Stranded (GirlXGirl)

Chp. 5

I stumbled through the forest, hollering loudly, “Claire!”

I followed her voice, searching frantically through the jungle for her face but came up short. I started to panic, I couldn’t be left alone here…

“Claire!”

I ran silently, deeper into the jungle as I waited for her voice to ring out again, but then I hit a body as I ran blindly into it. I winced in pain but I saw what she was so terrified of, she pointed into the vegetation but I already knew what it was when I heard a loud hiss coming from the ground. 

I backed away slowly with her, “Be quite.”

The python was wrapping around an animal it had found to for lunch, and I guided Claire away from it, watching the snake disappear into the distance. I took the wood from her as we fell into step again back towards the camp, she spoke, “Scared the shit out of me.”

I smiled to myself, “Obviously.”

She looked up at me, flashing something in her hand, “I found this next to that rock.”

It was a long, sharp piece of rock that she was holding, and I could tell this was going to be extremely useful. I took it from her, “Thanks.”

She nodded, facing forward again, and not saying anything else as we made it back to our new home. She tended the fire silently, and I knew something was on her mind, but I was to shy to ask. I didn’t know how to approach this, I didn’t know how to approach her…

I carved the stick as I watched her, wondering what I could possibly say to her to make her open up to me. I knew this was a very emotional situation, I was taking it hard to, but we needed each other. 

And as much as I hated to admit it, I needed her just like she needed me. 

I continued to carve the thick piece of wood as she sat silently next to the fire, and then reaching over and cracking the already broken coconut in half. She took a long thin stick she had found and stuck it through a piece of coconut, setting it above the fire to roast. 

She was way to quiet for my liking, and even though she had done me wrong I felt compelled to talk to her. I felt like I needed to get back under her skin, but that meant making myself vulnerable to her again, and did I really want that?

I crawled out of the den and sat next to her, “You ok?”

She nodded silently, “Yea, I’m great. Stranded here on this fucking island just waiting to die.”

She was still shaken up by the whole ordeal, and the snake incident probably didn’t help either but the words kind of took me by surprise, “Don’t be negative.”

She looked at me, anger was written in her eyes, “Seriously? We’re stranded on this island in the middle of no where. How can I not be negative, Alex?”