The Island

Chapter 5

Erika's POV

I sit down on the bed with my laptop and quickly check my emails. Scrolling through, I notice an email from Emily.

From: Emily Clark

To: Erika Strong

Re: Pandora

I'm getting a little worried here. I haven't heard from you since you left. I just hope that everything is going well and I hope you found a way to that island.

I know that Gregory is crazy and that crazy has now been pushed to me. Please let me know that you arrived there safely. You know how I hate planes.

Em.

I knew of the horror she experienced as a kid. lost her parents in a plane crash when she was young. She had nightmares for years after. Her grandmother looked after her, but she wasn't ever the same. She still refuses to get on a plane to this day.

I should've known that she would have been worried about me. I feel bad that I never replied to her original email when I landed in Madagascar. But telling her the truth of what I've found so far will only make her more concerned. The island seemed to be hidden for a reason. Taken out of maps for a reason and I'm not sure those reasons should be known.

I click the reply button and start typing my response. I know that if I don't respond, she will continue to worry and sooner or later report me missing.

To: Emily Clark

From: Erika Strong

Re: Pandora

I'm on Pandora. This assignment is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

I haven't found anything significant, but the people aren't exactly welcoming.

I feel something strange in the air, there is something different about this place. I'm not sure I want to find out what that is.

I'll try to keep in touch. Talk to you soon.

Erika.

P.S. I'm glad I'm out of the country.

I press the send button before I close the laptop. Sprawling out on the mattress and staring up at the ceiling, I lay there for what seems like forever before I wonder about the tattoo's I'd seen earlier on the girls. Sitting up, I grab the computer and open it. Clicking on the internet, I open the web browser and type in Pandora Tattoos. After searching for a while, I finally find what I'm looking for.

Clicking on a site that explains different legends for different countries and I see Pandora on the list. I click on the link, and my screen is filled with information on Pandora. I quickly scan through the site.

...Pandora is known to have people with tattoos...

I already know that. I continue to scan the page and realize that everything I read is something I already know. I got tired of reading the same thing. I went to another site and scanned through it as well. I find some information that I haven't read before.

...The island is full of magic. When someone spends an extended amount of time on the island, they gain tattoos...

Can people really get tattoos because of the island? It seems a little bizarre, but at the same time, I wonder how it works. I continue reading the page.

...They say that the tattoos just appear out of nowhere...

Are the tattoos the reason the people of the island are cursed?

I sigh heavily and close my laptop. Everything I've found is either a conspiracy theory or information that I already know. But there is one thing I know for sure; the tattoos are connected.

I know that if I ask the people, they won't answer any of my questions. But I wonder what these people are so desperately trying to hide. It appears that they go out of their way to protect whatever secret they hold so dear.

I suppose I understand. I would probably do the same if I had a secret to keep. But the truth is, I didn't have anything to hide. I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Too many questions are bouncing around in my head, but I don't have any answers. And I wonder if I ever will.

Logan's POV

The ship sails through the water, cutting wave after wave off the coast of Madagascar. It's time to visit a dear friend. Check in and see how he's holding up. Maybe I'll even cause some trouble while I'm on Pandora.

I stroked my hand over my chin, the stubble prickles my hand as I think about the endless possibilities of what could happen.

"Maurice!" I bellow at the helmsman who's steerin' the wheel.

"Yes, Capt'n?" He asks with wide brown eyes like he's done something wrong. He is a tall, thin man with short brown hair and tan skin. I enjoy the way he controls my ship, so I keep him around. He ain't bad company either, and he's got whiter teeth then I. Now that says something about the pirate.

"Take The Red Peril to Pandora!" I holler at him as I face onwards, a smile forming on my face.

"Aye Capt'n." He said, turning the wheel of the boat in the direction of Pandora.

I walk to the stern of the ship, and the wind blows in my face. I stand and stare at the sea before turning to examine the vessel. The sail is a deep blood red. The flooring of the ship is a red mahogany along with the steering wheel, the bowsprit, the mainmast, and the foremast. Everything else is black, and it's just the way I designed it.

I'm proud of my ship, it's the most feared in all the seven seas. I enjoy the power the title gives me but I hate the constant repairs. The red sails were visible for miles and battles were often fought.

"Capt'n?" My first mate, John asked. "Is this really necessary? What business do you have on Pandora?"

"Aye, John and the business is nothin' you need to worry about. I just want to visit an old friend." I respond.

"Aye." John says before he walks away. I looked out across the ocean.

I'm comin' old friend, ready or not.