Seven Guys, Six Girls, and an Island

 

                                                

Prologue

 

            "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Celeste, happy birthday to you!" a crowd of people sang to Celeste Clewell.  Celeste sat in a wooden chair, her long, mocha hair hanging loosely down her back.  Her sapphire-blue eyes brightened when she saw the cake with 14 candles (12 with one to grow on and one for luck) approach her.  The white and pink icing looked tantalizingly sweet and she licked her lips, her mouth watering as she watched the large cake being placed in front of her.  She closed her eyes and made the only wish she had ever really wanted:  to meet the three blond-haired singing sensations, with looks to kill for, Hanson.  Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and with all her might blew on the candles.  Every one of the candles went out, thin streams of smoke rising above the warm wicks.

            "Think you'll get what you want?" Celeste's best friend, Raven Charles, Rae for short, also 12, asked.

            "I hope so," Celeste said.  She took a piece of the moist, marble cake and went to an empty table to eat it.  Rae sat next to her friend and, after brushing her long, wavy, raven-colored hair from her face, took a bite of her cake.  "Why pink?  How come I got a pink cake?  I hate pink!  My room is blue, my eyes are blue, my clothes are blue, everything I have is blue!  Not pink, blue!" Celeste complained, looking at a piece of icing on her fork.

            "Would you care for some ice cream?" a black tuxedo-wearing waiter asked the two girls.  "It's mint chocolate chip."

            "Yeah," Celeste said, always up for a bowl of her favorite ice cream.

            "What about you?" the waiter asked, looking at Rae.

            "Yes, please," Rae said.  The waiter dished out their ice cream, then moved on to the table next to theirs where Celeste's 15-year-old cousin, Cassandra, was sitting with her two friends, Bianca, also 15, and Sabrina, 16. The three were talking amongst themselves, paying no attention to Celeste or Rae.  They were wearing matching outfits; a short, black velvet skirt with a slit up the side, a white, almost see-through, silk blouse, and black velvet, thick, high-heeled shoes with a thin strap around the ankle.  The only way to tell them apart was by their hair and eye colors, height, and faces.

            "Bye!" Celeste called after Rae, as she was leaving, when the party was over.  Rae waved from the back window of her uncle's silver Rolls Royce limo.  Celeste shut the door to her family's home, a red brick tudor mansion.  The rich-looking house was well kept, thanks to Celeste's father's and mother's jobs.  Her father, Stephen, was the sole owner of a large oil company, and her mother, Skye, was a prominent lawyer.

            Rae drove down the smooth blacktopped road in the back of the limo with her uncle, Jay, the owner of the largest paper manufacturing company in the U.S. and her aunt, May, the owner of a famous chain of restaurants.  The driver pulled into the driveway and waited patiently as the gate doors swung open, admitting them onto the Blackwell grounds.  The house, a large, victorian mansion, sat in the middle of a large green field that was surrounded by a ten foot wall.  When the car stopped, the driver got out and opened the door to let everyone out.  Once in the house, Rae ran up to her room and found the red light on her answering machine flashing, saying there was a message for her. She pushed the play button and listened to the message.

            "Rae!  Guess what?!  You'll never guess, so I'll just tell you.  My parents are sending me on a cruise and I can invite a friend, so of course I'm inviting you.  Isn't that great?!  Call me when you get this message.  I want to tell you all about it.  You have to come!  Please come!" Celeste said.  The tone sounded then, signaling the end of the message.  With a laugh, Rae shook her head and picked up the phone and quickly pressed #1 on the speed dial, Celeste's number.  "Hello?  Rae?  Is that you?" Celeste answered on the first ring.

            "Yeah, what's up?" Rae answered, still smiling.

            "Can you come?"

            "I don't even know what I'm coming to, other than a cruise," Rae said.

            "Oh, yeah.  My parents and my aunt got me a birthday present.  Actually, I think my aunt got the cruise and my parents got the bands, but anyway I'm allowed to bring one friend.  It's a cruise to the Bermuda Triangle, but the only problem is that my cousin and her two friends are going to be there with us.  Think you can come?" Celeste asked once again.

            "How long is it?  When is it?" Rae asked, the sensible one, for the night.

            "It's a two week cruise that leaves tomorrow afternoon," Celeste said.  "Can you come?"

            "Hold on, let me ask," Rae said, and set the phone down.  Still smiling, she found her aunt and uncle in the downstairs library and quietly went in.  "Auntie, dear Uncle," she began, "can I go with Celeste on a two week cruise that leaves tomorrow?"  Jay and May looked at each other with smiles, both shrugging their shoulders.

            "Sure, we both have to go out of town for a few weeks, and we were wondering what we were going to do about you.  This is perfect!" Jay said, setting his book down on the table next to him.  Rae smiled and ran to her aunt and uncle, giving them each a big hug.

            "Thank you so much," she said and ran out of the room before they could change their minds.  "Celeste!  They said yes!  They really did!  I can go!  Scottie--"

            "Get down!" Celeste finished for Rae.  "That's so great!" she said, jumping up and down in joy in her bedroom.  "I'm so excited, my parents booked two bands, but they won't tell me who they are!"

            "Really?  Do you think it could be Hanson?" Rae asked, hearing the sounds of 'Middle of Nowhere' in the background.

            "I don't know, I'm hoping it is.  They have to know how much I love them.  This can't be like the cake, I mean, I talk about them all the time!" Celeste said, kissing the large poster of Isaac Hanson that hung over the headboard of her four-posted, queen-sized, bed.

            "Well," Rae said, "what are you packing?"

            "Packing?" Celeste asked, confused for a moment.  "Oh my God!  I have to pack!  I'll see you tomorrow at two, okay?"

            "Sure," Rae replied and hung up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Bye honey!  We'll see you in two weeks!" Skye called to her daughter as the five girls began to board the ship.  Celeste waved and pulled Rae up onto the ship behind her as quickly as she could, Scottie following behind.  Skye and Stephen watched the ship pull up the anchor and start on its two week journey.

            "Come on I have to see what bands are here.  I have to find out now, because if it's some stupid old guys, I'm gonna jump overboard and I'd like to be able to swim back to shore," Celeste said, determination propelling her forward as she continued to pull Rae along in her wake.

            "Celeste, wait up!" Cassandra called, chasing after her cousin in high heels and a leather mini skirt, Bianca and Sabrina following her.  Celeste looked over her shoulder and sighed.

            "Bitch Brigade at two o'clock," she whispered to Rae.

            "Where are you racing off to?  We have plenty of time to explore the ship," Cassandra said, not really wanting to explore the ship as much as search for hot, available guys.

            "I want to unpack," Celeste said, the only thing she could think of.  Cassandra nodded and went in the other direction with Bianca and Sabrina.

            "Are we really unpacking?" Rae asked, confused.

            "No!  I just don't want them with us if we find the bands, whoever they are," Celeste said, letting her grip on Rae drop.

            "Why don't we put our things in our rooms?" Rae suggested, her backpack heavy on her shoulders.  "I don't feel like searching the entire ship for a couple bands."

            "Fine," Celeste said, giving up her search...for now.  They found their suite, decided who got which room, and put their luggage on their beds.  They figured they'd put it away later.  "Okay, now can we go find them?"

            "Celeste, this is a huge ship.  Do you actually think you're going to find anyone right away? Not to mention that you don't even know who you're looking for!" Rae said, pulling open the door and looking at her friend.  Rae went through the door and bumped into some people.  "Oh, sorry," she said before looking up.

            "Ha!  I told you Hanson would be here!  I mean, pink icing is one thing, but even my parents have to know who my favorite band is," Celeste happily told Rae, a big smile on her face.  Rae had bumped into the all-too-familiar band Hanson, who were watching the scene with confused and curious looks on their faces.

            "Hey wow.  Do you know who you are?" Rae asked, amazed that she was standing with the one and only Hanson, when Celeste seemed so calm and relaxed.

            "No, who am I?" Zac asked, looking at Rae as if he didn't know he was Zac Hanson.

            "You're only Celeste's favorite band," Rae said, still amazed at their presence.

            "Oh, I am?" Zac asked with a broad smile.

            "No, we are.  So who's Celeste?" Taylor asked, looking at Celeste.

            "I am," Celeste said in a quiet voice, giving him a sweet smile.

            "That's a pretty name," he said, returning her smile as Cassandra, Bianca, and Sabrina walked out of their suite and headed toward them.

            "Thank you," Celeste said, mesmerized.

            "Oh my God!  It's Hanson!" the other three girls yelled in unison, running down the hall toward Isaac, Taylor, and Zac.

            "I think you should run!" Rae said, watching the Brigade approach.  "And now would be a good time," she said as Cassandra grabbed on to Zac's blue shirt.  Celeste and Rae held the three Brigade members at bay as the boys ran down the hall in the other direction.

            "Why'd you do that?!  We were talking to them!" Sabrina said, pushing Rae and Celeste off of her.  "God, how uncool are you two?"  Without responding, Celeste and Rae walked down the hall and toward the stairs leading to the deck.  Once on deck, they walked around and went over to the bar.

            "Hey ladies," a tall, good-looking Cuban greeted them with a smile, showing his perfect white teeth.  "What can I get you today?"

            "A Shirley Temple, please," Rae said politely.

            "Can I have one too?" Celeste asked.  The bar tender made and handed them their drinks, putting a cherry in each one.

            "Can I have a purple hooter?"

            "Celeste...does that voice sound familiar?" Rae asked, looking at Celeste.  Celeste shrugged, still thinking about her brief interlude with Hanson.

            "I don't know, who does it sound like?" she asked, stirring her drink with her straw.  Rae took a sip of her drink and turned around to see who the voice belonged to.

            "Oh my God!" she cried after spitting her drink out all over Scott Moffatt's face.

            "Thanks," Scott said, wiping his face in disgust.  "I needed to get a shower anyway.  Now I have another reason to."

            "I'm sorry," Rae apologized quickly.  "I didn't mean to do that.  I'm really sorry," she said, handing Scott a napkin to wipe his face with.  Scott took the napkin and wiped his sticky face.  Suddenly there was the sound of a dog yelping and Scottie jumped onto Rae's lap.

            "Scottie get down!" Rae said shoving the dog from her lap.  Scott looked up at Rae with a 'what are you talking about?' expression on his face.

            "I'm sorry," Clint said looking at Rae.  "Dude, I think I stepped on your dog."

            "A little wet?" Bob asked, looking at his brother and trying to hold in his laughter.

            "Ha, ha, ha," Scott said sarcastically, not finding the situation at all funny.

            "Hi, I'm Celeste," she said, shaking Bob, Clint, and Dave's hands.  They each introduced themselves to Celeste and found out what Rae's name was from Celeste, of course.

            "Scott?" Bob asked.  "Are you okay?" he asked, seeing that his brother was still wiping his face.

            "Yeah, I'll live," he said sarcastically.

            "God, it was an accident.  I apologized, and if you're not going to accept it, fine, but get over it," Rae said, her shamrock-green eyes flashing with rising anger.

            "Rae, calm down," Celeste told her friend.  Rae looked at Celeste and the other Moffatts and blushed, embarrassed by her outburst.

            "Hey," she said softly.  "I'm Raven."  She extended her hand to each of the boys.

            "Hey," they greeted back and shook her hand.  "I guess you know who we are."

            "I'm sorry for snapping at you," Scott apologized to Rae.  "I'm just not used to people spitting in my face."

            "Well I'm not used to spitting in people's faces, Scott," Rae said in embarrassment.  "I'm not used to meeting my favorite bands either," she added and noticed the Brigade girls coming toward them, once again rearing their ugly faces.  Seeing the Moffatts, the Brigade raced toward them and meant to get to the guys before the girls scared them away.  "Oh my God, not again!" Rae said and turned to Celeste, who was just noticing how truly brown Clint's eyes were.  "Cousin alert!" she whispered.  Celeste looked away from Clint and toward her cousin and her two friends.

            "Celeste, darling," Cassandra said as the Brigade approached the group.  "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

            "Cassandra, dear, sweet cousin o' mine...NO!" Celeste said, ignoring her cousin's question.

            "Well hello," Clint said in the deepest, sexiest voice he could muster to Sabrina.  "Did it hurt?"

            "Did what hurt?" Sabrina asked, looking at him confusedly.

            "When you fell from Heaven, did it hurt?" Clint asked, his smile sly.  Sabrina smiled a coy smile.  "I'm Clint Moffatt, and you are...?"

            "Sabrina," she said, giving him her hand.  Clint took it and gently kissed it.  "Clint," she said, her eyelashes fluttering wildly.

            "Well, I'm Bianca," Bianca said, her eyes traveling around the group.

            "And I'm Cassandra, Celeste's cousin," Cassandra said.  The ship's bell rang then, calling everyone to supper.

            "Food!" Scott said, and raced with Dave to the dining area with Cassandra, Bianca, Bob, Clint, and Sabrina closely following.

            "So, how do you like your birthday present?" Rae asked Celeste as they slowly made their way to the dining area.

            "I'd like it better if my cousin didn't keep interrupting just as I'm getting to know everyone," Celeste complained and they entered the dining hall.  Rae laughed as the girls followed the others to supper.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            The next night, Celeste and Raven joined the Bitch Brigade and the two bands in a private party room on the ship's deck.  The bands were going to play for Celeste's birthday.  Once in the room, they found the unfamiliar face of a girl standing next to Isaac Hanson.

            "Hey, do you think that's Isaac's girlfriend?" Rae asked Celeste quietly.

            "Nah, he doesn't have one," Celeste said.  At that moment, Isaac and the girl kissed, proving Celeste wrong.  "Okay, maybe he does."

            "Guys, this is Tina, my girlfriend," Isaac introduced.  Everyone said hi, then the Moffatts announced that they'd be playing first and that everyone should have a seat and order something to drink while they set up their instruments.  After forty minutes of the Moffatts' set passed, Scott announced their final number, "I Think She Likes Me."

            "Celeste, you have to dance!  I can't believe they're playing this song!  I love this song!" Rae exclaimed excitedly.  Celeste gave her a weird look, then Rae pulled her up to her feet and onto the dance floor.  Tina joined them so that they weren't the only ones dancing.  The three formed a circle while Rae sang along with the band quietly.  The others watched in amusement, then Isaac got up and joined them so he could be with Tina.

            "Let's hear it for the band.  Bob on drums, Clint on bass, Dave on the keys, and me, Scott, on acoustic guitar.  We're the Moffatts, thank you," Scott said when they finished the song.

            "And let's hear it for our dancers!" Clint added, clapping.  Everybody clapped as well and the "dancers" took a bow.  The Moffatts left the stage and joined everyone at the tables while Hanson got ready to play their set.  Rae timidly went up to the Moffatts, except for Scott, and asked them to sign her copy of their CD.  Soon enough, Hanson went into their set and Celeste sang along with every song they played...except the older ones that she didn't know.  Before they played "More Than Anything," Isaac dedicated it to his girlfriend, Tina.  While each band played, the Brigade made friends with the others leaving Rae and Celeste more to themselves.  Tina tried to include them in the conversation, but Rae and Celeste knew they weren't accepted, so they talked to each other.  When Hanson was on their last song, the ship gave a tremendous heave, knocking everyone out of their seats and pinning Zac behind the drums, which had collapsed on him.  The lights flickered on and off then, leaving everyone nervous and wondering what was going to happen next.

            "What's going on?"

            "Zac, are you okay?"

            "No!  Get me out of here!"

            Everyone began talking at once, and Taylor and Isaac did their best to get Zac out of his position.  They all got together in one big group, then went out on deck to see what was going on.  A blast of cold air hit them when they opened the door and they soon realized they were getting wet. They went back in the room and heard the captain over a loudspeaker saying that everyone should stay inside whatever room they were in because there was a storm passing by them which was generated by a hurricane approaching the land to the starboard side of the ship.

 

 

Chapter 1

 

            "What happend?  Where are we?" Cassandra asked looking around at the tropic vegitation surrounding her.

            "Is everyone alright?" Isaac asked, his eyes traveled over the faces he saw around him.  Everyone seemed to be alright, but there were so few of them.

            "Where's Zac?" Taylor asked as he stood up to search.  Isaac looked over at the faces, Tina was by a large boulder, Cassandra, Bianca, and Sabrina were huddled together crying, Celeste was just getting up off the sand, and Korbin, Raven's uncle who came along to make sure Rae was not getting into any trouble, was talking with Scott, Bob, Clint, and Dave.  Nowhere did he see Zac, or Raven for that matter.

            "You haven't seen him?" Isaac asked looking at Taylor.

            "Not since the boat flipped."
            "We've got to find him.  Let's ask around, maybe someone's seen him," Isaac suggested, trying to remain calm. 

            "Have you seen Raven?" Korbin asked, his tall, muscular frame standing before Isaac and Taylor.

            "No, have you seen Zac?" Isaac asked.  Korbin shook his head, a frown creasing his brow.

            "I'll go search for them.  Stay here, build shelters," Korbin said and started for the shore line, intent on walking along the beach, looking for any signs of his niece or Zac.

            "I'll come with you," Isaac said as he caught up with Korbin.  Korbin shook his head once and dismissed Isaac.  Isaac continued to follow Korbin.

            "No," Korbin said the one word as a command, an order to be followed.  "Stay close to the beach until I get back and look after the others.  I will return with both of them, rest assured."  Isaac nodded and stopped.  He watched as Korbin continued along the beach. 

            "Ike?" the call brought him back to the immediate present.  There were people depending on him.  People who needed him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Rae?" Zac gently shook her shoulder.  They were both on the deserted beach, wreck from the ship all around them and in the water.  "Rae wake up, please," he pleaded, afraid he would be alone, where ever he was.

            "Ow," Rae moaned quietly, her eyes only slightly open.  Her head was pounding and her right arm was aching.  With an effort she reached up to touch the side of her head and her fingers came away sticky.  "Must have hit my head on something," she said wiping the blood from her fingers on her pants.  "You alright Zac?" 

            "I'm not sure," he said, relief in his voice and on his face at her being awake and knowing who he was.  His biggest fear after he'd realized she was alive, was that she'd lost her memory with the lump on her head that was bleeding.

            "What do you mean you're not sure?"

            "I think my leg might be broken," he confessed.  He looked at his leg, his knee swollen, and pain shooting at every movement he made. Rae looked at his leg, and as gently as she could, examined it.

            "I'm not an expert or anything, but I don't think it's broken," Rae said.  "It looks like you did something to your knee.  Maybe twisted it or something.  In any case I bet you can't walk on it."

            "Yes, I can," Zac said standing to prove his point.  He kept his weight on his good leg and clenched his teeth through the excrusiating pain. 

            "I know you're lying, and in pain, but I don't think we should stay here.  I get the feeling we're being watched."  Zac nodded.  Rae stood up, inspected her arm which was limply hanging at her side.  "Well we make a great team.  Your leg and my arm are of no use to us," she said after deciding her arm was almost definitely broken. 

            "Do you think anyone else is here?" Zac asked as he and Rae walked, slowly, down the beach.  They found if Zac leaned on Rae and hopped rather than use his injured leg, they went faster, and the the little jolts were less painful than putting weight on his knee.

            "I hope so, otherwise why are we looking for them?" Rae asked as the sun set before them.  "Let's find some place to sleep and find food."  They found a small group of palm trees and fruits that looked similar to oranges.  After smelling them and offering a prayer that they weren't poisonous they each ate their fill.  When their appetites were sated Rae found fresh water.  Clean, free of hunger and thirst, they fell into fitful sleep.

            A noise woke Rae from her dreamless sleep.  For a few minutes she sat, unsure what had woken her, then she heard it again, leaves rustling.  The sound of someone or something brushing against a bush.  Alert immediately she grabbed a stick, the only weapon she could find, and not much protection she stood, waiting for the sound to come again.

            "Don't move," a voice said out of the darkness.  Rae immediately recognized the voice as her uncle’s and obeyed.  She heard the sound of a fight, the wimper of a retreating animial and silence.  She shivered in the sudden chill that was in the air.  "Are you alright?" Korbin asked coming out of the trees.  He was bleeding and limping a little but otherwise alright.

            "I think my arm's broken, and Zac did something to his leg," Rae said.  Zac sat up, his eyes still half closed from sleep and looked around.  He saw Korbin and was awake at once.

            "Are my brothers with you?  Where's everyone else?" he asked sitting up, his back resting against a tree trunk.  Korbin inspected Zac's leg and grunted.

            "You'll be fine.  You need to stay off that leg for awhile, but you'll live.  The others, what's left of them, are back that way," he said, pointing in the direction he had come from.

            "Are my brothers there?  Are they alright?" Zac asked conserened about their welfare.

            "They anxiously await your return," Korbin assured Zac and looked at Raven.  "How's your head?" he asked as he felt where the bone in her upper arm was broken in two.

            "Hurts a little, but it's fine," she said as he pushed the two bones back together and made a splint to keep her arm from moving until they could heal.

            "Good, let's get away from here.  It's not safe," Korbin said and helped Zac to his feet.  He found it easier to carry him than to let him hobble along and it was less time consuming.  Well after sunrise, somewhere around 10, they stumbled onto the makeshift camp Isaac had erected.  As soon as they were spotted everyone swarmed around them.  Zac was the center of everyone's concern, Korbin placed him in a shaded area and disappeared into the trees.

            "Rae are you alright?" Celeste asked, the only one not swarming around Zac.  She nodded, her attention on the woods where her uncle had disappered.  "I'm so glad.  I was worried, so worried.  Rae they found the captain, he's dead.  Isaac wouldn't let anyone see him.  He, Taylor, and Scott burried him in the woods."  Rae wasn't listening anymore, she was worried about her uncle.  For the first time she remembered the fight and the blood, so much blood.  She stood up and went in search of her uncle.

            "Raven come here," Korbin said, his voice sounding strained, his breathing labored.  She obeyed and knelt by his side.  "I'm dying Raven.  My time is almost at an end.  I've been looking out for you since your parents died, now you must look out for yourself and the others.  I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from this.  Remember the things you learned when you were at the reservation, they may be the difference between surviving and not."  He closed his eyes, his breath shallow and hard to come by.  "My spirit will always be with you," he whispered with his last breath.

            "No, Uncle," she cried burrying her face in his chest.  "You can't die!  I need you," she cried into his chest, her body shaking with her sobs.  She felt herself being pulled away from his body and against another.

            "Shh," someone soothed gently.  Rae looked up with cloudy vision at Scott.  He put his arms around her and she accepted his offer of momentary comfort. 

            "Rae, what happened?" Celeste nearly shrieked as she ran into the little clearing around the three bodies.  Rae looked up, wiped her tears and pushed away from the arms that were holding her so safely, so securely.  She composed herself, it was rare when someone saw her vulnerable side, and she promised herself it wouldn't happen again.

            "He's dead," she said flatly.  The only evidence of her crying, other than her eyes being bloodshot, was the slight waver in her voice.

            "What's going on?" Isaac asked crashing through the undergrowth.  Three sets of eyes turned their attention to him.  "Oh my God is he alright?" he asked as he knelt by Korbin's unmoving body.  "What happened?"

            "Animal," Rae said quietly.  Scott reached for her, to try and comfort her, hearing the emotions she was fighting to hide that no one else heard.  She shrugged away from him and disappeared into the woods.

            "Rae!" Scott called from the edge of the forest-like vegetation.  "Shouldn't we go after her?" Scott asked as the others joined them.  "There are wild animals out there."

            "Good!  Maybe they'll eat her and leave the rest of us alone," Sabrina said.

            "Shut up!" Celeste said glaring at Sabrina.  Celeste knew her friend better than anyone and knew she needed to be alone to deal with her grief.  Scott looked around at the faces surrounding him, none of them doing anything but contemplating what they should do, and sighed with disgust.  He left them standing there, still contemplating the best course of action, and ran off in search of Rae. 

            "Rae!?!" Scott called as he pushed vines and tree limbs out of his path.  He watched the surrounding forest for any evidence that Rae or anyone else had passed by recently.  Ahead of him he heard the sound of water crashing over rocks that were worn smooth and white from the pressure the clear water supplied.  The green foliage that was blocking his view of the running water that he heard was thinning and he could see Rae sitting by the edge of the stream, the mouth of which opened up into a clear, perfectly round pool of water that housed fish of dozens of vibrant colors.  She was sitting against a moss covered oak tree, its branches drooping down low enough to touch the water with their leafy tips, her knees drawn up to her chest, her head leaning against the trunk of  the great oak.

            "What do you want?" she asked softly.  Her usually bright, vibrant eyes dark with sadness and pain stared up into the sky, watching the cotton-like clouds as they passed overhead.  Scott sat down next to her and reached his arm around her slender shoulders, resting it there in a comforting gesture.  He pulled her close to his chest and held her until her tears were all used and the last tear was wiped from her cheek by the wind.  "Why are you here?" she asked, still leaning against his warm body, not ready to give up the comfort and strength he freely offered.

            "I came to make sure you were all right.  And to make sure no wild animals came and carried you off," he said with the hint of laughter in his voice.

            "As Sabrina no doubt hoped," Rae said.  She shoved herself away from the folds of Scott's protecting arms and leaned against the tree.  "She really doesn't like me."

            With his index finger and thumb he turned her face so she was looking at him.  "She doesn't like anyone but herself," Scott assured her.  Rae shrugged.

            "Maybe," she relented.  "She hates me though.  How many people do you say you hope get eaten by wild animals, even if you don't like them?"

            "Well I won't let any wild animals get close to you," Scott promised and leaned down to brush his velvety lips to her silky ones.  In a brief embrace they met, then she pulled away.  "Sorry," he apologized.  "I guess I shouldn't have done that."

            "No, it's not that," Rae said softly, her cheeks flushing.  Scott looked at her curiously, wondering what she meant.  "I've just never..."she tried to explain, her cheeks turning even redder.  "I have never kissed anyone.  Well with an actual kiss," she said in a rush, her embarrassment heating her face.  "Not that that's what we were doing, but...."

            "Do you want to?" he asked, finding the red in her cheeks to be very becoming and that he was attracted to her.  "Learn how to kiss, for real I mean?"  Rae looked at him for a long moment and pondered his question, not sure what ulterior motives he might have or what trick he was playing on her.  She shrugged and waited for the whole thing to blow up in her face.

            "First," he began.  He took a deep breath and moved Rae so that she was basically sitting on his lap and her face was turned toward his.  "We'll start slow," he said and brought his lips to hers, softly claiming them with his own.  As the lesson progressed the kiss deepened, became more heated, and carried both Rae and Scott on the waves of passion to unknown heights.  Scott pulled Rae closer to him, his kiss unwavering.  He guided her unschooled lips with his own and found she was an apt pupil.  Without knowing why, she moved her arms to place them around his neck and scooched closer to him.

            "That's enough for the first lesson," Scott said, his breathing uneven, coming in spastic bursts.  Rae untangled herself from him and ran from the clearing.  "What have I done?" he asked the trees, his eyes closed, and his heart racing.  He couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to hold Rae in his arms, to have her lips, wonderfully sweet-tasting, doing everything his had asked.  It had been as if the rest of the world did not exist until that moment and in the moment the kiss ended the world came to a halt.  "What is happening to me?" he asked.  "How can she make me feel like this?  It's not right.  My mind must be playing tricks on me.  Maybe I have heat stroke or something.  That's it, I've got heat stroke and I imagined the whole thing, it wasn't real.  None of it was real.  God I wish it had been though," he sighed and headed back to the encampment where the others were.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

            “Celeste, would you finish mixing the cake batter while I go and start the oven?” Tina asked rhetorically because she was all ready leaving by the time Celeste even thought to respond.  Tina went out to the oven that had been constructed.  It was a simple structure made out of mud and dry grass, much like straw, that had been left in the sun to dry.  Most of their cooking was done on the top of the oven, a smooth surface where they set make-shift pots and pans, there was a shelf closer to the fire that burned under the oven, on the shelf they made their breads and other baked goodies. 

            “I am sooo tired,” Cassandra whined coming up the stairs to the treehouse that they, Isaac, Taylor, Scott, Clint, Bob, Dave, Tina, Cassandra, Sabrina, Bianca, and Celeste had completed not more than a week ago.  The house itself was built about 15 feet above the sandy ground in an oak, its base spanning 50 feet around, and reaching a few hundred feet into the air.  The walls were made of bamboo stalks tied tightly together in a squarish shape.  The roof was made of palm leaves, which were fairly water-tight.  Around the entire treehouse, there ran a sort of balcony where they could stand and observe what was going on below without being in harm’s way.  Inside there were four rooms; one for Isaac and Tina, one for the rest of the girls, one for the rest of the guys, and a common room where they took their meals together and used as their “everything else” room, except the bathroom.  Outside, about 100 yards from the treehouse, in a small inlet where the morning tide came in, they went to the bathroom.  When the tide went out, so did the contaminates.

            “So am I,” Bianca admitted as she came up the treehouse steps.  The steps the treehouse had were in the style of a ladder.  They could be pulled up in an emergency and looked much like fold-down attic stairs.  With ropes, thick branches, and some salvaged ladders from their lost ship, they made their ladder.

            “Well, we wouldn’t be so tired if we didn’t have to do so much of the work,” Sabrina complained, along with the ladder under the weight of the three girls. 

            “What can we do?  Everyone is doing work,” Cassandra said, the first to reach the balcony.  She waited for her two friends.

            “Not everyone,” Sabrina said bitterly.  “Raven isn’t doing any work.  All she does is go into the woods and play all day.  That is not work.  It’s not fair that the rest of us are doing all of this and she partakes in the benefits without helping.”  Celeste stood up, setting the batter on a low table that Clint and Bob made.

            “How can you say that?” Celeste asked facing Sabrina.  “She brings back food for us to eat.  That’s helping.”

            “You would defend her,” Sabrina sneered.  “You follow her around like a lost puppy.”

            “What food does she bring back?” Bianca asked.  “Isaac, Taylor, and Scott are the ones that go out hunting.  They bring back the food.”

            “Yeah,” Sabrina said, encouraged by her friends’ presence.

            “She’s the one that found the flour that lets us make cakes and bread.  She found the fruits that we eat, we’d only have meat if it weren’t for Rae,” Celeste insisted.

            “I could do that too,” Sabrina said.  “Except I’m too busy doing all the work that Raven isn’t.  We all are.  And we’re all sick of picking up her slack.”

            “In case you forgot,” Celeste said slowly, so she could control her rising ire (in case you’re confused, like Jen, ire=anger sorry if you already knew that, it was Jen’s suggestion) and so she was sure Sabrina could understand her, “Rae has a broken arm.  She can’t do any of the work that you can.  She is trying to help out in the only way she can.  I happen to know she would do more if she could, but she can’t.  Why don’t you just leave her alone?  Especially when she isn’t here to defend herself?”

            “Whatever you say princess,” Sabrina said sarcastically.  At that time Taylor walked in the treehouse, water dripping from his wet hair, falling onto his bare, golden-brown chest.  All eyes turned toward him as he stepped into the room. 

            “Hey,” he said with an impish grin.  Sabrina, Bianca, and Cassandra leered at him.  They returned his greeting as they salivated over his bare chest and the developing corded muscles they saw.  The muscles were the result of many hours of sweaty work building the treehouse, chopping wood, hunting, and for Tay, swimming.  Celeste looked up shyly, her eyes as dark as the midnight sky.  Taylor smiled directly at Celeste and went into the room he shared with the other guys.  Sabrina glared at Celeste, jealous that Taylor smiled at Celeste, even if it was only out of politeness.

            “I don’t know why you’re smiling,” Sabrina told Celeste.  “He only smiled at you because he feels sorry for you.  I mean, he can’t help it really, we all feel sorry for you.  What with that straggly hair of yours and those hips, I bet Tay could fit his entire head between them-“

            “And whoever said that wasn’t a good thing?” Rae asked.  Having heard the end of the conversation, she came to the defense of her friend.

            “You are such a pervert,” Sabrina said, feigning (in the thesaurus O La Jen, feigning=faking, sorry to sound condescending) disgust.  Celeste rolled her eyes and shook her head.

            “Come on,” Raven said grabbing Celeste’s arm and pulling her out of the treehouse with her.  “Let’s get out of here,” she said once they were on the balcony.  She dropped Celeste’s arm and headed down the steps.  Quietly Rae and Celeste walked in the woods, Celeste following Rae, not exactly sure where they were going.  “What’s wrong?”  Celeste looked up and saw Rae watching her, wondering what was wrong.  Celeste couldn’t stop the tears any longer.  She knew she shouldn’t let what Sabrina had said get to her, but it still hurt, she hadn’t done anything to Sabrina, the only thing she had done was stick up for her friend. 

            “Nothing,” Celeste said with a sniff as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

            “Leste, don’t do that.  If something is bothering you tell me,” Rae said not wanting her friend to hide her feelings inside.

            “It’s just that what Sabrina said really hurt.  I know I’m not as pretty as her, and she had to go and point it out where anyone could have heard.  Especially Taylor because he was in the other room.  They’re probably all in the treehouse laughing at my expence right now,” Celeste said miserably.  

            “Don’t get sad,” Rae said, an idea forming in her head, “get even.”

            “What do you mean?” Celeste asked sounding skeptic.  “You’re not going to do anything to them are you?”

            “Of course not,” Rae said, her lips quirking into a smile.  “They’re completely capable of doing it to themselves.”  She told Celeste her plan as they continued walking through the woods.  They came upon a bush with tiny red berries on it and began picking the small, ripe fruit.  With a jubilant bounce in their step they came into the clearing where the treehouse was located and sat on the ground near the edge of the woods. 

            “I am soo hungry,” Sabrina said as she, Bianca, and Cassandra came along the path, apparently having just finished bathing.  They came upon Celeste and Rae with the tempting fruit and stopped before them. 

            “What’s that?” Cassandra asked in a friendly tone, her stomach growling at the sight of the food.

            “Fruit,” Rae said standing up.  “I have to go gather some more fruits, are you coming Leste?” she asked looking over at Celeste.  Celeste nodded and stood up.  The two began to walk away when Rae looked over her shoulder at the three girls who were watching them leave.  “By the way, don’t eat any of them,” she said indicating the food. 

            “Do you think they’ll eat it?” Celeste asked when they were securely in the woods and away from anyone’s hearing. 

            “I guess we’ll find out,” Rae said and continued walking in the woods.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            “How long till supper?” Bianca asked, eyeing the bowl of fruit hungrily.  Sabrina watched the forbidden fruit as if it was the most luscious looking thing she had ever layed eyes one. 

            “I don’t know, but I’m going to try some of this fruit,” Sabrina said as she picked up the bowl.  “It looks really good.”

            “Do you think we should?” Cassandra asked.  “I mean Raven said not too.”

            “She probably just wants it all for herself,” Bianca said grabbing a handful of berries. 

            “These are good,” Sabrina said.  With a shrug Cassandra gave in to temptation along with her two friends and soon the bowl of berries was gone.  The three, their hunger tied over until supper with the berries, headed up to the treehouse.  Soon everyone was returning to the treehouse from wherever they were during the day, hungry and looking for supper.  Everyone, except Bianca, Sabrina, and Cassandra, sat and ate a hearty meal.  The three berry-eaters weren’t feeling too well.

            “Are you guys all right?” Tina asked, looking over the table at the three girls that weren’t eating her cooking. 

            “I’m not feeling so good,” Cassandra said running from the treehouse holding onto her stomach.  Soon Sabrina and Bianca ran from the treehouse too, moaning and clutching their tender tummies.

            “Must be something they ate,” Rae said with a smile that she hid by taking a bite of her food.  Celeste stared at her food, feeling guilty for what she did, but as Rae had explained earlier, the berries wouldn’t do any permanent damage.  They would only cause a little discomfort with diarrhea for a couple of days, and they had warned them not to eat the fruit.

            “Are you getting sick too?” Tina asked, looking at Celeste, who was staring at her food. 

            “What?” Celeste looked up, surprised.  “No, just thinking about something.  Rae can I talk to you for a minute?” 

            “Sure,” Rae agreed and the two went out into the twilight.  “What is wrong now?  I already told you they’ll be fine.  Besides, we warned them not to eat any.”

            “But Rae, we knew they would eat some.  Isn’t there anything we can give them?” Celeste asked, guilt washing over her.

            “We wouldn’t take anything you gave us,” Sabrina said, coming out of the woods via the path from the latrines.  “What did you give us?” she asked grabbing Rae by the shoulders and turning her to face her. 

            “Leave Rae alone,” Celeste said, trying to break Sabrina’s hold on Rae’s shoulders.

            “Stay out of this,” Bianca said, pushing Celeste away from the circle that was forming, with Rae in the middle.  As she watched them gather, getting ready to strike like a pack of wolves, Celeste ran back to the treehouse and up the steps as fast as she could. 

            “Leste, is something wrong?” Zac asked, the first to notice her coming in.  The others looked up as soon as he spoke, all eyes turning to Celeste. 

            “Um—“

            “You bitch!” Sabrina yelled.  Everyone rushed out of the treehouse to see what the commotion was all about.  They saw Sabrina draw back, getting ready to strike Rae.  In the process, she hit Bianca in the stomach, causing her to double over and fall to the ground.  As Sabrina hit Rae, Bianca hit the ground and let out a major gas explosion, complete with sulfuric fumes that quickly choked all the human inhabitants of the island. 

            “Sabrina!” Isaac yelled shocked by what he saw her do.  Sabrina turned sheepishly toward his voice.  Innocently she watched him, her hands dropping to her sides quickly. 

            “Isaac?” Zac called from inside the treehouse.  “What’s--” he said sniffing the air, his nose scrunched up in disgust, “what’s that smell?”  Bianca, her face red, ran from the treehouse yard. 

            “What’s going on?” Isaac demanded, ignoring Zac’s question.  He looked at both Rae and Sabrina, impatiently waiting for an answer to his question.  “I’m not going to repeat myself,” he warned in a threatening tone.

            “She poisoned us!” Sabrina yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Rae.  “She deliberately gave us food that was going to make us sick.” 

            “I did not!” Rae said, turning on Sabrina.  “I warned you!  I told you not to eat those berries, but did you listen to me?  No!  You never listen to me!  It’s not my fault you’re stupid!”

            “Raven!  Go to your room!” Isaac commanded.  He pointed toward the treehouse, trying to hide his smile as she walked by.  He was still trying to figure out what to do about her punishment when Sabrina, Cassandra, and Bianca started to climb the treehouse stairs.  “Um, yeah.  For the good of everyone that is residing in the treehouse I think the three of you should sleep on the ground tonight.”

            “What?!?” Sabrina yelled, incredulous.  “That’s not fair!  She should have to sleep on the ground, not us!”

            “Why do we have to sleep on the ground?” Cassandra asked, contributing to Sabrina’s outraged plea.

            “What’s that odor?” Zac asked, hobbling onto the balcony.  Isaac looked at his little brother, then back at the three girls in question.

            “That’s why.  No offense, but you’ll make us all sick if you have an accident in the house,” Isaac said.  “For the sake of everyone else’s health, I would appreciate it if you just slept on the hammocks.”  Sabrina glared past Isaac at the doorway that Rae had gone into.  Silently she vowed revenge on her and went back down the staircase to the hammocks.

            “What are we gonna do?  We haven’t even been on the island a month and already they’re fighting,” Tina asked Isaac.  The two had taken on the role of parents because they were the oldest.  They acted as a married couple and everyone else was their responsibility because they were their children.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

                As time passed, everyone helped with chores.  Everyone found what they were good at and soon each person was performing the jobs they were best at.  For the most part, Tina did the cooking and sewing with the rest of the girls, but as a rule everyone helped with all the jobs: hunting, fishing, cleaning, sewing, cooking, gathering food, repairing the treehouse, etc.  For chores everyone was partnered up.  No one was supposed to go too far without someone around, for fear of wild animals.  Tina and Isaac worked together, Cassandra and Bob, Sabrina and Taylor, Dave and Bianca, Clint and Scott, and Rae and Celeste were the normal chore-buddy groups.  Because Zac was the youngest, Isaac and Tina tried to make him stay in the treehouse, away from danger, whenever possible.  For the most part he just went where he wanted with who he wanted.

            “Raven, Celeste, Sabrina,” Tina said one morning as everyone was assembling for breakfast.  The three in question looked up at her, waiting for her to continue whatever it was that she was going to tell them or ask them.  “I want you three to cook today’s lunch and supper.”

            “What?” Sabrina asked, sounding offended.  “Why do I have to work with those two?  What about Tay?”

            “Taylor and Isaac are going to go hunting together,” Tina explained.  “You three are going to work together and I don’t want to hear about any fighting,” she warned.  Without ceremony, the group ate their breakfast and everyone went about their business of the day.  Alone in the treehouse with Celeste and Sabrina, Rae paced around, bored.

            “I’m going to find food,” Rae said as she headed down the treehouse steps.

            “Where do you think you’re going?” Sabrina asked, coming out onto the balcony as Rae reached the bottom of the stairs and Celeste was halfway down the stairs.

            “We’ll be back,” Rae called to her.  “No one said we had to stay here all day.  Tina only said we had to cook.  We’ll see you when it’s time to make lunch.  Zac?!?”  Zac came outside of the treehouse and looked over the banister.

            “Where are you going?” he asked, confused.  “Are you leaving me here with her?”

            “Of course not,” Rae said, rolling her eyes at his comment.  “That’s why I called you.  Do you want to come with us?”  He shrugged and ran down the steps, quickly joining Celeste and Rae.  The three disappeared into the woods leaving Sabrina in the treehouse alone.

            “So where are we going?” Celeste asked Rae, who was leading the little expedition.  To their left came the sound of vegetation being trampled.  “Ohmygod!” she screamed.  “What is that?”  Out of the underbush came a big orange and black tiger.  It stopped in their path and looked at them with its big golden-green eyes.

            “It’s a tiger!” Zac said in surprise more than terror.  In her state of shock Celeste slapped Zac on the arm.

            “I know that!  Is it going to eat us?” Celeste asked rhetorically.

            “Guys, this is Spirit Chaser.  Chase, the guys,” Rae introduced.  “Hold your hands out and let him sniff them,” she directed.  Zac and Celeste did as they were told, warily, and held out their hands to the huge cat.  Spirit Chaser sniffed their hands quickly and turned away from them indifferently.  He returned his attention to Rae who affectionately placed a hand on his head and scratched behind his ears.

            “So, should we go?” Celeste asked, feeling more comfortable with the tiger because Rae knew it, but not wanting to stand still in the forest near him for longer than she had to.

            “Yeah, let’s go exploring,” Zac said excitedly.  He was a curious child and wanted to find all the islands hidden secrets.  Since he was the youngest and inevitably looked upon as a child he had little chance to do that unless he was with either Rae or Celeste.  Celeste and Rae looked at each other and shrugged.  Zac, smiling broadly took the lead and made a path through the enormous jungle plants where there hadn’t been one moments ago.  As they wandered through the jungle Rae took note of different types of vegitation and the like, always on the look out for new food sources.  She also began picking small oval shaped berries that were blue in color.

            “Oh, you’re picking them?” Celeste asked, seeing the berries that they usually made as sauce out of to marinate meat, usually bird meat.  “Are we having it with lunch?” she asked.  Along with everyone else she liked the taste of the berries, they were sweet and tangy at the same time.  Almost too sweet to be made into a sauce for meats.

            “Maybe,” Rae said with a shrug.  Zac looked over his shoulder, wondering what the girls were talking about and feeling left out.

            “Can we?” he asked.  “They taste so good.  Know what we should have them with?  Those dry white cakes that Sabrina always makes.  They would taste so good as a topping.  Maybe add a little sugar.”

            “Maybe,” Rae said, not committing to anything.  She smiled to herself, knowing what the berries would do to anyone who ate enough of them raw. 

            “Isn’t it supposed to be Valentine’s Day?” Zac asked, trying to remember. 

            “Yeah, I think so,” Celeste answered his question.

            “Then shouldn’t we have some type of special meal?”

            “Let’s see what Sabrina has planned,” Rae said, still not committing herself to anything.

 

 

 

                “Where have you been?” Sabrina demanded upon Rae and Celeste’s arrival back at camp.  Rae held up the berries as Zac stayed in the shadows, wanting to play with Spirit Chaser.

            “We weren’t gone that long,” Celeste said as she walked up the tree house steps.  She walked in the kitchen at the same time as Rae and both girls stopped in surprise.  Before them sat a meal with all the trimmings; there were fried fish with fried pineapples, coconut milk, green beans from their garden, freshly baked bread, and Sabrina’s famous dry, white cake.

            “Yes you were,” Sabrina countered.  “I thought everyone would return for lunch before you did.”  She looked over her meal, then at Celeste and Rae, and rang the dinner bell, signaling everyone that the meal was on the table.  “Since I made it, I get all the credit,” she gloated.

            “Fine,” Rae said with a shrug, “but let me add something to your meal; for everyone’s benefit.”  She handed the berries to Sabrina, who took them and greedily ate a few.  “You should put them on top of your cake.  It’s a little bland.”

            “I will, but you’re still not getting credit for it,” Sabrina informed her.  Rae shrugged and went back down the tree house steps.  She found an empty hammock and laid down in it, and a few minutes later, Tina, Isaac, Taylor, Bianca, and Cassandra returned to the tree house.  When Bob, Clint, Dave, and Scott returned, everyone met in the kitchen to eat and hear Sabrina’s tale of abandonment; how she feared lunch would be over before they returned, so she’d made an entire meal herself.  No one mentioned that lunch was nearly an hour early, but they did mention that Sabrina’s usually drab cake looked and tasted excellent.  As she reached for her second piece of cake, Tina noticed that Rae wasn’t eating the berry and glaze top, only the dry part.

            “What’s wrong?” Tina asked, plopping a small piece of cake on her plate.  “It tastes really good.”  Rae looked up, as did Sabrina, Celeste, and Zac.

            “Nothing,” Rae said, swallowing around the lump in her throat.  “I just don’t want any.”  Celeste and Zac dropped their forks, remembering what Rae’d done to Sabrina, Bianca, and Cassandra.

            “Why don’t you want any?” Celeste asked slowly, afraid of the answer.

            “Raven, what did you do?  It’s the berries.  What do they do?” Sabrina accused.  Rae looked up at her in mock surprise.

            “What are you talking about?” Rae asked.  “I thought you made the entire meal.  Are you telling me you’d be that careless as to put something in your food without knowing what it was or what it does?”  Sabrina glared at Rae, hating her even more at that moment than she ever had before.

            “I started lunch earlier than normal because I wanted you and Celeste to get in trouble.  I didn’t pick the berries, however, you did,” Sabrina said through clenched teeth.  “I thought they were the same ones that we use in the sauce.”

            “They are,” Rae said, still not eating the berries.  Everyone had stopped eating, listening to the conversation.  As soon as Rae said they were familiar foods, most started eating again.

            “Raven, can I talk to you?” Tina asked, getting up from the table and heading outside.  Rae got up and followed her onto the balcony surrounding the house.

            “What’s up?” Rae asked, waiting for the lecture she could feel coming on.

            “Raven, are those berries going to harm anyone?  I seem to recall you stopping me from adding them to a cake.  You said something about always cooking them first and never adding sugar to them,” Tina said, her arms crossed over her chest.

            “I did,” Rae said, feeling a little guilty.  “They won’t hurt anyone, not really.  They act as an aphrodisiac, only not just that; they’re really strong.  A mouthful can make a panther randy enough to try and mate with a tiger.  Everyone in there ate enough to probably mate all day, night, and tomorrow too.”

            “Do you realize what you’ve done?” Tina asked, unable to yell at her because she couldn’t keep her mind on it.  She kept picturing herself and Isaac running through the jungle, naked like Adam and Eve, making love under the canopy of trees and stars.

            “Yeah, but I didn’t feel guilty until now,” Rae said, feeling miserable about what she’d done, only it wasn’t what she did, but to whom, that bothered her.  She felt bad not warning Celeste or Zac, and she shouldn’t have done that to Scott.  He was the one who gave her comfort when her uncle died.

            “Well good.  That’s your punishment then,” Tina said, leaving Rae so she could join Isaac, who was giving her a ‘come hither’ stare.  The two headed up to their room, which was separate from everyone else’s for occasions such as these.

            “Punishment for what?” Celeste asked quietly when Rae sat back at the table.  Rae noticed that Celeste only ate a small bite of her cake, and Zac just slightly more than that, so maybe it wasn’t so bad.

            “Just forget about it and don’t eat any more of those blue berries,” Rae said quietly.  “That goes for you too, Zacky.”  Zac nodded and pushed his plate away from himself.

            “What’s going on?” Scott hissed in Rae’s ear, sending shivers tingling down her spine.

            “Nothing,” Rae said, moving to stand up.  Scott grabbed her arm, refusing to let go until she answered.  Slowly, he stood and led her out onto the balcony.

            “Start talking,” he commanded, standing in front of her, her back to the balcony railing, her arm still clasped in his grip.

            “I…I,” she stammered, licking her suddenly dry lips.  Scott watched the action, fascinated by her tongue, wondering what it would feel like running over his bare skin.  He shifted his stance, trying to relieve the suddenly tight fit of his pants.

            “What did you do to us?” he demanded, shaking her, his grip tightening on her arm.  Before she could answer or twist free, there was a growl from the stairs and Scott released her.  He shoved Rae behind him, instinctively, trying to protect her.  Rae smiled to herself.  He didn’t realize what he’d done, but it still touched her.  She moved around Scott, managing to do so without his notice, and knelt before Spirit Chaser, who’d also come to her rescue.

            “Chase, this is just Scott,” she tried to explain as Scott tried to save her from the tiger.  “He wouldn’t really hurt me, he’s just upset.”  She reached for Scott’s hand and let Chase sniff it.  Chase didn’t seem satisfied:  he still growled softly at Scott.

            “Rae, come on, get away from him,” Scott said, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her away from the tiger.  Pressed against his long, muscular body, Rae had to force herself to remain stiff and not melt against him like hot wax.

            “You haven’t called me Rae since my uncle died,” Rae said, remembering how his warm lips had felt running over hers, beckoning them to mimic everything his had done.  It was the same breath-taking, awe-inspired feeling she got when the warm sunshine fell on her face or the spring rains fell gently from the sky and slowly seeped through her clothes, causing her to shiver, yet feeling too good to want to find shelter.

            “I’ll do it more often, I promise,” Scott said sincerely.  “Just stay away from that animal.”

            “Chase won’t hurt me,” Rae said, twisting so she was standing face to face with Scott.  “And just because he’s a tiger doesn’t mean he’s ‘an animal’,” she said, imitating the way he’d said it.

            “Rae,” Scott said, and stopped.  Rae stopped halfway to Chase and looked over her shoulder.

            “What?” she asked, a stab of guilt shooting through her again at what she’d done.

            “Nevermind,” he said, his eyes looking at his feet, his cheeks flushing.  Rae turned back to Chase, and the two raced down the stairs and into the woods.  When Scott looked up, they were gone.

            “Hey Scott,” Sabrina said with a sultry smile.  She pressed herself against him and ran her hands over his arms.  “Let’s go into the forest for a walk,” she purred in his ear, her tongue flicking at it.

            “No thanks,” Scott said, pushing himself away from her.  He was eyeing the spot where Rae and the tiger had gone into the woods.

            “Please,” Sabrina begged, knowing first-hand the pleasure he was capable of causing.  Scott sighed in disgust and left her on the balcony as he headed for the forest where Rae’d gone.  He followed a path of freshly broken blades of grass and bush branches, hoping it would lead him to Rae.  He came to the edge of a clearing and saw the waterfall and pool where he’d sat with Rae on the day her uncle had died; a day he still wasn’t sure had actually taken place.  By the edge of the pool, Rae laid on the sand, her head cushioned by the body of her tiger friend.

            “What do you want now?” Rae asked, her eyes closed and her hands resting on her stomach.  Scott looked at her, surprised.  He’d thought she was sleeping.

            “Just wondered what you were doing,” he said, taking a seat a few feet away from her.  “Besides, I’m hiding from Sabrina.”

            “Yeah right,” Rae said, opening her eyes and looking at him.  He was looking at the stars, his hair hanging down to his shoulders in a shaggy mass.

            “It’s true,” he insisted, turning to look at Rae, who had moved and was now sitting next to him, Spirit Chaser nowhere to be found.

            “Sure,” she said.  “What’d she do that could make you run?” she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair, working the knots out.  Scott smiled, liking the feeling of her fingers running through his hair.

            “She came up to me and asked me to go for a walk with her.  Of course that wasn’t all she wanted,” he said, stretching his legs out and laying his head in Rae’s lap, closing his eyes.

            “And you didn’t take her upon her offer?” she asked, surprised.  “Why?” she asked before she could stop herself.  Scott smiled and looked up at her, his eyes reflecting the laughter he felt rising in his chest.

            “Why would I take up her offer?  She doesn’t want me.”

            “Just part of you?” Rae asked.

            “Exactly,” he said, sighing as he closed his eyes.  Rae continued to work the knots out of his long, surprisingly soft hair.  “What were we eating?”  Rae looked at him for a minute before swallowing.  She licked her dry lips, trying to think of how to tell him, but afraid he’d be angry.

            “Um, it’s nothing really bad.  Well maybe it is, but it won’t kill anyone, if that’s what you want to know,” she said, her fingers still woven in his hair but no longer moving.

            “No, I want to know what it was.  Specifically its reaction,” Scott demanded.

            “I don’t think you’ll want to know,” she said, trying to back away from him.  Scott grabbed her around the waist and pinned her smaller body beneath his larger one.

            “Tell me,” he demanded, securing her wrists above her head with one of his hands.  Her legs were planted in the sand with his over them so she couldn’t kick him.  She looked at him with eyes filled with terror.  “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his free hand stroking her cheek.  “I just want to know.”

            “It’s an aphrodisiac if it’s mixed with sugar and the juices aren’t cooked away.  I know I shouldn’t have given it to everyone, but Sabrina just made me so mad.  I’m sorry, truly I am.  I felt really guilty because I didn’t warn you, but I didn’t warn Celeste and Zac either and they both ate it.  Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded, still terrified.

            “Ssh,” Scott said, trying to sooth her, “I told you before I wouldn’t hurt you.  It’s sorta funny, actually.”

            “Why?” Rae asked warily.

            “Because I didn’t eat the berries.  I only ate the meal.  I didn’t feel like eating cake.  Sabrina’s are always so dry.  The funny thing is that I have this urge to kiss you,” Scott said, looking into her eyes.  Rae’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched his lips slowly come towards hers.  They stopped an eighth of an inch away from hers.  “Tell me that you want me to,” he breathed.  Rae looked from his lips—beautiful lips that were perfect in every way: texture, color, shape, moistness; they looked as if they were carved by a master sculptor—up to his eyes—eyes that were darkened a shade by desire and framed by dark lashes.

            “I,” she said, looking back at his lips as she licked her own.  “Please,” she said simply, unable to say anything else.  Scott smiled as his lips descended onto hers.  Rae’s eyes fluttered shut, her long, dark lashes creating a crescent shape as they fanned across her skin.  Scott’s hand released her wrists and found their way to her waist.  Rae’s newly freed hands roamed over Scott’s back and made their presence known around his neck, where they wrapped themselves, pulling his lips even closer to hers.  Scott’s lips remained with Rae’s as his hands burrowed under her clothing.  His slender, graceful fingers caressed her smooth, flat stomach.  With no protest from Rae, other than the whimper she let out when his lips left hers, he pulled the clothes from her upper body.  With them gone, leaving Rae in her halter top/bra, Scott repositioned himself half over, half off her so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight.  Once he was comfortable Rae maneuvered his lips to her own once more.  While Rae was happy just kissing and occasionally touching, Scott wanted a little more touching and a little skin.  He was untying the tie to Rae’s shorts when she placed her hands over his and looked at him.  Her beautiful green eyes, reminding him of a picture of Ireland’s landscape, which he’d seen once, were once again filled with fear; fear he’d inspired.  “Scott, I’m scared,” she whispered.  Scott closed his eyes, cursing himself for scaring her.

            “I’m sorry,” he said softly, bringing one hand up to caress her cheek.  “You know I would never do anything to hurt you, not purposely anyway.”  She smiled weakly, trying to believe him, the fear slowly fading from her eyes.

            “I know,” she said finally.  “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.  You’re not like that.  You’re a sensitive, caring person.  You’ve just been influenced by Sabrina and them because they’re older.  You can’t help it if they rub off on you.”

            “Is it okay if I kiss you again, or would that be Sabrina’s influence again?” he asked, brushing his fingers gently over her dusky skin.

            “If you want to,” Rae said, feeling shy with him suddenly.  Scott smiled, causing his eyes to shimmer, and his face took on a look of heartbreaking beauty.  Rae’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at his face and realized that whatever he wanted to do, she would agree with, because just for that moment, she loved him.  Not the little kid, puppy love, but the kind her parents had shared until their dying breaths, moments apart from each other’s.  Since she was only thirteen, she didn’t realize what her heart did and only knew she’d say yes to whatever Scott asked.

            “I want to,” Scott said, bringing his lips to hers as he spoke, his eyes closing as he leaned down to kiss her.  “You don’t know how much I want to,” he whispered in her ear, his breath warm and smelling sweetly of pineapples.  He kissed and nibbled on her ear and his hands caressed her stomach, traced each of her ribs, and slid under the bottom of her bra.  As his hands massaged her developing young breasts, his lips traveled across her already exotically beautiful face.  His kisses traveled down her jawbone, over the bridge of her nose, her eyelids, and her forehead, and he kissed each one of the almost invisible freckles that ran across her nose and cheeks.  “You’re so beautiful,” Scott said with a sigh as his lips came back to her lips.  His fingers tugged at the ties holding her top on and, with a satisfied smile, he felt the strings  give way and he threw the scrap of material with the shirt he’d removed earlier.  Rae suppressed a shiver as his fingers explored her maturing body.  They were so cold compared to the heat of her own body.  Scott’s lips moved to her breast, suckling as a small child might, causing the small nipple to grow taut.  As he suckled, licked, kissed, and nipped at her small breast, his hand kept the other company, his thumb rousing the bud to a toffee-colored peak.

            “Scott?” Rae questioned, a little lost as sensations she’d never experienced washed over her.  He removed his mouth from her breast as he began kissing his way back to her lips.

            “What?” he asked when he made it to her mouth and hungrily greeted it with a deep kiss filled with passion beyond their years.

            “Um, do you think you could take off your shirt?” she asked, uncomfortable being the only one with half their clothes gone and wanting to see his chest and explore it like he was hers.  Scott yanked the light-colored material over his head and threw it towards Rae’s.  “Thanks,” she said, their lips once again doing a version of the Lambada.  Their chests pressed intimately against each other’s.  Scott’s smooth, free-of-hair chest, tan from hours of being in the sun, with its muscled pectorals and washboard stomach from lots of exercise and work, was pressing down against Rae’s chest, *along with her toned stomach, equally muscled arms, and tan complexion from her Native American/Italian heritage.  Both were so caught up in the frenzy of what they were doing, and the feelings that were being evoked, that they didn’t notice the dark clouds appearing in the sky.  Scott smoothly untied Rae’s shorts and pulled them off without her notice until the chilly air brushed against her once-covered flesh.  She looked at Scott for reassurance and received a comforting smile as he discarded his own shorts, revealing his upper thighs, which as tan as the rest of his legs and covered with the same light coating of springy, golden-brown hair.  The hair on his legs caused light friction as it rubbed against her smoother, more slender legs.  Rae’s hands tangled with Scott’s as she reached to push his boxers out of the way, and he went to do the same for hers.

            “Guess we were both thinking the same thing,” Scott mumbled between gasps of air, his breathing as erratic as Rae’s.  He reached for her underwear, quickly yanking them off and doing the same with his own.  He gazed at her for a long moment, a smile spreading slowly across his face as he looked at her, seeing all of her for the first time:  from her little toes and tiny feet, long and slender legs, the dark, curly hair that covered the cove between her legs, upward to her flat stomach, small breasts, toned arms, graceful neck, proud chin, pink lips, button nose, high cheek bones, impossibly green eyes, long lashes, and finally to her ink-black hair, which fanned out underneath her.  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, looking over her again, afraid she wasn’t real.

            “So are you,” Rae said, looking him over as well.  She took note of his long, brown hair, with its blond highlights, thanks to his long hours in the sun, that hung to his shoulders and was now free of knots, thanks to her finger-brushing earlier, his eyes, closed as if he were trying to memorize every detail of her body, his lashes fanning across the skin above his cheekbones, his nose, which turned up slightly at the end, and his broad shoulders.  His muscled chest, with his pecs and abs clearly defined, was still a little scrawny looking, his hips, narrower than his shoulders, were now over her own, and his muscular legs, with their springy hair, and big feet were gently nudging her legs to open for him.  Rae complied, opening her legs for him.  Scott kissed her tenderly, gently, his fingers working their magick on her body.  His left hand caressed her left breast while his other hand parted the curly, black curtain that hid her secret cavern from the world, and his fingers made themselves at home inside.  Squirming and gasping, Rae bucked her hips, arching into his fingers, looking for release from her torturous pleasure.

            “Hold on honey,” Scott said, amazed by her innocent response and passion.  He was fairly certain she was a virgin and, although he wasn’t entirely sure what that meant for a girl, he knew he should go slow.  Her response, however, tried his control, and before he lost all control, he wanted to be inside her.  Quickly, he raised his hips and rammed his engorged shaft into her.  Swept away by his passion, he raised and lowered himself, pounding deeper and deeper within Rae’s tender flesh, tearing into it and not giving her small, tight passage time to expand.

            “Scott?  Scott?!?!” Rae cried, tears streaming down her face.  It hurt so incredibly much, she couldn’t believe how much it hurt.  It felt like he was ripping her apart, which essentially he was.  “Scott, it hurts.  Make it stop,” she pleaded.  “Please, make it stop!”  Something in her voice broke through Scott’s consciousness, or lack thereof, and he looked down at Rae, seeing her beautiful eyes clouded with pain, filled with tears that were leaking down her cheeks and soaking into the sand.  His entire body stopped dead; his heart, lungs, his rhythmic lovemaking.

            “Oh God,” he said, his face turning pasty pale.  “Rae?  Rae, baby look at me,” he pleaded, trying to get her to open her eyes and look at him.  Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him, her breath still coming in painful gasps, the pain still slicing through her.  “Are you okay?  I am so sorry.  Are you all right?” he asked, worry etched in his face.

            “I hurt,” she said quietly, pathetically, tears once again rolling down her cheeks.  Scott’s heart broke in two with the sound of her voice.  She sounded so scared and small.  For the first time, he noticed how incredibly tight her passage was and realized how much pain she had to be in.

            “I’m so sorry,” he said, tears in his own eyes for the pain he’d caused her.  “Just relax, all right?  The pain’ll lessen if you relax.  Can you do that for me?” he asked.  Rae nodded slightly, and tried to smile, but it was more forced than natural, and Scott again cursed himself; for more than scaring her though.  This time, he’d hurt her.  Severely.  “Rae, I promise I’ll do my best to never hurt you again.  I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, kissing her forehead and brushing hair away from her sweaty forehead.  “I’m sorry, so sorry sweetheart.  I never meant to hurt you.”

            “I know,” she said softly, the pain dulling some, like he’d said it would if she relaxed.  “Scott, I’m sure I’ll live.  It’ll be okay.”
            “I’ll make it up to you.  I promise.  Anything you want, I’ll do it,” he promised.  “I’m so sorry.”

            “Kiss me,” she whispered in his ear.  Scott looked at her, unsure if he’d really heard her ask for him to kiss her.  She smiled at him, a smile filled with love, not hate.  He looked in her eyes, searching for some sign of her fear or pain, and both were gone.  He kissed her then, as tenderly as anyone had ever kissed another person.  He kissed her as if she were the most fragile and precious person in the world and he was afraid she would crumble if his lips weren’t gentle enough.  With the end of the kiss, the end of the pain came as well.

            “How do you feel?” Scott asked, his eyes mirroring his emotions, which were concern, sadness, pain, a little remorse, and a little regret.

            “Like I’m laying on a rock,” Rae said, moving slightly as she reached behind her back and pulled a small rock out of the sand and threw it into the woods.  “That’s better,” she said as she resettled on her bed of sand.  Scott’s desire had skyrocketed the second Rae had started moving, trying to get the rock out from under her, and now he was trying to keep from moving because he realized he was still sheathed within her warm passage, and although it wasn’t as tight as it had been, he didn’t want to move because he didn’t want to see that pain-filled look on her face ever again.

            “Scott?  If we try that again, slow, will it hurt?” she asked, feeling desire rise in her as well.  Scott smiled and kissed her forehead.

            “I promise,” he began, thrusting gently into her, feeling her brace herself for pain, “that if it hurts, all you have to do is say so and I’ll stop.”  He pledged this as he withdrew and thrust forward deeper inside before withdrawing again.  Rae smiled, kissing Scott on the lips.  The pain she’d been anticipating didn’t come.  A dull pain did, but the pleasure she felt outweighed the small amount of pain.  The tempo of Scott’s thrust and retreats slowly increased, and with it, the pleasure increased.  As they spiraled upwards toward the sky together, they found heaven and returned to earth in each other’s arms.  They laid together, a mass of young limbs that were intertwined and sweaty.  Scott kissed Rae’s forehead, both of them feeling exhausted and breathing irregularly.  “How do you feel?” Scott asked, lying on his side, his head supported by his elbow as he played with a piece of Rae’s hair.

            “Fine,” Rae said with a yawn as she stretched leisurely.  Scott smiled as he pulled her to him.  The two snuggled together and fell asleep under the ever-darkening clouds. 

            A raindrop fell, then another, and another.  Soon, a downpour was falling.  Scott shivered and felt a raindrop fall on his face, followed by two-dozen more, before he wiped away the first.  He sat up, immediately missing the warmth of Rae’s small body pressed up against his.  He picked up their clothes and put on his boxers before leaning over Rae to wake her up.  “Rae,” Scott said as a peal of thunder split the silence.  She jumped at the sound of thunder and looked at Scott, glad he was there with her.  “We should find shelter.  It’s kinda wet out here,” he said with a smile.  Rae looked up at the black sky and agreed with Scott about finding shelter rather than heading back to the tree house.  After standing and stretching her achy muscles, she headed towards the pond and dove into the water.  “Where are you going?” Scott asked, trying to figure out why she was swimming in pouring rain, thunder, and lightening.

            “Come on,” Rae said, turning and beckoning him to follow her to where she was, standing in the waterfall’s spray.  Right before his eyes, she disappeared behind the waterfall.  When she didn’t reappear, Scott bundled up their clothes and followed her example.  Behind the waterfall, he found a spacious cave, where Rae had lit a small fire.

            “How’d you know this was here?” Scott asked, dumping the wet clothes on the ground.  Rae looked up from where she was trying to warm herself at the fire.

            “I found it when I was swimming a while ago,” she said with a dismissive shrug.  “Come here,” she directed, pointing to a place by the fire next to her.  Scott obliged and Rae wrapped herself in his arms, snuggling against him and trying to stay warm.  Scott cradled her in his arms and rubbed her skin with his hands, creating friction and warmth.

            For the duration of the storm, they stayed in the cave.  Once the rain stopped and their clothes were dry, they put out the fire and headed back to the tree house and the others.  As soon as they were back, Scott’s brothers started teasing him about being gone for almost an entire day and returning with Rae.  Of course, he denied that anything happened, and Sabrina laughed openly at the idea of Scott passing up an afternoon with her to be with Rae.  Scott just agreed and regarded Rae with wide aloofness.  Neither told anyone what really happened, not even their best friends.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

            “Hello?  Is anyone here?” Scott called, running up to the tree house.  He ran up the stairs and found Rae was the only one around.  “Rae, you’ve gotta help me,” Scott pleaded, his eyes begging her to come with him and help.  She looked at him curiously, but didn’t move.  Since Valentine’s Day, they hadn’t spoken too many words to one another, and that was two months ago.

            “Why?” she asked warily.  Scott sighed, knowing she didn’t trust him and that it was his own fault.  He swallowed his pride and got ready to beg.

            “I know you’re mad at me, and that’s fine, I deserve it, but please help my friend.  He’s hurt and never did anything to hurt you or anyone else.  Please just come with me,” he pleaded, beseeching her to relent and go with him.

            “Why?  Anyone who likes you obviously deserves what they get.”

            “Because he’s an animal and I know you love animals.  Please, you’re the only one who might be able to help him.  I don’t know what’s wrong with him.  He couldn’t stand up this morning when I went to see him and this stuff was coming out of him,” Scott said, sounding desperate.  Rae threw down the material she’d been unsuccessfully sewing and followed Scott away from the tree house.

            “This stuff, what did it look like?” she asked as they walked side by side through the jungle.  For once, Spirit Chaser wasn’t with her; he was with Zac, fishing, and for that at least, Scott was glad.  He wasn’t sure how Persius would react to a tiger hovering over him.

            “It kinda looked like saliva or something.  I don’t know how to describe it.  It was clear and liquid and coming out of his ass.  That isn’t normal.  Besides that, he couldn’t get up,” Scott told Rae as he kept them marching along at a quick pace so they’d get to Persius faster.  Before they reached him, they heard the cry of an animal in pain and the crackling of brush being crushed.  “Oh God, Persius!” Scott yelled.  “I’m coming boy!” he cried, and ran through the underbrush.  Rae hurried after him, hating to see an animal in distress but hating hearing it even more.  She came through the brush into a clearing, where a large, wild horse laid on it’s side, it’s legs kicking the air, breathing heavily, eyes rolling wildly, and making the awful noise Rae couldn’t stand.  She stopped dead in her tracks, the long since forgotten fear she had for horses coming back to her.

            “It had to be a horse,” she mumbled to herself as she carefully stepped closer to it.  She crossed her fingers that the huge beast wouldn’t roll over and crush her or get up and trample her to death.

            “Rae, please, can you help him?” Scott asked, stroking Persius’s head.  Rae ground her teeth together, willing herself to make a complete circle around the distressed animal and help it if she could.  “Rae?”

            “First, he is a she,” Rae said, standing back from the animal and pulling off her long sleeved shirt.  She left her halter top on and carefully approached the back of the animal.  “I’m not going to ask how you missed that one.  Hopefully it doesn’t happen often.”

            “I knew you were a girl,” he shot back.   Rae shot him a look that could’ve killed him if he’d been looking.  “So I don’t know everything about horses,” he grumbled.

            “If you missed that, I’d wager you don’t know anything.  They’re like people.  Same type of reproductive organs, only the male is a whole lot bigger than a human male.  That’s why women like riding stallions:  the immense power between their legs,” Rae informed him.  She didn’t know from experience—she refused to ride—but that was what Tina and Sabrina had said when they had first seen the herd of wild horses.

            “You want power between your legs?” Scott asked, looking up at her from his position on his knees next to Persius’s head.  “Just save him.”

            “Her,” Rae corrected, and ran her hand over the horse’s swollen stomach.  She knew what the problem was, she just wasn’t sure if she could do anything about it.  “Your friend here is going to foal, but the baby’s backwards and won’t come out.”

            “Can you help her?” Scott asked, tears clogging his throat.  Rae looked at him and saw how much he cared for the animal in question.

            “I’ll try,” she promised, gritting her teeth as she stuck her hand, then her arm, inside the horse, wondering why she was helping an animal she was deathly afraid of.  Her hair fell into her face as she tried to turn the foal, and she felt Scott’s fingers brush her neck as he gathered her hair and held it back for her.  In that instant, she knew why she was doing it.  It was for Scott, because no matter how mad she was at him, and how much she hated him, she had seen a side of him he didn’t share with everyone:  a kind, caring side that wept for a horse and didn’t flinch when helping an injured or pained animal meant getting your hands dirty.  Someone with the depth of caring she’d seen in Scott couldn’t be all bad.  “There,” Rae said, pulling her arm and hand out of Persius slowly.  “Now help me get her standing.”

            “All right,” Scott said, letting her shiny hair free to fall down her back to her waist.  They got on Persius’s side and pushed, trying to get her to stand up.  After three attempts, Persius stumbled to her feet.  About an hour later, she birthed a healthy filly, which was a rust color with the same markings on her face as her mother.

            “What’re you going to call her?” Rae asked, watching Persius licking her daughter clean and the filly standing on teetering legs.  Scott regarded her for a while and, after a minute, turned to Rae.

            “Ginger,” he said with a smile, “because she’s got the same color mane and tail as Ginger’s hair on ‘Gilligan’s Island’.”  Rae smiled and looked back at the foal and mare once more before grabbing her shirt from the ground.

            “They’ll be fine,” she said to Scott before heading back to the tree house.  Scott watched the horses for a minute longer, then ran after Rae.

            “There’s a spring over this way if you want to wash up,” he offered, gesturing to his left.  Rae nodded and Scott led the way to the spring he spoke of.  Rae washed up and put her shirt back on.  “Thanks,” Scott said as they walked back to the tree house in silence.  Rae nodded.  “I know I’ve been a jerk, and you didn’t have to help me.  I appreciate the fact that you can look past a person’s faults and not be spiteful when they need help.”

            “No problem,” Rae said, looking around her.  She’d never been in this area of the forest before, and wasn’t sure how she’d missed it in her explorations.  While she wasn’t looking, a hold jumped up in front of her and she tripped in it.  Along with an ominous crack, there was a shooting pain shaking up her leg.  Tears filled her eyes as she sat up from where she’d fallen and her foot bumped the ground.

            “Rae?” Scott asked, already figuring she’d broken her ankle.  “Are you all right?  What can I do?” he asked, kneeling next to her.

            “Help me up?” she asked, trying to keep her injured foot elevated.  Scott helped her stand and steadied her when she was up, then they started off in the direction of the tree house.  Each little hop Rae took sent jolts of pain shooting up her leg and caused her to intake air quickly to keep from crying out in pain.  Unable to take hearing her suffer, Scott picked her up and carried her back to the tree house.  Each step he took caused her foot to bounce a little, and it throbbed in time with his step.  By the time they reached the tree house, Rae had passed out from the pain and lay limply in Scott’s arms.

            “Hello?” Scott called, carrying his light burden up the tree house stairs.  “Is anyone home?”  He entered the house and found Zac and Chase, but no one else.  “Zac, help,” Scott said, enlisting his help as he laid Rae down on his own pallet.  “What did you do when you broke your leg?”

            “I didn’t break it, I twisted my knee.  What’d you do to Rae?” Zac asked, leaning over her and trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

            “I think she broke her ankle,” Scott said as he removed the pants she was wearing and covered her with a blanket.  Zac watched as Scott placed the blanket over her and ran his hands down her injured leg, stopping at her swollen ankle.  At his feather-light touch, she let out a soft moan and tears appeared on her cheeks.

            “I’ll get something to keep her ankle from moving,” Zac offered, leaving the tree house.  Scott barely noticed his departure.  He was trying to remember what Rae had done when Zac had twisted his knee and she’d broken her arm.  He remembered something she’d said earlier about some plant she’d brought back with her a few days ago.  She said it acted like an Aspirin would, relieving pain and fever.  He stood and went into the kitchen and found a basket that held the plant Rae had ground into powder to make the pain reliever.  He brought the basket, along with a coconut cup and water.  He mixed some of the powder in the water in the cup, and placed it to Rae’s lips.  Slowly, he tilted the cup and water poured into her mouth and down her throat, and some also spilled out of her mouth.  Quickly, he moved the cup away from her lips and placed it on the floor, then wiped her face.

            “Rae?  Sweetheart, can you hear me?” Scott asked, brushing his fingers across her cheek.  He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair away from her face.  “This is all my fault,” he said to himself, running his hands through his hair.

            “How do you figure that?” Rae asked, her eyes half open, the pain easing some because her leg wasn’t being moved.

            “I’m the one that made you go out there.  If you would’ve just stayed here, you’d be fine,” Scott said, his fingers on his left hand threaded with the fingers of her right hand.

            “Maybe, but that horse would be dead,” Rae said, easing up so she was sitting.  “Why am I in you room and without pants?” she asked, tucking the blanket around her more fully, making sure her underwear and legs from knee up were covered.

            “Not like I haven’t seen it before,” Scott said dryly.  Rae glared at him as Zac came in the room with two straight pieces of wood and some cloth to bind them to her ankle to allow only minimal movement.  “You’re here,” Scott said as he made a crude cast for her ankle, being as gentle as possible, “because I didn’t know which bed was yours and, until you can walk on your ankle, you’re going to need someone to carry you to the bathroom and bathing pool.  I highly doubt Celeste can carry you and, unless you really want one of the other guys to help you, I’ll volunteer.”

            “Thank you,” she said, realizing that what he said was true, and, however humiliating it would be to have Scott helping her, it couldn’t be as bad as if it were someone else.  Someone, as he said, who hadn’t seen it before.  Scott looked at her, surprised she’d agreed so quickly.  He’d expected her to fight and argue, not agree.

            “You’re welcome,” he said, tying the material around her ankle into a knot so it wouldn’t come off.  “Hey Zac, can you go get a pair of Rae’s shorts?”  Zac stood and went into the girls’ room, searching for a pair of shorts.  “Are you all right?”

            “Tired,” she said, yawning, her hand covering her mouth.  “These blankets smell like you,” she said, snuggling under the soft covers, her eyes already closed and her breathing even.  Zac brought in a pair of shorts, which Scott put on her.  Throughout the day, Scott stayed near enough to Rae to be able to hear her if she so much as rolled over.  Once he explained what had happened, no one thought twice about Rae staying in the guys’ room, so Scott, still feeling guilty, was appointed Rae’s official helper.  Since he couldn’t take off and hunt and leave her, everyone’s partner arrangements changed.  Ike and Tina were still together, Celeste was put with Tay, Cassandra with Bob, Dave and Bianca, and Clint and Sabrina were together, leaving Zac to continue going wherever he wanted, whenever.

            “Does this mean I can’t sleep in the nude anymore?” Bob asked as the guys stripped their clothes off, leaving their boxers, and crawled under the blankets.

            “As long as you don’t care if Rae sees you,” Scott said, slipping under the blankets, which Rae was also using, in his boxers.

            “I might frighten her,” Bob said, crawling under his blankets.

            “Sure Bob,” Scott said, rolling his eyes.  He snuggled close to Rae, her hair smelling of a combination of flowers, pineapples, and coconuts.  With a sigh, he threw his arm over his eyes and fell asleep.  In the night, he rolled over onto his stomach and flung an arm over Rae’s stomach, which is how he was when she woke up.

            “Scott,” she whispered, trying to wake him.  “Hey, wake up,” she said, shaking him.  He opened one eye and looked at her.  “Bathroom,” she whispered in his ear.

            “Of course,” he said, standing up and stretching.  He reached down and lifted her into his arms easily.  “You would decide you had to go when I was in the middle of a good dream, wouldn’t you?” he asked as he walked along the beach to the designated bathroom area.

            “What were you dreaming about?” she asked as Scott set her down by a fallen log.  To Rae’s relief, he turned so his back was facing her.  Although he refused to leave her in privacy, he at least didn’t watch.

            “I was in the forest with Persius and we were racing the wind, her hair and mine streaming out behind us, and next to us came Ginger, racing like a tornado.  You were riding her,” Scott said, looking over his shoulder to see if she was done yet.

            “See, that’s why it was a dream.  I’d never get on a horse,” Rae said, managing to stand up and resettle her clothing.  “’Kay, I’m done,” she announced.

            “Why not?” he asked, swinging her into his arms, bringing her warm body into contact with his chest.  Rae trustingly relaxed against Scott, her cheek pressed against his chest.

            “I’m too afraid of them,” she said honestly.

            “What?” he asked, looking down at her in surprise.  “You’re not afraid of horses.  I saw you with Persius.”

            “So?  I was grinding my teeth the entire time.  Since I was six, I haven’t been able to go near them.  I only went and helped Persius because I didn’t know she was a horse.  If I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone.  When I got there she was making that awful noise and I had to try and help her.”

            “What happened when you were six?” Scott asked, taking a detour on the way back to the tree house.  He sat on the beach, Rae in his lap, facing the tranquil, moonlit water.

            “I was almost five when my parents were killed.  We lived near the reservation my grandparents lived on, and had been visiting my mom’s sister and her husband.  My brother, Ryan, was at home.  He was seventeen.  I was with them in the back of their blue minivan.  My dad was driving and singing a lullaby to me, my mom was asleep in the passenger’s seat.  Out of nowhere, a car plowed into the front end of the car.  My mom died instantly and Daddy died two days later in the hospital.  My dad’s parents took me and my brother in.  We lived with them on the reservation.  Grandma taught me all about the herbs and how to use them, and Grandfather taught me to track and ride.  He loved horses and taught me all about them.  Rye graduated and left to sail with my uncle Korbin.  My grandparents and Celeste were my world.  When my parents died, my grandparents tried to make life as normal as possible, so they made sure Celeste and I still saw each other and played together.  Anyway, when I was six, I begged my grandfather to take me on a trail ride.  He didn’t really want to go, but I begged and begged him.  Finally, he relented, and we saddled his horse and my pony.  We were riding, the sun shining down on us…it was a perfect day.  Suddenly, Grandfather’s horse shied and threw him.  He hit his head on a tree and broke his neck.

            “I watched, unable to do anything.  There was no reason for that horse to shy, it just did.  They’re fickle creatures that shouldn’t be trusted.  If I hadn’t begged him to go, he would still be alive, and Grandma wouldn’t have died from the heartache his death caused.  It’s all my fault.  I’ve killed everyone I’ve ever loved or that loved me,” Rae said with a silent sob.  Scott kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms tightly around her shaking body.

            “It’s not your fault,” he insisted.  “What about Celeste?  Nothing’s happened to her.”

            “Yet.”

            “Don’t think like that,” Scott directed.  “It’s not your fault people die.  No one lives forever.  The only time anyone controls who lives and dies is when that person is doing the killing.  You didn’t kill any of them.”

            “That’s what Grandma said before she died.  I was nine and a half.  The doctors said she had a weak heart and it gave out.  If Grandfather would have been there, she wouldn’t have had so much to do by herself.  The worst part was that I kept thinking of myself.  What was going to happen to me, where was I going to live…I wasn’t thinking about my grandma.  That’s the worst part,” Rae said, shaking her head, trying to dispel the memories.  “I can see her; how she looked that day.  She looked so pale in her hospital bed, surrounded by all the sterile, white décor.  The only bit of color was the green paper gown she wore, the dark gray of her hair, and the blue surrounding her lips.  She looked so small and frail.  She was only five feet tall and ninety-one pounds.  That’s how I remember her; not as the strong, vibrant woman she was when she was healthy, but as the feeble, weak one she was for the few hours she was in the hospital before she died.  You know I have a picture of my mother?” Rae asked, turning her head and looking at Scott.  He shook his head to say he didn’t know.  “It sits on the nightstand next to my bed at home.  My aunt gave it to me when I moved in with her and my uncle.  It is the only reason I remember what she looks like.  She had the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen.  She was so beautiful.  I remember she always smelled like honeysuckles, and she was a great cook.  My dad would catch trout and bring them home for her to prepare.  It was my favorite meal.  I don’t know if it was the trout themselves, or her special touch that made them taste so good, but I’ve never had the like.

            “Grandma used to try and make it for me, but it wasn’t the same.  It’s just one of those things that seem better when the people you love do it for you, not that I didn’t love my grandmother, it just wasn’t the same.  It’s something I’ll always associate with my parents,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.  “Pretty pathetic when that’s all I have of them.  Simple little memories.”

            “Those simple little memories are the most important things you could have of them.  They are the most precious,” Scott said, turning Rae, repositioning her so she was sitting facing him.  “They’re all any of us have in the end.  A smile here, kind word there.  That’s why you have to make the most of the time you have.  Everyday we’re here I think of my mom.  What’s she doing, thinking?  Does she miss me as much as I miss her?  Will I ever see her again?  I wish I had told her how much I love her because I realize now I didn’t tell her enough.  Sometimes in the middle of the night I wake up in a cold sweat because of a bad dream that I can’t remember and I can’t help but think maybe it was about her and something bad happened to her.

            “All I have to remind me of her are my memories.  Without them I’d be lost.  I remember the sound of her voice when she called me on the phone, I can still hear her as she sang making breakfast, the smell of her perfume, the sound of her laugh, the color of her hair.  I can still remember the feather light touch of her lips on my forehead when she tucked me in as a small child.”

            “She sounds like a wonderful mother,” Rae said, her arms around his neck, her fingers tickling his skin.

            “She is,” Scott agreed.  “I’ll take you to meet her if we ever get off this god forsaken piece of land.”

            “And I’ll show you my mother’s picture,” Rae promised.

            “As long as I get to see your room too,” Scott agreed, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

            “I’m sure my aunt would love that.”

            “She wouldn’t care.  She’ll be so glad you’re home and safe she won’t notice if I come with you,” Scott stated as he stood up.  Rae shook her head, and wisely held back her chuckle as Scott hoisted her into his arms.  Quietly Scott and Rae reentered the tree house and returned to Scott’s bed.  Once settled the two fell into peaceful sleeps, dreaming of their mothers.

 

 

Chapter 5

 

            "I hate cooking," Celeste whined as she measured out some flour.

            "Well, let's just get it over with and try our hardest to enjoy it," Taylor said in a sarcastic tone.  Celeste cast him a wayward glance.  He smiled and shrugged.

            "So do you think we'll be on this island for the rest of our lives?" she questioned, measuring out another ingredient for the cake that she and Rae were supposed to be making.  Since Rae had had the accident and Tina announced her pregnancy, the cooking pairs had been altered and Celeste ended up with Taylor for a partner.  They'd been told to make a cake for the next day's dessert and both of them (like many of the others) hated cooking.

            "I don't know," Tay responded.

            "Would it bother you if we did?" Celeste asked.

            "I don't know," he repeated.

            "Is that all you can say?" she asked with an amused smile.  Tay shrugged.

            "No.  I really don't know whether I'd want to leave if we got the chance."

            "Why?  what would keep you here?  You've got a whole family that you'd never see, a whole bunch of fans who love your music and are probably dying to hear some more, and so much talent to use yet," Celeste said.

            "Yeah, but do you know what it's like being famous?  Everyone crowding around you, press people always around prying into your personal life, everything about you being shared with the world, the slightest hint of a relationship turning into like, marriage with the flip of a magazine page.  How does that sound?  Being here in the isolation, not having any demands made of you, not having anyone to answer to--"

            "Except Ike or Tina," Celeste interrupted.

            "...Whatever, but you know what I mean?  It's just so peaceful.  So much nicer," Tay finished.  Celeste nodded as she mixed the cake batter.  Tay got out a pan and greased it.

            "I know, but there's got to be something you'll miss," Celeste said.  Tay was quiet.  "Your family?" she questioned, guessing that would be the thing he'd really miss.  He looked at her and nodded.  There was a silence then.

            "I'm gonna go get the fire ready," Tay announced.  He left the room to fire up the little oven that the group had made.  It was much like a pizza oven, made out of a brick-like mixture with a platform to put the food on and a fire underneath.  They'd built it in a clearing a few yards away from the tree house.  When Tay came back, Celeste had the batter in the pan and Tay told her he'd take it out to the oven.

            "I'll come with," she said.

            "You don't have to," he said, not sure if he really wanted to have anyone see him with her tagging along.

            "No, I should.  Who knows what anyone would tell Ike or Tina if they only saw one of us working."  Tay sighed.

            "Alright," he said.  With the cake in hand, he walked out to the oven with Celeste by his side.  As the cake began "baking," they sat against two trees.

            "You know what?" Celeste said.

            "Hm?"

            "We have to clean up the kitchen," she said.  Taylor rolled his eyes.

            "Let's go."  They went back to the tree house and started putting the stuff away.  The big container full of flour was right in front of Celeste and it gave her an idea.  She glanced at Taylor, who was wiping up the counter next to her, then dipped her fingers into the flour.

            "Hey Tay," she said.

            "What?"  He turned to her and she flicked the flour at him.  He flinched in surprise, immediately shutting his eyes, then stood quiet.

            "You seem to be a little tense.  You really need to loosen up," she said with the hint of laughter in her voice.  The flour got in his hair, all over his face, and a little on his shirt, and when he tried to squint his eyes open, the sight made Celeste's laughter escape.

            "Why did you do that?" he asked evenly.  Still smiling, Celeste just looked at him.  He raised his eyebrows as if to ask the question again.

            "I told you you seemed to be a little tense," she said.  Tay shook his head, the flour dispensing into a cloud around both him and Celeste.  She coughed and Tay sighed.

            "Well," he said before reaching for the flour container.  He dipped his hand inside and soon, Celeste had flour being sprinkled on top of her head like confetti (it was easy for him to do too because he was a lot taller than her).  She just stood there as he smiled.  After a pause, flour began flying everywhere as the two of them dipped into the container and flung the ingredient at one another.

            "What the hell are you doing?!?!" a booming voice suddenly interrupted.  Celeste and Taylor stopped cold and looked at each other before turning to see Isaac looming over them with a very angry face.

            "Uh, nothing?" Taylor ventured to say to his big brother.

            "Try again," Ike said.  Tay glanced at Celeste and smiled.  Getting the same idea, she followed his lead and they both reached for the flour container.  All too soon, Isaac's head and upper body was coated with the white powder.  All was silent as the mischevious two waited for a reaction.  "You know, you're gonna have one hell of a time cleaning this up."  As Celeste and Tay shrugged, Ike grabbed some flour with both hands and waged war again.  As another round of battle began, Tina showed up and started screaming and yelling.

            "Aahh!  Stop!  Oh my God, stop!"  She ran over to them and slapped Isaac on the back.  "What is wrong with you?!  This is all the flour we have!!  We can't afford to lose any of it!  Who knows when the next wheat crop will be ready to harvest!"  The others sheepishly looked to the floor as Tina's expression and voice turned icy.  "Clean it up.  Clean the whole kitchen now.  I don't want to see one spec of flour anywhere, or you're both gonna get it!  Isaac!"  Ike snapped his head up to look at her with surprised and innocent look on his face.  "You come with me."  With that, Tina stomped out of the tree house with Ike reluctantly following.

            "Damn," Celeste commented once they were gone.

            "Yeah," was all that a surprised Taylor could muster.

            "Well," Celeste sighed, "I guess we better start cleaning."  Without a word, Tay found a wash rag and went to the other side of the counter to clean up the floor.  Celeste glanced at him every so often as she cleaned up the counter.  When they were almost done, Tina came back.

            "So while you two were messing everything up in here, where's the cake?" she asked in a snotty tone.

            "The cake's in the oven.  God, don't have a conniption," Tay said, tired of hearing from her.

            "Don't speak to me like that," Tina said.

            "Tina, you're not our mom.  We don't have to obey your every command.  Why don't you just get off our backs and leave us alone once in a while?  And for your information, Ike was, and I quote, "messing everything up in here" too," Celeste fired at her.  Tina didn't say anything.  She just stared at Celeste for a few quiet seconds.  Finally she turned to leave.

            "Keep an eye on that cake," she said, then left.

            "Ugh.  She reminds me of the Bitch Brigade," Celeste said.

            "Hey, Tina's actually pretty cool," Tay said, defending his brother's girlfriend, "and the Brig-, well, they're you're cousins!"      

            "One is my cousin!  And I hate her!" Celeste exclaimed.

            "How can you say that?!  She's family to you!"

            "What the hell do you know?  All you see is a pretty face and a skinny body.  You don't care about anything else, so automatically you like them!" Celeste yelled.

            "How the fuck would you know?!  You don't know how I think!" Tay shot back.

            "I know how you act.  I've seen you.  You get all happy when any one of the Bitches even looks at you.  With me or Rae, you basically cringe!  I can tell how you are, even though you may not want to admit it, and it disgusts me.  It really does.  And by the way, some great family my cousin is.  The most I've ever gotten from her is a snide comment and a lifetime full of being ignored and made fun of.  All she's concerned about is her image.  She only pleases herself and her prissy friends.  I'd kill to have a decent family like you.  I bet you have a hundred people at family gatherings that all get along perfectly fine and actually mean something to one another."  With that, Celeste hurled her wash cloth into the bucket of water that was used for a sink, and went for the door.  She nearly ran into Isaac.

            "Where are you going?" he asked her.

            "What's it to you?!" Celeste said loudly, then ran from the tree house.  Isaac turned to Taylor, who had an angry look on his face.

            "What happened?" Ike asked.  Taylor just shook his head and threw his wash rag into the bucket.  He took off his shirt as he passed by his room and threw it inside, then ran from the tree house as Celeste had done.  "Hey!  I don't see a cake anywhere!"  Ike called after him.

            "Fuck your stupid-ass cake!!" Tay hollered, and ran for the shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MoRe To CoMe!!!!