Walking in the jungle was more peaceful than Lena thought it would be.
The beach was a long ways away, and since she was currently at the caves, the jungle was her only place to get some fresh air.
However, the last thing she was expecting to find was a sword sticking out of the ground.
And yet, there it was. The hilt was beautiful, a mix of silver and gold with a green leaf vine pattern. The sword itself was gold as well, but a toned-down kind of gold, not too bright.
It was beautiful.
Lena pulled the sword out of the ground, and it came free immediately. For some reason, it felt so… right in her hand. Perfectly balanced, and just the right amount of weight. And when Lena held it, she felt stronger.
What the hell is this thing?
She decided to go back to the caves, thinking that would be the best decision. She held the sword the whole way, almost afraid to let go.
When she got back, she immediately approached Jack and Locke, who were filling up water bottles.
"Hey." Lena said, and both of them turned around. "I found this in the jungle."
"Is that a sword?" Jack asked, shocked.
"No, it's a snake." She replied sarcastically. "Yes, it's a sword. It was sticking out of the ground."
"Interesting." Locke said. "Can I see it?" Lena held the sword out, and Locke grabbed the handle. But, as soon as he did so, he shouted in pain and dropped the sword.
"What happened?" Lena asked.
"It burned me." Locke gasped, pouring water on his hand. "Does it not burn you?"
"Uh… no." Lena said, reaching down to feel the hilt. "The opposite, actually. It's cold." Jack knelt down next to the sword and tentatively poked it. He yanked his hand back, the sword apparently having burned him as well.
"What the hell?" He muttered.
"Maybe only you can hold it for a reason." Locke said. Both Lena and Jack looked at him skeptically, but neither of them said anything.
"Keep the sword for now." Jack said. "We'll figure it out later." Lena nodded and picked it up again. And, just like the first time, it felt perfect in her hand.
…
She held the sword out in front of her, almost afraid to try it out. She was in the middle of the jungle, so the only person she could hurt was herself. Still, she very much valued herself and didn't really want to get stabbed.
Lena slashed the sword through the air, feeling it cut through the open area, sharp and quick. Everything about it felt so fitting and familiar, but Lena had never even held a sword before. Well, unless a cheap toy lightsaber counted, which she was pretty sure did not.
"Did I ever think I would be wielding some kind of magic sword? No." Lena muttered to herself. "Then again, I never thought I would crash-land on an island, but here I am. And now I'm talking to myself. Great."
Instead of just randomly swinging the sword around, which probably wasn't the best idea, Lena set about to making a sheath.
Back in the caves, she found a belt, which she hoped didn't belong to anyone. If not, she was sure they could find another one. Afterwards, she shifted through the wreckage until she found what she was looking for: leather and metal.
It was like some divine force really wanted Lena to keep that sword, because the it was surprisingly easy to make the sheath. It took only a little over an hour, and she was proud of her final result.
She put on the belt, making sure that the place to put her sword rested on her right hip. Once it was secure, Lena placed the sword in the sheath.
It fit perfectly.
Well then, Lena thought. I guess I have a new weapon.
The sound of loud coughing and gasping caused Lena to look up. Jack and Boone were helping a very pale Shannon into the caves and sat her down next to the water as she struggled to breathe.
"Hey, what's going on?" Lena asked, jogging over to Jack who was filling up water bottles.
"Shannon has asthma." Jack explained. "And Sawyer somehow got ahold of inhalers. But he won't give them up."
"Seriously?" Lena scoffed. "What the hell does he need them for? Even Sawyer isn't that inhumane."
"Well." Jack said. "Apparently he is." With that, he brought the water bottles over to Shannon. Lena was shocked by Sawyer's actions. As insufferable as he was, she never thought he would do something like that.
Surprisingly, a few minutes later, Sawyer walked into the caves, looking as smug as ever. Jack stormed over to him, furious.
The two had a quiet exchange, and Sawyer must have said something, because Jack lashed out and punched Sawyer in the face.
And Sawyer, being Sawyer, made some sort of sarcastic remark, provoking Jack into punching him again. Jack seemed to realize this, because he shook his head at Sawyer and walked away.
"Guys, she's not breathing!" Boone shouted. Jack ran over, but Lena kept her distance, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make things any better.
…
"Hey, Marie!" Lena greeted as her sister opened the door. Marie moved a lot, and she was currently in Sydney, Australia.
"Long time no see." Marie said, giving Lena a big hug.
"Auntie Lena!" A little voice shouted. It was Marie's 3-year-old son, Cade. He jumped into Lena's arms, and she chuckled as he jumped back down to the floor.
It had been Marie's old boyfriend who got her pregnant when she was just 20 years old. But he was gone now, and Lena helped her get on her feet, like she always did.
"Cade, sweetie, why don't you go upstairs?" Marie suggested gently. "Your aunt and I have to talk." Lena raised her eyebrows as Cade ran up the stairs. She wasn't aware of any conversation that needed to be had.
"Marie, what's going on?" Lena asked urgently. She didn't reply, just led Lena in to the living room and sat down on the couch.
"We're running out of money." Marie whispered.
"What?!" Lena exclaimed. "How? I gave you enough money to last awhile, and you have your job-"
"The money is gone, and I was fired!" Marie yelled. "Okay? I was fired."
"Were you drinking again?" Lena asked. Marie looked down at the floor. "You said you were clean! You said you would stop!"
"I couldn't!" Marie said. "Please, I just need a little more money, you could get more money-"
"No!" Lena shouted. "Ever since we were little I've done EVERYTHING for you! Everything! You've never said thank you, you've never even been the slightest bit grateful. You just keep asking for more. You want me to steal for you, to work my ass off for you… and I do it because you're my sister, and I love you. But you take advantage of that."
It felt so good for her to finally say that. For her to let out all of her negative thoughts and feelings.
Lena started to walk out when Marie grabbed her arm, tears in her eyes. Marie's eyes weren't blue, like Lena's. They were golden brown, like their mother's had been.
"Please." Marie whispered. "Do it for Cade." And Lena almost said yes. She almost gave in.
"I'm sorry." Lena said softly. "I can't do this anymore." And with that, she walked out of the house and slammed the door shut behind her.
…
Lena placed her hand on her sword, feeling her energy rejuvenate. If only Shannon had something like this, something that could help her.
Suddenly, Sayid sprinted into the cave and started rummaging through the supplies. But what startled Lena the most was the fact that he was covered in blood.
"Sayid?" Lena questioned. "Who's blood is that."
"Sawyer's" He said tersely, pulling out Jack's medical bag. Boone yelled something from the other side of the cave, but Lena didn't here.
"What?!" She exclaimed. "Sayid- what happened?" He didn't say anything. Instead, he ran out with the medical bag in his hands, leaving Lena completely dumbfounded.
…
It turned out, Sawyer was lying about having the inhalers the whole time. However, they only got this information after Sayid tortured him, which led to Sayid leaving both camps due to immense guilt.
The only bright spot was that Sun had been smart enough to create eucalyptus paste that worked just as well as an inhaler, so Shannon was going to be alright.
Everything had calmed down a little, which left Lena with her current goal.
Learn how to wield the sword.