A/N Thanks for your reviews, keep 'em coming! To answer your question, yes, obviously I'm continuing. I'm looking for this fic to be four or five chapters.
The next night, there was a larger group sitting around the fire on the beach. A few people from the caves were there in addition to the normal crowd who slept on the beach. Last night, after Sun had left and late into the wee hours, the survivors had talked about their former lives. The spoke tearfully of those they loved who were killed in the crash, or were still at home, waiting for any evidence that flight 815 hadn't disappeared off the face of the earth. They spoke of the little things they missed, like oreos or their favorite television show. It was therapeutic for those who grieved, and comforting for all to know that others were going through just as much pain. For so long, the survivors hadn't talked, they were with strangers, they would be rescued soon and it wouldn't matter. Then they realized that they were no longer with strangers anymore. These people with different lives and personalities now were seen every day, now were friends and neighbors. But they didn't know each other. Now they talked about who they used to be, what they did, how they lived. Still, they didn't know… they all fell under the spell of secrecy. In the cover of darkness as the light of the flames licked their weary faces, they told romantic, exciting stories of the lives that were not theirs.
"So, you're her brother?" an older woman named Julia asked Boone, who sat next to Shannon on the sand.
"Step brother." Shannon and Boone said at the same time in the same bored tone that clearly said that this was not a new question.
"I lived in Los Angeles and she lived in Sydney." Boone informed Julia, turning to her slightly. "Her boyfriend left her and I came to bring her back." He said, semi-truthfully, thinking back on the day he bribed Shannon's new sleazy boyfriend to leave, offering… what, twenty-five thousand this time? He frowned a little. He glanced at Shannon, who was frowning much more than a little. Her cheeks burned an angry red with embarrassment.
"Actually," she began with cold fury in her voice, "I left him for another guy. Brandon wasn't my type. He was really uptight and overprotective. He didn't like when I went out without him. You know, with my friends? He would follow me to wherever we were going, a club or a restaurant or something. He was such a creep." She said, seeming to gain control of the situation. "I think he was just after me for my money." She added.
Boone smirked at her unkindly. "Not your type." He repeated softly.
"What the hell are you inferring?" Shannon growled, her fists clenching, leering at her step brother.
"Ooh, 'inferring', that's a two point vocab word." Boone taunted childishly; standing up and ready to leave but waiting to hear her retort. There wasn't one. Shannon just gave him and icy glare and turned her back to him. He spun around and walked briskly in the opposite direction of his fuming sister. He couldn't help but hear her continue with her lie. She seemed to speak loudly to make sure he heard what she said.
"I don't know why Boone came to Sydney. He just randomly showed up one day, whining at me to come home. I think he had this gross crush on me or something…"
What a bitch. Boone fumed at his step sister as he blocked his ears from hearing any more. How could she say that in front of everyone? What a selfish, idiot bitch. She made up that whole story about leaving her boyfriend, abut him being over protective – his name wasn't even Brandon, it was Cameron, or Kyle… but to say only one truthful thing and to have it be that? No. He tried to calm himself down. Everyone on the island knew she was self-centered and dramatic. They wouldn't really think that anything had happened between them. He took a deep breath and stopped walking. He tilted his head back and stared at the moon. It cast a faint light on the waves rolling onto the sand. It was almost full, showing its deep craters and eerie light to the world.
Jack was watching the moon as well, but he was still at the fire. He hadn't been listening to Shannon and Boone arguing, he hadn't been listening to any conversation that night. He had been too busy hearing the roaring in his ears. He had started seeing his dad again. Now the man who had been his father stood staring at him from behind the closest palm tree. Not speaking or moving, just watching like a cat about to pounce on a bird. The pasty man in his black suit watched Jack like he was waiting for something. Jack shivered although he was close to the fire and quite warm.
Kate sat beside him, and every so often, he caught her glancing concernedly at him, every so often opening her mouth to say something, but closing it again as if thinking better of it. She knew something was wrong. Jack averted his eyes from the man he knew wasn't there. Instead he looked around the circle of survivors. He studied each face as they studied Shannon's as she spoke of her undying love for her new boyfriend. They did not know he was watching him. But he knew someone was watching him. No. He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. His father was dead. Hallucinations, probably caused by lack of sleep… like before, right? His mind flashed back to a child's doll in the water. A pile of bent metal that was once part of a plane. Suitcases. A coffin. An empty coffin. Stop thinking about it, he commanded himself.
"I was in Sydney on vacation." He blurted out to distract himself, interrupting Shannon, and causing everyone to turn and wonder why the calm doctor looked so nervous.
"My father – he was, I mean he is, a doctor too – he came with me. Whenever we could take a break from work, we would go somewhere. It was nice to be in an atmosphere that wasn't professional. My father secretly loved being an obnoxious tourist… the whole camera around the neck thing… Once we went to Europe, another time China. We'd only go for a week or so, but it was always interesting. We didn't always get along," he realized that this was the first truthful thing he had said. "But we'd patch it up in the end. Then we'd go home, back to work. Him back to my mom, me back to my messy apartment."
Kate shoved him. "No loving girlfriend waiting with bated breath for your return?"
"Well," Jack teased. "Not with bated breath." He looked back up at the palm trees. He was gone. He gave a shudder of relief.
Somehow he would stop this.
Next chapter, Charlie and Claire! Hurrah!
