Maybeck POV

I stared down at Charlene, all clean and asleep on the sand. I clenched sand in my fist angrily, baring my teeth. "That...bastard," I whispered, picturing the beast in my head. "If you're not dead, trust me, you will be."

Charlene hummed for a second in her sleep, turning to her other side. Her hand fell on top of mine, and I instantly tensed up. I stared down at her pale hand resting on top of my dark one. My hand was double the size of hers. Her fingers were slim and dainty, and mine were tough and scratchy. Her hands felt like silk compared to my sandpaper. I slowly slid my hand out from under hers and laid it in my lap with a sigh.

I looked at my feet, then back at Charlene's sleeping face. "Don't worry," I whispered to her, knowing she couldn't hear. Images ran past my head, of finding her under the snow in Antarctica, of watching her falling out of the plane, out of nearly being eaten today. I growled under my breath. So many times she almost died in my presence. "I'll protect you."

I looked down at my broken leg and poked at it. I winced then turned back to Charlene.

"Do me a favor, though?" I smiled just the slightest bit. "Keep on protecting me too."

Philby POV

I stumbled across the beach, falling to my knees in front of the water. I leaned back and laid down, water lapping at my bare feet. The sand muffled the footsteps, but I could still hear someone approach me and sit down.

"Hey," Willa grinned.

"Hey," I mumbled, exhausted. Jess and Charlene laid asleep a while away, all bandaged up, and Maybeck was sitting next to them, stubbornly crossing his arms and not letting me look at his wounds. I'm sure the whole endeavor didn't help his broken leg either. Amanda laid with Jess, and Finn wouldn't leave her side.

"Hey, Philby?" Willa whispered, and I grunted. "Are...are you scared?"

I glanced up at her, tucking my hands behind my head. "Ah..."

"Of the monster?"

I sighed. "Duh."

Willa sighed as well, looking out at the sunset over the ocean. "What if it comes back?"

"It's probably as good as dead by now."

"Yeah," Willa licked her lips and pulled her knees to her chest. After a pause, she continued. "What if there are more?"

"What do you think this is, Wills, Island of the Monsters?"

"I don't know..." Willa trailed off, obviously hurt by my comment. I sat up quickly, feeling bad.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired...and scared..."

"I know," Willa said in barely a whisper. She leaned her head on my shoulder, her eyes not leaving the sunset. "We all are."

I nodded, following her gaze to out beyond the horizon. It was such a beautiful view for such a damned island. I remembered Maybeck's realization that he shared with me, that the world continues on no matter what's happening to us. Today was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. But today was still such a terrible day, another day of starving, dying with heat, gut-wrenching fear, and now that beast. I sighed, and Willa looked up at me. "Maybe there are more," I whispered, and Willa tensed up.

"I hope not."

"Well, I know I can't sleep," I muttered, bowing my head and running my fingers through my hair.

"We'll...get back, right?"

I looked down at Willa. "Of course. We'll get back to Disney, get the fob, cross back over, and put this whole fiasco behind us."

"Jess, Charlene, and Maybeck almost died today, Philby," Willa's voice cracked. She was about to cry again, I could tell. "And if they had, then we would have been next."

"We have a lot of death-defying moments back in Disney World," I said. It wasn't the most comforting thing in the world, but still. It made a point.

"And I'm always terrified," Willa sniffed. "I mean, I have such a great family with you guys, and I know you all will be here to protect me, but...well...there's just too many close calls! Too many times where I was afraid to lose a brother or sister or..." she looked up at me and her voice caught. "I don't know. You guys won't always be there for me. And I may not always be there for you."

I wrapped my arm tighter around her shoulder and bowed my head, not sure how to respond to all this without crying.

Willa continued. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Philby. I love all of you so much, so so so much, but it's getting to be too much to handle. I've never been the world's most athletic girl, and here I am fighting for my life night after night! I've never been the smartest, yet here I am needing a college-level intellect to save lives! I've never been brave, or capable of anything truly amazing. Being a Keeper is so much stress, Philby."

"I know," I tried to say more, but my breath hitched. Oh god, don't cry!

"I can't handle it anymore. If I see Maybeck risk his life one more time for all of us I think I may just drop dead. And Jess is nearly driven insane from her dreams. She can see the future, Philby! Imagine how TERRIBLE it is! Eventually...eventually she can see how we die. How SHE would die. She's just a kid. Imagine how...awful it would be. Awful is the understatement of a lifetime! And Charlene? She's a scaredy cat! I hate to say that about my best friend, but she is. Imagine how she felt, hanging on that beast today! Or falling out of the airplane! SHE FELL OUT OF A PLANE, PHILBY!"

Willa had started screaming. "Wills..."

"No! NO, PHILBY! And Amanda! Oh my gosh, she watched her sister fall from a plane, then nearly get eaten. And she was unarmed! Imagine how USELESS she felt! And she loves Finn, Philby. She really really loves Finn. She goes through all this pain to protect the boy she loves the most just because he happens to be the leader of a group of kids that RISK DEATH EVERY NIGHT! And that doesn't turn her away!"

"Willa, I know," I whimpered, covering my face with my hands. My body started to shake. I felt a tears slip through my fingers.

"I can't do this anymore, Philby! I just can't!" Willa crumbled to the ground and curled into a ball, a sobbing mess. I stayed sitting up, covering my face and shaking.

"Please, Willa...stop..."

"It's only a matter of time before one of us dies, Philby," she whispered. "And I'm scared. I'm-"

I cut her off, grabbing her wrist and yanking her to a sitting position. She stared at my tear-stained face in surprise. I pulled her into a hug, mostly to hide to my face as I sobbed, and for comfort. I hugged her for completely selfish reasons. I wanted to be comforted. I wanted her to stop. She grabbed me and pulled my in tighter, crying loudly.

"I'm quitting, Phil," she whispered into my ear. "Once we get back. I'm quitting the Kingdom Keepers."

It's short but I like it. Please review if you want me to keep writing!