Fallen Out Of Grace

5.

Hearing bird calls loud in the trees, Nysa wakes on grainy grass mixed with what seemed like beach sand as she's out in the middle of what seemed like a deserted island.

Rubbing the back of her head and taking a look around, she sees two other people hiding behind a massive tree with a yellow snake wrapping itself around a large green vine hanging off the tree.

"Hello?" She calls out with curiosity more than fear.

A few feet away another person wakes rubbing their head with messy, dirty blonde hair.

"What is this place?" He said, cracking his neck as it felt stiff.

Nysa keeps looking around to maybe get an idea but everything to her feels blank.

"I'm sure it's an island but I don't know which one," Standing she dusts the sand off her skin and dress she was wearing that only stopped above her knees.

The dirty blonde walks over to her and asks for her name as he can't remember his.

"I–I don't know, are you sure you can't remember yours?"

The dirty blonde hair male shakes his head, "I got nothing."

Inching out from behind the tree, a female and another male make their presence known and wave shyly.

"We have no idea either but we've been here since we were kids so we kind of gave ourselves a name," The female says, pushing her short hair back.

Nysa nods, "What did you name yourselves?"

The female sticks her hand out for Nysa to shake it as she says, "Dov, like the bird but without the e."

Nysa shakes Dov's hand, "Nice to meet you Dov without the e."

The male was next and says, "Brooks and the guy over there catching fish is Keon. He doesn't like to interact plus he kind of raised us since he was here longer than all of us."

Nysa looks at the toned, strong, attractive guy as he keeps throwing a spare at the water as fish swim by.

"We can name you guys if you would like?" Dov says cheerily.

Nysa shrugs, "Sure I guess?"

Dov looks around to where they are and gets an idea by looking at the water a few feet away where Keon is.

"How about Marina? Like the sea?"

Brooks makes an intrigued face, "Kind of fits her but what about him?"

Fisher points to himself and Dov laughs to herself as she says, "He looks like a fisher boy so we'll go with Fisher."

Ironically Fisher agrees not even realizing that was in fact his real name even if it was something just made from Dov's imagination.

"So we have Marina, Fisher, Brooks, Keon and me Dov. I think that's a great start."

Brooks laughs, "Oh boy wait until Keon meets them."

Dov hits Brooks on the shoulder with her fist, "Don't scare our new tribe, we just made friends with them."

Nysa looks back to Keon tilting her head in wonder at how he could look so...so godly while yet still looking like a scavenger.

"He doesn't bite," Dov says, teasing Nysa as she's caught up on watching Keon struggle with the fish he's caught, taking it off the hook he made himself alongside a rock that was close to the water.

Fisher glances at Nysa taking in her beauty as if she was the only one on the island.

Dov and Brooks take notice and start to ship them but Dov more so, shipping Keon and Nysa together as Nysa can't stop looking at Keon.

"Alright," Dov says, clasping her hands together, "Let's get you guys acquainted with our lovely island we call home."

Fisher waits for Nysa as she gets off the stump she was standing on to see Keon fish, grabbing hold of her waist as she needs to get her footing right.

"Sorry, I didn't think it was that high up," Nysa says to Fisher smiling.

Smiling back, Fisher shrugs, "It's no big deal."

Both start joining Dov and Brooks on the island tour listening, seeing and enjoying every detail they had shared with them except for the creatures at night.

Raising her hand like a school girl would, Nysa looks at Dov a little frazzled.

"You said panthers? As in black panthers with sharp teeth and claws?"

Dov nods, "Oh yeah, those beauty's are one killer cat."

Brooks laughs, "Funny story actually, Keon took three down like Tarzan before."

Dov nods, "Craziest thing, swear."

Fisher and Nysa look at each other laughing as Dov synchronizes with Brooks without even realizing.

"What? It's all true. Keon also has this thing where he ca-" Keon plops fish right in front of the four of them, having Brooks take it and skin it for dinner later.

"Don't share things with outsiders Dov, for all we know they could be looters or island pirates like before."

"Looters? Island pirates? I didn't know those existed," Nysa says curiously.

Keon heads over to the water again to wash his hands then passes Dov the hook to hang up after he washed that too.

"You run a tight ship here I see..." Fisher says noticing how organized their routine is.

Dov nods, "We're a family, family needs to be on the same page to survive on their own."

Brooks, still skinning the fish, says, "Yeah, like a wolf pack."

Nysa admires their bond while nodding as Fisher just stays close to Nysa.

"So do these two have a name?" Keon asks Dov as he drinks out of a coconut shell that was stored underneath the bamboo looking chair he made himself.

"We named them since they couldn't remember their names, which they are now Marina and that's Fisher, "Dov says, pointing at them both.

Keon finally looks at Nysa being taken back by her beauty as well, "Keon," He says, still drinking out of the coconut.

Dov laughs, "We already let them know who you are."

Keon nods while wiping his mouth, "Of course you did because you are a blabbermouth," He chuckles knuckling her head playfully then passing her some of the coconut juice he was drinking.

"I like how you guys act like brothers and sisters, it's cute," Nysa says happily.

Keon looks at Fisher and her, pointing, saying, "Are you two siblings?"

Both Nysa and Fisher shake their heads at once not knowing that in fact they are siblings, half siblings and answer with, "No, not that we know of," Then chuckled as they're now in unison with each other.