Blue-Rose-Soul: Yeah, it's so horrible when stuff like that happens to people. Thank you for reviewing. :)
TotallyLost: Thank you very much! I have also, unfortunately, come across stories where all the characters are pretty much the same. And you'll see later on (probably in the next chapter) whether she's still pregnant or not. Again, thank you. :)
-Silver and White
Patience
"Come on, Kid, you're slackin'," Amelia called back.
"You could go a bit easier on her," Collin said. Amelia scowled at him.
"Look. She doesn't seem to mind, so if I were you, I'd just shut it and mind my own damn business." Collin stepped forward. He wasn't going to give in to her anger so easily.
"Her name is Emma."
"And I call her Kid."
"She doesn't like it."
"She doesn't care."
"Stop it, both of you," Cliff said wearily, getting to his feet. "Collin, it's just a nickname, nothing more. And Amelia… stop picking fights with Collin." Cliff sat again. Collin grumbled but stalked off. Amelia, however, stared at Cliff.
When Collin had left, Amelia said, "It's interesting how you say you're not a leader and yet you act like you're in charge here." Cliff shrugged.
"I've noticed that you take charge quite a bit here too. I'm just trying to make peace."
"Oh, not you too," Amelia grumbled.
"Sorry," Cliff said with a smile.
"Yo, Amelia!" Giles announced from behind. Amelia turned to Giles and smiled both slyly and pleasantly, if there is such a combination. Giles was one of the few people on the island that Amelia didn't mind. "I know you're all tough and all and you don't need to hear this, but I want you to try and be careful out there, okay?"
"Of course," Amelia answered with a grin. Giles turned to Cliff.
"And you too, Cliff. Watch your back." Cliff nodded, giving Giles a friendly smile.
"Alright, cool," Giles said, satisfied. "Cause, you know, I don't want anyone coming back dead or some shit like that. My poor, fucked up mind can't handle nothin' like that."
"Yes, do be careful," Beth said, coming from behind Giles. Young Mathew was behind her.
"Don't worry about us," Amelia said. "You need to worry about yourselves. Who knows, you may end up in more danger than us." Giles and Beth glanced at one another. Amelia's words were not comforting. But then again, she wasn't trying to comfort them, she was trying to warn them. Collin abruptedly walked up with Emma trailing along behind him.
"We should go now," Collin said. Cliff nodded. Amelia stared and then turned to go. Collin found himself glowering as he followed her into the jungle, Cliff and Emma close behind. They walked for quite some time, and in silence. Cliff was the one who finally stopped and spoke.
"We should split up here. What shall our groups be?"
"I'll be with anyone, as long as it's not big and bad Collin, here," Amelia said at once. Collin shook his head at her childish remark. Amelia caught the gesture and said, "Look, buddy, it's not my fault you think you're too cool for school."
"Me? Listen to you, with all your sarcastic remarks!"
"Enough," Cliff said, not angrily but firmly. "Amelia, who do you want to go with?"
"I'll take Emma," Amelia replied coolly. "At least she won't talk like she knows everything all the time. Not like you," she said, suddenly glaring at Collin. Amelia turned her heel and began to walk off and Emma uncertainly followed her. After a few moments, Collin turned to Cliff.
"How can you be so kind to her," he asked. "You always talk to her with kindness and patience, but she never gives it back." Cliff shrugged.
"I guess after a while, you get used to being patient with people." Collin sighed and shrugged, and then continued on their journey. Cliff watched him go for a moment before slowly following. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere…
"Cliff!" Cliff turned to see a young woman, in her early twenties, approach with a delighted smile on her face. He looked delighted too, though there was something in his eyes that wasn't quite the same as the woman's own eyes. They hugged as they finally reached each other.
"It's good to see you, Alyssa," he nodded.
"Oh, Cliff, it feels like a year has gone by since the last time I saw you."
"Alyssa, it's only been a week," Cliff chuckled. Alyssa looked down, suddenly embarrassed.
"Yes, but if felt so much longer than that…Because I wasn't with you." Cliff's smile faltered noticeably. Then Cliff's watch beeped. He lifted it to his face and then looked quickly back at Alyssa.
"Alyssa, I do apologize, but I must see to a patient," he said hurriedly. "I'll see you later." He began to rush away and Alyssa seemed to grow a bit frantic.
"When will I see you again?" she cried.
"Soon," Cliff called back. He paused, slowed his steps… but then he shook his head and continued on. When he reached his office, his patient, Stanley, was already waiting on him.
"You're late," Stanley said with an odd twitch of his head.
"I'm so sorry, Stanley, I got held up," Cliff apologized, shaking Stanley's hand, which also twitched for a moment or two.
"I think my wife might be leaving me," Stanley said solemnly.
"Well, you've said that many times before, Stanley, so-"
"Fuck! Wh-whop!"
"Let's go through the reasons why you think she's leaving you this time," Cliff finished calmly.
"I'm sure of it, Doctor," Stanley said quietly. "She said so herself that she was thinking about it. She can't take the Tourette's anymore. She tried to- AH!- understand… but in the end, she was embarrassed of me. And I just turned to another one of those weird guys." Cliff's eyes held sympathy.
"You're not weird, Stanley. Let's talk about it in my office, shall we?" The two of them walked in the room.
Meanwhile, Amelia looked up to see a grassy hill in front of them. It was beautiful and green. It kind of made Amelia want to puke. She glanced behind her to make sure Emma was still there, which she was. Amelia sighed and found, surprisingly, that she was becoming a little annoyed at Emma's silence.
"You know, I never realized that you can be driven to insanity just as easily with silence as you can with noise," she called back to Emma. Emma blinked gently and stared up at Amelia. Amelia sighed in a rushed manner, defeated. "Whatever. Let's just-"
Amelia was cut off by a loud, low rumble. Emma's eyes widened and she began to tremble. Amelia grew frightened as well, though she did her best not to show it. "What the hell was that?" she asked, hardly expecting an answer. Emma, too terrified even to shrug, merely stood frozen. "Let's get out of here."
They turned to go back, when there was suddenly a loud crash in front of them, and earth flew up nearly ten feet into the air. Amelia jumped back and Emma, panicked, ran the opposite direction. Amelia looked back to see her running over the hill. She chased after her and began to notice that the earth was beginning to quake.
"Kid!" Amelia cried. Emma was running blindly, the whole situation causing her to lose all sense of thought. But when the trees before her suddenly began to sway and shake and she heard a loud, mechanical roar, she froze in terror. The earth seemed to shake beneath her feet and it appeared as though something enormous was coming through the trees, and toward them. Emma screamed, which almost scared Amelia. She'd never heard more than a small whimper from the girl.
Amelia ran straight up to Emma and covered Emma's mouth with her hand. It seemed to shut her up. They both watched in wide-eyed horror as something fifty times their height moved through the jungle. Then, gradually, the noise died down and the trees began to stop swaying. Amelia and Emma just stood there; the only sound daring to escape them was their own heartbeats. Then Amelia began to back away, dragging Emma with her.
When it was apparent that whatever they had just encountered wasn't coming back, at least not for a while, Amelia slowly lifted her hand from Emma's mouth and stopped moving. "Ready to go back to the beach?" she asked. Emma nodded frantically and the two of them fled to the one place they felt was safe.
Collin stopped in his tracks. He listened. He laughed with joy. Cliff, trailing close behind, looked up. Collin glanced back at him, a wide grin on his face. "Listen," he said. Cliff stopped and listened. His eyes grew bright.
"Water," he stated. Collin's reply was a delighted laugh and he dashed forward, toward the sound. Cliff grinned and ran to the sound as well. Soon, the two men had reached a wide stream. Collin dived down and scooped up the fresh water with his hands, bringing it to his dry lips. Cliff stood in the middle of the stream, laughing as the cool, smooth water rushed past his legs.
Finally, Collin sat back, resting. He let out a satisfied breath and then looked over at Cliff. "Perhaps we're not as unfortunate as I thought," he said. Cliff shrugged.
"I'm sure some stroke of luck would have come our way at some point."
Collin looked at him incredulously and scoffed before saying, "We're on a bloody island, man. We're stranded on a bloody island and we're probably not getting rescued because caught we crashed miles off course! And you expected a 'stroke of luck'?" Cliff nodded, grinning slightly. Collin shook his head in amazement and looked away. "Patience really is in your nature." Cliff looked away, his eyes suddenly remorseful…
Alyssa sat, feeling awkward and willing herself to make conversation. Cliff merely waited patiently. At last, Alyssa said, "So, Dr. Walden, how have you been?" Cliff smiled pleasantly.
"I've been alright, Alyssa. And you?"
"I… I've been… well enough." By her tone, Cliff knew that she wasn't even close to being well.
"Why don't you tell me about your week?" he suggested, casually letting her do most of the talking.
"Well… there's nothing much to tell really. I was at my sister's house for most of the time."
"Visiting?" Cliff asked, knowing full well that her sister had been taking care of her. Alyssa nodded slowly, lying. "And how was that?" Alyssa's eyes drifted downward.
"Well, for the most part it was okay… but one day I stopped…
"Stopped taking your antidepressants?" Cliff offered kindly.
"I don't like taking them," Alyssa cried suddenly. "I don't need them."
"Of course you don't Alyssa. It is simply recommended that you take them. Just to help you out a little." Alyssa nodded, though her eyes were solemn and bitter. When the session finally ended, Cliff walked over to open the door for Alyssa. "I'll see you next week, Alyssa."
But Alyssa didn't move. She stood in front of him, gazing into his eyes with both love and a fearful, hidden doubt. "Alyssa, what are you-" She cut him off with a kiss. When she didn't pull away, Cliff pushed her away, not aggressively but firmly. "Alyssa, I don't… We're not…"
Alyssa nodded and quickly looked down, trying to hide the oncoming tears. "I… I'll just… I'll have them assign someone else to me." Cliff looked down on Alyssa both curiously and sympathetically. He blocked her exit.
"Alyssa, just because we can't be together in a relationship, it doesn't mean I can't still be your psychiatrist." Alyssa raised her eyes to his. Her eyes were hurt and miserable, but there was hope now too, for she wouldn't completely lose him. Cliff gave her a soft smile. "I'll see you next week." Alyssa nodded and left, leaving Cliff to stand there, shaking his head in disbelief…
"I reckon we should get back to the beach, yeah?" Collin said suddenly, rousing Cliff.
"Sure, if you're done here," Cliff shrugged. Collin nodded.
"We found what we were looking for."
"Well, not exactly," Cliff reminded him. "Our goal was supposed to be to find other people." Collin scoffed.
"Fat chance that'll happen. Come on, let's go." Cliff glanced back at the stream, wondering where the hell this island was and why it was so strange. Then he chased after Collin, who had already begun heading back to the beach.
Reviews would be lovely... :)
-Silver and White