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The Phoenix, Chapter 1 – The Beginning

Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?

Veronica’s POV

I pushed my way through the dancing crowd in a dimly lit club. Sweat and alcohol was heavy in the air and the music was pounding heavily in my ears. I became annoyed as I tried to find the VIP section with no success. I was supposed to meet an acquaintance, if you will, William Newton, here but I had never been to this particular club before so I had a hard time finding my way around. I was lucky enough to even get into this club. It was obviously for the upper class people of the city but with William’s invitation, I was allowed in. He was also the owner of this club.

William Newton is a rich bastard who is the head of a very rich business here in Venice, Italy. I found it strange that he has his business here in Italy when he is British but I guess he can do what he wants. He is a millionaire. He’s been lending me money until I could get me and Eden back on our feet. But over the past two years here, I haven’t really been able to adapt to anything. Mason still haunted my mind even though I hadn’t seen him for four years and I couldn’t shake the fact that I had done something horrible. Eden was the one making the most money out of both of us. I was glad that she had recovered from “the incident” so quickly while I still dwelled on it.

I didn’t love Mason, don’t get me wrong. But he was my brother and even after four years, I still feel like the incident happened just yesterday. But anyway, I was pretty deep in debt with William and I knew I was walking the edge with him. I wasn’t sure how long he would let me keep borrowing money without paying it back and that’s why I was so nervous about why he called me here tonight. I had a feeling it was about the money. He was a dangerous man with so much money he could never get in trouble for anything he did so I was always cautious around him.

I had brought Eden with me and she was waiting for me outside. I was a little unsure about leaving her alone, unattended, so I gave her a small knife to help keep her safe. I felt a little reassured even though I knew she probably wouldn’t use it. She helped persuade me to leave her be, disliking the fact that I was always nervous about her being alone. I still valued Eden greatly and I didn’t want to lose her.

I finally found one of the bars in the huge club and fought for a spot to have a chance to talk to the bartender. After fighting a few elbows and growling insults, both in Italian and English, I leaned in towards the bartender to ask for directions. I dismissed his seductive smirk and raised eyebrow with a roll of my eyes.

“What can I get you, bella?” asked the bartender with a very heavy Italian accent. He winked at me and continued on with cleaning a glass with a rag.

“Sai dove la sezione VIP è?” I yelled over the blaring music. The man nodded in understanding, seeming a bit surprised that I spoke Italian. He was probably surprised since he was so used to all the tourists who spoke only English. Of course there were other languages but English was the one that was most often spoken.

“Sì, è lì in un angolo!” he yelled back, giving me a small smile. I nodded and turned away, not bothering to return the smile. I shoved my way through the crowd once again but only this time, I knew where I was going.

I bumped into a couple that was grinding against each other in a way that made my lips quirk down in disgust. They didn’t turn to apologize for running into me and I rolled my eyes before continuing on. When I finally made it to the roped off section, the two security guards there stopped me. I grew even more agitated and glared at the stone-like faces of the buff men. I was about to tell them that I was expected there but my boss’ voice cut me off.

“Veronica, my darling. You finally came,” he said, his voice raspy and deep. I could hear him perfectly over the pulsing music. William inhaled a hit from his cigar before blowing the fumes out of his nose. The smoke looked strange against the different colored lights of the club but they soon evaporated. He was sitting at a table with empty beer bottles, other empty glasses and cigars littering it. Two super model skinny girls with beautiful faces sat on either side of him, shot glasses in their hands. They wore short, sparkly dresses that looked expensive. They had smiles on their faces but when they spotted me, the smiles slid off their faces and morphed into glares.

I wanted to laugh as they cast disgusted looks at my clothing. I wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately for this club. I wore jeans, a tight black tank top with a thin, purple jacket over it. My hair was just hanging loosely around my shoulders.

“Yes, you wanted to talk to me about something?” I asked, walking past the security guards. I stood on the other side of the table and took a seat when William gestured to the chair across from him. He then shooed the two girls off and they cast me death glares while walking away and towards another part of the VIP section.

“Ah, yes. It’s about your rather large debt,” he said, leaning back in his chair in a relaxed way while I leaned forward. I cursed in my head and my eyebrows drew together in worry as I waited for the news. Instead of continuing, William offered me a half empty beer bottle that had been sitting on the table but I shook my head. He shrugged and put it back where it was. “I have never been one to cut corners so I’ll just get straight to the point. I’m cutting you off, Veronica,” he announced and I blinked. My teeth grit together as I processed the news. My hands clenched into fists but William didn’t seem to be done. After he inhaled and exhaled some more smoke, he spoke.

“Long story short, you have to come up with the money in twenty-four hours or there’ll be consequences. You remember Brutus and Danny, don’t you?” William asked, giving me a cold smile while gesturing to his two personal bodyguards who were standing a little ways away. I hadn’t noticed them before but I narrowed my eyes at them, they returned the glare. Brutus and Danny were these two huge bodyguards that were no brains and all brawn. They hated me and I hated them. We never got along when we were anywhere near each other.

William was obviously threatening to have me beaten or killed if I didn’t get the money in time but he was talking about this like it was just rain on a sunny day. I bit the inside of my cheek as my mind raced. There was no way I could get the money in a couple months let alone twenty-four hours. Eden only made a fraction of the amount of debt we had, as did I. We had barely any money in the bank so there was no hope there. Perhaps I could find someone else to loan me money to get William off my back? No, that would just cause a bigger problem.

“I’m sorry, Veronica. But there’s nothing I can do. I wish you the best and I’ll see you in twenty-four hours,” he said, clearly dismissing me but I refused to get up. This was unfair. He didn’t need the money and he knew that there was no way that I could get the money in that amount of time. He was doing this to screw me over.

“You can’t do this, William. You know damn well that it’s impossible for that to happen. I can’t get that damn money in twenty-four hours,” I said angrily, letting my fist bang against the table. The liquid in some of the glasses shook and the glass clinked together. William didn’t react; he just took another drag from his cigar and exhaled. I kept my enraged stare on him as he stayed completely calm.

“I said that there was nothing I could do, Veronica. Now, if you’ll excuse me―” he began but I cut him off. I stood up abruptly and leaned over the table to glare at him.
“You know that I don’t have the money, William. You can’t do that,” I growled lowly, pointing my finger at him but his suave expression wasn’t affected. He snapped his fingers and I saw Brutus and Danny coming over to escort me out.

“Actually, I just did,” William said and his bodyguards grabbed my biceps. “Stop by my office in twenty-four hours, Veronica. Or we’ll come for you,” he said and I cast him a murderous glare which he just smirked at. I ripped my arms out of Brutus and Danny’s grips and gave them my glare as well. I walked out of the VIP section, a fuming expression on my face as I tried to leave the club as fast as possible while muttering curses in Italian under my breath.

This was not good. Not good at all. We needed to leave Venice and we needed to leave soon. Maybe we could just leave Italy all together just to be safe, maybe we’ll just move back to the US or somewhere in South America. There was absolutely no way in hell I could be able to get that money on time and William would not be merciful. He didn’t joke around when he threatened people. I exited the club, the air was warm and the night was young. The streets were flooded with tourists and native Italians as usual. It didn’t take long for Eden’s light brown haired head to end up by my side. We wordlessly began to make our way back to our apartment.

“So, what did the bastard want?” Eden asked, giving me a smile and I cast her a glare to scold her for her language. She shrugged sheepishly and the smile slid off her lips as she took in my sour expression.

“He wants the money I borrowed back in twenty-four hours or I’m dead,” I said, my voice low so I wouldn’t raise any suspicion to anyone listening to us. Eden’s eyes widened in fear but I kept my glare ahead instead of looking down at her.

“What are we going to do?” she asked and I let out a frustrated breath from my nose, running a hand through my messy hair.

“We’ll have to move again,” I said and she nodded solemnly. She looked a little sad but then her bright blue eyes lit up in excitement. We had reached our apartment and I unlocked the door to let us in.

“Can we go to Thailand?” Eden blurted out and I raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, we don’t have to live there. Maybe we can just visit or stop by. Please, Roni?” Roni was my nickname that almost all of my friends call me, it was short for Veronica. “Pretty please? I really, really, really want to go. I’ve always wanted to go to Thailand,” she pleaded with me as I turned on the lights.

Our apartment was as normal as could be; there was a couch, a kitchen table, a kitchen, a TV, one bedroom with two beds and one bathroom. I chuckled at Eden’s enthusiasm and thought for a moment as I went through a cabinet, pulling out a wine bottle as well as a glass before pouring myself some of the wine.

“Maybe,” I answered and Ede he smiled widely, beginning to dance around happily. “But I’ll have to make sure we have enough money left over to find a place after we leave. Maybe I’ll be able to scrape up some money while we’re there,” I told her even though I was mostly talking to myself. But my answer was enough for Eden. She squealed in delight before wrapping her arms around me, squeezing me tightly.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Roni! You are the best sister ever!” she exclaimed and I smiled, returning the hug with less excitement and patting her head. She then let go of me to start going on and on about the different places in Thailand we could go to and telling me about all the things we could do there. I took small sips of my wine as she talked, relaxing onto the couch. I had to cut her off after a few minutes because she wouldn’t stop if I didn’t.

“Alright, time for bed, Eden. I think you’ve had enough sugar for tonight,” I stopped her and she opened her mouth with a worried expression but I prevented her from talking. “I’ll schedule a trip and take care of everything, just go to sleep,” I said, laughing softly at her.

“Ok, Roni. Thanks again, goodnight,” she said, giving me a small smile. I stood to give her a hug and she wrapped her arms around my midsection. I held my fragile and childish sister in my arms before kissing the top of her head.

“You’re welcome, Eden. Goodnight,” I returned, watching her until she closed her door and the light disappeared from under her door.

I sighed, not sitting back down but taking a long drink from my wine. When it was all gone, I stared at the bottom of the glass with a disappointed stare. I caught the sight of myself in a mirror hanging on the wall and scowled at the reflection. I looked like a mess. My long, charcoal, loose curls were just hanging there limply like it was deflated and my chocolate, brown eyes looked exhausted. I needed sleep. But the fear of having another nightmare still plagued the back of my mind.

I shoved the thought away and refilled my wine glass and got my laptop out, knowing I had to make the flight reservations. The bright light from the screen helped keep me awake while the alcohol had the opposite effect.

~o~0~o~

“Mason, stop chasing your sister,” my mother’s voice scolded as Mason chased me around the house. I was laughing and screeching in joy as I weaved in and out of furniture and rooms. When we ran into the living room, he tackled me to the floor at my mother’s feet.
“Ah ha! I got you now, you dirty criminal!” Mason shouted out, pulling my hands behind my back to pretend to handcuff them together. I lay on my stomach while wearing a monotone expression as I was arrested.

“Can I be the police now?” I whined while Mason did a pat down as if I had weapons hidden in my clothes. Even though it was fun being chased, I hated always ending up losing and being arrested.

“No, I’m older than you so I get to be the police,” Mason justified and I felt his weight lifted off of me as my mother pulled him up.

“Both of you stop it now before your father comes home. You know he doesn’t like you all running around like madmen,” my mother said, pulling me to my feet as well. She sat back down on the couch and pulled Eden into her lap, going back to playing with her hair.

I always loved it when my mother played with my hair, I enjoyed watching her do it too but it wasn’t as fun. She always wove hair into these intricate little braids or she would twist it into a pretty bun or she would do something I would never think was possible. I jumped up on the couch to sit and watch her play with Eden’s hair; Mason picked up a nearby wooden sword and began to swing it around as if he were Prince Charming going to slay the dragon.

“Mommy, can you teach me to do hair like that someday?” I asked, watching her delicate fingers loop hair in and out of each other. She chuckled and smiled softly.

“Of course, Veronica,” she answered as if it were something that she was going to do all along. A look of fascination was on my face as she started over and did a whole different style on Eden’s head. Eden’s hair grew fast and even though she was only three, her hair was long enough to play with. My hair grew fast as well and it was hanging down my back and it was due for a trim soon.

“Mom? Why do people do bad things?” Mason asked suddenly and my mother’s hands hesitated for a moment before continuing. He hadn’t paused in his swordplay and continued to stab the air at invisible pirates.

“What people, Mason?” she asked, my eyes didn’t stray from Eden’s head.

“You know, like criminals and bad guys,” he explained, his tone of voice annoyed as if our mother should have known what he was talking about.

“Well, sometimes, people feel the need to do it because they want to, or they think it’s right or they don’t have a conscience,” my mother explained and my eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“What’s a…con…consi…consence?” I asked, trying to pronounce the word correctly without sounding stupid.

“It’s conscience, dummy,” Mason retorted and I glared at him, sticking my tongue out at him. He returned the gesture but our mother ignored us.

“A conscience is something that tells people what’s right and wrong,” my mother explained and my eyes widened in realization.

“Oh! Like in Pinocchio! Pinocchio has a conscience,” I exclaimed and my mother nodded, smiling softly in amusement.

“Yes, like Pinocchio. So you better listen to your conscience or you will turn into a donkey like Pinocchio did,” my mother said and my eyes widened, Mason’s did too while Eden looked confused.

“I will, I’ll be good, Mama. Don’t worry. I don’t want to be a donkey,” I said quickly and she chuckled about something I didn’t know about. Mason nodded his head quickly too, horrified by the idea of turning into a donkey. Eden copied us even though she had no idea what was going on.

“Good, now go play in your room now before your father comes home.”

~o~0~o~

Our trip to Phuket was quick and easy. I scheduled a trip for the next day (before falling asleep on my laptop) and we packed our bags as fast as we could in the morning. We were off to the airport without a second thought. I didn’t run into William at all which calmed me but I wasn’t comfortable until the plane landed in Phuket.

When Eden and I arrived, we found a kind man who said he had an apartment for us to stay in. He seemed kind enough to trust but he was a little crazy like an old person would be. Eden liked him and trusted him right away like she always did with new people. I sometimes wondered if that girl even took precautions to anything. He told us to call him Mr. Chai and his real name was too long and intricate for me to remember. Mr. Chai helped us get all of our luggage to the apartment and it was actually pretty nice there compared to what I expected.

Mr. Chai had a daughter, she was a cute, little, ten year-old girl named Kulaya who seemed like she didn’t have a care in the world. It worried me about staying near this man but he didn’t pose any threat that I could see and plus, he had a daughter. I decided to go along with Eden and be grateful that he had given us a place to stay. Eden seemed to be having fun bonding with Kulaya didn’t know English. It was almost funny to watch Eden try to explain something to Kulaya or Kulaya explain something to Eden.

The weather was perfect and the day was only late morning since the trip was an overnight one. The sun was out and a soft breeze kept the temperature perfect, a couple clouds dotted the sky providing some shade for a couple minutes. For the first time in awhile, felt relaxed and not in danger. Here in Phuket, no one knew my name and I wasn’t in debt with someone. Eden was safe as well which made it all the better. The feeling of paradise only increased after we got everything set up in the apartment with Mr. Chai and Kulaya’s help.

“Now that you are all settled in, Veronica and Eden.” Our names sounded funny with his accent. “I would suggest some activities you could do so you could get to know the area better. The weather is beautiful, might I suggest a boat ride that is leaving later today with a couple of other tourists?” Mr. Chai said and Eden’ face lit up. She turned to me with a hopeful look on her face but I hesitated.

A boat ride didn’t sound too bad, it seemed pretty relaxing and since it was with other tourists, it wouldn’t hurt. I could trust Mr. Chai, he has been nice and respectable the whole time we’ve been with him and Eden seems to really want to go.

“That sounds fun. What time is it at?” I asked and Eden’ smile got even bigger. Mr. Chai nodded with a friendly smile on his face.

“It should be in an hour. I will come and get you to take you to the boat,” Mr. Chai said and with another nod of his head, he turned to leave. Kulaya trailed behind him, asking her father something in Thai.

“This is going to be so much fun, Roni! We can go swimming and get tan and go sightseeing and do all those things tourists do!” Eden exclaimed as we began to sort through our bags to find our bathing suits.

I scoffed at her excitement but couldn’t help but smiling a little bit. We had some time before we had to leave so we spent it unpacking. I even took a shower, which seems silly if you’re going to go out on the water but I felt gross after the long plane ride. My hair air-dried quickly in the warm air so it was back to its normal curls and waves.

When we were ready to go, we were both in bikinis but I had on a loose tank top with short jean shorts while Eden wore a cute sundress. I made sure that I had a bag with a change of clothes for us just in case we needed them along with some random other items you might need while going on a boat ride. I considered bringing a weapon with me, maybe a small knife, but I shook the thought from my mind. Why would I need a knife?

“You ready, girly?” I asked Eden, putting my sunglasses on top of my head. Eden answered me with an excited hum and I made sure our apartment was locked as we left. Mr. Chai and Kulaya were waiting for us outside and we readily followed them to where the boat was.

It wasn’t a long walk but we enjoyed seeing what we could while walking to the docks. When we got there, I could see that the boat itself was pretty big. It impressed me how big the boat was but I didn’t dwell on the fact. I could see that there was already people on it, tourists like us. There was a man and his wife, two young men who looked my age and a woman and her child.

The man and his wife looked to be happily wed; perhaps this was their honeymoon. The tender kiss they shared made me look away as I thought of my mother and father. The two young men looked like they were either just out of college or a bunch of young idiots looking to travel the world. They could’ve been brothers by the way they elbowed each other and laughed but they looked completely different. They reminded me of Mason and myself. The woman and her child looked happy as well, the child was looking over the railing of the boat to try and see something while his mother held onto him with a worried expression. They reminded me of my mother and myself.

The men who were working on the boat helped us on and welcomed us aboard before getting back to getting the boat ready. We were the last ones to board the boat so we didn’t have to wait long for the boat to start moving. I took a seat like everyone else did with the exception of the woman and her child and Eden. Eden stood at the railing, her dress fluttering in the wind, as did my tank top. A smile curved at my mouth while Eden and the child laughed as the boat bounced or they managed to get sprayed by the sea.

The boat slowed down to a stop to let us relax and they even let us swim. I planned to stay dry but I took my tank top off to try and get some sun. While everyone prepared to jump in, one of the men came up to me with a nonchalant smirk on his face. I would admit that he was handsome; he was muscled and toned and so was his friend. But his friend hadn’t approached me and he wasn’t in sight.

“Hey, you going swimming?” he asked me and I looked over at the water with a shrug.

“Eh, I’m not sure. Why? You going?” I responded, ignoring his smile.

“Totally, the water’s perfect here,” the man said as if the answer was obvious. “My name’s Drake by the way,” he held out his hand for me to shake.

“Veronica,” I responded, shaking his hand in slight amusement. I always found shaking hands strange, it just never made sense to me.

“Come on, you have to come swimming,” Drake said and I bit my lip while watching the woman, her child and Eden jump in the water. Eden swam around with the child, helping the mother teach him how to swim. The couple didn’t jump in; they hadn’t dressed for the occasion.

“Alright,” I said, smiling slightly as I stood. I slipped my shorts off before walking to a little platform on the end of the boat. I heard a battle cry of excitement and I turned to see Drake running toward the platform before launching himself off the edge and into the water. I couldn’t help but laugh and he gestured for me to come in when he came up for air.

I let out my own battle cry and dived into the water. When I came up for air, Drake was smiling and I laughed. My laugh wasn’t really one that had a point, I just laughed to laugh. I heard another howl and turned to see Drake’s friend jumping into the water. I hid my face as his splash hit me, laughing with them while we treaded in the water. I usually would have shaken my head at their childishness but I needed to let go and have fun.

“Veronica, this is Jaime. He’s my friend from college.” Drake introduced us and we both said hello to each other. “We’re here on vacation, what are you here for?” Drake asked as we swam back up to the platform.

“I’m here with my little sister.” I pointed to Eden who was still playing with the child. “We just moved here but its temporary,” I explained, climbing up the ladder to get back up on the platform. Drake followed.

“That’s cool. Want to have a contest to see who can touch the bottom and come up first?” Drake asked and I agreed.

We spent most of the day swimming and getting to know each other. By the time it was about time to go back to Phuket, I would say that I liked him in a friendly cute way. I had gotten to know Drake pretty well, he was from America and he and Jaime were visiting Phuket as a celebration for finishing college. He even invited me to go to dinner with him when we got back to Phuket.

Just as everyone set in for the ride back to shore, a looming, black, storm cloud began to make its way towards us. It covered the sun and thunder rumbled, the electricity in the air was enough to make your hair stand on end. I hadn’t seen the cloud before but it was moving fast and right at us. The wind picked up and the boat began to rock with the growing waves. The men working on the boat pretended to look calm but I could see the worry on their faces.

“Roni, what’s going on?” Eden asked, drying her hair in her towel. I glanced at the sky again and then back at the crew who was trying to get the boat started.

“I don’t know, go put a life jacket on,” I directed and Eden scowled but did as I said. It was worrying me that they wouldn’t be able to get the boat started and we’d have to sit in a storm but relief flooded through me as the engine rumbled to life under my feet.

The boat was moving slowly due to the powerful washes crashing into the sides and I could see that we weren’t going to outrun this storm. Rain began to pound down onto the boat and everyone ran for cover. I ushered Eden inside as lightning flashed above us but then stayed out to watch the big waves crash over the sides of the boat with awe. The floor rocked beneath me and I knew I should go inside but I kept stumbling and falling.

“Veronica!” I heard Drake’s voice shout and I looked up from my spot on the floor to see a huge wave coming towards the boat. I could see that it was going to engulf the boat and I wouldn’t have a chance against it if I wanted to stay on the boat unless I made it inside.

The floor lurched under my feet again and I struggled to make it to Drake’s outstretched hand and Eden’s terrified face. But it was too late.

“Roni!” I heard Eden screech as the wave crashed onto of me.

I screamed as the wave pulled me off the edge of the boat. I hit my head on the railing as I went over and I grimaced, my vision went a little blurry as I fell into the furious ocean. I struggled to stay awake while the waves tossed and threw me. My body was being pulled in a thousand different ways at a time and I had to fight to get air. But as soon as I made it to the surface, a current yanked me under again or a wave crashed over me.

Water was rapidly flowing down my throat and my lungs burned for air. Every time I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, my head popped above water and I would cough up water and breathe in air before going under again. I lost track of time and I couldn’t see anything above water thanks to the waves. I became exhausted from struggling to stay alive but thankfully, I found a piece of driftwood as the waves calmed and it was my salvage in this watery hell.

It was probably a couple hours until the storm had completely stopped and the sun began to peak out of the clouds like everything was ok. I had still gone under water while on the piece of driftwood so I was still soaked with seawater and rainwater both. My stomach was churning with seawater and I threw up, leaving the salty, dry taste in my mouth.

I was still tired from exulting so much energy so I laid my head down on the driftwood, ready to fall asleep. I can’t fall asleep. I’ll fall into the water and drown. I also needed to find the boat, if there even was a boat anymore. I needed to find Eden or someone who was on the boat to make sure they were ok. I needed to find help.

Despite what I needed to do, I felt my eyes sliding closed. A small wave splashed onto my face and my eyes flashed open. I was glad for the wake-up. I rubbed my eyes and coughed, my throat was still scratchy from the salt water. I scanned the horizon to look for any sign of Phuket or the boat and as I turned, I spotted something that I would never once think I would find.

It was an island. A white sand island with big mountains and most of it was covered in a vast green jungle. My eyebrows drew together in confusion. I didn’t know that there was an island near Phuket. How far had I drifted away? Where was I? No one had ever said anything about an island. Maybe it was some kind of uncharted island. Fucking perfect. Out of all the things that happen, I find a desert island.

“Might as well swim to it,” I said to myself. My voice grated against my ears and I coughed again. I knew I would need water soon. Maybe the island had a freshwater source somewhere.

I began the long journey to the island, using the driftwood as a float so I wouldn’t sink. I was too tired to swim on my own. The sun was getting closer to the horizon and when I was about halfway to the island, I guessed that I would make it to shore right before sundown. And I was right. I let the soft waves help push me onto the sand and when I was half in the water and half out of the water I didn’t bother to move any further.

I laid on my back and the water washed over my legs but I didn’t care. I panted as I let my body relax and my muscles ached. Once again, my throat burned and I felt more seawater I swallowed coming up. I rolled over just in time to empty my stomach. I hoped that it was the last time that I would throw up. It was making me thirstier and my throat raw. I coughed and coughed before I relaxed.

My stomach clenched and I groaned, hoping I wouldn’t throw up. I curled up into a fetal position and refused to move until the pain passed. When it did, I sighed in relief. I felt a whole lot better but the fear of being alone on an isolate island was creeping up on me. I slowly sat up, ignoring the sand that stuck to me and gazed around. I could see nothing but ocean for miles but when I looked to my right, I saw a pile of something floating in the surf.

My eyes widened and I hopped to my feet. Hope began to fill me as I imagined what it could be. Was it a person? Was it someone or something that could help me? Anything was better than nothing. I ran towards the strange thing but slowed down as I got closer.

“Hello?” I called, my eyebrow knitting together.

My jaw dropped when I realized what it was. There was red leaking into the ocean blue. It was one of the workers from the boat and a huge piece of metal was impaled through his stomach. I gasped at the horrific sight and stumbled backwards. I stared at the poor man, he was facing down in the sand so I couldn’t see his face but I was glad. I took this as a bad sign. If a piece of the boat and one of the workers was dead and here, that meant that something happened to the boat. Something happened to Eden.

I put my hands on my hips and ran a hand over my hair to pull it out of my face. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the idea that Eden was dead but the evidence that she could be was right in front of me. I took back what I said before, nothing is better than anything.

“Hello?” I heard someone yell and I jumped, whipping my head to where the voice came from. It sounded familiar. “Is anyone here?” The voice yelled again and I felt my chest constrict in hope. It sounded like Drake but I couldn’t be sure.

“Over here!” I yelled back, running back in the direction I came from. It was Drake, he came into sight and I waved to get his attention. “I’m here!” I yelled and Drake waved back to show that he saw me before running towards me.

“Veronica?” he called and I nodded my head vigorously, slowing to a walk as we got closer. “Veronica, you’re alive!” he exclaimed with a wide smile and I let out a breathy laugh.

“Yeah, it’s a miracle. I thought I was done for. What happened? Where are the others?” I asked and Drake sighed. I felt my breath catch in my throat.

“The boat was torn to pieces after you fell off. I don’t know what happened to the others but we were all separated. I’m not sure who made it,” he explained and I nodded. This could be a good thing, if Drake made it that meant that Eden could have made it.

“What happened to Jaime?” I asked, remembering his friend. A sorrowful look crossed his face and I prepared myself for bad news.

“I don’t know. We tried to hold on but I saw him get sucked under,” he said and I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Your sister was very brave. She helped everyone as best as she could after you fell. You’re lucky to have her,” Drake said and I smiled softly, letting out a laugh through my nose.

“Oh Eden, you stupid girl,” I said quietly with a humorless chuckle. She could have saved herself yet she chose to save others.

We gazed out at the ocean and the setting sun but I turned to Drake when I felt him touching my forehead. He pulled his hand away and I could see blood on it.

“Shit,” I hissed, pressing my own hand to my forehead. “I hit my head on the railing of the boat when I fell,” I explained, looking at my now bloody hand before pressing it back to my forehead.

“Yeah, I had a little run in with the rocks,” Drake said sheepishly, lifting up the side of his bloody shirt. I gasped at his deep cuts from some rocks. I hadn’t noticed his blood soaked shirt before so it was a surprise to me.

“Oh my God, are you ok?” I asked, reaching out to touch his wound lightly. He cringed and groaned so I pulled away. “Sorry! It looks really deep,” I mused and he put his shirt back down.

“It’s fine, it only hurts a little bit,” he said, brushing it off but I could tell he was in pain. “I would say we should make camp but it’s too dark to find any firewood.” I nodded in agreement.

“But we need to find you some kind of bandage to put on that. It could get infected,” I said, turning to walk towards the edge of the jungle. I could feel Drake’s gaze on my back but I ignored him. I found a rather large leafed plant and tore off a couple of leaves before walking towards the ocean. “Lay down here on your side, I’ll be right back,” I ordered and Drake did as I said.

I walked to the water and soaked the leaves in the ocean for a few minutes. I hoped to wash off anything poisonous or any bugs and also to use the water as a glue and to clean Drake’s wounds. I walked back over to him and lifted his shirt up.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, watching me cautiously as I prepared to put the leaves on his side. I scowled and pulled away.

“I’m going to put these on your cuts so they won’t get infected,” I explained with an annoyed expression and then tried to put the leaves on him again. This time, Drake pushed my hands away.

“With a fucking leaf?” he asked and I rolled my eyes at him.
“Well do you have a better fucking idea?” I asked him, my voice rising in volume. Drake sighed but didn’t answer me. I took his silence as a “no” and began to put the leaves on his side again. “It'll just be for a little while. Ok, this might sting a bit,” I warned him before putting the leaf on his side. He winced and tensed up so I hurried to put the rest on. When I finished, he relaxed and I backed away.

“Thanks,” he said and I nodded, taking a seat next to him. I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared out at the space where the sun used to be. It was silent between us and the sound of the water washing up and then back on the sand calmed me. Still, the anxiety of where Eden was lurked beneath my façade of serenity.

I was about to zone out in an attempt to numb my mind but I felt Drake tugging on my arm so I turned to him. He had a salt-water soaked leaf in his hand and he pulled me closer to his face. I gave him a confused look but held still.

“You took care of me now I’m going to take care of you,” he said and began to dab my forehead with the leaf. I wanted to laugh at this, surely he was just smearing the blood everywhere and my wound didn’t really need cleaning. But I held perfectly still, staring at the sand.

I hadn’t realized he was done and when my gaze flickered up to meet his, I realized how close we were. I pulled away with a soft blush on my cheeks and I cursed myself for it. Drake looked slightly offended and possibly a little embarrassed himself. I wrapped my arms around my knees again and stared at the ocean. It was quiet for a few moments before I spoke up.

“Do you think she’s dead, Drake? She can’t be dead. It’s not possible. She can’t be dead,” I rambled with the anxiety clear in my voice. I was going to continue on but the tears in my throat made it hard for me to talk. They started to slip out of my eyes and Drake pulled me closer to him.

“She’s not dead, Veronica. Don’t worry, she’s fine,” Drake said quietly, pulling me against his chest. I let him and he wrapped his arms around me so that I was pressed against his chest. I was lying against him now and he continued to shush me.

I wasn’t exactly comfortable in Drake’s arms but it felt nice to have someone comfort me rather than me doing the comforting. I had forgotten what it was like. Eden was usually the one who needed to be comforted so this was strange for me. Being so close to Drake was a bit unnerving but I was too tired to say anything. I fell asleep embraced in Drake’s arms and his soothing words whispered in my ears helped. Thoughts of Eden still lingered in my mind long after I slipped into the dark abyss of sleep.