Day Eighteen

They say, those sophisticated know-it-alls with their noses stuck between the pages of the book, wedged into the internal spine and their eyes only inches away from historical, biological and anything knowledge wise, novels – that when a person dies, their life flashes before them, the important parts that made someone themselves. They say that, without any actual scientific, paranormal proof or witnesses, when someone's on their deathbed they see the apparitions of lost loved ones all about them, sitting at their side until it was time for them to move on.

Well, Jade thought that was all a load of bullshit.

Because she could have sworn she was dying right now. And did she see her Grandfather? Aunt?

No.

Death was fascinating in more ways than one to Jade, the vacancy of one's body after they had passed on left people wondering often where they had gone to, or what had happened to it – Heaven and Hell, they would say, but she didn't necessarily believe in that kind of religious habitude or presuppositions; she hadn't stepped foot in a Church Chapel since she was a puerile girl. She was sure now that if she had done just that, they would waste no time, without a moment's hesitation, and deem her shunned by all for the attitude in which she had inhabited toward specific things, the simple way she had dressed and the cruelty qualities she possessed regarding others, like Vega.

Graveyards, she had discovered not long after her Aunt Marie's death, were rather enticing and ravishing as well. The fields of depressing emerald grass and widow trees looming about gray tombstones hovering above those who had been buried beneath the soil just appealed to her in ways that if she had pursued to explain, she might have been put into a Mental Asylum for a severe case of sociopathic tendencies. Her mobilization of deceased butterflies, perched delicately against a obsidian wall and residing upon a wooden slate, was not just "because" and rather instead, because they appealed to her sadistically, and perhaps even defined her in a fashion that words simply could not if one had tried.

Regardless if she wasn't dying, which she realistically certainly was not, Jade didn't surmise that she would mind at all. Being that the deserted island they had now spent eighteen dreadful days upon, pursues to survive going swimmingly for the most part, was exactly like a warrant to death either way; they were all going to die here. Rescue wasn't coming, though if it had she wouldn't dare deny the fact that she would be as ecstatic as her peers and her companions. That was of course, she reminded herself with her head pressed into the pillow, a cold rag upon her forehead and a mound of blankets piled atop of her, if she ever gotten in a better state than she currently was.

With a frustrated, yet simultaneously weak (which, she was evidently not a fan of being), growl she pushed the covers off of herself and ripped the wet cloth off of her head. Outside of the wretched tent she had grown too accustomed to, most unequivocally the longest she had gone inside, shielded from daylight, voices were escalating, disrupting her valuable sleep time, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, as well as put it to a halt. Whatever it was. Her determination was so strong, as if it had been given steroids or perhaps something more, rippling through her like a wild fire, that she was able to stand upright without vulnerably falling back into place. An achievement, she noted, ever since she had been inflicted ill.

"Seriously, what's going on with you two? You're acting really weird lately!" By the annoying – overly – tone of voice, it was no doubt Vega. Her thoughts confirmed true when she burst from her tent and into the blinding sunlight, however, going unnoticed by the surrounding group.

"There's nothing going on with us, Tori." Beck argued back with a roll of his eyes, seeming to have repeated himself several times already. "If there was, we would have told you by now."

"It's just getting really stressful lately, with all this waiting." Cat said from the taller boy's side, her eyes downcast and arms folded over her chest. Jade subconsciously narrowed her eyes, partially out of confusion and suspicion.

"Nah, Tori's right man. You guys aren't right; specially you Lil Red."

"I want to know what's going on! I'm the leader here and your friend, I deserve to know! As selfish as that sounds…But still!" Vega cried agitatedly, throwing skinny arms up in the air with a loud, frustrated groan.

"Okay, this is so freaking ridiculous!" The redhead screeched, silencing the other's as they begun to bicker amongst themselves and in the midst of doing so, catching Jade's utmost attention and praise for the unfamiliar tone of voice – which was admittedly, slightly intimidating. She hadn't known, though the two knew each other like the back of their palms, that so much anger could come from such a tiny girl. "We're fighting over nothing! Beck's done nothing wrong, he's not changing; I AM. People change when stuff like this happens Tori, but really, I didn't change at all. You don't know me. You don't know my story. You don't know a thing about me besides what I give off. So don't you dare say that I'm not acting like myself – because I am! Just please, leave it alone already!"

"Cat wha-?"

"Please. Don't." Grappling her straight, dark crimson hair between her fingers the smaller girl who had just exposed to the group of eight the most anger they had ever seen protrude from her, turned swiftly on her heels and bound away, leaving the rest of the teens rooted within their spots in utmost shock.

"Breakdown number one." Jade commented airily as her hand resided flat against the side of the plane to hold herself steady, mouth barely opening in fear that more than just words would come out. "What the hell was that about?"

"What are you doing out of bed?" Beck inquired with an exasperated expression tarnishing his handsome features, looking worn and thoroughly debilitated. "You're really sick, you should be sleeping – come on"

"Leave it to me, Beck. I'll take care of my little stepsister, won't I?" Said Brent with a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips, though like the others, he wore a look of bewilderment. She scowled as he neared her, rubbing roughly at her eyes with her fist and shaking her head, unable to believe that they would treat her like a little baby all because she had a tiny fever that was evidently, not so tiny the more she had thought about it.

"You've been babying me for three days, I deserve to at least get some fresh air." She snapped with a glare. Her stepbrother returned it just as intimidating, towering over her with his back turned toward the rooted teenagers, lips pressed in a tight thin line and eyebrows narrowed.

"Trust me, let's go."

Jade, slightly willing to lay down again, obliged.

"So, what happened out there, Shepherd?" She questioned sharply, gradually sinking back into the tumulus of comforters gifted to her with an annoyed, and at any rate concurringly senile, huff. A rush – more so, waves – of relief coursed through her veins the moment her bottom had reached the abrade beneath and instantaneously, the nausea wore down a smidgen.

"Beck told me about your plan. About the pair of you gallivanting off together." Brent answered her, back pressed against the curtain wall of the tent. "Cat's involved with it too, apparently. Tori was just getting suspicious because they were acting different."

Unsure of what to reply, partially because she truthfully thought that it was something more and partially because she didn't care now, she leaned back into the comfortable pillows and toyed with a stray string upon the hem of her tank top with finely polished nails. Vega, no doubt, was the one who had started the conflict that her dearest – though not so dear – stepbrother had informed her about, and that in itself almost made Jade laugh out loud. How the Latina managed to do everything wrong was comical and absolutely hysterical, however; how everything worked out in the end for her, was not. Though she was quite certain that this time that would not be the case, and the more that she had thought it, the more she wanted to leave. Whatever lowered Vega's spirit always seemed to heighten hers.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? You've been sick for quite some time." He continued lightly, pressing the back of his palm to her forehead. "You're still a bit warm, but everyone's been worried. 'Specially that boyfriend of yours."

"Yeah, well nobody needs to worry, because all I have is a little fever. People get sick."

"They do yes, but has it ever striked you that it may be something more than a fever, Jade? Think about it with a little bit of tact, yeah? It's been three days, if anything, you would have been fine by now." Brent ran a hand over his face as he spoke, fingers knotting through golden brown and bronze, thick locks of hair.

"What are you trying to say, Shepherd?" She wheezed, unceremoniously coughing immediately afterward – which, though she wouldn't have admitted it aloud, hurt a lot more than she gave it credit for.

"All I'm saying is, that if you're not telling us something Jade," He stood and patted her on the knee, making his way from the small tent, "I would soon."

Oh goodness, this was absolutely, utterly horrible. Sorry about that and for the wait, I've been really sick lately and I found it kind of hard to write…so it's not that great and really short compared to the other ones (writer's block didn't exactly do much help either)

Just wanted to make a quick thank you to all my reviewers! I'm so happy with all the positive feedback, you have no idea (: so, thank you, and I love you all! Haha.

Cat's just full of surprises, isn't she? I'm going to put more detail into Beck and Tori's back-stories as well in the chapters coming up, since I haven't yet for them. I might do Andre, but I'm not so sure about that. Anyway. Hope you liked it anyway and don't forget to leave your comments!

Much love s2