Stranded

Chapter Nine: Tony Levine

As seven-year-old Tony took the witness stand, he watched his little sister. She was sitting behind the prosecutor with a social worker, named Edna Blake. Tony disliked the woman. She was an older lady, with false teeth, and she smelled like mothballs.

The prosecutor, Beverly Reynolds, stood in front of him. He liked this woman, who had promised him that his mother's murderer would go to jail.

"Tony, would you please tell us what happened on Friday, May sixth?" she asked. Her eyes were kind and her voice was soft as she questioned the boy.

"My daddy came home from work early. He was drunk."

"Did he come home drunk often?" Tony nodded his head.

"Yes. Then he would beat up me and Blayr."

"Could you tell the court who Blayr is?"

"Blayr is my sister."

"How old is Blayr?"

"Three."

"What happened after your father came home?" Ms. Reynolds continued.

"He started hitting us, but then Mommy came home and they started yelling at each other."

"What did you do?"

"I took Blayr upstairs to our room and locked the door. I bought the lock with money I saved from the couch cushions. I put it up so that Blayr would be safe."

"Then what happened?"

"I heard them screaming, but then there was gunshot. I know it was, because Daddy used to watch John Wayne movies, and I heard lots of guns on the TV."

"What next?'

"I saw Daddy drive away through the window, so I told Blayr to stay upstairs, and I went downstairs to find Mommy."

"Where was she, Tony?" The boy looked down at the defense's table. The lawyer did not look pleased, but Tim Levine was furious. He glared at his son. "Tony?" Ms. Reynolds asked louder. The boy looked up at her. "It's okay, you're safe in here. Where was your mother?"

"She was lying on the living room floor. There was a lot of blood. I called 911, and when they got to our house, they said Mommy was dead." The boy was crying silently.

"That will be all. Thank you, Tony," Beverly said, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

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Tony doused his torch. He was with Steve's search party. They had been searching for Blayr all night, but there was no sign of her. Now the group was headed back to the camp to reorganize and rendezvous with the others. Tony lagged behind, still hunting for his sister.

Then he saw it, or rather them. Two sets of footprints headed off the beach into the jungle.

"We must have missed them in the dark, Steve said when Tony showed him. He studied the marks in the sand, not liking what he read. "She was followed."

"I'm going after her," Tony said. Steve sighed, hesitating only long enough to wish that he had his gun on him. He turned and sent the rest of the group back to camp, and then followed after the very determined Tony.

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Tony stepped into the familiar hallways of Caymont Academy. It was the boarding school that he and Blayr had attended for six years. Blayr was a senior, and Tony was in town for her graduation ceremony.

Tony watched from the audience as his baby sister walked across the stage to accept her diploma. After the ceremony, he went to find her in the cafeteria, a large room that had been redecorated for the reception. Tony paused once or twice to talk with old buddies or former teachers, but finally, he found his sister.

"Tony!" she said, hugging him from behind. "I'm so glad that you could make it!" Now Tony felt guilty. To stay close to Blayr, he had attended a community college for two years after he graduated, but there was not anything local at which he could take his architectural design classes. So for his third year, Tony traveled almost three hundred miles away to a place where he could get his degree.

Blayr had a hard time adjusting to her brothers' absence. Tony could tell when he talked to her, and when he got a call from the headmistress, who was concerned about Blayr. But then, halfway through the year, something changed in eighteen-year-old Blayr's life, and after that point, she was fine. Tony didn't know what that was, and that thought made him nervous.

:I want you to meet someone," Blayr said, stirring her brother from his thoughts. "..he's kind, and well- wonderful. We've been dating for almost five months." Blayr turned back towards the man she had been talking with. He was a tall gentleman, with brown hair and blue eyes. His smile portrayed a man that was thoughtful and kind. This was all fine and dandy with Tony, except for the fact that this man was at least several years older than his sister. "This is Robert Balocca. Rob, this is my brother, Tony." Tony feebly shook the man's hand, a fake smile plastered to his face. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to Blayr now. As Tony muddled through the afternoon, he felt a rock in the pit of his stomach that was growing steadily larger.

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"How are we going to get back to camp?" Blayr asked. Stuart sighed. He had been thinking of nothing but their options, but he still had not decided which the best was. He knew for sure that he would not leave Blayr and the baby alone.

"I'm not sure yet. But don't worry. I'm taking care of you and the baby. Now, I need you to get some sleep. The baby was only born a few hours ago." Stuart brushed Blayr's hair out of her face as she leaned back down into the sand. She nodded off almost immediately.

When Tony broke through the trees, Stuart was leaning over the baby.

"Blayr!" Tony shouted, dropping down at her side. She looked up at him through drowsy eyes.

"Hi, Tony," she said. "I had the baby. Stuart helped."

"She did an amazing job," Stuart said, looking down. Tony put a hand on Blayr's cheek, and she pushed herself up so that she was sitting beside her brother.

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you," Tony said. Stuart looked around uncomfortably.

"Maybe we should go take a look at that cave," he said to Steve, pointing toward the waterfall. The cop nodded and they walked away to explore, and leave the two alone to talk.

"Tony, it's alright. I don't blame you. It was my fault."

"I said some horrible things to you, Blayr," Tony said.

"I was two days away from my due date, and I walked three hours away from the camp."

"I guess that was pretty stupid," Tony said with a grin. Blayr smiled and punched him lightly on the arm. She glanced back at her baby, who was sleeping wrapped in a sweatshirt she had had in her pack.

"What do you think?"

"He's amazing," Tony said. "Just like his mother." Blayr smiled again, and let her head drop onto her brother's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here now."

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Tony and Blayr had been through so much together, but they still had their share of fights. They were usually small, lasting only a few minutes. But then Blayr decided to get married. Tony really wasn't bothered by the engagement. What upset him was that Blayr didn't stay engaged. She flew to Las Vegas with Robert Balocca and they were married.

Tony caught up with her three weeks later, at her new home in Malibu. Blayr was home alone, as her husband was away on a business trip. Tony told Blayr exactly what he thought, that Robert was too old for her and that he wished that she had talked with him before marrying a man that he didn't trust. This infuriated the young woman.

"You're always mothering and, smothering me," Blayr accused. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm an adult!"

"And to prove this you go out and get married to a man you barely know?" Tony countered.

"Rob loves me. I thought you'd understand."

"I understand that Mom thought she was in love, but look where that got her!" Blayr turned to leave the room, but Tony grabbed her wrist.

"Blayr-" He was cut off mid-sentence by his sister's hand slapping his face.

"Leave me alone," she said as she left the room. Tony sunk down onto the edge of the bed. He put his hand to the place where Blayr had slapped him. His fingers felt cool on the mark that was slowly turning red. A minute or two later, he heard footsteps on the carpet.

"I'm sorry, Tony," Blayr whispered. "I don't know why I did that. You are my best friend. I love you." Tony stood and pulled his little sister into a hug.

"It's okay Blayr," he said. "I love you too."

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When Blayr lifted her head from Tony's shoulder, he felt a wet patch where it had lay. The sleeve of his t-shirt was soaked with her sweat. Tony moved around behind her and pulled her long golden hair away from her neck. Slowly he started to braid the blond strands into a long rope that would hang down his sister's back.

"Where did you learn that?" Blayr asked.

"It's easy," Tony said. "You just take the piece from the back and bring it around to the front." Blayr smiled over her shoulder, but Tony turned her head back towards the front. Blayr traced her baby's nose with her finger.

"He is a gift," she whispered. "I don't think I could survive here without him. Or you, Tony."

"I'm glad we're together too." They sat in silence as Tony finished his work. "Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair now," he said, tying the end of the braid with a rubber band from Blayr's bag. He stood up and dusted the sand from his pants.

"Tony-" Blayr said. The young man turned and waited for his sister to continue. "I love you," she said at last. Tony leaned back down and kissed the top of Blayr's head.

"I love you too."

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Tony had known from the beginning that his sister's marriage would not last forever. He was surprised that they were still married after five years. Now, though, he got an email from a friend, who told him of Blayr's divorce. Tony dropped his work on the design for a new fast-food chain in Los Angeles, and climbed on an airplane to go get Blayr and bring her home. When he was in the elevator of Blayr's Tokyo apartment, he pulled out his cell phone and called his sister. They talked randomly for a few minutes. Silence overcame the telephone connection, but Tony soon broke it.

"Blayr, I know."

"Know what?" she asked innocently.

"I know that Rob left you. Are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't always need someone to look after me. I'm not three anymo-"

As Blayr started to go off, Tony pressed the button next to the door. The doorbell interrupted Blayr before the words could turn into a tirade.

"Hold on, Tony. I've got to get the door," she said. He heard her set down the phone, then he heard shuffling footsteps as she came towards the door. As the door swung inward, Tony flipped his cell phone closed.

"Hi, Blayr," he said. "It's time to go home." Blayr moved into his open arms as her sobs overtook her. He held her tightly, stroking her hair and letting her cry as he had done so many times in their childhood. A few minutes later, Tony led her into the apartment. When she stopped crying, he helped her pack a few things, and then they hailed a taxi. Tony was impressed when Blayr gave the driver quick instructions in Japanese.

They arrived at the airport quickly, and had extra time in the terminal. Finally their flight was announced over the loudspeaker.

"Flight 314, Tokyo to Los Angeles, now boarding all rows." Tony and Blayr stood up. As they entered the jet-way, Blayr felt her brother's eyes on her.

"What, are you waiting to say 'I told you so,'" she asked, shifting the strap of her carry-on from her left shoulder to the right.

"Blayr, let's not argue. I don't want anything bad between us when your baby comes," Tony said, helping her into her seat. Blayr shoved her bag under her seat and slipped the headphones over her ears. "I wouldn't want you to have the baby alone," Tony finished in a whisper. He sighed and buckled his seatbelt while he waited for the rest of the passengers to board the plane.

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Steve and Stuart came back, and they decided to go back to camp. Tony carried Blayr, while one of the others held the baby. Progress was slow, but they made it back to the camp by mid-afternoon. Joyce came running to them, and Blayr was soon settled down n her infirmary. Joyce gave mother and son a thorough examination, but finally, she pronounced them 'healthy as horses.'

Blayr voiced her concern about the baby surviving on the island, but those thoughts were put out of her head by the group of people that surrounded her.

"Well, don't worry, Blayr, He's going to be fine. He's got a strong will. He survived the crash, didn't he?" Joyce said, pulling a blanket up around Blayr's shoulders.

"That's his name," Blayr said, sitting up.

"What, Crash?" Tony asked, passing the baby to his sister.

"No," Blayr answered sharply. Then she smiled down at the tiny face. "His name is Will," she breathed.

"Hi, Willie!" Tony teased as he tickled the baby's toes. Will smiled at his mother, then his mouth formed a big, wet yawn.

"I know how you feel," Blayr said, yawning herself. She placed the baby into the nest of blankets beside her, then sank down with her head on her own pillow. "Good night, William," she whispered, eyes closed. One of her hands was in the little bed, and the baby clasped her index finger in his tiny digits.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Tony whispered as he kissed both Blayr and her baby on their cheeks. He followed Joyce away, towards the main campfire. As he sat there, he realized that the place where he had found Blayr was the perfect place for the camp. There was fresh water, a tall height to build a signal fire on, and plenty of food. They could build bamboo huts. As Tony thought about this, the architect in him took over his mind, and he rummaged around in his pack until he found a notebook and pencil. He started to sketch slowly, outlining the campsite.

He had finally found a way that he could be useful on the island. As he stood, he glanced at Blayr. His drive to put shelters over their heads was mostly for her sake.

"I'll take care of you now, Blayr," he whispered.

Tony gathered up his sketches and went to share his idea with the others.

A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long to update. We went on a road trip andI didn't have time to put up chapter nine beforeI left. Now I am working on a very LONG chapter ten. Please continue to read and review. And remember, any input is appreciated.