One Stupid Thing

3:1:79

I feel a weight lifted off of my shoulders when I wake up and find myself still on the island. My heart is racing, my throat feels tight from the lingering feeling of violent hands wrapped around it, taking away its air, and sweat beads on my forehead. I sit up on the woven mattress, prying JJ's arms off of me and once the realization that I'm not in danger sets in, my body relaxes.

"Hey, hey, hey, Stella," JJ mumbles, still half-asleep. "Another nightmare?"

I nod. Ever since we arrived here, my sleep has been plagued by these excruciating nightmares about my father. In every single one, I wake up just before he kills me, although everything else, leading up to how he does it, is different. This time, he choked me to death, just like he intended to do to Sarah that day on the Coastal Venture.

JJ sits up beside me and rubs comforting circles on my back. "It's okay. You're safe," he tells me. I can't count the number of times he has said those exact words and yet they still have the same effect.

I nod again and he pulls me into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around me and planting a kiss on my temple. "You'd think after having them so many times, I'd realize it was all just a dream and be able to not feel so... so... terrified," I exhale. I reach up and wipe the tears that have already begun to dry and crust around my eyes.

I take a deep breath and allow myself to relax further. I listen to the sounds of the ocean waves lap against the shoreline. The moon still shines bright, although a dull morning glow is beginning to appear just above the horizon. I feel my eyelids droop, fighting to keep them open for as long as possible. JJ slowly leans back onto the cot and I allow myself to lay back down, resuming my rightful place in his grasp as I succumb to sleep once more.

—

I am shaken awake by JJ, who is hovering over me when I open my eyes. I squint in the bright morning light and sit up. "Stella. Hey, look," he whispers. I follow the direction of his finger up into the cloudy sky and strain my eyes as a dark speck comes into focus. A plane. JJ slowly gets to his feet, a dumbfounded expression crosses his face as he takes a few steps forwards. "Oh shit. Johnny, wake up. Get up," he says as he passes by the makeshift cot him and my sister share.

John B begins to stir and once he realizes the situation at hand, he wakes the sleeping girl beside him. "Sarah? Wake up. There's a plane."

I stand up, brush the sand off of my disgusting clothes, and trek across the beach after JJ. John B and Sarah follow suit, joining us on the shoreline. A pit grows in my stomach as I see hope flicker across John B's face. "Hey! Hey, we're over here!Over here! Hey! We're right here!" he shouts at the top of his lungs as he waves his arms around in an attempt to capture the pilot's attention.

Kie stumbles out into the light, staring up at the sky with an unreadable expression. "Hey! Hey!" she cries out, joining John B in his efforts by jumping around and flailing her arms. The other two, Pope and Cleo, ran up to the emergency fire up top just as we practiced. I'm certain they are working on lighting it as we stand here.

"Hey! Over here! Hey!" John B continues.

To my left, JJ kicks at the sand aimlessly, unsure of how to feel or what to do about it. I lock eyes with him and his gaze drops. I know exactly how he feels. I feel it too. Neither of us want this vacation to end.

To my surprise, Sarah just stands there. She can't seem to bring herself to make our presence known down here.

Just as it seems like our friends' endeavors are about to go to waste, the plane makes a sharp left turn and starts heading straight for our island.

"He sees us. Guys, guys, he sees us," Kiara exclaims.

"He's gonna go to the pond. Come on, come on!" John B takes off towards the jungle. The dreadful pit in my stomach only grows but I feel as though I have no choice but to follow them. My sister, Kie, and John B have already disappeared amongst the foliage. JJ and I share a disappointed glance before reluctantly leaving the beach in which we have called home for so long.