Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for my absence, dear readers. I just want to address a few topics before we begin:
***I honestly do not update quickly mainly because I do have a lot going on. The review goal is simply a desire and suggestion – I do NOT take forever to update because I'm waiting on reviews. I really do have a life :P Example: I'm taking a college course, beginning to move out of my house, and got my wisdom teeth out all within a few weeks. I WISH I had more time to write, and when I do, I love it so much! I just want my readers to know I'm not review-obsessed and require so much attention in order to update. I update when I can and feel great when I do :)
***Secondly, Cheery22 asked why I call myself XxLadyStrengthxX. Well, beloved reviewer, the term 'Lady Strength' is an alias of my favorite character The Gemma Doyle Trilogy. I simply added some X's on there to be fancy. Thanks for asking :)
Disclaimer: This chapter has heavy doses of scenes from Lost. I do not own Lost or Victorious; I do not gain anything from this story or its content.
The clear sunshine London provided in the morning certainly did not stay for the afternoon. Rain pours in buckets along the busy streets, causing people to rush for cover if they do not have an umbrella. The wind pushes pedestrians into one another and apologies are muttered but merely ignored. The hustle and bustle of the city isn't stopped by the shower, but it certainly makes it harder to get around.
Beck Oliver steps out the door from his hotel with a sigh. The morning had lifted his spirits a bit, but the afternoon now only mirrors his disappointment. Another rejection from another agency; he's getting used to the feeling, but not in a good way.
With his luggage in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, he steps into the downpour to hail a taxi. The attempt is completed in two minutes, but it's just enough time for the young man to be drenched. He practically throws his suitcase to other side of the seat, tells the driver his desired destination, and finally settles uncomfortably. But quickly, the heat of the cab mixed with the steam of his beverage is enough to warm him and he is satisfied.
His phone rings shrilly, causing both Beck and the driver to flinch at the sudden noise. "Sorry," Beck mumbles lamely and fishes his cell from the inside pocket of his jacket.
The caller I.D. reads: Mom.
Beck groans, not exactly in the mood to tell his mother of another failed audition. He knows that's her main reason of calling, though she won't openly admit it. But he still answers.
"Hello?"
"Beck, sweetheart, how'd you do?" her gentle voice greets, but still getting to the point.
"Not my best." He decides to answer straightforwardly. "They didn't like me."
There are a few beats of silence before his mother says, "Oh, dear, well…" She trails off knowingly.
"They said 'I wasn't what they were looking for,' whatever the hell that means."
"It only means that the part wasn't for you. This could be an opportunity, Beck," Mrs. Oliver soothes.
She's always had a way with words and Beck knows she's truly the only supporter he has in this cruel world. His father wasn't exactly thrilled to find out his son wouldn't be attending college, but, rather, traveling to world to achieve his dream of becoming an actor. He and his father are still close, but there was definitely a bond broken that will most likely never be mended.
His mother, however, supports his decisions. She trusts and believes in her son enough to let him do his own thing, and that's why Beck makes sure to keep in contact with her nearly every day. He doesn't want to lose the only person who means the world to him.
Despite loving his mother, Beck can't seem to find any good in his situation. "Mom, what're you saying?"
She chuckles sweetly. "You not getting this role could open up different chances for different roles. Better roles, dear. You just have to keep going and learn from their criticism. Rejection, whether it's an audition or haters on the internet, is always going to be popping up. You better get used to it now."
"Haters, Mom?" He nearly chokes on his coffee.
"Yes," Mrs. Oliver confirms shortly, not understanding why her son finds the comment so amusing. "Are you on your way to the airport?"
"Mmhmm, my flight's not 'til ten, though. I was going to do some sightseeing, but the weather is pretty terrible, so I'll just find something to do for a while."
"Okay, sweetheart, I'll see you soon. Be careful!"
Beck smiles and replies, "I will, Mom."
"I love you!"
"Love you too."
And Beck Oliver rides contently the rest of the way, never once imagining that her call would be the last time he hears his mother's voice.
Several days pass on the island, making this the survivors' second week stranded. They fall into a routine mostly, but spend a good amount of the day trying to find something to occupy the endless amount of time.
Sikowitz comes and goes from the jungle, much to the disapproval of the others. He disappears as their backs are turned and simply ignores their complaints when he returns with an armful of coconuts. He then lies back in the sand, and can usually be heard muttering a tune about 'Steamboat Susie.'
Tori, Andre, and Beck continue to clean out the plane, hoping to find anything useful. They organize the tents as much as possible, making supplies easily accessible in case of an emergency. The three usually go in the jungle – though not far – to collect firewood and maybe some fruit (if they're lucky). When it rains, it's their job to run the buckets to the shore to collect water. They keep the group in control, which keeps everyone as sane as possible.
Robbie spends his days messing with the transceiver, pulling and playing with several different colored wires. (Rex sits motionless and silent at his side.) Cat usually watches him work, but, soon, her attention span forces her to do anything else; most of the time, she stands ankle deep in the water, looking over the ocean or into the sky. She's just as hopeful as Tori when it comes to being rescued, except less overbearing and more tactful.
Jade leans against her tree trunk – enjoying the alone time – for the majority of the day. She reads a book or magazine found on the plane or cuts up anything that's within her reach. Beck takes time from his duties to visit and help her walk around to loosen up her muscles. The black-haired girl even allows Tori to inspect her injuries and actually beams when she's informed that the ribs are healing quickly. But the activity Jade finds herself doing the most is watching Cat.
Being forced to sit all day causes Jade to observe; at first, she watched Beck as he marched across the beach in his plain, white t-shirt and jeans, sweating and carrying plane debris to the ocean. But his actions grew to be less fascinating and Cat became the target of interest.
Jade remembers that odd bits of behavior from the redhead are normal, but Cat's actions seem more intense than usual. Often, Jade looks up from her book to see the tiny girl squinting her eyes and clutching her ears, as if there's a loud sound. But the beach is a peaceful as ever and Cat will finish her sand castle like nothing ever occurred. And on more than on occasion, Cat passes Jade alone, but converses to what might be an imaginary friend.
However, no one else says anything about Cat's engagements. Jade asks Beck one day if he notices something off about the perky survivor, and he shrugs and replies, "She's always a little off, babe."
Jade lets it go, but still has her doubts.
Every single outcast is thrilled when Robbie bursts from his tent, shouting, "It works! It works!"
He hands the transceiver to Tori proudly as everyone rushes to her side; she turns the knob at the top and the group is met with an earful of static.
"Man," Andre groans and flings his arms. "I thought you said it worked!"
"It does," Robbie shrieks in protest. "I've been fixing it all week."
Jade, who's clinging to Beck's shoulder in order to stand, snaps, "Then where the hell is the signal, huh?"
The curly-haired boy throws his hands up in defense. "Hey, I got it turn on; that was my job!"
"He's right." Tori sighs deeply as she continues to change the channels on the radio. "At least it's on, and that's a start."
Sikowitz takes a huge swig from his coconut and smacks his lips. "You need to go to higher ground." The teenagers turn to him and are surprised that he, the crazy man, actually made a wise suggestion. "The beach becomes a hill if you go far enough; that's where I find my coconuts."
"Wouldn't the coconuts be near the shore, though?" Beck asks.
"Great Gandhi, I'm pretty sure anything goes on this island. There are monsters."
Andre nods. "He's got a point."
"I'll take a few of you. It doesn't take long to get there if we follow my shortcut," Sikowitz offers, noticing the sun beginning to lower in the sky. "Quickly, though. There's not much daylight left."
Hastily, Tori, Andre, Robbie, and Cat (much to Robbie's displeasure – but she begged to tag along) gather water and flashlights. Jade scowls as she watches the others vanish into the trees, visually upset that she's not healed enough to have any fun. But Beck asks her what she wants to do to pass the time, and her smirk gives him the answer he is hoping for.
The four teenagers follow Sikowitz through shrubs, vines, and moss. Cat squeals every time she comes close to mud or a bug, making Tori regret ever letting her join. But just as Sikowitz promised, ten minutes later, they begin mounting a hill that's in open land. The trees circle around them to form a clearing, but the field is full of weeds and tall grass scratching their legs.
The sun continues to set, but there is still plenty of light by the time the group reaches a flat platform on the hill. They catch their breath, drink some water, and Tori unclips the transceiver from her belt loop. "Alright, go for it, Rob."
Robbie starts to transmit, searching through the channels for any indication of a signal. The others watch intently, listening for any sound other than static. Unfortunately, five minutes turns into ten, and ten turns to fifteen, and the natural light from the sun dims. Robbie lingers on a channel for a few seconds, causing Tori to widen her eyes. "You hear that?"
They all freeze in order to remain as silent as possible. Sure enough, a woman's frantic voice comes from the speaker of the small radio, but her language is not English. Robbie holds the transceiver to his ear for a moment, closing his eyes to concentrate. "She's on a loop," he concludes wearily.
"So she's saying the same thing over and over again?" Tori questions. She crosses one arm over her midsection and clings to her other arm.
Andre rubs the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah."
Sikowitz, unusually calm, asks, "Does anyone speak French?"
Robbie diverts his attention from the mysterious signal to his girlfriend. "Cat does!"
"I-I only took courses in high school," the tiny girl objects, shaking in fear. But Robbie ignores her excuses and holds the radio to her ear tightly. Cat swallows thickly and shifts her weight to her right foot before biting on her bottom lip. "She's s-saying 'Please help me.'"
Cat holds back tears in her eyes. "'Please-please come get me.'" She takes the transceiver from her boyfriend's grip and switches it to her other ear, the woman's voice still ringing in the now-approaching darkness. "'I'm alone now – I'm allied alone. The others, they're-they're dead.'"
She stifles a cry by sniffing and closes her eyes, but bravely continues, '"It killed them – it-it killed them all.'" Cat pulls the radio from her ear when static takes over and openly begins to cry, shoving the piece of technology into Tori's waiting hands.
Robbie wraps her in his arms and whispers into her fading red hair, "You did so good, thank you. Thank you…"
"Sixteen years."
Tori suddenly turns on her heel at Andre's words. "What?"
Andre clears his throat. "Sixteen years and five months. It's a plea for help, a mayday, a distress call; if my count is correct, this message has been playing over and over for sixteen years."
Robbie furrows his brow in disbelief. "Someone else was stranded here?"
"Maybe someone came for them," Cat says expectantly, looking into the dark trees around them.
Sikowitz stuffs his hands in his pockets and responds grimly, "If they were rescued, it wouldn't still be playing."
Tori's eyes widen.
"Guys, where are we?"
A/N: I took a big hunk of the end from the actual episode of Lost, but I really hope no one is offended. It heightens the story, and this scene is honestly still one of favorites from the show. And Andre being able to do the math comes from Robbie always counting out loud and Andre gritting his teeth and quickly coming up with the answer. I just thought that bit fit in nicely :)
Anyhoo, there'll be more Bade in the next chapter! A little sneak peek of their time alone while the others find out the devastating news. ;)
Thank you all for the 18 reviews on the last chapter! It seriously makes my heart swell when I get feedback. As always, 13 is the non-mandatory goal for the next chapter. Tell me what you'd like to see happen!
Best regards,
XxLadyStrengthxX