Chapter 3

AN: Firstly, I would just like to bring up what I brought up in my author's note for Bring Me To Life. So, let me just repeat myself, and to those who have already read that author's note, then feel free to skip to the end of this author's note:

I'm sure many of you have heard the 'rumours' about Zanessa's supposed break-up. I for one will not believe any of these rumours that are being spread until one of the two officially confirms it. And even still, they are going to be together again, I'm sure of it, so it's not the end, just the end of the beginning. As to my stories, well my stories are about Troy and Gabriella, not Zac and Vanessa. Though I do admit they did prove do have some inspiration, but ultimately, I write my stories because I love the characters of Troy and Gabriella. I'm not sure what some other Zanessa-fan writers on Fanfiction have done, but I can guarantee that I will not stop writing about the characters I love, because their real-life actors 'broke-up'.

Alright, so anyway, I wanted to relieve you all that I'm going nowhere, and in fact I'm working towards getting into a better routine where I can update all three of my stories at least once a week. I'm sure that most of you are going to be happy about that. Right now I have exams coming up in a week, which means I'll be studying a lot, but right after that expect updates a lot sooner!

Also, if anybody is interested, I just posted the prologue to a new story of mine "City of Angels", and I've gotten a wonderful response. Best response I've gotten for a prologue in a long time. So check it out!

Anyway, on with the story!

Alright, I was officially going to need a chiropractor by the time I got out of this mess.

Sleeping on the ground all night, well for what I am assuming was the night, is definitely not a good way to start off the morning. Already I could feel the knots in my back as I tried to sit up stiffly. Thankfully, I was not actually tied up, just thrown into the hut, and so I was able to stretch, a futile attempt at relieving the soreness in my back. Outside the hut walls, I could hear many noises indicating that the day's activities had begun in the tribe; the barks of many dogs could be heard, in the far distance I could hear the sound of birds chirping. I could hear somebody chopping wood in the background, as well as many tribes-people murmuring in their native language.

To my surprise just like the night before, the door to the hut opened gently, letting in a stream of sunlight that shocked my eyes. As soon as my eyes adjusted, I was brought face to face with the beautiful girl that had captured my interest.

"Morning, Malihini" she greeted cheerfully.

"Stranger?" I asked, checking if my Hawaiian was really as up to date as I thought it was.

"It could also mean visitor. That's actually what I was going for originally, but stranger sounds better. I mean, you are an intriguing and strange person to say the least, right Stranger?" She said winking, before heading towards me carrying the same wooden plank she had the night before. Piled high on the plank was an arrangement of various fruits. "I figured you'd be hungry, especially a big man like yourself." Kneeling onto the ground beside me, she handed me the plank before lying onto her back, facing the ceiling.

"Won't you get in trouble for this?" I asked her, confused. Her father was the chief, and at the moment we weren't exactly on the best of terms.

"I don't know. Maybe. Of course I'll figure out a way to get out of trouble, but either way it's worth the risk." She replied, running a hand through her hair. "It's been a long time since there's been any type of adventure or danger on this island, and I for one plan to take full advantage of it" she said winking. She continued to look up towards the ceiling, as if she was looking for something.

"Like the view?" I asked, taking a bite of the delicious fruit in front of me. The people on this island sure knew how to grow their fruit well.

"I'm just thinking" she replied, sighing, closing her eyes contently. Gabriella certainly was an interesting character, a girl filled with spunk and personality. And there was no denying that she was absolutely beautiful, possibly the most divine person I'd seen in my lifetime. Sitting in the hut, me slowly munching away at the fruit and Gabriella lying on the ground floor, a sense of serenity washed over me. A sense that, even if I was stuck here as a prisoner, it wouldn't be too bad, especially if I got to speak to Gabriella every single day. Every conversation I had with her I got to look a bit deeper into her life, into who she was, and I couldn't help the excitement that built up in my stomach at the thought of learning more about her.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked curiously.

Gabriella adjusted her position so she was now leaning back against her elbows, looking up at me with her deep brown eyes. "When I was just a little girl, my kupunawahine, my grandmother, would just sit by and watch when I would rush out of the hut in the morning so I could play with my puppy. Immediately, I would run into the forest and be gone for hours, running around and playing. Then, one morning, just as I was about to run out of the hut again, my grandmother stopped me. 'Ella, my sweet child, you rush off every morning to go play with your pet, and when you come back you can tell me everything about what that dog did. Yet not once have you ever told me what you saw while you were in the forest. Not one description of a bird, or a flower, or a tree. You're just rushing through life my child, but life does not put itself on hold, and so if you don't stop and look at the small things in life, then you'll miss it.' Naturally, I asked her what would help me see the small things in life."

"'Ahouni' she had responded. 'Patience. You need the patience to see the beauty in life, the serenity that exists in nature that can only be see if you keep one eye open at all times, taking in the natural life around you and not just rushing through life not caring." Gabriella sighed, lying back down onto the ground and placing her arms behind her head. She looked up towards the roof of the hut. "Ever since that day, I've tried to live my life slowly, taking in each small moment; each moment that shows me the perfection that exists in this world. My hope is that if I keep an eye out, I'll be able to find some sort of a purpose in my life; something that is actually meaningful, that I'm meant to discover." She sat back up, locking eyes with me. "Something that can bring me true joy in this lifetime."

"And what do you think that something is?" I asked her, placing the wooden plank down on the ground and lying down beside her.

"Love." She replied simply. "All my life, I've heard stories of how happy my father was when he was with my mother. How the feeling of love was the best feeling in the world. 'Keep your eyes open my dear' my father would tell me, 'and you too will experience this type of joy. Seek, and you shall find.'"

"Yet he wants you to get married right away and produce a grandchild?" I asked, remembering our previous night's conversation.

"Yes well, my father's duties as a father and his duties as a chief sometimes come into conflict, and with any leader, the duties of the chief must take over those of a father. In his mind, he needs to ensure that there is an heir to take over the chiefdom if something was to happen to both of us, and so he's getting impatient. He thinks of me as a free spirit that needs to be reined it. Though secretly, I think the father inside him loves that part of me." She explained, giggling melodically. "Anyway, enough of my blabbing Stranger. Tell me, have you ever stopped to look at the little things? The beauty in life?"

I was stumped. All my life I was rushing to do what my father wanted me to do, travelling all over the world, rushing to finish school early, spending day and night working. I realized that I hadn't actually experienced this so called 'beauty' that Gabriella was talking about.

"My life has been about pleasing my father, and doing my job. To be honest, I haven't had the time to stop and smell the roses. Too much to be done."

"Well then Stranger, while you are stuck here with us and away from all of your work, I might as well make the experience worth your while. I'm going to take you out into the forest today, and show you all that is beautiful in this world." Without another word, she arose from the ground and headed towards the door. I had no clue how she planned on getting me out of the hut, especially with the strictness of the tribe, but I had no doubt that she had something up here sleeve. Sure enough, it seemed as though as soon as she had disappeared from the hut she had returned, this time being followed by a small brown dog, slender and lead, walking loyally at her side. She stood in front of me impatiently, and I realized exactly what she was waiting for, so I quickly jumped from my lounging position and stood in front of her.

"So how do you plan on doing this exactly?" I asked.

"Firstly, I have my father wrapped around my pinky finger, so a batting of the eyes and an innocent smile and he was putty in my hand. Secondly, Stranger, meet Amana."

"Faithful." I commented, and she nodded at the word.

"Amana has always been my best friend on this island, and incredibly loyal to me. She's the puppy that I talked about in my story, the one I would always play with. Since then we've been inseparable, and she's been trained very well. My father insists that I bring her with me, as if she wouldn't have come anyway, so that if you try to escape from me she knows exactly what to do. And let me warn you, it will be incredibly painful. However I doubt that her skills will need to be used today, and she'll be more of a companion than a guard." Gabriella smiled, patting Amana on her head.

"You don't think that I'll run away from you the second I get the chance?" I asked, smirking.

"Let's just say there's something about you that I trust Stranger. And there aren't many people in this world that I trust." She replied. "That, and if today is successful, hopefully it will prove to the tribe that you are not a threat but an asset, and they won't force you to be locked up in this hut all day long. That, of course, would be a benefit for both of us.

"Well then, shall we go?"

"We shall." She said, nodding.

Gabriella wasn't lying when she was talking about the vast beauty of the island. As she led me deeper and deeper into the forest, and farther and farther away from the tribe, I couldn't help but take in the many sounds, colours, and smells that surrounded me. I was literally surrounded by green, though there were many other colours that were noticeable around me; the occasional brightly coloured bird would fly past me; the occasional tropical flower would surprise me with its unique beauty. Gabriella was absolutely right; looking at the little things really did help you see the small, intricate wonders in life.

"Is there anywhere in particular we're going?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm taking you to my favourite spot on the island. Unfortunately, it's hidden deep within the forest walls. Fortunately, it's hidden so well that you have to know where it is to find it. And since it's just been me and Amana going to this little hideaway, it's a place that nobody knows about, and where nobody can find me."

"And you're showing it to me?"

"Well, Stranger, as I've already explained, there's just something about you that makes me want to show you this."

We continued walking through the dense forest for a bit longer, until suddenly Gabriella stopped. Grabbing my hand, she quietly let me through a narrow pathway. The ground was steep and uneven, and it took everything for me not to slip and fall flat on my face, before suddenly the trees cleared up and I was standing in front of paradise.

On the other side of the clearing there was a steep cliff, with a waterfall coming out of its thick walls. The water flower down into a clear, deep lake, with large rocks surrounding it. All around this lake were green trees and shrubs, and it was as if something had just zapped away a chunk of the forest and put in its place a beautiful lake. There were no loud noises, no wild animals running about.

It was peaceful and perfect.

Immediately, Amana ran towards a shady patch of cool grass and lay down. Gabriella, however, let me towards one of the larger boulders on the edge of the lake, and climbed up onto it, signaling for me to follow. Once we were sitting atop the boulder, she turned to me.

"Beautiful right?"

"Gabriella, this place is absolutely amazing. How could nobody have ever found this place before?" I said, admiring the vast beauty surrounding me.

"My father is too busy running the tribe to go off on adventures anymore, and since there's nobody in the tribe that I'm really best friends with, there was nobody I wanted to share this place with." She sighed, leaning back onto her hands and closing her eyes. "The only thing I agree with that my father says is that we can't have anybody discovering our island, for they will look past this beauty and destroy the land for their own industrial and material desires. The whole beauty and meaning of the island would be lost." She opened her eyes back up and looked straight at me. "Troy, what's it like in America?"

"I can tell you honestly, it's nothing like this. There are so many buildings and roads, it's all concrete and cement. People have to fence off areas of beauty to prevent other people from destroying those as well. If we wanted to find beauty like this in America, we usually have to go to a protected park, or a zoo, or a state garden. One couldn't just wander through the country and find a place as beautiful as this. Yeah there are beautiful sights, but there are very few hidden areas where I could run away and hide, and where nobody could find me. Why do you ask?" Gabriella looked down, fiddling with her finders. She scooted forward on the rock, gently skimming her toes over the cool surface of the water, before responding.

"Well, I've been on this island my whole life. Yes there are duties that I must fulfill, and expectations that the tribe has for me, but I've always wondered whether or not there's something more for me out in the world. I love this place and its beauty and peacefulness, but I want to do something with my life. I want to help someone. I want to make the world a better place, even if its just for a few people."

"You know Gabriella, that doesn't meant that you have to leave the Island. I know that sounds silly of me to say, seeing as all I've been doing my whole life is working and appeasing my father, and running away from the true beauty of life, but I think that you don't have to visit America to help someone. There's probably somebody on this island, or somebody that will come into your life, that you are going to help, just by being yourself. I am myself a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I think that for somebody, there is going to be a reason that they met you, and that reason is going to be to help them."

"That's very philosophical Troy." Gabriella said, giggling. She quickly stood up on the rock, and looked down at me with a mischievous grin on her face. "Come on, we didn't come here to be boring, we came to have fun." She immediately lifted her dress over her head, revealing a pale blue bikini underneath. I stared up at her in awe, marveling at the gorgeous body that she had. Her legs were long and lean, her stomach flat and smooth, her breasts perky and full.

"Isn't that an American thing to be wearing?" I teased, thinking how native Hawaiians wouldn't have worn bikinis in their lifetime.

"It's something that I brought back with me from my time on the main island. I can't exactly walk back to the tribe in a wet dress now can I? So, this was my solution for when I wanted to go swimming. Nobody in the tribe knows about it. And that is how it's going to remain, right Stranger?"

I laughed, standing up myself and throwing off my shirt and shorts, leaving me in my boxers. I could have sworn I saw Gabriella checking out my muscular body, but I wasn't going to comment on it. "Guess I shouldn't come back wet either, right?"

"Right" She giggled, before jumping into the cool water.

And I was quick to follow right behind her.

AN: Well, tell me what you think please!

Xoxo,

Lar