Chapter 2

AN: Hello everyone. Listen I'm really sorry about the switching of the P.O.V last chapter, I was incredibly tired when writing in and I must have not even realized I had changed the P.O.V. I promise that I'll be keeping it from Troy's point of view, it was a mistake, and when I have time I'll go back and change the last chapter to be in the same P.O.V and re-post it. Again, I'm really sorry, that was a rookie mistake.

Anyway, here's the next chapter of the story!

"Again? Really Troy you're going back again?" Chad said angrily as he paced back and forth around the room. A cool breeze was coming in through the open balcony doors, cooling the threesome down as they sat in Taylor and Chad's room. It was a sunny day in Hawaii, with birds chirping outside and people laughing on the beach as they frolicked in the sand.

"I just need some more research."

"That's crap Troy and you know it!" Chad yelled. Taylor swiftly got up from her seat on the bed and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm his shaking body. Chad calmed slightly, turning to look at his love, before turning back to glare at me. "What aren't you telling us man? I mean, we used to be tight. In these last couple of days, it's as if there's a whole other person inside of you."

"Nothing has changed Chad." I defended. "I just wanted to get a chance to look at the island again. There were some areas that I haven't yet gotten to cover, and I needed to make sure that it's completely safe before I phone up my father and tell him that I want to start the development process."

"Excuses" Chad exclaimed. "That's all you have been saying lately, excuses! You said the exactly same thing yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Do you really take us to be stupid? Who know that you finished your business degree early because you were smart, but seriously man, Tay and I have brains as well. We can tell when somebody is trying to twist his way out of telling the truth" he said before softening his expression, and taking a seat across from Troy on the padded couches in the corner of the room. "You know we're just worried about you."

"It's true Troy." Taylor added. "You've been going every day for the last week. We only have one more week on this island, at least Chad and I do, and we feel upset that we have barely seen you at all this entire trip, even though this was supposed to be a time when the three of us would hang out. Like old times."

I sighed, running a hand through my brown hair. It was true, after I had met that mysterious woman on the island, I had made it a priority to head back to the island daily, in case there was a chance I would get to spot her again. However, luck wasn't on my side, and even though I remained in the same place every day, I never again got a chance to see the raven-haired beauty that had caught my interest.

Unfortunately, I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else again until I got to see her again.

It was a strange feeling I was experiencing. Never before had a single individual had such an impact on me. It's not that I was a flirt, a man who had countless flings and then never wanted to deal with the people I had been involved with ever again. I wasn't heartless, but I hadn't yet found the person that I knew would capture my heart, and that I was truly in love with.

I hadn't yet found my forever.

"I'm really sorry that I haven't been spending any time with you guys." I said honestly. "I promise I'll try to make it up to you. Unfortunately, I do have some unfinished business on the island, and I have to go back. I promise you guys, though; this is the last day that I'll be going to the island, at least for the remainder of your time here in Hawaii. I'll even make sure to come home early today, just there and back. Then we'll go surfing this afternoon, followed by a nice dinner at the most expensive restaurant on the island. Deal?" I asked, holding my hand out to Chad.

"You better take us to a place that serves all you can eat food" Chad replied, bumping fists with me.

"I'll try."

The trip to the Island took a little longer than planned, due to the fact that Taylor and Chad insisted that I drop them off at the main shopping area on the island before heading over to my boat. Finally, after waiting an hour for the couple to finally emerge from their hotel room, I was able to head over to the marina and get on a boat, getting to the island around mid-morning. The day was already heating up, though being on the ocean meant there was a strong wind cooling me down as I headed across the island.

Soon after I stepped on land, and secured the boat to a tree, I headed back into the forest. This time, I was determined to see the mysterious 'Ella' once again.

After about an hour, the temperature on the island had risen significantly. Finally succumbing to the heat, I slipped my t-shirt off, leaving me in just my shorts. The wind seemed to have stopped, or perhaps it didn't reach that far into the woods. I took a long sip from my canteen, realizing that I didn't have that much water left.

"Shit" I mumbled, looking down at the almost empty flask. I was sure I was going to have to head back to mainland now. Any explorer knew it was never a good idea to venture out in extreme heat when there was no water. However, just after I slipped my canteen into my backpack and began trekking down the narrow pathway, I heard a sound.

The sound of rustling leaves.

"Ella" I called out hesitantly, eyes darting back and forth as I scanned the forest in search of the raven-haired beauty.

Two sets of eyes caught my attention as they were hiding in the bushes. I was about to head towards them when I gasped. The eyes were not the same warm brown eyes I had met days earlier, but they were instead black and cold. Not to mention the fact that there was a second pair beside them.

Two men came running out of the trees, both shirtless, both huge. Having been caught by surprise, they quickly caught up to me and grabbed me by an arm each. They had firm grasps that I was sure would leave a bruise. I struggled in their grasps, desperate to get them to let me free, but they were determined, and quickly lifted me off the ground.

They carried me deeper and deeper into the forest, and I was sure that I wasn't going to be able to find my way back. I had given up on struggling, these two men were much stronger than I was and were not going to put up with my resistance. I wasn't sure how much time has passed before I was thrown forward, feeling the hard ground beneath me as my body landed on it's rough surface. Looking up, I noticed that there was a large crowd around me.

Including the person I had been wandering through the forest to find.

Her eyes were still as deep and beautiful, and yet there was an underlying layer of shock. Her eyes were so wide I was worried that they would fall right out of their sockets. Her hand was covering her mouth, which I assumed must have been a gasp. She was wearing a beautiful flowered lei, as well as a brightly coloured dress that flowed all the way down to her ankles. Her feet were bare, though there was a small anklet around her right ankle. She still looked as beautiful as she was the day I met her.

Immediately, I felt a pair of rough hands pull me up to my feet, my arms behind my back as I was turned to face a giant of a man. His eyes were a dark brown, and he was shirtless. He wore around his waist a dark piece of cloth, and he too had a lei around his neck. In fact, everyone in the circle was wearing one.

"Declare your name." He said roughly.

"Troy Bolton" I said clearly, in an attempt to sound braver than I really was. He stared at me, his expression unreadable.

"Alaka'i" One of the men who had grabbed me came up to the man and spoke to him. He continued to speak in Hawaiian, and I didn't understand anything else that was being said, however I did understand that first word. Leader. This man was the leader of some sort of tribe. It was then that I took a look behind the swarms of people and took in exactly where I was.

I was in a clearing, and built around the clearing in a semi-circle were rows of thatched houses, or more huts. They were bigger than I would have expected, and were surrounded by many tropical plants. The trees opened up at the top of the clearing, providing the people with sunlight throughout the day, and I noticed many fire pits that were probably used at night-time. At the edge of the clearing opposite the huts was a steep cliff, and I could hear the sound of rushing water in the distance. I assumed that the cliff led down to a river. There were many dogs sitting obediently beside their owners, no leashes or collars on them, and varying in colour.

The men had continued to discuss while I was taking in my surroundings, and soon I was being pushed towards one of the smaller huts. I fought as hard as I could, but with no luck I was thrown inside the hut. It was incredibly dark in the room, for there were no windows or other sources of light. Immediately the door to the hut was closed.

It was going to be a long night.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but seeing as I couldn't see any traces of light through the thatching of the roof, I assumed that it was dark outside. If I hadn't dropped my backpack in the forest when the men grabbed me I would have still had my cell phone. Taylor and Chad were no doubt furious with me, as well as worried about me, but there was nothing that I could do at the moment. I was stuck in this chilly, damp hut with no food, no water, and no company.

As if my thoughts had been read, I heard the door to the hut open, and in slipped the delicate figure of the mysterious girl. In one hand she was holding a small torch that managed to light up the space, and in the second was a wooden plant with various foods on them. I could recognize yams, breadfruit, as well as some sort of meat, though I wasn't sure what any of the other foods were.

"Ella?" I asked quietly as soon as the door to the hut closed behind her.

"You are a stupid man." She said as she neared me. She knelt down beside me, setting the food in front of me, placing the small source of light beside her. "Eat"

"Why are you here?" I asked curiously as I hungrily grabbed a piece of fruit off the plate. It tasted like heaven the second I put it against my tongue, but that was probably due to the fact that I hadn't eaten in hours.

"I couldn't let my father treat somebody cruelly. Nobody deserves to go hungry." She said honestly, looking at me.

"Your father?" I asked, before finally putting all the pieces together in my mind. "Your father is the leader?"

"Chief" She corrected. "His name is Alemana, and he is exactly that. A powerful man. He is a force not to be messed with, and it would be wise of you to stay on his good side while you are prisoner here." She said, sitting down on the ground beside me and sneaking a piece of fruit off the wooden plank, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "My father likes to act like a bully, and this is the first chance he's had in a long time to show it, so it's my job to make sure he doesn't take it too far." She said, motioning towards the food.

"I don't understand. How can you speak English?" I was curious. It seemed like the rest of the tribe spoke Hawaiian, and even the leader had a select understanding of the English language. Why was it that his daughter was honoured with being able to learn the language?

"My mother" she said, looking down at her fingers, before looking back up at me. "She was a mainlander, an 'American' as you would put it. She came to this island when she was very young, and was quite the adventurer. One day, when she was going off on one of her many adventures, as my father tells it, she stumbled across this island, very similarly to you. It was my father that found her wandering through the forest, and immediately he was taken by her. At this time his father, my kupunakane, was leader, and so my father has a small bit of say in the dealings of the tribe. He brought my mother into camp, and she immediately became immersed with the culture. I was born shortly after, my mother dying while giving birth to me. My father named me Anela, meaning Angel, as was custom to name a child with a Hawaiian name that would resemble their personality, but also because then he could call me Ella. My mother's name was Gabriella, and so secretly he made that my real name. Officially my name is Gabriella Anela, but the rest of the tribe just knows me as Anela, or Ella."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked her curiously.

"The answer is simple." She said smiling. "I like you, Troy Bolton. That and I find you mysterious and dangerous, especially in the eyes of my tribe, which makes it that much more thrilling to be with you." She whispered.

"You still haven't answered my question." I whispered back, getting closer and closer to her.

"My mother was a mainlander. Though she died when I was born, my father wanted me to be brought up how she would have raised me, so he taught me the little English he had picked up from my mother, before finally sending me to Maui for a couple of years to cement my understanding of the language. Since then, I have kept a small collection of books in my hut, and I read them every now and then, teaching myself new words."

"You're a mix breed." I said jokingly. She laughed with me, the melodic sound mesmerizing me.

"So I am, part Hawaiian, tying me to this land, and part American, tying me to the main land." She said, before becoming quiet again. The air around us was tense.

"Why am I here?" I asked curiously. "What is it that your father wants with me?"

"You are a threat in his eyes. You have stumbled upon our island, one that has been kept a secret and kept out of the hands of America for some time. My father feels you pose a problem to us keeping our sovereignty and independence, and therefore he feels you must be dealt with."

"Dealt with?" I said, gulping what felt like a golf ball down my throat.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure my father doesn't do anything to you." She said, pressing a reassuring hand against my bicep. "Perhaps this is a good thing, it will keep my father distracted from marrying me off to one of the native island boys." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Your father is trying to set you up?" I asked.

"Yes. He feels the time has come for me to become a wife, followed by a mother, or else there will be no chance of me becoming a 'proper woman' in the tribe. It is completely traditional and I, for one, do not agree with it. I believe that I should be allowed to be with whomever I want to be, native or not." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, chocolate brown peering deep into my cerulean blue.

"It's not right." I said, nodding, still staring into her beautiful eyes.

"I agree." Gabriella said, before coming closer to me and whispering into my ear, her breath sending a shiver down my spie. "Perhaps you, Troy Bolton, have become my saving grace."

AN: Well there you have it! The next chapter of the story! Please review.

The more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to write the next chapter of this story quicker.

Xoxo,

Lar