Destiny Island (editing)

Chapter 6

After satisfying their hunger and their thirst, they got curious about the island itself. They wanted to uncover the island's secrets, the reason it was so different from all the other islands. Naturally, they wanted to see more of it, to discover everything there was, but they couldn't help but wonder if that would be a good move to make.

"Should we explore further inland or just stay here and wait to be rescued?" Amber asked, scanning the shoreline. "I think I remember them saying that you should stay put and wait to be rescued."

"Amber, I think that's about forest rescues and when someone knows that you are missing. When you are sure the help will come," Jade said, running her fingers through her hair, grimacing at the gritty texture it already had. "No one even knows we are missing or where to look. The storm must have tossed us around for hours."

"Then what do we do?" Amber asked, pacing around to get some feeling back into her stiff legs. "Make a huge help sign?"

"I think we need to find a source of fresh water first," Jade said, trying to remember her limited knowledge of surviving.

They both ignored the fact that their first drop of water and bite of food on the island had appeared out of nowhere because processing being stranded on a deserted island was hard enough, but adding a mystery to it all was even more stressful.

"And how do we do that?" Amber asked, hoping for a real insight.

"We look around," Jade said, shrugging her shoulders, failing to remember how one was supposed to find water.

"Yeah, I guess we should do that anyway, to see if there is any food as well," Amber said, her voice laced with worry, as a sense of unease filled her. "But maybe we should stick to the shore for now. There might be some dangerous animals farther away in the forest."

Jade agreed, although she was pretty sure that drinkable water was more likely to be further away from the ocean. Still, it wouldn't hurt to assess their situation while being closer to their life raft, which they had pulled to shore, a safe distance away from the upcoming waves, so they could use it in case they needed to escape quickly.

Even though they stayed on the shore, they both cast curious glances toward the island's lush greenery from time to time, wondering if they would get to explore the charming island. For the time being, they focused their attention back on the beach itself. They were determined to uncover all the fine points previously obscured by the crippling effects of their hunger and thirst.

On the ground, near the trees they already saw, they could also see various plants of different shapes and sizes. Some of them resembled the flora one might find on the ocean floor. The girls felt as if they were looking at the ocean floor, which was the oddest thing ever. It wasn't only the plants — there was something similar to a starfish sunbathing on the huge marble rock under one of the enormous trees. Some pink and green colors were also visible from where they stood.

They could also see other vegetation that didn't seem to belong to the traditional beach scenery. For example, something resembling tumbleweed was also visible. Amber and Jade wondered what awaited them behind the ivy-imposed curtain when the wonders there, in front of the veil, were so astonishing. What could be stranger or more wonderfully magical than what they could see at that moment?

"Are you seeing what I am seeing?" Amber asked, her brain almost short-circuiting while trying to take it all in.

"Yes," Jade said distractedly as she tried to make her clothes no longer stick to her body with all the sweat and salt coated on them. "It's beautiful, but I can't say the same for the two of us."

"Jade! Can you stop thinking about your looks and focus!" Amber chastised her friend. "We might have discovered a whole new island or something."

"It's not only about my looks. I feel really uncomfortable. Everything is itchy," Jade said, scratching at her skin as if to prove a point. "And no, I don't think we have discovered a new island. Just found an abandoned one."

"How can you say that for sure?" Amber said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I guess I can't, but it doesn't matter anyway if we die from thirst," Jade said, getting back to the core of their problem. "So let's focus on one problem at a time."

"Fine, but how do we even find water?" Amber asked. "And where did that water and food we had even come from?"

It was a question neither of them had any answers to, and one they had been avoiding ever since it first happened. Even voicing it felt wrong.

As they pondered their next step, a noise that sounded like an argument interrupted them. They froze in shock, since the island had shown no signs of being inhabited until that moment. As the voices drew closer, they instinctively went towards them, towards civilization, even though they were arguing.

Soon enough, they could see two male figures approaching. It was strange to see them, the first human beings for days. The guys froze since the last thing they expected to see on what seemed like a deserted island was two confused women. After the shock came relief, relief that there was someone else on the island, that they weren't alone.

Amber was the first one to recover from the shock and speak up.

"Hi there! I'm Amber, and this is my friend Jade. We thought the island was deserted. We are so happy to see we were wrong." Amber could tell that she was babbling, but she still went on. "We were shipwrecked. We were in this small life-raft for days, and when we got here, we were so relieved..."

"Amber!" Jade interrupted reproachfully. "I'm sorry about my friend — she babbles when she is anxious. And you are?"

The tall, well-built guy with muscular arms and long legs started talking after that.

"I'm Ignacio, and this is my friend Royce. We were also shipwrecked, and we don't think this island is inhabited. In fact, we were just debating what to do next. By the way, it is nice to meet you, even under these strange circumstances."

As he said that, his deep blue eyes — which made a striking contrast with his dark complexion — bore into Amber's chocolate brown ones.

"Those are the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen," Amber thought, slightly dazzled. As he extended his hand, Amber had no choice but to shake hands with him.

They all succumbed to that social convention, although it seemed strange considering where they were.

Royce, the short, well-built guy with spiky brown hair with blue tips, was silent during the exchange as if he were deep in thought.

"So, what's your story?" Amber asked. "Were you on the White Queen as well? Were you on another ship? How did you end up here?"

"That is a long story," Ignacio stated, "but one I'm willing to share since we have all the time in the world. But before I start, I must warn you. It is not such an interesting story."

"Tell us anyway," Jade said as they all settled down on the beach, thinking that their story would keep them from worrying about the current situation.

"Very well, but after that, we want to hear your story. I'm sure it's a lot more interesting than ours," Ignacio said with a flirtatious wink.

With the setting sun as a magnificent backdrop, they settled in comfortably to tell each other their stories. It was a gorgeous sunset, and the sea changed so many colors that it was breathtaking to watch. Unfortunately, they didn't watch it for long, absorbed in their conversation as they were.