Stranded Together
504 Words
Salt burned her throat. Darkness pressed against her lungs. For a moment, Lila thought the sea had claimed her.
Then—air. She burst through the surface, coughing, waves slapping her face. Around her, broken planks from the ship bobbed like gravestones.
“Ethan!” she shouted, voice hoarse.
No answer.
Panic clenched her chest. She spun, scanning the violent waters. And then—there. A figure clinging to a piece of wood, his glasses gone, his shirt torn open from the wreck.
She kicked hard, forcing herself toward him. “Hold on!”
By the time she reached Ethan, his lips were pale, but his grip on the plank was iron-strong. Even half-drowned, his eyes found hers.
“You never… listen,” he rasped, water streaming down his face.
“Yeah, well,” Lila hooked her arm under his, forcing him to kick with her, “you’re not dying on me. Not until we find that compass.”
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Hours later, the storm had passed, leaving only exhaustion in its wake. The tide dragged them onto the shore of an island, sand warm against their bruised bodies.
Lila lay on her back, chest heaving, the stars blazing above like shards of broken glass. Beside her, Ethan groaned, pushing himself up.
“This isn’t on the map,” he muttered, scanning the dark treeline. His voice was still rough but steady.
Lila laughed bitterly. “You think?”
Despite the bite in her words, she couldn’t stop staring at him—at the way survival had stripped away his careful, composed exterior. There was a wildness in his eyes now. A man forced out of books and into the unknown.
And strangely… it suited him.
She quickly shook the thought away. “We need shelter. And fire.”
Ethan stood, his tall frame silhouetted against the moonlight. “Shelter first. Fire can wait.”
Lila raised a brow. “Did the scholar just give the orders?”
He met her gaze, unflinching. “Do you want to survive, or do you want to argue?”
Her lips parted, a retort ready—but then she smiled instead. “Fine. Survival it is, partner.”
They stumbled into the jungle, damp leaves brushing against their arms, insects humming in the shadows. Strange symbols carved into a tree caught Ethan’s attention. He reached out, tracing the marks with his fingers.
“Ancient navigation script,” he whispered. His scholar’s tone was back, but this time it carried awe. “Lila… this island isn’t just a mistake. It’s part of the Compass legend.”
Before she could reply, a low growl echoed from the underbrush.
Lila froze. Ethan stiffened beside her.
Two golden eyes glowed from the darkness. Then, the beast stepped into the clearing—massive, muscular, with jagged scars across its hide. Not a wolf. Not a leopard. Something… older. Wilder.
Ethan’s hand brushed against hers, steady and firm.
“Run,” he whispered.
The island isn’t empty—and the danger has only begun.
- Writer
