Sorry it took so long to update. My internet went down, and just got fixed about a half hour ago. Let me know what you guys think of thos chapter!
Throughout dinner, Lisa racked her brain, trying to think of where she'd heard that phrase before. It sounded so familiar, and for some reason she doubted that it was from a guest. The littleun. He doesn't have an accent, so it's not just an inflection- he said it deliberately. Could it be something to do with the Keefes? No, he seems to have forgotten about them. Something from the time he was stalking me? No, most people I talk to would just say 'kid.' She was lost in thought and staring absently at the fire, when suddenly it hit her. Pig on a stick- Lord of the Flies. Oh my God, that's what they call the younger boys in Lord of the Flies. Why the hell would he say that? Unless the irony of an aggressive, militaristic leader named Jack isn't lost on him.
She diverted her attention from the fire and looked to Jackson. He was sitting on a rock, talking to some of the men from the hunting expedition earlier in the day. They were laughing and one man seemed to be reenacting the hunt with his plastic fork. She shuddered at the thought of them killing the pig, not wanting to think about what they'd had to do. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't hungry anymore, and she said goodnight to Rebecca before heading back to the hut. She'd learned from a nap the day before that it was pointless to sleep in another shelter, as Jackson just found her and carried her back to theirs. The thought of that disturbed her. He would have had to carry her across the camp, in front of all those people, with them all looking sympathetically at this poor man whose lover had passed out from exhaustion and worry and now had to be brought home. She hated how they immediately sided with him. He could have her tied to a tree and be beating her with a stick, and their only thoughts would be 'what did she do to make our beloved leader so angry?' She looked through the room for anything he'd been hiding, still hoping there was some kind of communication equipment, but all she found were liquor bottles (some full, some empty) and the watch he'd been wearing on the plane. It had stopped, but she guessed he had some hope of having it repaired. So he does intend to go back home at some point.
She made sure to lie down in the direct center of the bed, positioning herself so she left almost no room for him and hoping he would take the hint, although she knew he probably wouldn't. Wrapping the blankets tightly around herself, Lisa tried to go to sleep. After a long time of lying awake, she did drift off, until she was woken up by a sharp pain in her foot. She yelped and curled her legs in.
"Oh, God, Leese, I didn't realize you were right there. Sorry." Jackson must have stepped on her in the dark, and was kneeling, reaching for her foot. She let him get hold of it, and he gently moved each toe, then bent her foot back and forth, asking if it hurt. There was some pain, but it wasn't broken, so he let her go and went about his nightly routine. He'd found his own luggage, ensuring a clean toothbrush and a reasonably sharp razor, and made sure to take care of himself, telling Lisa that a clean, groomed leader inspired confidence. She doubted this, but didn't start an argument. When he'd finished, he crawled into bed next to her, lifting the arm that had been in the way and nudging her leg to her side of the bed with his knee. Once he'd settled in and wrested some blankets from her, he leaned in, way too close for Lisa's comfort.
"So, what do you say I take you up on our earlier discussion? The one about heirs?" She wanted badly to stab him, or shove him into the cooking fire, but chose a slightly less gory route that would not end in the other survivors ritually sacrificing her.
"I'd love to, Jack, except that I don't want to… you know… do anything with you until we're married. I'm very religious." She actually couldn't remember the last time she'd been to church or even thought about religion, but anything that would keep him away from her for a while worked. After all, no one had given their occupation as 'clergy,' so the likelihood of him being able to change the situation was not high.
"I'll ask around tomorrow, Leese. Someone's bound to at least be one of those internet ministers, and we can get married quickly. Besides, what little girl doesn't want to be an island queen? You'll get to live out a childhood fantasy."
"Since when are you 'king' of the island? I thought your title was just generic 'leader.' Who decided we were having a monarchy?"
"I decided. That's the point of a monarchy, Leese. I make the decisions, and my subjects follow them." Lisa was terrified by how serious he was. He honestly intended to just command everything that went on, and didn't see a problem with that.
"Jackson, you can't do this. Don't you see how wrong this is? You'll end up just hurting everybody, including yourself. Please, please don't. You can be in charge and still let other people help you make decisions. Didn't you learn history? Haven't you seen what happens in dictatorships?" Suddenly his eyes turned icy, and Lisa feared she'd gone too far. She wanted to convince him she was right, and she doubted that having him strangle her would accomplish that. "I…I'm sorry… I didn't mean..." She tried to calm him down, but he shoved her backward, pinning her shoulders to the pillows that served as a mattress.
"Don't, Leese. After all, it really doesn't matter what you say. I am going to do what I want, and there's nothing you can do about it. So why don't you just stay here tomorrow and stay out of trouble while I run this place." He let her go, and she rolled over, lying on her side for a few minutes before angrily standing up and leaving the shelter. She'd made it as far as the common area before he caught up to her, roughly grabbing both her arms and yanking her back towards him.
"Let go of me!" She shrieked it as loud as she could, hoping to wake people up and attract attention. "I don't want to be your wife, and I don't want to have your children, and I don't want to be part of your little 'perfect island community' just let me go!" By now people had heard her, and were starting to come out of their tents to see what was happening outside.
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"Lisa, don't be ridiculous. It's dangerous out there; you can't just go live in the wild." He was acutely aware of the audience that was gathering, and wanted to shut Lisa up and get her back inside before she caused major problems. "Come on, baby, you've just had a little too much to drink." He sighed inwardly, relieved, as people started to look a little more understanding and sympathetic.
"I am not drunk! I am upset, because you are a psychopath!" She tried to kick him, but he avoided the blow and pulled her up against him. He felt her attempting to get away and shifted one hand off her wrist and into her hair, looking romantic for the people gathered around, but actually holding her in place by the back of her head.
"Let's get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning." He turned to the assembled group "Does anyone have aspirin? She's going to have a killer headache tomorrow morning." Somebody ran back to their hut and brought back a bottle of pills, and Jackson thanked them before half-dragging, half-carrying a sobbing Lisa back to their home.
Once they arrived, he threw her down onto their bed, yanking a blanket over her before rummaging through his suitcase. He came back with a necktie and bound her hands to one of the slabs that made up the walls. She looked horrified, and he decided to add to that by leaning over and giving her a goodnight kiss before settling into bed himself. She made a little whimpering noise.
"I didn't want to do this, Leese, but you forced my hand. If you can be a good girl tomorrow, maybe I'll reconsider, and let you help me with the governing. That sound good, sweetheart?" She didn't respond, and he guessed she was just blocking him out at this point.
As he waited for sleep to come, Jackson thought about everything that had happened. There had been some part of him that had gotten quite excited when she'd brought up children earlier, and then marriage tonight. He didn't particularly want to be a husband or a father, but to have someone bound to him like that was appealing. She would be his, officially, and no one could change that. It would be a hell of a lot easier to just get a cat. Probably would scratch me less, too. Ah, well, there are no cats around here, so I'll make do with the girl. His thoughts shifted to her foot. When he'd been checking if it was broken, he'd been astounded by how soft her skin was, even after walking around on the sand. Takes good care of herself. That's a good sign. I could convince her to take care of me. He ran a hand along her side, feeling her moving as she breathed. My Lisa. You'll make a good wife yet.