The Island

by DianaRose1900

When they got cast away, Lost at sea ... How different would it have been if they didn't make the balloon to get back. How would they survive and how would they thrive? With Zack as their captain how could things go wrong? This is a happy story, Love and friendship. T for suggested themes and some strong language, give it a try. Zack x London, Cody x Bailey.

4. Two Weeks Later

Chapter Four: Two Weeks Later

The farm had become the next priority once the shelter was built. The house was a lovely idea, but everyone knew how much work it would take. And the farm, having an established food source would be a weight off everyone. One less thing to worry about. Not having to hunt, or find. They could go and get something whenever they were hungry.

Bailey had taken lead on that project, and she had taken it in her stride, of course, she still chekced with Zack on important decisions.

Once the shelter was complete, they all went to look at the food sources that London and Zack had found. They walked a little further out, where the horses and cows were the first time Zack and London went, and found there ware vast open fields there. Perfect for building some fences and keeping the livestock secure.

Bailey soon mapped out where she wanted the fences to be. She ordered eight to be built. One for cows, which required higher fencing. One for pigs, one for the goats, and one for the chickens. The other four were to swap over every few weeks, so the plants had a chance to regrow, which meant that aside from the occasional barely, and corn for the chickens, feeding was a minimum.

Whilst everyone got to work building the fences, Bailey planned out two hen coops. Where they could lay their eggs with easy access, as halved coconut shells made perfect saucepans to scramble some eggs in for breakfast, but also to keep the hens and the roosters together. The more they bred, the more food they would have. It was a no brainer.

Within a few days, they had made the pens, and managed to herd the animals into them. None of the animals were overly skittish, and based on how many there were, it led the kids to believe that there were no predators on the Island.

In fact, when Cody mentioned it, no one had seen anything. Not a snake, rat, spider. The only insect they were able to find were the caterpillars which Woody had spotted, most of which had pupated and hatched into colourful butterflies, which really, just highlighted the beauty of the Island.

The pens for the chickens were up within a week, and they started laying in the boxes very quickly. Woody had taken a new passion in collecting the eggs every morning. In fact, he had become quite the chef. Cody was a phenomenal chef when he had spices, knives and ovens which he could control. But even he had to admit that he was rather inept when it came to cooking on an open fire.

Woody however was a master of the flame, and had produced some incredible dishes. He had been named Island chef, and whilst Zack still went out to collect the food every morning, Woody had no objection to preparing a delicious dish. Always dinner, and if he was not needed in the building activities of the day, he would do breakfast and lunch too. If not, the fruit and veg was plentiful.

They had built raised beds, not that they expected many things to come and eat the plants, but just precautionary. Besides, they had not experienced any rain since being on the island and did not want to risk anything being washed away.

Bailey had taken cuttings and planted seeds from most of the plants. The fruit trees she kept, as they were plentiful and it would take years and too much space, but vegetables she was growing well; potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, peas, spinach, courgettes, chillies, peppers, tomatoes, olives parsnips, watermelons, strawberries, raspberries and even some butternut squash.

A wide selection of flavours and colours.

Whilst not a part of the farm itself, one day whilst the rest were building fences, Zack took the large fishing net which Woody had salvaged from the beach, and swam out, using some large rocks to weigh it down, he set three sides secure. Leaving one side open.

He found some algae, barnacles and little shellfish on the rocks, which using his sharp stone he picked off, and threw into the water within his net. He left it, and came back an hour later, closing the fourth side against the rocks, and trapping a school of fish. There was plenty for them to eat in the cove, it was a large size too, with loads of room for them to swim, breed, and grow. But also easy for them to catch. Feeding the fish became a new task. Though they were not opposed to leftover meat, and the occasional vegetable.

The farm was built to included a shelter in each pen for the animals, for if it were to rain, a shed with a laying point in each of the chicken pens, and a further barn, which Bailey said was required in case an animal had to be separated, or for milking the cows, as whilst scouring the bushes for plants, Bailey had found a tea leaf plant, and said once the cows got in calf, they could make tea by boiling water in the coconut shells.

Things were coming together. There was an air of unity and peace amongst the stranded kids.

By the time of the farms completion, Cody had come up with a refrigerator . He had found an old safe which was washed up. Despite being metal, it had not rusted, and it was unlocked. They had put it over the fire to clean it, and Cody had then buried it in the sand, in the shade, surrounded by wet sand to keep it cool.

Whilst not as cool as the refrigerators they were used to, it kept cooked meat safe to eat for a day and kept water refreshingly cool. They just had to re-wet the sand around the box every morning, which quickly became adopted with the other routines.

Cody, to kill his boredom when not building, had also made a clock for the island, which worked based on sunlight, but was surprisingly accurate. And a calendar, which was more depressing than useful, when each day that went by, they realised they were a day further from being found.

London had also found a new hobby. She found that she was rather skilled in making clothes. Using very fine strips of bark which she wove together she had made a pair of shorts for everyone, two for her and Bailey each. She had also made crop tops for her and Bailey. They had decided early on that it was too hot for jeans, and whilst London had a few summer outfits, the dresses did not fit Bailey, and none of the clothes fit the guys.

After two days of the guys working in their boxers, and Bailey and London working in their underwear, which they determined was no worse than a bikini, London had set about trying to expand their wardrobe. Especially as she went to get water with Zack one night, and when she dropped to her knees to enjoy the moment alone with him, she decided that he really needed a second pair of boxers, the ones he was wearing were wet with sweat.

She made sure that when they got into the pool, she washed them for him, leaving them on the side to dry. She wondered if everyone else washed their underwear in the pool too, but stopped thinking that pretty quickly after she got disgusted by the thought.

Everyone was appreciative of her new hobby, and soon she started to experiment with materials, even creating some patterns on her latest items.

On Baileys assessment of the potential farm foods, she also identified an abundance of aloe vera. She knew that trying to take a cutting and repot it would be a difficult challenge, but she managed it and there were now small aloe vera plants around the island.

Which was good, as now everyone was a lot more exposed, they were applying it as almost a sunblock, trying to stop the inevitable burns. So far, aside from a little on Cody's back, and Woody's leg, no one had been burned, and even those weren't serious.

Zack and London had been slowly implementing their plan. The morning after Bailey had asked Zack, he told London on their morning hunt for firewood, who seemed both excited at the prospect of not having to keep their relationship a secret for too much longer, but also now that Zack had hinted to Bailey that he was interested in her, then maybe she would stop trying to hit on him.

Bailey had tried hard over the next few days to try and get London alone. On every opportunity she would bring Zack up. At first, London had tried to play it cool, as though she had not really noticed Zack much. But the more she did, the more Bailey started listing the good things about Zack.

It was a weird mix for London, pride that her boyfriend was receiving so many compliments but also frustration that Bailey had noticed so much about him. Soon, she started to show a little interest. It started when they were building the farm.

It was a hot day, hotter than the previous ones, but there was not a single cloud in the sky that day, there was nothing to protect them from the blistering rays. Zack had paused to dramatically take his shirt off. A motion which Woody and Cody did not even blink an eye at, but London watched intensely. It was only after that she turned to see Bailey smirking at her.

The two girls offered to go off soon after to collect more vines, and Bailey was all over London

"Oh my God! Did you catch yourself looking at him? I mean, I can't blame you, that is one fine specimen. But are you ready to admit you have a crush on Zack?" she asked

"I don't know" London blushed "I mean we get on really well, and he is gorgeous, and funny..." London listed, letting her voice get dream-like as she faded into fantasy

"Ohhh.. You so like him!" she teased. London stayed quiet, letting the moment pass before finishing;

"He would never go for me anyway. Are these vines ok?"

A few nights later, Zack and London offered to go together to check on the animals. As soon as they were out of earshot, Bailey called over Cody and Woody

"We need to set them up" she stated

"Really?" Cody asked, weirdly oblivious to his brothers obvious infatuation

"Yeah, I don't see it" Woody agreed

"Really? Have you not noticed that they go off together all the time, they sit next to one another. The eye contact, the inside jokes. The flirting" Bailey offered

"Bailey … Sweetheart" Cody said patronisingly, in that voice which Bailey knew he was about to say something which would inevitably piss her off. "I know my brother better than ... well everyone. And that includes himself. And having been friends with London since I was twelve … I think I might know this situation slightly better than you" Cody replied

"Well this time, you're wrong" Bailey replied promptly

"I don't think so" Cody retorted

"I'm sorry, I'm with Cody on this one" Woody seconded

"How about the fact that they both came to me and said they liked the other?" Bailey asked

"I don't buy it" Woody replied

"Are you sure you're not just missing the drama of television and are trying to make your own?" Cody asked. Bailey rolled her eyes

"I propose a bet then. By the end of the week … they'll be together" she offered

"What's the stakes?" Cody asked

"If I win, which I will. And they're together by Monday morning … You can do my routines for a whole week" Bailey offered

"And when they don't get together, and things get really awkward here?" Cody asked

"I'll do both of your routines for a week" Bailey replied

"Deal!" Woody called

"We have no other entertainment … Deal" Cody replied. And they all shook hands

"So … How are you going to do it?" Cody asked

"You'll have to wait and see" Bailey said with a smirk. Walking off to think of a plan before she got any more irritated with the boys.

That evening, Bailey called London over when she returned with Zack. London was very giggly.

"Is there something going on with you and Zack?" she asked London outright, once they were out of earshot of the others

"Nothing, why?" London asked

"Well. You keep making excuses to go off together, you always come back smiling, and you just seem really happy" she stated

"Am I not allowed to be happy? I'm trying to find the positives of being trapped on this hell-hole" London replied

"I mean. All things considered it's a lovely island" Bailey commented

"It is, actually. We got really lucky! The Island has been very generous to us" London replied

"You're even talking like Zack. Come on, I think you should go for it" Bailey suggested

"Really?" London asked, cautious, a little reserved. Perhaps cautious as to whether Bailey was actually being supportive or if she knew more than she was letting on. None the less, she was fed up of hiding her relationship. She had behaved for two weeks. Put up with Bailey's flirting, resisted the urge to hold Zack's hand, kiss him or even just sit next to him when she needed a little bit of comfort.

Whether Bailey knew what was going on, or was speculating, she was going to bite. She was going to give in and enjoy the freedom of her relationship.

"Yeah! What have you got to lose? Either you get together and you're happy. Or he says no, you play it off as a joke, and carry-on being friends" Bailey replied. London raised an eyebrow at the optimism of Bailey's rose-tinted views on relationships.

"You sound really sure. What makes you think he would be interested?' London asked. Of course, Zack had told her what Bailey had said to her, but she wanted to see what Bailey was willing to tell her.

"You just have to trust me on this" Bailey replied

"Are you sure?" London asked, Bailey nodded

"I am. Now, go get your man" she said. London giggled and walked out.

She walked back out into camp, where Cody and Woody were showing Zack the deck chairs they were trialling. Cody had made five different ones which each had different shapes, sizes and support levels, suggesting that they each spent a day sitting in one chair, swapping the next day and after five days, each ranking the chairs from favourite to least favourite. Then they would build four more of the best chair.

London stood at the back, watching as Zack tried his hardest to feign amusement and interest in Cody's conversation. Woody looked exhausted, was nearly falling asleep. London waited until Cody had finished talking, before she walked over.

"Excuse me, Zack can I borrow you for a minute please" she said politely just as Cody began to ask Zack about the building construction and support structures to coincide with the ergonomically curvature of the natural resting position of the spine... Zack looked rather relieved to have an excuse to leave the conversation

"Of course. Cody, I'm sure you'll make the right choice. This is your expertise" Zack complimented before walking back over to London

"What's up?" he asked

"Come with me" London called. A little confused, Zack followed her. They walked off into the woodland, more secluded and away from eyeshot, Zack turned to his girlfriend.

"Seriously, what's up?" he asked, she smirked at him

"That was amazing!" London moaned, Zack kissed her again, he would never get enough of her. He knew he wouldn't. And whilst he would happily stay there with her all night, but he knew as well as London did that Bailey would be still awake, waiting for her to come back and tell her all the details.

Cody and woody too, if they had asked Bailey what was going on. They couldn't spend more time there without raising suspicions. They dressed, taking a few moments to embrace one another, knowing that they couldn't do it again for a short while. They walked back to camp holding hands.

It felt a little weird as they walked back into camp, not distancing. As they suspected, all three were still sat around the campfire, their conversation stopped as they saw the couple approach. Their conversation stopped, perhaps mid-word to look at them holding hands.

"Did you …?" Bailey asked, trailing off as they approached. London nodded, and bailey squealed in delight.

"You have to tell me EVERYTHING. Come on" Bailey said as she took London's other hand and pulled her away.

"Hang on" Zack called before Bailey pulled London too far. Bailey stopped, and watched as Zack placed a hand around London's waist and pulled her in for a gently, loving kiss.

"Goodnight, babe" Zack said softly to her, Cody tried to ignore the knowing look Bailey was giving him and Woody but on catching her eyes, he rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Sweet dreams" she replied, they smiled, before reluctantly letting London go with Bailey.

"Tell me everything!" Bailey gushed once they were in their room. Their moss beds had been pushed a little closer together as it was getting colder at nights, and yet, the guys were still gathered around the fire outside. Probably about to interrogate Zack for the same details. It was then that London realised that she and Zack didn't have a plan … And if they were both asked questions, they might realise something was up.

"You were right" London said "He was interested"

"What did you say, who asked who, tell me everything, was it romantic?" she asked

"It was" London replied, trying to think of something plausible. "We'll tell you the story tomorrow, together" London said, as she knew Bailey was not going to let it go

"Ohhh, you can re-enact it for us" she said

"Maybe" London replied, not thinking Zack would be up for that. But if she could convince Bailey to wait until tomorrow, she could find out what Zack told the guys tomorrow, and then they could tell the 'story' together, over dinner.

Zack and London were first to wake up. Perhaps it was the comfort of knowing they could be open with their relationship, or maybe it was the stress of having to think about how to explain to everyone a conversation which didn't happen, but both woke up early. Slipping outside, Zack was stoking the fire. She walked over to him, and for the first time since getting on the island, she kissed Zack without having to look around first.

"Morning" she greeted

"Hey" he replied.

"What did you tell the guys last night?" London asked. Zack took a moment to think about what she said

"Um... Nothing why?" he asked

"Didn't they drill you for information as to what me and you spoke about?" she asked

"No, guys don't tend to do that... Cody seemed a bit bewildered, I think more pissed off that he had not noticed it himself.

"Well, that's a relief. Bailey started questioning me and I didn't want us to have different stories. So I said we would tell them tonight" she explained

"Smart" he complimented

"Thank you, so what do we do" she asked

"Well … You asked me into the woods then were all over me for an hour" Zack smirked

"Can you blame me?" she asked teasingly. "I'll think of something. Hopefully she'll forget but if she remembers, just go along with what I say, please" she begged

"Of course. And, at least I can do this now" he said, leaning in to kiss her again as Bailey, Cody and Woody emerged from their rooms.

"Morning" they all greeted

"Scrambled eggs for breakfast?" Woody offered. It had become a regular breakfast for them. Limited on how they could cook it, Woody had found a large stone with a basin carved out by the sea. It worked as a saucepan of sorts, which was enough to cook veggies and eggs in. Sometimes with some leftover meat from the previous night, depending on what they had.

They agreed, and Woody began to cook, as everyone else went off to do their routines, returning one by one as Woody declared breakfast ready, handing out potions.

"Right guys" Zack began before Bailey could start interrogating on the story of how they got together. "We have shelter, we have water, we have the farm, so we have food, lots of it and sustainable. I think it's time we started to build the house" Zack stated.

Yesterday had a slow afternoon. They finished the fences for the farm and decided to have the afternoon off. After lunch, they went back to the beach and sat down in the chairs, still up for debate. They ran out of things to talk about and conversation drifted back to the SS Tipton, and the depressing discussion if they were still looking for them. If they had been presumed dead, or if they even remembered them.

They had an earlier dinner, and soon after, wanting to avoid the conversation which would just upset anyone. He offered to go and get some eggs for breakfast tomorrow, and London came with him. He decided that they needed a project. Something to keep them distracted and building the house was one which was mutually beneficial and one which would take a lot of physical and mental energy. A perfect distraction.

Then of course, the relationship came out the woodwork that evening.

"Are we all agreed on the plan?" Cody asked, having spent enough time going over plans to have memorised every detail. Zack was happy to pass the logistics of the house onto Cody and Bailey.

"I think so" Bailey replied

"Shall we go out to the clearing? Map it out there and make sure it's good enough?" London asked

"That's a good idea" Cody replied. They finished breakfast, complimenting Woody for his delicious meal, and deciding to go straight away.

They got to the clearing, and started walking around, Bailey and Cody marking out wall locations on the floor. Everyone was eager and liked the plan, except Woody. Who had remained oddly silent.

"Woody, what do you think?" Zack asked, recognising this silence

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Woody asked, causing everyone to look at him in confusion

"Of course, it is" Cody replied

"What do you mean?" Bailey asked him

"It should be right" London said looking around.

"It's perfect. It's right next to food and water, close to the beach but not on it" Zack listed

"But we haven't explored all the island yet" Woody replied "We've only searched to the water mountain and the farm"

"Do we need to search more?" Bailey asked

"What did you see on top of the mountain, Zack?" Woody asked, ignoring Baileys question

"I mean. I haven't been up to the very top. Only to the water" Zack replied honestly

"How much higher did it go?" Woody asked him, they were all starting to see his point now.

"I think it was only about halfway up" Zack stated

"So. I think we need to go hiking up the mountain. See what else is around" Woody suggested

"Woody, do you not want to camp here?" Cody asked him, concerned

"We built the Beach deck in a day, and it was heard work, used a lot of materials. I don't know how quickly bamboo grows, but I don't want to build something as big as the house again if there's a better place out there" Woody explained

"He makes a good point" Zack commented

"Let's go for a hike the. See what else is out there" Bailey said. They all agreed, and started making their way to the mountain.

On the way, Woody, who was getting much fitter and was no longer out of break from walking, turned to Zack

"Didn't you say that you saw caves on the island, Zack" he asked

"I did" Zack replied

"Well, we haven't; even gone to those yet. In the entire time we've been on the island! Who knows what's there" Woody exclaimed

"Ler's go to the very top of the mountain, see what else is here, then this afternoon, we can go and check the caves out" Zack explained

"We can build tomorrow, when we decide where" Cody said.

"Is that ok? I don't want to stop your plans, but I just think we might be rushing" Woody explained

"Don't worry, you've made some really good points. Thank you" Zack replied supportively.

The five climbed up the mountain, until they reached the waterfall. On day three, Zack had suggested that they all go to the water, to see where it was, and to bring as many bottles as they could up there, So that they would always be able to have a drink if needed, and it would save them having to bring bottles up every morning to get water.

Once a week they were bringing more bottles up, some which had washed up on the shore, some which had been used and left around the Island. They had tried hard to keep it clean, and bottles were the only plastic they were using.

Any food waste was deposited in a section of the farm, to be broken down for soil to plant new foods in. Bailey's idea, and a good one at that too.

They all finished their drinks, looking down at the sun-bathed island, before Zack turned to the rest of the group.

"Ready?" he asked, they all nodded in agreement. "Let's go then" he finished and started to continue up the mountain. The rest followed. Looking up at the mountain on their way up. It was ambitious and the impending steep climb was daunting. But none the less, they all carried on without complaint, knowing that Woody was right. They had searched a small area but got complacent.

Woody was behind Zack, having been his idea, he had made the effort to get to the front. He was trying to keep up with Zack, but the path was narrow, and steep. Almost as though they weren't meant to be walking up this bit.

The sun was blistering. London was thinking to herself, as they climbed up, that the next thing she would have liked them to make were some sunglasses. She was at the back, with Bailey in front and Cody in the middle.

The path widened after about ten minutes. And the steepness lessened. They were close to the top now. Despite the hot sun, there was a breeze here which did not make it to the ground. It was rather refreshing.

They finally made it to the top. The top looked, from the water pools, like a point. But once they got there, it was quite flat. Enough for all five to get to the top, Woody to lay down, catching his breath, Cody, Bailey and London sitting down. Zack remained stood, admiring the view.

Miles and miles of water. Infinite water. So still, and yet, all of them could remember the rocking of the boat when they were floating, looking for salvation. The waves felt so big then, now, they weren't even distinguishable from one another. It all blended into the stunningly deep blue of the ocean. Surrounding them. Trapping them.

And yet, despite everything, the situation, the Island, the never-ending water. It felt peaceful. This was their home, and where Zack worried that everyone would get homesick, would miss the boat, their friends, family. That they would get more upset the longer they stayed on the island, as it slowly dawned on everyone that people had probably stopped looking for them now. It had been two weeks. It would still be fresh in their minds, but they would be looking for bodies, debris. Or just written off as lost at sea.

But everyone was in good spirits. There had been a few times when someone brought up the conversation, and Zack had made a point never to shy away from it. When people wanted to talk, he had made sure that they talked, they spoke about everything on their minds. And everyone else got the opportunity to talk too.

Zack turned his back to the water, looking the other side, the one which overlooked most of the Island. The additional height of the mountain did not reveal much. The beach on the other side of the Island, the other side of the woodland which could barely be seen from the pools was much more visible from that height.

The beach there was much narrower than the one where they had made camp. They were lucky to have landed where they did. Looking down at the other beach, something caught Zack's eye. Something glistening in the sunlight. It looked like a piece of metal.

Zac squinted, trying to avoid the glare of the sun from burning his eyes as he focussed on the shining thing on the island. Then, he saw a shaddow next to it. A few seconds later as his eyes focussed more, he saw it was a boat. Or more specifically. A shipwreck.

"What's that?" he asked pointing. Everyone looked towards him, they all stood and jumped up, following his finger to see the shining metal, and the wreck behind it.

"Where?" Bailey asked

"There" Zack said, pointing her finger in the right direction

"What am I looking at?" Woody asked

"That shiny thing down on the beach?" Cody asked

"What about it?" London asked, confused"

"Is that a boat?" Woody asked, everyone looked excited at the prospect

"It looks like it" Cody confirmed

"Don't get excited. It looks wooden, they haven't made wooden boats for years. And it looks rather rotten. I doubt we would be able to escape on it" Zack explained

"Then why get us excited?" Cody asked, disappointed

"Because it might have a radio on board" Zack reminded him.

"Or supplies" London contributed

"Or building materials, doors, windows" Bailey added. Zack turned to Woody

"Woodster, you were absolutely right to come up here. Well done! Let's go and find this boat, check it out! We can see the caves too, they're not far away.

"We're going to explore?" Bailey said, excited

"Do you want to walk it?" Zack asked

"What other option do we have?" London asked

"We could use the lifeboat and row around the island" Zack offered, irritated that he had not thought of doing that earlier

"There's less chance of getting lost if we do that" Bailey commented

"And we can carry on round, see the beach for the whole island" Woody added.

"Let's do it!" Cody said.

There was a new sense of excitement and energy as the five made their way down the mountain. A feat which felt much quicker than the climb up. Of course, stopping half-way for some more water. They made their way back to camp quickly.

It was silent on the walk back. Perhaps it was always this quiet, but without the wind whistling at the top of the mountain it just felt quieter. And yet it was louder, the rushing of feet on dry leaves, breaking sticks and twigs, heavy breathing, no matter how fit they had all become over the last two weeks, it was still a hot day, and they were moving at a pace that was almost a jog.

This was, by far the most excitement any of them had felt since landing on the Island. There was a ship. Which meant, maybe there weas a radio, which they could contact the outside world on. There could be other people, or maybe the ship could be repaired and they could use it to find land, to find rescue. This opened up a world of opportunities for them.

They were all exhausted by the time they had made it back to the beach. It was probably no more than two miles to the shipwreck, but the prospect of walking there, exploring, and walking back was a thought which exhausted them only thinking about it. They were very much appreciative of Zack's suggestion to boat around to it.

They packed some water, and as Zack insisted, a few carrier bags 'in case we find something to bring back to camp' he explained.

They pushed the boat into the water, and all jumped in. No one minding the wet ankles and feet. They had long ditched the trousers and were comfortably in the shorts London had made, and their shoes would dry out soon enough in this sun!

Zack had made some replacement oars over the last week, repairing the one which was attacked by the shark. He took one, and Cody took the other. Working together, they rowed out from the island. Not a hug amount, perhaps twenty metres or so, enough that the tide would not drag them out, but also not too close that they could get caught, or hit the rocks which surrounded the island.

The boat around the Island was quiet, aside from the gentle splashing of the oars and the waves on the boat. The Island was stunning, no one could deny that. Looking at the scenery as they boated by, the trees so tall, so green, so vibrant.

The sand looked so delicate and soft from there. The plastic debris from the water was not visible. It looked much like an Island paradise. Cody's phone had died a few days ago, and Bailey's phone was now on looking for a signal. Though, that had been reduced to every few days now. None the less, Bailey had her phone on her. She pulled it out her pocket, still turned on from the most recent attempt at the top of the mountain, and she snapped a few pictures of the Island.

"If we could get some rough coordinates, when my phone dies, we can send it off in a bottle or something, with a note. You never know, if it washes up on a beach somewhere it might get help one day" she suggested

"That's a really good idea!" Zack complimented, they rounded the corner, and the Island took a turn. The white beach and palm tree image it previously portrayed was now much darker. The beach was smaller and had a lot more rocks on. The waves crashed harder, more violently on this side, and the woodland was thicker, darker, more ominous. Scarier.

"I don't like this" London said quietly to Zack, who paused his rowing, and pushed her between his legs, her back against his chest, being as close to her as he could be

"We're going to be alright" he assured her, remembering only then that all their weapons were left at their camp. He debated turning back, not wanting to come to this side of the Island unarmed. But he knew how influential he was. And this was still their Island, he did not want to portray any indication to the others that they should be scared.

Then, they saw it. Trapped between some big rocks, the shipwreck. There was a beach near it. Something even if the oat was fully functioning, would never be able to dock there, as it was too shallow. Their boat, however, would be just fine.

Looking at the shipwreck, it did not look as though someone had landed on the island intentionally. They had not been looking for it, they had crashed into it. And based on the deterioration of the boat, it had been some time. Zack would bet that if anyone had survived the crash and ended up on the Island, they would almost certainly have passed away by now.

They docked on the island, this side, because of the thicker woodland, being notably colder. To the point where Zack could see goosebumps on London's skin. He guided them as they walked along the beach, the safest route, towards the boat.

As they approached, they realised how big it was. Certainly a pea in comparison to the S.S Tipton, but much bigger than their little lifeboat.

"How do we get aboard?" Cody asked, looking up at the height of the deck, there was no doors or windows further down the boat's body. There were a few wooden timbers on the boat which had rotted through, but nothing big enough to fit inside.

"There should be some handles to climb up somewhere" Zack said confidently, knowing that if this boat was as old as he feared, it may not, and they may not be able to get inside.

"It's very old" Cody commented

"If anyone did live here on the Island from this wreck, it was a long time ago" Zack replied

"Do you think that there's people still here?" London asked

"I doubt it" Zack replied

"But if someone, or some people did survive a crash here, that might explain why there is so much fruit, vegetables and animals here" Bailey suggested

"But nothing would grow on this side, at least not very well" Cody commented

"Which would be why they went further in, where we found them" Bailey said

"And I can't see any water here, the ground is so dry!" Zack added

They had a walk around, there was no noise, no sound or signs of life.

"I think we're alone" Zack stated confidently

"You sound very sure" Woody said, cautiously.

"I am. But we need to get aboard this ship, see what's on there" Zack replied

"I could probably smash through this side" Woody said, pushing on the rotting planks and watching it crumble beneath his fingers. They agreed, and with an effort from everyone, they pushed through the side, until eventually a hole big enough to walk through was created.

Zack walked in first. They all looked at the hole made, no one brave enough to be the first to step inside. Holding his hand, London followed him in, then Bailey, then Cody, and finally Woody. Maybe being brave, perhaps he just did not want to be alone.

They walked into a large room. It was dark, illuminated only by the large hole in the wall. The oil lamps on the walls had long burned out.

"Pre electricity" Cody commented. They looked around, their eyes now adjusted to the darkness. There was a big oak table in the centre of the room, with they counted, eight chairs around it.

"This must be the dining Hall" Bailey said, stating the obvious but no one called her out on it.

"Come on, let's have a look round" Zack encouraged. There was a door to the right, which led into the kitchen. A sink, taps, an oven fitting for the time. Powered by fire, with a section to cook, and a metal plate on the to warm. Some hand towels. A cupboard next to it full of baking utensils, saucepans, lids, serving devices. The next drawer had plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, knives, forks, spoons, bigger knives to prepare food.

"We could use most of this" Zack said, looking round, wondering how lucky they had been to be gifted by the Island all these things to make life easier.

"We should bring some back with us" London agreed

"Let's keep looking around, there might be more" Cody commented. They agreed, and in the next room, there was living quarters. Many leather chairs. Which were in surprisingly good condition. The room also had a bookcase overflowing with books, a coffee table with many newspapers on

"Once we build the house, we should come back for these" Woody said, sitting in one of the chairs, and feeling a comfort he had not felt since being on the S.S Tipton.

"And the book case" Cody said, fingering the spines of the books, thinking how nice it would be to be sat on the beach, reading once the house was built.

"I think this boat came from England" Bailey commented, looking at the newspapers

"Why do you think that?" Zack asked

"This paper. The Daily Telegraph, dated 1943" Bailey replied, pointing to one of the papers

"What makes it British?" Woody asked

"The date. 29th November 1943" she said, pointing to how the date was written.

"That's interesting" Cody replied, thinking hard.

"I wonder If there's beds and blankets?" Bailey asked. They went up a floor and on the next deck they found eight small bedrooms. Each containing a Queen sized bed, bedside table and a wardrobe

"I think we just found our furniture" Zack said, opening up the next room, and seeing shelves full of linens, blankets, pillows, duvets. Everything they could need

"The ship is too rotten otherwise I would suggest we just live on here. Everything is set up" Zack said

"But as you said, it's in a colder, worse part of the Island" Cody reminded him

"Once we build the house, we can build a barge and bring back to our side of the Island everything from here which we want" Zack explained. Everyone was much more positive, mumbling in agreement about the prospect of having a house with home comforts.

"I wonder" Cody muttered to himself, walking out, and up the corridor. A few moments later, a loud "Ah Ha!" came. The others followed him out, and saw him looking at a bathroom. Sink, toilet and shower

"Um … Cody, do you want us to give you some privacy?" Woody asked

"No. Like Zack said, the ship is in such a state of disrepair that w can't live here. However, that means we can take it apart. Our bathrooms can use the plumbing pipes in here" Cody explained

"So, we won't need as much bamboo" Bailey finished

"And they have a filtering system to catch the bad things, so we can pump waste into the ocean, without polluting it" Cody said

"Once a week or two, we clean the filters, add it to the manure pile" She added

"Ewww" London, Zack and Woody said.

They carried on walking around. The top deck had some nets for fishing, but not much else. There was no radio anywhere, although they theorised that if people did survive the crash, they may have moved the radio to get more signal.

"Should we explore around this part of the Island? See if anything got taken off the boat?" London asked

"I think we should. The caves didn't look far from here, from the mountain, if there were survivors then it's highly likely they found the caves and made camp in there" Zack suggested

"Do you think the radio, or any navigation might be in there?' Cody asked

"I think it's worth a look" Bailey replied. They all looked to Woody, who had stayed rather quiet

"I did say we should check out the caves" he replied.

They made their way back down to the dining room of the boat, and back out through the hole in the wall and walked into the jungle-like Forest behind it. This was a lot more overgrown, their side had what was almost a track, in between the trees, this had no path. No way of knowing if they were going the right direction, and if you spun around a few times, you would have no idea which was the way back.

"WAIT!" Zack shouted, as everyone froze.

"What?" Woody asked, scared

"There's a tripwire here" Zack stated, pointing to the ground. Everyone peered over, careful not to get too close. The small trip wire, was about a foot off the ground.

"What's it connected to?" Bailey asked, Zack followed it, and saw that above them, there was a very deteriorated net.

"This was probably set up by the boat survivors. Look at the net, it's falling apart" Zack stated.

"Are you saying in over nearly eighty years, nothing, no human nor animal has tripped this wire?" Bailey asked in disbelief

"I suspect more, they may have survived many years on here. But yes" Zack suggested

"No way. I'm sorry I don't believe that. Balance of probability" Bailey commented "It should be tripped, and abandoned" she explained

"Is there someone here?" Woody asked

"No" Zack assured him "Look" he said, pointing to the tree, where the wire was caught "If we trip it, nothing will happen" he said, taking a step forwards.

"Zack no! London called, but he didn't stop. He took another step and caught the trip wire, it tightened, and they all braced. But as Zack has stated, nothing happened. Where the rope was caught on the tree, stopped it from pulling the net down above

"Do you know what this means?" Zack asked. They all shook their heads "We now have rope too" he said with a smile, untying the trip wire and tracing it back a distance to where it was set up.

"How did he see that?" Bailey whispered to London, amazed. Before London could reply, they continued, coming to a lighter bit of woodland. Thinner, It was obvious that they were coming towards the end now.

Within a few minutes they were out of the woodland entirely. This side of the mountain was very flat. Field-like. Not very good for growing, as aside from grass and some weeds, there was very little here. Not even the animals were grazing here.

"This would be a perfect sports ground" Zack stated

"We could put some football lines in" Woody offered

"Or a tennis court" London offered

"Or bowling" Cody added

"Once we build the house..." Zack begun before Woody cut him off

"And furnish it! I wants me that chair!" he added

"Alright. After we build the house, AND we furnish it, we're building something to do here. Keep us fit" Zack explained. They all agreed, discussing as they walked through the field. As they got to the other side, they came across the caves.

The caves looked rather appealing, in comparison to the dark woodland and rocky shore. They would of course, much prefer to go back to their beach. That felt like home. This, whilst only perhaps a mile away, felt alien.

The caves were large, and as they walked in, they curved round to the left. It was much colder inside the caves. A welcome relief for everyone. But it was dark, and it felt damp. Something caught their eye in the corner, and as they approached it was a pile of empty wine bottles

"Someone did survive off the shipwreck then" Bailey confirmed. There were perhaps half a dozen bottles. Discarded.

"Zack" Cody whispered quietly to him, Zack turned to his brother. "Think whoever sought refuge in the caves ever made it out? Or do you think there could be a skeleton in there?" Cody asked. Zack thought, and decided to stop the rest before they went in any deeper. Just in case Cody was right

"Come on, we've found the caves, we know that this part of the Island is shit in comparison to ours" Zack explained

"Except the playing field, that's pretty cool" Bailey stated

"And all the things on the boat" Woody added, practically drooling thinking about his chair.

"Let's go back to the boat, get some things, cutlery, pans to cook in, plates, bowls, cups" Zack explained

"What else can we bring?" Woody asked, as they walked back through the field, and navigated their way back through the woods. Zack was flawless, as though following an invisible line. In no time, they were back to the shipwreck.

They took the nets and invaded the kitchen for some pans, crockery, cups and cutlery. All agreeing to build the house room by room, and to furnish it from the ship as it was built. Not to take too much today.

Bags full, they got back into the boat, and continued rowing around the island. Not the way they had come, so they could see what else was there. As they rounded, they could see the caves, the other side of them was a steep cliff into the water, which backed onto the water mountain. As they went round the final side, the waters calmed, it looked warmer and brighter. The sound of life came back, instead of the cold splashing of the waves. Birds, and the faint sound of the animals in the farm.

They docked back on their Island and brought the bags towards the fire.

It was late afternoon now, so Woody began to prepare dinner, whilst the rest got some water, firewood and set up around the fire. Soon eating the delicious meal that Woody had prepared.

Sitting around the fire, stuffed, they began to plan

"I don't like the other half of the Island" Woody stated

"But, you were completely right to tell us to check it out! If not, we wouldn't have all the things to make this place feel like home!" Zack replied

"Yeah, I mean cooking dinner was SO much easier" Woody replied, helping himself to another chicken leg.

"Woody you made the right choice, thank you" Bailey commented

"So the house, where do we want to build it?" Zack asked

"In the clearing, where we first planned to. It's clearly the best place, and not near that scary part" Woody replied.

"Anyone disagree?" Zack asked

"With the location? Or the scary comment?" Bailey asked, laughing. "Either way, neither" she added

"Nope" London replied

"Sounds good to me" Cody replied

"Brilliant. So we start work tomorrow. I suggest, as I think we're all in agreement that we use the shipwreck for the house. We said to do it room by room, I think that would be the best way to do it. What do you think?" Zack asked

"Well, we might have to make the hole bigger to get the things out" Bailey replied

"I was thinking we would dismantle the boat. Use the planks, floorboards, use everything we can" Cody replied.

"I meant which order should we do the rooms in?" Zack asked

"Bathrooms first, then kitchen, as plumbing might need to go under the house" Cody replied

"Agreed" Bailey added

"Then we should do bedrooms" Woody suggested

"Good call, and we finish with the living room, then we can make it bigger if space allows" London replied

"How many rooms are we doing then?" Zack asked

"One bedroom each?" Cody replied "Why?" he asked Zack and London exchanged a look

"We were wondering if we could share" London replied quietly

"We'll make a spare room, just in case, but they're big beds. I'm sure that would be ok" Cody replied

"Besides, I'll probably spend some nights with Cody" Bailey added

"Way to rub it in guys" Woody replied, sadly

"Sorry Woodster" Zack stated

"Shall we go to bed, early start and see how much we can get done? Whilst Cody and Bailey work on the footings, we can build a barge and clear out the bathrooms, start shipping things over" Zack suggested. They all agreed, finished the last of their dinner, and went to bed.

Please read and review. Thank you :D