disclaimation: nothing in this story that's seenon TV is owned by me.

That's too weird. It's too weird to be real. After repeating this to himself about a million times, Jake finally persuades himself to believe it.

This island is too weird to be real. But it is.

"Hey," Ari says, waving his hand in front of Jake's face, "whatcha lookin' at?"

"Nothing…" he says, his eyes drifting back towards the comic book jammed into Ari's back pocket.

Ari notices and pulls it out. "You want it?" he asks. Jake looks up at him, almost cautiously, and takes it. "As long as you give it back, you know? I might wanna look at the pictures sometime. God, I sounded like a kindergartener. I only read books with no words, just pictures." He continues walking along the beach, leaving Jake to drag behind and study the pictures more closely.

When he gets to the Sawyer picture, he's a little freaked out to see that not only is Sawyer holding the Judy Blume book, but there are also two kids standing in front of him. One is bending down, seemingly trying to get a glimpse of the book cover. Another is sort of gazing off into space. He looks kind of bored.

He drops it. He doesn't know why. More instinct. He stares at it, lying limply at his feet, just an ordinary comic book in Spanish.

That's all it is, Jake realizes. It's nothing else. It might have some curse on it, like the whole godforsaken island does. Nothing's wrong with it.

Please, God, let nothing be wrong with it.

He decides that it's probably nothing to worry about, and when he goes down on one knee to pick it up, he notices a flash in the jungle. He looks up.

There's someone in the trees. Jake can see him clearly now that he knows he's there. He's sitting there, his legs dangling off the side, a camera around his neck. And he's taking pictures.

And the pictures are going into the comic book. Just like that.

Jake stares at him, and he stares back. He's got wild black hair and blue eyes, a weird pairing Jake's never seen before. But then again, it's kind of familiar. He just sits there, frozen. Jake just stands there, frozen as well. They're caught up in a silent, unannounced contest.

And Jake isn't going to lose. He's determined not to.

He doesn't. The kid jumps off onto another branch, and then onto another, until he's on the ground. He begins to walk toward Jake, and Jake begins to back away.

The kid stops, his eyes wide. He tilts his head a little to the side and stares at Jake some more, kind of like a curious puppy does when he meets someone new. Finally, he speaks.

"They…they killed her," he stammers, his knees shaking a little.

"What are you talking about?"

The kid waves his hand unconsciously toward another vacant area. "I saw it. They made me watch. They…" His voice trails off as he squeezes his eyes shut. "…tortured her. No stopping. Endless. Oh, my God."

"Who did they kill?" Jake asks, intrigued by the boy.

"K. Ara. Kara."

If possible, Jake's eyes widen even more than they already were. His breath catches in his throat. No, he tells himself, they just bluffed it yesterday. They couldn't have already killed her. This kid is lying. He's just a scout. Don't believe him.

"Liar," Jake breathes.

The boy's eyes are brimming with tears. "No, I swear!" he insists. "I swear to God! Jake, I swear to anyone you want! I wouldn't lie to you about this!"

Jake stares at him, taken aback. A jolt of memory hits him like lightning. He remembers the boy with the blue eyes and black hair. It's Mike.

Mike was in the "City of the Damned" with him, Ari, Alex, and the other kids. He was extremely shy, and didn't talk to many people. When he did, though, Jake remembers him as always being nice, and never saying anything bad about anyone. He was very good friends with one kid, named Greg. Greg was a bit more outgoing than Mike, but they had enough in common to become friends, apparently.

"Mike," he says slowly. After having the name sink in, he goes up closer to him. "Mike. Are you okay? Did they let you out of there? Where's Greg?"

Mike stares down at his worn Converses and doesn't answer at first. After a minute or two, he looks up at Jake. "They picked two. A kid and a grownup. And they picked another to watch. I watched. Against the wall. They wouldn't let me look away or close my eyes. Everything…everywhere…I threw up. I…he…help me…I couldn't…saw him die…she went next…"

Mike collapses. He breaks down sobbing, and Jake drops to his knees next to him. Before he knows it, he can feel hot tears staining his cheeks. On instinct, he embraces Mike, and he feels Mike's arms behind his back.

"I'm so sorry," he cries, shaking his head. "I couldn't help them…I…"

"Mike, don't…" Jake says, his voice cracking in between tears. "It wasn't your fault. Nothing was your fault. C'mon, Ari's here, too."

Jake helps his friend up and the two make their way to Ari, who's way up ahead of them. His mind is in shock. His mother is dead. Officially. Mike wouldn't lie. It's too hard for him to grasp. He knows he'll grasp it later on, maybe in the middle of the night, and break down entirely. But he doesn't want to think about it.

"Hey, Mike, um, what're you doing with that camera?"

Mike stares down at the device hanging around his neck. "They sent me out to take pictures of you. Like a scout, I guess. I don't know." He glances at the comic book and gasps a little. "That's it!" he says, pointing with one hand, wiping his face with the other. "They all have those. There are camera people out everywhere. And they take pictures. It's like a…security…camera."

"So they're always watching us?"

"Always and forever is what they said. Jake," Mike says softly, "if they find me…if they do…they won't need a kid for their next one. Only a grownup."

"They won't find you," Jake assures him firmly. "They won't find you. You'll be safe here. Everyone will be. Don't worry."