Hi everyone. First I'd like to thank all the new reviewers. Thank you, it's always a pleasure to read the readers' comment.

Then, I need to apologize for the delay of update. I hate it when authors explain why it took them ages to update, but strangely, I feel the need to tell you why it took me 3 weeks to update this chapter!

First of all, I bought a mare and of course I spent half of my time preparing her arrival and then taking care of her. Second, my best friend at work is leaving and I spent the other half of my time preparing her farewell party. Third, I had a cold and my brain was just numb for 4 days and the only thing I wanted to do was to sleep! Fourth, chapter 62 was so long that I needed to cut it in two parts. I'm so sorry for those of you who hoped you'd find the truth about Alex in this chapter, because you'll have to wait for that! Don't hate me!

You're gonna say "It's only excuses", and you'd be right! I have no excuse for abandoning you so long! Fortunately, from now on, I should be able to update every week like before!

Here is chapter 62. Enjoy it!


Reconciliation

The cold drops from the rain slowly awoke Skye and Alexandra. They both groaned as they tried to sit up, glued in the mud. Their fall had been cushioned by a thick bed of mud located at the bottom of the hole. Acting like a mattress, it had allowed them to not break any bones. Alexandra stood up and checked her body, mimicked by Skye.

"You're alright?" She asked Skye once she was sure she had no injuries.

"Yeah… Unbelievably alright," she answered, bewildered.

"We're stuck," Alexandra grumbled.

"Maybe we can climb," Skye started, approaching the wall. "We have to try…"

"No, it's too risky," Alexandra stopped her.

"Why? It's our only way out!"

"Because the walls are too flat and friable. We can climb... Half way may be, and then we'll be stuck in the middle. Either we would manage to get back down, or we'd fall down and break our necks."

Skye seemed to ponder about Alexandra's statement, staring at the walls. She eventually groaned when she realized she was right. There was no way they could climb to the top. A shiver travelled throughout her body and Skye realized that it was not the fear of being stuck in this hole which was making her shiver but the low temperature of the cavity.

"They'll come for us," Skye stated.

"They? Who are they?" Alexandra asked, her lips trembling slightly from the cold.

"Commander Taylor, Sheriff Shannon, Lieutenant Keagan… Lucas… Josh."

"How are they gonna know we're here, huh? They don't even know we are together! More the less OTG. Are you even still talking to Josh?"

"My mum has surely found out I was not home. I'm sure she's gonna tell them," Skye insisted, avoiding Alexandra's question.

The roaring noise of a thunder stopped their conversation.

"What the hell was that?" Alexandra asked aloud, looking up from where they had fallen.

"The storm," Skye winced.

"What storm?" Alexandra inquired, her head still up to the sky.

"Malcolm said a storm was coming. I completely forgot."

"How could you forget such a tiny detail?" Alexandra asked sarcastically.

"I was supposed to go home! What about you? Taylor told everybody this morning."

"Obviously, I was not there," she replied, irritated. "How bad?"

"What?"

"How bad, the storm?"

"Like, a big one. Violent one," Skye sighed, suddenly really worried. "Taylor asked us to stay at home…"

Alexandra let escape a chuckle of stress. Fate seemed to plague her, it was almost laughable.

"Why are you smiling?" Skye asked, confused.

"I was just wondering how many times life can hit you down and how many times you can stood up to defeat it. We've been quite lucky so far."

"At least, we're safe from the slashers here," Skye chuckled awkwardly. Suddenly, the rain started to get thicker, as to prove them that they were not safe. The storm seemed to approach fast on them. "We are gonna die drawn in a hole by the pouring rain. Or even worse, buried alive in the mud," Skye suddenly stated, her voice croaked in fear. "You're right, nobody is gonna find us here. What a stupid death," she cursed herself.

"No, we are not," Alexandra said, her eyes still locked on the entrance of the hole.

"How can you be so sure?" Skye asked, staring at her. For the first time, Alexandra glanced back at Skye, a smile spreading on her face.

"Because I'm not supposed to die that way. Today is not the day we die," she said firmly, deeply serious. Only once she had felt lost and even then, fate had decided to let her live. It was not in her nature to give up, to bow or go down without a fight, even if sometimes it had seemed insurmountable. Alexandra was not afraid. She had been close to death before and survival seemed to be like a second nature for her. Skye had no idea why Alexandra seemed so sure of herself, but it reassured her more than she could tell.

While the girls were thinking about how to get out of this situation alive, Lucas and Josh were driving with difficulty through the jungle.

"Are you gay?" Lucas questioned Josh, irritated.

"No!" He denied vigorously.

"Then stop staring at me like that Shannon," Lucas warned him. "It's disconcerting."

"You should go left, they're not in that direction," Josh pointed out, his eyes analyzing the map that was in front of him.

"I know where they are. It's quicker that way."

"It must be very annoying to know everything all the time," Josh stated sarcastically.

"I'm used to it."

Josh rolled his eyes at his answer and moved his eyes back on the Plex where Alexandra's tracker was lightning.

"I don't know the place where we are heading."

"It's Salt Lake."

"A lake? But they're in the middle of it!"

"Relax boy, it's dry at this period of the year."

"What do you think they're doing there?"

"I'm a genius, not a psychic. Do you see the difference?"

"What's the point in the middle of it?" Josh continued, not paying attention to Lucas' last remark.

"It's an island."

"They are next to it. The light has not moved since we're gone… With this pouring rain why aren't they on it instead of next to it?"

"We'll find out soon," Lucas replied seriously. He knew how to get there, but also knew that with the storm coming, it would take more time to drive there. The path was very muddy and driving the rhino started to become very difficult.

"I really hope Skye is with her… I hope she's fine."

"I'm sure she is."

"Fine?"

"With Alex."

"You're so sure to know her perfectly, it's creepy…" Josh mumbled, obviously annoyed.

"You're more stupid than I thought if you think I want to be with her," Lucas stopped him straight, knowing perfectly what Josh was implying. "Nothing is gonna ever happen with her."

"Not good enough for you?" Josh guessed, irritated that Lucas did not say how smart and pretty Skye was.

"What's wrong with you? You should be happy she's not my kind"

"So what, she's not clever enough for such a brilliant scientist like you?" Josh replied, upset.

"She's not Alex," Lucas answered simply, as if it was evident.

"Oh," was the only word that came out of Josh's mouth. He felt quite stupid now. His obsession with Skye was driving him mad, he really should do something about it. He had become jealous and possessive even if they were not a couple. He had crossed the line few days before at Boylan's, when he had punched a guy for having talked nastily about Skye. But with Lucas, it was different. Lucas was the devil Josh couldn't stop hating. Lucas was the only one that was closer than him with Skye, and it was really frustrating for Josh.

"Look, I respect Skye's feelings and that's the only reason why I haven't fed you to the dinosaurs yet. Don't push your luck too far. I'm not known for being patient." The assassin look Lucas gave Josh stopped him from responding.

"What should I do?" Josh dared to ask after a moment of silence.

"Are you really asking me for advice, Shannon?" Lucas asked him in disbelief, arching his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I know. It sounds a little bit too desperate."

"Harass her."

"Is that working for you with Alex?" Josh asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not at all," Lucas smiled mischievously, obviously thinking about something in particular.

"When I asked for an advice, I was asking for one which works," Josh chuckled.

"Aaaah okay, sorry. I didn't know that," Lucas grinned. "In which field can I help you?"

"I don't know. You spent a lot of time with Skye. And even if I still don't understand what she sees in you that's worth it, you seem to comprehend her more than me."

"Do you love her?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Stop being selfish, Shannon. Love has nothing to do with selfishness. Trust me on that, I've been there. If you love her, go. If you don't, just get out! She won't wait for you forever."

"I'm a failure," Josh stated. "I really messed up with her."

"You're not a failure, you've never tried anything. Consider yourself a failure, it would be bragging about something you're not."

"You really know how to comfort someone," Josh commented sarcastically.

"You can thank my father for that," Lucas grinned broadly.

"She apologized during weeks after we broke up and I punished her. I wanted her to pay. I avoided her. I tried to talk to her recently but she refused it. And now, I'm the only one who's suffering."

"Kid, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try, just do it."

"I'm not sure anymore. What if she doesn't want me?"

"You're not going to quit, are you?"

"The thought has never crossed my mind."

"Good, 'cause I don't want Skye to be hurt," Lucas said very seriously. "If you hurt my sister, I'll have to break you into pieces."

Back in the hole, Skye and Alexandra had started talking. Actually, it was more Skye trying to make Alexandra talk about herself and her feelings for Lucas. It was annoying Alexandra a lot and she was struggling to keep calm. Skye was trying to defend Lucas and explain why Alexandra shouldn't be angry with him after what had happened, the kiss, the lies, every bad thing he had done. She was swearing that Lucas had nothing to do with it.

"Skye, do we have to talk about this, now?" Alexandra inquired, her lips blue from the cold, her face pale and her hair drenched from the rain, glued to her face.

"Look, Alex, I just want to make peace, okay? I want you to make peace with him," a shaking Skye affirmed. Skye was frozen with her clothes soaked. Her curly hair were all straight from the thick rain.

Alexandra sighed loudly and looked straight into Skye's eyes, ready to silence her, by force if necessary. Her gaze softened when she saw Skye's gentle gaze. She realized Skye meant every single word she had said. Why was it so hard to fight with someone who cared so much about Lucas?

"Listen, Skye. You should have not kissed him and he surely should have not kissed you, but I've forgiven both of you and forgotten what happened, okay? It was a year ago, I'm not that revengeful. I don't blame you anymore, none of you."

"Then now you know there was nothing more than a big mistake from my part, not even Lucas' part. Why don't you want to go back with Lucas?" Skye replied, her lips almost violet from the cool air that had installed.

"I have my own reasons."

"Which are?"

"Private."

"You two are made for each other!" Skye argued.

"Skye, you'll see that experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again," Alexandra mocked. "I won't make this mistake again."

"You have to be together."

"Honestly Skye, I haven't seen him for a year, do you really think we are going to get back together just like that? Aren't you mature enough to see it can't work?"

"I know true love doesn't fade because of one year's separation. I know true love survives everything. True love remains the same," Skye tried to convince Alexandra.

"Yeah, well maybe it's not true love and that's why it didn't work and it's not going to."

"I'm sure you still love him!"

"That's none of your business!"

"He loves you!"

Skye was ready to insist until Alexandra broke down. She would not let her go until she had told her why she was acting like someone else. Alexandra was known for her kindness and her frankness. Since she was back, she was different. Of course, Skye knew a lot of things had happened, but she was sure there was something else. Skye needed to know what her reasons were, what she had in mind.

"I'm not listening to you," she answered, shaking her head from side to side.

"But he does! He does love you! You have to understand it!"

"I don't want to know!" Alexandra shouted violently.

"Why?" Skye yelled angrily.

"Because, I don't want to care!" She yelled back without thinking. Skye stayed speechless at Alexandra's answer. What did she mean?

"You don't want to be hurt, is that what you mean?"

"Stop interpreting my words. Since the beginning you always misunderstood me. You always misunderstood my intentions. First with Josh, then Taylor, and finally with Lucas. You think you know me, but you don't. Stop digging!"

"You're wrong Alex. It's not because I made mistakes, because I'm younger or because you think I'm immature, that I can't understand what you're going through or who you are."

"If I'm so easy to read, what am I thinking right now?"

"You're wishing I was somewhere else. You're wishing I would stop asking for the truth. But I'm here, stuck with you and I'm not gonna let you go until you tell me the truth."

"Being stuck with me doesn't mean you have to talk to me," Alexandra replied like a sulking child. "This discussion is over."

"Fine," Skye added in the same tone. "I take that part," she gestured, delimitating her area.

"Whatever," Alexandra groaned, going to the other part of the hole. She had to find a solution to get out of here. First, the rain had transformed the muddy hole in a pond and soon they would have to swim if they wanted to stay alive. Second, she didn't want to speak with Skye anymore. Like Lucas, she was digging and digging again in her life, trying to find what her secrets were, and she didn't like it. Why people couldn't take care of their own lives?

While the girls were pouting, stuck in their muddy hole, it was the boys turn to be stuck in a muddy place. The rhino was bugged down and Lucas couldn't manage to move it anymore.

"We have to walk from now on," Lucas explained to Josh, getting out of the rover.

"It's half an hour away! And with this rain, it's gonna take ages! Are you sure we can't push the rhino?"

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. We can't push the car, we're stuck," Lucas stated with annoyance. "If we walk quickly enough, without wasting time talking, we should be there in less than an hour," Lucas said firmly.

"Okay," Josh replied, grabbing the plex and his coat.

"Let's go."

Their silhouettes disappeared in an instant, swallowed by the dark and wild jungle.


Not far from their girls, aren't they?! Let's just hope they'll find them in time. Fate seems to plague them lately.