Ahh! So sorry for not updating in like a month. Got caught up with family issues and didn't really have the time to write. The next update will hopefully be quicker. Reviews might help that quickness. ;) Thanks for your patience.
-Silver and White
TotallyLost: Hope I didn't get you too worried! Haha thanks for the review :)
SupernaturalKnight88: Well, I said they were original characters, didn't I:) Thanks for the review!
Mistrust
Waves crashed onto the smooth, sandy shore, but were only a dull roar to the ears of the survivors. Everyone slept under the beautifully glittering stars on the night sky, like tiny jewels on a velvet black blanket. Off on her own, Emma slept on a blanket, using her jacket as a pillow. The soft breeze wafting from the ocean gently stroked her hair, and to anyone that looked, it would seem like Emma was sleeping peacefully, with sweet dreams. But everyone knows that things aren't always as they appear…
Emma looked up when she heard someone knocking on her bedroom window. Emma smiled when she saw who it was and opened the window. A slender girl, about Emma's age, climbed into the room. Her eyes were a stunning green and her hair was such a dark brown that at first glance, someone might mistake it for black. The girl, Tammy, smiled pleasantly and closed the window once she got in.
"I didn't expect you to come this late," Emma said, giving Tammy a brief "hello" kiss. Tammy shrugged.
"Well you know my family… we're like night owls." Emma laughed and nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you could come. I was bored out of my mind before you got here." Tammy gave her a small smile and then glanced over to Emma's bed. She nodded to the heavy textbook sitting on top of it.
"Biology?" she inquired. Emma heaved a sigh and nodded.
"Ms. Brown is a bitch," Emma stated. "She gives us way too much homework." Tammy laughed.
"That's why I never even bother with it. Besides, if I want to become a writer, biology really isn't necessary. My mom doesn't agree though. I mean, you saw how severely she grounded me last time. You're lucky your dad's always too doped up to care."
"I wouldn't really call it lucky," Emma said grimly. Tammy mentally slapped herself, realizing she'd hit a sore spot.
"Yeah, sorry babe… But hey, make the best out of a bad situation, right?" Smiling a little, Emma nodded. Tammy smiled back and then walked over to Emma and sat beside her. Then she wrapped her arms around Emma and Emma gratefully sank into the warmth and comfort. She lightly closed her eyes, smiling. Emma had always thought it felt so nice to be held by Tammy.
This moment was interrupted, however, when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Emma, dismayed, pulled out of Tammy's grasp and opened the window. Tammy didn't look very happy to go. "Isn't this a night with 'the boys'?" she asked. "He'll probably be so high that he might not even recognize me."
"No," Emma shook her head. "He knows you. Even when he's high, he recognizes you. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Tammy sighed and flung herself to the window.
"You'd think he'd be too messed up to care about this," she said as she climbed out. "I mean, with all the heavy duty he's doing." Emma gave Tammy a semi-rushed kiss and an apologetic look and then Tammy descended down the latter, vanishing into the night. Emma watched her go gloomily and then turned to the door as her father walked in. His eyes were blood-shot and Emma knew he was already doped up on drugs.
"Who the hell was that?" he asked, his speech slightly struggling.
"No one," Emma lied, thinking quickly. "It was getting kinda stuffy in here, I needed some air. So I opened the window."
"Well, close it," her father ordered, rubbing his forehead roughly. Emma did as she was told. "My buddies are here tonight. So you know the drill. Stay up here in your room and you can come back down in the morning." Emma nodded but then realized she had to pee. Badly.
"Yeah, but um… I need to use the bathroom first." To emphasize her urgency, she crossed her legs. Her dad laughed.
"Alright, but hurry. Can't keep them waiting too long." She nodded quickly, but before she went out she turned to him with a somewhat cautious approach.
"Hey… I know you've talked about quitting. And if you really want to, I know a variety of groups that would help you. The guidance councilor at school told us all about them."
"Hey, hey, hey!" her dad said suddenly. Emma stopped speaking and looked up at him, again cautiously. She didn't want to make him feel forced into it, that wouldn't help at all. But she still wanted him to find help. "Now, I know we've talked about this Emma, but I will find help on my own. You haven't been telling anyone about this, have you?"
Emma thought of Tammy, but she shook her head. "No."
"Good," he replied. He sighed and looked her in the eyes one last time before leaving her bedroom. She did the same, heading for the bathroom. As she began to close the door to it, her father turned to her abruptedly. "Oh," he said, somewhat sternly, "by the way, you aren't still hanging around with that dyke anymore, are you?"
Emma's mind flamed and her eyes flashed with anger in defense for her girlfriend, but her dad didn't notice. "No," Emma lied, trying not to let the anger slip into her voice. Her dad nodded.
"Good."
Emma slowly opened her eyes. She blinked slowly, confusion swamping her half-asleep mind. Then the confusion slowly subsided and she sat up, remembering where she was. She yawned and sat up, letting the moonlight swamp her vision. Tiredly shaking her head, she wondered why her memories appeared in her dreams. And most of all, she wondered why she dreamt of that particular memory.
Blinking some more, she stared ahead, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the night. She yawned again and gently bent down to scoop a handful of cool sand. It slipped past her fingers gracefully, softly falling back onto the ground. It was a calm, peaceful night. So when there was a scream from the jungle, it was even more startling than one might expect.
Emma's head snapped in the direction of the jungle, her eyes growing hard and wary with fearful instinct. At first, she sat frozen where she was, too afraid to move. But when she saw Amelia and Collin rush into the jungle, she hurriedly stood up and chased after them, kicking up sand as she ran.
Amelia, who heard someone behind them, stopped and glanced back. "Stay there!" she ordered. Emma skidded to a halt, slightly shocked because Amelia's words were forceful and she hadn't expected them. Amelia then ran after Collin into the jungle. When they reached the source of the scream, it was too late. Cliff and Giles came up to them, panting from exhaustion.
"Giles!" Collin cried. "Where have you been!"
"Got held up," Giles breathed shortly. "They came when I found Todd. They said they weren't going to hurt us but then they were trying to kidnap us."
"Wait, Giles, who's they?" Amelia demanded, baffled by what was happening.
"There are other people on the island, Amelia," Cliff answered while Giles caught his breath. "They were here before us. And they're hostile. They just took Beth and Mathew. Beth was the one that screamed." Before anyone could say anymore, Amelia suddenly reached behind her and pulled out a gun. She didn't aim it at anyone, but the way everyone reacted, one would think she'd shot someone.
They stared at her in shock and disbelief. "Where did they go?" Amelia demanded, her voice as cold as ice.
"Where did you get that gun, Amelia?" Collin asked slowly, staring at the gun with wide eyes. Amelia grew angry with the fact that he was inquiring about the gun at a time when people had been abducted, but when she glanced back at him and saw Emma standing behind him, she froze.
Emma wasn't looking at Amelia like the others were. She didn't seem startled or afraid. In fact, she was looking at Amelia almost curiously and with a regarding look. Amelia stared at her for a moment. Then she said, "I told you to stay where you were." Emma held her gaze for a few more seconds before turning and walking back onto the beach.
"Amelia, where did you-"
"Where did they fucking go?" Amelia shouted, cutting off Collin. Giles pointed straight ahead.
"They went that way as far as we could see, but I doubt we'll be able to catch them-"
"We can try," Amelia interrupted. "And we can find out who the hell these other people are." Then she stopped and frowned. "Wait, where's Todd?" Cliff and Giles glanced at one another and then gestured down to the ground. On the ground, Todd lied unconscious with a bloody, swollen wound on his head.
"What do you mean they have skills?" Amelia cried with frustration as the group of survivors ran through the jungle.
"Exactly what I said," Giles replied. "These people have some fucking skills! They're fast, they're sneaky, they're strong, and goddamn it they're smart!"
"And from what I've heard and seen, they out number us," Cliff added. "Are you sure Todd will be okay? Maybe we shouldn't have left him alone on the beach."
"He'll be fine," Amelia said passively. "They all went this way. Besides, they wouldn't want him anyway."
"So now let's get back to talking about that gun," Collin said as they ran, glaring at Amelia. She glared back.
"Why? Want one?"
"Oh, would you stop with that? Be bloody serious for once!"
"If you were half as serious as you want me to be," Amelia retorted, "then you might work on the task at hand instead of worrying about this gun. I mean, I haven't aimed it at any of you, have I?"
"That doesn't give you the right to own it," Collin growled. "Not to mention, keep it a secret from the rest of us."
"Just shut up, alright!" Amelia shouted. "You'll get over it! We can discuss the gun later." Collin scowled but then faced forward and ran faster. Amelia slowed a bit and glanced back. "Hurry up, Kid! If you get left behind, they might take you too."
Emma sighed, and despite her aching muscles, she pushed forward and ran faster. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire. She wasn't used to running like this, but she knew the situation was urgent, so she pressed onward and did her best. When she was close enough to the group, Amelia turned back around. Emma stayed at the back, occupied in her own memories…
Emma yawned as Ms. Brown rambled on about what seemed like nothing. Sighing with boredom, Emma put her head on her desk. The kid in front of her, Mike, passed a note back to her. It almost made Emma laugh at how old school passing notes was. She opened the note and smiled with mild amusement. The note said, "Hoe," in big bold letters.
Mike and Emma were friends but they had an odd friendship, in the way that they would constantly call each other names. Emma wrote, "Skank," on the note and then passed it back to Mike. After Mike read it, he turned around and mouthed, "So?" Emma had to force herself not to laugh.
Then two men in suits walked in the classroom and a hush fell upon the students. They whispered some words into Ms. Brown's ear and she nodded and pointed to Emma. Emma's face went pale and Mike sent her a confused look. She shrugged back and stood up to follow the men. Her classmates began murmuring and a few of the annoying students made a long "oooh sound", like a first-grader would.
When Emma was in the hall, finally alone with the two men, one of the men said, "Emma, you're going to need to come to the station with us. Your father's in some trouble. Drug-related." Emma's face went pale. She numbly followed the men as they escorted her to the cop car.
"Is he going to be okay?" Emma asked them as they drove toward the station.
"I don't think so, Emma," one of the cops answered. "I'm sorry." When they finally reached the police station, Emma was defeated in her thoughts. She was sure that she was going to tell the police everything. She knew it was betrayal, but what else could she do? As she was walking down the hall, however, she saw her father, and when she saw her too, everything was turned upside down.
"Don't tell them anything, Emma!" her father cried, rage in his red face. "You better not tell them a single thing! You know why your mother left us? It was because of you! She didn't want to raise you! Don't make me leave you too!" The police hurriedly tried to escort him away, but he struggled against their grasp. "Don't you say a word, Emma! Don't you say a goddamn word!"
Emma stood there, unable to tune out his words. She was shaking, torn with indecision. When the police finally took him away and escorted her into a room for questioning, her mind was made up. She sat across from the other men and barely even glanced at them.
"So you know about your father's drugs, right Emma?" one of the men said. Emma was silent. "You must know some of the people he 'worked' with then, right?" Still, Emma didn't say a word. "Emma, you know he's done some bad things while under the influence, don't you?"
When Emma was persistent in her silence, the man finally gave an angry sigh, growing impatient. "Emma, he can't hurt you. All the things he said back there… they aren't true. Come on, talk with us." Emma lifted her eyes slightly but said nothing. Finally, defeated, he gestured for the other man to bring someone in. Emma's heart fluttered and her eyes brightened when she saw Tammy walk in.
Tammy sat herself across from Emma and Emma straightened in her own seat, becoming fully alert. "Emma, I saw them come this morning," Tammy choked, practically in tears. "I missed the bus, and I saw them come a few minutes after you left. I saw them arrest your dad." Emma stared, feeling helpless. When Emma said nothing, Tammy grew both confused and concerned.
"She isn't saying anything," the man told Tammy. Tammy leaned over the table, taking Emma's hand.
"Emma, baby, talk to me," she pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears. "If you don't make a statement for yourself, they'll put you in foster care. And I can't-" Tammy broke off, finding it too painful. "And I don't want to lose you… Tell them everything they want to know. Tell them you can stay here with me."
Emma's heart was reaching out for Tammy, and her mind was a conflicting mess. A part of her wanted to tell them everything and to run into Tammy's arms. Another part was telling her to keep quiet. Nothing could happen if she was silent. When Emma still said nothing, Tammy let the tears roll freely down her cheeks. The men eventually escorted her out. It was the last time Emma ever saw Tammy…
Emma looked up as the group came to a halt. "Shh," Amelia hushed the others. "Do you hear that?" The others listened and then nodded when they heard something moving a few yards ahead of them. Amelia silently gestured for Cliff and Collin to follow. Giles and Emma stood there in silence.
Giles glanced back at Emma and wondered if he should say something but realized that she wouldn't answer to anything so he didn't say anything to her. Instead, he spoke to himself. "Why does this island gotta be so fuckin' weird? I mean, come on now, being stranded is enough."
As he continued to rant, Emma thought she heard something behind her. She glanced back, saw nothing and then ignored the suspicion. Giles finally sighed and looked in the direction that Amelia, Cliff, and Collin had run in. "Shit, I need some action," Giles continued, quite unaware of the horror what was happening behind him. "I wanna fight these island people too. Man, if I had that gun-"
Giles was cut off by Emma's muffled scream. He whirled around to see some stranger dragging Emma away. Emma was resisting desperately, but the man dragging her, overpowered her. Giles sprang after them and once he reached them, he punched the man square in the face. The man fell back in surprise and Emma flung herself away from him. She stood and turned, watching helplessly as the two men tackled each other on the ground.
Giles, who realized he had enough action already, matched the other man's strength so it was a fair and interesting fight. As the fight carried on however, Giles began to fear for his safety because the fight grew increasingly ugly. Then Amelia, Cliff, and Collin came rushing to the rescue. Giles watched as they ran toward him and the other man and he thought how funny it looked to see the trio working together like that. It was as if they were super heroes from a cartoon.
As soon as Amelia reached them, she lifted the gun and pointed it at the other man's chest. Collin quickly and boldly pushed the gun down and stepped in front of Amelia. "Are you insane?" he cried. The man seemed baffled by these turn of events and Giles seized the opportunity to pin him down. When Giles looked back up, he realized that the "cartoon" wasn't very cartoon-like anymore.
"He's one of the people that kidnapped Beth and Mathew!" Amelia screamed in Collin's face. "He now just tried to kidnap Emma! It'll serve him right if he's shot!"
"We could question him, Amelia!" Collin yelled back. "You overreact too much! We could use him to get answers about this island of hell!" Amelia glared into his eyes and he glared back. Then Amelia glanced down at the man and reluctantly gave in.
"Fine," she said simply. "But if he escapes, you will be the one to pay." Collin just scowled at her as she walked away from him, not intimidated by her threat but knowing that he should be. Amelia stepped closer to Giles and the other man and looked down curiously. Then she looked back up at Giles. "Ever knock a man unconscious?"
Giles grinned at the rather funny memory of him making his brother black out and nodded. He grabbed a broken branch that looked an awful lot like a club and whacked the man straight down on the head. The man's head bobbed slightly and then dropped, falling unconscious. Amelia smiled, somewhat pleased. Then she turned to the rest of the group.
"Let's bring him back to the beach," she instructed.
"But what about the stream we found?" Cliff questioned. "Shouldn't we bring him there? We should begin to live there now."
"Only one problem," Amelia replied. "Hillbilly's still on the beach." It dawned on the group that Todd was indeed lying unconscious on the beach, where they left him. They all started heading back, Giles and Collin carrying the man. Cliff glanced back at Emma. She seemed troubled.
Then again, Cliff thought, she was just almost kidnapped. "Are you alright," he asked her. She looked up and when she saw him, she nodded. Amelia stopped and looked back at Emma as well.
When Emma didn't move, Amelia, in a slightly soft voice, said, "Come on, Kid." Emma looked over at Amelia and something in Emma's eyes told Amelia that she was glad Amelia was kind of looking after her. Emma trotted over and walked a little ahead of Amelia. As the group carried on, Amelia stared at the unconscious man being carried, wondering what the hell kind of island they were on.
Reviewing is nice! ... :)
-Silver and White