Subjects

2- Eva's Tips For Avoiding Dehydration

Getting four very different people to all go together on an unplanned trip to an isolated island sure isn't easy. Nevertheless, Leo still manages to pull it off. That's how Eva, Ben, Roger, and Emily all ended up coming to meet him at his office.

Leo feels very guilty about how he got them to do this. It just proves that what they tried to do actually works. Which puts the subjects in even greater danger. Leo still doesn't know how to stop them but hiding away the subjects would be a good start, hence the sudden trip to the island known as Midway.

Leo has a pretty good life here, a teacher by day, a scientist by night, he even has a wife and a daughter. It's not like he wants to throw it all away and go on this so-called trip. But here's the thing, he doesn't have a choice. He knows what they are up to. After all, he is here because of them, he is one of them. Everything changed when Leo realized that he truly likes this place and the people here. He doesn't want to take part in ruining their lives, he most certainly doesn't want to take part in ruining his daughter's life. He has to stop them at all costs. Even if it means leaving behind his family.

But I'm getting off-topic here. Let's return to Leo's office and the four teenagers, shall we?

"Welcome, I hope you've all been well."

"Let's just get this thing over with," says Eva.

"Straight to the point, okay," says Leo. "As you all know, you are here because you were found suitable for a special scholarship. You are all going to go on a six-month-long volunteer at Midway Atoll. Midway is the world's largest albatross colony, and your volunteer work will help the research about those birds and other animals that live on the island. As a token of the college's appreciation of your contribution, you will all be given a full scholarship for your first year of college. This is a unique opportunity for you to meet new people, see some of the best nature has to offer and of course, experience how real research is done," boy, did Leo know a lot about how real research is done.

At this point, you can guess what each of the four is thinking, just by their expression.

Roger seems intrigued, but a little concerned at the same time. Getting along with other people was never his strong suit.

Emily, she's happy to go. She could never afford to go to college without the scholarship. She needs to prove herself and make the best out of the opportunity she was given. Too bad she is soon going to discover that this is not a scholarship at all.

Ben is unmistakably excited. The more Leo talks, the wider his smile becomes.

Eva is the absolute opposite, with the frown she makes no particular effort to conceal. Leo regrets having to force her to go but this is all for her own good, she'll see it too eventually.

"Leo," says Emily, "Are you going to come with us?"

"Yes, of course. Anything that you want to know, questions you may have, come to me," He answers. "We'll be leaving for Midway in three days, so you should start making all of the necessary preparations."

"Don't you think we should have more time to prepare for this? We're going to be stuck out there for half a year after all," says Eva.

"There are very few flights to this island each year, we don't want to be missing this one."

Leo makes sure to look at each one in the eye, concentrating on every word he tells them. They all nod in agreement, not doubting Leo for a minute. If it was any other group of teenagers, they would probably never agree to go - and it would be understandable. To someone from the outside, this whole thing would seem more than a little fishy. They never heard about this scholarship before and all of a sudden they are going on a six-month volunteer at an island? Absurd. Never trust a program that has no pamphlet.

Leo feels guilty for tricking them into this, he doesn't want to control their decisions, it is simply inevitable. The truth is just too complicated, too difficult to explain. They won't be able to deal with it yet. Leo knows that this whole scam can't last very long but it's the only plan he has.

I could tell you how Eva's dad had to go buy her a new suitcase at the last minute because she put so many things in her last one, causing it to explode (it can happen). I could tell you how Roger stayed awake for hours the night before the flight, trying to convince himself that everything would be fine and that he can make friends with the other three. I could tell you how Leo had the most horrible argument with his wife and how he couldn't explain to her why he is doing this, she wouldn't have believed him anyway. I could tell you all of those things, but... Umm... Well, I guess I did tell you about them, one way or another.

The day of the flight arrived! The day we've all been waiting for! So without further ado, welcome to terminal 16, the smallest and most unknown terminal you could ever visit. The next flight departs in exactly 32 minutes and the destination is - Midway.

Ben is now walking around the terminal, talking to the camera and filming the people, the airplanes, and everything else. This is going to be his best video yet. Roger is just watching Ben walking back and forth in the waiting area and wondering if he should try to make conversation. He looks over at the two girls who seem to get along pretty well so far. Eventually, he decides to give up and play this new game he just downloaded to his phone, blasting aliens is the best.

Eva is now telling Emily about all of the different ways you can die on an island according to an article she read last night. Now that's a way to makes new friends.

"And don't forget about dehydration. What if we run out of freshwater over there? Did you know that if you don't drink water, you'd die within 24 hours! We're doomed. There's no way they can get us fresh water in time."

"Why did you even come here?" Emily asks her.

"My dad can be the most stubborn person in the world," says Eva. "It's not like I need this scholarship anyway. Why won't he just let me do what I want?"

Emily has no answer to Eva's question, but she is starting to doubt her decision to go. If she has to live with this girl for six whole months... Well, if she won't die of dehydration, she'd surely lose her mind. Leo is going to have a very hard time trying to keep her on the island. The thought of Leo chasing her in his brown suit as she is swimming away from the island did bring Emily some comfort.

"Okay, kids, come over here!" Leo calls them. Ben keeps on filming and just signals Leo to wait for him. Roger happily leaves the game he busied himself with. He just reached this point in the game when you have to pay if you want to have actual fun, are all apps like this?

Once they have all gathered, Leo starts preparing them for the fight. "Is this anyone's first time flying on a plane?" He asks. No one answers but Leo knows that this is Emily's first time. She looks around at the others and can't bring herself to say she never flew before. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway because this flight is going to be very different from everything you've ever experienced. The plane is very small, meaning that the flight can get quite shaky. There won't be any food or drinks on the plane. You can get some now if you want to."

"I told you," says Eva to Emily. "24 hours."

"24 hours what?" asks Leo.

"24 hours till we die of dehydration," Eva crosses her arms.

"24 hours? As if," Ben bursts out laughing. "It would take at least three days, maybe even a week. Where did you hear that junk?"

"You can tell me that when you're dead," Eva rolls her eyes.

"You can tell that to my ten thousand subscribers who all learned survival from my videos," Ben never liked it when people said things they know nothing about. "In fact, why don't you tell it to my subscribers. Can you repeat that nonsense one more time so I can get it on camera?"

"I can punch you in the face if you want to get that on camera."

"That's enough," Leo stops their argument before it becomes too heated, maybe he is a tad too late. "We're all here to have fun so let's try to get along, okay?" Eva rolls her eyes again. "Okay, Eva?"

She looks him in the eye and all of a sudden it makes sense. Maybe she can get along with Ben, maybe. "Yes," she mutters.