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No one had spoken about Saylors breakdown but it hung heavy in the air. No one wanted to rush or force her into talking about it but they all had questions.
Saylor was sat beside Sarah picking at her piece of fish that Kie had managed to catch earlier on in the day when she grew tired of everyone's sympathetic gazes and overly exaggerated smiles. "The splash." She sighed placing her food and coconut plate onto the sand.
"What?" It was JJ who asked which caught Saylor off guard. That was the first time he had acknowledged her in at least a week.
"The splash."She repeated closing her eyes breathily as she began picking at the skin around her nails. "It reminded me of something." Saylor gulped pulling her knees to her chest. "Guess everything just caught up to me." She shrugged trying to convince herself and them that it wasn't a big deal.
"But you were seeing people." Cleo spoke up. "People that weren't there, that's not normal."
Cleo didn't know about Saylors previous memory loss, how could she? She wasn't there and no one felt the need to tell her because that was Saylors business and her story to share if decided too.
"Then I guess I'm not normal." Saylor narrowed her eyes at the girl, she already didn't trust her but her words just made her feel more like an outcast in her own friend group.
Noticing the growing tension between his life long best friend and the girl he had grown close to in the past month Pope decided to speak before either of them could argue with one another. "You said it was the splash." Everyone looked at him. "What did it remind you of?"
The question surprised Saylor, she wasn't expecting anyone to ask. Saylor seemed to zone out as she thought over how she wanted to respond. She could ignore the question or she could open up and be honest. If she told them she would be able to grieve and then remember them the way they deserved to be remembered or maybe it would send her in a downwards spiral of regret and guilt.
"You don't have to-" John B began as he scooted closer to his sister so he was able to comfort her if she needed it.
"Tyler." Saylor cut him off. "It reminded me of Tyler." She had all of their attention, their complete and undivided attention. They were ready to listen and she was ready to share.
Pulling her legs away from her chest she sat criss cross apple sauce and took a deep breath preparing herself to relive the worst day of her life. "I woke up in Rafes truck and we were at a warehouse."
"Wait, you woke up?" John B asked confused and concerned. "What do you mean you woke up?"
Saylor ignored his question not wanting to think about the feeling of Rafe covering her mouth and her losing all control of her body. "When I got out the truck Renfield was dead in the back." Her eyes were fixated on the fire infront of her and she didn't dare to look anywhere else. "I went to help but Limbrey pointed the gun at me. And then she shot, but it wasn't me that got hit. Tyler he..." her bottom lip trembled so she pulled it between her teeth biting down trying not to fall apart. "He fell at my feet, a hole between his eyes." A whimper left her lips and a tear slipped down her cheek which she quickly and angrily wiped away. " I don't remember what happened after that, I just remember the noise it made when Rafe threw his body to the crocs in the marsh." She pushed her hands down onto her legs and rocked slightly as she finally looked away from the fire and at the group.
No one knew what to say or how to react. They knew how much Tyler meant to her and that she had already witnessed Barry die that day. They didn't know how to comfort her or what to do to help ease her pain. But Cleo knew none of that and wasn't close to the Routledge girl so continued to ask questions. "So what? It was Rafe you were seeing earlier?... Limbrey?"
"No." Saylor gulped. "I don't know their names, I just know their faces." She rubbed her thumb along her tattoo. "I don't think I will ever be able to forget their faces."
"Barry." Sarah whispered to herself but everyone heard it. "You were seeing the people that killed him"
Saylor responded by nodding her head with her lip between her teeth. "That wasn't the first time." She revealed.
"You've seen them before?" John B asked his voice breaking a little at the thought of his sister suffering alone the entire time and him not noticing.
Saylor grabbed her brothers hands in her own. "The first time was on our 4th day on the Island, I saw them on my walk to get fire wood."
"That's the day you cut your leg." Pope peiced together his hand at his mouth as he bit his nails.
"Yeah." She sighed. "I've seen them a few times since then but they've never done what they did today. They never spoke to me."
"Why didn't you tell us... why didn't you tell me?" The hurt was obvious on her brothers face.
"I thought I was keeping you safe, I don't want anyone to worry about me. Besides I've been through this before and the doctors warned me this could happen."
"I'm your brother, I always worry about you. That's my job." John B now had tears in his eyes and Saylor wasn't sure how to react. "I was so scared when I thought I had lost you, it killed me seeing you lifeless like that." In that moment the siblings were the only people on the island, it felt like everyone and everything around them disappeared. "Ever since you barged through the Chateau doors I've been completely and utterly terrified because the second you came home I realised that I couldn't lose you again. You're my second half and I can't live without you. So please don't suffer alone because I'm here and I always will be."
Saylor launched herself into her brothers arms and cried into his shoulder. He made her feel wanted a feeling that she hadn't felt in months. For the first time in months Saylor wasn't angry at her brother for saving her life, she was grateful. "Thank you" She croaked into his neck.
"Always." He wrapped her in his arms tighter sharing a watery smile with his girlfriend who was watching the two with admiration. She was happy the two had a healthy relationship and she wished she had that with her own brother.
Saylor felt as if a weight had been lifted of her shoulders, she didn't have to hide anymore and she didn't feel as though she needed to prove herself.
.·:*¨ ✘♚✘ ¨*:·.
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