by Laura Wylde
“He was a strange little man,” she said. “He kept appearing and disappearing, almost like smoke.”
“I noticed that,” Beau said. Asher suddenly quit walking and the three of them stopped next to a big plant with huge, fan-like leaves.
“These might work,” Beau said.
“I think they're perfect,” Asher said, touching one of the plants with his thumb and finger. “They're thick too, so it we use enough of them, they'll make a sturdy roof that might even keep out the rain. Let's strip off as many as we can carry,” he told Rose and Beau. As the three of them worked, Beau asked Rose a little about herself and she asked him where he was from.
“Hawaii,” he said with a smile. “The big island.”
“Awesome. I love Hawaii.”
He nodded. “Me too. We were pretty poor growing up, so I never saw any of the rest of the states. I started my own scuba diving company about six years ago. It's really taking off now and thanks to a good staff I'm able to travel. I did the west coast recently and was on my way to New York to spend some time exploring the east coast...well, you know the rest of that story.”
Rose smiled as she pulled down a big leaf. “For now,” she said. “I'm sure they have to be looking for us, aren't you?”
He nodded. So far, Rose had yet to see Beau look even the slightest bit ruffled by any of this. “I'm sure. At least we got stranded in a beautiful place huh?” His pretty brown eyes locked into hers then and he said, “With beautiful people.”
“Can I ask you a weird question?” Rose said.
“I love weird questions,” Beau said with a laugh. Rose smiled and said,
“I'm kind of embarrassed to even be thinking this, much less, to say it out loud...but...isn't it strange that we're all, you know...”
“Hot?” he asked with a chuckle.
She laughed. “Well, I was going to say beautiful, but even that sounded a little vain.”
“Hey, it is what it is. You are beautiful and there's nothing vain about loving yourself. My Mom always taught me that it's impossible to be a good person and love other people if you don't love who you are, first. I don't see anything wrong with loving what you look like on the outside too.”
Rose nodded. “That's pretty much how my parents raised me too.”
“But to answer your question, yeah...I guess it is a little odd. But then, it's no more odd than landing on an island in the middle of the ocean when we shouldn't have been anywhere near it to begin with.”
“True story,” she said, grunting as she pulled at one of the big fronds. Asher appeared at her side suddenly, reached up and pulled it down as if it were attached by a string. He handed it to her with one arm and held a load of leaves in the other.
“We've probably got enough for a roof. You two want to take these back to the lagoon and I'll gather some wood and rocks and things for the walls?”
“Sure.” Beau took more than half of what Asher was holding on top of his own load and Rose carried the rest. On the way back Beau said, “Do you like to swim?”
“I do,” she said. “I was a lifeguard throughout high school and when I was younger, my parents accused me of being part fish because I loved the water so much.”
“Have you ever been parasailing?”
“No. Do you do that a lot, in Hawaii?”
“I've done it,” he said. “It was actually one of my first jobs. I worked for a company that catered to tourists and did parasailing and gave surf lessons, things like that. I was the safety guy. I made sure they were hooked up tight before the boat took off. I worked there from the age of 15 until I was almost 20 and didn't lose a single tourist.” He winked at her and laughed and then he said, “While I was doing all that, I figured out that I could hold my breath under water for a really long time. That kind of led me to want to learn how to scuba dive, so I did. My friend had this old boat and he and I started fixing it up, slowly and every payday I'd buy another oxygen tank, or wet suit...you know, snorkeling and diving equipment. It took a few years for us to get everything together we would need and all the licensing and permits. Now we have six boats and we can take out six people at a time on each one...I'm really proud of what we have accomplished.”
“It sounds like you should be.” As soon as they broke through the clearing, Ryder was there to help Rose with her pile of leaves. She gave them up and he carried them over to the spot between the trees they had decided to use as an anchor. While they were gone, he had built what looked like a little fire pit, out of rocks and filled it with the fire wood and coconut skins. Dexter looked like he was getting a little antsy but when he stood up to help Beau, Ryder said,
“Off the leg.”
Dexter rolled his eyes and sat back down. Rose went over and sat next to him, picking up the jar of water and taking a drink. “I was going to wash up in the lagoon, would you like me to help you over there? It might feel good to get some of this grime off our faces.”
“I'd love that, if Dr. Pain over there doesn't bite my head off for it.” Rose laughed.
“Ryder!” she called out. The pensive, serious, smoldering, sexy man, looked in her direction. His chest was wet with sweat from the work he'd been doing and his pant legs were rolled up to his knees. His hair was mussed from the wind, but that only gave him an even sexier, edgy look. “I'm going to help Dexter over to the lagoon to wash up,” she said. For a half a second, he looked like he was going to object but then he looked at Dexter and said,
“Wash that wound up and we'll put a clean bandage on it.” Dexter nodded at him and after Rose gathered some soap, a washcloth and toothpaste that they had found, she helped Dexter up. She carried the small bag of toiletries over her left shoulder and Dexter leaned against her right side. She was much shorter than him so he had to bend down at least a foot to reach her shoulder, but the lagoon wasn't far.
Once there, Rose helped Dexter take a seat next to the lagoon and then she sat next to the water and dipped the cloth into it. The water was warm, like bath water and she was almost overwhelmed by how good it felt to cup her hands and bring it up to splash onto her face. Once her face was wet, she soaped up her hands and washed her face...several times. It stung in places, especially around her lips were the cuts from the crash were, but overall it felt amazing to have the grime off. She rinsed her hands and then ran her wet fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face and putting it in a ponytail with an elastic band she had found in one of the suitcases as well. It wasn't until she finished that she realized Dexter hadn't moved. He was watching her.
“I'm sorry,” he said, when she looked at him. “You're just really pretty. I'm sure you know that.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.” She held out her hand and said, “Come over here and I'll help you clean that wound.” Dexter took her hand and after he washed his face and wet his curly hair, Rose pushed the pant leg that Ryder had ripped open earlier, out of the way and used the wet washcloth to gently dab at Dexter's wound. She was trying not to flinch, but it worried her a little that the gash was so deep. He really needed it stitched up. She hoped they were found before it was too late for them to do that for him. As she worked, she talked, in the hopes of distracting him from the pain that she knew he must be feeling with each stroke of the washcloth. “So why no girlfriend?” she said. “If you don't mind me asking.” She wondered if he was gay. They say all the really hot guys were either married or gay
“I have a lot on my plate with school,” he said. “Plus, to be perfectly honest with you...I've just never met the woman that I thought I'd want to spend more than a few nights with. I'm probably going to sound like an ass, but I figure I've got nothing to lose here, right?” Rose nodded and he went on. “My mind doesn't exactly work like other people's heads. I'm always thinking about something...always. My mind wants to analyze everything and remember everything and there doesn't seem to be room left for small talk and drama...all the head games that go along with dating and being in a relationship.”
“Hmm, you sound like a guy who has been played...maybe?”
“Honestly, no. I've just never put myself in the position to be played. I do my thing and when I need a woman, it's not hard to find one.”
“So you don't ever think about having a family someday?”
“You mean like a wife and kids?” he was making such a distasteful face that Rose laughed.
“Yes, and I think that face answered my question.”
“Don't get me wrong,” he said, “It's not that I have any problem with the sanctity of marriage...I'm just sure it's not for me. I love the freedom of picking up and going where the history is whenever I get the opportunity. I don't know many women that would put up with that...long absences. As far as kids go. I don't really have anything against them. I've just never been around them and I'm not sure I could live with one. You probably think I'm awfully superficial, don't you? In my head, it doesn't seem that way, but I'm just now hearing how it sounds out loud.”
“You've never told anyone all of this before?” Rose finished cleaning his wound and was patting it dry with a hand towel they'd found.
“Not really. I just make sure to tell the women I'm with exactly what I'm looking for so there's not any hurt feelings. I don't have a lot of close friends because...well, like I said, I spend a lot of time in my head, and I like to travel, a lot. My parents retired to Florida and I see them once or twice a year. My mother finally stopped asking when I was going to give her grandchildren when my sister moved a mile away from them and gave her three in three years.” He laughed. “I owe her, I guess. Anyways, I'm digressing again. But to answer your question, no. I haven't ever really told anyone this much about myself, especially after just meeting them.”
“So what made you tell me?”
He drew his brows together and slowly shook his head. “I'm not sure. You just seem...safe, I guess, like you won't judge me.”
She smiled. “I won't.” Standing up, she held out her hand and helped him back to his feet. He thanked her and by the time they got back to camp, Asher was back with the materials for the shelter. Ryder set about putting a new bandage on Dexter's leg, made of materials from some of the clothes they found. He tied strips of cotton material around Dexter's leg, just tight enough to pull the skin together so that hopefully too many bacteria wouldn't find their way in. Rose went over where the other men were while Ryder did that and she was surprised when Asher seemed to welcome her help, wetting the leaves and sticking them together, and to the frame they'd propped up, to make a roof and walls. It was crude, but it would be better than nothing...maybe.
Chapter 5
Rose and the men sat around their make-shift shelter while Asher started a campfire. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts and Rose looked out at the ocean, lost in the rhythmic percussion of the blue waves against the white sand. The warmth of the sun bathed her face as it began to dip down into the water. Behind the yellow ball of fire, streaks of orange and pink raced across the blue sky, covering the clouds and getting ready for the night. The seagulls who had been so curious about her earlier no longer seemed interested in the newcomers. She could see their dark silhouettes as they floated effortlessly over the water, waiting for the chance to snatch a bite of seafood from their own personal watery kitchen.
She was doing her best to stay positive, and calm. They had only been on the island for a matter of hours and it was still highly possible that help was coming. She looked around at her companions and told herself that she was lucky she wasn't alone...and so far, they all seemed nice enough. They bickered some, while they were building the shelter. Every one of them had a strong personality it seemed and wanted to be in charge...but, it didn't come to blows, so that was a good sign.
“Anyone thinking about a steak and baked potato?” Ryder asked.
“Beer,” said Asher.
“I think I might go crabbing in the morning,” Beau said.
“Mm, that sounds good,” Dexter told him. “If this leg works in the morning, I'll help you...” Whatever he said next was drowned out by the deafening boom that came from the other side of the island...the opposite side from where they had found Dexter, and the crash. A ray of blue-white light shattered the sky and then in an instant there was an almost blinding flash that morphed into what looked like a gigantic ball of fire...and then...nothing. Everything went silent and the sky was once again the color of twilight. The five of them stared at the spot for several seconds, in a state of shock, before finally looking at each other, still silently. Asher was the one that spoke first, stating the obvious yet again.
“That was in the opposite direction from the crash site we found earlier.”
“Just another part of the plane blowing up,” Ryder said. “We should keep our distance.”
“You don't know that,” Dexter said. “Maybe it's not even related to the crash. I mean, that mess over there where you found me, looked like the bulk of the plane to me.”
“So what do you think it was?” Beau asked, not sarcastically, but genuinely curious.
“I don't know,” Dexter said. “I'm just not sure we should make assumptions about anything right now.”
“I agree,” Rose said. “I think we should at least check it out. What if it is part of the plane and there are survivors over there?”
Asher stood up. “Fine, I'll go.”
“No,” Dexter said, straining to get up on his bad leg. “We'll all go. We need to stay together, especially since the sun is going down.”
“I found two flashlights in the suitcases earlier,” Ryder said.
Rose and Beau stood up and Ryder handed one of the flashlights to Beau. With Beau and Ryder in the lead, Asher looking pissed that he wasn't, and Dexter limping along next to Rose, the five of them started in the direction of the sound. The longer they walked, the lower the sun dipped into the ocean and an almost eerie darkness descended down on them. The sounds from the trees changed and without talking about it, they all seemed to somehow know that was due to the nocturnal animals waking up. It was a frightening feeling, Rose thought, to not know what was out there...what might be coming for them in the dead of night. As if sensing her unease, Dexter slipped his arm into hers. Grateful for his support and suspecting that he might also need hers, she held on, helping him along on his injured leg while limping herself on her still bare, aching feet.
They circled around the trees, likely taking the long way around, but undoubtedly the safest route of the two. They had walked for almost an hour before Rose spotted an almost ethereal glow coming from near the edge of the water about twenty feet away. Ryder and Beau stopped, but Asher went around them and kept going. “Asher, wait! We don't know what we're walking into,” Ryder said. Other than the glowing light, all they could see was darkness.
Asher stopped, but for just a second and said, “Isn't that the point?” he said. “Let's find out what it was, see if there are any more survivors and get off this beach before the monsters come out and play.” He started back toward the light and the rest of them seemed to have no other choice but to follow him. As they got closer, a dark shape began to come into focus. Rose could see the silhouette of a man, sitting on something in the sand.
“What the hell?” Ryder shined his flash light at the shadow and the shape came into focus. It was in fact a man. It was the man from the plane. The flight attendant. He was sitting on a rock, next to a glowing campfire. The flames seemed to be dancing across his smiling face. He was still dressed in his flight attendant garb, and those strange shoes...but he looked perfectly pressed from head to toe. There wasn't a hair out of place or a speck of dirt or soot on him, at least that she could see, anywhere. That was strange in itself, but even stranger was that as far as she could tell in the light from the fire, there was no debris in sight on this part of the beach. There was nothing that looked like it had been part of an explosion. The only thing on fire were the logs that sat in the middle of a ring of rocks.
“Well hello there,” the man
said with a smile. Rose couldn't see his name badge, but she suddenly recalled his name from earlier.
“Henry,” she said, not even meaning to say it aloud. The man locked his eyes into hers and stood up. He looked amused, almost like this was part of a game. Rose almost let herself believe they were on one of those reality game shows, and this Henry guy was the host.
“Yes Rose, it's me.”
“How do you know my name?” she said.
“And where the hell did you come from?” Ryder asked before he answered. “The crash was on the other side of this island. How did you get here without walking right past us?”
“And why the hell do you look like you just walked off the pages of a magazine?” Asher added. They were pummeling him with questions and he was smiling throughout. When the guys fell silent again, Henry said,
“Why don't we have a seat, and we can talk?”
“Why don't you just answer our questions?” Ryder said. “And while you're at it, maybe you can explain how the hell we ended up on an island in the middle of the ocean when we were on a direct flight across the United States?”
Still ignoring the questions he said, “I'm glad to see you all look healthy.” He looked at Dexter's leg and said, “I'm sure that will heal quickly.”
“Answer the questions!” Asher demanded, angrily. “What the hell is this?” Asher said. “Why do you look like that? If I'm not mistaken, you were on the same plane as us and you look like you just walked off the pages of a magazine. Is this some kind of game? I want answers little man, and now!”
“Why don't you all sit, and we can talk.”
“Screw you!” Asher said. “Tell us what is going on, and let's start with how you got here. The plane crash site is on the other side of the island. And why did we just hear and feel an explosion, what was that?”
