Chapter 3: When hope fades
After a few days, it started to dawn on me that we may never be found. We did not know whether our island was known about or not. Often I thought about if we grew up on the island and lived there forever. What we would do. Would we get married? Would we start a new population here on the Island? It was a scary thought. Sure, I liked Seth now - a lot, but I was only fifteen, I certainly wasn't ready for THAT type of relationship yet. Even kissing felt weird, nice though; I had never kissed any boy before Seth; I had never liked anyone in that way before him either.
“Alanna, are you listening to me at all?” He asked impatiently, “Are you ok?”
“Yeah” I muttered, “Just sick of this frickin island.”
“Oh,” Seth sounded surprised. A part of me thought that Seth liked this whole experience, liked being stranded on this island. “I think we’re doing quite well, seeing as we actually survived that storm, we have food and water.”
“What?” I replied, not believing that he had just said that, “Doing well? Seth, we are stuck on this bloody island with no guarantee that we’ll ever get off it!” I shouted, heat was bubbling up inside me. Seth looked hurt. “Well Alanna, I’m glad to know what you think of me, because until now, I didn’t mind the fact that we were stuck here, BECAUSE I have you with me and I was happy with that!” He stalked off into the woods leaving me gasping. How could he be happy on this island? We might have to stay here forever, and never see any of our families ever again! I stood up and stormed off in the opposite direction to Seth; I didn’t want to have to talk to him. I walked our usual route to get water- through the woods, across the river, and to the lagoon. I looked up and bright day light was disappearing. Something flashed past me. Was I seeing things, or did something big just run past the other side of the water, through the woods? I took a step back, my throat was closing up. I must have been seeing things, surely. There it was again, a dark shape flitting from one tree to another; I couldn’t make out what it was though. I could feel my heart beating through my thin shirt, my palms were clammy. I turned and fled, not wanting to find out what it was, if it was anything, towards our camp, and again I could sense it watching me as I ran. I tripped up on a root and fell to the ground with a hard thud. I screamed, and scrambled to my feet, not daring to look back, I kept on running.
Seth was back at the camp, stood up turned in my direction and looking worried.
“What’s the matter” He called, “Was that you screaming?”
“Y-yes” I panted, “I thought I-I saw something, I don’t know what it was though, and it was really big and black and…”
“Hey calm down.” Tears were running down my cheeks now, and Seth stepped closer and engulfed me in a great big hug. “It’s ok,” he calmed me a little, somehow I felt safer with his strong arms wrapped around me. “How about I go back and see if there is anything there?” He suggested, “Were you at the lagoon when you saw it?”
“Um, yeah, but be careful, what if it’s dangerous?” I was really worried now and still breathing very fast.
“I’ll bring this.” Seth was carrying a big stick with the end carved into a sharp-looking point.
“If you’re sure, and I’m sorry about earlier…what I said… I was just worrying about everything…”
“Don’t worry about it.” he interrupted, “I’m sorry too.”
He swiftly gave me another quick hug and jogged off into the forest...
YOU ARE READING
The Ship of Dreams
Aventura'I was so nervous; I was petrified that what happened to my grandfather all those years ago would happen to Seth and me. My Grandfather (Jack) died when the Titanic sank. My bottom lip trembled as I stepped cautiously in to the small rowing boat wit...
