Chapter 2.
Finally, the group ahead of her stopped. She looked around, careful to stay hidden, feeling more apprehensive now than ever before. Deciding it would be futile to remain with her unwitting leaders, she left, silently praying that this time, she would find what she was looking for.
The jungle here was much the same as on the rest of the island, thought the air felt somehow different. It was as if the trees themselves knew of the different conditions in which the habitants of this area lived, compared to those on the other side of the island. It was more …relaxed. These people didn't have to fear a faceless foe, didn't spend every waking minute looking over their shoulders, waiting to be attacked. The air was smug, superior. She could barely breathe.
As she struggled to clear her senses, she noticed a figure move through the trees. Not even aware of what she was doing, she followed. She felt like she was in a dream. The figure, a dark-haired girl, seemed to be searching intently for something, or someone, a feeling Danielle knew too well.
Suddenly, the girl stilled, seemingly sensing that she was being followed. Danielle didn't have time to move, to attempt to hide, before she turned around. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to. She knew, somehow, that the girl standing before her was the one she'd been pursuing for sixteen years.
Alex.
For several long moments, they stared at each other. Gradually, Danielle started to fully appreciate the fact that she was finally living the moment she'd dreamed about for so long. The sense of joy that started to creep in was overwhelming. "Alex…" she breathed, needing to say her name, to break the silence, just to be sure that this moment was real. She moved forward, intending to throw her arms around Alex, to hold her for the first time in so long. Just before she reached her, however, Alex suddenly moved away.
Had there been another person observing this scene, they would have noticed what Danielle could not, so caught up in her own emotions. From the moment she'd seen this stranger, Alex had had the look of person suddenly faced with a potentially life-threatening situation. This woman looked oddly unhinged, and the fact that she knew her name was extremely unsettling. When she saw the woman start to move towards her, she was hit with the urge to run.
Danielle finally seemed to notice the discontent in Alex's eyes. She stopped, looking at the girl sadly, feeling horrible that she had caused that sense of unrest. Most of all, she was devastated that her daughter was afraid of her.
"You don't know who I am." Such sadness in so simple a statement. Danielle noticed a change in Alex's face, almost like she was searching for a fragment of a memory to match with the image in front of her. Alex shook her head, almost imperceptibly. She didn't seem to want to say anything. All of a sudden, Danielle felt so weary. She'd always imagined that Alex would instinctively know who she was for some reason, just as she herself had.
"How do you know my name?" Alex asked, tentatively. Danielle didn't really know how to answer. The words were stuck in her throat. This wasn't how she'd imagined this at all.
"I'm your mother." She answered quietly. She studied Alex's face, determined to see how this news affected her. But there was nothing to see. The girl's face was like a mask, completely devoid of any emotion, impossible to read. They continued to stare at one another.
"You're lying." There was not emotion in the way she said this. But to Danielle, it was like a thousand knives piercing her. The physical pain she felt when she heard those two simple words was unbearable. Again, she made a motion to move towards Alex. She had to make her understand that she was telling her the truth. To make her realise that she had spent every waking moment in the past sixteen years searching for her, that every thought she had was about her, that nothing else mattered except that they were together again.
Her sudden movements seemed to startle the composed expression off Alex's face. She looked slightly scared again. Danielle was glad this time. She wanted her to realise how intense her feelings were. If she could just get her away from this place, somewhere where she could sit down and explain everything to her, she would understand. And then everything would be okay, she could be her mother. They would be together.
Danielle could sense that Alex was going to try to run. She couldn't let that happen. If she left now, she would probably never see her again. She couldn't live with that, not when she'd come so close. When Alex moved, she grabbed at her. "Please, wait." She pleaded with her. It only caused Alex to struggle more. "Let me go! What are you doing?!" She was screaming now. Too loudly. Danielle realised they had to be close to where the Others lived; she couldn't risk them hearing her. She tried to put a hand over her mouth, to try to stifle the noise, all the while keeping a strong grip on Alex's arm. She didn't seem to realise that she was hurting her.
Alex wouldn't stop struggling. She kept trying to get away as Danielle began to drag her back into the jungle. Danielle knew she wouldn't get far if Alex kept this up. Why wouldn't she just listen? Why did she want to get back to them, didn't she realise who they were? She continued trying to subdue her, but nothing was working. Before she noticed what she was doing, she had her rifle out. She hit Alex over the head, hard, knocking her out.
The silence in the jungle now was deafening. Danielle stared at the girl now lying unconscious at her feet. After a moment, she picked her up, and walked off carrying her over her shoulders, intent on getting as far away from there as possible before it got dark.