Stranded

Chapter 39 ~ Sophie

Cassie cautiously walks from her part of the defence line towards the naval officer after grounding the spear in her hand. We all make way for her as Ralph slowly follows.

"Hullo," the man says.

"Hullo," Cassie replies. The officer nodes.

"Are there any adults—grownups with you?"

"No, there aren't."

"Where you having a pretend war or something?"

"You could say that."

"Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?"

"A dead pilot parachuted on the island, at least three dead, possibly more. There was a fire on the first day. Probably several injured by now."

"Three? Killed?"

None of use respond.

"We'll take you off, how many of you are there?"

A few people shrug.

"Who's boss here?"

"I'm boss of the girls," Cassie says before jestering to Ralph. "Ralph is of the boys."

Everyone looks at Jack for a moment, but he does nothing.

"We saw you smoke. And you don't know how many of you there are?"

"Not in total sir. I know my group's number," Cassie says.

"I should have thought," he says looking at us, "I should have thought that a pack of British—you all are British, aren't you?—would have been able to put up a better show than that—I mean—"

"It was like that at first," Ralph says, speaking for the first time, "before things—"

He pauses.

"We were together then—"

The officer nodes.

"I know. Jolly good show. Like Coral Island."

We all just stare at him, and then Cassie finally speaks as several of us begin to cry silently.

"No, not like Coral Island."