I awoke to a sharp knock at the door and dashed to answer it in my PJs. It was a girl whom I recognised from seeing her around the barracks.

"Ben would like to see you. You'll find him at home. He lives at number 22." She gave me a brief smile and then was gone.

"Thanks!" I called after her.

Half an hour later, Ben was inviting me into his home. It seemed surprisingly normal (i'm not sure what I was expecting. It was bigger than my house, probably 2 bedroomed. A little girl appeared.

"Who is it Daddy?" She asked, as she emerged into view. She looked to be about 4 years old, and had long, dark curly hair.

"Alex, this is Sophie, she's new here. Now go and find something to play with, I won't be long." Ben told the little girl, who ran off, presumably to her bedroom.

We sat at Ben's kitchen table and he made coffee.

"I trust you're settling in ok?" Ben asked.

"I guess so." I replied.

"Well since it looks like you could be here for a while, which I understand Richard has explained to you, he has suggested I create a role for you in our community. Whilst you are not experienced enough to take a more active role in our operation, there are plenty of jobs at the barracks that need doing. I intend to have you help David manage the inventory. Does that sound ok to you?"

"Sounds good, and he seems like a nice guy. I'm keen to get to know people better. At the moment I feel like they aren't keen to talk to me. Do you know why that may be?" My response was not very subtle, but I did feel entitled to an explanation for Ben trying to turn people against me. He did well to keep his poker face in place though, and clearly he wasn't about to readily admit to what he had done.

"You must understand that we rarely have outsiders stay here. In fact I don't believe it has actually happened before. You appear to be an exception to the rule. Therefore it is only natural that people will be wary of you to begin with. I'm sure that will change in time though. Everyone is 100% committed to our cause here, and due to the nature of it, we are unable to discuss our activity with anyone from the outside. If you feel left out due to this then i am sorry but thats just the way it is."

Ben wasn't the most warm and friendly person i'd ever met, I think it just wasn't in his personality. But at least we could be civil to each other.

Our meeting came to a natural end, and I made my way over to the supplies building to see David, who had already been informed of the new arrangement.

Over the next few days David filled me in on what needed to be done each day. Food, clothing, and equipment would be distributed as people needed it, and they would return items when they were no longer needed. Due to the remoteness of the island, it became clear that new clothes and possessions could not easily be sourced, so everything needed to be kept in good condition and used over and over again. When someone had finished with something it was made available for somebody else. I was probably at a disadvantage as hadn't had chance to bring my own clothes with me like everyone else. I wasn't much into fashion, but would have loved some clothes that fitted me well and were in decent condition. There were plenty in the stores, but they seemed to be the wrong size, the wrong fit, or were just plain old or stained.

One morning, whilst I was attempting to put the piles of books into some order, a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

"Richard!" I exclaimed, smiling up at him. I was pleased to see him. He had only been away a couple of days but I hadn't been sure when I would see him next.

"You're hard at work so I won't keep you, and I have to dash anyway. Just popped in to say hi as i'm going to be away for a while. I have an errand to run and it'll take 2 - 3 weeks."

I was rather dismayed at this but tried not to show it. I was dying to ask where this errand was and what he would be doing but knew better than to ask too much. We sat and drank a soda together though while I told him all about my new job, before he left.

The next couple of weeks were busy. I missed Richard, but at least I wasn't sitting alone for hours anymore thinking about him. Each day, as part of the routine, David had to go over to the farm to pick up vegetables, eggs, chicken and milk from Mikhail. Mikhail didn't like coming to the barracks and apparently he wasn't the most sociable person. He couldn't really leave what he was doing up there either, so it was always for us to go and collect from him. David had always done it until now, but I eventually persuaded him to let me do the trip with him.

We set out early the next morning with a large empty backpack. It was a two mile trip along a well beaten track through the jungle. When we eventually came to a clearing David instructed me to hold back, as we cautiously approached.

"MIKHAIL IT'S DAVID, I'M BRINGING ALONG A NEWCOMER." David shouted.

The building was part of an old Dharma Station called the Flame. Next to it was a small stretch of farm land where the fresh produce grew. We slowly approached the building, and Mikhail appeared at the door, watching me suspiciously. Mikhail was an ex soldier, and was clearly on his guard at this moment. He had an eyepatch over one eye, and was dressed in ex military gear.

"Mikhail, this is Sophie. She's our newest addition. She's going to be helping me, so you will be seeing more of her from now on." David seemed nervous.

Mikhail looked me over again, then got back to business. He handed us various produce, a bunch of carrots, two marrows, a bag of chicken which he had butchered into portions, 3 boxes of eggs and 2 large bottles of milk. I packed it all carefully into the backpack, loaded it onto my back and we said our goodbyes. David had expected to carry the bag back but I had insisted. I wanted to prove that I was capable of making the trip alone. A daily trip to the farm would help give me the freedom I craved.

Sure enough, David agreed, and I started doing the trip alone each morning. He gave me the code to the security fence, which made me feel trusted, though how pleased Ben would be about this I was't sure. It became a daily routine and I enjoyed it. It made me tempted to venture further afield, but I remembered Richard's warning and decided not to for now. Besides, I would have probably got myself Lost.

I missed Richard. I had started to chat to chat to the people that came and went from the stores, but it wasn't the same. I missed his beautiful face, and the way his smile warmed me. It had been nearly three weeks since he left, and not knowing which day he would appear made me more impatient.