The Lost Ones

Chapter 3

Everything in the cave was silent but the quiet crackling noise of the fire. Kit and Skye sat on opposite ends, keeping their thoughts to themselves while eating small pieces of a pink fruit that had Skye picked on the way back to the cave.

Sitting beside Kit was the gold watch, which still happened to be ticking. According to the little gadget, it was 2:30. Even if he knew if it meant 2:30 in the morning or afternoon, the time meant nothing because it probably wasn't the right time for where they were now. Kit was realizing they would have no sense of time now that they were stuck on the island.

"'Time is an illusion that makes us panic'," Kit uttered to himself, too tired to care if he hadn't meant to say it aloud.

Skye gaped at him. "What?" she questioned, after spitting the seeds of the fruit into the fire.

"It's a quote from a book. Now that we're stranded on this island, we don't have to worry about being on time for anything or being constrained by time."

With a raised eyebrow, the girl replied, "Lovely." She couldn't have looked more apathetic about what he was saying. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Kit paused. "You're going to stay over there and I'm going to stay right here. And we'll keep it that way until morning every night."

The girl looked almost amused. Rolling her eyes, she added, "I meant about being stranded. What's our plan to avoid suffering and dying out here before someone can save us?"

Feed you to the sharks. "Have you ever read Life of Pi? It's the book I was telling you about earlier."

"Pi? Sounds like a math book, two things I hate dearly."

"It's not about math." She'd clearly never read the assigned books in high school. "It's about a boy who is lost at sea with limited food and water and shares his lifeboat with a tiger. The only thing he lives off of is his faith."

Skye's eyes remained steady. "So you're a religious boy, huh?" she asked, picking up her last piece of fruit. "I was wondering why you were wearing a cross necklace around your neck."

Kit acknowledged the chain that was tucked underneath his shirt.

"I saw it when I was helping you back here. Let me guess. Catholic?"

"How'd you know?" Kit questioned. He pulled out his thin, gold cross necklace and placed it over his chest.

"Lucky guess. My dad is Catholic. I think my mom is too, but I'm pretty sure she only became Catholic so she could marry him. It's funny how marriage can change a person's life."

You don't say. Kit just said, "Yeah."

"What about your parents?"

"What about them?"

"Any funny or interesting stories? Like you said, we've got all the time in the world to kill."

Kit never enjoyed sharing his personal life with other people. Trusting others had become an impossible task ever since...

"I've got one," Skye initiated, crossing her legs and easing into a relaxed manner. "It's how my parents decided to name me. My dad's name means light and my mom's maiden name means darkness. They named me Skye because that's where the light meets darkness, where the sun meets the moon. Stupid story, huh?"

When Kit glanced at her, she appeared to be lost in her own thoughts.

"They were always so extra," she muttered, twirling the fruit around in her hands.

"What do you mean? Were they strict?"

Skye scoffed. "Hell yeah, they were strict. They're nothing but strict. Always hanging over my shoulder like I'm some little kid. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

She hesitated, most likely surprised. "Well, I'm eighteen and that's technically an adult already, right? I mean, don't you ever get annoyed by how your parents treat you?"

"I wouldn't exactly say annoyed," Kit responded. He saw the curious look on Skye's face, but ignored it and changed the subject. "Even if you find your parents annoying, you should still love them. They're your parents. The ones who brought you into this world."

"Bullshit," she dismissed. "Why should I? Just because the Bible tells me to? If someone's parents hated them, does that mean they should still love their parents? That makes no sense."

She was telling him his religion made no sense. Unsure of how to respond, Kit lowered his eyes to the golden watch beside him. It read 3:00. He let himself up, using the cave wall as a support, still limping with his right leg slightly above the ground.

"I have to go," he quietly said.

"Where are you going? Your ankle..." Skye began to stand up, but she sat down again when he shot her down with a hard stare.

"I'll be back." Kit didn't turn around before exiting.

The evening sky was dark but full of thousands of twinkling stars. Kit stood close to the edge of the shore, staring at the high moon's shining reflection in the calm sea. It's peaceful. Even more peaceful than the beach Dad and I used to visit.

He placed his hands over his chest, burying the cross pendant on his necklace in his right fist. It's 3 o'clock. Even if it isn't here, it's 3:00 back home. He tilted his head towards the sky, closed his eyes, and made a quick sign of the cross. "Our Father, Who art in—"

"Are you praying?"

Kit's eyes shot open and he spun around to find Skye standing right behind him.

"Are you going to follow me everywhere I go?" he questioned, drawing his arms away from his chest.

She ignored his question. "I thought you were using the bathroom," she responded, tilting her chin to look at the sky. Sarcastically, she added, "Did you find God yet?" She'd probably been eagerly waiting to say that.

"If you thought I was using the bathroom, why would you follow me?" Kit stared at her until she met his eyes. When she did, she simply looked away.

"What were you praying for?" she asked.

It seemed like a genuine question. But Kit realized he didn't know the answer. "To get off this island, I guess," he told her.

Skye nodded. She bent over to search the sand for something. "I used to have a friend that prayed all the time. She said it was her way of getting what she wanted. Is that true? Do you always get what you pray for?"

Kit gave it some thought. "Maybe," he replied. Skye looked skeptical. "I don't know. That's a hard question. Sometimes I don't get what I ask for right away. And sometimes it doesn't come in the way I ask for it. Does that make sense?"

"No, but I'll just pretend it does if it makes you happy." Skye held up a tiny, beaded periwinkle seashell, scrutinizing it before carefully tucking it into the pocket of the grey hoodie she wore. "Thanks for lending me your sweater, by the way." She nodded over to the cave. "I'm going to sleep now. See you tomorrow."