"You know," Kate was saying to Sun as they cultivated their small garden together. It was early morning, and everyone else were either just waking up or already beginning their duties. "I think Nikkolas is lying"
Sun pulled her hair from her face. "I don't know," Sun said. "It could be true"
"No, really. Consider the facts. I mean, the whole brain disorder Ethan supposedly had? I don't think that really exists. I mean, Jack said"
"Jack said what?" Sawyer approached from the distance. Sun excused herself and went to find Jin. Kate wished she wouldn't. She hated being alone with Sawyer. The person she really wanted to be alone with was Jack. "Jack said what?" Sawyer repeated. "And don't say you don't remember, 'cause I see you hang on every word that damned man says"
Kate shifted her weight from one foot to the other and crossed her arms. "You're just jealous, Sawyer. You could never be as intelligent as Jack"
Sawyer snorted. "Sure. Intelligent. It takes a regular genius to determine someone stupid"
"You really are jealous, aren't you?" Kate said. "Otherwise you wouldn't be so mean to Jack all the time." "Yeah, right. Me, mean to Jack"
"Yeah, you mean to Jack! Why else do you cause chaos around here? to give Jack a hard time. That's why. And guess what? You're not impressing me, either." Kate stalked off.
Sawyer sighed. He really blew it this time.
Meanwhile... "Where is he?" Jack repeated. He had emerged from the brush behind Hurley, and he was rather stressed out.
"Who?" Hurley asked. "Nikkolas. He was tied to the tree a minute ago, and now he's gone. Where could he have gone"
Hurley scratched his forehead. "Did someone take him to... you know, do his business"
"You mean go to the bathroom"
"If we had a bathroom, yeah"
Jack chuckled. "Okay. I'll try and find Saiid or Locke, see if they did anything with him." Jack left to find Locke or Saiid, or maybe even Charlie, who might have known where Nikkolas was.
"Hey, Jack." Kate said to him as he passed her. "What are you looking for"
"How did you know I was looking for something?" Jack asked with a smile.
Kate fell into step with Jack. "I know you." she smiled, too. Jack looked at her. She was pretty when she smiled. "So what are you looking for"
Jack hesitated, but he knew he could tell Kate. "Nikkolas"
"He's gone"
"Well, I don't know that. Maybe Saiid or someone took him to use the bathroom. If we had a bathroom, I mean"
Kate laughed, but then she got serious again. "Do you think he's gone"
"I'm not really sure, Kate." Jack said.
"Why don't I go back to camp and see if anyone over there has seen him. You keep looking"
"Okay." Jack said. He smiled again.
"See you." Kate left. She was halfway to camp before she heard an deafening scream.
"HELP ME!" Kate ran. She reached camp. "HELP ME!" Shannon was screaming. Kate almost wanted to walk away and leave her to deal with whatever she was screaming about alone. But Kate had a soul. "What's wrong?" Kate said. In the woods, near the spring, Shannon was screaming. Kate was all alone with her.
"What's the matter?" Kate said frantically. "Should I get the doctor? Or Boone"
"Get my brother!" Shannon screamed. "BOONE"
Her brother appeared. "What are you screaming about"
Shannon could barely speak. she was sweating and shaking and very, very nervous. "HE TRIED TO HURT ME"
"Who's he?" Boone asked, leaning beside his sister and trying to calm her down. "Shannon, you're going to have an asthma attack if you don't calm down"
"NIKKOLAS!" Shannon said hysterically. "He was here, and he tried to kill me! He tried to kill me and- I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP"
Kate and Boone did not seem to believe Shannon, so they were giving her looks of utmost craziness.
"You guys seriously think that I'm lying to you?" Shannon said in disbelief.
Boone didn't say anything, but Kate was never the kind of person to keep her mouth shut.
"I believe you, Shannon, but why should I help someone who completely ignores me and doesn't help anyone but herself?" Kate stalked off, leaving Shannon alone with her brother. "What's her problem?" Shannon snarled.
Boone shook his head. "No. She's right. You're just a selfish bitch. And that's all you'll ever be"
He left too.
He found Kate, who was swimming alone in the spring.
"Kate!" he called. She looked up. "Can we talk"
Kate nodded, then she got out and dried herself with her shirt. she sat down on a rock beside Boone.
"I'm sorry about Shannon," he said. "That's just how she is." "Don't be sorry." said Kate. "It's not your fault"
"She won't appreciate what she has when it's there," Boone said. "That's her problem. I hate her, too. I just can't leave her, though..." he trailed off and choked up at the same time.
"Why not?" Kate asked. "She didn't do anything to you, did she"
"It's not that," Boone said. "It's just... it's complicated"
"Please tell me," Kate said. Boone said, "When I was seventeen, my mother was diagnosed with cancer"
Kate half-whispered, "Oh, I'm sorry." Boone went on. "I spent every waking moment by her bedside. Shannon only came when she wanted to. After all, my mother was only her stepmother.
"My mother's cancer didn't get any better. One day the doctors told me she was going to die. I... I just..." Boone bit his lip, determined to not cry. "Did she?" Kate breathed.
Boone nodded. "Yeah. A few days later. I was with her. And the last thing she said to me was, 'take care of Shannon"
Kate was staring at Boone, listening to every word he said. "A few days later, my stepfather- Shannon's father- died too"
"How did he die?" Kate asked.
Boone shuddered. Then, he whispered, "Suicide"
Kate gasped.
"He couldn't stand losing my mother, and he didn't want to live with the heartache"
A single tear dripped down Boone's face, but he turned away so Kate wouldn't see it. "Boone," Kate whispered. "I'm so sorry"
Kate had already seen him crying, so she gently wiped his cheek with her finger. Boone almost smiled.
He looked at Kate. "You're really pretty, you know." he whispered.
"You're really nice, you know." she whispered back. "You're nothing like Shannon"
And then the space between their lips disappeared, and they were all alone in the jungle.
Or so they thought.
Sun pulled her hair from her face. "I don't know," Sun said. "It could be true"
"No, really. Consider the facts. I mean, the whole brain disorder Ethan supposedly had? I don't think that really exists. I mean, Jack said"
"Jack said what?" Sawyer approached from the distance. Sun excused herself and went to find Jin. Kate wished she wouldn't. She hated being alone with Sawyer. The person she really wanted to be alone with was Jack. "Jack said what?" Sawyer repeated. "And don't say you don't remember, 'cause I see you hang on every word that damned man says"
Kate shifted her weight from one foot to the other and crossed her arms. "You're just jealous, Sawyer. You could never be as intelligent as Jack"
Sawyer snorted. "Sure. Intelligent. It takes a regular genius to determine someone stupid"
"You really are jealous, aren't you?" Kate said. "Otherwise you wouldn't be so mean to Jack all the time." "Yeah, right. Me, mean to Jack"
"Yeah, you mean to Jack! Why else do you cause chaos around here? to give Jack a hard time. That's why. And guess what? You're not impressing me, either." Kate stalked off.
Sawyer sighed. He really blew it this time.
Meanwhile... "Where is he?" Jack repeated. He had emerged from the brush behind Hurley, and he was rather stressed out.
"Who?" Hurley asked. "Nikkolas. He was tied to the tree a minute ago, and now he's gone. Where could he have gone"
Hurley scratched his forehead. "Did someone take him to... you know, do his business"
"You mean go to the bathroom"
"If we had a bathroom, yeah"
Jack chuckled. "Okay. I'll try and find Saiid or Locke, see if they did anything with him." Jack left to find Locke or Saiid, or maybe even Charlie, who might have known where Nikkolas was.
"Hey, Jack." Kate said to him as he passed her. "What are you looking for"
"How did you know I was looking for something?" Jack asked with a smile.
Kate fell into step with Jack. "I know you." she smiled, too. Jack looked at her. She was pretty when she smiled. "So what are you looking for"
Jack hesitated, but he knew he could tell Kate. "Nikkolas"
"He's gone"
"Well, I don't know that. Maybe Saiid or someone took him to use the bathroom. If we had a bathroom, I mean"
Kate laughed, but then she got serious again. "Do you think he's gone"
"I'm not really sure, Kate." Jack said.
"Why don't I go back to camp and see if anyone over there has seen him. You keep looking"
"Okay." Jack said. He smiled again.
"See you." Kate left. She was halfway to camp before she heard an deafening scream.
"HELP ME!" Kate ran. She reached camp. "HELP ME!" Shannon was screaming. Kate almost wanted to walk away and leave her to deal with whatever she was screaming about alone. But Kate had a soul. "What's wrong?" Kate said. In the woods, near the spring, Shannon was screaming. Kate was all alone with her.
"What's the matter?" Kate said frantically. "Should I get the doctor? Or Boone"
"Get my brother!" Shannon screamed. "BOONE"
Her brother appeared. "What are you screaming about"
Shannon could barely speak. she was sweating and shaking and very, very nervous. "HE TRIED TO HURT ME"
"Who's he?" Boone asked, leaning beside his sister and trying to calm her down. "Shannon, you're going to have an asthma attack if you don't calm down"
"NIKKOLAS!" Shannon said hysterically. "He was here, and he tried to kill me! He tried to kill me and- I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP"
Kate and Boone did not seem to believe Shannon, so they were giving her looks of utmost craziness.
"You guys seriously think that I'm lying to you?" Shannon said in disbelief.
Boone didn't say anything, but Kate was never the kind of person to keep her mouth shut.
"I believe you, Shannon, but why should I help someone who completely ignores me and doesn't help anyone but herself?" Kate stalked off, leaving Shannon alone with her brother. "What's her problem?" Shannon snarled.
Boone shook his head. "No. She's right. You're just a selfish bitch. And that's all you'll ever be"
He left too.
He found Kate, who was swimming alone in the spring.
"Kate!" he called. She looked up. "Can we talk"
Kate nodded, then she got out and dried herself with her shirt. she sat down on a rock beside Boone.
"I'm sorry about Shannon," he said. "That's just how she is." "Don't be sorry." said Kate. "It's not your fault"
"She won't appreciate what she has when it's there," Boone said. "That's her problem. I hate her, too. I just can't leave her, though..." he trailed off and choked up at the same time.
"Why not?" Kate asked. "She didn't do anything to you, did she"
"It's not that," Boone said. "It's just... it's complicated"
"Please tell me," Kate said. Boone said, "When I was seventeen, my mother was diagnosed with cancer"
Kate half-whispered, "Oh, I'm sorry." Boone went on. "I spent every waking moment by her bedside. Shannon only came when she wanted to. After all, my mother was only her stepmother.
"My mother's cancer didn't get any better. One day the doctors told me she was going to die. I... I just..." Boone bit his lip, determined to not cry. "Did she?" Kate breathed.
Boone nodded. "Yeah. A few days later. I was with her. And the last thing she said to me was, 'take care of Shannon"
Kate was staring at Boone, listening to every word he said. "A few days later, my stepfather- Shannon's father- died too"
"How did he die?" Kate asked.
Boone shuddered. Then, he whispered, "Suicide"
Kate gasped.
"He couldn't stand losing my mother, and he didn't want to live with the heartache"
A single tear dripped down Boone's face, but he turned away so Kate wouldn't see it. "Boone," Kate whispered. "I'm so sorry"
Kate had already seen him crying, so she gently wiped his cheek with her finger. Boone almost smiled.
He looked at Kate. "You're really pretty, you know." he whispered.
"You're really nice, you know." she whispered back. "You're nothing like Shannon"
And then the space between their lips disappeared, and they were all alone in the jungle.
Or so they thought.
