Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 17 : More Revelations

I woke to a start, sitting upright while alone in the tent. As much as I wanted to kiss Bruce, I had to keep my cool and my emotions in check, not only the reason that we were stuck on an island and I didn't know why they didn't rescue us, but also that Richard and Barbara were around, as they were among those who believed in Selina's lies about how Bruce and I met and fell in love. I opened the tent flaps and climbed out, as Kate was tidying up the campsite. "Hey." she called out to me. 

"Hey." I returned the greeting. "You had a good night's sleep?"

"Yeah." she replied. "But Bruce looked kinda mopey when I woke up." 

"He wanted to..."

"Kiss you?" she quickly guessed the remaining sentence. "Let him kiss you West Point. He was mopey until the point that he not talking to Grayson and Gordon."

"I pushed him away." I say. "They already believed that I tore Bruce and Selina apart, so I don't need the kiss to prove that I didn't." Kate sighed. 

"Yeah, I know, it's going to be hard." she said. "But last night, he was guarding your tent, and when I took over he still didn't sleep." I said nothing as I knew it would happen. "If they want to make the dumb decision to trust her over you, who cares?" 

"Maybe, but I've learned the lesson of trust while in the military." I say. "Ok, I might have been sensitive, but I valued trust. For it to be broken by a lie... I need time to rethink my relationship with the batfamily." This time it was Kate who fell silent, but she had a hand on my shoulder as Bruce entered my range of vision, all suited up and ready to go, cowl and cape all back on where it should be. 

"Kate," he said. "Can you go check where the cave is located? I need to talk to Elizabeth in private." Kate nodded and walked off, while I picked up what she left off. Smothering the fire I walked away, only for Bruce to catch me by the arm. Leaning in close he kissed me for the second time, but his grip around me was clear, he had no intention to let go. Yet again, I was left with the choice to force my way out of this or allow him to go on. But what was for me to push him away when he wanted the kiss to happen? 

He lets go of me soon after, as Candice and Philip emerge from the tent they shared for the night. Colour flushed my cheeks as I continued to flat-pack the tents and smother the fire. We evacuated from the campsite, trekking along the muddy jungle path to reach the cave. "We'll get you guys home." Philip said. "But we still need to catch the culprit." I walked in silence, carrying some of the camp equipment as well as my longbow and arrow, while Bruce walked alongside me, also quiet but he had anger burning in his eyes. 

But I often felt that our hands would interlock with one another on occasion, and he didn't care that his son and his girlfriend were walking behind us. I admired Bruce's courage to do so, as I was unwilling to do so, for fear of being interpreted as an attempt to convince them that I refused to acknowledge that I caused Bruce and Selina to break up. Bruce had always told me that he broke up with Selina willingly, and had made up his mind to be with me. Bruce and I could hear them exchange hushed whispers while we walked. "Look at them, it isn't what Selina had told us to be, they loved each other."

"I know, he tried to kiss her last night, but she ran off because of us." 

"She probably didn't want to encourage the thought that she was responsible for breaking Bruce and Selina up."

"Doesn't seem like she did."

"She's going to leave the Batfamily."

"We can't let it happen."

"By believing in Selina, we have lost Isabella's trust. And there is little to no chance that we can regain it."

"I hear from Kate that Selina had stolen Isabella's wedding jewellery, her British relative has ordered it for her to wear on her wedding day."  

"Her British relative is the Duke of Malborough, which he made it clear enough that he will not tolerate this type of insult towards Isabella."

"What we did was enough to destroy the trust Isabella's family had placed in us. They are aware of Selina's actions and are not happy when the news of what we did reaches them." 

"It might be too late now." Bruce whispered. 

"Right now, we survive." I say. "We'll have to continue trekking until we find the cave on the map Kate had salvaged." 

"I can carry you if you want." he suggested, which I briefly laughed. 

"Thanks." I say, containing my laughter. "But I have my fair share of jungle trekking during my military training back in South Korea." 

"They taught you almost everything didn't they?" he asked. 

"Not all of it." I replied. 

"You are certainly not a one-trick pony, which you kept a well-guarded secret. I admire that."

"We don't have to show off until the time comes that is." I say. With Oliver now on the island we let him lead the charge in finding the cave marked on the map before we can locate where Elliot is hiding. "Bruce, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" he asked. 

"I think... Thomas was behind this." I say. He sighed, as I awaited with baited breath. 

"Yes... I already knew that, so I had my reasons for not leaving the island just yet." he said. "How long have you known about it?" 

"We came across a small team of Merlyn's goons, which they revealed that a certain surgeon wanted me alive and kept under guard, as they specified that the younger of the two women who had black and gold hair." 

"Sounds like that I needed to keep you safe as much as I can." 

"Maybe, but... he doesn't get away scot-free." I say.