Jordyn
Not long after Neil leaves the group, thick night falls over the beach like a wool blanket. Once again, the sky is dark and moonless. Only the honeycomb stars keep us company, blinking between the storm clouds that gather.
From where I sit, I watch the fake clouds slide from one screen to the next. Bolts of all-too-realistic lightning reach down with their glittering fingertips and dance across the tumultuous sea. Each giant fist is followed by a belch of thunder that shakes my stomach up.
Water pours out of the dome. The wind catches it on its descent and mists our faces. The fire flickers like a climber holding on to a cliffside for dear life. Occasionally, I'll feed it another bunch of twigs and stir it up with the fish spears that Sam whittled for us.
Everyone seems mesmerized by the scene outside the shelter.
Kaia stares out at the water. The lightning reflects in her dark eyes, and the water weighs down her thick curls. It hangs like vines across her face, glued to the dark skin of her cheeks and forehead. Her lips glisten with the damp air but shiver with the continuous drop in temperatures.
Sam beside her watches the storm with just as much intensity, but he jumps every time lightning cuts across the sky. It makes me wonder if he's afraid of lightning. I suppose it's a logical thing to fear, but it doesn't exactly warrant him a one-way ticket to this island paradise. He would fare worse anywhere else if all he's scared of is storms.
It's Neil that breaks the silence first.
"Are we going to sleep or stare at the rain all night?" he growls from his dark corner. The white sand around him is dry, untouched by the wind. His messy of black hair stands on its ends from the static filling the air.
Sam laughs- the sound that reminds me of the rainbow of wildflowers. It reminds me of home, too, I realize, because my chest fills up with warm and nice emotions that I can't name. If home can be represented by a sound, it's either the crackling of an open fire or that boy's deep laughter that rings clear in the middle of a thunderstorm and calms my every ragged nerve.
"Someone very wise once said that staring at something won't kill it," he says, catching my eye. I smirk and turn back towards the fire. "You're right. We should sleep."
"Someone needs to watch the fire," I whisper as I sit back in the wet sand. The cold seeps through my jumpsuit.
"What was that, little mouse?" Kaia teases, leaning towards me. I flinch and move away from her.
"I said, someone needs to watch the fire," I repeat just loud enough for her.
Kaia nods.
"She's right. Two people should stand guard. One can watch the fire and the other can keep an eye out for any predators. Those lions can sneak up on you at night. They're nearly invisible in the dark."
"Jordyn and I will guard together," Sam blurts without waiting for anyone else to speak up.
"Of course you will, cowboy," Kaia says with a roll of her chocolate eyes. "I don't think that's such a good idea, though. You could just kill us in our sleep, or we could kill you." She pauses and glances over at me. "No, I say we group up girls and boys. One person from each original team so no funny business occurs."
Sam groans and looks my way. I bite my lip.
She has a point. I don't trust either of them not to slit my throat. This way, it'll be like I'm watching Sam while he sleeps and he's watching me in return. I finally nod, and Sam does too.
YOU ARE READING
The Island
Science Fiction"This is The Island, a prison designed for minors like me- too young to be executed, too old to be reformed, and too much of a stain on humanity to let exist. It was 'the answer' to the growing crime rate resulting from a world that was falling apar...
