The Island

(Chapter 17) Divided (Revised)

My mind goes back to a time in my life where I felt safe. My mother is there, tucking me into bed, telling me stories of when she was my age. I didn't get tired of listening to her talk, and I had no worries, no care in the world. A place I felt free; unfortunately, it never felt like home. In the back of my mind, I felt like I didn't belong, an outcast. Stories my mom told were to me fake, but events that have been happening lately have driven me to believe that it may have been real.

"Okay David, I need you to lay still, or you don't get a story."

My mind flickers, but my body obeys.

Her hands grip the sheets and pull them over me, "When I was your age I discovered a secret." Her hands fly up and land on her chest, "My grandfather taught me how to control my secret, in fact, he was the reason I was like this. He used to tell me how he did it, but I never understood him, always saying words I didn't understand. Even now I still don't understand those words." She nudges closer to me, "Later in my years, I decided that I was going to use my superpowers for good. So, every night I went out and every night I failed, I sucked being a hero. My grandfather taught me how to be better at being a hero, in time I became a force to be reckoned with. When I was 15 my parents died, they were coming home when a drunk driver veered off the road and collided with them as they were coming out of a supermarket. My grandfather and I cried a lot, one day he couldn't take the loss of his daughter and shot himself."

I interrupt, "Mom why is this story so sad?"

She sniffles and I can see tears, "Because it was my life bud."

I look at her confused and say sarcastically, "Sure, superheroes aren't real, they are just on TV."

She rubs my forehead and continues, "Well, with no one to take care of me I ended up in a foster home. That's when I met your father, him and I became the best of friends, he was the reason I survived foster care. No matter how much I wanted to after my parents died, I could never transform."

I mutter under my breath and fold my arms, "How convenient."

If only I listened to her, if only I shut up and actually paid attention to what she was saying, maybe what's happening to me wouldn't be such a surprise.

My eyes fly open squinting at the sunlight. The crashing waves and cool wind being me back to the present, "Henry?"

I hear footsteps behind me, "David?"

I struggle to move, "Why can't I move?"

He walks in front of me and stares at me, "You were that thing, the thing that attacked me and Melissa that night. I tied you up so you wouldn't hurt me."

I then calmly say, "Well, I hope it wouldn't be such a bother if you'd untie me."

Henry shakes his head, "I can't trust you man."

I have never seen Henry so scared before, "Henry, trust me, I know what's going on with me, it happened to my mother."

He backs away, "Mom can turn into a fucking dinosaur too!"

I nod, "She told me when I was a kid, but I didn't believe her."

Henry then walks over to the water and sits, "You lied to me? Are we on this island on purpose?"

I shake my head and call out, "Of course not! Henry, please!"

He lifts himself up and walks over to me clutching a knife, "I am going to cut you free and you are going to go away from here. Go live with those things and be happy, don't drag me with you."

I get angry, "You think I had a choice coming here? You think getting stranded on an island full of killer dinosaurs was in my plan, almost dying on several occasions, my plan?"

He cuts the vines, "Get far away from me. If I see you again, I won't hesitate to defend myself."

I extend my hand, "Henry, we are brothers, help me figure out what is going on with me, of course, I knew beforehand that our mom could do this, but I didn't know that I could. I need help."

He turns around and walks off, "Get help from those things, I mean, you're one of them."