LOST

Chapter 4: Walkabout

Isabella sat up, dazed. The only sound ringing in her ears was a dog, barking like crazy. She got out of her little tent, freezing as she passed the fuselage. She found Jack and Kate, both staring too. Something was inside, rustling amid the bodies and luggage that hadn't been accessed yet.

"Somebody's in there." Isabella looked at Claire.

"Everybody in there's dead," Sayid observed.

"Sawyer," Jack muttered, but Sawyer was right behind him.

Jack glanced over his shoulder (Sawyer had made a comment), and then looked back to the plane. He took out a tiny penlight, and got up, slowly advancing on the fuselage.

"Jack...?" Kate said slowly, watching him.

Sawyer threw a grin at her, and showed her a giant flashlight. She rolled her eyes, and got up to follow Jack. Sawyer followed after her. Isabella noticed John Locke, a bald man who she'd seen around camp, coming towards the trio from the other side. Together, the four of them made their way into the fuselage. Isabella watched from her spot on the beach.

She heard Jack holler "No!" and then three little black things came barrelling out of the fuselage, sending the camp into chaos. Isabella stayed where she was, watching the scene unfold. She was far enough back that no one would really notice her unless they purposely looked in her direction.

"It's alright!" Sayid cried to the crazy crowd. "They're gone!"

Isabella went back to her tent, fully aware of what just happened: boars had decided to make a feast on the bodies still in the fuselage. Sawyer sat down inside her tent, next to her. "You were awfully calm there, Izzy," he commented.

"You noticed me," she said, looking at the sand between her feet.

"Yeah, I noticed it. You knew what was going on?"

"Yeah. Boars."

"You hunt? I suppose ten years is a lot of time to pick up a new hobby." He sounded sour. She had time to pick up a new hobby, but she didn't have time to talk to her brother. She looked at him. He was really hurt by her statement.

Isabella looked back at the sand. "It wasn't a hobby," she said. "It was a way of life."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I wasn't on the plane." Sawyer looked at her more intensely, wondering where she was going with this. "I was already here."

"What do you mean by that?" Sawyer sounded scared now. Worried. Concerned.

Isabella spoke slowly, trying to tell her story carefully. "I've been on this island for nine years. I avoided you for a year because I had no idea how I'd react if I saw you again, how you'd react to me, and I had no idea where you were. I got engaged to Gabe, and we wanted to tell you, but... like I said, I had no idea where you were. Where to look. How to try and find you. I couldn't go back to that park. It hurt too much." Isabella let out a sigh. "I gave up. We went to Sydney to tell his parents, but... we didn't make it to Sydney."

"You've been here the whole time?" he asked. "No... rescue?"

"No rescue." She looked at him. "You won't tell, will you?"

"Your secret's safe with me." Isabella gave him a look. "I'm serious, Izzy." He started to leave, but he paused and looked back. "I went back there every day. For a month."

Isabella kept her eyes trained on the ground, fighting back tears. She gave a nod, but she didn't know if he saw it. She looked down at the necklace.

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