A/N: I had an awesome time in London y'all! I was at King's Cross at 11 AM on September 1st, I visited the Tower of London, I went vintage shopping with my sister and discovered loads of vegan food places all over town!

Now I'm back and I started my new job today … it's my first full-time job so I bet it'll be a few adjustment weeks were I'll be pretty beat, but I will continue posting like I have, do not worry about that ;-)

I'm gonna continue putting the disclaimer here just be sure that everyone are aware of where this story originated.

This story isn't 100 % mine. I have transformed it into a story from an interactive story app called Choices (an app I am completely obsessed with atm) and the creators are Pixelberry Studios.

So here's my disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the plot of this story. All recognizable content belongs to their respective owner. No copyright infringement intended. Names and places have been changed for the purpose of Fanfiction.

We'll start to see a bigger divide between the characters in this, so let's just get straight into it


{Chapter 6}

My lungs felt like they were on fire. My legs burned from sprinting all the way from the seaside airstrip, trying to keep up with Leah.

"Come on, come on!" she called for us.

The entire group made it past the gated fence at the resort entrance. Leah, Garrett, and Edward heaved the heavy gate closed and backed away. Thirteen pairs of eyes watched the forest in a tense, silent hope that the sabertooth had not followed.

"I think we're clear."

Everyone exhaled an exhausted sigh of relief.

Emmett panted heavily, his bulky muscles obviously not contributing anything to his cardio. "Hff … hff … whew, that's enough running … for the rest of my life."

"Leah? Where are you going?" Alice called out, and I looked up to see Leah slipping her small frame through the fence's bars.

"I got you back to the resort alive. You're welcome. But now I've got things to do."

"Leah!" I called for her and she stopped. I wanted to tell her to not go, but I realized before I uttered a word that she wouldn't want to hear it. "Be careful," I said instead.

She met my eyes and gave me a nod of respect. "I will, Bella. Stay here. It's safe at the resort." With that, she vanished into the rainforest.

Emmett looked after her with a weird stare. "That girl gives me the creeps … but at the same time, I really wanna be her friend. Is that weird?"

Peter nodded. "A little, man."

I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and emotion crash over me. I doubled over, hands on my knees, and tried to catch my breath.

Garrett placed a hand on my shoulder. "Bella … you alright?"

"I'm fine," I panted. "I just need to focus."

Garrett smiled. "Damn straight. The only way we get through this is if we keep our heads clear."

I closed my eyes and focused on all the things I'd seen; the tiger stalking us; the plane's gas tank catching fire; a fight past surreal disbelief. "This is real. This is happening," I said to myself underneath my breath.

My focus calmed me. I felt my heartbeat slow and my breathing return to normal.

"Suit yourself. Forgive me if I take a different track." Edward headed through the automatic lobby doors.

Curious, everyone followed.

Inside, Edward reached behind a small bar in the lobby lounge and snatched a bottle of spiced rum. "Who could use a drink right now?"

Benji slumped into one of the lobby chairs. "That would be me."

"Seconded," Rosalie agreed and joined Edward by the bar.

Tanya, however, tried to plead with them. "Edward, please..."

And Garrett backed her up. "This isn't the time for that."

"Pretty sure alcohol was invented for times like this," Edward disagreed and grabbed three glasses. He hovered over a fourth and glanced at me, but I gave him a small shake of my head. I didn't feel like drinking right now.

Emmett looked at each one of us, but when nobody said anything else, he took a deep breath. "Sooooo are we gonna talk about what just happened?"

Benji bent his head back and groaned. "You mean the part where our plane decided to celebrate Fourth of July with some fireworks? Or the part where Fantastic Mr. Fox over here went full Elsa on a saber-toothed tiger?"

Alice placed herself in the middle of our group. "Could we all just take a deep breath and calm down? There's no sense getting upset over a little freak accident."

Edward put down the bottle hard. The sound echoed in the lobby and caused everybody to jump. "It wasn't an accident."

"And how exactly do you know that?" Kate asked with her hands on her hips.

Edward reached into his pocket and slammed the padlock I'd found down on the bar. "Bella found this at the hangar. She risked her life to get it. Someone unlocked the doors. Someone went in there and tampered with my plane." He looked pointedly at Alice. "Any light bulbs going off?"

Alice looked shocked. "Me?"

"Who has a key to that hangar besides me?" Edward asked confrontationally.

"How would I know? I'm just a tour guide!"

Victoria stepped in between them. "Guys, hang on a second. Let's say, for argument's sake, someone did intentionally destroy Edward's plane. But why? Why would anyone do that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Everyone turned their eyes to me. "To keep us here. And, as for who, I think there's someone else on the island besides us."

Rosalie looked skeptical. "Like who, exactly?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's a big island. Who knows who could be lurking out there, watching us?"

"Yes, but … there's no sign that that's true. With what we know, isn't it more likely that whoever destroyed the plane was ... one of us?" Tanya asked carefully, obviously not wanting to offend anybody with unfounded accusations.

"Maybe," I agreed with her. "But right now, I'm not ready to tear our group apart by making accusations ... not until we have more facts."

Tanya smiled, relieved. "You're right. I'm with you, Bella."

"Good call. Distrusting each other is the last thing we need right now. What matters is that we lost our ride. We need to focus on finding another way off the island," Garrett said and immediately went to the concierge desk to find clues.

Peter held up both of his hands in a stopping motion. "Whoa, hang on. I know y'all think of me as the quiet guy—"

"Literally no one has ever thought that," Rosalie interjected with her arms crossed.

"—but I've got something to say. You're calling it an accident or sabotage … I call it a goddamn miracle! You were about to bail on a legit paradise! But we just got a second chance to make the most of our luck!"

Garrett looked at his best friend with a shocked expression. "Peter, this isn't lucky. This is insanely unlucky."

Peter shook his head. "Because you're choosing to see it like that. Dude, we've been playing together a long time. I've had your back since day one, since we were freshman roommates. On and off the field. I know you're the team captain and all, but right now, I need you to hear me out."

"I do hear you, man," Garrett said and took a hold of Peter's shoulder. His tone indicated that it wasn't the first time he and Peter disagreed over important matters. "But this is crazy. We can't risk this. We have so much of our lives ahead of us; senior season; the draft; going pro together like we always talked about. Remember?"

Peter looked sad. "Of course I do."

"And one day, you and me, we'll buy this whole damn island and party here all summer long."

Peter pulled away from Garrett. "Nah, man, that's dreams. You're talking about the future, when all we ever really have is right now."

I understood exactly what he meant. I had dreams of the future as well, but here, on the island, they felt so far away, unreachable, and I didn't want to rely on fantasies to keep me going. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to stay in the present, just so that I wouldn't fall too hard if my dreams never came true.

"Peter is right," I said quietly. "The present matters more. Now is the only guarantee we have."

"See? Bella gets it," Peter said to Garrett who was staring at me as if he saw me for the first time.

"You're saying you just want to stay on the island?"

I shook my head. "I'm saying that we should make the most out of what we know we have and not risk what we've got just to gamble on a future that might not happen."

Edward raised his glass. "Cheers to that!"

Kate huffed and crossed her arms. "That's great and all, but what the hell are we supposed to do now then?"

"Edward's plane can't have been the only way out. There's gotta be other vehicles somewhere. It's a big island."

Tanya walked up to Garrett and looked at him worriedly. "Garrett, you really want to leave the resort? Even Leah told us we should stay put. Shouldn't we wait for someone to come get us?"

Garrett sighed. "I won't lie. For now, we're safer at The Ethereal but we don't know how long that will last. And we don't know if anyone's coming. We should assume we're on our own and find our own way out."

Edward took a large gulp of the rum in his glass. "But you wouldn't even know where to start looking. Meanwhile, Tony the Tiger and god knows what else is out there hungry for a snack."

"But you were the one who wanted to leave El Jardín first," I said, feeling confused by his sudden change of heart.

"Yeah, when we had a sure way out. You might've noticed, things changed a little back there. We should sit tight and stick to the resort. At least we're fenced in here."

"I think we should vote about it," I said. "We're obviously not agreeing with each other and that way, we all have equal input."

"Democracy is a deeply flawed system subject to the whims of the mob, but ... in this circumstance, I suppose it's fair," Alistair said, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with his highly unnecessary comment.

Kate, surprisingly enough, agreed with me. "I think Bella's right. We should vote. I'm definitely having my say in this."

"Alright." Garrett nodded. "I'll start. I vote we leave now."

"Me, too. I just want to get out of here," Kate said and glanced sideways at Garrett. I suspected her opinion was heavily dependent on what Garrett wanted.

Edward finished his drink and started to pour another. "Well, I say we stay put and don't get ourselves killed."

"Seconded. Help will be here any moment now," Alice insisted, but Victoria was of another opinion.

"We've been here over a day now. I don't think anyone's coming back. I vote 'leave now.'"

"Ditto. I never wanted to come on this stupid trip to begin with," Rosalie said. I was really beginning to wonder what had made that girl so bitter.

"What about you, Malfoy?"

"As much as I despise taking your side, Edward, I also cast my vote for 'stay put.'"

"Me too. I really don't want to be wandering in the rainforest right now." Tanya was twisting her hands nervously, looking scared.

"Same here. Plus, this place has a spa," Emmett said next and grinned.

"Pete?" Garrett looked at his best friend pleadingly. Peter held Garrett's hopeful gaze for a long moment.

"Stay here." He looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Gar."

Victoria turned to me. "Okay, the vote is still four for 'leave now,' six for 'stay put.' Seven makes a majority, so it's your turn, Bella."

I looked from Garrett to Edward and took a deep breath. "I vote 'stay put'."

Garrett's face fell, and he looked at me disappointedly. I thought that was rather unfair, because I was obviously not the only one who wanted to stay.

"That's a majority. Knew you'd be smart about this, Bella," Edward praised, but I didn't feel like my choice deserved a compliment.

I turned to my best friend. "Benji, you're the only one who didn't get to vote."

"Oh ... that's okay," he replied with a slightly troubled look.

"What were you gonna vote for?"

He waved me off. "Really, Bella, it doesn't matter now..."

"So, are we done here?" Edward rose from his seat and pointed over his shoulder toward the pool area. "That hammock out back is calling my name."

Garrett placed himself in Edward's path. "Well, hold on. We're staying put, but that doesn't mean we should sit around and hope that help shows up. We don't even know if anyone back home knows what happened, and we're not expected back for a week."

Alistair concurred. "Garrett is correct. We must search the resort for a way to contact the mainland and request help. Without cell service or internet here, that's our only option."

"Hey, go ahead, more power to ya. I ain't stopping you," Edward said and tried to pass Garrett again.

Garrett glared angrily at him. "We're all in this together, Edward."

Edward glared right back. "You know, sometimes you sound like my old sergeant ... I hated that guy." He brushed past Garrett and walked off.

After a long look at Garrett, Peter followed after him.

"You okay, Garrett?" I asked.

"Yeah … yeah, I'm fine. The rest of us should get searching. The sooner we call for help, the quicker we get ourselves outta here..."

A half-hour went by. I searched several rooms with Benji, Alistair, and Tanya. The little fox trotted after us, always staying close.

Benji fiddled with his phone for the fiftieth time. "A picturesque Caribbean island ... with absolutely no internet. I can't tell if we're in heaven or hell. If it turns out to be purgatory, I'm gonna be pissed."

The fox sneezed, and a small flurry of snow shook out of his fur.

Alistair looked at the fox as if he was trying to solve a puzzle. "What is that ... that thing anyway?"

"Whatever he is, he's not going anywhere. Maybe we should give him a name!" Tanya said excitedly.

I smiled at the fox. "I can't think of anything. Alistair, why don't you name him?"

"Me? What makes you think I wanna name this ... this furball?"

At that word, the fox hopped over and nuzzled Alistair's leg.

I laughed at the horrified expression on Alistair's face. "Furball, huh? I think he likes it."

Alistair pushed the fox away and rolled his eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake..."

Just then, I heard laughter from outside. I went to the window overlooking the pool and spotted Edward and some of the others relaxing by the hot tub.

Benji came up next to me. "Now they're living right."

"Sure does look nice out there..."

"Hey, guys."

Iturned and saw Garrett come into the room with Rosalie and Alice. "Hey, any luck?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. But we found the elevator to the very top floor."

"It's Carlisle Cullen's office. The owner of the resort. We're not exactly allowed in there, but..."

"But if anyone has some kinda high-tech satellite phone, it'd be the cartoonishly rich dude," Rosalie finished for Alice.

Garrett started to leave the room, but I lagged behind and continued looking out the window. "You guys coming?" he asked when he noticed.

I was beginning to feel a headache coming on, and I knew that I wouldn't be of any help if I didn't get a break to recharge my batteries. It had been a very long day. "Actually, I'm gonna go take a break on the beach with those guys."

Garrett looked shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah, I really need a break, but let me know what you find, okay. I'll see you later?"

"Guess so."

I passed Garrett and expected Benji to come with me. "Come on, Benji."

"Actually ... I'm gonna roll with Garrett. We need to get a ride out of here, and that's not gonna happen if we just get sloshed on the beach all day."

He didn't like that I wasn't going with them to search Mr. Cullen's office, but he could also see in my eyes how much I needed to relax. "Oh, okay ... well, good luck," I said sadly.

He nodded, and his expression turned into an understanding smile. "Yeah ... you too."

I went downstairs and jogged out to the pool area. Furball yipped as he sprinted to keep up. "At least you're sticking with me!"

From the hot tub, Edward spotted me coming and raised a glass in the air. "Heeeey, look who decided to join the fun crowd!"

Victoria hiccupped, obviously already quite intoxicated. "Come enjoy the hot tub with us, Bella!"

I stripped down to my bathing suit and joined them. The hot water felt amazing and I sighed with pleasure.

Something small dove into the water, splashing everyone. Furball poked his head out of the bubbling water, and everybody laughed.

"Yo, Bella. Up for a pool noodle joust?" Peter pointed to the pile of floppy neon-colored pool noodles nearby.

Edward smirked at me. "Whaddya say? Who's your partner?"

I smiled right back at him. "Who else but you?"

All of us jumped over into the warm pool water, which sparkled under the brilliant afternoon sun.

Emmett decided to be the referee. "First round ... Bella and Edward versus Victoria and Peter!"

I climbed up on Edward's shoulders while Victoria climbed on top Peter's.

"You're going down, Bella!" Victoria said and giggled loudly. She was a bit off balance because of the alcohol, and the competitive part of me knew I could use that to my advantage.

"Dream on!"

"Ready ... set … joust!"

As I held the floppy pool noodle like a jousting lance, Edward charged forward, slowed by the water.

"Come at me, bro!" Peter teased him, and Edward sped up.

I aimed my noodle at Victoria and plunked her square in the chest. She laughed as she toppled off Peter's shoulders and splashed into the crystal blue water.

"Yes! Victory is ours!" Edward spun around in a victory dance with me still perched on his shoulders, and I cried out in joy.

Eventually, we climbed out of the pool, and I saw Rosalie coming outside to join us.

"Rosalie? I thought you were searching Mr. Cullen's office?"

"I was gonna ... until they tried to tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do. I'm switching teams."

Victoria threw her arms out as if she wanted to hug the entire pool area. "Well, you're welcome out here!"

I shielded my eyes from the sun and peered up at the tall main tower of the resort. In the windows at the top floor, I could almost make out a few figures moving around.

"I bet they're not too happy about us goofing off down here," I said, feeling slightly guilty.

"I know … but sometimes it's important to take your mind off things. The world has a habit of crushing you if you don't come up for air. Trust me," Victoria said casually, and I wondered what she had gone through in her past. She appeared so cheerful, and I would never have guessed that she'd ever had it hard in her life.

"Yo, guys, I think Furball found something down at the beach!"

We followed Peter to the shore where Furball was tugging at a large plastic tarp with his teeth.

"What'd you find, Furball?"

Edward and I yanked off the tarp.

Emmett gasped. "Oh my god, we have jet skis. I repeat: We. Have. Jet skis."

"Whoa, for real?"

We grouped together to pull the pair of jet skis down the ramp into the water.

"Well, these don't have the mileage to get us to another island, but that doesn't mean we can't take 'em for a spin." Edward straddled one and winked at me. "Whaddya say, Bella? Ever tried it?"

"No, but there's a first for everything."

"Well, hop on then. It'll blow your mind, I promise."

"You sound like a guy who promises that a lot," I said teasingly.

"And I'm a man of my word."

I hopped on the second jet ski. Edward reached over and helped my hands onto the throttles. "There you go. You look like a natural already. All set?"

"Let's do this."

"Then give it a little squeeze."

Soon, Edward and I were speeding across the glittering sea, side by side. The island vanished into the background, and we were surrounded by nothing but the most vibrant, shimmering blue I'd ever seen.

I felt my pulse quicken, an exhilarating euphoria soaked through me. I looked over and saw Edward, who was watching me with a warm, goofy grin. Time seemed to slow down as he waved at me.

"Hey. What are you staring at?" he asked, his grin still in place.

"You," I answered honestly.

He chuckled. "I do look damn good on this, don't I?"

"A regular supermodel."

I let go of the throttle and coasted to a stop beside Edward. The gentle current rocked me, my jet ski rising softly up and down beneath me. "We're so far from shore. Out here, it almost feels like we're the only people in the world."

"Heh. Wouldn't that be nice..." Edward turned away from the view and looked at me. "Listen, Bella. Thanks for hanging out with me. I know Captain America was trying to enlist everybody, but I kinda needed to get outta there for a bit. You know, clear my head."

I nodded, understanding completely. "Me too. It just feels like the world's gone crazy all of a sudden. Or maybe it's always been crazy, but now the mask is off. It's stunning how fast everything can change on you."

"It's especially hard when you're surrounded by strangers."

I smirked at him. "I'm still a stranger, huh?"

He gave me an unusually timid smile back. "I guess not. But to be honest, it's been a long time since I've been surrounded by anyone but strangers." Edward stared wistfully at the infinite blue sea.

We were quiet for a moment, but then I had to ask a question that had lingered with me since the two of us climbed up to the airstrip watch tower. "Edward ... why did you run off to Costa Rica?"

He opened his mouth, and then paused. He looked at me, and I could see the gears turning behind his green eyes. "Ever had a secret, one you couldn't tell anyone ... and it made you feel like you were drowning?"

"Whatever it is, Edward, it won't change what I think about you."

He looked sad all of a sudden. "It should. The thing is ... sometimes in the military, you see things you wish you could forget. And other times, you see things you were supposed to forget."

I wanted to take his hand, to comfort him, but he was too far away. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Everything," he replied without hesitating. "I want to tell you everything. But I can't. I did that once already ... and that person isn't around to talk anymore." He revved his throttle. "Come on, let's head back in."

I turned toward El Jardín and gunned the motor after him. I was about to catch up when a sudden wave knocked me off my jet ski. Edward noticed and turned his jet ski around to help me.

"Looks like you could use a little help there. Need a lift?" Edward offered a hand and pulled me up with his strong arms. I climbed on the back and wound my arms around him. "Hold on tight."

Edward gunned the throttle, and the jet ski launched back toward the beach. My arms snaked around his body and held him close. The jet ski bounced across the waves, rocking us in sync. I rested my head on his shoulder, and for some reason, I thought I could feel him smiling.

When we finally made it back to shore, we found Emmett and Peter setting up a beach volleyball net.

"Good find, fellas. You gonna play?"

"Not if we can't find a ball," Peter replied.

"I think I saw some sport's equipment in a shed out front of the hotel. Come on."

Edward led us around the side of the main hotel tower. We came around a bend, only to run straight into Garrett and the others.

As soon as I saw him, my guilt threatened to choke me. "Garrett ..." I said softly.

I felt the tension ratchet up as everyone came to a stop, the two groups blocking each other's path.

"Excuse us," Edward said, but Garrett just snorted and shook his head. "What was that? You got something to say to me, Cap?"

Garrett sneered. "I try to save my breath for people I respect."

Everyone froze, but Edward was completely unfazed. "Don't know how I'll sleep at night without your respect."

Garrett stepped toward Edward and summoned his impressive height. I immediately squeezed in between them, pushing them apart. "Come on, what are you doing?"

Garrett didn't take his eyes off Edward. "I don't like this guy's attitude rubbing off on people. We're alone out here, Bella. That means we have to count on each other."

"Bella can make her own decisions. She doesn't need someone playcalling her life, Q.B.," Edward replied angrily as his temper got to him.

Arguing erupted from both sides. Kate was the first to stand up with Garrett. "Oh my god, just butt out of our business!" she yelled at Edward, but he completely ignored her.

"You guys could at least have helped!" Tanya said. It was the first time I'd seen her angry.

"Yeah, you manage to call for help? No? Then I guess we did as much as y'all did!" Peter mocked her.

Alistair stepped in front of Tanya. "I've heard quite enough out of the lowest common denominator, thank you!"

"I don't know what that means! You know I'm bad at math, bro!"

I felt my own frustration bubble up inside me until I was yelling at Garrett's group just as much as the others. "Don't act all high and mighty, okay? You're not the only ones who have helped!"

"It certainly looks that way!"

I turned toward Alistair. "You, Alice, and Benji might be the only ones who have the right to complain, okay, but I believe that Edward, Victoria, and I went to the emergency shelter just as much as you did. I apologize if we're not robots that can go on forever without catching our breath!"

"Can't you at least pretend to care about what's going on?!" Tanya screamed at me, and I had never felt the urge to hit someone as much as I did in that second.

Alice tried to diffuse the tension in vain. "Everyone, please! Let's all consider our actions—"

Garrett spoke over her. "Look, Edward. I get that you basically quit on life to drink yourself stupid in a beach hammock in Central America, but I thought you were ex-military. I thought we could count on you to get us through this."

"They don't pay me nearly enough. Aren't you a little old for a babysitter? I thought you were the leader around here anyway, Steve Rogers." Edward shoved his way past Garrett, grazing his shoulder.

Garrett scoffed. "Sure. More cute nicknames. Ya know, do whatever you want, Edward. Maybe you've got nothing to go home to, but the rest of us still have a future to—"

Without warning, Edward spun around and slugged Garrett in the mouth.

"Edward!" I exclaimed in shock. I didn't think the fight would actually become physical.

"What? Now he's actually got something to complain about."

Garrett staggered back but not much. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Funny. Figured a tough guy like you would hit harder."

Garrett lunged at Edward, connecting a solid hook into his jaw. Everyone around descended into a cacophony of shouting, Emmett and Peter pulled Garrett and Edward apart, wrestling them back.

Peter held Garrett's arms behind his back. "Whoa, easy, champ!"

"I can't get a hold on Edward! How is he so feisty?!" Emmett yelled out as he over and over had to regain his grip on Edward.

The two groups separated and retreated back into the hotel, all the while trying to get the last word in.

"Good luck ever getting off the island without lifting a finger!" Alistair complained.

"I'd rather be stuck here forever than owe anything to people like you!"

Finally, there was silence. The only people left outside were me and Benjamin.

"So, uh, that went well."

At the horizon, the sun was beginning to set. The sky cooled to blue, as the rainforest fell into darkness. In the distance, Mount Suerte breathed dark smoke. Strange noises echoed among the trees. Unseen shadows rustled in the ferns. Suddenly, I felt deeply vulnerable with nowhere to hide.

"We fenced ourselves in, but somehow things got worse."

I sighed. "If we can't find a way to work together ... I don't think we're ever getting out of here."


A/N: Wow, so Garrett and Edward are not friends at the moment! Sure they weren't best buddies before either but now … damn!

Do you think they made the right decision to stay? Was Bella wrong to "change teams" in the middle of the search? What is up with Edward's past? And were the 'doers' rightful in their anger toward the 'slackers'?

Tell me all of your thoughts and until next week,

Stay Awesome!