Our Last Summer

Chapter 42, The Middle of the End | Part 1

(No POV)

No one can truly be prepared for death. No one can be prepared for anything that these teens had to go through. Their last summer together started as a fun trip to the Bahamas. Then they would move to college. Now it was torture. Their lives had completely switched and they were supposed to go back home and act like nothing happened. That was if they could make it home.

The night had finally fallen. Tyler and Kaeo had successfully gathered tanks of gas, food, and water to keep them plenished for their ride home. Their job for the night was to steal the keys from Robbie when their warehouse closed. They were going to take the boat and drive it around to the border where Ayanna would be. She would guard it while Tyler and Kaeo joined the fight.

Caroline and Jason's goal was to get their parents out of their cells alive. It would have to wait until after most of the army had begun fighting and losing. Ethan, Danielle, Madelyn, and Noah would keep Kristine, Rebecca, and Casper distracted. Everything was coming down to the final few minutes before they had to face their realities. Tyler and Kaeo were going to leave earlier so they could break into the warehouse.

Danielle pulled the sleeve of the suit onto her shoulder. It fit her perfectly. She looked in the mirror, suddenly noticing her dark eyes. Everything about her appearance had changed. Although she was stuck in a secluded cell for three weeks, the previous weeks of laying out in the sun made her skin golden. Her eyes had dark circles from stress. Her hair was longer. She twirled the ends with her fingers. What she did notice was her eyes. They had a small glimmer of hope that she didn't have before. She believed they would all make it off of that island. Everything was lining up.

"Can you believe it?" Tyler asked her, causing her to turn to him.

"Believe what?" She asked.

"All of it. We're leaving after being on this island for three months... our parents will be home with us. We have powers... We're going to be home soon." He said with a smile on his lips.

"If you would've told me this is how our summer would've turned out, I would never believe you." She chuckled. He walked up to her, placing his hands on her arms.

"Believe it, baby. We're going home as survivors." He grinned at her. He then pulled her into a kiss. That was something neither of them would've believed either. No one would've imagined that Tyler and Danielle would've gotten together. It was always Danielle and Ethan. She pulled away, still unsure about what label they were putting on this situation.

"Are you sure you and Kaeo won't need my help? I can unlock the door... get the key... Anything." She suggested. Tyler smiled down at her in admiration.

"We'll be fine. The others need you more than we will."

"Yeah, but Madelyn said they were huge and I don't want you guys to get hurt–"

"Hey, have a little faith in me. This is where I shine. I broke into Casper's place, remember?" He chuckled. She nodded, looking down at her hands. "Then we'll be sailing away..."

"And we can figure our lives out." She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Everything will go back to normal."

"We just have to get through tonight. I promise, Danielle, I'll keep you safe." She nodded, pulling him into a tight hug. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her back. Something about her embrace put everything into perspective for him.

"I'll keep you safe too." She sighed, pulling away. He pulled her into another kiss, which she wanted to sink into.

"Save it for the boat." A voice said, causing them to pull away from each other. They looked over and saw it was Ethan. "Or maybe not. That's disgusting." Tyler rolled his eyes while Danielle pulled away. Everything was still awkward between everyone. "You know what to do, Tyler?"