CHAPTER 5
1065 Words
Avira's POV
I heard him before I saw him - crashing through the jungle, branches snapping, leaves rustling. Part of me felt a flood of relief that he'd actually come, but a bigger part was still terrified of whatever was making that growling sound in the bushes.
"Where?" Kyle burst into the clearing, his hair wild, a fresh scratch across his cheek. His eyes were wide and alert, scanning the area around my fire. "Where is it?"
"There!" I pointed frantically toward the shadows, my hand shaking so badly I could barely keep it steady. "By the... by the rocks! It was growling and... and..."
My voice trailed off as Kyle followed my gaze, his body tense and ready for a fight. In the flickering firelight, I could see what I'd been pointing at more clearly now.
A thick, twisted piece of driftwood. Gnarled and dark, coiled in a way that had looked exactly like a massive snake in the shifting shadows.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Kyle's voice was filled with disbelief as he stared at the harmless piece of wood, then back at me. "It's driftwood. A piece of wood. And the growling sound you heard was probably the wind.”
My face felt like it was on fire. "I... it looked like..." I stammered, the adrenaline still coursing through my system even as embarrassment crashed over me like a wave. "In the dark, with the shadows moving, it really looked like a snake!"
"Right." Kyle's voice was completely flat now. "A snake."
He stood there for a moment, looking at himself - the scratches on his arms from running through the jungle, the fact that he'd rushed over to help someone who'd basically told him to freeze to death a few hours earlier, all for a piece of driftwood.
Then he spoke, and his voice was colder than I'd ever heard it.
"You know what?" His eyes were ice-cold as they met mine across the dying fire. "Even if it had been a snake, I would have preferred it bit you."
The words hit me like a slap. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." His voice was deadly quiet now, more frightening than when he'd been shouting.
“Then why did you come?!” I practically screamed.
“To collected your body and dump it somewhere far away. I wouldn’t want vultures circling overhead all night, disturbing my sleep."
For a moment, I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. His words were so cruel and wicked, and I felt something inside my chest c***k.
"You absolute bastard," I whispered, my voice shaking with hurt and fury. "I was genuinely scared, and you... you..."
"What?" Kyle stepped closer, his face twisted with exhaustion and anger. "You want sympathy? From me? After you spent the entire night telling me to freeze to death?"
"That's different!"
"Different?” He laughed bitterly, “Right. Because we're both just a couple of assholes stuck on an island together."
The truth of that statement hit me harder than I expected. Because he wasn't entirely wrong, was he? I had been cruel to him earlier. I had taken pleasure in his discomfort, even if I felt he deserved it.
But this... this was different. I'd been terrified, and he'd turned that fear into a weapon against me.
"Get out," I said quietly, my voice trembling. "Get out of my camp."
"Gladly." Kyle turned away, then paused. "Try not to scream at any more pieces of wood, coffee girl. Some of us actually need rest."
"My name," I said, my voice rising, "is AVIRA!"
But he was already walking away, disappearing back into the jungle like he'd never been there at all.
I sank down beside my fire, wrapping my arms around my knees. My hands were still shaking, but not from fear anymore. From anger. From hurt. From the humiliation of having him see me so vulnerable and using it against me.
I angrily fed another stick to the flames and tried to ignore the way my chest felt hollow and achy. This was exactly why I didn't trust rich, entitled jerks like Kyle Luggard. They took your worst moments and made them weapons.
Well, fine. Two could play that game.
The Next Morning
The sun was barely up when I decided I desperately needed a bath. The last time I had a bath was yesterday morning before leaving my house, and even now I wondered if we’d ever be found in this damn island.
I made my way down to a secluded cove I'd spotted the day before while gathering firewood. It was hidden behind some rocks, hidden from the main beach where Kyle had built his ridiculous SOS sign. The water was crystal clear and relatively shallow - perfect for a quick wash without venturing too far from shore where God knows what might be lurking.
I glanced around to make sure I was completely alone, then quickly stripped down and waded into the warm water. For the first time since the plane crash, I felt almost human again. The salt water was soothing against my skin, washing away the grime and the stress of nearly dying.
I ducked under the surface, letting the water surround me completely. Down here, everything was quiet and peaceful. No Kyle Luggard. No survival stress. No humiliation. Just me and the tropical fish darting between the coral.
When I surfaced, I pushed my hair back from my face and started working my fingers through the tangles. The morning sun felt amazing on my shoulders, and for a few precious minutes, I could almost pretend this was a vacation instead of a nightmare.
I was just starting to feel relaxed when I heard footsteps on the rocky beach behind me.
My first thought was that it might be some kind of animal - a bird or a crab scuttling across the stones. I didn't turn around, just continued working on my hair.
Then I heard a very human, very familiar, very male voice say, "Oh, shit."
My blood turned to ice.
I spun around in the water, my heart hammering against my ribs, to see Kyle Luggard standing on the beach about twenty feet away. His eyes were wide with shock, his mouth slightly open, and he was staring directly at me.
At naked me.
In the water.
- Writer
