So did anyone notice in the new episode at the end, when Arwin is going in and out of the telephone booth, the boys' reflection in the door to the booth? Made me giggle :).

OK, so I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update. Two girls that work with me were fired (and they were both key carriers, so now it's just me) so guess who has had to cover their shifts? Yeah, that would be me.

In NYC: I'm so sorry I blew you off the other night. I have been so busy, but I will get back to you on what you wrote, I promise! I have a day off coming up (finally!). I'm not ignoring you, I promise.

Here's chapter 5, for your reading pleasure! I've been writing it on my breaks at work :). And remember, I'm writing this as a sort of bonding experience. I don't know if I mentioned that. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own TSL.

Chapter 5

In the cave...

Zack looked over at Cody, who had taken off his shoe and sock. He noticed that Cody's foot was a nasty shade of purple and green, and that it looked painful.

"How bad does it hurt?" Zack asked, leaning closer to Cody's foot to get a better look. Cody shrugged his shoulders.

"It's throbbing, but I'm sure it will be ok...oww!" Cody yelled, grabbing his foot and wincing.

"What is it?" Zack asked worridly. He felt uncomfortable when his brother was in pain and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Sorry, a pain just shot through it. I think there might be something in my backpack to wrap it with," Cody said, digging through one of the pouches in his bag. He pulled out a small ace bandage and began wrapping his foot.

Zack chuckled. "Only you would have an ace bandage in your backpack, Cody," he said.

"Well, I remembered all of the other adventures you dragged me on, so I decided to pack the first aid kit that was in the hotel bathroom. It had one of these, some bandaids, and a few packets of antibiotic ointment," Cody explained.

"Any chance there's a map of the island in there?" Zack asked sarcastically.

"That would be nice, but no," Cody answered.

"I don't think this could get any worse," Zack said dejectedly. He looked outside and watched as the lightning illuminated the night.

"Mom must be going crazy," he thought to himself. He looked over at Cody and knew he was thinking the same thing.

"We'll get back, Cody. And I'll take the blame for everything so you won't get in trouble with mom," he said, placing his hand on Cody's shoulder.

"Nah, it's my fault, too. We'll go down together," Cody said, smiling. Suddenly, he gave a violent shiver.

"It's getting a little chilly out here," Cody said, sniffling.

"Yeah, and these wet clothes aren't helping much," Zack added. He moved closer to Cody to try and keep warm. Cody put his head on Zack's shoulder.

"I'm tired," he whispered, closing his eyes. Zack layed his head against Cody's and said, "Me too." A few minutes later, both fell asleep to the sound of the rain falling gently against the trees.

The next day...

Zack slowly opened his eyes as the sun shone into the cave. A little disoriented at first, he rose to a sitting position and took in his surroundings. Suddenly everything from the previous day came rushing back to him. The broken compass, the rocky ledge, the rain, Cody's foot...

Cody!

Zack looked around and noticed that he was alone in the cave.

"Cody?" Zack called, receiving no answer. "Cody?" he called louder, but again there was no answer. Zack began to panic slightly as he rose to his feet and walked cautiously to the edge of the cave. He leaned up, looking over the side of the ledge.

"Oh, God, he fell off," Zack thought out loud, running his hands through his hair.

"Cody!" he yelled frantically. "Cody!"

"What?" came a familiar voice. Zack whipped around and saw his brother walking slowly from around the cave. Relief washed over him.

"I thought you fell off the cliff or something," Zack said breathlessly.

"I was just looking to see if there was a way down from here. And if you look over there," Cody said, pointing down at the trees, "I can see a path. I can't see the beach, but that's the only path I can see from here."

Zack looked at the path and decided it couldn't hurt to try it out. He knew that he didn't have anything better to offer, anyway.

"Do you still have some food in your backpack?" Zack asked, as his stomach growled from hunger.

"Yeah. I guess we need to eat something so we have some energy," Cody said as he and Zack walked back into the cave. They both ate half a sandwich and drank as little water as possible, so they could save the rest for later. When they were finished, they packed up and started down the ledge.

Zack noticed how much easier it was to climb on the rocks when it wasn't raining. Once they both had their feet on the ground, they started towards the path.

"How does your foot feel?" Zack asked a few minutes after they started their walk.

"It's ok. The bandage helps a lot," Cody said, shrugging.

They walked a few more minutes in silence before Cody spoke up again.

"So, what do you do when you go to the mall with your friends?" he asked slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him.

"Well," Zack started. "We just hang out and talk about girls and basketball really. And Andrew has a thing for a girl who works at Dairy Queen, so we get a lot of ice cream."

Cody smiled. "So, is Andrew your best friend?" he asked.

Zack thought about it. He always told everyone that Cody was his best friend.

"I guess.." he said.

"It's just that you always talk about him at home, so I figured he was your best friend," Cody said hastily.

"What about you? Who's your best friend?" Zack asked, not really caring to hear the answer.

"I guess Matt is. We hang out at lunch and in math class. He's really good at math," Cody answered.

The two walked in silence again. Finally, Zack was the one to speak up.

"So, do you like any girls at school?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't really talked to anyone after Lyndsie," Cody said sadly.

"Lyndsie? Lyndsie who?" Zack asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Lyndsie Baker. We went out for a month," Cody said incredulously.

"Wow," Zack thought. "I didn't even know my own twin had a girlfriend."

"You really didn't know?" Cody asked, and Zack could detect the hurt in his voice.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Zack said, turning to face Cody. "I guess I was just busy with basketball and stuff.." he added, knowing it was a lame excuse. Cody twisted his head to the side and gave a lopsided smile.

"It's ok, I understand," he said, but Zack knew he was upset with him. He was about to try and defend himself some more when Cody pointed to something.

"What's that?" he asked. Zack looked up ahead and saw something looming in the shadows of the trees.

"It looks like a shack or something," he said, squinting.

"Maybe there's someone there that can help us!" Cody said excitedly, picking up his pace. Zack had to run to keep up with him. When they reached the old house, they knocked on the door.

"Hey, is anybody in there?" Zack called, trying to peek through the windows. All he saw was an old couch in an otherwise empty room.

Cody knocked on the door again and turned the knob. The door cracked open and he and Zack slowly pushed it.

"Hello?" Zack called, but there was no answer.

"I guess it's been abandoned for a while," Cody said, walking over to the couch.

"How do you guess that?" Zack asked. He watched as Cody hit one of the couch cusions and a huge cloud of dust burst through the air. He wrinkled his forehead.

"I guess we could rest a little while in here," Zack said, looking at an old, broken clock that hung on the wall next to the door. He fiddled with the hands for a few seconds before turning his attention back to his brother, who was taking out the picnic blanket in his backpack and laying it on the floor. Zack walked over and the two boys layed on it side by side.

"What do you think mom is doing right now?" Cody asked, turning towards Zack.

"Honestly? Totally freaking out, if she hasn't already had a heart attack," Zack answered.

"I hope she stays calm," Cody said quietly. Zack hoped so, too.

But their mother was frantic, and he knew it.

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OK, more excitement soon to come, hopefully. Next chapter will be from Carey's point of view.

Let me know what you think :)