𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 // 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒

ten

jack was smoking ralph out. 

it was obvious. the 'small fire' has slowly escalated into a large one, consuming a quarter of the forest already. smoke filled the air, it's distasteful smell entering my lungs as i perched on a branch in the tree, wondering how i was going to get down without the hunters noticing. ralph was on the floor below me. last night, i had left jack at castle rock to go and find him. we got water and went to sleep, him sleeping on the floor to keep a look out. i heard him sob softly in the night, and my heart broke for him. 

i hopped down stealthily, crouching by ralph. he scanned the area, and tried to conceal his shaking hands. 

"ralph, we have to go soon. we're gonna suffocate in here." i mumbled to him. ralph nodded and we got up quickly. we sprinted through the trees, dodging the odd leaf or branch. 

"they're over here!!" someone screamed, and ralph shoved him to the floor. i tripped over his legs, and screeched as i fell to the floor. 

"sofia!" ralph yelled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me up. jack and his hunters were speedily making their way towards us. i was frozen for a second, before ralph snapped me out of it by tugging on my arm harshly. we ran as fast as we could, and i could feel the heat from the flames as we moved. we ducked under a tree, and i scraped up my leg as i did. 

"fuck!" i breathed, glancing down at my leg as i caught up with ralph. blood was trickling from the broken skin, but i decided to ignore it. there were more important things to think about right now. we continued to run. we suddenly came face to face with the pig on the stick. ralph gasped sharply, and grabbed my arm. i stared at it. flies were swarming it now, and an awful aroma surrounded the head. i shook my head, ushering ralph along. we hurried away.

ralph pulled me down to the ground quickly, and we hid underneath a fallen tree. we both breathed heavily, and i had to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop myself from giving us away. i could hear them moving around us, but they didn't know where we were. until, samneric stood before us. we stared at them, and they stared back. i shook my head slowly, raising a finger to my lips, pleading with my eyes. 

"see anything over there?" jack snapped at them. they paused.

"no-"
"-nothing." 

a grin spread across my face, and i looked at ralph. he wasn't smiling, so i stopped. there were flames on the other side of the log, so we had no other way out apart from where the hunters lurked. roger stepped out from the bushes, and spotted us. 

"fuck!"
"JACK!!" 
"run!"

i scrambled to my feet, sprinting down the path. ralph was behind me. the hunters yelled and shouted as they chased after us. my eyes burned from the smoke, and i let out several coughs as i ran. the flames reached my arm, and singed the skin. i shrieked, cursing wildly in pain. we approached the beach, and i tripped over the small mound and onto the sand. 

"fuck! fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. jack - stop it!!" i screeched, cradling my arm. i shuffled backwards away from the scene, ralph falling in front of me. my back pressed up against something and i yelped, pulling myself forwards to look what was there. 

it was a man. a fully grown adult. 

i exhaled a shaky breath, staring up at him. the hunters yelling came to a halt as they approached us. ralph began to sob next to me. 

suddenly, i felt embarrassed. embarrassed of the state of us, of our island. the thought of rescue felt like a dream, until it became reality in this very moment. i wasn't prepared for when it actually happened. 

"what're you guys doin'..?" the officer asked us slowly. i sat up, and looked back at the hunters. they were all staring at the man in awe. i despised them in that very moment. 

helicopters flew down to save us. the man spoke softly as he crouched down to ralph and i's level, but i wasn't listening. i was frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the thought of going home. seeing my family. 

slowly, other people came over to us, asking questions. so many questions. i couldn't answer them. my eyes met jack's, and i was once again taken a back by his beauty at such a wrong time. he was beautiful even when he was smothered in paint and blood. he mouthed 'i love you' and i watched him for a while as a man with distinctive coffee breath tried to coax me into answering his stupid questions. 

and even after everything he had put us through, i still told him i loved him back. 

the man brought me over to the helicopter. ralph was already seated in there, his head in his hands. i sat next to him and moments later jack appeared in the doorway of the aircraft. i was staring at the burning island through the front window as he sat in the seat next to me. i rested my head on the back of the seat as ralph let out a sob. jack was silent. i moved my head back and looked at my nails. i spotted some dried blood underneath, and my breath hitched in my throat. simon. i looked at jack, my eyes glassy. he was expressionless, staring at our island. the island he destroyed. 

the door closed and we were in the air. i couldn't stop thinking about simon and piggy - the only two people who actually deserved rescue, and they weren't getting it. images of simon's dead body flashed through my mind, and i grimaced. i felt jack take my hand in his in between the two seats, gently intertwining our fingers. i was too tired to pull my hand away, so i enjoyed the comfort of his hand in mine. i squeezed his hand, and after a few moments he squeezed mine back. my heart lurched, sending butterflies through my stomach for no good reason. 

"you guys okay back there?" the driver asked us. i shook my head slightly. we were not okay. we had gone to hell and back, and survived. 

"yeah." ralph croaked, and i looked at him. he was in the same position, his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. 

we were leaving the island. we were leaving our temporary home behind. i knew this experience was going to change my life forever. these boys - jack, simon, ralph, roger, piggy - who i had created such an odd bond with, were never going to be forgotten. i knew each of them back to front now, and i always will. 

jack. jack merridew, who i was so madly in love with. the boy who had spilled all his emotions on the rocks. i wanted to constantly be with him, to constantly touch him and kiss him yet at the same time i wanted nothing to do with him. my heart hurt at the thought of leaving him but my brain said otherwise. i gripped his hand, his rough skin flush against my softer skin.  

we left our burning island with nothing but paint stained faces and haunting memories.

ELLA SPEAKS!

that is the end of this book :o

if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! i loved writing this and writing/developing sofia was also very enjoyable :)

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