Red

5

I woke up to the sun which was shining through the window that my head rested against. I open my eyes and see the plane, my leg, and I don't see Annabelle. I can't believe this really happened. Part of me wanted to still believe that this was all a dream still. That I'd wake up in a hotel room with my sister and we would head down to the beaches. But that wouldn't happen.

I adjust myself in the seat, feeling stiff from sleeping the the plane seat all night. Annabelle's flannel shirt was on the floor. It must've fallen while I was sleeping. I didn't mind, though, since it was pretty hot on here last night. I just hope no one else noticed.

I grab it from the floor and slide my arms through the sleeves. It still smelled like Annabelle's perfume. No matter where she was going, she never left the house without spraying her favorite perfume on her. I button it up, leaving the top four unbuttoned, and lift my leg up.

My white shirt was now stained red and I carefully untied it. My leg had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt when I moved it too much.

I looked over and saw that Van wasn't in his seat and neither were his friends. The door was open and I heard talking outside, so I figured they were out there. I wonder when they woke up.

I leave my old T-shirt on the middle seat and stand up to see what was going on outside. My hair was probably a disaster, so I pull it into a messy ponytail before walking out.

I spot Van immediately. He was really tall. I had just noticed that now. He was standing with one of his friends by the water. I decide against going up to him. I didn't want to deal with his attitude. Instead, I sit in the sand and draw lines with my fingers for a while, but I'm stopped when two feet step on the lines.

Van.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asks me. I look up at him and squint because the sun was also in my eyes.

"What does it look like?" I roll my eyes. How could he already be in such a bad mood? It couldn't be past 11:00 a.m.

He squats down next to me. "You need to learn to drop that attitude. I'm doing my best to be a little kinder, but you're making that very difficult, Tris," he says.

"Why would I have to do anything you say?" I ask him. He couldn't tell me what to do. I'm almost eighteen, for heaven's sake.

"Because I'm the leader," he says. His voice was cold. "And you need to respect the leader, right?"

I continue drawing in the sand. "Who made you the leader?" I ask, looking up at him when I spoke.

He chuckles and sits down so he doesn't have to continue to squat forever. "You have a lot of questions, don't you, Tris?" He says. I shrug my shoulders in response.

"I'm leader because I decided I was, and everyone who agreed with me, stayed with me. That's why there's four groups, princess," he explains.

Maybe I should have gone to the meeting. A lot seemed to have happen. I wonder if I would have stayed with Van had I gone.

Van notices my leg without my shirt wrapped around it. "Where's your shirt?" He asks me. He sounded angry.

"O-on the plane," I tell him, shying away and feeling intimidated by his tone.

"You can't do that," he says blandly. "Don't touch your leg. You'll only make it worse. You wait for me, okay?" He grabs the bottom of my leg and examines it.

"Ow," I say, squirming slightly when he accidentally touches my wound. I squeeze my eyes shut. "Get off. I can take care of myself."

I hear Van's laugh. "You're still a kid, Tris," he says, amused. You don't know what's best for yourself."

"And you do?" I say angrily. "You don't even know me."

"Yeah, well, I know the human body pretty well. I was in college studying to become a doctor before all this," he tells me matter-of-factly.

I pout. What can I say to that? He probably did know what to do. He places his fingers under my chin and move my face so I'm looking him in the eyes. He smirks, satisfied with the fact that I had nothing to say.

"I-I didn't know you were a doctor," I mumble, embarrassed. I hope my cheeks weren't red, but I had the feeling they were.

"Mhm," Van hums. "Well, you stay right here. I'm going to look around the plane for a first aid kit and see if I can help you out a little more." He stands up and starts to walk away, but then turns back. "Don't go anywhere," he strictly tells me. I don't know where I could possibly go, though. We were stranded on an island and there was no way I would be exploring that alone.

I watch the other people who have formed mini groups within Van's group. Van's friends were chatting by the plane and Van stopped by them, joining their conversation. I could hear their voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

Van uses his thumb and points back at me, causing all the boys to look over at me, except for Van, whose back was facing me. I wonder what he was saying about me. I immediately look down, not wanting anyone to think I was watching them, even though I was.

I look up a few minutes later and see Van leaving the boys and walking into the plane. I focus back on the sand and start to draw random shapes and patterns with my fingers again as I wait for Van to come back.