Island Rush (14 page)

He sighed and thought it over. “Well usually, from what I know anyway, you use flint against steel or like a knife.”

“What about other rocks?”

“Maybe,” he said. “I’ve never heard of using it with other rocks.”

I looked around where I stood in the sand.  There were a lot of rocks and other stones in the sand and a ton in the water. “I’m almost positive it would work if we try it enough times and use several different rocks against it. We are bound to find one that would work with the flint.”    

Catching him when he didn’t notice, I saw his gaze sweep over me with approval. He admired that I was able to identify this stone.  He also was admiring my idea, and it made my chest jump.  It was nice to see him appreciate that.  The look he gave me, though… it reminded me of the ones he sometimes gave me at school.  This seemed a bit more personal, though. I nearly laughed. “Do brains turn you on, Mr. Rush?”

He blushed and turned away, walking back up the beach. Before he could turn away from me fully, I caught a glimpse of a smile spreading across his face.  It was out of view in a second, but I still saw it.  It made my heart jump harder than I wanted to admit. 

Chuckling to myself, I looked around where I stood. I ended up collecting an armful of different rocks from the sand.  Wouldn’t hurt to try, right?  Mr. Rush apparently agreed. 

Heading back up to where we collected dry brush and branches, I dumped my armful to the ground beside it. We didn’t waste time either.  We could feel night coming with the air cooling down. 

Mr. Rush started with the flint in one hand, and with the other, he picked up one of the many rocks I grabbed. He crouched down next to the dry brush we collected and took a deep breath.  He and I both knew this might not work, but we had hope. That’s why he jumped right in and did it. 

He started flicking his wrist in a fast motion. Sliding one rock swiftly against the other, hitting them together in a quick movement. Nothing happened, as expected. Mr. Rush kept repeating that movement several times before I noticed the sun was setting. Sweat was still visible on his brow as he kept the friction between the two stones going.

That was what all the other rocks were for, though.  We fail, we try a different rock with the flint.  That’s exactly what he did too.  He tried for several times, over and over.  Striking it together more than twenty or even thirty times as fast as he could.  Still… nothing.  Not one spark yet and the sun was already gone.  I was getting impatient. I’ve wanted one night without shivering. This was not going to be another one of those nights.

I snatched the stones from him, seeing his arms start to slow; he had to be doing this for more than an hour at least.  He let me take the flint from him and, in my other hand, I grabbed the next rock we could try.  I did so with a fierceness I didn’t know I had. I was just so anxious for a damn fire!  I lifted one of my wrists with the rock and brought it down in a swift movement, sliding the edges of the two pieces together. I was shocked it only took me ten or so times.  But it happened. 

I saw a spark, and when I did, I kept going.  Hitting it harder and closer to the dry brush until it caught!  It took a bit to cradle to life but when I actually saw a flame… I felt that satisfaction I longed for.  

I jumped up in happiness, even throwing my arms in the air.  My heart was beating faster than I expected it to but I couldn’t help it!  I couldn’t believe this!  I did it. I did it. I did it. I flipping did it!  I’ve wanted this for what felt like forever and guess what?  I did it!  “Oh my god, oh my god! It worked!”

Mr. Rush was just as excited. He jumped up immediately too at seeing the fire start and slowly spread, laughing in excitement with me. Because damn it, we did it! Somehow, I ended up jumping with my arms around Mr. Rush’s neck.  All I could think was that I was so happy and grateful for this fire and that he was here with me! As he hugged me back and laughed with me, I knew I probably wouldn’t feel as whole when I leave his arms. 

The reality of what we were doing came and instant awkwardness set in. I left his arms, and we both quickly backed off. I wasn’t shocked that I was right and that I didn’t feel as a whole. However, I was too excited and so was he to think about being embarrassed.  Plus, it was justified; we had fire! 

We swiftly inched as close as possible to the fire after sitting down in the grass. We put more dry brush, more small sticks on, and it grew in heat and height. I felt my cheeks warm, and I closed my eyes. The heat rested in my eyelids and spread through to the rest of my body. God, it was a feeling I needed to hold onto for nights when we aren’t this lucky.  It was so warm and welcoming; it made me smile as I opened my eyes.  My gaze traveled over to Mr. Rush, and I could see that he felt the same warmth.

After a minute, as our excitement died down slightly, Mr. Rush turned and faced my direction. “How did you do that? After an hour of me trying and coming out with raw hands, you manage to start a fire like it’s nobody’s business. Have you done this before?” he asked, laughing slightly.

I chuckled at his words and shrugged. “I guess I wanted it so badly, it just came to me.  To be fair, most of it must have been the type of rock I picked up to use with the flint.  We should save the rock we used with for when we make another fire.”

My heart jumped when I saw that admiration again in his eyes. He gave me a very beautiful and bright smile.  “That’s a good idea,” was all he said but it was enough to make me proud of what was accomplished. 

We sat in silence around the low crackles and heat for a while after that, but we knew if we wanted a hint of water, we needed to get up early.  So when he mentioned it, I laid down where I was next to the fire, not caring if I was too close. This was the first night feeling as warm as I have since slept in my own bed, and I loved it. I was asleep by the time the cold moved in. It was the first time I felt invincible against it.

Chapter 11

I was back home, seeing the scene that my dad and the officer were trying to rush me away from.  Chatter filled my living room as well as men and women in uniform.  My eyes racing around me couldn’t ignore the plastic that covered every inch of the room. Then my shaky gaze found the one person that meant the world to me.

My mother’s white gown was covered in her own red and thick blood; it made my mind spin. Spin like it never did before. Spin out of control when I saw that her beautiful blue eyes were open and yet lifeless. I felt my heart literally want to fail. I groaned as if I was just punched in the gut. The next thing I knew, she disappeared from my sight.  The scene around me faded away with a new one taking over. 

I was in the bathroom, staring down at myself on the floor with my dad.  I was such a mess and had no way to support myself, physically or emotionally.  Dad took all my weight as I sobbed my heart out against him. He held me and, almost soothingly, whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry now. We will get him out.”

Following that, I lifted my red and tear stained face.  My eyes were wide, and my face was full of disbelief.  “W-What? You want him free?”

His lips parted with a laugh, and I saw that not one sign of sadness ran from his eyes. “Yes. He did the right thing and what he had to do. We both did.”

I was relieved when that picture also faded like the last. However, this was a little different.  Less vague and more relieving.  I was up.

I woke from that terrible dream and took in a hard gasp.  Jesus, just a dream — and the same one.  I sighed in annoyance at that realization.  I had hoped that I was done dreaming about that.  I had hoped that experiencing another tragedy like a freaking plane crash would take that dream’s place.  I guess that wasn’t the case.

When my sight cleared, so were my other senses. I saw the man, and I felt him shaking me too. I took him in with wide eyes and could see him well enough through the darkness.  When he saw my eyes open, he stopped shaking me.  “Are you alright?” he asked, clearly worried.

I smiled slightly. I loved that about him. He was always so curious about me, but my feelings and well-being came first. I just nodded. “Just a bad dream. Sorry, I woke you.”

“Woke me? You were doing more than just interrupting my sleep. Hearing you whimper and gasp like that… it scared me,” he reluctantly admitted. His honest eyes burned down to mine, and a small flicker of fire brightened his face.

I wasn’t sure what to say. “I… uh, well, like I said, it was just a bad dream. We should get some sleep.” I turned away before my eyes and face could betray me once more. I laid back down and tried my hardest to fall back asleep, all the while praying he did the same without interrogating me. I was lucky to have drifted off almost instantly.

Even with how fast I went back to sleep, that didn’t change the fact that our plan to get up early failed.  Because unfortunately, I woke up first and it wasn’t at dawn. I groaned at the brightly lit sky. I saw Mr. Rush shift in his sleep a few feet away.  He opened his reluctant eyes the moment I sat up to look around me.  With how much there was to take in, the only thing my eyes saw were dry blades of grass.

He looked around as well, noticing the same thing when he lifted his head. He was lying on his stomach, his arms stretched before him.  Head falling in defeat and propped by his outstretched arms, he released an aggravated groan.  His voice was muffled in his arms.  “Well, shit.”

I was debating that moment at whether I should apologize for the dream causing this. It was probably my fault that this happened. It kept him awake, and I had been restless. I just didn’t want to bring it up only to have him question me. Going back and forth on it didn’t last when he eventually sat up.  Brown eyes meeting mine, he spoke. “Well, all we can do now is work on the spear, which should be easy,” he mumbled with sarcasm. He stood and extended his hand, helping me to my feet.

We walked to the beach, the sound of waves as our guide. The day was already scorching hot.  The heat had me sweating, the drops running down my neck, chest, and stomach. I noticed that being without a shirt around him no longer bothered me as much, but I was always going to be self-conscious.

Standing in the water now with our heads dipped down, we scanned the sandy bottom to find a sharp stone. One that could easily wear away the wood of a stick. We just needed to make a sharp enough point on the end of it. Once we found a rock to do that, we had another task to complete as we walked back up the beach.

Mr. Rush stood before me with a relaxed expression. I noticed that he was tanner, and his figure was leaner than before. Guess living on dew, coconuts, and the hope for more could do that. “We need to find a thick and firm stick. It can’t break easily, but it needs to fit comfortably in our hands.” He walked away without giving me a chance to respond.  Probably on purpose because he knew a comment like that required a little teasing on my part.

When I walked behind him up to the trees again, we started our search for the perfect stick. Five minutes later, or what I guessed was five minutes, we found what we needed. I picked up a straight stick, as wide as a broomstick. It was nearly as tall as me too. I handed it to Mr. Rush who took it as we sat down.  The stick in his lap and stone in hand, he got to work.

I sat by him, feeling helpless at doing nothing. I sure wasn’t bored, though. I watched with fascination as he began. He took the stone, pressing it to the stick’s end and edge.  He moved the stone down along the rough texture, then back up to repeat it in a fast motion. The end became smaller and sharper each time the rock and stick made contact. So he kept at it, moving the stone evenly around each side. The man had more success than he did with the fire. That didn’t mean there was a huge or noticeable difference with the stick at first.  This was going to take a while. 

As I watched him work, I realized something with a smile. “You are a survivor, you know,” I said, complimenting him before I knew it. It felt weird leaving my lips, but I was glad I said it when a white smile crossed his mouth.

“What do you mean?” he asked as he searched my eyes.

“Well I mean, you just know what you’re doing. Plus making a spear like this… it was a good idea,” I mumbled, staring back at him. “How do you know what to do in all these different situations?”  I was honestly curious. How did he get us out of the plane? Take care of my cut?  How did he know what to do to make a spear? 

He smiled more sweetly to me, averting his eyes for a moment before they returned to me. “I don’t know,” he laughed and shrugged. “It just came to me, I guess. As for the spear, I thought about how to do it last night when I was trying to sleep. It took a bit for me to fall asleep last night for some reason anyway,” he mumbled and looked down to the stick, getting back to work. It made me wonder if it wasn’t only my dream that contributed to him waking late. 

“Just wasn’t tired?”

His hand holding the rock stayed even, and his eyes were focused as he answered. “Yeah, I don’t know why.”

After a few more minutes, and wondering more and more things, I couldn’t help myself. “What is this like for you?” I asked. I didn’t want to show it, but I was as curious about him as he was of me. I wanted to hide it for obvious reasons. But he asked questions constantly and had the guts to. Why couldn’t I?

“What, being stuck on an island?” His eyes flickered to mine as he continued working. Sweat started to pour heavily down his face, and it was agony to watch.  I wanted to make him feel better. Yet, seeing him that way was very appealing.  As a teacher, he always seemed secretive and perfect.  He had to act and be a certain way with a teaching job, and that’s not counting how he always appeared closed off.  So I liked this more than I should have.   

I nodded. “I know it obviously sucks for you but… I don’t know,” I struggled. “How worried are you?”

He didn’t say anything for a second, and it slightly stung, seeing he might not want to tell me.  However, I scolded myself immediately. Who am I to talk? I was constantly blocking him and refusing answers.

Finally, he sighed and looked up once more, this time letting his hand take a break. “At first, I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to panic but was afraid I would scare you, knowing you already went through so much. You said I am a survivor but… I haven’t felt like one yet.”

Some anger swam over me at hearing he thought I was too weak to handle the reality of it.  However, even more, I was touched to see he did it to protect me. “You didn’t seem terrified. Really, you were the calmest person on that plane when it crashed. You didn’t struggle like everyone else, and you were smart to not scream…” I trailed off, my eyebrows shooting up at remembering something.  “Wait, where did you get that knife?” I recalled that when he saved me, he did it by cutting my belt with a knife since it was jammed!

“Remember when I was stopped by security at the airport and they checked my camera bag?”

I nodded after sifting through my mind and pulling it out. So much has happened since the crash and yet we couldn’t have been here for more than a week. “Yeah, I remember you had a weird look on your face.”

Sighing, he turned more towards me. He extended his legs out to stretch, and his gaze came to rest on me.  “Jill has a camera with a bag identical to mine. Before I left the house, I grabbed it, thinking it was my camera and my bag. When they stopped me at security and pointed out the bag, I realized I grabbed her bag and camera. Then I recalled how she always had this knife on her and that she must have left it in the bag. It was stupid of me, but I didn’t say anything when they told me I was free to go. They thought it was the camera that set the alarm off.  I didn’t tell them that it was a knife because I knew they would have taken it. That knife is special to Jill.  It was her grandfather’s, and he died in the war.  So, I didn’t say anything to security. Risky, yes, but it meant a lot to her. Thank God, I had it,” he said and offered me a small smile.  

I stared at him for a moment, the only sound between us being the distant waves and gentle breeze sifting over the trees. “You were able to get the knife out of the bag, take your buckle off, get to me only to see I am nearly dead, get air for me, and then cut my belt. You couldn’t have been that panicked if you managed all that including grabbing the knife. I don’t see it.”

His answer was instant and genuine.  It made my heart beat a little faster. “The crash gave me one option. That was to fight to live. As for staying calm, well, that was really the only time I knew I had to be.  I had a goal when we went down, and I had to stick to it.  However, now that we are here… there is nothing.  I always wondered what it would take to make an effort like this to live. So at first, I was very scared being out of my environment.  It got better, though. I am seeing myself for the first time in a long time: a guy with messy hair and a less serious personality. I like how that is being forced back into my life.”

I knew this was rare for him.  As far as I’m concerned, he never opened up like that to anyone from the expression on his face and the vibe I always got from him. Not to mention, I saw how uncomfortable he was.

I let his words sink in as best as I could before replying. “Your old self is being forced back into your life. You mean you were not always the mean and organized teacher? You didn’t like looking perfect?”

He scoffed and offered me honest eyes.  He seemed amused, yet disgusted at the same time.  “No, but things changed. When I proposed to Jill, I straightened myself up. I put a little effort into how I looked. Combing my hair back and dressing nice included because that was going to be a very special moment. After she had accepted, she told me how much she loved that I ‘cleaned myself up’ and didn’t look like such a slob.  It was embarrassing because I realized I must have been a wreck before. So, I stayed like that. Then it got out of control, and I let it. If one scratch reached my skin, I would suddenly become ashamed of myself.”

I gaped at him. “Why be ashamed?  Over a scratch, that would disappear? What the hell?” I exclaimed, outraged to hear that for many reasons. 

“After she repeatedly said I looked so much better than before, I stayed that way.  I had to be good enough for her.  After the hair and clothes came small things like that. Jill is so beautiful that one scratch put me farther below her.  I… am not really sure why I let this happen to myself, but I did.” He shook his head and chuckled humorlessly.  “So being here is a small relief. I don’t need to bother looking nice for her now that I don’t have the choice.”