CHAPTER RE-EDIT MARCH 2017: So, I'm back! This is going alright so far, I think. And, for those of you who don't know, I do Home Again art (and other art) on my DeviantArt, iHateFridays. Okay, 'nuff self-advertising.
~ALICE~
School was bland and lifeless once again. People were still whispering about me behind their backs and giving me hot, furious stares. I couldn't tell if they were angry or scared, whenever they eyed me. I was just thankful I hadn't ran into Louisa or Chrissi. Or both. Or their entire gang. At least that's what I thought.
It was the end of the day again. I swung open my locker, smelling and seeing the familiar essence of what I had known for years. I put my History folder away and grabbed my heavy bag, feeling the usual tight grip on my shoulders. I still had my crutch; it was sharply pushed under my armpit. I gritted my teeth and limped, my leg swinging up and down, to the exit. I felt the familiar, nostalgic fear of Chrissi coming to get me. Chrissi and Louisa had both been avoiding me through my time at school, which I was rather thankful for. It was rather unusual knowing that they weren't coming for once. Perhaps there was new hope…
I was wrong.
I left the school, trying not to let the irritation of the crutch get to my head. My leg rubbed against the other one, and my sweat got caught in my hair, making it sticky. I wanted to wipe it off, but both my hands were occupied with supporting myself. I scowled. Then, I saw Louisa standing in front of me, wearing completely black clothing. Mad is an understatement of her expression. She was OUTRAGED. I felt my skin prickle and my sweat became sticker.
"Crashice." she growled, her tone of voice making my crutch shiver. I grabbed it more fiercely with my arm, trying not to look afraid in front of Louisa. But she called me Crashice. She never called me Crashice. Never.
The sun beated down on us, as we stood face to face on the concrete path, similar to cowboys in those Wild West movies. Louisa's eyes flicked with aggression.
"I know what you're planning, Crashice. Don't you think you can get away with it." Her glare became harder and she took a step towards me. A nervous look couldn't help but spread on my face.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about. That... mustard thing... That was an accident." I spluttered, my curls shaking. Louisa clenched her fists. It was beyond a shock to see her angry. I had seen many people angry before (who hasn't?). But not Louisa. She was the one person I never thought would get angry. I was wrong again.
"Don't lie. I know what you're planning." Louisa spat, her voice now soft and dangerous. I shook my head in despair.
"If... Chrissi is telling you something, don't listen... It was an accident!" I cried, suddenly feeling like my school bag was my only support in the world. Louisa took one step closer, almost blocking out the sun.
"Whatever you say, Crashice, I'm not listening." Louisa hissed, until we were practically nose to nose. She glared at me for a few moments, before she stormed past me.
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!" I called out to her, my voice croaking, as she disappeared. A tear rolled down my cheek. "I'm really sorry..." I said it like I meant it. I felt like I meant it. I thought I saw Louisa look back for a moment. Maybe, maybe not. Whatever she did, I was more fussed with getting home. I clutched my bag and crutch tighter, then limped off home, my legs following the same walking pattern.
That night, I booted up Poptropica again, the familiar blue screen greeting me. My lip curved upwards as I signed into Fierce Fox. I took her off Early Poptropica and flew her around on the old, paper map. I hovered over Shark Tooth Island for a few moments, wondering if Amelia would let me fly in her plane again. If I kept entering Poptropica, then I would have to use her plane over 40 times. Amelia was nice, but I doubt she'd let me fly over the land 50 times.
I didn't think Fierce Fox would let me come in her blimp. There's no way. She already had to save me a billion times. I don't think she would be quite willing to help me with anything else. There has to be another way. I dropped Fierce Fox onto Shark Tooth, when I suddenly got an idea. I made Fierce Fox leave the island, and fly back to Home island. There is, after all, more than one way to skin a cat…
I entered Poptropica again that night, wearing my regular clothes. Home Island looked exactly the same; the barber; Amelia and her plane; the endless pool of blue beneath me. Near Amelia was Fierce Fox's mighty blimp, which has a large, pale yellow, striped balloon carrying a wooden basket. A rope hangs down from the basket. Perfect.
Like a spy, I crept along the island, nearing the bridge. Once I was right behind it, facing Fierce Fox and Amelia, I ducked into the nearest bush. I tried to ignore the pointy branches and the itchy green leaves. Some of them scratched my cheeks, but I ignored them and watched Fierce Fox. She wasn't too far away, so I knew I could be both loud and quiet enough to be her voice.
"Gooo too Shark Tooth Islannnd…" I hissed, my voice like an echo. I felt like some kind of Fairy Godmother. Fierce Fox looked around in confusion, as if there were enemies nearby. Then she accepted her voice. Success made me smile. Success is one of those things I so strongly strive for. Though most of the time I never get it.
"Shark Tooth... Okay..." Fierce Fox said, acknowledging the voice. I watched her, like an athlete, slither up the rope and neatly climb into her basket. I saw her grip the sides of the basket, which was my cue. I snuck out of the bush, trying not to cough any leaves out, and grabbed onto the knot at the bottom of the rope.
I grabbed on with all my strength and wrapped my legs around it, until I was completely secure. My foot was just brushing along the ground, as I felt fear trying to make me jump off. I ignored my sweating palms and clutched tighter, as I suddenly felt the world being lifted up. Up and away. My feet dangled down and I tried not to scream as we flew over Poptropica, the beautiful blue sea beneath me. If I wasn't so worried about falling off, I probably would've taken the chance to stare at the world around me. I mean, this was dream material.
We started getting closer to Shark Tooth island. I could already see the tropical palm trees, and the soft, sandy beaches. The great blimp began descending, and I clutched on for dear life. I was still getting over the fact that I was crazy enough to get onto that knot. If I wasn't in Poptropica, I wouldn't even think about it.
As soon as the blimp was only about a few feet above the ground, I knew it was time to jump off. My hands were shaking and my forehead was sweating.
"Come on Alice," I told myself sternly, "You can do this." It wasn't Earth. I'd be fine. But after years of living on a planet where even a jump half a foot above the ground can harm you, I wasn't expecting to be safe. Instead, I closed my eyes, and told myself it was a dream. In dreams you can have anything you want... I need courage... I need courage…
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the sandy beach, the sand grains getting in my nails. I sat up and stared at the tropical island. Shark Tooth island. I shivered. Even on Poptropica, sharks are considered outright dangerous. I mean, the sharks could barely hurt you (compared to Earth), but they were still dangerous. However, the surroundings don't look quite so deadly.
There's a bamboo bridge at the start of the island, which the blimp was hovering above. I had somehow landed directly in front of it. Don't ask how. There are lush palm trees and the Coconut Cafe, which is practically a giant cup of coconut milk, with a straw poking through one of the trio of holes.
A beach towel entry mat is in front, and the windows are decorated with the same orange and white striped pattern. Next to it is a dark-skinned, shirtless man selling coconut milk. Basically the rest of the island followed this similar beach, coconut and sand design, with buildings made out of bamboo or light wood. I admired it for a few moments.
"Alice?" a voice asked behind me. A little rough, suspicious and kind of scared all at once. I turned around and saw Fierce Fox right behind me, her brow raised. I gave her a nervous wave.
"Hey... How it's going?" I asked shyly, feeling my nervous energy spread to my entire body. Fierce Fox's expression became more aggressive.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. I bit my lip. "How did you even get here?"
"Um... Well, firstly... Um..." Most of the time, I have a smart mouth (which can be annoying), but even I have my stuff-up moments. Finally, my eyes flashed with an idea. "To get coconut milk!" I bolted over to the shirtless man selling coconut milk. Clutched under one of his arms is a little wooden ukulele. I stood next to his grass-roofed stand.
"Try my carbonated coconut milk! It's on the house!" the man cried, giving me a free glass bottle of the carbonated coconut milk, which mysteriously disappeared into my inventory. I gave my bag a quick poke before it disappeared, feeling the fabric. I had never heard of carbonated coconut milk, let alone coconut milk, but as much as I would've like to discuss that, I had better things to do.
"Here," I said, touching my back, feeling the bag appear again. I reached inside the dark unknown of the fabric and pulled out the glass bottle. The white liquid bubbled around inside, sending off a strong scent of coconuts.
I eyed Fierce Fox. "You can have it. You'll need it anyway." I handed her the bottle, and she glanced over it for a second, as if checking it for poison.
"Um... Thanks..." she answered, as the bottle disappeared into her inventory.
"But there's more than that you'll need," I spoke, my voice instructive. "We need to go to the Ancient Ruins-"
"Just stop for a moment. Stop." Fierce Fox suddenly growled, my throat going dry. It felt like Louisa threatening me all over again. It almost made me sick. The Poptropican took a step towards me. "Firstly, you show up out of nowhere, and tag along to whatever we do-"
"Look, can we discuss this later? The Ancient Ruins is this way!" I huffed out, trying to ignore the beads of sweat on my forehead. Fierce Fox looked beyond outraged to be interrupted, but stormed after me nonetheless.
We passed the many other buildings: the Tourist Center, the Shark Museum, palm trees, then eventually we got off the sand, and arrived at the Ancient Ruins. The ground there is dirt and grass, and large, shark-inspired statues burst randomly from the ground. In the background is an old, ruined temple, the old stone walls collapsed all over the place. Ahead of Fierce Fox and I is probably the only standing temple; it has straight, stone walls and sharp, stone teeth hanging over a tunnel of darkness. It made my skin prickle.
"What next, know-it-all?" spat Fierce Fox. I had a feeling she was getting madder and madder by the second, especially since everything I said was going to happen happened.
"Push that rock," I gestured to a cube-shaped stone rock. "Right up to the tree trunk." I pointed at a large, thick tree trunk, which has the occasional over-sized coconut fall from it. This was another moment I was glad I was in Poptropica.
Fierce Fox stormed ahead of me and laid her fists on the square rock, and started shoving it forward. The rock either was as light as a feather or Poptropicans had super strength. Either way, Fierce Fox shoved the rock up to the trunk. Suddenly, a large, basketball-sized coconut flew down from the trees and bounced down on the ground, towards Fierce Fox.
"WATCH OUT!" I cried. Luckily the coconut hopped right over her. When it came for me, I leaped out of the way so fiercely I tripped over. Fierce Fox was standing near the tree trunk, wary for anymore coconuts. After climbing up, I was right behind her.
"What next?" Fierce Fox asked, politer than before, though this was due to the fact that a coconut was falling down. She leaped out of the way of the coconut, though unfortunately it hit me. Again, I was surprised as it didn't hurt me. It only knocked me back and made me cringe. I was back on my feet before you could say 'carbonated coconut milk'.
"Climb up to the tree's top platform, but don't go past the arrow. Leap over to your left and you'll land on the temple roof. Pick up the piece of paper, then jump back down." I instructed as clearly as possible. Only then did I realize I was going to be letting her do all the work again. I gave myself a mental slap as Fierce Fox jumped onto the temple roof. This isn't Earth! Your leg isn't crap. You should be able to do these things, Alice! But no, Crashice has to stay behind again... Just like always…
"I got the paper thingy." Fierce Fox said, jumping down next to me, and we both stood in front of the spooky temple. I tried not to look into the utter darkness, although I knew we had to go in there. My brain flooded with thoughts of all the dangerous things inside; daunting images that made my teeth chatter. When I had originally played with Fierce Fox, I found the island fun, not dangerous. Seeing it for myself changed everything.
"We need to go in there..." I gulped, the hairs on my arms standing up as I pointed to the temple. Fierce Fox snorted, but entered the temple like it was the supermarket. I- rather slowly and stupidly- entered the temple like it was Hell. I mean, there were spider webs and glowing purple eyes in the corner as I walked past! It made me wonder how brave Poptropicans actually are, compared to us cowardly humans. I mean, they practically treated dangerous things like volcanoes and super villains as a walk in the park.
Inside the temple are thick, grey, stone brick walls. Everywhere I looked I saw swinging stone platforms with art imprints all over them; spider webs; dirty, slimy, green water with floating, molding pieces of wood at the bottom and dangerous, fanged, purple vampire bats waiting under platforms and walls, ready to strike. This was much much worse than Monkey Wrench Island. And Early Poptropica. COMBINED. And Shark Tooth Island is considered EASY. I didn't even want to imagine the other islands.
"What now?" Fierce Fox questioned, as if I was the admin. I laced my fingers together.
"Y-You.. N-n-n-need to go to t-t-t-the other s-s-side," I blubbered. "W-watch out for b-b-bats, and y-y-you will need to do l-l-lots of j-j-jumping from platform to p-p-platform." My smart mouth abandoned me that day.
"Thanks for that totally clear answer." Fierce Fox replied sarcastically, as I gave her an apprehensive grin. She didn't return it. "Let me guess, you're gonna wait here for me, aren't you?"
Then it clicked in my mind.
"Well, t-there's actually more than t-t-t-this.." I answered shakily, half-panting. "So… So..."
"You have to come? Oh, great," growled Fierce Fox, clenching her fists. "More dragging you around."
"Yeah..." I chuckled frightfully. I gulped at the long long long drop. There was no way I could go down there… No way... Come on Alice... I felt sweat trickle down my forehead.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Fierce Fox scowled, grabbing my arm with her harsh fingers. Before I knew it, we were leaping through the air like falcons, then dropping like bullets. I screamed as my hair flew upwards, the whole world blurred, like an old-picture film. Then, cold splashed all over my body, covering my body in little sparkly pearls called bubbles. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like I was sinking. In fact, I wasn't even hurt.
"Poptropica, Alice. You're in Poptropica." I grumbled to myself, as I tread the water, which I was surprisingly good at. I'm not really a swimmer. Even though I can swim (Hydrotherapy helps my leg) I don't really want to do it as a sport. However, it does give me the feeling of being free from my leg pain. I wish that same freedom would be there when I'm on land..
"Uh, daydreamer?" Fierce Fox asked. She was as dry as the sun, and standing on a stone platform that was nearby me. I blushed awkwardly and swam up to it. My legs slipped and my arms wobbled as I climbed up it like an idiot. I seemed to dry instantly as I touched land. Another great thing about being in Poptropica. There were too many of those to count.
I looked upwards at the other half of the room. There are endless platforms, some holding dark purple bats underneath. Speaking of bats, a bat above us, hanging on the wall, spread out its wings and flapped; it circled Fierce Fox and I.
"Don't touch the bats." I warned, eyeing the bat, as it narrowly missed my head. Fierce Fox glared at the bat, then waited for it to complete another rotation.
"We're going to need to do a lot of jumping." she scowled, eyeing the rest of the room. There are platforms; another layer of mucky water; webs in the dark corners. It made me shiver. And sort of disgusted. Fierce Fox's hand grasped onto my arm, and she bent her legs. She jumped off the platform, zooming through the air with me trailing behind, like a piece of hair. We landed on a rotting, wooden platform, floating on the water. I tried not to start panting. Fierce Fox, her hand still fiercely holding onto my arm, leaped into the air.
We jumped to a lower ledge on the wall, then up to a moving platform, which was just above us. The platform moved from side to side; I peered down, seeing the whole world swerve. A whirling pain occurred in my stomach. We prepared to jump again, when the bat from the platform above hit us.
The purple beast gave me a sharp knock on the forehead, almost making me fall off the edge of the platform. Fierce Fox, luckily, grasped me before such thing could happen, then lifted us off our feet and to the still platform above. The bat stopped flying around and hid under the platform. A shadow waved over my head, which was none other than the swinging platform above.
Fierce Fox and I leaped onto the moving platform, me trembling, still hearing the whoosh from the jump. Then I realized we were on the swinging platform. It was like we were on a swing at a playground. A dangerous, bat-filled swing. I tried not to look down at the rather daunting world beneath me, as it swung by in large whooshes. My legs shivered and my muscles tensed. Fierce Fox's eye was on the large block of wall on our left, with a keypad and password-face.
It was another large jump. Fierce Fox snatched my arm again, and we lifted into the sky. I closed my eyes as we soared through the air, as time seemed to slow down. I felt so free I could just let go…
"ALICE!" Fierce Fox snapped, grabbing onto me tightly, as time resumed. I realized I was no longer gripped, about to drop to ground like a bullet; my hands waved everywhere as I panicked. The Poptropican heaved me up, dropping me on my side as we arrived on the platform. Again, I didn't feel any pain, but I was still bothered by the sensation. And my stupidity.
"Use that piece of paper you found on the roof. The password is 'Open'. The triangles are the 'teeth' and the 'nose' is the open button." I groaned, pulling myself to my feet. Fierce Fox gave me a short glare, before she got out the piece of paper. She turned to face the keypad. It's shaped like a face; large circular eyes; marble button pupils; sharp, triangular teeth as keys; dark green lips.
Referring to the piece of paper, Fierce Fox typed in the code by pressing the 'teeth'. She then reached over and pressed the 'nose', which flashed bright green. The cream gate near us pulled open, revealing the next room.
Fierce Fox and I paced through the short passageway, until we reached the next room. There are thick, green vines sprouting from the walls; a huge, golden shark statue with a creepy green and orange spotted caterpillar crawling around it; webs in the corners; bats hanging from the ceilings and murky water, with floating, rotten wooden platforms. Fierce Fox was scowling at the shark statue. I was trying not to sweat at how far we had to jump. Straight beneath us is a collection of pointing, golden platforms; a long, swinging vine and the murky water.
"Come on." huffed Fierce Fox. She grasped my arm again and bent her legs. Her eyes were set on the vine. She bounded off, like an Olympian athlete, grabbing the vine with one hand. Her legs wrapped around the bottom, me dangling on the other side, my fingers grabbing on hers. My fingers were stinging with furious pain and were starting to go red. It was actual torture how hard I was grabbing on; it felt like they were being stabbed. I couldn't take it anymore. Just like with school.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled, letting go, my fingers feeling fine again and the colour flushing back. I fell downwards; right into one of the golden swirled platforms, my eyelids fluttering. A bat saw me coming and started circling the platform. Like a baseball, I zoomed right into the bat. It hit me- rather strongly for such a small creature- sending me flying across the room; I landed smack-bang against the statue, my head hitting the gold.
I rubbed it, expecting to feel aching pain, which of course I didn't. I hesitantly climbed to my feet, feeling totally fine. The shark statue seemed to be on a little island, the fin of the statue right above my head. Suddenly, I heard the patters of the large caterpillar approaching me. I gulped, and felt the hairs on my arms stand straight up.
"You're lucky I have something called tolerance," hissed Fierce Fox, as she leaped off her vine. She landed in the water, and paddled through it. Then she climbed onto one of the wooden platforms, bending her knees. She bounced up and joined me on the tiny rim of the statue. With a gentle push you could easily land in the mucky water; that's how thin it was.
Ready to rescue me, Fierce Fox put her arm around my waist. However, the caterpillar, with its beady eyes and many legs pushed us off as it crawled upwards; we both crash-landed head-first into the water.
Fierce Fox scowled. "Though I don't think I have much left."
After getting past the shark statue, we headed to this cube-shaped area. Two large, stone walls burst from the ground, covering up the spiky and treasure-filled room inside. The only way in is through the top. Fierce Fox and I stood on one of the narrow walls. Directly beneath us is sharp, silver, poking spikes. A floating platform moves back and forth across the space between the walls.
"Down there, with all these dinosaur bones, is a large bone, right in a dino skull. When you get it, you need to go right and jump up all the platforms again." I instructed, pointing down past all the spikes, to a faint outline of a hole at the bottom. Fierce Fox almost looked kind of happy. I'd be happy too if I didn't have to drag a clumsy idiot around.
The Poptropican leaped down, narrowly avoiding the spikes, then down into the darkness where I couldn't see her anymore. She came up a few moments later, went past all the platforms, then rejoined my side. Quick.
"Right, got it. Where next?" Fierce Fox asked, a little brighter this time. I pointed to the moving platform, as it floated to us. She muttered something under her breath and grabbed my arm, like I was having a blood pressure test. We leaped above the ground, flying again, then suddenly falling and our feet gripping onto the platform.
Fierce Fox and I floated across; I tried not to look down. When the platform arrived at the other side, we- well, Fierce Fox- gracefully leaped over to the other wall. We headed on through the little passageway before we came to third room.
Luckily, this room isn't as bad as the others. We were on a little, wide stone pillar and there's a drop just beneath it. The thick, stone walls are carved with drawings of Poptropicans, coconuts and sharks, plus another stone pillar with a golden jug full of green powder at the other end. A little opening is at the end of the room, letting in a pool of sunlight and dust particles; it shows the lack of visitors in the temple.
"Just grab that jug," I instructed, pointing to the jug. "Then hop through the roof. Simple."
"Could be simpler." Fierce Fox said through gritted teeth, glaring at me. I shrugged. She sighed and grabbed my arm, as we leaped down. A little bit of shock from the drop made my heart pound, but I was fine apart from that. We bolted past the carved walls; I subtly glanced at an image of someone feeding a shark a coconut.
Fierce Fox and I arrived at the foot of the pillar. Fierce Fox leaped up, me dragging behind her, picking up the jug on the pillar. Then, above her, was another vine. Strongly gripping it with one arm and her legs, Fierce Fox hauled herself onto the vine. Her other arm was wrapped around my waist, similar to a snake strangling its prey. She crawled up the vine, my arms and legs splaying, and my waist rather uncomfortable.
We arrived under a passageway, leading directly into the town. We popped through a sinkhole of sand, straight bang in front of the trash barrel, which is full of coconuts. I took a few moments to process the new environment; the palm trees and the soft, yellow sand. Mainland... Mainland...
"Right," I said, adjusting to the sunlight, "Come on, this way." This time I was the one to drag Fierce Fox. Well, she sort of followed me, rather than being dragged behind. We bolted past the buildings and the Ancient Ruins again (I got a few chills up my spine) and arrived at Booga Bay. We bumped into a tourist, who has a brown Afro, and stands next to a little, wooden stall.
"Take a spiffy grass skirt. You'll look like a Native Islander!" The man rambunctiously cried. A grass skirt appeared in my hand; the grass rubbed against my fingers. I handed it to Fierce Fox, who accepted it with surprise.
"Now this way. Oh, and you might wanna put that on." I instructed, with a small grin, pointing to the left. Fierce Fox eyed me cautiously, but slipped the skirt on anyway. It looked rather ridiculous, contrasting against her bold, red hair. I tried not to laugh. Or maybe I should've laughed. I hadn't laughed for ages.
Anyway, she followed me back to the Ancient Ruins, where we stood behind the yellow, thick tree trunk. A coconut fell on top of us, sending us flying in different directions; my face landed in the dirt. I got to my feet, feeling perfectly fine again. I still need to get used to that... Fierce Fox stormed over, and we both stood in front of the tree, looking up at the many platforms. I took a deep breath.
"Okay, you'll meet a guy with a blue mask up there. Give him the bone, green powder stuff and the coconut milk. He'll mix it in a potion and give it all to you in a coconut. Then, I want you to meet me by the wooden cannon in Booga Bay. You'll have to swim past some crates to get there." I instructed, eyeing Fierce Fox. She nodded thoughtfully.
"Cool," she answered, relieving me. "But seriously... How do you know all this?"
"Um... I just do. Now go." I answered speedily, hurrying off in a puff of dust before she could ask anymore questions. I arrived back in Booga Bay, which has the soft, yellow sand, and creepy shark statues in the background. I passed the man selling grass skirts and approached a crying, dark-skinned woman, her tears practically forming a waterfall. In front of me is a pool of water, containing bobbing crates, then a little island with a cannon. Okay... I passed the sobbing woman and dipped my foot in the water. It didn't feel cold…
I apprehensively climbed in, every bone in my body shivering. Soon, my waist was in, and I was bobbing like the crates. My arms seemed to automatically paddle the water, so there was no way I could drown. Few. I swam past the floating crates, trying not to smash into them. My legs floated around in the water, as it splashed against my clothes, surprisingly not making them wet. I felt excitement enter my body as I slowly paddled. Was I really doing something on my own?
I gently paddled to the shore, flopping stomach-first onto the sand. I easily got to my feet, then walked straight up to the cannon, and laid a hand on it, causing the wheel to spin. It's made out of dark wood, with a long tube at the front, and a wheel from a pirate ship at the back. A coconut flew out the tube, flying about 10 feet in the air, then landing in the water. A huge, beady-eyed shark came out, and snapped up the coconut. I felt shivers down my spine all over again.
"Gosh..." I muttered, eyeing the island on the other side. I felt a tap on my shoulder; I whipped around, facing Fierce Fox, who was still wearing the skirt.
"Hello. What next?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I patted the cannon, as if it was mine.
"Fire that coconut," I answered, my elbow digging into the wood. Fierce Fox's lips shrunk, but she plopped the coconut in the cannon anyway. She pulled the wheel, which sent the coconut zooming through the sky, like an asteroid. It landed in the water with a splash, and the great shark popped up and snatched up the coconut. The shark turned green and its eyes widened, as if it was disgusted, then it passed out in the water and disappeared.
I grinned, putting my hands on my hips. "Good job! Now, you need to swim across and rescue those guys on the other side. They'll follow you when they see you. Lead them back to that island," I gestured to the island behind us, where I heard the mother wailing. "Then victory is yours."
"Right." scoffed Fierce Fox, doing a somersault in the air, then landing in the water. She speed across like a fish, to the island with the trapped guys. While she did so, I eyed the bitten and crashed ships in the background. It sort of felt like I was practically in Jaws. I bit my lip, shaking my head.
Then I remembered that the island was nearly finished. Great... back to totally-dangerous Earth again. I bowed my head, thinking of Louisa. Will she be there again tomorrow, bullying me like everyone else? The corner of my lip twitched, and most certainly not in a good way. I was more afraid than ever.
Fierce Fox suddenly came back; an old man with a long beard and a young, dark-skinned boy were following her. I waved at her, then all four of us swam across the pool between the middle island and the Mainland. The other two turned out being not much better swimmers than me. At least I'm not alone, I thought.
We docked the Mainland, where the dark-skinned woman threw up her arms and cried tears of joy instead. She congratulated Fierce Fox constantly; the girl grinned proudly.
"Well done, my friend! Take this gold medallion!" The guy with the long beard, Professor Hammerhead, cried, handing Fierce Fox a shiny, gold medallion. I suddenly felt my skin become translucent, and my vision overcome with white.
~THIRD PERSON~
Fierce Fox clutched her medallion proudly, observing all the little details printed in gold. She swung it over her neck, quite ready to show it off to the world. But before she did that she needed to know about Alice. That girl was rather strange, after all.
"Alright Alice, explaining time." Fierce Fox said, turning around. But Alice was gone. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "She's gone again?! Who the heck is she?! How does she always show up when I change islands then leave when I finish them?!" Fierce Fox knew this was a mystery she needed to solve. Soon...