The Shipwreck

Chapter 7

We walked silently through the woods. I was slightly ahead, sensing her presence behind me. A part of me wanted to go back, hug her, kiss her, even do what comes after that. But something kept me from jumping in; maybe it was only a phase, something dictated by my not so great experiences with men. I could image my father's face while telling him: "Daddy, I am going away with a woman!" I winced at the thought of him having a stroke; though the thought of me being with Bette was oh so endearing.

She finally spoke: "I'm sorry"

I stopped and turned around, on her face was a mixture of feelings; I could see she really meant that. I didn't know what to say, I only stared at her. I don't know what she saw while studying my face, but she quickly averted her gaze.

She bit her lower lip, and went back looking at me. "Please, say something" she requested.

"I'm just really confused" I admitted.

"It's ok" she let out the air she kept in her lungs. "Just don't hate me"

"I don't hate you!" why was she thinking that? Of course, I didn't hate her. How could I? How could I hate her, if the only thing I wanted to do right then was to go back to what we were doing in bed some minutes before. Still, for the life of me, I couldn't. I was stuck.

"Let's..." she started saying, fighting with emotions, "Let's just forget what happened, ok?"

I lowered my gaze, "I can't forget that"

She must have understood something else, because she looked hurt. As if my words meant that was a bad thing, something I couldn't forget neither forgive.

"Just turn on the right, then go straight" oh well that surely was a pun. "The camp is just a few steps from here"

"Thank you" I was sincere.

She only smiled, then I saw as she disappeared into the woods.

***

As soon as I approached the camp, something didn't seem right. I thought that I would find someone there waiting for me, while the other ones were looking for me, but no one was there. I walked around trying to catch a glimpse of Henry of one of his stupid buddies, but everyone seemed to have disappeared. Actually, it had been strange since the start, as I walked back to the tents, I asked myself how come I didn't crossed paths with them, I was sure they were looking for me. There's no doubt my father forced the four of them to find me.

Still, the place was too silent. The tents were empty, the fire was off. I bent down trying to feel the warmth from the wooden shards, and they were cold. Something that meant they had been away for a long time.

I went close to the shore, thinking that maybe they were working on the ship, ready to live the island, too focused on the job that they forgot about me. But, who was I kidding? Of course, my father wouldn't have forgotten about me.

They were gone, totally gone. Who-knows-where gone! And I was starting to panic. "Fuck" I covered my face with my hands, falling on my knees, facing the sea. The strong waves caressing the shore mirrored the blood that flew inside me, pushed strongly by the pumping of my heart.

The same heart that skipped a bit as I froze when I heard some steps behind me. They seemed to follow a frantic pace, and there I thought I was going to die. "Please, don't hurt me!" I cried, still keeping my back to the unknown guest.

"We have to go!" it was Bette.

"What?"

"We have to go!" she insisted. She studied my face, I could see apprehension on her face. Her hands on both sides of my face, "Are you ok?"