Chapter Ten: The Shark
It had been a month since Seren had joined. She had got along with everyone perfectly. Mixed straight in with the banter and the laughing. She had taken on her role as sous chef. Woody had made a point of having a laugh with her when cooking, asking her opinion on recipes and taste testing. They had not officially become a couple yet, but there was definitely something between them going on.
It was Saturday, they had finished their jobs and decided to go into the sea to mess around for a bit. They were not far from the shore, so their feet could still touch the floor.
"Chicken fight!" Woody called, throwing his arm out to pick Seren up, lifting her with ease onto his shoulders. She screamed in enjoyment. London smiled, laughing as Zack pulled her onto his. Cody dove underwater and stood up, Bailey on his shoulders. Moseby and Emma tried, but failed. In the end, Emma had one foot in Zacks hand, and another in Woody's, supported by Seren and London, eventually she got on Moseby's shoulders. All laughing, they started.
"Right" Bailey called "Round one, me Versus London. Emma you Verses Seren" She called. They squared up to their respective opponents. "FIGHT!" Bailey called, and with fits of laugher, and splashing water, Emma went down very quickly, Serem stayed on Woody's shoulders, Emma swam, standing next to Moseby as they watched the two couples fight it out. Zack and Cody, both similar heights made it more of a balanced fight than Woody and Moseby.
Emma and Moseby started cheering on Bailey and Cody, as Woody and Seren took Zack and London's side.
After a considerable fight with minimal cheating; Emma may have thrown a few splashes towards London and Zack to give Bailey a n advantage, London lost her balance, but Zack, quick to catch on, ran towards Cody, London fell into the other couple, pushing them down together.
"Call it a draw?" Bailey laughed. London nodded.
"Round two?" Seren laughed "London I want you this time" she smirked. London laughed and Zack pulled her up onto his shoulders
"You against me then, Pickett" Emma teased.
Round two was a lot quicker. Bailey was able to push Emma down with ease, putting her in last place, the battle between London and Seren went on a little longer, but ultimately Seren was the last one standing.
"REIGNING CHAMPION" She cheered, dancing on Woody's shoulders. Woody blushed as she rocked her hips on his shoulders, but let her have her fun.
They played for a few more games, everyone taking part, and after Bailey accused London of cheating, they swapped partners. Only to find that it was a colossal failure and even Mosbey and Emma were able to beat them.
They decided to take a break and play in the shallower waters. It was always so clear, and they let themselves float face down to watch the baby fish swim in and out of the rocks, feasting on the algae growing there.
After a while, they decided to follow the fish, round the corner away from the beach. No one was particularly worried. They had swum round these rocks many times, it was shallow, the water was warm and usually had loads of marine life. They kept swimming to a minimum, trying to minimise any waves which could deter the fish. Though, they appeared really friendly and would swim right up to them.
They followed the fish round the cove, watching as a few hundred crabs and shrimp scurried along the rocks, finding themselves new shells.
The tide began to go back out, and soon the fish followed. The kids decided to follow them back out. The water was cooler out there, warm on top but they decided to float as even as deep as their feet felt like ice in comparison.
The boys had a water fight, which even Moseby got involved in, the girls played too, but were more taken by floating, letting the gentle waves of the water lull them to a deep state of relaxation.
They heard a noise behind them, from a distance it sounded like voices, splashing. They all stopped, looking over to the source of the noise. Looking on the surface of the water for a boat. But there was nothing. Not even a hint of life.
Then; they saw it. Three dolphins, diving in and out of the water, the whistles and clicks echoing down to the Islanders, who watched them in silent admiration. Holding still, the dolphins came a little closer. To the point where they were swimming around them.
After what felt like hours, the dolphins finally swam away, leaving them all happy, excited and after not wanting to speak in case it scared them away, eager to talk about the experience. They swam back in to warmer, shallower water where they could stand up, and looked back out at the ocean, where every now and again, they saw a dolphin jump out in the distance.
"They were so beautiful" Emma said breaking the silence
"So big!" Moseby agreed. He had the pleasure of seeing dolphins in the wild many times throughout his time on the SS Tipton, but being 8 decks up, they looked much smaller than they actually were. He was pleasantly mesmerised.
"I've never seen one that close up before" Zack commented
"Me neither" Cody agreed
"I stroked one" Woody exclaimed, smiling
"You stroked one?" they asked, surprised
"Well, it swam so close to me I could touch it" he explained
"So really, a dolphin stroked you" Sienna said with a smirk
"One stroked me!" Woody cried, happier which caused a round of laughter from the Islanders.
"This really is paradise" Emma said happily, looking around her, and back out to sea. The waters which used to cause upset, anxiety and fear, now were calming.
"Do you think they'll come back?" Bailey asked
"I'm sure of it" Zack assured her
"We could get some feed for them, they might come back more regularly then" Cody offered
"What do they eat?" Woody asked
"Small fish I think" Sienna replied
"We would have to increase our fishery to make sure we have enough for food and dolphin bait" Bailey reminded them
"Doesn't that seem a little harsh?" Emma asked
"I suppose we could just put more feed in for the fish, then the dolphins would come. It's not breeding for bait then it's just..." Cody trailed off
"Baiting for bait" Bailey offered
"Not much better" Moseby replied
"Let's just see, they might come back on their own" Sienna suggested, they all agreed to that
"I'm pretty tired now" London said as the cold water started to get to her, muscles beginning to ache
"Shall we go in?" Cody asked, also fatigued
"I'm alright for a bit" Bailey replied
"Yeah, I can do another few rounds of chicken fight" Zack agreed.
"Shall we go in, wash and get some drinks for when you guys come out then?" Cody offered
"Sounds like a plan" Zack agreed, everyone else nodding too. London swam over and gave Zack a soft kiss before she and Cody paddled slowly back into shore.
London and Cody got to the shore. London wanted to tan for a little as the sun was still out, so Cody went in to shower first. He came back out perhaps half an hour later, wearing clean clothes, with two iced teas. London sat up as he approached and thanked him as he passed her one.
"I put a little rum in it as I thought we deserved it" he explained. London smiled at him, appreciating the addition to her already welcome drink
"Thank you" she replied taking a sip. She stood, and they walked over to the Beach hut, sitting on the chairs on the decking, watching the rest play in the water, both slightly shaded from the heat of the sun now.
"Should we get them drinks ready?" Cody asked
"Not yet, I think they could be a while and the drinks could be warm by the time they come in" London explained
"Ok, we'll wait until they come back. We could do with a refrigerator out here" Cody thought out loud, looking to the empty rooms of the beach hut. They had been decorated with half of the books, some chairs and tables. But were mostly empty.
He started explaining out loud how he could make a refrigerator ; he was sure he could make it solar powered too. His ambition, whilst appreciated was lost on London once he started talking about the technical details. She finished her drink, and went into shower, bringing Cody's empty glass in with her and promising a refill once she returned.
"I'll keep an eye on them" Cody said, looking out to the six still splashing in the water
"Thank you" London replied, as she walked off.
London returned from the house with the promised drinks for her and Cody, they pulled the deck chairs up to the water's edge and lay down, letting the soft waves crashing lull their tired bodies into a deep and welcome state of relaxation.
"Thank you" Cody said, taking a sip of his drink. The pair sat in silence for a few moments, before Cody turned to London, a playful smile on his lips.
"I think you deserve an award" he declared, taking a sip of his drink. London looked up at him, curiously
"Why?" she asked, sipping her own drink to match Cody's sipping.
"For putting up with Zack" Cody laughed. London joined in.
"I'd have to agree with you there" she replied. The laugher died out and Cody looked at her with a more serious look.
"You really like him, don't you" he asked she smiled, looking out at her blonde-haired soulmate out deep in the water, splashing Woody. Despite how far out he was, she could still see him smiling,
"I do" she said softly. Cody could see the love and adortion in her eyes.
"He likes you too" he replied
"I hope so" she replied softly "Do you think?" she asked,
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "You can see it in his eyes" he added. London blushed.
"Oh shush" she said, waving him with one hand whilst she took a sip of her drink, trying to calm down her blush.
"I've never seen him the way he is around you, around anyone else before"
"Are you serious?" she asked
"Yeah" Cody confirmed "He doesn't even look at other girls"
"He looks at Bailey, Seren and even Emma all the time!" London disagreed
"There's looking at them, and looking at them" Cody explained "You know that" London thought for a moment
"I do" she agreed
"But he hasn't been looking at them like that. It's making me question the looks he as giving girls when we were back on the boat. He gave you that look when you and Bailey were showgirls... Even when he was flirting with other girls, he never looked at them the way he looks at you" Cody explained
"Stop it" London blushed, unable to contain her embarrassment and content anymore.
"I'm only asking this because I'm his brother, but is this something serious?" Cody asked, his humour still there in undertones, but London knew he was serious about his questioning. "Is this forever for you?" he asked. London did not even have to think about her answer.
"Even if we were not on this Island, yes. I've been in love with him since we started back on the Tipton. We always planned ot finish school and then make our relationship public. We had a plan" London explained to Cody
"Plan?" he asked sounding genuinely surprised. "It was more than just hiding it?" he asked
"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Daddy said that once I finishe school, I would get to have more responsibilites, prepping me to take over his business. He already had plans in the works dor me to develpo my own lines of fashion and make up brands, perfume, the works. And when Zack got his taste of authority when he was the Hall Minitor, before we found The Island, he was talking to Kirby about enrolling as a security guard once he finished school. He was going to be my security guard and that was how we would announce ourselces to the world. A few clever pre-planned 'savings' and daddy would like him. Then we just develop from there" London explained, dreamily.
"You seriously have thought about it" Cody said, eyebrows raised in low-key astonishment.
"I love him. My life wouldn't be compelte without him" she replied honestly.
"He loves you too" Cody assured her
"I hope so" London replied, her eyes drifting from the brother back to her true love out in the water, now floating face up, peaceful.
"He does" Cody replied. "What was his plan? We never spoke about it" Cody asked
"Yeah?" London asked "He wasn't sure. He flitted between video game designer, trothy husband and model. But then Hall Monitor changed hin. He then thought about police, he wanted to be a detective, but talking about it, he would be limited to shifts or locations. I asked about security guard where he could have all that, without the regulations and restirictions of the police, he could move aroudn and freelance. He liked the idea"
"You know, since we've been on this Island, we've barely tlked about our lives if we weren't" Cody explained
"Wouldn't it risk upsetting us if we did?" London asked
"At some point it's bound to come up. We've been here almost a year already... I think we've all assigned ourselves to the fact that we're never coming off. We really should do it now, before we forget too much about our outside lives" Cody explained
"We'll need alcohol though" London suggested
"Lots" Cody agreed.
"Good" London laughed, drinking the last sip of her drink
"We should talk about it this afternoon" Cody suggested
"What jobs we would have wanted. Where we would like to go with our lives..." London thought
"What people would think of us" Cody added. London smiled fondly before it turned sad
"What people would think once they found out we had got lost at sea … I know my friends would not care, but I think Carey... She would have given you a proper funeral" London said
"Arwin would be thinking it was some conspiracy... Maybe aliens or zombies" Cody offered
"He's probably have invented a drone to fly around and see if he could find us" London laughed
"It would have caught fire … Or gone to attack him" Cody replied
"What about Maddie?" London asked
"I think she would have been rational. But a small part of her would keep pushing Arwins conspiracy beliefs as she would want it to be true. Raioanlly she would know we were probably dead. But she'd feed Arwin little bits to keep him believing, and therefore, herself believing" Cody explained
"You're right. She'd spend ages analysing wind directions and just drop it subtely into conversations. 'Oh Arwin, the wind was blowing North West the night they went missing, Do you think that would push then towards the Bermuda Triangle?' or 'Do you think udnercurents and the tide would bring them East? What phase was the moon in and how would that effect the tide'" London explained
"She is smart enough to think of that" Cody replied
"I miss her" London said sadly
"I think we all do … Can you imagine if she was on here with us?" Cody asked
"I think she and Zack would be tied for camp saviour" London laughed, Cody joined in.
"Right. Enough getting sad now. How are they doing?" he asked, they both looked out to the water to see them splashing around once more.
"Shall I go get them some drinks?" London offered. Cody nodded.
"Yeah if you don't mind?" he asked
"Not at all" she replied "Back in ten, I'll bring some towels too"
'Alright. See you in a bit" Cody stated as she walked off with a smile.
London walked off and made the drinks. Humming lightly to herself as she did. Cheered up by her conversation with Cody, happy with her relationship with Zack.
She fixed eight drinks onto a tray and braced herself for the walk out to the beach hut. Thinking once more, how a refrigerator in the beach hut would make this a lot more convenient.
After the usual eight minutes of walking, she was back out on the beach. She looked over to Cody, who was no longer sat in the chair he was before. He was on the beach front waving at the guys in the water. She smiled, placing the tray down on the table, and walked over to join him.
As she approached, she could see that his demeanour was not one someone calling his friends in for drinks, this was panicked. She listened as he shouted them
"SHARK! SHARK!" he called. Feeling a white-hot rush of fear go through herself, she started waving her hands, copying Cody. Zack looked towards her as soon as he heard her voice. Maybe he had seen her panicked and knew it was something serious, or maybe he had heard her cries of 'shark' but he waved to the others' and they all swam in with great speed.
Then, behind them, London saw the sharks. Three, their fins teasing out the top of the water menacingly. She thought if they were still in the water, they could have been deceived thinking it was another dolphin.
Zack got out the water first, followed by Bailey, Seren, Emma and then Moseby. Woody got into the shallower water, and they saw the sharks swim away, but looking back to Woody, he was screaming in the shallow water
"Help! It got me! My leg! My leg!" he screamed. London ran back towards the beach hut, knowing they had a first aid kit in there. Cody followed and the paiur set up a make shift bed using a deck chair. Zack, Seren and Moseby dived back into the water ready to help him. Bailey and Emma stood in the shallower water, once the three had dragged Woody out to them, all five of them helped pick him up, Cody running over to help as they carried him into the beach hut
"Tomorrow we're making a stretcher" Cody whispered to Bailey as they set Woody down on the deck chair, his hands still clamped in a vice-like grip aorund his leg, moaning in agony as he did. Bailey nodded, unable to take her eyes off Woody.
Everyone stepped back, aside from Zack and Baileyk, who with some gentle coaxing, were able to get him to remove his hands from his leg. They inspected all over, but could not see a wound. No blood, no tooth marks.
"Woody, where did it get you?" Zack asked, flicking his eyes over the rest of his body, incase they had missed something.
"My leg" Woody stated, a lone tear slipping down his cheek, the pain was becoming unbearable, now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off. "Please, it hurts" he begged. The pain in his voice enough to break even Bailey. Yet somehow, she was able to keep her cool. She and Zack exchanged a look.
"Woody, there's nothing there" she said softly, looking over his leg once mor
"Then why does it hurt?" Woody asked, sadly. Zack looked again
"There … See that, jelly fish sting" Zack concluded. They all looked to see a small, raised dot, the skin around very faintly pinker than the rest of him. There were a few, perhaps five or six, dotted over the inner side of his left shin.
"Does that hurt?" Zack asked, trailing his finger very lightly over the raised skin
"OUCH!" Woody cried "Yes" he exclaimed
"You didn't hey bitten by a shark" Zack concluded
"It feels like it" he complained
"Jelly fish stings can hurt just as much as bites, stabs and even amputations, depending on the species and amount of poison injected" Cody explained
"It hurts" Woody said, beginning to shake. London grabbed a blanket and placed it over him, trying to stop the shaking. Woody gave a half smile, half grimace in appreciation to her.
"I know" Zack replied sympathetically
"Wait" Woody said, wincing as he pulled himself up on his elbows for a moment. "Does that mean you need to pee on me now?" he asked cautiously.
Zack looked down at Woody, before looking between the rest of the Islanders, who were themselves exchanging glances
"No" they concluded
"Thank goodness" Woody said, dropping back down onto his back. Arms at his leg once more. "What can we do though? It hurts to much I can't walk. I keep seeing stars" he said, closing his eyes.
"Cody, Emma, Bailey?" Zack asked, "Anything on jelly fish stings?"
"Jellyfish have tentacles which have cells" Bailey began
"Cnidocytes" Cody contributed
"Yes those! They have little harpoon-like structures which are full of venom" Bailey added
"So we need an anti-venom?" Emma asked
"Ideally yes but unlikely" Cody replied
"How do we treat it?" Zack asked
"We can't use fresh water. We need to wash them thoroughly with sea water" Cody replied
"Why not fresh water?" Moseby asked
"It might irritate the sting or cause the venom to react. It can make the stingers fire if he has some in him which haven't released their venom yet" Bailey explained
"We should check the leg for any stingers which are still in the skin" Cody suggested
"Before washing" Emma added
"Good idea. Do we have any tweezers?" Bailey asked
"In the first aid kit. What else do you need?" Zack asked
"A light would be helpful" Cody requested
"I can get a torch from the fire" London offered, walking off as soon as she got the nod from Zack.
"Do you think this will work?" Seren asked, concerned.
"I think so" Cody replied
"We can try" Bailey added
"Thank you" Woody said softly
"I'll cook dinner this evening, you don't need to worry about that" Cody offered
"Are you sure?" Woody asked
"I think I'll be alright" Cody assured him
"He's probably better than any of us if we tried" Bailey reminded Woody
"I'll be back to cook tomorrow. Thank you so much guys" Woody said. The poison was starting to get to him, into his blood. He was feeling dizzy, almost drunk.
"You're welcome" Cody said, but it fell on his death ears
"We're going to try and get these stingers out now, Woody" Zack explained to him as London returned with the torch, expertly holding it as Zack pulled out 15 stingers. Woody winced but was quiet now.
Zack got Bailey to inspect to make sure he had not missed any, as he returned with a pot of warm sea water which Cody had heated up. Sitting Woody up, they washed his leg thoroughly in the warm water, and wrapped his; now angry-red leg in a bandage, the wounds from where the stingers were removed were open, and they were anxious about them getting infected. They had no means of anti-biotics and worried that an infection of that nature might be fatal without the medical attention needed.
Once washed and dressed, Seren, Bailey, Zack and Moseby helped Woody limp back to the house. They set him down in the living room, Moseby and Emma set to look after him as London, Cody and Bailey went to the kitchen to help Cody cook.
Later that evening, Cody was sweating away in the kitchen. He was about to mash some potatoes and was roasting some tomatoes and mushrooms to mix in with it, along with chicken, peas and some green beans.
It smelt delicious, but there was a squabble going on. Cody and Bailey were arguing over the potatoes, whilst London and Zack, watched, chickling to themselves as they sliced the vegetables.
"Boil them with the kins on, it adds flavour" Cody insisted
"Skin off! Or they need to be cooled, skinned and reheated" Bailey replied
"Taste over time" Cody urged
"It will taste like chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes" Bailey explained, waving her hands in anger
"But the underlying flavour will be bolder with the skins" Cody replied
"Skin then, then boil them in the same water as the potatoes so we get the 'flavour' you so desperately need. Then we'll take them out and mash the potatoes" Bailey rolled her eyes
"Or we could just mash them with the skins on" Cody suggested
"Then it will be lumpy" Bailey complained
"It's getting chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes in it anyway" Cody reminded her, trying to use her own argument against her
"But then the 'underlying flavour' will be lumpy" Bailey retorted with heavy sarcasm in her voice.
Their argument continued, London and Zack exchanged a knowing look, sniggering to themselves. After a few minutes, they decided that for the sanctity of their paradise, and the sanity of everyone else in the house, they needed to step in,
"Enough!" she insisted. "We've got this" she added
"But you'll do it wrong" Cody replied without thinking. London raised an eyebrow menacingly at him, he physically shrunk away, whispering a 'sorry' softly to her.
"According to you both, you're not doing it right anyway" Zack replied
"You make a good point" Bailey agreed
"We've got this, guys. You two go cool off, get a drink and calm down. Change the subject. We'll sort dinner" London ordered. They nodded and walked off. Together, Zack and London finished dinner, without argument. At least; in comparison to Cody and Bailey.
Moseby and Emma helped Woody make his way to the table. His leg was a little better, not enough for him to put weight on, but enough for him to hobble with the support of others. They sat him at his seat and got him a drink. Sitting down beside him. Seren had not left his side all day, keeping him company and tending to his every need.
London and Zack brought plates of steaming, delicious food to the table, setting it down in front of everyone. They all thanked them as they were offered their plate.
"You're welcome" they replied, taking their seats and tucking in.
"How did cooking dinner go?" Woody asked. The twins and their girlfriends exchanged a look between them.
"Poor. We got kicked out the kitchen" Bailey admitted
"Are you saying Zack and London cooked this?" Moseby asked in amazement as he took another bite of the food "It actually tastes alright!" he declared
"Thank you" Zack replied, not sure if it was a compliment or an insult.
"Why did you get kicked out the kitchen?" Woody asked
"We couldn't agree" Cody replied
"That's not like you" Woody teased. Bailey replied by sticking her tongue out at Woody, jokingly. "What couldn't you agree on?" he asked
"Something about potato skins" Cody explained
"I'm not even going to ask" Woody decided
"Probably best" London laughed.
Silence fell over the room as they continued eating. A true testament to the success of Zack and London's culinary attempt.
"Tomorrow I'm going to find, or maybe make some shark nets, and go and hang them up on some buoys I found washed ashore. Then we can make a safe swimming area" Zack stated
"What if the sharks come back?" Emma asked
"One swim a bit risky is better than every swim being risky" Moseby offered
"You make a good point" Emma complimented
"It was bound to happen" Moseby teased. They all laughed
"Won't that stop the dolphins though?" Bailey asked
"We can always swim past the nets, then swim back to safety if we find sharks" Cody suggested. This seemed to appease everyone, and they all nodded in agreement. Once the table was cleared, and everyone's drinks were refilled they made their way to the decking where they sat watching the sun set over the never-ending expanse of the horizon.
On the decking they let the silence surround them, listening to the gentle crashing of the waves. After a few moments, Cody and London exchanged a look, Cody speaking up before anyone else had a chance to dictate where the conversation would lead that night.
"London and I were talking earlier whilst you were playing in the water. We were wondering how the people in our lives, pre-island, would have reacted to our deaths" Cody started "We thought that our mom would be devastated" he added, looking at Zack
"Her and dad probably worked together on our funeral" Zack added
"Arwin would be all over the conspiracies. Undoubtably trying to invent something which would be able to find us" London added
"Maddie would rationally have grieved and moved on, but deep down she would like to listen to Arwin's theories. As it would feed a fantasy or a tiny glimmer of hope which she wouldn't lose until she had closure" Cody explained
"I agree with Carey, Arwin and Maddie. I think Estaban would also have jumped on the conspiracies. I would like to think... and hope that he and Arwin could bond and build a friendship over it" Moseby suggested, pausing to take a deep thought and a sip of his drink, looking away from the Islanders and out to the water "As for me …" he paused "Mother would be heartbroken. It might have killed her. That's it though, my brother would be upset but it he would get over it" he explained
"Same here" Emma joined in. "My mother would be lost. I mean, I have three sisters and they all have husbands and children so she wouldn't kill herself. Overtime I suppose I would just fade back into a distant memory" she explained
"I think it makes it easier that the people we were closest to came with us" Zack stated. "I can't really think of anyone on the boat who would miss us … Maybe Kirby, he would be sad. But I think he would just be constantly explaining whoever replaced Mr Moseby to Moseby, irritating them endlessly" this got a chuckle from everyone, a nice break from the growing upset amongst the Islanders.
"Totally" Bailey added "I suppose our classmates might notice too … Addison might but she has a lot of friends, I doubt anyone on the boat remembers us now. Like Emma said, we'd become a distant memory. As for home life, Mom and dad would miss me but they would be far too busy with the farm to grieve for too long"
"I mean. You were my only friends on the boat. My mom would miss me, but I doubt Steve would" Woody contributed
"Well … My fiancé would be getting his wish; for me to be dead. I'm an orphan so no worries about family. I have a few friends that would miss me, but I've been awol for the last year anyway so … they probably don't' even know I'm missing" Seren explained.
Everyone mused over the thoughts for a while, drinks were finished and Bailey and Zack walked off, coming back with armfuls of beer and more wine, refilling drinks
"Alright next topic" Cody said, everyone was a little tipsy now, and the previous upset was fading a little. "Let's be realistic, the chances of us being rescued off this Island are so slim … but think for a moment if we did. If we were away from this place, back in the real world... Where would your life go?" Cody asked. Again, silence as the islanders thought on his question.
"I'll start" Bailey announced. "Career wise, I think I would go away from the academicals a bit. I actually think I'd be better suited to architecture. I really enjoyed building the house, designing and making the plumbing and the air conditioning, helping with the oven and everything" she listed "Besides, considering the geological and environmental factors I think I could create a series of affordable eco-homes, which give back to the environment over time" Bailey explained. This caused everyone to raise an eyebrow in both agreement and surprise. No one disagreed with her
"That's such a good idea!" Zack commented
"You would be so good at that" Woody added
"And you could help so many people" Moseby said
"It would be a challenge but if anyone can do it, you can" Cody assured her
"You could revolutionise civil engineering" Seren stated
"Save lives, you could help eliminate homelessness" London smiled
"That's a very mature idea, and I think you're right. Based on how well you kids managed to build this house, whilst I'm sure whatever academical path you prevoiusly wanted to go down, you would excel at, it would be a waste of a talent. This is your calling" Emma said honestly, making Bailey blush
"Thank you. London, how about you?" Bailey asked
"Daddy's business is mostly hotels and accommodation. I would be a long way off taking over that business so I would start my own. Clothing, fashion, create my own styles, shows catwalks … as my name gets bigger, I might open spas and beauty salons" London explained
"Awesome!" Seren voiced
"You'd be really good at that" Moseby complimented
"That would be right up your street" Emma added
"You are creative enough to do that" Cody stated
"And beautiful" Zack added
"And you have such a potential for business growth" Bailey mused
"Would we get a friends and family discount?" Woody asked, causing London to laugh
"Of course, you would" she replied "Zack?" London finished
"Well, I would be a bodyguard. Or security … Some sort of authority and protection" Zack explained
"I KNEW putting you as the Hall monitor would work!" Emma exclaimed, slapping Moseby on the arm excitedly, causing him to yelp
"Ok! You've made your point! But Zack, that would suit you" Moseby replied
"And you would look H-O-T in that uniform" London said in a hushed voice to him, he winked at her.
"You would be very good" Woody added
"You've definitely got the edge to you" Seren added
"I can see that" Cody suggested
"I mean … You would be good …" Bailey trailed off, wanting to say something else but thinking about how she should word it
"Go on" Zack encouraged
"After seeing how you have handled everyone and everything since being here. I could see you as Mayor, or even president" Bailey suggested. London raised an eyebrow
"I could be your first Lady" she said with a smirk. Zack thought about it for a moment
"You think I could?" he asked
"If you asked me a year ago, I would have said no … But as Bailey said, being here, you have certainly shown yourself as a great leader" Moseby added
"Thank you" Zack replied "Woody, what would you do?" he asked
"If I were you? Aim big. Go President Zack! Go President Zack!" Woody chanted, causing everyone to join in for a round or two before collapsing in laughter. Drinks drank and refilled.
"Thanks, Woodster, but I meant what would you do if you were off the Island" Zack clarified
"Oh!" Woody declared, slapping his palm to his forehead "Well, now I would be a chef. Before we got here I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I knew I liked food, so hot dog vendor or ice-cream man was tempting. I probably would have ended up doing something with food, I think my dream job would be a food taster. But now, having been here I want to be a chef. Open my own chain of restaurants. Probably perfecting the recipes in the cookbooks and opening up restaurants following vintage traditional recipes" Woody explained
"That would be good" Bailey commented
"You would get a lot of customers" Moseby added
"Your food is incredible" Seren complimented.
"Oh!" Woody interjected "Or I could be a TV chef. Have my own TV show, where people bring me random ingredients and I have to make a three-course meal out of them" He explained. This caused another round of laughter and deep thought
"That would be hilarious" Cody laughed
"You'd get so many views" Emma complimented
"I would watch that" Seren agreed
"Why don't we do that here?" Bailey asked
"What do you mean?" Woody questioned
"We could pair up. Couples, Moseby and Emma. Then Seren could be Woody's kitchen assistant, then we don't plan meals, the couples go off and find various fruits, veg, meats, then we bring it to Woody, he and Seren have an hour or so to plan their meals, and then serve it that evening" Bailey suggested
"That sounds amazing" Zack mused
"And fun!" Woody agreed
"Can we do that?" London asked
"I'm in" Moseby said
"Anyone not open to that?" Zack asked. Silence filled them as everyone shook their heads "Let's do it. We'll do Monday; me and London pick. Wednesday Moseby and Emma pick, then Friday Cody and Bailey. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday we can all discuss and decide, breaks it up a bit then" Zack explained, they all agreed
"This is why you would make a great president" London said to him, he smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"My turn" Cody announced. "As a career I would still be with the academics, but like Bailey I would take a more engineering-based route. I would focus on better satellite visuals to find people lost at sea; I would focus on computer engineering. Maybe GPS on lifeboats which could notify the captain once deployed, or could be driven remotely so if they were used, they could be moved to safety without relying on the people inside to navigate" Cody explained
"That would certainly be useful" Moseby thought
"It would stop this happening to anyone else" Emma added
"I know Daddy would buy some for the ship" London stated
"It might help reassure people who are scared of this happening to go on cruises" Seren thought
"And if there was some disaster, like a boat fire, it doesn't just have to be accidental deployment" Bailey added
"Could it identify the nearest land and direct the lifeboat to there?" Woody asked
"I'm sure it could. An algorithm based on amount of people in the boat, number of supplies, closest safe land" "Cody replied
"Nice work Codester, that would be amazing" Zack thought "When I become president I'll make it mandatory on all ships" This caused another laugh.
"Well I wanted to be a writer. Journalism was just to really get my name associated wth literary documents, I couldn't write big pieces. Not books, I don't have the patience or skills for that" Seren explained "But I think I could write a good netflix series" she mused
"You would be amazing at that" Bailey complimented
"You have that creative brain" London added
"Do you think they still have netflix? Or is there something else which has replaced it by now?" Woody asked., they all thought
"It's been a year. Who's to say we would even recognise the world if we got back" Cody replied
"I'm not even sure if I want to go back …. It's so peaceful here. I've adjusted to it. Going back would be hard" Lonon admitted
"If we ever did, we would go back together" Zack assured her.
"My turn?" Moseby asked, breaking the silence. They nodded, turning their attention to him. "Well I had my dream job. I got upgraded form the Hotel to the SS Tipton. I would happily go back to where I was and sail the world, spending my days pleasing customers" he said blisfully. Zack looked over to him with one eyebrow raised
"Really?" he asked curiously "After all this?" Moseby thought on his words for a moment.
"No you're right. The sea school was stressful. Take me back to Boston and let me run the hotel again. Perhaps I'll request an adults only one" he added
"That's a good call" Cody laughed
"As for me, I don't know. I did enjoy teaching but I realy took the job for the sea and travelling. Minus the getting lost at sea, it was a pretty sweet deal" Emma thought out loud
"What's your ideal though? If you could go back and get your dream job?" Bailey asked
"Well I did enjoy working on the news. But that was long hours. I think I could do something within that field though. Maybe journalism" she mused
"If you like learning facts and writing documents then it's a brilliant job. I just have far too much of a fictional brain to make it work for me" Seren suggested. Emma thanked her.
They sat around talking for a bit longer, finishing the last of their drinks before they came to the collective conclusion that they had all had a long day, and needed to go back to it tomorrow, with the implementation of the shark nets.
"Shall we head to bed? Get out with the nets early before the sun gets high and the sharks come out?" Zack suggested.
"Sounds like a plan" London agreed, drinking the last of her drink and standing up to join him.
"Shall we start the food challenge tomorrow?" Bailey asked
"It is Monday" Moseby suggested
"Do you two want to choose the ingredients?" Zack asked Moseby and Emma, who nodded and agreed.
"Awesome. Wednesday, Cody and Bails, you can go. Then Friday me and London will" he suggested. They all agreed.
"Sounds like a plan" Seren agreed
"Just dinner, right. I can't do three meals three times a day" Woody laughed. They all joined in;
"Of course, just dinner" Bailey assured him
"So, what are we doing for breakfast and lunch tomorrow?" Emma asked
"Breakfast doesn't need to be much, we'll be out early anyway" Zack suggested
"Fruit and cereal?" Woody asked
"Perfect" London agreed
"And if we have three courses for dinner, a smaller lunch is fine. We have chicken left over from today, maybe just a salad?" Bailey suggested
"We have some rice too; we could do something with that?" Woody offered
"Ideal" They agreed. They all stood up and, in their pairs, went off to bed, bidding goodnights as they did. Before long it was just Seren and Woody left.
"I suppose we should go to bed" Woody stated, leaning on the chair to try and get himself up. His leg was sore, but he could walk on it now
"Do you want a hand?" Seren asked, concerned
"I'm alright thanks, I need to be able to do this by myself" he struggled for a minute more before he got up. He took a few unsteady steps but found his balance with a slight limp.
"I don't want to go back out into the water" Woody admitted
"Why not?" Seren asked
"It hurt!" He exclaimed, pointing to his leg. Seren laughed
"So? You'll get better. Come on, how many times have you been in there before and not gotten stung?" she asked, trying to help him rationalise his fear
"Doesn't matter it still hurt" Woody pouted. Seren looked out at the water, illuminated by the moonlight.
"Come on, we'll go now" she said, taking his hand and pulling him down to the beach, towards the water. Reluctantly he followed
"It's dark" he complained
"Which means the jelly fish will be asleep" Seren assured him
"I don't think it works like that" Woody replied
"Let's go find out" she replied,
"I don't think this is a good idea" he said, but his concern fell on death ears, as Seren had pulled her dress over her head, bikini still on under she walked out and dived into the water. Woody watched her faintly shining figure dancing against the waves.
"Come on!" she called from the water.
"I don't know" he said cautiously. He heard her sigh from the water. She walked out and walked up to him, she took his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek
"I know you can do it" she whispered softly to him. Pressing a second kiss, this time to his lips. She took his hand again and this time he didn't fight her, following her into the water, taking his top off as they walked, out until they were waist-deep in the water.
"See, it's not so bad is it" she said, swimming a little deeper, he followed
"It's perfect" he replied
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