
"I didn't! I didn't know what was going on!" Yasmina hissed.
"Do you think I care?!" Leah shouted. "You're a jock/nerd mixture! Why would a popular girl hang it with you?!"
Yasmina backed away, shocked and hurt.
"Look, she probably feels the same way about you," Kenji whispers, breaking her of her flashback. "If she took her anger out on you years ago, she might've been struggling to deal with internal pain. She might not want to see you anymore than you want to see her."
"I don't care," Yasmina snarls. "I don't want to see her. I can't see her!" She covers her ears and shuts her eyes tight, anxiety rising.
"I know you don't want to, but it might be better for you to confront her," Kenji says. "I know you want to run away from this problem, but running away hasn't helped you all these years. Maybe… maybe it's time to turn around and confront her."
"If I confront her, I'm going to fight her," Yasmina hisses, heart racing. "I can't control this!"
"If you don't want to confront Leah, you shouldn't have to," Darius hisses. "Let's run her off." He goes to get up and Kenji holds him down.
Ben is on the fence. In his head, he knew that Kenji was right. The memory of Leah had been tormenting Yasmina for years, and it might be time to confront her fear. On the other hand, he agreed with Darius. They shouldn't force her to confront someone she didn't want to.
The group had developed such a close bound; the boys could practically feel Yasmina's anger and pain. Darius's overprotectiveness was being sent into overdrive; he wanted to get out of bed and get rid of the source of his friends' anxiety. Ben's overprotectiveness was being triggered, as well, and he felt that same urge to kill rising. He fights against it, knowing it was wrong.
Kenji felt the same as the other two, but he knew that anger and rage wouldn't solve the problem. Sighing, he says, "I'll run her off."
"Hey, do you guys know where Brooklynn is?" Leah asks, apparently having found a signal.
"Nope," Kenji says. "Uhh, maybe you can go look for her in the lobby?"
"Nah, she'll probably come back, right?" Leah asks, smacking her lips. Kenji can see Yasmina try even harder to cover her ears. "Besides, there's pretty much nothing in the news about you guys," Leah continues, holding up her phone in preparation for recording. "My followers will be stoked to get the scoop from me."
"Can you please stop chewing gum," Kenji asks, hoping that maybe removing the sound would allow Yasmina to calm down somewhat. "I'm not sensitive, but it is kind of annoying."
Leah glances at Yasmina. "Oh, sorry, is she a misophonic?" Leah takes the gum out of her mouth. "Me and Brooklynn collaborated on a video about that. We were learning about other disorders and illnesses so that we can learn to be more inclusive and understanding. I'm pretty sure I had a friend with that condition."
Yasmina looks up, shocked. "Maybe… maybe Kenji was right," she thinks.
"Okay," Kenji sighs, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "We… we don't really… don't really want to be interviewed… We're struggling with dealing with everything that happened, and we don't want to go public right now. So… maybe you could go away?" He cringes.
"Some of us have a past with you," Yasmina mumbles.
"Do I know you?" Leah asks, frowning at Yasmina.
"Yasmina Fadoula," the athlete murmurs.
Kenji notices a look pass over Leah's face. A look of shock and perhaps… anxiety? But it quickly is replaced by her haughty demeanor. "Oh, yeah, we used to be childhood friends, right? You're the one who had an abusive father. The runner. Yeah, I remember you now."
Yasmina tenses up again.
"You've changed quite a lot," Leah looks her up and down. "Especially… your leg…"
"Yeah, that's what happens when you stop being friends with someone for three years," Yasmina seethes, trying to stay calm.
"Dang, has it been that long?" Leah asks. "That was a bad breakup. Terrible way to end years of friendship. I'm sad it had to end like that…"
Yasmina's anger starts to ebb, leaving her with pain and anxiety.
"Why don't we start over?" Leah asks. "I'm already friends with Brooklynn. Maybe it was destiny to meet up and reconnect."
"Start… over?" Yasmina stutters.
"Yeah," Leah nods. "I'm willing to give grace. Forgive you for everything. We'll start with a fresh slate."
With one comment, Yasmina's heart rate skyrockets. "Uh, no. You're giving me grace?"
"I know that you struggle with emotional problems started by your Dad," Leah explains. "And I guess the breakup between me and Riley was hard on you. I'm not sure why you chose her over me, but I've forgiven you."
"Forgiven me for what?" Yasmina asks in anger and confusion.
"For choosing Riley over me and spreading rumors about me," Leah states. "You went around the school blabbing lies and claiming that I had exploded and attacked you for no reason."
Yasmina's jaw drops. "What?! I never told anyone in the school what happened! I confided in my brother! That was all!"
"That's not what I remember," Leah argues. "You went around complaining and griping about me behind my back!"
"Yeah, it's just, that ain't Yaz's personality," Kenji butts in. "She's more of the smoldering, don't-let-anyone-know-what-I'm-feeling type of girl."
"So then why was everyone saying I was a jerk to you?!" Leah asks.
"I don't know!" Yasmina shouts. "All I know is that one day, I hear people talking behind my back about secrets only you would know!"
Leah lets out a loud sigh. "I had already forgiven you, but this is starting to bring up more feelings. Why would you lie about me to your brother? And why didn't Ghaleb see that you were lying?"
"Because I wasn't!" Yasmina shouts. "I didn't know ANYTHING! All I knew is one day, you and Riley weren't talking! And both of you cut me out! Riley just stopped talking to me, and you completely ignored me! When I tried to talk to you about it, you started blaming me and telling me that I chose Riley over you!"
"Because you did!" Leah snaps.
"I didn't even know there was a fight going on until it ended!" Yasmina roars. "I couldn't even take a side; no one would tell me anything! You just exploded and went off on me!"
"This is one reason why I was so hurt," Leah huffs. "You take no ownership of what you did! You take everything that you did and put it on me! You're reflecting all of your mistakes on me and trying to make it look like I'm the bad guy!"
"I'm!" Yasmina stutters, trying to comprehend the irony of the situation. "That, eh, you, what?! So apparently I'm the one who started spreading rumors and telling everyone your deepest secrets?!"
"Yeah!" Leah nods.
"I was in NO position to spread rumors about you!" Yasmina shouts, standing on her right leg. "I was the anti-social introvert who was on track! You were the popular girl with all these super friends! The star student, best dressed, you name it! You had the most influence in the school, how would I spread rumors about you?!"
"Oh, was that why you chose Riley over me?" Leah changes subjects. "Because you were jealous of me?"
"In your dreams!" Yasmina spits. "I couldn't care LESS about being popular and having a ton of friends. All I wanted was a couple truly good friends I could trust! Not friends that drop me for no reason and then come back putting all the blame on me!" Yasmina moves forward to attack Leah, and Ben holds her back. Although he had the good mind to attack the Youtuber himself.
"Get out of this room!" Darius orders threateningly, starting to sit up.
"Nope!" Kenji snaps, holding Darius down. "You're staying in bed, and you—" he looks at Leah, "—need to leave this room for everyone's sake."
"Of course, you side with her!" Leah throws her arms out. "I'm always the bad guy! I'm just the prissy popular girl who bullies everyone else. Yep! That's me! Always the bad guy!"
"We believe her because we know Yasmina, and everything you've described isn't her," Ben growls, fighting so hard not to headbutt the popular girl. "She's not the type to go around gossiping, and when hurt, withdraws rather than opening up. Sounds more like you're reflecting your mistakes onto her."
The door opens and Brooklynn comes back. "What's with all the yelling?"
"Brooklynn!" Leah exclaims, looking relieved.
"Hey, Leah! What are you doing here?" Brooklyn asks, a small smile lightening up her face. She sees Yasmina's angry expression while Ben holds her back, and the smile falls. "Oh, shoot, I've known the Leah that hurt Yaz this whole time, haven't I?"
"I came here to see you!" Leah says, popping another piece of gum into her mouth with a quick glance at Yasmina.
"Brooklynn, slap this hag for me!" Yasmina snarls, giving Ben a really hard time holding her back.
"What did you do?" Brooklynn asks.
"Nothing! She's blaming me for everything that happened years ago!" Leah complains. "Look, for your own good, drop her. She's not a good friend, and will only leave you feeling horrible and guilty. She's manipulative and cold. You don't need a friend like that right now. You need someone who can be sympathetic and understanding."
"Bah!" Yasmina huffs. "Like she'd find that in you!"
"Seriously, Brooklynn!" Leah says, taking Brooklynn's hands in hers. "You don't need a friend like her. She's only going to make you feel guilty and like a terrible friend. You'll only crave attention and friendship more. I won't treat you like that."
Brooklynn looks down at their hands; she looks at the stark contrast. Healthy, beautiful hands holding unhealthy, skinny ones. Gorgeous nails versus cracked, thin ones. Flawless chocolate skin versus pale, scabbed and bruised skin. She had looked up to Leah; looked up to her beauty and influence and power. She had wanted to be like her. She had wanted to have the same followers she had. It had made Brooklynn so happy when Leah had contacted her to create a video together.
"You need affirmation and love," Leah says. "Especially with all the stupid trolls on your channel. She's not going to get you followers. Not even from herself. I'm begging you, ditch her for you sake!"
"Why does this sound like a threat?" Brooklynn mutters.
"What?" Leah asks.
"Why does that sound like a threat?" Brooklynn asks louder. "I can only get more followers if I follow your orders?"
"No, that's not it," Leah says. "I'm saying I know what's good for you—"
"No, you don't!" Brooklynn snaps. "Falling in with you left me feeling more like a dance monkey than ever! It was always, 'Do this.' 'Add this in.' 'You need this element to stay popular.' You never cared about me! I was just your little minion!"
Leah steps back. "That's not true!"
"What good did you ever do for me?!" Brooklynn growls. "All you ever did was manipulate me! You never really cared! Yaz was there for me, and still is! I can count on her to be there for me! I can count on her to protect me! I can count on her to save me! I can count on her to encourage me! And she can count on me to do the same! I will never be able to count on you for anything like that!"
Brooklynn starts to advance forward, and Leah begins to back out the door. "If you're going to make me choose between you and Yaz, don't think for a second that I'll choose you! I won't hesitate to cut you out of my life!"
"You will regret this," Leah snarls. "Cut me out, and you will never have followers. You will never be loved. Think they'll stay with you?! Huh?! Think again! No one will love you! I'm the one who made you popular! I gave you followers!"
"And when I needed help the most, some good that did me!" Brooklynn shouts, slamming the door in Leah's face.
Brooklynn turns around, shaking in rage. "I'm so sorry, Yaz, I had no idea—"
"Don't apologize!" Yasmina snaps. Brooklynn backs away. "No, I'm not mad at you, just… I need time to settle down," Yasmina relents. "Don't apologize for being friends with her. You met her before we knew each other, it's not like you're betraying me or anything."
"Leah was kind of the ring leader of the Youtube group I was in," Brooklynn holds her arms. "She told us what content to put out and when to collaborate and what to say. The more I fell in line, the more followers and likes I got. But… the more of my soul I sold…"
"She's manipulative," Yasmina hisses. "She reflects her own problems on you and makes you feel like the bad guy."
"But you guys don't need her," Kenji says. "You don't even have to waste your brain cells worrying about her."
"It's hard not to have anxiety thinking about her," Yasmina groans.
"Yeah," Kenji nods. "But the only thing you can do is forgive her. Both of you."
Yasmina glares at him. "I know you don't want to, but do you want to walk around with anger and hatred burning inside you?" Kenji asks. "That's how you've lived for years now; do you like living like that?"
"No," Yasmina mumbles.
"I don't want to hold hatred," Brooklynn murmurs.
"Okay then, you have to forgive her," Kenji says. "She's not going to be bothered by it. All it's doing is making you an angry, unhappy person. Say it."
"I forgive Leah," Yasmina and Brooklynn grumble.
"Darius, Ben?" Kenji looks at them. "I know you two are holding in anger because Leah hurt these two."
"I forgive Leah," the two boys mumble.
"Okay, now let's let it go," Kenji shrugs. "What's done is done. None of us can go back and change it. You don't have to be friends with Leah, and you don't have to let the fear of her control your life. She's gone now, forget about it!"
"All right!" Yasmina sighs. "Let's change the subject."
"Mrs. Pincus's cooking is better than our personal chefs cooking," Kenji grins. "It's seriously good."
"Yess," Brooklynn grins. "She makes the best lasagna."
"Ooh," Yasmina chuckles. "Lasagna. You're tempting me, guys."
The campers laugh as Kenji begins to go into great detail the food Ben's mother serves just to torture Yasmina.
"Hello, Sammy," the police officer says. "How are you feeling?"
"O-okay," Sammy stutters, looking at her hands.
"I understand that you've been through a traumatic experience," the policewoman continues.
"Probably seen a lot of stuff like it, too," Sammy mumbles.
"I have seen similar cases," the officer nods. "And I'm here to hear what happened to you."
"Just.. just what happened between me and Mantah Corp, right?" Sammy asks. "Cause it would take too long to list everything that happened. Two months of living on Isla Nublar gives you a lot of stories."
Sammy was stalling telling the officer what happened. Thankfully, the woman was patient and understanding. "You don't have to go into everything. Just what relates to your encounter with Mantah Corp."
"Okay," Sammy nods, blinking back tears. She did not want to relive the memories.
"When did this happen?"
"It started… two days before the rescue."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"We were spending the night in the old park building. We woke up that morning and heard helicopters… We thought they were a rescue operation. Or at least, could help us get off the island. We found their base in the open field. We were scared of going down because… they were capturing dinos and… they weren't good people."
"You had been working for them before, right? So you knew they weren't good people?"
Sammy winces. "Our ranch was in trouble and borrowed money. They promised us that we could pay it back when we could, but a year later, we still didn't have the money… they threatened to take our ranch and everything if we didn't pay them back. The other option was either me or my younger sister going to Isla Nublar to steal and spy for Mantah Corp. My parents said no… they didn't want us breaking the law, but… I thought there was no other way to save the ranch… I didn't want my family to lose our ranch. I thought that was the only way to save them…"
"That's understandable," the policewoman assures her. "Why don't we go over what you had to do for Mantah Corp?"
Sammy goes over everything she was supposed to steal and take for Mantah Corp. She feels a little more calm and reassured when the officer doesn't blame or guilt her for falling in with Mantah Corp, and it was easier to talk about that then her encounter. But alas, she couldn't escape talking about the torture.
"What happened when you guys found them in the field?"
"I fell down the hill and Mantah Corp guards noticed me. I waved my friends away, not wanting them to meet Mantah Corp. They left. I think they were trying to find something to trade for my life in the labs. The… the guards took me back and were really nice. David and Shan…"
"Mantah Corp says that they were killed in a dinosaur encounter."
"They were shot… because they were protecting me," Sammy says, gulping. "They… I don't think they knew what their company was doing. They were under the impression that they were moving the dinos to a wildlife preservation. They didn't know that I worked for Mantah Corp at one point…"
"What happened next?" the policewoman asks.
Sammy bites her lip, fighting back flashbacks. "Mitch came into the tent… He was sympathetic and concerned at first, for me and my friends. I asked him what I had to do to get back home, cause I didn't trust him. He told me that I had to give him the information I learned for them. He… he grabbed my neck and… cut my cheek with his knife when I refused to give him the information… David punched him in the face to protect me. They pulled their guns on each other. Mitch threatened to leave David and Shan on the island with me, and they were willing to stay… they didn't want me to be punished or tortured."
Sammy draws in a shaky breath before continuing. "More guards came… guards on Mitch's side. A shooting went down, and David told me to run. That's when I ran into Tiff… Mitch and a guard pulled me back into the tent and pointed a gun at me. David and Shan… didn't survive… Mitch threatened to leave me and my friends on the island again…"
"Why didn't you tell them?" the policewoman asks.
"I didn't want them to use the information I had," Sammy sobs, starting to break as memories flooded back. "I… I knew that they would cause trouble for the world… I didn't want to have a part in more hybrids getting loose or whatever they wanted to do. I knew that we could be stuck on the island, but… we had already been stuck before… and… sometimes you need to sacrifice things for the greater good of the world."
"What did they do afterwards?"
"Mitch…" Sammy sobs. "Wrapped his hands around my neck and choked me… He... he was... close enough... it was uncomfortable... you, know... I was scared that he might... assault me... take advantage of me to get the information out of me."
The policewoman suggested the one word Sammy felt too uncomfortable to mention. Sammy nods. "Then Tiff interviened and promised that they wouldn't torture me or take advantage of me. She was more jealous of the thought of her husband being with me than anything, though. She promised they wouldn't torture me in any way, and mentioned drowning… I… I almost drowned the day before and it's very scary and she noticed my reaction to the word and…"
Sammy covers her mouth, trying to control her sobs. She can barely continue through the rest of the story, and just manages to tell the police officer what happened. Finally, after getting most of the story, the policewoman ends the interview. Sammy's parents step in and hold her while she cries. "Will they see justice served?" she asks through her tears.
"We'll make sure they do," her mother says.
"And if we don't win the law case, I always have my rifles," her father whispers, winking at her.
"Papa," she groans, laughing through her tears.
"These last few days have been depressing," Brooklynn sighs, leaning back against the bed frame.
"And stressful," Darius mutters, looking up at her.
"What's depressing?" Shelby asks, looking up at the two from her spot on the floor.
"Something that sucks," Brooklynn retorts wryly.
"Depression makes you feel miserable, sad, and like you don't want to live," Sammy explains.
"Don't explain to her what that is, you'll make her sad," Miriam frowns.
"Why is everyone in my room?" Darius mutters.
"Because you can't be in our room," Brandon grins.
All of the siblings and children had migrated into Darius's room. Brooklynn, Kenji, and Ben were sitting on his bed, while Sammy and Yasmina sat in their wheelchairs next to the bed. Shelby, Sandra, Habeeba, and Jabari were sitting on the floor, while Holly, Miriam, and Brandon were sitting in chairs. Rio was sitting on Holly's lap, while Milton and Ghaleb leaned against the wall.
"I'm gonna miss y'all when we have to go home," Sammy sighs.
"We'll all change so much before the next time we see each other," Yasmina mumbles. "Living states away will mean waiting months to see each other in person."
"Kenji will have a beard next time we see him," Shelby giggles, standing up and poking his cheeks.
"Hehe, if Milton doesn't pull it out," Kenji glares at Brooklynn's brother, who shrugs unapologetically.
"You can't pull this out," Shelby pouts, feeling his upper lip. "It's a fuzzy caterpillar!"
"Shelby," Sammy chastises while Kenji laughs.
"I thought boys were supposed to be hairy," Shelby continues. "You're just fuzzy."
"Uhhh…" Kenji doesn't know how to respond.
"I thought you were supposed to have hairy armpits," the six year old says, lifting up Kenji's arm.
"Shelby, stop it!" Holly laughs.
"I do," Kenji insists, playing along with the six year old.
"No, you don't," Shelby argues. "Sammy has hairy armpits, you just have fuzzy armpits."
The group laughs hysterically while Sammy and Kenji turn red. "Shelby!" Sammy protests.
"What?! You have hairier armpits than Kenji does!" Shelby insists, trying to lift her sister's arms.
"She's not wrong," Yasmina snickers.
"Shelby!" Sammy hisses, embarrassed.
"Yaz has really hairy armpits, too," Shelby remarks casually. Yasmina's grin falls and Sammy cackles. "But Ben only has fuzzies, too," Shelby says, frowning at the boy. "Y'all are messed up! Boys should have more hair than girls. Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves!"
The group is howling with laughter at this point. Shelby turns on Darius and Brooklynn. "Are you hairier than him, too?"
"Shelby, stop embarrassing them," Holly wheezes.
"Do I pass the test?" Darius asks, lifting his arm and playing along with the little girl. Brooklynn facepalms.
"Yup!" Shelby nods. "Brooklynn and Darius are the only normal boy and girl in your group!"
"Shelby!" Sammy groans.
"So apparently, Shelby's criteria for a suitor is hairy armpits," Ben laughs.
"I'm kinda glad I don't have siblings, now," Kenji chuckles.
"And you wonder why I have bad self-esteem," Sammy quirks an eyebrow and gestures to her little sister. "She's the most honest out of all my siblings."
"If you can't handle the truth, you need to shave!" Shelby shrugs, sending the group into another fit of giggles.
"Mama! Shelby's being too honest again!" Sammy tattles as her mom steps into the room.
"Shelby," her mother groans.
"Am I supposed to lie and say her armpits aren't hairy?!" the six year old protests.
"No, you don't have to say anything about your sister's armpits," Mrs. Gutierrez facepalms. "Lawd, why is this a conversation?"
The rest of the parents come in and the room becomes very crowded. "We have a few questions for you guys," Darius's mother starts.
"Whatever the crime is, I didn't do it," Yasmina says, completely deadpan.
"Yasmina," her mother rolls her eyes.
"Okay, question, do you guys have any friends at home?" Darius's mother asks.
"Nope, they live in different states," Darius says quickly.
"All my friends are online," Brandon says sheepishly. "Or in this room."
"Same," Milton shrugs.
"I'm with Darius," Kenji chuckles.
"Same!" Brooklynn nods.
"Nope, no friends at home, pretty much," Ben shrugs.
"My friends are in this room," Sammy says.
"I don't know how I can rephrase that," Yasmina chuckles.
"What about your track friends?" Habeeba asks.
"I'm only friends with them because I could run with them," Yasmina says, her expression turning depressed.
"I…" Ghaleb starts, biting his lip. He had a feeling where this was going. "Yeah, but my closest friends live all over the US."
"Sandra's my best friend!" Habeeba smiles. "But I do have a lot of friends in North Dakota."
"All of my friends are in North Dakota," Jabari whines.
"Is there a point to this?" Brooklynn asks, daring not to hope.
The parents glance at each other. "Okay, we've all noticed how… stressed you guys are when you're not around each other," Mrs. Pincus says. "While we can't all live together, we feel that it will hinder your recovery process."
"We've been considering moving to the same state," Brooklynn's father states.
The campers gasp in surprise and excitement.
"Since the Gutierrez's own a ranch and would have the hardest time moving, we decided on Texas," Darius's mother explains.
"Some of us already considered Texas before the incident," Mr. Kon smirks.
"That's right, you were considering moving your business into Texas!" Kenji laughs.
"Mr. Kon has offered me a job when he moves his business into Texas," Brooklynn's father states.
"Wait, so it's officially a go?" Kenji's eyes widen.
"For the Kon's and the Monell's, it's a go," Darius's mother says. "Brandon? Are you fine with this decision?"
"Totally!" Brandon laughs. "It'll be tough getting used to Texas, but I'm excited!"
"All right, the Bowman's are in," Mrs. Bowman shrugs. The campers look at each other, barely able to contain their excitement.
"Ben?" his father asks.
"YES!" he exclaims. "I vote yes!"
"We're going to have to leave our family behind," his mother says. "And we'll need to find a job. We're not going to move immediately, but Texas is our goal."
Ben pumps his fist in victory.
"Kids?" Mr. Fadoula asks.
Shockingly, Yasmina was hesitant. "Guys?" she asks her siblings quietly.
"I'm willing," Ghaleb nods.
"I'll go!" Habeeba grins.
Jabari was hesitant. "Does it matter what I think? This is for Yazzy."
A strong sense of guilt begins to well up in her. "I'm the introvert," Yasmina backpedals. "I can handle being alone. I… I'd prefer it."
"Yasmina, I know what you're doing," her mother sighs. "We're not one hundred percent moving to Texas. But right now, it's very likely. When you're released from the hospital, we're heading back to our house to see what we can do. Your father and I would need to find a job. We're not one hundred percent."
"It's better than a no," Darius grins.
"We're going to live in the same state!" Kenji exclaims, throwing his fists in the air. The kids start to celebrate in joy.
Maybe they wouldn't have to separate after all.