*Note; if you had read the beginning of this chapter the last time I posted it, find where it ended and read the stuff I added to it. Sorry for the confusion, if any.

Day Twenty

Brent Markus Shepherd, originally born in Melbourne Australia and former resident of Wales, was still, after countless hours, shocked about the entire ordeal that had happened the previous night. He had hidden his surprise fairly well from the others, not quite blending in with the crowd of eight and instead, just there; no one had came up to him and questioned him on his opinion about what was happening, and he could say he was fairly pleased with that. In fact, he would have preferred to be left alone from the frantic Tori Vega and her so-called-supporters, so he could make his own decision himself, without being pestered and convinced to stay behind while his stepsister, her boyfriend, and the girl he was in love with ventured off without a single clue of where they were going or what they were doing.

A sleepless night was the unsought results of his contemplating, and he had found himself sitting rooted in the same spot several meters away from the campsite by the time the sun had peeked from the moon and a light orange glow colored the sky. Rather tired and restless he was forlorn and unwilling; unwilling to move, and unwilling for the others to gallivant off as they had said they would. He had known by simply glancing in Jade's direction that she was not feeling any better than she had told them the night beforehand, and leaving now was just, to be quite rounded, not a great idea on her part.

Several things, he discovered, would culminate from this plan of theirs; having it well-thought out was by no means an exception if they had thought so. With no actual knowledge of what laid out before them, within the depths of the forest that could very well be a warrant to death upon stepping a foot out of the boundary they had made, whether they knew it or not. They would have to have experience and they would have to become one with their surroundings – which evidently meant, they had to be familiar with the thicket already. Twenty days deserted upon an island, especially that they had resided on the beach, wasn't in their favor when it came down to venturing off on their own. And he, though with little experience himself, figured he would at least be some help on their part.

Whether he was willing to go or not, Brent had made the ultimate decision that he should go along with them anyway. Staying here, without his stepsister or ultimately Cat, was something he didn't think he could handle for so long – and, he didn't even know if they would last out there for so long.

Perhaps he was going just because she was, and because he had felt it as his duty to protect her and love her even though the feelings might not have been returned (he hoped they were, before it really was too late). Or, perhaps he was just going because he had felt as if they didn't need him at this campsite anymore; with three males staying behind, that left Beck to take care of two females and if he had tagged along, the score would be even. Four stay behind, while the other four leave. It was only even, more so fair.

Or maybe, it was all of the above that made him decide on what he was going to do.

Gathering himself from his reclined state, muscles sore and stretching as he hauled himself upward and out of the position he had been in for so long, and wasted no time in hurrying to the tent that he had shared with Cat. Everyone else, something he was rather grateful for at the moment, was still fast asleep, as if resting for the long day that they knew would lay before them. After last night's ordeal the gang had separated from each other in pairs, and others, like Tori, by themselves – like being away from each other was going to solve the problem at hand, since words and pleading hadn't done the trick. Beside Beck and Jade, he didn't think anybody else talked to one another before heading off to bed.

Upon entering the familiar and well-made hut (improved only slightly since they had landed on the island), Brent stopped short, bidding sure that he wasn't to wake up the five foot girl curled up beneath the blankets inside. He, unable to help himself, allowed emerald eyes to glaze over the tiny figure, to the straight, clean and long dark brown hair, which he had to say, he preferred over the magenta that had washed away a few nights ago, but either way looked fantastic on her, to her smooth face, neck and the perfect curve of her b–

Whoa. Bad situation.

Stirring in his spot at the uncomfortable shift in his trousers, Brent tip-toed around her petite physique, all the while grabbing strung out items of his that were scattered upon the floor as he made his way to his bag at the other side and focusing completely on his task. It was a quick trek to reach his pack and, not hesitating the slightest, he tugged down the zipper and began to stuff his belongings and valuables into it; sets of clothes, cologne, and toothbrush, comb and pocket knife. If they were going to leave earlier that morning like they had claimed, it was best that he was packed and ready to go so they could leave on schedule without a moments delay on his part.

"Mmph…Brent?" Came a groggy, tired voice from behind him, and almost instantly his stomach jumped at the harmonizing sound. Lowering his bag to the floor quietly, he twisted his torso to glance over his shoulder, emerald eyes meeting those of Cat's foggy, squinted chocolate brown – she looked exhausted.

"Yeah, that's me. Go back to sleep, no one else is awake yet." He told her with a gentle smile, resisting the urge to remove the flurry of messy caliginous, sorrel hair that had fallen into her eyes. The bed-head was hot on her, he decided.

"What are you doing then, silly?" Cat asked, lips slightly tugging upward in a tiny grin as she rubbed her eyes with her palms. Makeup was still just slightly coated around the rims of the eyelids, which he had only assumed was because she had failed to wipe it off before falling asleep the night beforehand, and he wasn't quite used to seeing such little makeup on her. Nevertheless, she looked just as gorgeous as she always did.

"Just getting a few of my things packed for later. I've decided to tag along – if you guys don't mind." Brent explained with a sigh, turning around as to fall upon his arse beside her, knees separated and elbows resting upon them.

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"D'you remember what I told you the day that we found the waterhole? When we were looking for it, that is." He suddenly asked, crooked smile displaying upon handsome features, unable to stop himself from doing so and purely out of instinct.

"Of course." She pushed herself from her lying position, cozy in her pajamas, and leaned against his shoulder tiredly; she was so light, he didn't even have to clench his calf muscles to keep himself upright. "You told me you were going to keep me happy and smiling as much as you could, without me taking my medicine."

"Right; which means," He paused, tilting his head down at her to look her in the eye, his finger hooked beneath her chin, "I have to keep my promise and come along anyway. How can I keep you happy, if I'm not even there?"

All she reciprocated was a small, tired giggle, and soon, she was dormant in his lap.

…

Three Years Ago, December 24;

Wales, England - 11:40 pm.

The night of Christmas Eve, only twenty to midnight, was going rather recklessly for the group of severely intoxicated, underage 16 year olds; but, if asked, they'd most likely say it was coming along quite swimmingly. The group of four had gathered together at the eventful Christmas bash, seated in a speeding vehicle on the freeway, were so drunk that if they had been pulled over and asked for their names, it was likely they couldn't tell the officer the correct one. Brent was amongst them, leaning into the seat behind the drivers, a can of beer clutched tightly within his palms. The sour alcohol was sloshing lightly from the sides as he rocked, bubbling and fizzing – but, with a sloppy, crooked smirk, his dysfunctional focus couldn't seem to care at all.

He, although the soberest of them all (not by much, he would admit), had climbed into the back of the car thinking nothing of the dangers. All of his thoughts at the time he had left the riot of a party, were focused on having a good time with the mates and maybe, wherever Matthew Conover was planning on driving them, finding a one nighter or just a girl to lock lips and make out with – possibly even get a little more than that in his benefit.

During the previous party he and his small group of friends had attended, he could confidently say was one of the best he had been too all season. As a teenage boy, drinking, sex and having fun were all in his mind – he hadn't had such a wonderful home life either, living only with his father, and alcoholism was really all he knew so, he had to start from somewhere. It wasn't his first time getting drunk, but not even an hour into the diversion he could have sworn that he was shitfaced. Mind you, Brent was a fantastically polite young man; a gentleman, but, things like this often happen right? And so, he drank.

And drank.

And as they say; the rest was history.

"Now, now ther' mate. Mind yer speed why don'tcha" Trevor McMann, a burly muscled male to his right, insinuated drunkenly at the driver, Matthew Conover.

"Yeah, yous might 'it a bunny rabbit!" Brent hiccupped, nudging his friend roughly with his free arm and a broad smile on his face.

The rest of his drunken comrades, for some unexplainable reason, found this so incredibly funny that they had erupted in choruses of laughter, even Matt, who had directed his attention from the road for what had seemed like minutes to twist his torso round to glare at the pair of them. The steering wheel swerved as it was released and the car took the order to go to the left, plummeting right into the lane to their side and unintentionally colliding with another car going in the opposite direction. The bumper hit the passenger's side, and if upon contact their own vehicle twisted and spin, completely flipping over. Unable to correctly keep count, his head bashing numerously into the seat in front of him, Brent found himself upright and dizzy moments later, his drink knocked straight out of his hand and blood gushing painfully from his forehead.

He looked round him, panting and out of breath, as if in a daze, an unbreakable trance and state of shock. He unclipped the buckle with shaking hands, perception blurry and out of focus, and pushed himself from the automobile, stumbling upon the cement road beneath his sneakers. Everything had seemed to go silent in exception to a furious buzzing and ringing within his ears – God, his ears! – and the commotion about him was a frenzy he couldn't keep track off.

Beside Matthew, in the passenger's seat, Aaron McMann, Trevor's scrawny twin brother, had flown directly through the front window shield, only to promptly land upon the roof of the car in a bloody spillage; face and body ligaments mangled beyond recognition. His other friends, who had not yet managed to make it out of the car, he dared not to look at in fear that they had ended up just the same as the rest. Instead, quite foolishly on his part, he allowed for his frightened and terrified gaze to linger upon the car that Matt had hit, finding it much more difficult to breath once his eyes had caught sight of a woman half dangling from her window, unmoving…

And the small boy, looking no older than 9 years old, several feet away from the vehicles landing spot.

In pure panic and pure guilt, Brent clamped a hand over his mouth with tear filled eyes and did the one and only thing that he could think of.

He ran.

Once again, for what had seemed like the umpteenth time, Jade had woken up to a monstrous headache that could send the devil himself to ruins. She pulled her head groggily from Beck's bare, tan chest and ran a hand over her face – her skin, she had realized upon her palm finding her forehead, was searing hot; her body temperature couldn't have been normal, she decided. In fact, this entire time she had fallen ill, it had been rising like a skyscraper and she could have sworn that if it was a contest for who's temperature was the most feverish, she would undoubtedly win hands down. That alone was probably one of the stupidest assumptions she had ever made; and with that concluded, there was absolutely no doubt that she must have been really sick. Because obviously, Jadelyn August West did not do stupid.

That was the Vega sister's jobs, after all, and though she might have seemed like it, she was no theft like Vega Junior. She didn't go around kissing other people's boyfriends, snatching all the leads in the plays away from her all because she had Sikowitz wrapped around a scrawny tan finger. And if she could get away with murder, why she–

But that was beside the point.

She was still sick, and that, friend, was the point the entire time. Even after four days of pure agony – not the good kind, she might add – and the disgusting symptoms of the fever, she hadn't gotten an ounce better, and if it weren't for her own free will she would have gone back to sleep the moment she say up and felt her stomach twist and drop to the ground beneath her like a large obsidian bowling ball. Nausea, she concluded, sucked everything unholy, and if it were a living thing, she didn't think she would hesitate when it came down to a pair of those bronze scissors Beck had gifted her, in her hands. And, in case she forgotten to mention, being it was that time of month (which meant the other girls must have been on theirs too), cramps aided nausea in the heinous suck-age. Of course everything would go wrong with her, right? It was just her luck.

With a growl, uncaring if she had woken Beck up or not, she pushed to her feet and stumbled from the tent they had shared, keen on getting a small bottle of water and possibly even a shore in before the trio left the other five that morning – which was evidently, the only thing that crossed her mind that lightened her mood even the slightest. Jade paused upon catching sight of Robbie standing near the cooler, mass of curly hair disheveled and glasses askew. He was surely doing the same thing that she was doing, except, she couldn't care about him either way.

"Move aside, Shapiro. I want me some water." She snapped at the scrawny geek as she drew near, voice hoarse and to her utter disappointment, not as threatening as she may have interpreted. Either way, the ventriloquist stepped away, seeming frightened and startled.

"Oh – uh, hi, Jade. What are you doing up?"

"What are you?" She retaliated quickly, snatching a water bottle from the cooler before closing its lid to lean upon, light headed to the extent where she had found it quite difficult to stand on her own without the support. She exposed this casually though, thanking her phenomenal (or so what Beck had called it) acting skills, to keep her vulnerability thoroughly hidden from the boy who she was used to seeing his hand shoved up a whatever Rex was, twenty-four/seven.

"Trina woke me up to get her some water so…here I am! Getting her some, err, water." He explained with a nervous chuckle, indicating to the bottle within his shaking hands. She smirked at him, pierced eyebrow raised.

"So, you and the untalented loser, huh? You guys are a thing now?" She asked him monotonously and uninterestedly.

"Yeah, she loved me after all! And she's not untalented, you should see her do karate! She can kick –"

"Oh , wait" She stood from her leaning position, bottle of water clutching between each palm as she turned her back from the gaunt male. "I really don't care!"

Triumphantly smirking at the boy's spluttered words some feet behind her, Jade continued on her way to the showers, grabbing one of the hanging towels from the tree branches and draping it over her shoulder. Particularly, she wasn't quite fond of showering in the woods, – although Beck had made it private enough – but at least it was something, and she wouldn't look as if she hadn't showered since the last stone age occurred every, aching day longer they stayed on this wretched island. Her father had always scolded and lectured her to be grateful for what she had, and it wasn't like she wasn't (to some things, anyway), but regardless she had found in her early teenage years, that with everything good something bad came, and how then, could she be in any way grateful?

Sure, she had a roof over her head, food, water, showers, education, and an inadequately awesome performing arts school that would quite possibly lead her to fame and fortune, friends, Beck.

Although that was, for the most part, back in California, was it not? What did she have here besides her friends, Beck, shower, water and food? All of that she should be grateful for, yes, but what else was there? The dead, rotting and beginning to smell body of the pilot within the cockpit far off from their campsite they hadn't moved?

Yeah, not likely.

By the time she had finished with her shower, in which she had made sure to take an extra long time albeit the water supply was somewhat limited, the seven others were awake and about from their tents, looking solemn and forlorn. She couldn't help but smirk as she walked into the clearing, sand sticking to her combat boots and running her fingers through her light brown, soaked tendrils of hair to unknot it out. With now black rimmed eyes (she, along with the others, hadn't failed to put on makeup every so often to look at least a bit presentable) and clean clothes, she approached a groggy and exhausted guising Beck and rested her elbow upon one of his bare shoulders, partially because she herself was rather spent, and needed something to lean on.

"Ready and packed, babe?" She asked him, lips forming the words beside his earlobe, as the others were eating in silence not far off. Cat had headed off to the shower just as she had arrived back at the shore, and at first, Jade backtracked – her red velvet hair dye had washed out it seemed, and it was rather odd seeing Cat Valentine with brown hair, especially since she hadn't seen it like that since she was in seventh grade, or somewhere around that nature; she wasn't keeping track of that.

"I packed last night, with you, remember?" He offered her a small sad grin, but his eyes lingered upon the rest of his friends as they ate their usual breakfast foods. "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy." Jade lied through her teeth, drawing away from him as he reached to press the back of his palm to her forehead to feel her temperature. She scowled at his motives, slapping his hand away as he hadn't drawn it back yet. Lying was her best bet in this situation, if she wanted to get a move on and leave already – they quicker they went, the quicker they would, hopefully, find the civilization they were thriving for, and the quicker that they got off this calamitous island.

"Are you sure? You kind of look pale."

"So you think that I'm lying now? Is that it?" She retaliated sharply, both eyebrows raising skeptically at her bewildered boyfriend of just over two years.

"Dude, I-"

"Hey guys, who's taking two packs?" Vega asked suddenly, appearing as if out of nowhere with a banana within her palms. She looked as if she was in some sort of state and just rolled out of bed, after wrestling Trina – more horrible than normal. Jade followed her gaze, just as equally confused, to a boyish pack residing beside Cat's polka-dotted one. Basing off of its appearance, it looked as if it was filled to the brim with necessities.

"Um, no one is." Brent called from beside Andre. All gazes snapped toward him, but his own eyes remained focused upon his shoes. "That one is mine."

"What! You're going with them too?" The half-Latina shrieked indigently, looking absolutely devastated.

"Yeah; I decided someone needs to look after Cat if Beck's looking after Jade. Besides, it would be equal now – four stay behind, four leave, wouldn't it?" He answered with a shrug, emerald eyes finally casting over to Jade, who smirked felicitously.

"Cool, another tag-along. Good choice, Shepherd; it's going to be much better out there than it's going to be here." She commented with a light cough, deeply exhaling as her stomach lurched. "No rules, no leaders. Just every man and woman for themselves."

"But," said Beck, "we are going to be sticking together just in case. Y'know?"

"Why is everyone leaving? I mean, aren't we all better as a group?" Asked Trina as she held her baby sister in her arms, who had collapsed only moments before in a fit of unexpected, or maybe even possibly fake, tears.

"They explained it last night, Tri." Cat mumbled as she entered the clearing from the forest, fully dressed and ready to go and her eyes downcast, as if she was purposely avoiding everyone else's stares. Jade's icy gray eyes loitered upon the small, now brunette, girl, glaring daggers at her; it was always a way for them to meet each other's gazes – she would glare, and the latter would instinctively look up. Apparently now, was not the case.

"Alright guys, let's get a move on." Jade huffed, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. The rest followed her actions precisely after she had ordered them too, and the atmosphere had suddenly gone tense and rigid, the oppressive air looming about them. Everyone exchanged their hugs with one another, yet she had only nodded at them. Cat and Tori were each hugging each other for dear life, crying into their shoulders softly – something she did not, not expect from them. "We're going to be traveling west along the shore, and we'll probably make camp somewhere inside the forest later on today." She explained dryly, waiting for the two girls to be finished.

"We'll see you guys later," Brent said as he took Cat's hand, and the quad of them began walking off into the opposite direction, he treading backwards to continue speaking. "but if we don't then…we'll see you soon."

It was the scorching hot and flavescent sun, dangling maliciously over the once-deserted island that was repugnantly disadvantageous to the trekking four; contrasting harsh from the hot beige sand and bouncing from the bright emerald branches of the palm trees from the forest line. The quad was, exhausted and already thirsty an hour in, lingering near the tide-line, shoes packed away and barefoot – ankle deep – to bask in the chilling sensation that the ocean was gradually providing them with. The air was no longer oppressive, but still; not a single gust of wind breezed by, and the heat was brutal.

Beck could positively say, with a raspy voice and a sweat mottled brow, that this was by far, ten times worse than then RV incident a month (or so) ago. Several times was he tempted (all times just almost giving in) to pour his water bottle over his own head, or waver further into the water, which admittedly was considerably close to being completely ice cold. His feet and ankles were stinging and numb, but not once had he deliberated walking on land again – the feeling was far too good to give up on, and he was grateful for the source of coolness given.

His comrades were not fairing any better than he; they were, like he was, wading ankle deep within the ocean's salty basin, slouched at the shoulders and packs weighing them down, slowing their pace. Jade was the only one whom had flanked him, unsurprising of course, all things considered, and was looking no better than she had the last few days. He was forced, in order to sty by her side, to fall behind Cat and Brent so she could move at a reasonable pace. From one look at her, Beck could accurately tell that she was still ill (pale, drooping eyes, looking a bit green in the face, congestion) and had lied to him earlier, but for arguments sakes, he kept his mouth shut from saying so and instead, kept a watchful eye upon her.

Suddenly, the idea of leaving the other four behind at the campsite seemed like a better plan when said, rather done. Of course he knew the consequences of taking off; the struggles and obstacles that all four of them would have to face, but he hadn't thought much about the heat. To be quite honest, he was expecting humidity and maybe even a couple rainstorms here and there – but, mother nature apparently had a way of surprising them.

"Maybe we should move under the shade, guys." Beck called to the two walking in front of he and Jade and both stopped and turned around at his suggestion. He subconsciously snaked an arm around Jade's waist, who heavily leaned beneath his shoulder as if she was a dead weight.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, but I thought you wanted to stay one night at the beach before going in?" Said Brent, wiping at his damp brow with a bare, tattooed forearm. Cat took the time to pull her hair into a sloppy bun, fringe falling around her face as she wrapped a hair tie around her now, naturally brown hair (which admittedly, he was still getting used too). "Besides, where would we set up camp out there; by the looks of it, there's no clearing in sight."

"We have time on our hands to find some, smartass." Jade sneered, taking a large swig of her water bottle. "We've been walking for a freaking hour."

"Do you think that we should have stayed back with the others?" Cat squeaked worriedly, large brown eyes wide as she glanced between the trio of them, hesitation in her words and an uncommon frown tugging at the corners of her lips.

"'Rina, if you want to go back with them, no one's stopping you." The Gothic girl snapped from his side, pinching the bridge of her nose with her index finger and the pad of her thumb. As suspected, the small brunette said nothing in turn, and instead focused upon the chipping silver nail polish coating her fingernails.

"I s'pose its unanimous then; we should start heading into the forest." Brent tousled his sweat mottled bronze, spiky hair with his hand, turning his torso to face the trees.

No hesitation was given when they begun to walk again, in exception to putting their shoes back on and washing their feet from the grains of sand clinging to their sopping wet skin. Beck wasn't sure that the pine looming overhead was going to do much for the shade, regardless if most of them, as well as pillars of bamboo, were grouped together or not. Cracks of the sun still seeped through the large emerald branches and leaves in rays of scattered light, ricocheting off of the deep crimson and brown bark of the timber. He hadn't spent so much time in the forest when he was back at camp; he left the searching for fruit and water to the others when it came down to it – like Tori had given him, he was the handyman. He provided them with a shower, and was recently teaching Andre and Robbie, hopelessly, how to fish with a sharpened stock of wood.

It was needless to say that the snapping twigs and sticks beneath his boots and the mass of bugs, was rather foreign to him and Jade, unlike his two comrades up ahead, who whisked through the topiary like it was their second nature. They seemed to be moving at a fairly quicker pace since they had at the shore, still exhausted and sweltering in the igneous atmosphere, but all the same he found himself missing the freezing crystalline liquid against his ankles, the splashing of the boisterous waves and the sand between his toes.

Another, dreadful hour had passed and by now, they were so deep into the forest that he had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to find his way back to the beach if he wanted too. The heat, by now, was evening out as the sky darkened to late afternoon and the temperature dropped to a considerable, reasonable amount that each and every single one of them were able to deal with, and though practically drenched with sweat, Beck could honestly say that this was favoring to be much better than sitting around and doing nothing. Brent and he were marking their tracks, making sure that they were not treading in circles, and they were traveling uphill in search for the civilization, or some sort of it, they had craved.

So far, all they found was a feather that looked like it had come from a chicken. And well, that was a start, right?

"Guys…let's, let's take a break for a minute." Jade huffed and panted, voice superiorly lacking it's sharp edge and tone like usual, and instead sounding weak and vulnerable, and tired.

"You alright, babe?" He asked curiously, turning her in his arms so she was facing him; her eyelids were heavily drooping and she appeared to have been striving to keep her head held high. Passively, he pressed his palm to her forehead to check her temperature, something that admittedly, he should have done a long time ago. She was burning up. "Jesus, Jade, your temperature is skyrocket-"

She collapsed in his arms.

So, after a little bit of thinking, I decided to just add the end of it on this chapter because it turns out that my plans for the next chapter would be kind of ruined if I added something else, and I didn't want to post a short chapter. So, there's the rest of Day Twenty.

The next chapter's going to have a twist in it…any guesses? You might not get it, but I'm curious as to what you guys will think…Only way to let me know is too review (or PM if you want)!

Oh, and special thanks to kikudog6 and ImRightHere13! And to all my other reviewers, I love you(: s2