Elisabeth

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Will was strolling over the beach, searching for the pieces of their raft. He was wrecked after yesterday afternoon's storm, and he was sure Elisa was as well.

She had been awake all night, shaking and shivering. He had been silently awake with her, gently caressing her arms, trying to get her warm. It wouldn't help, because it was not just the cold she was shivering from. Fear was also a big part of it. She just couldn't calm down, and when she shut her eyes they would open wide again within a minute. Whenever she started to fall asleep, she would get a nightmare and wake up crying and wriggling next to Will. Will didn't fall asleep. He had just lain there all night, pressing Elisa into his chest, making sure she wouldn't get out of his arms. Everytime she woke up wildly trying to surface the imaginary nightmare-ocean, he would whisper in her ear to calm her down. Then her muscles would slowly start to relax, only to tense up again after a few minutes. He didn't blame her, he was just as terrified as she was. The only reason he wasn't shaking or got nightmares was because he knew Elisabeth was safely in his arms. The scent of her hair, which she must wash with something that has a lot of the effects shampoo has, had made him relax. It was freaking him out though that Elisa was so afraid. And it was even freaking him out more that he couldn't do anything about it. 

Here he was, building a new raft. The only thing he could do for her at this moment was rebuild it. She had fallen asleep early in the morning, probably being too tired to wake up from her nightmares. He wanted to help her so badly, he wanted to make her feel better and laugh again. He wanted to bring her home, because that's what she needed. 

Listing all the flaws of the last raft in his head, he thought of a few changes to make:

- Stronger paddles

- Sails

- Ropes (to pull someone out of the water)

- Make the edges higher

The sails were, according to him, the best change, because it would make them go faster.

'Elisa?' He whispered when he entered her room. But she wasn't there anymore. He checked the rest of the house, which was empty. No Elisa. 'Elisa?' He called out louder this time. 

'Yes, I am in the garden!' She yelled back. Her voice was tired and broken. When he found her, she was already working in the garden. So she wasn't too tired to wake up from a nightmare. 

'About the new raft: I wanted to make sails, so we'll go faster. Can I use your old dress?' Will asked hastily. She frowned. Elisa had been dying to say something after the word "raft"but, being a lady, she had let him finish. 

'Wow, hang on, wait a second, rewind...' She made a motion in which her hands turned around each other. '... and play.' Will raised an eyebrow.

'About the new raft: I...' 

'Stop.' She said quickly. Elisa crossed her arms over her chest. 'New raft?' She asked, sitting down on a nearby tree trunk. He sat down next to her.

'Yeah. Isn't that what we need?' He asked, scratching the back of his head.

'We were almost dead. Not only me, also you. I know I sank deep, I was already deep before I lost consciousness. And I know that water was wild and rough. Yet you went in there to save me and you can't tell me right now that you would have made it was I only two feet deeper.' She said, challenging him to tell her otherwise. Which he couldn't, and she knew it.

'Weren't you the one that told me to never give up?' He asked, smirking as he knew he had her.

'I was. But when it will cost us our lives, I'd rather give up.' She responded with a hint of sadness in her voice.

'I wouldn't. Don't you want to get home?' He questioned, taking her hand.

'I do, more than anything, but I'd rather stay on this island forever than die by drowning in the sea.' She squeezed his hand. It was so warm and stable, it made her instantly feel better. 

'Are you sure of that?' 

'Do you think it's worth your life to get home?' She asked, looking him straight into the eyes. He smiled.

'Yes.' He said, returning her stare. There was only one response she could think of.

'I do too.' Because it was true. As soon as she spoke the last word of the sentence, she knew she had blocked her own arguments because she thought it was worth it. She wanted to go home more than anything. What was the use of staying on the island when there was a small chance you could go back? 

She threw him her old dress. He looked up at her, frowning. His eyes asked why she threw him her old dress. 'For the sails.' She said.

'Thanks.' He stood up. She gave him a smile.

'No problem.'  She said, walking with him to the raft. 'We, are going home.' 

____

Author's Note:

Okay, sorry that I didn't upload yesterday, I was watching a movie in the cinema with my friends (yes I do have friends, thank you very much). We watched the Lucky One, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. And Nicholas Sparks is like the best author ever in my opinion so yes, I enjoyed the movie :).

But: the female main character is called Beth (Elizabeth) Green. Which is exactly the same as my female main character, except for the "z", which is an "s" in my story. I had never read the book, so it was pure coincidence. Now you have to tell me, should I change Elisabeth's last name, or ignore it and just get over myself already? 

Alright, hope you enjoyed the chapter, was a bit of a filler chapter, but an update is an update my dear readers :P

Vote, comment, share, fan, etc., etc. 

xxx Suzanne